When spring came and flowers bloomed, Huo Zhanbai led the seven swordsmen of Dingjiange back from Kunlun thousands of miles away.
Although many of the Seven Swordsmen were injured and most of them were killed in the fierce battle, they finally brought back the news that the leader of the Demon Cult had been killed and the Five Mingzi had been annihilated. For a time, the entire Central Plains martial arts world was shocked, and all the major sects rushed to tell each other and celebrated.
The five injured swordsmen were sent to Pharmacist Valley, but Wei Fengxing was not seriously injured, so he rushed back to his hometown in Yangzhou impatiently.
As the leader of this operation, Huo Zhanbai cannot get away so easily - for the past two months, he has been accompanying the old Pavilion Master Nangong of Dingjiange to frequently run between various sects. When the situation in the martial arts world changes again, he tries to re-coordinate the delicate relationships between the various sects and reach a new balance.
At the same time, the reputation of the Tianshan Sect's first disciple, Master Huo Qi, also reached its peak in the martial arts world.
Three months later, when most of the chores had been completed, he finally returned to Jiuyao Villa in Lin'an, brought Qiu Shuiyin back from Xia Mansion, and tried his best to take care of her health.
However, to his surprise, the old Pavilion Master Nangong came very soon and condescended to visit him. What surprised him even more was that the old man actually spoke again and begged him to be the next Pavilion Master of Dingjian Pavilion.
That was also the third time he had made a similar proposal in eight years.
The difference is that this time, it was almost like begging.
"Xiao Huo, take over this responsibility—" Old Pavilion Master Nangong sighed to the young man, "I have to go and treat my heart disease quickly, otherwise I may not survive the next winter."
He who had been making excuses was shocked: "What?"
The old Pavilion Master Nangong has been a powerful figure in the martial arts world for decades, and his inner and outer cultivation has reached perfection. At around fifty years old, he still looks as vigorous as a middle-aged man, without any signs of aging - but unexpectedly, he has been secretly suffering from a serious illness for many years.
“I fought too hard when I was young, so I’ll suffer in my old age… There’s nothing I can do about it.” Old Pavilion Master Nangong shook his head and sighed, “Now that the Demon Palace’s arrogance has been temporarily extinguished and the Moon Worship Sect has stopped provoking me, I’ve chosen a good time to withdraw… But as long as Dingjian Pavilion is without a master, I won’t be able to rest in peace until I die.”
Huo Zhanbai lowered his head and remained silent.
The old Pavilion Master Nangong was his benefactor and had been taking care of him and supporting him for many years. As a junior with the corresponding ability, he really shouldn't have the heart to refuse such a request from an old man. However...
Subconsciously, he turned his head and looked inside.
Behind the screen, Qiu Shuiyin had just taken medicine and was still in a deep sleep - Valley Master Liao's prescription was very effective. Her illness had been alleviated a lot now. Although her mind was still unclear and a little dazed, she no longer cried and made a fuss like she did at the beginning, treating everyone who approached her as the murderer of her son.
"I know what's on your mind. You're afraid that if you take care of Madam Qiu after becoming the Pavilion Master, you'll be talked about by the world, right?" As if understanding his concerns, the old Pavilion Master Nangong said, "In fact, I already knew about your affairs, but the situation back then... Sigh. Now that Xu Chonghua has been executed, why don't I be the matchmaker and settle this long-standing love debt!"
"No!" Huo Zhanbai was shocked and blurted out subconsciously.
"Don't worry," Old Pavilion Master Nangong thought he was trying to shirk responsibility, so he frowned and said, "With me here, who dares to gossip?"
"No. Thanks." He still just shook his head, but his tone gradually relaxed, revealing only a sense of fatigue.
Everyone knows that he is crazy. He has been devoted to Qiu Shuiyin for more than ten years. Although she has remarried, he has never regretted it. However, who knows that he has been tired halfway through and secretly changed his mind. Time has faded away the crazyness of his youth. He still takes care of his former lover with all his heart, but he no longer has the crazy love he once had.
