Chapter 83 The journey ends here, the journey begins again.

November 15th.

Having stayed in Xuecheng for quite some time, Fan Xiang observed the stars at night and said that deep winter was fast approaching, with blizzards every day. These past few days had been relatively sunny and calm, the last good weather of the season.

Zhang Xuan fought several battles with Wen Gujianxiu, and was eventually forced to rest in bed for several days. When he woke up yesterday, the boy was acting strangely, saying that he had seen the stars again, and felt as if the heavens were urging them to find the nine stars.

He spoke hastily, and after thinking for a moment, the boys decided to leave today. If they were fast, they should be able to enter Liangzhou in the Northwest and head to Jinsha City in December.

With the matter settled, Wen Gu Huaiyuan, as the head of the Wen Gu clan, personally saw them off.

The events of this period were actually quite complex, at least for the Wen Gu family head. The events of Yunzhou back then, the Wen Gu Immortal Sword now in the hands of the nameless swordsman Wen Chuan, his younger brother becoming an evil cultivator who attempted to massacre a city but was instead slaughtered, and his wife's resurrection followed by a divorce—

It was indeed tragic, but Wen Gu Huaiyuan was, after all, the head of a clan. His cultivation was beyond question, and his will and ability were also top-notch. The young people didn't care how he handled these matters afterward. However, this head of the Wen Gu clan was indeed a somewhat stubborn but righteous sword cultivator. Call him cold or ruthless, in his heart, responsibility was the most important thing.

Wen Chuan looked at him one last time. The usually gentle young man turned his head away, a rare occurrence, and smiled softly. Qing Yu asked him what was wrong, and he shook his head, whispering to Qing Yu that Wen Gu Huaiyuan was very similar to his elder brother from back then—equally elegant and upright, equally cold and stubborn, and even their appearances seemed somewhat alike upon closer inspection.

He was undoubtedly a child from his brother's generation.

He didn't dare say it, but actually Wen Chuan wasn't very comfortable looking him in the eye. Even if others could tell, they would assume it was because of the Legend of Sword and Fairy, but only Wen Chuan himself knew what he was embarrassed about.

The sword immortal's brother is still a brother.

Qingyu: "..."

Suddenly, I realized that my husband is actually an ancient ancestor, and one who's even afraid of his older brother...

Wen Chuan: "..."

Finally, the carriage slowly drove out of this far northern city, and the silhouette of the snow city was gradually blurred by the wind and snow.

Zhang Xuan let out a sigh and collapsed onto the daybed. The boy suddenly spoke as if he were being unreasonable, "Jinsha City, Jinsha City, Jinsha City!"

What are you doing?!

Qingyu sat cross-legged on the edge of the long couch, and the girl glanced at Zhang Xuan. "What's the rush? The convergence of nine stars may not necessarily be a good thing."

Besides, there's still no progress on the star map issue, so there's no use in being anxious.

Lin Fanxiang was flipping through medical books on the medicine table when she heard the girl look up and sighed silently.

"Even so, the spiritual energy on those items is strange and often used as a weapon by those with ulterior motives, just like Shen Dongsheng from Danzhou and Wen Guhuaigui who saw the snow."

Upon closer inspection, they found six "stars": the jade pendant (something), the scroll (the carriage), the sword tassel, the jasmine petals, the poisonous spider, and the nameless stone. The nameless stone was not with them, but the others were all there. They even rode in the carriage every day without anything unusual happening.

Ultimately, these wondrous powers that can alter the laws of life and death should never have appeared in Kyushu in the first place. Who knows what those with ulterior motives might do with them?

Qin Tianshu sat on a recliner, the young man holding a book in his hand, and said with a smile, "Actually, I received a letter from Jiaozhou yesterday."

Qingyu raised an eyebrow. "Is it the Wang family?"

The scholar nodded. "Many people in Kyushu know about the incident that day with the star map of Shengjing and the Imperial Preceptor being trapped. They are also curious about what's in that star map."

"So I mentioned it briefly in my letter, asking Brother Wang to look up relevant information in the Records of the Nine Provinces of Jiaozhou... He wrote back yesterday, saying that nowadays, apart from the Lin family who have the ability to observe stars and speak spirits, only the Taishan Lord in Fengdu, Qingzhou, can communicate with the will of Heaven, but that is a ghost land, and we can't go there."

"That... isn't it the same as not saying anything at all?"

Zhang Xuan blinked, and the scholar gave him a disgruntled look. "I haven't finished speaking yet."

Qin Tianshu paused for a moment, then said, "When Brother Wang heard that we were going to Liangzhou, he also said that perhaps there is something in the Fenggu Desert that can answer our questions."

Fenggu Desert is a remote place in Xiliang Prefecture and one of the oldest ancient sites on the continent of Kyushu. It is buried by thousands of miles of yellow sand, and a white divine deer acts as its messenger, guarding the legends within.

"Fenggu Desert?"

Qingyu spoke up, "Isn't that place supposed to be very difficult to reach, and even if you go in, you might not be able to come out?"

