Chapter 92

That day, the scene beneath the Canglan River, will never be forgotten by anyone until their death. It is how the gods sealed the leak in the sky, destroyed the Heavenly Dao, and quelled the turmoil in the entire world.

But after that, people never saw the god again, nor the woman who died in his arms.

To be precise, after this person destroyed the Heavenly Dao, there was no longer any "god" in this world.

After that, the world was a place without gods or evil, and the people lived in peace and prosperity.

Yun Yan took over all affairs of the Sword Sect, and he began to truly learn from Chu Xianyue in managing everything within the sect, becoming calm and reliable. People praised Yun Yan, saying that the Sword Sect was truly fortunate to have produced another "Chu Xianyue."

Yun Yan couldn't smile; he didn't see it as a compliment. In his heart, his master was his master, irreplaceable. Seeing Yun Yan's displeasure, the others said nothing more.

As everyone knows, Chu Xianyue almost disappeared from the world after that day.

Where is he? Is he alive or dead? Few people know. Yun Yan is extremely averse to anyone mentioning Chu Xianyue in front of him, including his senior sister who died under the sky.

Yun Yan returned to the Sword Sect and sat in the main hall, recalling the last time he saw his master. In the flashing white light, Chu Xianyue held his senior sister's gradually dissipating body, watching helplessly as her physical form dissipated after death, leaving nothing behind.

Yun Yan couldn't see his master's expression clearly, but he could vaguely see his back, so weak and insignificant, trembling like a flame in the cold wind.

Yun Yan's voice trembled uncontrollably, "Master, Senior Sister is dead. Her body and soul are gone."

She truly and completely disappeared from this world.

Chu Xianyue, however, was still holding Xie Wen's non-existent body in a daze, and said, "Yun Yan, I'm going to find her."

Chu Xianyue stood up, his back to Yun Yan.

Yun Yan couldn't bear to say those words: Xie Wen has already been completely destroyed, no matter how hard you search, you will not be able to find him!

These words were too cruel for Chu Xianyue.

Yun Yan could only say, "But, but..." for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence.

Chu Xianyue turned around one last time and said to Yun Yan, "I am very relieved to have you in the Sword Sect. I'm leaving. There's no need to see me off, as the mountains are high and the rivers are far."

Yun Yan watched helplessly as Chu Xianyue walked away. He knew that Chu Xianyue was still deeply troubled by Xie Wen's death.

Once Chu Xianyue made a decision, no one else could change it.

Chu Xianyue said he was going to find Xie Wen, and he would do so until his death.

That day has been a very, very long time ago.

Yun Yan received no news from Chu Xianyue. His master seemed to have vanished from the world like his senior sister, leaving no trace and nowhere to be found.

This indicates that Chu Xianyue did not find Xie Wen's whereabouts.

Three hundred years have passed.

The world changes, and time flies.

Human affairs change, and seasons change.

The deeds of Chu Xianyue and Xie Wen from three hundred years ago have been passed down through generations and have become legends and history, with various derivative stories spreading throughout the streets and alleys.

And these three hundred years were three hundred years without bloodshed and pain in the human world.

For Chu Xianyue, it was also three hundred years without Xie Wen.

*

Beyond this snow-capped mountain lies the Hidden Cloud Mountain, said to be the closest place to heaven in the world. A faint figure walks among the vast snow-capped peaks. He wears a cloak, weathered by three hundred years of trials, his face weary, yet his eyes remain unchanged. Chu Xianyue thought, even if Xie Wen has forgotten him after three hundred years, he would at least recognize him through those eyes again.

He couldn't remember how many times he had crossed this snow-capped mountain. He had never believed in any sacred mountains or gods before, because his own was one.

But after searching aimlessly in the human world for so long, he finally had to compromise. He had been to every place and tried every method, but unfortunately, Xie Wen still refused to come back, refused to even glance at him.

However, it doesn't matter. He will wait no matter how long it takes, and he will go to find her no matter how far the journey is.

He was only resentful that Xie Wen left him nothing when he left.

The only thing they found was a wooden box Xie Wen had hidden under the bed in Feiying Pavilion. Inside was a thin shirt. And it clearly belonged to him. At that moment, Chu Xianyue felt a mix of laughter and tears, thinking that if Xie Wen were here, she would be blushing with shame. Chu Xianyue would definitely use this to mock her, saying: "Who was it that harbored ill intentions towards him all along?" Chu Xianyue thought about how she had caught Xie Wen red-handed, and how Xie Wen had been so utterly humiliated. Thinking about it, Chu Xianyue burst into tears.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find her anymore.