"You have been bearing this reputation for so many years, don't you hope to achieve your goal soon? You are so free and easy on weekdays, why are you so coy when the time comes?" The old Pavilion Master Nangong next to him didn't know the details, and was still trying to persuade him with what he thought was good intentions. He was a little surprised by the other party's indifference, and his expression suddenly turned stern: "Could it be... you dislike her? Do you think she is not worthy of you, the leader of the Central Plains Wulin, because she has been married and had children, and now she has this disease?"
"Of course not! Alas..." Huo Zhan was speechless and could only smile bitterly and wave his hands, "I agree to the succession - but let's not talk about the matchmaking for now. Let's talk about it after Qiu Shui recovers from his illness."
Old Pavilion Master Nangong breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the teacup: "In this way, I can go to Pharmacist Valley to see a doctor earlier."
When Pharmacist Valley was mentioned, Huo Zhanbai was shocked and couldn't help but smile: "Yes, Master Xue has superb medical skills and will definitely be able to cure the disease."
—But, that woman is very barbaric. I wonder if the old Pavilion Master can handle it
The white plum blossoms in the valley are about to wither, right? I just hope Qiu Shui's illness will get better soon, so that he can get away and go to the Pharmacist Valley to keep his appointment.
Not noticing his expression that quickly warmed up, Old Pavilion Master Nangong simply lowered his head, opened and closed his teacup, took a sip, and said, "I heard that Valley Master Xue passed away recently, and now the former Valley Master Liao is in charge again. I don't know where she has been hiding all these years. After her disciple died, she suddenly came back, and it is said that she brought back a new disciple..."
As he spoke, he looked up and was suddenly startled: "Xiao Huo! What's wrong with you?"
Huo Zhanbai seemed to be possessed by a demon. His face turned terribly pale in an instant. He looked at him straight, but the look in his eyes was as bright as a demon: "You...what did you just say? What did you say?! What happened to Master Xue?!"
The last sentence was already a scream, and he rushed over with a pale face, as if he wanted to grab the old man's throat. The old Pavilion Master Nangong was startled, and he stepped back like lightning, and at the same time threw the teacup forward, drawing a curve and hitting the other party's Quchi acupoint.
The stinging pain finally sobered up the madman a little.
"She...she..." Huo Zhanbai stood there stiffly, mumbling, but he didn't have the courage to ask that question.
"Yes, Valley Master Xue passed away a month ago." Seeing this, Old Pavilion Master Nangong understood a little and sighed, "I don't know why such a weak woman dared to assassinate the King of the Church alone! - Xiao Huo, don't you know? About one or two days before you arrived in Kunlun, she assassinated the King of the Church."
"That's amazing. She risked her life and actually succeeded."
"This is something we have been unable to accomplish even with all the strength of the martial arts world over the years!"
“…” Huo Zhanbai staggered back, then sat down dejectedly, his whole body cold.
So that’s it… So that’s it!
No wonder they didn't see the Hierophant when they attacked the Great Light Palace - he thought it was Tong's rebellion that caused the Hierophant to be seriously injured and unable to fight, but it turned out that she assassinated the Hierophant! Just the day before he arrived at Kunlun Mountain, she took the initiative
Why didn't she wait for him? ... Why not wait one more day
He always knew that she was strong and decisive, but he never imagined that this weak and frail woman who was powerless would go alone to challenge the most powerful demon in the world, risking her life!
That is something that no one in the entire Central Plains martial arts world dares to do...
He lowered his head weakly, supporting his fiery forehead with his cold hands, and felt the almost suffocating pain in his chest.
So, where did she go after the assassination? They didn't see any trace of her in the Great Guangming Palace the next day, so how did she leave the Great Guangming Palace
Suddenly, Huo Zhanbai remembered the narrow encounter with Miao Feng on the Uliastai snowfield that day, and remembered the person in Miao Feng's arms - the person whose face could not be seen, who stretched out a pale hand from the fox fur, as if trying to grab something in the air.
His face suddenly turned pale—
So... that was her? That was her?!
They were only separated by a hair's breadth, yet they passed each other by, never to meet again.
Never meet again!
