Winter came quietly, and the grass and trees gradually withered, but Qianyang Mountain was busier than ever before, and the long street at the foot of the mountain was crowded with visitors. Half a month later, the Taoist sect held a grand banquet, and the noble families of various sects gathered in Qianyang Mountain to celebrate the peace in the cultivation world.
A busy and joyful atmosphere fills Qianyang Mountain and the entire cultivation world, which is even better than any festival on earth.
In the Lingxin Sect, disciples were either playing chess in the pavilion, or sitting on the steps chatting, or fighting with swords in the air, or setting off fireworks. From time to time, disciples would form teams to deliver the purchased items to the Xuanming Sect - the Xuanming Sect took the initiative to take on the job of hosting the banquet. As the masters of Qianyang Mountain, the Lingxin Sect had to help out a little. In addition, Bu Shuihan and Qu Lin's marriage was settled, it was double happiness, and more gifts of various kinds were exchanged.
The sky is gloomy and it looks like it's going to snow.
Yao Feng asked a few disciples and followed the instructions to a quiet attic. A young man was standing by the railing upstairs. He was wearing a white robe, a red belt, and a red headband that reflected his handsome eyebrows and bright eyes. He still looked like the proud son of a noble family in the past.
Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, Qi Wan'er turned around and forced a smile at him: "Why are you here?"
"It's quiet here." Yao Feng walked over and stood beside him.
Qi Wan'er turned to look into the distance, her fingers tightly gripping the railing, and after a long while she said, "Brother Yao, I've been feeling really bad these days."
Yao Feng said "hmm".
"I have always been involved in Ji Qiniang's affairs," Qi Wan'er said. "I was young at the time, and I was focused on creating my own sword moves. I thought she was getting in the way, so I just left. I never thought about her situation, let alone helped her out of it. She was a good woman and shouldn't have ended up like this."
Yao Feng said, "Without you, she would have died at the hands of the fierce turtle. The South Island Master took advantage of her misfortune by marrying her, and was heartless and ungrateful by ignoring her. You don't have to take all the responsibility on yourself."
Qi Wan'er was immediately amused, she looked away and raised her eyebrows at him: "You must have thought about this long speech of comfort beforehand, right?"
Yao Feng said: "That makes sense."
"Thank you very much," Qi Wan'er restrained her expression, lowered her head and sighed, "That's true, but I can't let it go. In fact, I have one more thing to ask. The day before yesterday, before Master Yao returned, he asked my grandfather about your whereabouts. Isn't there a person in your family who..."
Yao Feng said: "I'll go back."
Qi Wan'er nodded, looked into the distance again, and said after a while: "I was spoiled and ignorant, and I caused you to be in trouble. I have thought about it carefully these few days. You have your own path and responsibilities, and you should not delay them for me. You have been out for so long, it is time for you to go back. Now I have changed a lot, and I will never be rash and impulsive in the future. You can rest assured." He patted the railing, his tone relaxed: "I only hope that when we meet again one day, you and I can still be like this..."
A hand patted his shoulder, and he quickly turned his head to look.
Yao Feng pursed his lips and said, "I will return to the Sword King Pavilion soon."
"Brother Yao!" Qi Wan'er was deeply moved, but then frowned, "But what I just said was from the heart. If you continue like this..."
"Sword King Pavilion." Yao Feng interrupted him, suddenly smiled, withdrew his hand and left.
"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Qi Wan'er was puzzled. After she came to her senses, she hurriedly followed him downstairs. "You are just not straightforward. What do you mean? Why don't you listen to me? I'm really not joking!"
In the secluded bamboo forest, the stilt-style building was brand new, with new window screens pasted between the window panes. In front of the building was a spacious platform, and the white-robed Pavilion Master was leaning on an embroidered recliner in front of the railing, playing with a wooden sword. Under the platform, all the dead leaves were swept aside, and several blurred white figures were dancing with swords and fighting on the open ground, like a group of cranes dancing.
Someone was walking along the path, his hair tied up with a purple-gold crown, and his black cape swaying slightly with his steps, revealing the hem of his purple robe and black boots underneath. He stopped at the edge of the clearing and stared at the white shadows, but they suddenly stopped and gradually disappeared.
"Peeking." The white-robed Pavilion Master turned his head sideways.
"This is the Lingxin Sect. I have my own sword moves. Why do I need to peek?" Gu Pinglin asked as his eyes fell on the Soul Wood Sword in his hand. "Who else claims to be an ordinary Soul Sword Master and secretly brought back this Soul Sword?"
"This is not a soul sword, it's conscience," Duan Qingming retracted his gaze and raised the long sword in his hand, "Sword Demon Yan Sen is capricious and has killed people without hesitation, but I didn't expect that he still feels a little guilty towards Yin Chaoyun. He really has a conscience, which is touching. Sword Demon Yan Sen's conscience is more precious than his soul sword style."
If Yan Sen hadn't wanted to resolve this hatred, he wouldn't have been fooled and went to the Immortal Mountain to die. The former sworn brothers may have drank wine under the moon and made a life-and-death oath, which left him with this little guilt, but no one knew except the old and sick master.
Gu Pinglin said: "This little bit of conscience will cost him his life."
Duan Qingming asked, "Are you talking about Yan Sen?"
Gu Pinglin did not answer.
Duan Qingming said: "It's a pity that the great Sword Demon was deceived by you, but he still helped you. You don't even feel ashamed."