How could one person disappear from another's world so completely? What else did she leave Chu Xianyue besides a heart full of fantasies and memories?

Over the years, Chu Xianyue could only remember her appearance, her smile, and everything about her clearly by thinking of her countless times in his heart.

In the years leading up to his search for Xie Wen in the human world, Chu Xianyue experienced hatred, pain, and confusion. During countless nights of breakdown and sobbing, and countless unbearable days of missing her, he was broken time and time again, but he pieced himself back together little by little, stood up, and started anew.

He must find Xie Wen.

Chu Xianyue firmly believed that Xie Wen was still in this world. When Xie Wen's physical body completely dissipated, he sensed a trace of Jiang Boyu's aura from Yunyin Divine Mountain.

Therefore, he crossed the snow-capped mountain time and time again, just to find a clue about Xie Wen.

Chu Xianyue had lost count of how many times he had crossed this snow-capped mountain. Even though the people of Yunyin Divine Mountain had repeatedly turned him away, he still did not give up.

This proud and arrogant man has now bowed his head to the Hidden Cloud Mountain time and time again. Even the people of the Hidden Cloud Mountain cannot help but admire his perseverance and be moved by his devotion. That was a full three hundred years.

On this day, under the golden light, Chu Xian traversed the snow-capped mountains and gazed into the distance. He finally saw the divine mountain floating in the air, now shrouded in golden light and radiating dazzling brilliance. All of this hung in the bluish-gray sky, like a dream.

This was the first time in three hundred years that Chu Xianyue had seen the sacred mountain beneath the snow-capped peaks, despite countless crossings of this mountain. Chu Xianyue eagerly entered the foot of the sacred mountain. A short while later, a disciple riding a crane on a cloud, holding a whisk, flew to Chu Xianyue's side.

Upon arrival, Chunsheng went straight to the point, saying, "Immortal Master, please return. Our Grandmaster is not in the mountains."

Chu Xianyue's eyes flickered slightly. "Then where is she?"

"The past is gone, the past is gone. She has returned to her true self, she is no longer the grandmaster you once knew. Even if you find her, what is the point?"

Chu Xianyue: "The past is gone, the past is gone?" He searched for her for three hundred years, and you say the past is gone and the past is gone?

He thought coldly to himself: That's impossible!

Chunsheng was the person who received Xie Wen when Xie Wen first came here.

Chunsheng recalled that the only time his great-grandmaster Jiang Boyu emerged from seclusion that day was when the Heavenly Leak restarted, and his only disciple passed away.

Chun Sheng's great-grandmaster, Jiang Boyu, used all his knowledge to preserve a sliver of his master's soul. Afterward, he exhausted the divine power of the Blood Bead artifact and spent ten years nurturing her complete flesh and blood body.

Chunsheng said to Chu Xianyue, "If Grandmaster comes out of seclusion, Grandmaster will definitely live. However, she no longer remembers anything from her life."

Xie Qingci once said that he only wanted his daughter to be happy for the rest of her life and not to get involved in worldly disputes.

For Xie Wen, those memories were too heavy. So if he could just forget everything from the past, he would no longer suffer and could live a happy life.

This was a decision made by Jiang Boyu on behalf of Xie Wen.

Chu Xianyue said, "How do you know she doesn't want to remember everything from the past? What if that's not what she wants?"

"Then go find her yourself. Maybe she's waiting for you in some old spot."

After saying this, Chunsheng rode away on a cloud and disappeared into the vast天地 (heaven and earth).

Only Chu Xianyue remained atop the snow-capped mountain, bewildered by the wind and snow. Chu Xianyue pondered Chun Sheng's last words.

The wind and snow continued incessantly, as if they had been blowing for millennia. Chu Xianyue, his face covered in snow, suddenly stood up and left the vast snow-covered mountains. His figure gradually disappeared into the heavy snow.

He had walked through this vast snow for three hundred years, and now he finally saw a glimmer of direction.

After three hundred years of changes, Youzhou has become a prosperous and thriving place, producing many talented people. Due to its good living environment, many people have moved here to farm and enjoy rural life. As a result, even the deep mountains have gradually become lively, with houses dotting the hillsides and candlelight shining at night, like starlight falling on the mountainside.

It was late autumn again. In the bustling city, a man in a black cloak boarded an oxcart. The oxcart driver confirmed with him several times that it was going to the bamboo forest, because Chu Xianyue didn't look like someone from the deep mountains. Chu Xianyue said he knew several times.