At that moment, the overwhelming pain and sorrow completely overwhelmed him. Huo Zhanbai buried his head in his hands, his shoulders trembling violently, trying his best to suppress his emotions, but finally couldn't help but burst into low tears.
Old Pavilion Master Nangong stood aside, watching in astonishment.
This was the first time in more than ten years that he had seen this young man cry so uncontrollably.
"Eh..." The patient behind the screen was awakened, came out confusedly, and looked at the man crying with his head buried in tears, her eyes full of surprise. She looked at him for a moment, as if she was looking at a crying child, and suddenly smiled gently, contrary to her usual irritability, walked up to him, stretched out her hand, and took the crying man into her arms.
She patted his back gently and murmured, "Be good... Mo'er, don't cry, Mo'er, don't cry. Mom is here, no one dares to bully you... Don't cry..."
She took a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, just like a mother doting on her child.
The grief only lasted for a moment before it became a permanent silence. Huo Zhanbai looked up in surprise, looking at the woman who was so close to him for the first time in many years, with a bitter smile in his eyes.
"Qiu Shui." He murmured and sighed, reaching out his hand to touch her cheek.
She smiled at him tenderly.
— So, it was really destined? Neither he nor she could let the other go.
We will be entangled like this for the rest of our lives.
――――――――――――――
Three months later, Dingjiang Pavilion officially sent out six swords as messengers to welcome Huo Zhanbai to Moling Dingjiang Pavilion.
When the six swordsmen dismounted at the gate of the villa, the long-closed door suddenly opened, and all the servants were surprised to see Master Huo standing behind the door - he was wearing a white robe as white as snow, and the white seemed like an endless snowfield. He tightly grasped the pure black Mohun Sword in his hand, and his face still showed fatigue after days of drinking, but his eyes had regained their usual sobriety and sharpness.
"Let's go." Without any polite words, he turned around calmly, as if he already knew that this was a responsibility he could not escape.
"Mo'er! Mo'er!" Madam Qiu in the front hall heard the noise and ran over. "Where are you going?"
Her eyes were as frightened as a deer's, and she held his hand tightly: "Don't go out! Those people want to hurt you, and you can't come back if you go out!"
Wei Fengxing and Xia Qianyu looked at each other, feeling a little awkward.
Huo Zhanbai's eyes were filled with sad tenderness. He lowered his head and patted her gently: "Don't be afraid, nothing will happen." Then, he gently but firmly pulled her hand away, raised his eyes to signal, and immediately two old maids who had been taking care of Qiu Shuiyin came forward and helped her away.
Surrounded by the six swords, he walked out of the villa quickly, mounted his horse, and headed straight for Moling Dingjiang Pavilion.
"Zhan Bai!" As the group rode away, a sharp shout was faintly heard from inside the door. Qiu Shuiyin pushed aside the two old ladies and staggered to the door. Facing his departing back, she clearly called out his name, "Zhan Bai, don't go!"
Huo Zhanbai's hand holding the reins trembled slightly, but he did not look back in the end.
"Qingran told me that her mania was just a temporary stimulus, and she should have recovered by now." Wei Fengxing obviously understood everything. He rushed side by side with him and whispered, "She has been pretending to be stupid, probably just to keep you - don't blame her."
"I know." He just nodded, "I don't blame her."
Wei Fengxing paused and asked, "Will you marry her?"
Huo Zhanbai was silent for a long time, and finally spoke: "I will take care of her for the rest of my life."
Wei Fengxing's eyes moved. He knew that this firm promise also expressed a firm refusal, and he couldn't help but sigh.
The two rode in silence for a long time. Wei Fengxing lowered his brows and said, "Seventh brother, you have to cheer up."
"Yes." Huo Zhanbai suddenly laughed and nodded, "I will be a good Pavilion Master, you can just go on being your good husband without worry!"
In the fourth month after returning from the expedition to Kunlun, Huo Zhanbai and the Six Swords came to Moling. In front of the martial arts world, he took over the Golden Nine Cauldrons, which symbolized the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world, from the old pavilion master Nangong Yanqi, and sat on the throne in the pavilion with the Mo Hun Sword.
