Chapter 104
Xiang Bieyun thought she had been being tactful, but she would never lie.
Or perhaps, Xiang Bieyun could never deceive Sheng Ningyu.
Sheng Ningyu thought to herself, "The farewell in Sister Ayan's words is all too obvious."
But who is Sheng Ningyu?
If she were so obedient and resigned to her fate, she wouldn't be Sheng Ningyu.
Sheng Ningyu refused to leave.
"Sister Ayan called me 'Sword Master'? That's too much!"
Sheng Ningyu spoke slowly.
Instead of leaving, she sat down cross-legged on the spot and started chatting casually with Xiang Bieyun.
"I saw Young Master Jin in that illusion earlier."
Sheng Ningyu picked up a flower from the ground and took a closer look; it turned out to be a pear blossom.
As she rubbed the pear blossom petals with her fingers, she said, "Sister Ayan, don't you want to see him?"
Xiang Bieyun said, "Now that Yanxianjun's wish has been fulfilled, it would be best for Ayao to follow her."
Sheng Ningyu: "Young Master Jin's identity is not as simple as it seems, is it?"
Previously, her memories were hazy, but now, upon reflection, Sheng Ningyu found it strange.
Xie Qianjing, as the Demon Lord, is torn between love and hate, and has even harbored murderous intent towards her several times, but he has always treated Jin Xianyao with indifference.
It wasn't out of love or resentment, but rather like a puppet mechanically carrying out an order.
Whenever the bloodline of the former Bodhi Xie family was needed, Jin Xianyao was always present.
However, Xie Qianjing revealed his identity in public and brought up the past, so everyone's attention fell on him.
With this in mind, Sheng Ningyu found her answer.
She said, "Jin Xianyao is of the Xie family bloodline."
Xiang Bieyun smiled faintly and remained silent. She squatted down and tucked a strand of Sheng Ningyu's hair behind her ear: "Then we'll have to wait until Mingyue goes out and ask the Demon Lord herself."
At this point, Xiang Bieyun changed her way of addressing her again.
Sheng Ningyu looked up and met her gaze.
“Senior Brother Fei Fou must be very worried about you.” Sheng Ningyu tugged at Xiang Bieyun’s sleeve and said in a coquettish voice, “Sister Ayan, don’t be fooled by Senior Brother Fei Fou’s gentle demeanor... he is actually a stubborn person who sticks to his principles.”
Pear blossoms drifted down into her palm. Sheng Ningyu grasped Xiang Bieyun's hand near her ear. She sensed something, turned her face away, and spoke faster: "Don't disbelieve me, Sister Ayan. Senior Brother Fei Fou might already be in the Mountain and Sea Never Sleeps City."
Xiang Bieyun smiled gently and said softly, "I know."
She knew Yuan Bushu's temper, and she knew even more about his feelings for her.
So Xiang Bieyun is very satisfied.
She said, "Mingyue, I actually... no longer have the resentment of demons and ghosts."
Sheng Ningyu paused, then suddenly looked up.
Seeing her like this, Xiang Bieyun smiled instead, her eyes, as clear as autumn water, gazing tenderly at Sheng Ningyu, as if they were filled with countless starlight.
"Hua Liuyan was just an ordinary woman at first, no different from the millions of unfortunate people in the world."
And for this woman named Hua Liuyan, the greatest fortune of her life was meeting that little fairy lord as bright as the moon.
The second stroke of luck was meeting the former eldest son of Yunwang Palace.
Fate is so wondrous; a person who is clearly tainted by corruption may encounter the brightest moon and whitest clouds in the world.
Later, flowers, willows, and smoke became a unique fragrance.
She is no longer a withered flower seeking a laugh, but a fragrant and unique beauty.
Its fragrance has a unique charm, and its purity is so exquisite that one feels no chill.
Such noble and beautiful sentences can actually be used to praise her.
The fragrance and unique flavor are very satisfying.
Xiang Bieyun tried to live like a "human being," just as the bright moon-like fairy wished.
Xiang Bieyun looked at Sheng Ningyu, her eyes crinkling into a smile, her demeanor as serene as a plum blossom by the water: "Xiang Bieyun is very lucky. That's why she was able to return here."
Xiang Bieyun knew that this was the secret of that little fairy from the past.
Everything the Sword Master wanted to do, everything the Sword Master wanted to obtain.
Even if Sheng Ningyu herself forgets, Xiang Bieyun will remember for her.
Therefore, over the years, even when Yan Wurong wanted to kill Ning Jiao, Xiang Bieyun stopped her.