"That's why it's so mysterious! Since we're going to Liangzhou anyway, let's go check it out!"

Zhang Xuan slapped his thigh, his voice loud and eager. Lin Fanxiang smiled helplessly at him and said calmly, "Go to Jinsha City first and find the star in your dream. Don't rush, what's meant to come will come."

They had a good attitude. They could just search for the nine stars. If they found them, they would keep them; if they didn't, there was nothing they could do. Besides, the star map concerned matters of the Nine Provinces. They were not saviors; perhaps they were just chosen messengers who traveled all over the Nine Provinces, seeing all the beautiful scenery along the way.

Cai Cai: "Coo-coo-coo-coo-coo-coo".

Great, we're leaving now. Cai Cai won't have to wear that big floral-patterned padded jacket anymore.

Cai Cai chirped out of the blue, as if it had just joined the conversation. Qin Tianshu laughed and plucked it off. Sure enough, Cai Cai's little free-range chicken feathers were warm and fluffy in the cold weather, and they were both nice to touch and fun to play with.

"Cai Cai, read a book, I'll teach you to read."

Cai Cai: "Gurgle—"

Shusen, you are really complicated. You are complicated as a person, and you are complicated as a book. Even a chicken can't figure you out.

Zhang Xuan laughed as he listened to Qin Tianshu teasing the chickens. Accompanied by the sound of the wind outside the window, the young man crossed his hands behind his head and half-reclined on the daybed, pretending to doze off.

Seeing this, Lin Fanxiang continued to read quietly. She exchanged a glance with Qingyu, who smiled.

Finally, Qingyu glanced at the scenery outside. Unconsciously, they had once again embarked on the mountain path of Tianshan, but this time it was truly time to leave.

Snow falls in the far north, in the distant Tianshan Mountains, the ancient land of immortals, and the world's only sword.

This trip to Beiyou was truly worthwhile.

Thinking this, Qingyu walked to the swing chair by the car door and sat down. The girl swayed gently and quietly tapped the car door with her finger bones.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Wen Chuan smiled. He silently opened a crack in the car door, letting the sound of the wind and snow gently seep in and brush past her ears.

...

Seemingly feeling a bit tired, Qingyu nestled in the swing chair, covered with a small blanket, listening to the wind and snow, and gently closed her eyes.

For a fleeting moment, she seemed to see the shadow of Xuecheng again.

The girl reached out, her hands pale and bluish, bearing the marks of the flower branch she had held; drops of blood fell, and though the wind carried snowflakes, it was salty and damp, as if—

Snow and wind at the seaside.

She turned around, and saw that the South China Sea reefs were empty, with waves constantly surging and the wind howling. She seemed to hear her own voice.

"The cycle of karma is real, and blood debts must be repaid in blood. Seeing that Xue Wen has betrayed my life-saving grace, she is now using insidious means to coerce me and is being hunted down in the South China Sea—"

"Today, I will etch this hatred into my very bones!"

"Tomorrow, I will personally go to Youzhou and take his life—Wen Gu's life!"

Wen Gu...

She smiled slightly, and gently stepped onto the reef. The South China Sea was unfathomably deep in the snowy winter night. Snowflakes dampened her long eyelashes, and the girl's cheeks were icy cold. She stretched out her hands and breathed on them to warm them.

This dream felt so real, and it was really interesting.

Let her think about it. At this moment, she should be crying in the sea, feeling very sad. Unfortunately, not long after, the poison from the cold snow invaded her heart, and she didn't even have the strength to cry anymore.

The snow has started falling again.

The girl ignored everything, dusted off her skirt, and sat on the reef, looking at the deep, inky sky in the distance, smelling the cold snow wind, and the boundless sea.

Gradually, quietly, she recalled those days.

Huai Gui, I know you're not a good person, but I always feel that it's okay. This is my first time in the human world, and it's rare to have a companion. I really enjoy playing with you.

You said you were assassinated, lost your spiritual power, and were abducted from Youzhou to Yizhou. I said, Youzhou, where is Youzhou? Yizhou, is Yizhou the place we're standing on?

You said you couldn't even lift your arms, and you were very hungry. I said I was hungry too, but I could bear it. Don't look at me; humans have to pay for food, and I don't have any.

You said you were in so much pain, that it hurt everywhere, that you felt like you were dying. I said, "Ugh, you're so annoying."

You closed your eyes and didn't speak. I thought and thought, first I painted my face black and pretended to be a mute with superhuman strength to do a lot of work. Unfortunately, when the person gave me money in the end, he gave very little. I was stupid and didn't know how much that was. I just accepted whatever amount he gave me.

I spent the whole day working on just one pancake, and almost got into a fight with someone, but in the end I only managed to buy one pancake.

But I was very happy. I thought, if there's a pancake, I'll just cut it in half, and I'll still be full.

I gave you the pancake, and you complained that it was too dry, so I went up and slapped you.

