Chapter 8: Spring Returns Without a Moon
The elders were all in awe of what they heard.
"You can't even stop one person?" the Second Elder said angrily.
The disciple shuddered. "That person, he deliberately let us discover him, and he's waiting outside the pavilion now."
Several elders: ?
They exchanged a glance and walked out of the Elders' Hall.
A figure in plain clothes stood before the Elders' Pavilion, two red ribbons on his waistband fluttering in the sea breeze. His face was covered by a white fox mask, and his exposed pale skin revealed an unhealthy and sickly aura.
The Grand Elder suppressed the familiar feeling in his heart and spoke, "Why does this fellow Daoist insist on trespassing into our Yaotai Realm?"
Fu Yusheng frowned. "My junior sisters and brothers in the sect are naughty and have accidentally entered the island's barrier. They haven't returned for many days, so I have no choice but to come and find them."
He originally intended to take Jiang Wanyi and Song Anran back while the island elders weren't paying attention. However, he hadn't expected that the island had changed so much over the years. He observed the omnipresent array illusions and realized that the two of them had probably accidentally fallen into one of the arrays.
The more the Fourth Elder listened, the more familiar the voice seemed, but upon further reflection, he realized it was impossible.
Let the Sword Master of Dust rage on. The person in front of him clearly had a sickly aura and a languid voice.
"Ahem." He snapped back to his senses. "What do you take our Yaotai Realm for, where you can come and go as you please?"
Fu Yusheng frowned, and with a slight movement of his fingertips, a square brocade box appeared in his palm.
The elders were slightly taken aback when they saw the black jade pendant in the brocade box.
"I obtained this from an ancient secret realm. This Xuan Jade Pendant once sealed the soul of a demon god and can also suppress ancient restrictions."
A demon god's soul?!
The elder's eyes were filled with shock. He realized that the Dust-Slaying Sword was formed from the sword bone of the Demon God, and the Dust-Slaying Restriction was actually a curse of the Demon God. If this Demon God's soul was present, perhaps the Dust-Slaying Restriction could be suppressed.
Thinking of this, he took out the communication jade slip again and said, "Young Master."
There was silence on the other end. He continued, "Someone else has entered the barrier."
Finally, a voice came from the other end. The girl's voice was soft as she slowly uttered two words.
"Get lost."
Fu Yusheng stood quietly to the side, and upon hearing her voice, a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth hidden beneath his mask.
The First Elder broke out in a cold sweat, fearing she might cut off the telepathic communication, and quickly added, "Young Master, this person is here to pick up her junior brothers and sisters, and he brought along..."
Before he could finish speaking, he heard an unfamiliar voice coming from the other end.
"Senior sister! Don't wander off, stay here..."
The Grand Elder hesitated, "Young Master, aren't you in the forbidden area? Who is that person next to you?"
"...two kittens running around everywhere."
"ah?"
Fu Yunyao didn't know why she had come into the illusionary formation while the restriction was still in effect.
She rubbed her temples, really wanting to just let it go.
Inside the pavilion, a young man dressed in red leaned against a pillar with his eyes closed, the wind blowing his wisps of hair across his forehead, which drifted in the air.
Jiang Wan was surprised and grabbed Song Anran's sleeve, "Isn't this... Senior Brother?"
Before she could finish speaking, a flash of sword light swept past, and the scene before her changed completely.
The waves crashed against the rocky shore, where trees grew in abundance and flowers bloomed in profusion. Crabapple blossoms drifted down, adorning the ground with pink.
Jiang Wanyi looked around, forgetting what she was originally going to say, "We're... out here?"
Song Anran also found it amazing. They had been trapped in the illusionary formation for almost three days, but now the formation had been broken in the blink of an eye.
Fu Yunyao sheathed her sword, and the veil on her bamboo hat completely covered her figure.
Jiang Wanyi looked at her with eyes full of respect.
Mortal, Sword Intent, Jade Terrace Realm.
Even if she were slow to realize, the person in front of her, whom she had seen in Qiushui Town before, was the renowned young master of Yaotai Realm.
“Sister, so you are the young master of Yaotai Realm.” Jiang Wanyi pursed her lips. “We didn’t break in on purpose, we just really have something important to ask of you.”