The demon Hua Liuyan is waiting for the Sword Master to return.
Meanwhile, Xiang Bieyun, the sect leader of Banbi Sect, was also waiting for the little fairy lord Mingyue who would call her "Sister Ayan".
Fortunately, she got her wish.
“Mingyue, if I can use my own body to quell the resentment of these demons and ghosts, completely quell the obstacle of the puppets, and eliminate the chance for the demon seed to grow, it will be a meritorious deed for me.”
She also wanted to become someone like her.
The bright moon hangs high in the sky, its light shining for thousands of miles.
This was the best ending Xiang Bieyun could imagine.
No one will be troubled by this; the living will live, and the dead will return to their place.
Sheng Ningyu raised her head and quietly gazed at Xiang Bieyun. Suddenly, she curled her lips and brought up an unrelated topic.
"Sister Ayan, do you know what I would do if Xie Qianjing died quietly like this one day?"
Xiang Bieyun was slightly taken aback.
Before she could speak, Sheng Ningyu said to herself, "Sister Ayan, do you still remember how the illusion in the Yin-Yang Blood Array collapsed?"
Xiang Bieyun: "It's you..."
Sheng Ningyu nodded, raised her hand and shook it at Xiang Bieyun, saying carelessly, "Back then, I was set up by an array. Not only did my spiritual bones ache terribly, but I also couldn't touch any swords or knives. My spiritual power was as weak as those little fox demons in the mountains and fields that I used to see."
"I stayed by Senior Yan's side at the time, not intending to take direct action."
Whether it's because of pain, fear of harming innocent people, or...
Therefore, Sheng Ningyu did not intend to use that hairpin.
"But Xie Qianjing died. In front of me, his soul was scattered and flew away like snowflakes."
He hasn't come looking for her yet.
Therefore, Sheng Ningyu broke the formation in the illusion as if she were going crazy and disregarding everything.
The reason Sheng Ningyu can still sit cross-legged properly now is entirely thanks to that marriage contract.
At least it confirmed to her that Xie Qianjing was still in this world.
Otherwise, Sheng Ningyu didn't know what she might do.
Thinking of this, Sheng Ningyu sighed, took Xiang Bieyun's hand, and stood up.
“Sister Ayan, the reason I can recognize Senior Brother Yuan as my senior brother must be because we can talk about something.” Sheng Ningyu shook Xiang Bieyun’s hand in a cheeky manner, her hair swaying.
Xiang Bieyun was not afraid of Sheng Ningyu's sword, but she was afraid of Sheng Ningyu's coquettishness.
She sighed inwardly, but her expression remained gentle: "If I can completely extinguish the demonic energy in the city, and at the same time separate out the demonic energy mixed in with it, I will be able to get out."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Ningyu's eyes widened, somewhat disbelieving: "Is that all?"
This method might be difficult for others to do.
But she has Xie Qianjing.
Annihilating mere demonic energy is an easy task for the Demon Lord.
This is somewhat difficult, but not entirely without a solution.
Just as Sheng Ningyu was pondering, a gale carrying snowflakes suddenly arose, howling and swirling around her.
The wind and snow swirled faster and faster, tightening their grip until they finally transformed into a chaotic, blurry white vortex that completely swallowed her figure, making it impossible to discern her features.
"Go."
Xiang Bieyun's gentle voice echoed in the wind.
Someone is waiting for you.
"...Sheng Jiuzhong..."
"Sheng Mingyue!"
Sheng Ningyu suddenly opened her eyes.
This time, however, she was not alone in the sea of fire at the city lord's mansion.
A whirlwind swept past, and a figure in red quickly approached her.
"You finally figured it out!"
Before Feng Xiaosheng could say anything more, he used his spiritual power to go through Sheng Ningyu's entire appearance from head to toe, and only then did his unpleasant expression finally improve.
"If you don't come out, I'll..."
The composed and dignified young master Feng Shaojun outside is no different from the little white phoenix in Qingyi Academy at this moment.
I still get angry so easily.
Sheng Ningyu drawled, "Really? Why did I hear you call me 'Ninefold' again?"
These words stirred up a hornet's nest. Recalling Sheng Ningyu's temper in the past, Feng Xiaosheng said irritably, "How dare I! If I say something wrong, you'll ignore me for ten days or half a month."
It seems it really isn't Feng Xiaohong.
Then who is it that keeps calling her 'Ninefold'?
Is that Xie Qianjing? Then why isn't he coming out?
