Wan Yue carefully recalled past events, afraid of missing any clues.
“Hongying once said that you should not let your mother learn martial arts, and that you should let her live an ordinary life.”
If possible, being an ordinary person is also a kind of happiness.
He suddenly remembered something and hurriedly looked at Li Xi, "Xiao Xi, do you practice martial arts?"
Wan Yue's words surprised Li Xi slightly.
She looked up at Wan Yue, puzzled. "After losing my family, Uncle Li took me to live in Kyoto."
To enable me to protect myself, he specially hired a martial arts master to teach me martial arts. However, in an accident, I fell off a cliff and nearly lost my life.
After being rescued, I gradually felt a power awakening within me, as if my Ren and Du meridians were being opened.
"I never expected it; in the end, there was no escaping it." He sighed deeply.
“Your maternal grandmother said that the ancient people who practice martial arts are prone to going astray and losing control of their power. But they have their own ways to solve this problem, which is why the ancient people are so skilled in martial arts.”
Li Xi was puzzled after hearing this: "Then why don't they just be ordinary people? If they don't know martial arts, they shouldn't attract unwanted attention."
Her thinking was a bit too naive.
Wan Yue sighed and said, "You could call this a kind of inheritance. Besides, if they don't become strong, they'll be easily manipulated. I just never expected to encounter something like this."
Li Xi looked at the yellowed paper in her hand and asked in confusion, "Grandfather, what is this?"
Wan Yue took the map, his fingers gliding lightly across it, as if he could touch the traces of time.
“This map is no ordinary map,” my grandfather said in a deep voice. “It is an ancient treasure map, said to hide endless wealth and secrets.”
Li Xi stared at him wide-eyed in disbelief. "Why are you here?"
"This was left to you by your maternal grandmother. At first, I didn't know what it was, so I carefully kept it. Later, your father said it was a treasure map. They originally wanted to find an opportunity to take a look, but they never expected that after they returned to the Xuanming Sect that..."
When Wan Yue recalled these events, he was overwhelmed with heartache.
Looking at his sorrowful expression, Li Xi also felt a surge of inexplicable sadness.
She recalled the harmonious scene of the family of three in her dream. Now, only the two of them remained.
What secret did the Li family hide that led to their annihilation?
The more she knows now, the thicker the fog becomes before her eyes.
The two stayed inside for a while longer before going out. Wan Yue took her to the back mountain.
"This is a cenotaph I built for your parents. I couldn't find their clothes... so I had to use the clothes they left here as a memento."
Li Xi remembered that Song Yuan had mentioned it before, and that she had hurriedly paid her respects with Brother Song at that time.
Now, facing this lonely and helpless old man, she told him everything she knew.
"Okay, that's good." Wan Yue was now relieved. "Let's find some time to go and take a look."
As the sun sets in the west, its afterglow spills onto the golden rice paddies, creating a radiant glow.
The rice stalks swayed gently in the breeze, as if whispering the joy of a bountiful harvest.
On an autumn night, a faint chill permeates the air.
The leaves rustled gently in the breeze, as if telling the story of autumn.
A bright moon hangs in the sky, casting a soft moonlight that drapes the earth in a silvery veil.
"Brother Feng, you're still up so late?"
Li Xi walked into the courtyard and saw Feng Monian with his back to her.
He sat there, seemingly engrossed in something.
She called his name several times, but he seemed to have no response at all.
So she walked up to him, hands on her hips. Just as she was about to ask him a question, she caught a glimpse of his face.
Her eyes widened in shock as she exclaimed, "You, you, Brother Qin, how did you get here?"
Only then did she notice Feng Monian's mask on the table, and she seemed to understand something.
Qin Xiaolin slowly raised his head, his face calm as still water, but his eyes held a hint of tenderness that was hard to detect.
He smiled faintly and said, "Xixi, I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Li Xi turned to leave.
Upon seeing this, Qin Xiaolin felt a surge of anxiety.
He grabbed her hand, trying to stop her from leaving, "I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to hide it from you."
Li Xi looked at him strangely, "You can talk about it later."
She shook off her hand, jogged back to her room, and came out a moment later with something in her hand.
"Come on, let's have a drink first. This osmanthus wine was brewed by my maternal grandfather, it's so fragrant."
She waved the brown paper bag in her hand, "And my personal collection."
The moonlight poured down, like flowing water, illuminating the night as brightly as day.
The wine glasses clinked together, and the rich aroma of the wine made their faces flush slightly.
Qin Xiaolin picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and then tilted his head back to drink it all in one gulp.
His gaze deepened, as if he were recalling a distant past.
Finally, he spoke: "I was only six years old that year. When I went out to play with my family, we unfortunately encountered bandits. In the chaos, I lost contact with my family."
I wandered in the mountains for a long time, until my legs went numb and I could walk no more. Finally, I could only sit down under a tree to rest, and when I woke up, I found myself in a strange place.
Later I learned that it was the master of Yinxian Manor who saved me. He took me in and sent me back to the Duke's Mansion after I regained my strength.
No one else knew his identity. He and his grandfather talked for a long time in the study, and in the end, his grandfather asked him to recognize the manor lord as his godfather. Only the three of us knew about this.
Later, my grandfather often sent me to live at Yinxian Manor, where the owner liked me very much. He personally taught me martial arts every day and often took me on trips.
I once asked him why he was so good to me, but he just smiled and didn't say anything.
But in his eyes, I saw deep concern and an indescribable emotion. There seemed to be an unspeakable sadness in his eyes, as if he had lost something important.
At that time, I didn't understand these complex emotions; I simply enjoyed his companionship and guidance.
His martial arts skills were superb, and he was very capable, which filled me with curiosity and longing for this world.
Gradually, I realized that he was raising me as the young master of the manor, and I was actually very happy during that time. In the Duke's mansion, although my grandfather loved me, he was very busy with official duties.
The father's mind was on his illegitimate son, while the mother stayed in the courtyard all day, doing nothing.
Although the Duke's mansion is large and prosperous, everyone is only concerned with themselves.
Only my godfather was truly kind to me. When he was seriously ill, he finally revealed a deep-seated secret to me.
He once had a happy family, but fate played a cruel joke on them.
The child tragically died of a strange illness at the age of six, and his wife, unable to bear the immense grief, followed him in death the following year.
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