After I finished slapping them, I cried. I sat on the ground, crying and shouting, "I'm not happy, I'm not happy at all! There are so many rules and regulations for humans, they're all a mess, and I don't understand them. I worked all day and only earned this little bit of money, and you don't even appreciate it. I'm so unhappy, I'm really, really, really unhappy."

You lay half-reclined on the straw, your face red and swollen, tears streaming down your face.

It rained that night, and soaked in rainwater, or perhaps tears, we finished the pancake.

Actually, neither of us is a good-natured person. It's just that we were too lonely during those years. You mocked me, I despised you, we argued and stumbled along the way. We walked from Yizhou to Danzhou, and that's how we grew up.

You always say I'm too noisy and annoying, and I just laugh.

I said, "Huaigui, be a good person."

Huai Gui said, "Ah Fan, I wish you were a human."

Actually, we're pretty good friends.

Hua Fanxiang, who came of age at fourteen.

You said you wanted to watch the snow with me this year, without an umbrella.

I said, "Okay, let's go to the beach to see the snow together. I want to go to the beach."

At that time, you looked at me with a very strange look, and my heart sank. I felt very dangerous.

But I thought, how could that be? How could you really hurt me?

How could that be?

So, it wasn't about harming me, it was about killing me.

Are you going to kill me, Huai Gui, Wen Gu Huai Gui?

No matter what, they've been arguing for so many years...

You should come and kill me yourself.

She sighed deeply.

The sea breeze, carrying snowflakes, gently brushed against the girl's face, but this time, she did not cry.

...

Another gust of wind rose, and the waves roared and churned violently.

The sea is really cold in winter; the chill seems to seep into your bones.

Qingyu looked up at the swirling snowflakes in the sky, and suddenly remembered what Wen Guhuaiyuan had said a few days ago—

Three years ago, the Wengu clan finally received a letter from Wengu Huaigui from afar. Overwhelmed with emotion, they immediately dispatched several sword cultivators to escort Wengu Huaigui. It took more than two years, but when they finally returned, only Wengu Huaigui was there. At that time, the young man was full of evil aura and wielded his sword ruthlessly. Before anyone could ask, he took the lives of several people with a light laugh.

At that time, the ground was also covered in red and white. Wen Gu Huaiyuan held his sword to Wen Gu Huaigui's neck, but all he heard was a disdainful laugh.

He was abducted as a child due to internal strife within the Wen family, which implicated the young boy and caused his meridians to be sealed. He was forced to wander in a foreign land, where he was even bullied and forced to fight dogs for food. In his dazed and resentful state, someone pulled him up. He even thought that it was a blessing from heaven that had given him this opportunity...

When Hua Fan died, he suddenly rushed towards the South China Sea. The snowy road was rugged, and his life had been full of hardships. He couldn't help but kneel down, and with that one kneel, he entered the evil path.

Amidst the fierce wind and snow, the young man raised his sword to the sky once more, his eyes blinded by blood, and several people perished. At that moment, he did not know for whom he raised his sword, yet he was perfectly clear about who he was raising his sword for. In the distance, he seemed to smell a salty, damp fragrance of flowers. He opened his eyes and finally saw the so-called ruthless one.

His surname was Wen Gu, and he also hated Wen Gu. He spent half his life on the evil path, driven by the sword.

Huai Gui, Huai Gui, where are you ultimately headed?

The past is hard to reconcile, yet I remain stubbornly unenlightened.

He always lives in the past.

Perhaps, in the final moments of his life, the young man, as he loosened his grip on the sword, felt that he had finally found liberation.

...

“Huai Gui, Wen Gu Huai Gui”.

The sea breeze mingled with the snow. The girl rose one last time, gazing into the distance, softly murmuring his name.

"Thank you for teaching me the rules of humanity all those years, thank you for being with me."

"The afterlife,"

"Be a good person,"

"May you be safe and sound."

She spoke softly to the endless gray sky and sea in the distance. The girl looked at the endless gray snow and sky before her, the waves crashing against the rocks, and the distant, chilly wind blowing gently.

The wind was cool, gently caressing the girl's face.

This time, she laughed silently. This time, don't find me annoying.

...

As snowflakes danced in the night, the South China Sea stretched to the horizon. Just as the salty dampness in the wind seemed to be dissipating, the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow rang out.

The girl turned around, and there stood an ordinary young fisherman in front of her.

She smiled and said, "What brings you here?"

He was baffled. "Girl, it's so late at night on the beach, your shouting is really disturbing the peace."

"And you were the one who said you wanted to kill me?"

In the middle of the night, they were shouting something about taking Wen Gu's life at his doorstep, and then a little while later they were talking about being a good person, forcibly waking him up again and again.

He used to be surnamed Wen Gu, and he's still a good person now, never causing trouble for anyone.

"Oh," the girl smiled gently in the snowy night.

"I'm not here to kill you,"

"If I absolutely must say,"

"I've come to trouble you,"

"My husband."

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Author's Note: There will be another chapter later, extra update for today! [heart emoji]