Sheng Ningyu was puzzled, but her expression remained unchanged.
She squinted at Feng Xiaosheng, who was completely blocking her way: "What were you trying to say? What would you do if I didn't come out?"
Seeing that she was unharmed, Feng Xiaosheng turned slightly to the side, his usual calm demeanor returning.
"If you don't come out, I'll blow up the city lord's mansion in this Mountain and Sea Never Sleeps City and release everything."
Sheng Ningyu took it as a joke, then raised her voice and teased, "If you do that, the whole world will be pointing fingers at you behind your back..."
Feng Xiaosheng wasn't joking; instead, he frowned and said seriously, "Everyone in the world knows I would do this."
Sheng Ningyu suddenly stopped talking.
Feng Xiaosheng truly thought so.
What about prioritizing the overall situation, what about the well-being of all people?
To the Phoenix Clan, all of this was nothing but dust and insignificant.
Just as Feng Xiaosheng had said when the Chu family was in turmoil.
The whole world knows I would choose you.
But Sheng Ningyu stopped talking, not because of those words.
Because Feng Xiaosheng stepped aside and removed her protective barrier, Sheng Ningyu was finally able to see what was behind her.
Some of them Sheng Ningyu recognized, and some she did not.
They had all heard what Feng Xiaosheng had just said.
At this moment, everyone was looking at the two of them with an incredulous gaze.
Sheng Ningyu: "..."
She turned her head inch by inch to look at Feng Xiaosheng.
Feng Xiaosheng calmly looked back.
Feng Xiaosheng's gaze drifted into the distance, as if he were lost in some old memory.
She decided to take this opportunity to clear her name.
The Phoenix Clan's young lord's voice was calm and clear, yet it was enough to make the entire hall fall silent: "I have known the Bright Moon Sword Master since childhood, and our friendship is far from ordinary. In the past, Silver Bamboo City was renamed 'Chasing the Moon,' and the name 'Chasing the Moon' was originally meant to commemorate the deceased and send our thoughts to him from afar."
Feng Xiaosheng's gaze slowly swept over everyone present. His tone remained calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.
"I hope that you will not make any unfounded assumptions or misinterpret the true meaning of these two words."
This group of people, who had been forcibly led by Feng Xiaosheng into the city lord's mansion amidst the blazing flames, were already terrified. Naturally, they readily agreed and dared not resist.
He truly deserves to be called the young lord of the Phoenix Clan.
Facing the gradually changing gazes of that group of people, Sheng Ningyu calmly thought.
never mind.
Anyway, this wasn't the first time she'd been looked at with the "femme fatale" gaze of the Phoenix Clan elders, so a few more wouldn't make a difference.
Before Sheng Ningyu could think any further, someone shouted, "The sinner Ning Jiao has arrived!"
Before the commotion subsided, an elder with white hair at the table suddenly stood up and said urgently, "Bring him to the hall immediately!"
This godforsaken place, and this young master Feng who's gone mad...
He didn't want to stay there for another second!
At the same time, almost everyone in the room, including Yan Wurong, had their eyes fixed on Sheng Ningyu.
One of the elderly men in purple robes stepped forward and bowed deeply, his voice trembling with excitement: "Sword Master! After so many years, I am finally honored to see you here again!"
The firelight outside the hall flickered slightly as he spoke, then continued to engulf everything in its fury.
Countless gazes, some filled with reverence, some with anticipation, and others with mixed feelings, converged brightly on that figure in pure white.
Everyone thought that as soon as Sheng Ningyu saw Ning Jiao, she would definitely kill her.
By killing Ning Jiao, they could completely break the Yin-Yang Blood Array and leave this hellish place.
Sheng Ningyu did not look at them.
She looked around and suddenly remembered that this palace was called Xuandu Palace.
Flames burned outside the palace, and clamor boiled in people's hearts.
With a silent urging, Sheng Ningyu walked up to Ning Jiao and slowly squatted down.
Looking at Ning Jiao, who was haggard and disheveled, she felt no joy whatsoever.
Everyone present assumed that she and Ning Jiao had a very bad relationship.
Some speculate that it was because of the past engagement, with the head of the Chu family having feelings for someone else, leading to jealousy and rivalry between the two; others speculate that it was because they entered the sect one after the other, and the sect allocated resources from the former to the latter; still others speculate that the former Sword Master Guihai failed to treat them equally, and women are always more sensitive, which also led to the breakdown of their relationship...
But this is her junior sister.
She was the junior sister she protected, cherished, and proudly showed off to many people.
