Crystal clear raindrops drip from time to time under the green tile eaves outside the hall.
The people brought by Cui Jing stood guard from a distance. They seemed to blend into the night, ensuring that no one could eavesdrop or disturb the conversation in the hall.
The girl in the hall lowered her eyes to look at the things in the box. As the light flickered, her thick eyelashes cast a large shadow under her eyes.
She had not had time to tie her hair up carefully before, and her black hair, which was tied with a ribbon, had loosened a lot during the ride here on horseback. Now a few strands of hair fell on her cheeks and ears, hiding the expression between her eyebrows and eyes.
After a while, she reached out and took the things in the box.
That's a sword.
A sword with a name.
The moment the sword was held in his hand, the familiar feeling of connection, spanning sixteen years, was re-established between man and sword in this instant.
The weight of this sword has long been integrated into her through the battles of life and death.
Every tiny scratch on the sword is a testimony to the two people's companionship.
Chang Suining held the sword horizontally in front of him, holding the scabbard in one hand and slowly pulling out half of the sword with the other.
The sword is as bright as snow, and the blade is like a mirror. The girl's eyes reflected in it at this moment meet and overlap with the eyes in the past.
Nice to meet you again.
Chang Suining whispered to those eyes and to the Sun Sword in his heart.
Cui Jing quietly watched the person holding the sword and the sword in her hand, and suddenly he felt like the drifting rain returning to the sea and river.
Her sword can only shine like the true sun in her hands.
Chang Suining slowly pushed the sword back into the sheath.
She regained her composure and finally looked at Cui Jing, asking, "Did you get it from Xuan Ce Mansion in the capital?"
"Yes." Cui Jing said, "I had someone make an identical one and replaced it."
Chang Suining realized it and exclaimed, "It's theft."
Cui Jing smiled and said, "Forget it."
"You are very careful to embezzle." Chang Suining also smiled, without any unnecessary excuses, and said straightforwardly: "Since you have put so much thought into it, I will accept it."
As she spoke, she held the sword in her hand and looked at it carefully again, as if she was meeting an old friend and was reluctant to look away.
After a moment, he couldn't help but say, "But... it has been worshipped in Xuan Ce Mansion for so many years, I'm afraid it has developed some Buddha nature. I don't know if it is still willing to fight with me now."
Cui Jing said: "As long as it is held by His Highness, wherever the sword is pointed, it will be the direction of His sword's heart."
Chang Suining was just joking, but after hearing him being so serious, he followed up with the question, "How do you know? Did it tell you?"
Cui Jing nodded, his expression still serious: "Yes, it told me."
Over the years, he would often "talk" to them. They had been endowed with souls by their owners, and those who were attentive could sense them.
At least, that's what he always thought.
"Then I believe it." Chang Suining switched from his left hand to his right hand and couldn't let go of it. His sword was indeed the most handy one.
Bian casually asked Cui Jing: "If someone recognizes it later, I will say that I admired the late Crown Prince, so I made a fake one... How do you say that?"
Cui Jing: “Very good.”
This is indeed the fact. It was indeed a person who admired the late Crown Prince and did a fake one.
After he responded, he walked towards the golden nanmu screen beside him. After a moment, he walked out from behind the screen with something in his hand.
He came to Chang Suining and held the bow in front of her with both hands.
"Wan Yue is here, and will also be returned to Your Highness."
A young man who was much taller than Chang Suining stood in front of her. He had a tall and straight figure, his dark blue robe was crisp and neat, and he had a natural aura. However, the way he held the bow at this moment revealed a sense of silent piety.
Chang Suining looked at the bow in his hand for a moment and said, "You protected it very well."
You can see that it has been in use, but it has also been carefully maintained.
Also being protected by him with such care were Yaori, Liuhuo, Adian, and even the entire Xuan Ce Army.
He called Adian "Senior", but he was more like the patriarch, who was dedicated and used sufficient means and abilities to protect everything in Xuan Ce Mansion, big and small.
"Cui Jing, thank you very much."
She had wanted to say thank you a long time ago.
"It is my duty to do what I am supposed to do." Cui Jing did not take credit for it from her, but just maintained the posture of holding the bow.
But Chang Suining said, "You are right, I am in the right position."
"I once said that I would give this Wanyue Bow to whoever is capable of taking charge of the Xuan Ce Army in the future. Now it is yours, so there is no need to talk about returning it."
