Chapter 55: A Thousand Miles of Bay Moon over the Xiang River – Hidden Words and Hidden Meanings…
He spun around in mid-air, then tapped his foot on the ground. A golden six-pointed star array rose from beneath his feet, growing larger and brighter before plunging into the sky.
With a loud "bang," the sky seemed to have been pierced through, and golden fireflies fell down, showering down and covering the entire world.
The Chongming Sword emitted a loud clang, its sword light spreading out in circles of radiance, finally restraining the skeletal remains. The body swayed and swayed in mid-air, like a rootless duckweed.
Qin Wenxue unleashed a series of sword strikes, the sword wind fierce and biting. Snowflakes fell, instantly turning the entire earth white. The howling wind blew wildly, and the temperature plummeted to freezing. Frost condensed and covered Qin Wenxue's shoulders. Ruosu whip, carrying golden light, swung down with all its might. With a "crack—" sound, it seemed to shatter some kind of barrier, tearing open a crack in the sky and revealing a long, dark, and narrow path.
The white bones shattered with a crash, and Shi Wenzhe lost its traction, falling from mid-air. She looked up at Qin Wenxue swooping down, and reluctantly closed her eyes.
Chongming flew down and landed behind Shiwenzhe, steadily supporting her. Shiwenzhe felt a pain in her waist and let out a muffled groan. Chongming cushioned the fall, but her body still slowly fell down. Wusheng turned into a wisp of white smoke and quietly wrapped and bound her tightly.
The moment he landed, Shi Wenzhe closed his eyes tightly to endure the pain, but his body was lifted up firmly, and a strong, warm hand appeared around his waist.
It was only at this moment that she realized that the cold fragrance on Qin Wenxue's body was completely different from the cold fragrance of Shuangxue. His cold fragrance was even more intense, like holding a piece of ice stone in her mouth. The white mist after melting made her feel cold even in her internal organs.
But she found herself incredibly drawn to this chill.
She was carefully caught by Qin Wenxue, who then pulled her into his arms. His hot breath hit the back of her neck, and Qin Wenxue's fingers tightened, his grip extremely strong. Shi Wenzhe felt like he couldn't breathe and whispered in a low voice.
With her toes touching the ground, Shi Wenzhe wobbled and stood firm, leaving Qin Wenxue's embrace. Qin Wenxue lowered her eyes and looked at her carefully. Only then did Shi Wenzhe realize that there were white lines on the edge of the petal on his forehead, like silk threads on a cocoon, like a harbinger of a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
"It's beautiful." Shi Wenzhe thought to himself, even the flower on Ming Shu's forehead seemed to have a special meaning.
Qin Wenxue said nothing, but held on tightly, her gaze fixed on the abrupt path. Chongming Sword, burning with rage, viciously stabbed forward, destroying the path beyond recognition.
Peach Blossom Valley has become a desolate place.
Shi Wenzhe's heart pounded wildly as he asked in a low voice, "Did the barrier break?"
Qin asked Xue, "It's broken."
“But we still haven’t gotten out.” She pointed to the narrow, dark path and asked, “Is that how we go?”
The entrance had been smashed by Chongming, leaving it dusty and obscuring the view beyond. Xiaoyao, sparks flying, led the way down the path, the firelight illuminating a range of three to five meters. Shi Wenzhe followed closely behind, her legs still weak, walking like an elderly person with mobility issues, trembling and unsteady. Seeing Qin Wenxue looking at her with concern, she didn't force herself and gave a weak smile.
Qin Wenxue didn't speak, but raised his hand and steadily supported her. His left hand supported Shi Wenzhe's elbow joint, and his right hand held Shi Wenzhe's wrist through her clothes. Although everything was very distant, Shi Wenzhe felt that the action was very intimate, so intimate that she couldn't help but pay attention to the coolness coming from the other person. It felt like countless ants were crawling on her wrist, dense and disturbing her peace of mind.
Ming Shu walked at the back. Just as he stepped onto the path, the entrance suddenly disappeared, leaving him in complete darkness and emptiness. Only the endless crackling of Xiao Yao's sparks echoed, which was somewhat eerie.
Shi Wenzhe tensed up and quietly snuggled closer to Qin Wenxue's arms until he felt her soft breathing coming from above him, then he stopped his silent movements.
Qin Wenxue stood still, watching her retreat step by step, getting closer and closer to his heart, until she leaned against his chest. The moment they touched, he seemed to hear the rustling sound of Shi Wenzhe's hair entwining. He turned his head away to avoid her long hair that was flying up, his eyes lowered, only clenching the hands that were supporting Shi Wenzhe.
"Hiss—" Shi Wenzhe cried out in pain, but realizing he had offended her, he quickly changed his mind and asked, "Where...are we going?"
Qin Wenxue replied softly, "I don't know."
Shi Wenzhe was stunned, blinked, quite surprised, and said with a smile, "Is there a time when you don't know?"
"Yes," Qin Wenxue said seriously, looking directly at her. "There are many things I don't know."
Shi Wen opened his mouth, then closed it again, only replying softly, "Okay."
Ming Shu suddenly spoke up at this moment, his tone heavy and resonant, tinged with nostalgia, "I know where this is."
Shi Wenzhe exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"
"Really." Ming Shu looked up at Qin Wenxue, his fox-like eyes softening. Ruosu whip returned to his wrist and wrapped tightly around it. He circled it, the feel of the ridges rubbing against his fingertips making him feel at ease.
He said slowly, "This is Qianli Bay in Peach Blossom Valley."
Qin Wenxue frowned slightly: "How did you get here?"
Shi Wenzhe looked left and right, and the fiery red light cast three-dimensional shadows on their faces, making even the look in their eyes seem mysterious.
