But met the dawn
Tang Xixu frowned, his expression serious: "Okay. But I have one condition."
"you say.
As long as it's not murder or arson, I'm fine with it." The old man's eyes flashed, fearing that this promising young man would change his mind.
"You have to teach her too, and let her at least step into the Great Heaven." Tang Xixu pointed at the girl who was sleeping soundly on the bed.
Zui Shengchi stroked his white beard and thought for a while: "No problem. This girl's roots are not bad, I promise you."
Sunlight shimmered across thatched huts, and a golden-brown cat curled up in front of a shop, squinting, drowsy. The town was small, its streets narrow as cracks. A bustling crowd passed beneath the tall trees, while barefoot children chased and played by the pond, where the warm winter sun cast a golden halo.
The drunk old man was so drunk after drinking that he found a wooden table and lay down on it and fell into a deep sleep.
Zhao Mingshang and Qu Yi went to stroll around the town, preparing to bring back some of the town's specialties.
Xu Ning slept for more than an hour and felt very uncomfortable.
The girl stretched lazily. Tang Xixu was sitting beside her meditating. Perhaps he heard Xu Ning's movement. The young man slowly opened his eyes and took a pillow to support Xu Ning's back.
Xu Ning felt refreshed, and the turbid air in his body disappeared.
Tang Xixu brought out the millet porridge that had been hot in the pot from the small kitchen: "Eat something." The young man scooped a small spoonful from the bowl, blew gently on the hot steam, and waited until the smoke dissipated a lot before feeding it to Xu Ning's mouth.
When Xu Ning woke up, his mind was in a mess and he was in the boot mode. He was in a daze and subconsciously opened his mouth. He ate several bites in a row before he reacted.
Xu Ning blushed and hesitated, "I'll do it myself."
Tang Xixu curled his lips and smiled. He didn't want to embarrass the girl, so he handed the spoon to Xu Ning.
Tang Xixu didn't leave, but just sat there quietly watching the girl in front of him eat. The young man tilted his head and smiled foolishly. The sunlight seemed to shine into Tang Xixu's heart, warm, like a warm current flowing into his heart.
The sky is bright, the ground is flat, and the dawn is visible ahead. The young man's soul is finally alive and exists in this world.
When Tang Xixu was young, Bi Ruohua once told him that in this world, only love can make the "dead" people "come back to life". He didn't understand it before, but he understands it now.
The revenge for the extermination of his family was like a huge mountain that weighed down Tang Xixu for the past ten years, leaving him no room to breathe. Only in the twenty-fifth year of Zhenning, when Tang Xixu met Xu Ning, did the "mountain" begin to crack. Only then did Tang Xixu's heart truly feel the warmth of light.
Later, Tang Xixu would always remember this day, the beginning of winter in the twenty-fifth year of Zhenning. My wife Xu Ning rescued me from a quagmire. The forest was thick with fog, but the morning light came into view.
The drunk old man woke up, opened his eyes and saw the little girl in the inner room, she wanted to bury her head in the bowl.
"Girl, are you awake? How is it? You've recovered well, right?" Zui Shengchi was still very confident in his abilities.
Xu Ning was suddenly called and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. When she was unconscious, the girl vaguely heard their conversation and guessed that the white-haired old man in front of her was Zui Shengchi.
"Thank you for saving me, Senior."
Zui Shengchi was delighted. "The little girl is quite polite. She's quite clever. From now on, you will learn martial arts from me. I will make sure you enter the Great Heaven within eight days. How about that?"
What? Great Heaven! Did I hear it right? Xu Ning's eyes were like stars in the sky, shining brightly again and again.
For those who practice martial arts, this is like teaching someone how to make tens of thousands of taels of silver in a week.
Xu Ning had long wanted to improve his martial arts, but he'd always struggled to find the right method. After years of tinkering, he'd still come up with nothing. With a renowned master's personal guidance, he wouldn't have to worry about not advancing his martial arts skills.
Xu Ning's face was broken with laughter: "Really? Then Master, please accept my disciple's greetings." The girl prostrated herself before Zui Shengchi and paid her respects to him.