Accompanying them were several women on their way to the market, and a relatively young girl. They had never seen Chu Xianyue before in the surrounding villages, so they naturally took a few more glances at him. At first, they were just curious about his attire, but after they could clearly see Xianyue's face from under his cloak, they began to steal glances at his face even more frequently.

Now, even in such a remote place, a mountain road has been built. This time, going home was no longer a bumpy ride like before. Chu Xianyue sat on the far side and suddenly saw the face of a woman appear before him. She sat in front of him and smiled at Chu Xianyue, saying, "It's so good! This road is really well built. From now on, I don't have to worry about my butt hurting myself every time I go out or come home."

Chu Xianyue was momentarily dazed, but he also curved his lips into a smile and said, "This road is well-maintained."

The next instant, it seemed the carriage had run over a pebble; his vision jolted, and when it cleared again, the oxcart had abruptly entered a bamboo forest. Amidst the falling yellow bamboo leaves, the woman vanished in an instant. It was all just another of Chu Xianyue's delusions. He felt he was seriously ill; for so many years, he had frequently seen Xie Wen in this way. If this was an illness, then he had been ill for three hundred years.

If he could, Chu Xianyue only hoped that his illness would never get better, as this was the only way he could see her.

The young girl opposite him thought Chu Xianyue's words were meant for her, so she acted shyly and kept trying to find topics to talk about the rest of the way. Chu Xianyue didn't know how to respond, so he didn't say anything more, which seemed to break the girl's heart.

After passing through a bamboo grove, a short walk further in, you'll see the small main house standing amidst the swirling fallen leaves. It seems exactly the same as when they left.

Chu Xianyue got off the bus here, and the girl behind him seemed to have mustered up her courage to ask him, "Are you planning to stay here?"

Chu Xianyue surprisingly replied, "This is my home. I'm waiting here for my wife to return."

Upon hearing this, the young woman forced a smile, suppressing her shattering heart, and wished him well, saying, "Then I hope you will soon find your wife."

After saying this, the oxcart drove away and gradually disappeared into the twilight of late autumn.

When Chu Xianyue alighted from the oxcart, dusk was already falling and leaves were fluttering in the air. He stood there for a while in the twilight, gazing at the long-lost little house. All those memories flooded his mind in an instant, and those long-lost feelings of love, like old objects that had been sealed away for a long time, rushed back to him as he stood there. His heart felt heavy, and those feelings of love swelled up in his heart again, making it hard for him to breathe.

Chu Xianyue stood at the door of the bamboo house.

Three hundred years later, the bamboo door was opened again.

With a long creaking sound, a cool evening breeze carrying fallen leaves rushed towards us, and a long, narrow, grayish-white light cast long shadows that stretched all the way to the faded bamboo bed.

A dim ray of light shone through the door, illuminating the woman's closed eyes as if she were dozing, making her features appear even whiter, like snowflakes. Dressed in green and carrying a sword, she immediately opened her eyes alertly at the sound, drawing her sword. She stared at the man in black standing in front of the door, her eyes filled with surprise and scrutiny.

"Who are you?"

Chu Xianyue's hand, hanging by his side, was trembling.

If this is an illusion, why does everything seem so real?

He was praying in his heart that if it was a dream, he would never wake up again.

Chu Xianyue walked over, and with a swift movement, she drew her snow-white sword. A cold glint flashed in Xie Wen's eyes as she asked, "Who exactly are you?"

She saw the man walk towards her against the light. As he got closer, she finally saw his face clearly. She was obviously startled and her expression became somewhat distorted.

She had dreamed of this man more than once.

In her dreams, there was always a room like this, and a man. She and this man did that kind of thing, something only husband and wife would do.

Why?

She still stared warily at the man before her, while his expression shifted from surprise and astonishment to a mixture of crying and laughing. She was puzzled. Did she know him? Why was he reacting so strongly to seeing her? Xie Wen frowned and asked bluntly, "Did I know you before? What's our relationship?"

Then she heard him say, "I've been looking for you for three hundred years. We've been married for a long time, and if nothing unexpected happens, our children are already running around everywhere." As he spoke, the paper windows behind Xie Wen fluttered in the cold wind, but it was her heart that pounded violently.

She could almost hear the voice travel through three hundred years to reach this place.

She saw fallen leaves fluttering outside the door, and the person in front of her leaned down and hugged her tightly.

The End —