Before her memories returned, Ning Jiao's smile overlapped with her current appearance, making Sheng Ningyu almost feel a sense of disbelief.
The girl who once smiled sweetly at her, innocent and charming, is now lying on the ground, looking disheveled.
His bones and muscles were shattered inch by inch; he committed countless evil deeds; and he was cursed by countless people.
But as Sheng Ningyu looked at it, she felt that beneath that tattered finery, curled up, was still the same thin, lonely little girl from 150 years ago.
She raised her hand, wanting to brush away the dirty strands of hair stuck to her face, but Ning Jiao turned her head away to avoid it.
Sheng Ningyu paused, withdrew her hand, and slowly said, "You..."
Ning Jiao raised her head, let out a cold laugh, and interrupted Sheng Ningyu.
An elder immediately roared, "You sinner Ning Jiao! You set up such a vicious formation, harming countless lives, and now you dare to speak disrespectfully to the Sword Master?!"
His voice was like a booming bell, carrying anger and spiritual power, causing the entire hall to shake.
If Sheng Ningyu hadn't stood in front of her, Ning Jiao would have been suppressed by this spiritual power once again.
Ning Jiao suddenly raised her head.
Her hair was disheveled, and there was still blood at the corner of her mouth, but her eyes shone with a terrifying light, piercing straight at the elder who had spoken, without the slightest fear.
Ning Jiao ignored Sheng Ningyu, who was blocking her way, and instead looked up at the luminous pearl in the hall, and sneered, "When I entered the sect, the 'Sword Master' you mentioned hadn't even come to see me."
Her voice gradually lowered, "Later, I was given the name 'Jiaojiao' because of your Sword Master's name 'Mingyue'."
She is the bright moon, high above, hanging in the heavens.
And she only deserves to be called "Jiao," to be a ray of afterglow beside her.
"...So she died later! It's so satisfying! So satisfying!" Ning Jiao staggered to her feet and tilted her head back.
Looking up at the raging flames and listening to the screams and wails of the vengeful ghosts outside the palace, she burst into a joyful laugh.
Ning Jiao ignored her, but Sheng Ningyu wanted to ask.
Sheng Ningyu's fingers flew across the screen, instantly connecting the remaining earth veins in all directions with spiritual power, creating a light screen with flowing pale gold runes that enveloped Ning Jiao and herself within it.
The moment the formation was complete, the flames and clamor of the outside world receded like the tide, leaving only a blurry phantom and absolute silence.
Sheng Ningyu then raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the crowd outside the formation. Her voice was not loud, but it carried a calm yet imposing aura: "Who injured her?"
Yan Wurong lifted her eyelids: "What does Sword Master wish me to do?"
Sheng Ningyu had a guess in her heart, but her expression remained calm as she met Yan Wurong's sharp gaze: "I have no other intention. It's just that her mind is already in turmoil, and if she is further agitated, it may not be of any help in breaking the formation."
At this point, Sheng Ningyu paused slightly, then said calmly, "If you are willing to trust me this once, please allow me to set up a 'Shadowless Array' to temporarily isolate us from the outside world. Perhaps then I can find out the key to the array more quickly. In that case, we can leave this sea of fire sooner."
The others remained silent, not daring to speak.
The solution is right in front of us! Kill the person who set up the formation, and anyone can leave.
Even if Ning Jiao were left here, they would have the numbers and the power to get the information they needed.
But the Sword Master insisted on setting up the Shadowless Formation...
They not only spared her life, but also wanted to give her dignity and respect.
Yan Wurong stared at Sheng Ningyu for a moment, her Zhu Hui sword slightly lowered in her hand, and finally she let out a cold snort.
"Sword Master, you must make a decisive decision."
Sheng Ningyu paused, turned her head, and nodded slightly to Feng Xiaosheng.
"soon."
...
Within the Shadowless Formation.
Ning Jiao hadn't laughed so heartily in a long time, so much so that her voice became hoarse after she finished laughing.
Upon seeing Sheng Ningyu reappear, she said in a hoarse voice, "Sheng Ningyu, do you remember? You remember everything, don't you?"
Without needing Sheng Ningyu's reply, Ning Jiao knew the answer simply by looking into her calm and unwavering eyes.
She remembered everything.
"Your fiancé is so shallow. With just a few words of provocation, he cooperated with me to trap you in a deadly situation!"
She remembered how vicious she was, how lowly she came from, and how despicable her methods were.