The whole audience cheered loudly - however, the new leader of the martial arts world just smiled faintly, without any joy at all.
—Wei Wu, yes, I promised to be a good leader of this pavilion.
Although, I would rather be an ordinary person like you, spending the rest of my life with a lovely wife and young children.
When old Pavilion Master Nangong went to Pharmacist Valley for medical treatment, the new leader accompanied him despite being busy with affairs.
The white stone formation was still slowly changing in the wind and snow, but the purple-dressed person was missing from the crowd that came to greet them at the valley entrance. When Liao Qingran led the maids to open the white stone formation, Huo Zhanbai felt a sharp pain in his heart when he saw the white flowers on their temples, and he almost cried on the spot.
Liao Qingran looked at him with sighs in his eyes, but finally remained silent and just led the old Pavilion Master Nangong to Xia Pavilion.
"Mr. Huo, please go to the Winter Garden to rest." I suddenly heard a familiar voice in my ears. I turned my head and saw it was Shuanghong.
However, after not seeing her for a few months, the smart and generous girl suddenly became much quieter, and her eyes were slightly red and swollen, as if she had cried too many times in recent days.
He gritted his teeth and nodded, then walked away without waiting for her to lead the way.
He had walked that road countless times in the past eight years.
And if I walk this road again today, every step feels like a thousand arrows piercing my heart.
When he reached the steps in front of the courtyard, his courage was finally exhausted. He just stared blankly at the withered white plum tree, unable to move forward another step. The snow-white bird was perched on the tree, staring at him quietly, its eyes full of sadness.
"Let's drink together when you come back!" When he left, he waved at her and laughed, "I will definitely beat you!"
However, now they are separated forever.
"Mr. Huo..." Shuang Hong suddenly handed over something, which turned out to be a handkerchief, "Your stuff."
Huo Zhanbai lowered his eyes and caught a glimpse of the ink stains on the handkerchief. Suddenly, he felt a sharp prick in his heart.
"It's going to snow tonight, can you have a drink?"
That was the letter he asked Xue Yao to deliver to her in Yangzhou, but she would never be able to keep this appointment.
Shuang Hong lowered her head and spoke softly, "When the Valley Master left Pharmacist Valley, he specifically told me: If Mr. Huo really comes back one day, he wants me to tell you that the wine has been buried under the plum tree for you."
"Under the plum tree?" He looked in the direction of her finger in a daze, and suddenly remembered -
On that quiet night, he and the purple-clad woman played rock-paper-scissors and drank together before falling into a deep sleep under the plum tree. When the snowflakes fell, the moment he woke up under the night sky, he suddenly felt the true tranquility and fulfillment in his life—at that moment, he suddenly had the courage to say goodbye to all the past events, because his life had been injected with new vitality.
That night, the bright moon in the snow, the falling plum blossoms, and the person sleeping in my arms, all seemed to be right in front of me, but I would never be able to touch them again.
He saw a slightly raised mound of earth under the white plum blossoms. He bent down and broke the earth, and sure enough, he saw a jar of wine.
Shuanghong lowered her voice and whispered, "The Valley Master also said that if she can't come back, the wine should be buried first. Drinking alone can hurt your body. Wait until you have someone to drink with, then come back—"
After hearing the last sentence, Huo Zhanbai put down the wine dejectedly and stared at the withered white plum blossoms in a daze.
At that moment, a huge pain surged in his heart that he could no longer suppress. He wanted to scream loudly, but he couldn't utter a word. In the end, he turned his sword and hit the railing, and a large piece of jade railing shattered with a loud bang.
Shuang Hong did not stop him, but just watched him chop down the sword frantically. The tears that had been suppressed for a long time also burst out, and finally she covered her face and lost her voice: If the Valley Master had not died... Then, now they should have gathered again under the plum tree, drinking and talking, right? In the past eight years, the Valley Master would only be so happy when the Seventh Master Huo came to the valley to recuperate.
All the maids hoped that she would forget the boy sleeping under the ice and start a new happy life.
However, everything was shattered.