Fu Yunyao suppressed her irritation, not quite understanding where they got the confidence to think that she would agree to their request after she forcefully entered the Yaotai Realm.
"Which sect do you belong to?"
Jiang Wanyi and Song Anran exchanged a glance and obediently said, "Jiang Wanyi is a disciple of the Boundless Sect, and my junior brother is Song Anran."
Fu Yunyao raised her eyes and looked at them.
"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jiang Wanyin, a disciple of the Boundless Sect."
Jiang Wanyin, Jiang Wanyi...
The girl was dressed in yellow, with clear and bright eyes, and she did indeed bear some resemblance to the girl.
Fu Yunyao closed her eyes and told herself.
This is not her.
She paused for a moment and then said, "You all wait here. Someone will come to take you out. Don't wander off. If you fall back into the barrier, you'll have to find your own way out."
The soft voice made Jiang Wanyi even more certain that the person in front of her was indeed as gentle and kind as rumored. She reached out and grabbed Fu Yunyao's hem.
"Young Master, we really need your help."
Fu Yunyao turned her head and looked at the face that resembled Jiang Wanyin's by three points, and spoke again, "I didn't intend to make a fuss about you trespassing into Yaotai Realm, but now you're stopping me and asking for my help?"
Song Anran was now convinced that she was fundamentally a very soft-hearted person. Hearing her words, he felt no fear whatsoever. He clasped his hands together and looked at her pleadingly, "Young Master, we need a sword aura to dispel the dust, our senior brother..."
Fu Yunyao barely noticed what he said; her gaze was entirely focused on his actions.
"Yun Yao—please—" That day, the girl also clasped her hands together, drawing out the last syllable.
Evening chanting...
The restriction that had receded slightly climbed back onto her face, causing the Dust Restriction to continue to act up and making her memories begin to become confused.
"Jiang Wanyi, Song Anran, are you two planning to stay here for the rest of your lives?"
A lazy, casual voice came from behind, and Jiang Wanyi immediately released her grip on Fuyun Yaoyi's hem, straightened her body, and retorted, "Senior brother, we did this for you!"
"No, I can't accept that."
The man stood upright, the two red ribbons hanging from his waist swaying gently with his movements. Beneath the white fox mask, a pair of slightly lighter-colored eyes held a smile that he himself was unaware of.
In an instant, his figure overlapped with the one in Fu Yunyao's memory.
"Alright." The boy smiled, a gentle breeze ruffling the ribbon in his hair, the red ribbon intertwining with his hair in the wind.
He drew the sword and pressed it against Fu Yunsheng's neck.
"Senior brother!" Jiang Wanyi and Song Anran exclaimed.
Fu Yusheng lowered his eyes to look at the Rangchen sword held against his neck, his smile deepening.
"Fu, Yu, Sheng." She pronounced his name slowly and deliberately, just like when she first called him.
Jiang Wanyi and Song Anran said anxiously from the side, "Young Master Yao, this is our senior brother, not Sword Master Rangchen. You've mistaken him for someone else!"
Fu Yunyao paid no attention to their words, her face turned to the side as the Dust Restriction surged wildly.
Fu Yusheng suppressed the smile in his eyes and slowly said, "You've mistaken me for someone else. I am a disciple of the Boundless Sect, not Sword Master Rangchen."
Fu Yunyao remained silent, and the sword in her hand advanced another step, leaving a wound on his neck, and the smell of blood immediately spread.
Even so, Chen Jian still didn't react at all.
On the contrary, under the stimulation of the sword energy of the dust, Fu Yusheng gradually had demonic energy overflowing from his meridians.
Fu Yunyao was stunned. "Demonic energy?"
Song Anran quickly explained, "Our senior brother's meridians were severed due to the attack of the demons, and demonic energy resides in his body, constantly eroding his spiritual meridians. We came here this time to ask for a talisman that can be used by the Dust Sword Qi to suppress the demonic energy on his body."
Fu Yunyao remained still for a moment, then slowly lowered the sword that was pressed against his neck.
Is it really not you?
Thank goodness... it wasn't you.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Jiang Wanyi quickly spoke up, "Young Master Yao, let Chen Jianqi..."
Fu Yunyao did not stop walking, leaving only one sentence: "Among these illusions scattered everywhere, there is a hidden sword aura that can be taken by the Dust Sword. If you have the ability, you can take it away."
