Dead wood comes back to life with a lamp
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Before Xie Wuwang could react, Zhou Yulin had already disappeared from his sight.
He hesitated for only a fraction of a second before realizing what was happening and hurriedly ran towards home.
Having been away from home for ten years, he had to hurry home to see his mother.
As for Zhou Yulin, she had only turned a corner when a piece of paper flew towards her and covered her face squarely. Just as she reached out to peel it off, she heard a woman's mournful cry from not far away, "Ningning! Ningning!" Upon closer inspection of the missing person poster in her hand, Zhou Yulin understood everything.
It was then that she glanced around and realized that the dimly lit street, illuminated only by lanterns on either side, was densely covered with her missing person notices. What was appalling was that not only were ordinary doors and windows plastered with notices, but even the dogs chained up in front of street vendors' homes had notices stuck to their backs. Looking at the enthusiastic white dog wagging its tail and sticking out its tongue, Zhou Yulin felt both amused and exasperated.
"Isn't that your fiancée?"
High up in the building, a dignified man in blue, holding a wine cup, looked at the person sitting in the seat with a rather mocking expression. "I heard they've been kidnapped again. Aren't you worried, fiancé?"
The man raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "It's best that she's not dead."
"Your father was just joking, and the Liu family sent out the wedding invitations in such a hurry." The man in blue shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Fortunately, you are a carefree person. It's just a pity that someone is interested in you but not in you."
The man in blue turned around, leaning against the wooden fence, and said in a low voice, "You liked the older sister, but ended up marrying someone else's younger sister. You're quite interesting."
Yu Zhou paused in his hand holding the wine cup and spoke up to remind him, "Yuwen Yu, you're talking too much."
Gu Ling sat down to the side without any guilt, took a sip of wine in silence, and thought about Jiang Zanghua, that jerk of a friend. He had kindly helped him find the soul of his relative, but Jiang Zanghua had dragged him into the Thousand Miles of Rivers and Lakes map and then ignored him.
The only fun is that the world in Jiang Mingtu is based on real events from the past, and by going to the past, they can actually change the future.
He set down his white porcelain wine cup and let out a long sigh, "How nostalgic—"
What are you missing?
"nothing."
In the long night, some people raise a glass to drown their sorrows, some happily return home, while others lie in their own beds, unable to sleep.
Zhou Yulin is having trouble sleeping.
She recalled the illusion she had seen when she broke through the formation earlier that day.
This is Liu Yuning's ending, not hers.
Therefore, she will not be bewitched.
However, the longer Zhou Yulin stayed there, the more she began to lose sight of reality. Especially today, when she returned, Madam Liu held her and wept bitterly. Before, she didn't understand what family affection was, but now she seemed to understand it a little. It was just a pity that everything was in an illusion; when she woke up, it would all be a dream.
"Could it be the Thousand-Mile River Bright Map?" In Zhou Yulin's memory, only the Thousand-Mile River Bright Map could achieve this effect. As a rare treasure among the fourth-class rare and precious items, Zhou Yulin was somewhat surprised that it would appear in Xie Wuwang's possession.
Rumor has it that the "Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains Map" was auctioned off to a prominent family in Jinling a hundred years ago through Lou Wai Lou. Could it be the Jiang family? If so, it would explain why Xie Wuwang possesses the "Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains Map," and also why Jiang Zanghua is so determined to find Xie Wuwang.
The "Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains Map," a family heirloom, was secretly taken away by a disciple of the clan. Jiang Zang, now a member of the Jiang family, has a responsibility to retrieve this treasure.
The Thousand-Mile River Map can carry a person's soul. If someone dies and only a wisp of their soul remains, they have a chance to be resurrected through this map. Throughout history, the Thousand-Mile River Map has been a rare treasure that people have fought over. The reason is simple: a magical artifact that can grant one a second life is something that not only others but also Zhou Yulin herself would want.
Unfortunately, it is said that this treasure can only sustain one soul every hundred years.
Based on the timeline, Xie Wuwang should not have been dead for a full hundred years.
However, if the other party's soul is strong enough, none of them can get in.
After Jiang Zanghua opened the Thousand Miles of River and Light Map, it would automatically protect the real Xie Wuwang. In other words, within this map, the real Xie Wuwang would be invincible. And everything that appeared within it was what Xie Wuwang had personally experienced back then.
"What exactly is Jiang Zanghua trying to do?" Zhou Yulin realized that he couldn't see through this man's intentions. If he was angry that Xie Wuwang had used the Thousand Mile River Map, why would he drag Zhou Yulin and a few other innocent bystanders into it? If he wanted to get back the Thousand Mile River Map, it wouldn't be easy for just a few of them to defeat Xie Wuwang.
After all, once inside this diagram, even with immense skill, one's spiritual power level will be suppressed to the Foundation Establishment stage, and Chen Muyao was no exception.
To obtain the "Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" map, Zhou Yulin first needs to find Chen Muyao and his companions from Guling, who are traveling outside the main storyline.
Just then, Liu's mother mentioned that Zhou Yulin was going to a matchmaking event the day after tomorrow, attended entirely by promising young men. Although the main purpose was for Zhou Yulin to meet Yu Zhou and avoid being misled by a gigolo, Zhou Yulin firmly believed in her own judgment and saw no need to participate in such a pointless competition. However, on the other hand, since it was part of the story, it must be very important.