His heart was boiling, but he had no words to express it. Huo Zhanbai swung his sword frantically, smashing everything he encountered. Under Mo Hun's sword, jade was broken like snow, scattered all over the ground. However, the sword that fell again in mid-air was blocked by an invisible and warm force.
"The dead are gone," the man came over silently and blocked his sword, "Seventh Master, you can't tear down Master Xue's former residence."
Huo Zhanbai raised his head and saw a head of long ice-blue hair. He said in a lost voice: "Miao Feng?"
"No, Miao Feng is dead," the man just smiled calmly, "My name is Yami."
In the summer garden, the green shade is still lush.
There were two people sitting in the pavilion beside the hot spring, but they were extremely silent and still.
After Yami finished telling what happened in the Great Guangming Palace, she fell silent for a long time. Huo Zhanbai didn't say anything, but opened the jar of wine and sat in the pavilion by the water, drinking by himself until he was drunk.
The Snow Kites flew down to the table, muttering something, and drank from the same glass with him. The bird seemed to drink more than he did, and soon began to lose its balance, flapping its wings and falling headfirst onto the table.
"She said that drinking alone is bad for your health." Yami looked at him, her expression still indifferent.
"Then... come and drink with me!" Huo Zhanbai smiled and raised his glass, inviting this strange opponent - he did not ask what kind of past this man had with Zi Ye. On the snowy plains of Uliastai, this man had once desperately challenged the Seven Swords alone, just to send her to seek medical treatment in time.
However, she still died in front of him.
The former top killer of the Demon Palace always had a gentle smile on his face, but the more so, the more he could not imagine how deep the sorrow this person had buried in his heart for that moment.
"No, let's wait for someone else to accompany you." Yami still smiled quietly, flipping through a medical book, her hands still smelling of medicinal herbs, "Master said that alcohol can cause delays, and as her last disciple, I must not be as greedy as Master Xue."
Huo Zhanbai was a little surprised: "You actually became my disciple?"
Yami nodded and smiled: "Who could have imagined what would happen in this world?"
Just as you can never know what kind of people you will meet or what kind of things you will encounter, you will never know when your destiny will turn. Sometimes, an inadvertent glance or a chance encounter can rewrite a person's life.
He was once a royal son who lived a life of luxury, but his country was destroyed and his family was ruined. He met the King of the Church and became an emotionless killing sword; then, he met the person who awakened him and regained his self.
However, she died soon.
He accompanied Liao Qingran all the way to send Xue Ziye's body back thousands of miles, and then knelt in the deep snow outside the white stone formation for a long time, begging Valley Master Liao to accept him as his disciple, and he did not get up for three days.
Why did you want to study medicine? Master Liao asked him: You were just a murderer before.
Yes. He was nothing more than a murderer—but even a murderer has moments when life is worse than death.
He simply didn't want to have that feeling again: having no way to run, the world being cruel, and being able to only watch the one he loved suffer by his side and die bit by bit, wishing he could take his own life in their place.
He also didn't want more people to suffer like this.
Valley Master Liao was silent for a long time, and finally nodded slowly: "Do you know? The founder of Medicine Master Valley was also a murderer."
So he stayed incognito and became the last disciple of Master Liao. He transferred his enthusiasm for martial arts to medicine, and locked himself in the library of Spring Garden every day, studying the books on the wall: Biaoyou, Yulong, Elbow Back Prescription, Wai Tai Mi Yao, Jinlan Xunjing, Qianjin Yifang, Qianjin Fang, Cunzhentu, Lingjiu, Suwen Nanjing...
After that snowy night in the wilderness, he was completely transformed.
He looked at Huo Zhanbai who was drinking by himself, and suddenly sighed softly - did you hate me? If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have risked leaving the valley; if it weren't for me not protecting her well, she wouldn't have been seriously injured at the top of Kunlun; if I hadn't taken her away, you wouldn't have been so close yet so far away at the last moment...
However, he never asked these questions again.
What's the point of asking now
Huo Zhanbai tightened his fingers, and the white porcelain wine glass made a subtle sound of breaking. As if he mustered up great courage, he finally whispered: "She... died peacefully?"
"There's still a smile on his face."
"… That's good."