She said, "If I want to take it back, I will get it back by my own ability."
She raised her eyes slightly and looked at Cui Jing with a smile: "Before this, it's yours."
This is the Wanyue Bow, and it also represents the military power of the Xuan Ce Army. The Xuan Ce Army today is no longer the Xuan Ce Army of fifteen years ago, and at this moment she is not able to talk about taking it back.
Cui Jing can return the Wan Yue Bow to her, but there is no way that the Xuan Ce Army will return to the hands of a mere Chang Suining just because of someone's words. This is a transfer of military power, not a child's play.
Cui Jing understood what she meant and chose to respect her.
He then lowered his hands, holding the bow at his side, and said to her slowly: "Okay, then I will wait for you to take it back one day."
Until then, he would try his best to keep everything for her, just as he had done before she came back.
At this moment, the two men stood opposite each other, one holding the Sun Sword and the other holding the Moon Bow, and they smiled at each other.
"So, the Sun Sword came to Luoyang with the Xuan Ce Army this time. The reason why you said to wait for three days is because your people can only bring it here when they arrive in Bianzhou with Li Xian today?" Chang Suining said, "I misunderstood you and thought you were deliberately keeping it a secret."
"It's not that I'm wrong." Cui Jing said frankly, "The sword can be given at any time. I really want to take this opportunity to keep it a secret."
It's quite novel to see that she resembles a pufferfish.
"It's okay. Since you exchanged the sword for me, I'll let you keep it a secret for now." Chang Suining seemed very tolerant. She sat in the chair holding the sword and said casually, "Let's talk about something else."
Noticing her joy at seeing the Sun Sword, Cui Jing's lips curled up slightly.
He sat down, and the next moment, he heard her ask, "Cui Jing, have we met before?"
The "before" she was talking about was naturally referring to her previous life.
Cui Jing: “…I don’t think so.”
"Never?"
Cui Jing's tone was more certain this time: "No."
Chang Suining still had doubts in her heart, but she sometimes felt as if she had met him before.
She thought about it seriously and said, "Maybe you were still young at that time and don't remember it yet."
"..." After hearing the word "little", Cui Jing silently sat up straighter and said, "No, I have always had a strong memory since I was young."
Really? Seeing that he was a little uncomfortable for some reason, Chang Suining suspected that he was hiding something, but he couldn't find any evidence. Besides, if he had met him, then he had met him. He was not an enemy, so what was there to hide?
While Chang Suining was puzzled, he heard the man suddenly say without thinking: "Besides, I am not much younger than Your Highness."
"...Really?" Chang Suining was confused as to why he suddenly said that.
"Yes." Cui Jing calculated with her seriously: "When Your Highness passed away, he was only 23 years old. I am also 23 years old now."
By this calculation, the ages of the two people "in this world" and the length of time they experienced are the same.
"That's not right." Chang Suining also argued with him seriously: "But I lived for another year last year."
Lived for a year with my current identity.
"..." Cui Jing was silent for a moment, then said, "So Your Highness has only lived one year longer than me at most."
After a moment, he added, "But I have been precocious since I was young. My grandfather always said that I was more than three years older than the average child."
Chang Suining was stunned. This was the first time she heard Cui Jing "boast about himself", and underneath this boasting, there was a calculation that was even more bizarre than his own boasting.
So... he has to add another three years, is that what you mean?
She said unwillingly, "To be honest, my teacher also said this about me. I am much smarter than ordinary children."
He then displayed his authority: "My teacher is Master Chu. He is very picky and rarely praises others. You should know that, right?"
“……” Cui Jing was completely speechless.
Seeing him lose, Chang Suining realized that she had failed to suppress her competitive spirit and coughed lightly, saying, "I have never argued with you about seniority, nor have I intended to force you to call me sister. Why do you care about a year and a half of age?"
Cui Jing adjusted his mood: "... Let's not talk about this."
In short, he was really not much younger than her.
Cui Jing emphasized this sentence again in his heart.
Chang Suining also brought up this strange topic of dispute. She asked casually, "Come to think of it, you are not afraid of me at all? I mean, are you not afraid of ghosts?"
Cui Jing shook his head: "I am not Wei Shuyi."
Chang Suining: "...It seems that everyone knows that Minister Wei is afraid of ghosts."