She interjected softly, then asked hesitantly, "What is Qianli Bay?"
Ming Shu chuckled and said with amusement, "I forgot about you, you little fool. Qianli Bay is another name for Yuexia Canal after the war between immortals and demons. However, it is not exactly the same place as Yuexia Canal. It is just the most winding and hidden part of Yuexia Canal. That place is shaped like a crescent moon and is hidden behind several winding paths. The Yuansheng River flows through it, leaving behind a crescent moon."
"People who pass by say that every path leads to a crescent moon. No matter where you come from or how you travel, whether it's a thousand miles or ten thousand miles, you will eventually arrive at the same place. You will never be separated. That's why many people describe it as the moon reflected in the waters of the Xiang River. Parting and reunion are inevitable, but even if old friends are not here, they will always come back."
Shi Wenzhe was somewhat moved. In an ordinary person's life, every parting and reunion is a very important moment, as each meeting is one less time. Qianliwan is more like people's inner expectation, hoping to reunite with old friends. Even though there was so much pain and bloodshed here in the past, it has been beautified to the point of being somewhat dreamlike.
Ming Shu waved his hand in front of Shi Wenzhe's eyes, his fox-like eyes crinkling with laughter. Shi Wenzhe inexplicably felt that if Qianli Bay were a crescent moon, it would probably be as beautiful as Ming Shu's eyes.
Ming Shu smiled and said, "Why do you look even sillier? Are you thinking about some nonsense again?"
Shi Wenzhe retorted, "No."
Ming Shu looked at her suspiciously: "Really?"
"Really!" Shi Wenzhe thought to himself, "You're not some random thing, you're a puppy."
“Alright then.” Ming Shu said slowly. Now it was his turn to lead the way, with Xiao Yao bringing up the rear. Shi Wenzhe didn’t even look at the road and just followed Qin Wenxue, not knowing where they were going. Ming Shu’s voice sounded somewhat hollow in this dark place, like a voice from another world. Shi Wenzhe felt that he had suddenly become very far away from her, and her heart was filled with unease. So she grabbed Qin Wenxue’s hand and warmed her cold palm with hers. Ming Shu was still speaking slowly ahead, and only then did she feel relieved.
"There is also a beautiful story about Qianli Bay that is widely circulated in the human world. If you have the opportunity to go to the human world, you will definitely hear it in teahouses and restaurants."
"There are many versions of that story, but the core is the same: it tells the story of two childhood sweethearts who were separated by war, lived apart, and then reunited and fell in love at Qianli Bay, growing old together. It's a pretty good story, and Hua Yan used to love telling it to me all the time."
Ming Shu suddenly asked, "Do you know Hua Yan?"
I often heard him shake his head.
"Hmph." He pouted. "You've forgotten everything again?"
Shi Wenzhe lowered her head guiltily. It wasn't that she had forgotten everything; she simply had no memory of it at all.
Ming Shu continued, "Hua Yan is a flower spirit of high seniority. He is very gentle, but he is also impulsive and rash in his actions."
Shi Wen opened his mouth as if to ask, but was interrupted by Ming Shu, who seemed to know perfectly well what was going on and directly refused, saying, "I don't know what kind of flower it is, but the boss definitely does."
Shi Wenzhe swallowed her unfinished words and listened quietly to Ming Shu. He talked a lot, rambling on and on, wanting to say a little about everything, but unable to say anything completely. Shi Wenzhe scratched her head, wanting to know the whole story, but Ming Shu was talking so enthusiastically that she didn't want to interrupt his good mood, so she had to suppress her curiosity and restlessness.
The road was long and dark, but Shi Wenzhe wasn't afraid at all. The cool fragrance emanating from Qin Wenxue was her soothing balm, and Ming Shu's gentle words made her forget all the unknown and darkness.
Shi Wenzhe's heart was very calm, as if it were about to merge with the darkness, unable to stir up the slightest ripple. Qin Wenxue was also very quiet along the way, but the hands on her arms never let go, burning hot and obvious.
Ahead, there was a faint, indistinct light, barely the size of a soybean. Ming Shu suddenly stopped and turned to face them. His expression was somewhat strange, and his voice, unlike its previous light and cheerful tone, was rather deep. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "You should be very familiar with what's behind here."
Shi Wenzhe was startled: "Do I recognize this?" He was troubled and puzzled.
"Yes," he smiled and said, "it's a place you're very familiar with."
After finishing his own words, he began to lead the way again. The white whip on his wrist flashed with a bluish light, as if responding to the light ahead. The soil beneath his feet began to soften, and a breeze blew from afar, faintly like the earnest calls of an old man waiting for his wanderer to return.
As dawn broke, darkness vanished without a trace. Shi Wenzhe kept her eyes tightly shut, the brightness of that ray of light still lingering on her eyelids. She opened her eyes tremblingly, only to find that everything before her had changed. This place was desolate for thousands of miles, with a thin layer of sand blown up by the wind, casting a dark yellow hue over the sky. On the ground, a layer of tender shoots gathered and grew around a simple but still cozy ancestral hall.
There was a lamp in the ancestral hall that seemed to have burned for a thousand years, swaying and flickering as it awaited the return of the old friends. Suddenly, Shi Wenzhe opened his eyes wide, then closed them again and took a deep breath, as if he had suddenly understood.
Ming Shu was unusually tired. He walked over to Qin Wenxue's side and looked at him obediently. Qin Wenxue didn't say anything, but stretched out his right hand and grasped the back of his neck. A golden light flashed, and Ming Shu turned back into a white fox, lying quietly in Qin Wenxue's arms.
Shi Wenzhe asked anxiously, "What's wrong with him?"
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