After a brief conversation, the two fell silent again.
Yami turned away, not wanting to look into the other person's eyes, and the hand holding the flute was shaking uncontrollably—
Her death was actually extremely tragic and decisive, and he will never forget it.
He will always remember her suppressed trembling when the poison took effect, how tightly her fingers clenched his shoulders and arms, and how she looked up at the cold gray snowy sky and cheered with a childlike joy in her dying moments - that memory is like a knife, cutting a bloody wound in his heart every time he recalls it.
It was enough for him to bear this memory alone, why should one more person suffer from it
"Where is she... buried?" Finally, Huo Zhanbai couldn't help asking.
"It's in the cemetery of Moga village." Yami said quietly.
That person... In the end, is he still that person
Huo Zhanbai looked at the empty water surface; the young man sleeping under the ice was long gone.
Suddenly, his heart was at peace, and the flames of pain that had been tormenting him were extinguished. He no longer envied the man who had stayed by her side at the last moment, nor did he suffer for his own missed opportunity - because in the end, she only belonged to that cold land.
Winter nights, summer days. After a hundred years, he returns to his room.
"I heard that you are about to become the leader of Dingjian Pavilion." Yami changed the subject, still smiling, "Congratulations."
"There is no other choice. If I could choose, I would rather spend my life in Pharmacist Valley like you—" Huo Zhanbai exhaled a long breath from his chest, without any joy at all, "But unless you die once as thoroughly as you did, you can live your life as you please again, right?"
"Such words really don't sound like something a person who is about to become the overlord of the Central Plains would say..." Yami just smiled, but her voice changed and said lightly, "Tong, you also ascended the throne of the Great Light Palace recently - from now on, you will have to stand on the top and fight again."
"What?" Huo Zhanbai looked up in surprise, "Tong has become the King of Religion? How did you know?"
"Of course I know," Yami shook her head, "I'm originally from there."
A certain sadness flashed in his eyes, and he turned to look at Huo Zhanbai: "You are her best friend, Tong is her brother, and now you have become irreconcilable enemies - if she knew about this, she would be very sad."
Huo Zhanbai lowered his head and supported his forehead with his hands. His palms felt cold but his forehead was hot.
"Then what do you want us to do?" He murmured with a bitter smile, "Since ancient times, good and evil cannot coexist."
"I just want you to sit down and have a drink together." Yami smiled quietly, but her eyes looked behind Huo Zhanbai.
Who? Is there someone behind? ! Huo Zhanbai sobered up immediately. He turned around in shock and subconsciously put his hand on the hilt of the sword. He caught a glimpse of a black cloak falling to the ground. The person in the cloak had a pair of bright ice-blue eyes. I don't know how long he has been listening. At this moment, he just quietly floated down from the woods and walked into the pavilion.
"Tong?" Huo Zhanbai looked at the new chief who suddenly appeared in Pharmacist Valley in surprise, his sword in his hand.
—This person had just seized the supreme power of the Great Light Palace in a bloody riot. Instead of staying in the Western Region, what was he doing here? Did he learn that the old Pavilion Master Nangong was seriously ill and wanted to come and disrupt the situation in the Central Plains martial arts world
However, at this time, Yami quietly retreated, leaving the two of them alone facing each other.
The young pope did not say a word, nor did he show any murderous intent. He just sat down in front of him silently, picked up the wine jug and filled the glass in front of him. Then, he picked it up, nodded slightly at him, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.
Huo Zhanbai stared at him as he drank three cups in a row, watching the wine flow from his pale neck into his collar.
He drank too fast and choked his throat. He let go of the wine glass and held onto the table, coughing desperately. A sickly blush appeared on his pale face. However, the new king ignored all this and just poured one glass after another, coughing non-stop. Tears gradually welled up in his ice-blue eyes. At that moment, he didn't look like a new king of the Demon Palace who controlled the Western Regions at all, but just like a child who was at a loss.
Huo Zhanbai stared at him, and suddenly a warm current rushed into his heart. At that moment, all the good and evil, and martial arts were thrown out of his mind. He threw the Mohun Sword to the ground, snatched the wine pot and filled the wine glass in front of him, raised his head -
"Come!"