"As for the lives of the entire Yin family, his death will not make anyone ashamed," Gu Pinglin said calmly, "Besides, whether he deserves to die or not, I will choose to do this. Do you think I am a good person?"
"You're not a good person, but you have the nerve to call me a monster."
"Only monsters look like good people."
Duan Qingming put away the Soul Wood Sword, stood up, and stared at him with a half-smile: "Gu Pinglin, I'm not waiting for you to scold me."
"You think too much," Gu Pinglin said calmly, "I admire you and envy you."
Duan Qingming asked: "So you came to see me?"
Gu Pinglin turned sideways, with his hands behind his back: "Just a walk."
"What a coincidence! I'm just about to take a walk. Why don't we go together?"
The sky was dark, the wind was stronger, and the chill was stronger. The two walked side by side in the bamboo forest, their steps equally calm, with dead leaves flying overhead like rain. The wind was noisy, and the sound of bamboo was vaguely mixed with the laughter of the disciples of the Lingxin Sect, and there seemed to be the sound of fighting and collision, or perhaps the sound of firecrackers at the foot of the mountain in the distance.
"The weather is going to change." Duan Qingming looked up at the sky.
The formations at Busheng Mountain and Tianjing Mountain were broken, and Master Lu decisively gave up the last Changming Mountain Soul Locking Formation. While the cultivation world was restoring order, another news came—the former site of the Sword King Pavilion, the Blood Moon Miasma Valley and its hundreds of miles of area, have now become a place of yin. Under the erosion of yin energy, the poisons and miasma in the valley have turned into some kind of vicious ghosts. Needless to say, they have all become barriers to the Wanfa Gate.
As expected, Master Lu was well prepared, and the ghost way was finally revived.
The ghost path is indestructible. In addition, many sects and families were besieged by the Wanfa Sect when they were trapped in the Duyin land before. Many of them suffered heavy losses, and some were even wiped out. The situation in the cultivation world is about to undergo major changes. During this event, the various forces will be re-ranked.
Things are going to change.
Gu Pinglin asked, "Did you ever doubt it?"
Duan Qingming said casually: "What doubt?"
Seeing him like this, Gu Pinglin raised his eyebrows slightly: "If you save me, I might still take the opportunity to kill you."
"You do not."
"That's suspicion."
"I've been fooled twice, so I'd be stupid not to doubt it."
"So you are very smart," Gu Pinglin laughed, "and you think I will take risks without any confidence and need you to save me in the end?"
"Indeed, it is not necessary," Duan Qingming narrowed his eyes, "Golden Wind and Jade Dew is a complete sword move. You said it was only half a move before. Were you deliberately lying to me and testing me?"
"It's to prove that you'll be wrong the third time."
"Does it also prove that I don't need feelings?"
At the end of the path is a pavilion located on the cliff. The two walked into the pavilion and stood at the railing, taking in the lively scene below the mountain.
Gu Pinglin didn't answer his question: "Did you see that? It's so lively outside, everyone is very happy."
"They think they have saved the cultivation world and feel satisfied," Duan Qingming said with a smile, "I can hear them even from the bamboo forest in the back mountain. If I want to set up a barrier, I am afraid that it will block the sound of wind and bamboo, which will be too lonely and desolate."
Gu Pinglin said: "You don't feel happy."
"I can't think of anything to be happy about," Duan Qingming said casually while looking at the people coming and going at the foot of the mountain. "Destroying Duyin Land is a big deal in their eyes. Do you think it's fun for a bunch of losers to celebrate such a simple victory with great fanfare?"
Gu Pinglin said: "Smart people always have difficulty being happy."
Duan Qingming asked: "As the planner, are you also happy about this victory?"
"It's a victory that's so simple that you can see through it. I can't think of anything to be happy about," Gu Pinglin paused, "but seeing these people happy makes me happy. This is the biggest difference between us."
Duan Qingming said: "Maybe..." He stopped and looked at Gu Pinglin for a while, then suddenly chuckled: "Maybe there is no difference."
"Um?"
"Seeing you so happy, I feel a little happy too."
Before Gu Pinglin could react, his body was suddenly pushed to the side, and his back hit the pavilion pillar. He subconsciously grabbed the hand on his shoulder, with murderous intent in his eyes, but then he reacted and froze.
"When a man is happy, he should do happy things, right?" The handsome face approached, and the gentle voice was a little deep, as if a monster was bewitching people.
Gu Pinglin turned his head and said, "You are too unorthodox."
"If you haven't experienced the joy of being rebellious, why not try it? Maybe you'll have a better experience." Looking at his cold face and gradually tightening fingers, her eyes became increasingly darker, and her tone was filled with a barely perceptible excitement. "You don't plan to resist, but have you finally faced reality and realized you can't win?"
Lost? Gu Pinglin was silent for a moment: "At this point, haven't I lost?"
"But as you said, I didn't win either." Duan Qingming thought for a moment, "If we must decide the winner, maybe we can start in another way."
Gu Pinglin looked at him immediately.
"For example," Duan Qingming said nonchalantly, his hand sliding down silently, "In this kind of happy thing, who will give up first?"
Dead silence.
"How about a more interesting approach?"
"If it can help to liven things up, I don't mind."
With a sneer, a cold sword intent burst out, the purple sword brought up a gorgeous arc of light, the four pillars of the pavilion were broken, and the pavilion halfway up the mountain collapsed!
Outside the pavilion, the cold wind blew sparse snowflakes towards the ground.
-(over)-