Jiang Wanyi and Song Anran looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.
Fu Yusheng remained in the same position until Fu Yunyao was completely gone. Only then did he lean against a tree trunk and cough lightly. Blood seeped from the wound on his neck, creating a stark contrast with his originally pale skin.
"Senior brother, are you alright?" Song Anran asked with some concern.
He shook his head. "I'll settle accounts with you when I get back about your secret trip to Yaotai Realm."
Jiang Wanyi and Song Anran immediately deflated.
"Senior brother, I only came here because I was absolutely certain that the Dust Sword Qi could suppress the demonic energy within you. You knew this clearly, so why didn't you let us come?"
Why?
Because she doesn't want to see me.
Fu Yusheng answered in his heart.
Seeing him like this, Song Anran didn't ask any more questions. "What should we do now? Find another illusion array?"
Fuyun sighed softly, "You all stay here, I'll go by myself."
"Huh? Senior brother, can you... do it yourself?"
Before Jiang Wanyi could finish speaking, Fu Yusheng's figure had already disappeared from the spot.
"Then what about us?" Song Anran looked at her, somewhat hesitant.
"Wait here, I dare not make my senior brother angry again."
...
Under the setting sun, the girl's figure, holding a sword, stood alone.
Beside her, a fallen disciple of the Yaotai Realm clutched his wound, his eyes filled with fear and dread.
Fu Yusheng looked at her plain clothes stained red, the dark red patterns wrapped around her neck mixed with blood, her hair disheveled, her face pale and fragile yet still captivating as the wind blew through it.
Amidst swirling sword energy and frost covering the ground, Fu Yusheng walked step by step toward the illusory afterimage.
"Young Master! Why won't you stay in the forbidden area? Staying in the forbidden area will ensure your safety for life, just like the previous ones did."
The Third Elder, lying on the ground, called out to her in a hoarse voice.
Fu Yunyao turned around, her seventeen-year-old eyes still gentle. She lowered her brows and spoke softly.
"But I don't want to exist just as a sacrifice."
Fu Yusheng's eyes crinkled almost the instant he saw her. How could his Liao Liao be just a sacrifice?
The demonic energy lurking within the Dust Sword Qi, residing in the Floating Jade Life Vein, surged restlessly and wildly, entwining his heart. He removed his mask, revealing his beautiful face beneath.
He laughed, completely ignoring the pain from the demonic energy binding him, "It's over."
He said.
I miss you so much.
His voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of a smile, as if he were expressing his endless longing.
“When I was entangled by demonic energy in the South China Sea, I thought I would never come back. I think that with your abilities, the Dust Sword will definitely recognize you as its master, and then there will be no barrier between us.”
"But I couldn't bear to leave. As I fell into the deep sea, I thought of our first meeting, of you speaking to me and calling my name. I even thought of that night when you held a sword to my neck and said those words... natural enemies."
"Then I thought, that can't be the last time we see each other."
Fu Yusheng reached out and placed his hand on the face of the illusory afterimage, his eyes shimmering.
"How could we be sworn enemies?"
"That's it."
"We are clearly a match made in heaven."
The illusory afterimage dissipated, fell into his hand, and transformed into a sword aura that merged into his body, forcefully pushing the chaotic demonic energy to one side.
Fu Yusheng lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of blood.
After a long while, he laughed out loud, his eyes seemingly holding tiny starlight, revealing youthful spirit and arrogance.
He spread his hands, and a sword, entirely black, appeared in his grasp. The black blade swept across the setting sun, its edge gleaming with a faint, bluish light, like the first sprouts of grass, a vibrant life force spreading along its edge.
He swung his sword, and the wind it stirred carried with it the sharp energy bursting forth from the earth. Each tremor concealed a restless, surging pulse.
The sword energy cleaved through the illusion, bringing with it the vitality of all things growing. This sword energy, brimming with life, was just like its name.
Spring returns.
The east wind returns with spring, bringing forth flowers on my branches.
The young man was unrestrained and spirited; his sword intent, like him, should possess boundless vitality.
A note from the author:
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The east wind returns with spring, and brings forth blossoms on my trees. (Li Bai, "Remembering the Mountains at Sunset")
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