He drank the wine while laughing. The mellow liquor ignited a fire in his throat, as if it was going to burn through his heart and lungs.
Yes, she said that drinking alone is harmful to the body - it turns out that this jar of fine wine was used to drown the sorrows of the two of them.
So, they drank in silence, one cup for each of you, one for me, without words, without calculation, without even exchanging glances. The new leader of Dingjian Pavilion and the young king of Daguangming Palace sat opposite each other, silently drinking the last commemoration she left for them, one cup at a time.
Gradually, they all got completely drunk. In their drunkenness, they could vaguely hear the sound of a flute from afar outside the window. Along with the sound of the flute, the drunken man slapped his hands on the table and laughed, raising his cup to the void: "Green ants and new wine, red clay stove. It's going to snow in the evening, can you drink a cup?"
Then, the last glass of wine was poured on the ground and immediately seeped into the soil without a trace.
With drunken eyes, Tong watched the man singing and laughing, vaguely understanding that he was going to a date that would never come true.
I have accompanied you drunkenly and laughing for thirty thousand times, and suddenly realized what day it is today.
He suddenly laughed: What day is it today
After getting drunk and laughing, he knew clearly that the night was over.
"I can see that my sister actually likes you very much." Tong stared at him and suddenly spoke.
Huo Zhanbai paused for a moment, looking at the young Pope, and suddenly realized that his eyes were a deep blue.
"If she hadn't saved me, she would definitely still be here drinking with you?" Tong looked down at the wine in the glass. A pair of eyes were reflected in the glass, a faint and strange ice blue, as melancholy as the deep sea.
"These past few days, I often use the mirror to cast pupil techniques on myself." Tong suddenly laughed, "That way, I can see my sister in the illusion."
When he first met her again, she used a mirror to turn her pupil technique back on herself - he never expected that in the countless days that followed, he would only be able to use the method she taught him to remember her again and again.
“…” Huo Zhanbai didn’t know what to say—this cold and meticulous killer, the new king who ascended the throne in the midst of blood and gore, suddenly became as fragile as a young boy.
However, before he could say anything else, Tong threw the wine glass in front of him: "Don't talk about this. Drink!"
They drank to their heart's content, finishing a whole jar of aged liquor. His memory of what happened afterwards was already fuzzy, he only vaguely remembered that the two of them talked a lot about the martial arts world, the world, and martial arts.
"Next year on the Lantern Festival, I will marry the Moon Saint, Sala." Tong said that after getting drunk.
He was slightly startled and looked up at the young pope in black.
"I will kill the current Uighur king for her and help her family regain the throne." Tong said coldly.
"Oh?" Huo Zhanbai was a little absent-minded, muttering, "It must be very hard to sit firmly on that throne, right?"
"Heh..." Tong held the wine glass and laughed drunkenly, "Yeah, it must be very hard - just look at the previous king. But..." He suddenly glanced at Huo Zhanbai, and a cold light flashed in his demon eyes at that moment: "You are not much better. People from the Central Plains are more scheming and deeper - you, you can see it just by looking at Miaokong."
Huo Zhanbai was startled and gave a wry smile.
What a ridiculous thing... The new leader of Dingjian Pavilion actually had a secret conversation with the new religious king of Demon Palace in Pharmacist Valley, pouring out their hearts to each other as if they were friends of life and death!
After the wine jars were empty, they fell into a deep sleep in the pavilion.
Before falling asleep, Tong suddenly raised her head and looked at him, muttering: "Huo Qi, I don't want to be your enemy."
Huo Zhanbai seemed to understand what he meant: "Are you... coming here to make peace?"
Tong slumped down on the table drunkenly, but pushed something in front of him: "Take it!"
Although he was drunk, Huo Zhanbai was still shocked: Holy Fire Token? The token of the Great Light Palace's King!
"I hope that the truce will not only last for five years, but... while you and I are both still in this position, we can stop fighting. No more fighting... Really no more fighting... Why bother?"