The girl moved so quickly, as if she was particularly afraid of missing out on this good master. Zui Shengchi glanced at Tang Xixu before reacting, as if saying to Tang Xixu: Look, look, how proactive she is.
"Oh, my good disciple, please get up quickly, please get up quickly. Hahaha." The drunk old man laughed heartily, his big lips almost reaching the slits of his eyes.
However, the two of them had to go to Qujiazhuang for a few days, and the three agreed that Zuishengchi would come back to find them when the time was right.
The town is relatively small, but it has everything. Qu Yi found a piece of good wood and carved a dressing box himself, and Xu Ning spent a lot of money to pick out a good bronze mirror.
Qujiazhuang is close to the capital, only two or three days' drive away. When Mr. Qu saw that his eldest son finally decided to come back, he couldn't stop smiling.
"Son, I haven't seen you for half a year. I see that you have indeed lost a lot of weight." Qu Xiaotian opened his arms to welcome Qu Yi, but Qu Yi dodged his father's embrace lightly and sleekly.
"My dear father, since I have lost weight, can you and mother prepare some delicious food for me?" Qu Yi rushed into the kitchen in the backyard, his eyes focused on finding food.
Mrs. Qu knew that Qu Yi would be back soon, so she had someone prepare some of her son's favorite foods every day. Every few hours, if the food got cold, she would have someone heat it up, for fear that her son would suddenly come back and not be able to eat a hot meal.
When a traveler returns home, the thing they miss most is a bite of home-cooked food. Qu Yi picked up a shrimp meatball and said, "Mmm, delicious, this is the taste!" The tender shrimp meat is coated in a golden, crispy crust. A gentle bite reveals a fresh, fragrant aroma that lingers on the taste buds, while the chili powder on the surface stimulates the palate. A single swallow leaves a lasting aftertaste.
Xu Ning would praise everything good she saw, her eyes sparkling with tears as she nodded vigorously, "Mm, it's delicious!"
[Master, please don't just focus on eating. Remember your mission, which I assigned you over half a month ago: ask Qu Xiaotian for the "Splendid Rivers and Mountains." You have officially entered the mission area. Please complete it as soon as possible. The time limit is three days. Mission difficulty: four stars.]
"Hey, you know four stars, then why do you only give such a short time?"
Guangyu lowered his eyes and whispered, "The rewards are generous."
Hearing the word "rich", Xu Ning immediately shut his mouth.
It seems that a generous reward can make people work harder. Guangyu felt a little proud.
"Then tell me the 'solution' quickly, don't talk nonsense." Xu Ning didn't want to grope in the dark anymore. Besides, this was Qujia Village, which was heavily guarded. If she "broke in" alone, she would most likely be caught by the Qu family. After all, "Splendid Rivers and Mountains" was an extremely precious thing in the Qu family.
"I can only tell you some information. You have to figure out the rest on your own. Otherwise, it would be cheating. I will be punished by the higher-ups."
Xu Ning agreed that having something is better than having nothing.
[Qu Xiaotian was saved by Li Jiangmen when he was young. He always wanted to express his gratitude to Li Jiangmen, but he never found the opportunity.]
"But I don't know Li Jiangmen. I've never even seen her."
[Tsk tsk. What haven't you seen before? Last month, didn't I give you a martial arts manual as a reward? The senior who came to guide you was her.]
Oh~ I see, that’s why I made such rapid progress.
"That's easy. Thanks to my great system. Mmm." Xu Ning blew a kiss to the intangible system.
Xu Ning found a vacant space in the backyard to practice the "Ruchen Sword Technique". The last time he practiced was the last time, and it had only been over a month.
Recently, Xu Ning has been using the moves taught by Tang Xixu in martial arts fights, so it is normal that he is not very familiar with the techniques.
Xu Ning practiced in the yard for a long time, until it was already dark. Tang Xixu had been observing Xu Ning for a long time and asked with a faint smile, "Who are you waiting for?"
Xu Ning felt a little guilty when asked, but he continued to practice swordplay, but he didn't dare look at Tang Xixu: "No one here, I'm just practicing swordplay."
"Oh? Really? I thought you were waiting for your Mr. Right." Why does this sound sour?