Adhering to strict principles, Zhou Yulin was dressed up in her finest attire by her mother early in the morning and went to the battlefield.
In Jinling City, at the Lantern Festival, the daughters of officials were all dressed in their finest clothes and beautiful accessories. Amidst the fragrance of plum blossoms, the sounds of women chatting and laughing could be heard. The carriages were blocking the road. If it weren't for Madam Liu's repeated instructions, Zhou Yulin felt that she would probably be stuck outside as well.
Having never seen such a grand gathering before, she was a little troubled. She really didn't know the procedure for this kind of party. In the morning, she was only focused on listening to Madam Liu talk about who was coming, and she really didn't listen to anything about the procedure.
"Miss, please come this way after you've signed in." It was an older nanny. Seeing that there were quite a few people standing there, Zhou Yulin followed the procedures and registered her name. She asked curiously, "Nanny, may I ask what this place is for?"
The old woman chuckled. The young lady in front of her turned around, seemingly shocked that this person didn't even know such a thing. She whispered to the person in front of her. Zhou Yulin didn't care. She deliberately didn't have her mother arrange for a maid to follow her. Seeing that there were many people here, she joined the queue.
When it was almost her turn to go on stage, she realized that this was a talent competition.
Those sitting below the stage were all talented young people from Jinling City.
They also have their mothers.
From below the stage, Zhou Yulin naturally saw her future husband and future mother-in-law. Her future mother-in-law was busy chatting with the people next to her, while her future husband seemed uninterested in everything around him, staring blankly at a morning glory in the snow not far away.
"Next up is Liu Yuning from the Liu family."
Zhou Yulin, who had been planning to slip away, was halfway there when she heard someone on stage call her name. She was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to stay or leave.
After only a second of thought, she walked onto the stage, her face ashen.
"Oh dear, isn't this your future daughter-in-law?"
The future mother-in-law's hand trembled as she held the sunflower seeds, spilling most of them onto the floor. She slammed her hand on the table. "Outrageous!" she exclaimed, clearly furious. "As the future daughter-in-law of the Yu family, how can you do such shameful things? What kind of behavior is this!"
Upon hearing the sound, Yu Zhou glanced at it briefly, then, finding it uninteresting, returned his gaze to the morning glory he had been staring at for a while.
"The previous lady's musical skills were amazing. I wonder what skill Miss Liu will demonstrate?" Zhou Yulin still had some impression of the previous lady. While playing the zither, she tried to wink at Yu Zhou for a long time, but the other party was not online and she didn't even manage to wink at Yu Zhou.
"I would break a boulder with my chest."
The host, somewhat embarrassed, wiped imaginary cold sweat from his forehead. "Haha, Miss Liu is so humorous! I wonder if Miss Liu has anything else besides this..."
"I can uproot a willow tree."
Staring at the expressionless, ethereal woman, the host was certain he had encountered the biggest challenge of his career. "Hahaha, Miss Liu is truly unique, but the people in the audience might not be so..."
"One more! One more!"
It was unclear which young master started the commotion, but the entire hall erupted in a unified chorus of voices.
At that moment, Yu Zhou looked at the person on the stage.
Despite her vibrant colors, she was anything but vulgar. Her eyes were clear and bright, and she looked at people with neither arrogance nor servility. She managed to carry off the peach-pink silk dress with her cool and clean demeanor.
Seeing the woman's slender figure standing on the stage, he didn't seem to intend to help his future wife. Instead, he crossed his arms, leaned back lazily, and glanced at her, wondering what she would do next.
Having had his fill of fun, Zhou Yulin spread his hands, feigning apology, and said, "It's hard to refuse everyone's kind invitation, but as you can see, there are no willow trees in the mansion."
"Yes, yes," the host chuckled awkwardly, trying to regain the upper hand. "Ms. Liu is very talented; I'm sure everyone has more to see than just uprooting a willow tree!"
"May I borrow a sword?" A sword was tossed onto the stage, and Zhou Yulin caught it without hesitation. She drew the sword and her eyelids twitched. Breaking boulders and uprooting willows, this Miss Liu was truly unconventional.
There's nothing particularly special about sword dancing alone.
I had only learned a few moves from my senior brother.
As long as a person doesn't have a useless spiritual root, there is always some spiritual energy flowing within their body, however much or little. Zhou Yulin flipped her wrist and gracefully twirled her sword.
With snow piled up all around, it couldn't be more perfect for this move.
As the woman danced with her sword, snowflakes gathered around her, gradually dissipating as the spiritual energy of the sword blade dissipated. Flowers, seemingly blown from nowhere, swirled around her, creating a vibrant tapestry of colors. Yet, all eyes remained fixed on the woman at the center.
The surrounding snow had disappeared, and when they looked up again, they saw delicate flowers blooming on the branches in winter, and they were suddenly awakened from their reverie.
As snow melts in March, spring returns, and all things come to life on withered branches.
This is what is meant by "a withered tree coming back to life".
Everyone present was dumbfounded.
There were only two people. One of them stood on the table and led the applause, while the other clenched the falling petals in his hand and looked at the woman on the stage with a playful expression, his eyes dark and unfathomable.
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