He couldn't be sure whether Tong was really drunk at that moment, because when the precious token was pushed in front of him, a firm and cold look appeared in those fragile eyes again: it was a deep purple, dangerous and bottomless.
The young king raised his hand and said, "Do you agree?"
When I woke up the next day, I was already in the warm room.
Huo Zhanbai woke up in the daylight, feeling a splitting headache. There was a faint sound of music in his ears, elegant and mysterious, with unspeakable sadness. He propped himself up: "Is it Miao... No, is it Yami?"
Under the plum tree outside the window, the blue-haired man stopped playing the flute, turned around and smiled: "Master Huo Qi is awake?"
Huo Zhanbai frowned and looked around: "Where's Tong?"
"They left before dawn." Yami just smiled, "Maybe they were afraid of being seen by the people from Dingjian Pavilion and causing trouble for both of them."
Huo Zhanbai exhaled, leaned back, closed his eyes, and carefully recalled the drunken night with that man. Suddenly, something hard and cold pressed against his back. He raised his hand and took it out. It turned out to be a token made of black iron with holy fire rising from it.
Holy Fire Order? At that moment, his mind became clear.
—The conversation last night suddenly came to my mind vividly.
Yami smiled: "Tong took the Mohun Sword you gave him as a token of trust and said that he would abide by the agreement with you."
"What? Mohun Sword?!" He suddenly came to his senses and reached out to touch it. Sure enough, the sword was no longer beside him. Huo Zhanbai's face changed, and he shook his head vigorously, trying hard to recall what oath he made with that person when he high-fived.
"'Do your best to prevent war between the Central Plains and the Western Regions in your lifetime.'" Yami looked at him seriously and repeated the agreement word for word.
"Oh... Yes, I remember now." Huo Zhanbai finally nodded, a cold light flashing in the depths of his eyes.
"You don't want to regret it, do you?" Yami frowned.
Huo Zhanbai smiled bitterly: "Regret? You also came from the Shura Field, do you think you can trust someone like Tong?"
Yami was silent for a long time before she smiled and shook her head.
"He let the Seven Swords go down the mountain that day, probably because he considered that Xu Chonghua knew the details of the Demon Palace and could not be kept. Instead of forming an alliance with such a person, it is better to choose another more reliable one. And now he proposed a truce, perhaps just because he needs time to revive the Great Light Palace." Huo Zhanbai supported his forehead and murmured, "Just wait and see, once he controls the situation in the Uighurs and trains a group of elite killers again, he will come back and fight against the Central Plains martial arts world."
Yami's eyes flickered and she smiled: "This possibility exists."
No one knew the assassin king of Shura Field better than him. Tong was an extremely dangerous person. In the past, the King of the Church asked him to have guards by his side all the time, in fact, it was mainly to guard against this person.
"Envoy Miaofeng, which side are you on?" Huo Zhanbai smiled slightly and asked casually.
Yami kept a warm smile on her face, and she remained calm even when she heard such a sharp question: "Miaofeng is dead - doctors are like parents, so they treat everyone equally."
Huo Zhanbai looked at him meaningfully, but remained silent.
"When will Xia Qianyu and the others recover from their injuries?" In the silence, he suddenly asked an irrelevant question.
Yami hesitated for a moment and said, "The tendons of the thumbs of the five swordsmen have been broken. Even if the tendons are changed successfully, it will take at least three years to fully recover."
"Three years..." Huo Zhanbai muttered to himself, "It seems that there is no way to not stop the war in these years."
The situation in the Central Plains and the Western Regions cannot be completely controlled by one person. The differences between the sects and the division between good and evil that have accumulated over the years have already made them hostile to each other. I am afraid that the two of them have not yet thought of fighting each other, but the people under their sects have already been unable to bear it - and what is more terrifying is that perhaps the hostility and vigilance in their hearts have never been eliminated for a moment, and all the superficial work is actually just to accumulate more destructive power and start a new war!
"If a war is unavoidable in the future," after a long silence, Yami smiled slightly, bowed slightly, and handed over a resuscitation order, "Then, just come to the Pharmacist Valley—"
"Like Valley Master Xue, I will do my best to protect the lives of both of you."