Xu Ning put away his sword, a little speechless: "You can rest wherever you want. I just ate too much today and need to digest it."
Tang Xixu raised his eyebrows and said, "Since you don't want to tell me, then forget it. One day I will know everything about you."
After Tang Xixu left, Xu Ning continued practicing sword.
Why hasn’t he come out yet? Isn’t this the only way for him to come out?
Xu Ning found out that Qu Xiaotian had to pass by here when returning to the inner courtyard.
Just as he was thinking about it, the head of the Qu family came out. The old man was humming a little tune, smiling, and occasionally twisting the walnuts in his hand.
Before Xu Ning noticed, the Xilin sword was shining silver in the moonlight. The girl flew into the air, and the sword and the girl's waist bent into a crescent shape at the same time. The sword was as soft as a layer of silver ring.
Qu Xiaotian's eyes suddenly widened, and his sparse beard on both sides clenched together in surprise.
"Excuse me, young lady, what is your relationship with Chen Jianxian Li Jiangmen?" Qu Xiaotian put away his previous casualness and had a vague respect for Xu Ning.
Xu Ning certainly wouldn't admit it outright: "I wonder why you ask that, Excellency?"
Qu Xiaotian explained the reason to Xu Ning, which was exactly the same as what the system said.
However, there was one thing that was different from what Xu Ning thought. Xu Ning thought Qu Xiaotian noticed her because of her swordsmanship, but she didn't expect it was just the Xilin Sword.
"Miss, I think what you just demonstrated looks like the ultimate move of the Dust-Rising Sword Immortal Fang Hongzhi, the Choosing Dust and Singing Song. How did you learn it? I thought it was long lost."
"No. No. I learned this move accidentally. I was lucky enough to meet a master who taught me. I think that master also knows this move. And I won this sword at the weapon-taking conference. I don't have much strength. It's all due to luck." Xu Ning couldn't directly say that it was Li Jiangmen. He was indeed lucky that day when he won the Xilin Sword.
Fang Hongzhi had long since passed away, and the system said it was Li Jiangmen who had taught her that day. Rumors circulated that Li Jiangmen and Fang Hongzhi were close friends, so it seemed Li Jiangmen had taught her out of fear that his friend's martial arts skills would be lost. After much thought, Xu Ning could only come up with this one reason.
"I didn't expect that Miss Xu has such a good connection with these two sword masters. If you have any problems in the future, just come to Qujiazhuang to find me." Qu Xiaotian has always liked martial arts. It happened that he had seen the style of several great masters in the world when he was young. Naturally, he felt more casual when meeting someone like Xu Ning who was related to the masters.
"You're welcome, I really do have a favor to ask of you." Xu Ning felt a little embarrassed with his hands behind his back.
"I heard that the Qu family has a painting called "Splendid Rivers and Mountains", which depicts the entire Daxin River and Mountains. I wonder if I can take a look at this treasure?" The woman asked tentatively.
Qu Xiaotian's smile froze, then softened. "Of course you can. There's just one rule: you need to burn incense and bathe three days in advance before viewing the paintings. If Miss Xu wants to see them, you can start preparing tomorrow so I can take them out of the warehouse and clean them up."
Tang Xixu hid behind the eaves and witnessed all this before turning around and leaving.
At about 1 a.m. the next day, Xu Ning took his sword and went up to the back mountain to practice.
No one is seen in the empty mountain, but the sound of human voices can be heard. The reflected light enters the deep forest and shines on the moss again.
The air is fresh and moist. Take a deep breath, and the cool and moist feeling penetrates into your nasal cavity and gradually flows into your heart and lungs, which really makes you feel relaxed and comfortable.
“Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!”
The woman swung her sword like a flower, and her steps were as fast as lightning, changing extremely quickly, and each sword strike was crisp and clear.
"Crash"
The bamboo broke into pieces and fell to the ground.
Xu Ning took a big leap, stepped straight, and finally landed lightly on the bamboo pole.
The tall green bamboo slowly bent down, supporting the woman on it.
"It's been a while since we last met. Has Ning'er made any progress in martial arts?"
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