"Sheng Ningyu! Do you think your sect, which you've been so attached to, is anything good?"
She remembered everything.
She would never again chuckle as she played with her hair, raising her eyebrows and drawing out her name as "Junior Sister" or "Jiaojiao."
That's good.
Ning Jiao thought.
The name she hated most was "Ning Jiaojiao".
"Wrong."
Sheng Ningyu looked at her and said quietly, "You got the order wrong."
Ning Jiao felt as if someone had grabbed her by the neck. She tilted her head back, her eyes filled with bloodlust, and said, word by word, "What did you say?"
Sheng Ningyu stroked the hilt of the sword at her waist.
She couldn't quite describe the feelings in her heart; she only felt a chaotic mix of many things, yet also as if there was nothing at all.
“Ning Jiao.” Sheng Ningyu paused, softening her tone, “This name was the one I first suggested to my master.”
Ning Jiao: "You? Sheng Ningyu, you're lying again!"
“No.” Sheng Ningyu shook her head. “It was I who told Master…”
What did they say again?
Sheng Ningyu looked at Ning Jiao and frowned slightly.
For some reason, she felt a pang of pain in her heart, so she quickly skipped over those words.
"Junior sister, I think 'Jiaojiao' isn't the most suitable name."
【皎皎? The characters are nice, and the pronunciation is pleasant, but it sounds a bit too soft, which isn't good.】
“The word ‘pride’ sounds better.”
The blazing sun shines brightly over the nine heavens, a noble spirit shines forth. Master, name my junior sister 'Jiao' (骄, meaning proud/proud)! I am the bright moon, she is the blazing sun, a perfect match!
Those words that she could have buried deep in her memory suddenly resurfaced, echoing in her mind again and again.
Ning Jiao covered her head, but she couldn't stop those words from echoing in her mind.
Each word and phrase, her soft breathy voice at that moment, and the smile that rose at the end of her sentence.
She remembered everything so clearly.
After a long while, Ning Jiao finally looked at Sheng Ningyu.
She wore the most ordinary plain white clothes, with a common wooden sword at her waist, and her hair was simply tied up with a strip of cloth. She looked so disheveled that it made people laugh, yet she was also so dashing that it made people yearn for her.
She no longer wore the jingling gold and jade ornaments she once possessed, but her eyes were clear and her spirit unyielding, making her so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.
The moon remains as bright and clear as ever, just like it was back then.
That's disgusting.
……very nice.
Ning Jiao's eyes were bloodshot, and her voice was hoarse beyond belief.
She seemed to have finally given up in despair, and said in a fit of pique, "After you finish asking the question you originally wanted to ask me, hand me over."
Sheng Ningyu looked at her, puzzled.
She had lost the composure she had shown in front of Yan Wurong, and her heart was slightly uneasy.
Through their previous exchanges, Sheng Ningyu knew that she always made Ning Jiao angry for no reason, so when Ning Jiao showed a pained expression just now, Sheng Ningyu did not dare to make a sound rashly.
But since my junior sister asked her to ask...
Sheng Ningyu paused for a moment, then slowed her speech and asked, "Did you experience the same pain before?"
……What?
Ning Jiao could hardly believe her ears.
Seeing her confusion, Sheng Ningyu said dryly, "It was in the illusion of the Yin-Yang Blood Array that you and I exchanged identities, you..."
"Of course not." Ning Jiao let out a wicked laugh in a hoarse voice. She twitched her lips, wanting to say the most vicious words, "That was something I planned, just to torment Senior Sister, to make her..."
No.
Sheng Ningyu breathed a sigh of relief, completely ignoring Ning Jiao's next words: "That's good."
Otherwise, wouldn't her previous attempt to teach Ning Jiao swordsmanship have forced him to suffer pain over and over again?
...
Outside the Shadowless Formation.
In an instant, the world fell silent.
The raging flames were suddenly extinguished as if by an invisible hand, and the last flickering spark shone for a moment in the darkness.
The most intense and intractable infernal fire outside the palace was extinguished in an instant!
"Young Master!" an elder exclaimed excitedly, "Look at the blazing fire outside!"
Feng Xiaosheng suddenly turned her head.
The raging flames before them seemed to be cleaved in two by an invisible force. The fire waves rolled and retreated to both sides, carving out a straight, charred passage without a single spark, leading directly to the remaining world outside the formation.
It was as if hell itself had cracked open, revealing the light of the human world.
Thus, the Yin-Yang Blood Array was broken.
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Author's note: We should be able to see our little Bodhi in the next chapter!
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