Cui Jing added: "Besides, in my opinion, His Highness is just His Highness."
She is herself and does not need to be equated with any other identity.
And he had been prepared for this, or rather, he had been praying for it - no one in this world should be afraid of a soul that they had been praying for for a long time and that had finally returned.
Chang Suining seemed to have thought of this as well, and she thought of what Wu Jue had said to her.
Cui Jing was the one who gave her the opportunity for rebirth, and it was he who found the jade for the statue for her.
"Thank you for the matter of the Tower of the Heavenly Maiden." Her words were ambiguous, referring to the creation of the statue of the Heavenly Maiden and the fact that he had risked his life to break the formation for her.
He and Wu Jue led her back together, but the moment he noticed her return, he chose to stand by her side without hesitation and help her hide the secret that she did not want to reveal.
Cui Jing understood: "There is no need to thank me for everything. Since I accepted this responsibility, I should see it through to the end."
He had been guarding "her" before she came back.
It was like this before, it is like this now, and it will be like this in the future. This is his mission, or destiny. He has never believed in destiny, but this destiny is something he is willing to accept and obey for the rest of his life.
After a moment, he spoke seriously: "Your Highness, the road ahead is full of thorns. Cui is willing to go with Your Highness and use the sword in my hand to help you smooth out some obstacles on the road ahead-"
Chang Suining couldn't help but look at him: "Cui Jing, do you know where I'm going?"
Cui Jing also looked at her sideways: "No matter where."
“What if we get to the end and find that it’s a dead end?”
"Then we should go together." Cui Jing said, "This way, we will have a better chance of turning it into a way out."
If the road ahead is full of flowers and beautiful scenery, he doesn't have to hinder her from enjoying the flowers and scenery.
It was precisely because the road ahead was full of thorns and she should not be left alone to plead for the world that he dared to go with her.
Chang Suining held the sword in his arms and looked at him quietly for a moment, as if thinking silently.
"I know what path your Highness is following. This is not to help your Highness, but because this is also the path that Cui wants to follow in his heart." He said: "Although Cui is not talented, I believe that I will never be a burden to your Highness. Your Highness just follows your heart and does not need to look back. I will follow you."
"As a general of the Xuan Ce Army, I will definitely not be a burden." Chang Suining came back to his senses and smiled: "I want to thank you for thinking so highly of me."
Cui Jing said nothing for a moment, just looked at her.
She hasn't responded to his question directly yet.
Chang Suining did not say anything ambiguous, but told him clearly: "You are a very good partner. It is my great honor that you are willing to work with me, but I want to think about it carefully."
He was both capable and sincere and frank. Most importantly, as he said, he and she had the same aspirations - she had already sensed it without him having to say it.
With such a rare talent, she should have racked her brains to bring him to her side, but she had a concern that she couldn't get around, and she needed to wait and think for a while.
Cui Jing could roughly guess what she was worried about, but he did not ask any further questions. He just nodded and said, "Okay, you can take your time to think about it. I'm not in a hurry."
Chang Suining smiled comfortably upon hearing this. It was really relaxing to be with such a true gentleman.
No matter what happens in the future, whether the two of them can go together or not, she will at least regard each other as the most special friend.
"I have another question for you."
Cui Jing: "Ask."
"Wu Jue told me that you are a very crucial person in the matter of the Heavenly Maiden Tower." Chang Suining looked at him: "Does this so-called opportunity bring you any special abilities?"
Cui Jing was puzzled.
"For example... Is there any connection between you and me?"
Cui Jing thought about it seriously and shook his head: "The opportunity here is mysterious and has no real manifestation."
Seeing that he didn't seem to be hiding anything, Chang Suining felt greatly relieved. She was really worried that someone might read her mind, or that he would have to pay a heavy price for her rebirth like Wu Jue.
But he still added: "That formation is an evil formation after all. If you feel anything strange in the future, remember to tell me in time and we can find a solution together."
Sensing her desire to take responsibility, Cui Jing nodded with a smile: "Okay, I'll remember that."
At this moment, there was a faint noise coming from the corridor outside the hall.
Cui Jing turned his head and looked outside the hall, saying, "I have something to return to you tonight, and I think you should not refuse this material."
Chang Suining looked outside the hall upon hearing this, and then stood up as if he had sensed something.
Cui Jing has stood up: "Let's go and meet him."
Good night, sweet dreams
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