Chapter 69
The lights are as bright as day, and the mountains and seas never sleep.
Inside the city lord's mansion, Qi Baiya watched as his wife coughed a few times, unable to control herself.
This once capable swordsman now looked dejected. His features were handsome, but unlike the gentle and refined immortal lords of noble sects, he possessed an air of heroic spirit.
However, at this moment, Qi Baiya's heroic spirit was covered by his sickly appearance, and his lips were completely bloodless. Although his features still looked young, the faint breath on his body and the white hairs emerging from the bluish stubble on his chin made people suspect that he was already on his deathbed and very old.
"I have agreed to hold the Thousand Mountains Trial in the Mountain and Sea Never Sleeps City."
Ning Jiao remained silent, only smiling at him, deftly avoiding the topic: "Then it will be quite lively. How wonderful, I haven't felt such liveliness in a long time."
Qi Baiya looked at Ning Jiao's expression and sighed.
She remained as beautiful and innocent as ever, but he had reached the end of his road and had no way back.
Qi Baiya could not accept this result.
His actions in this life have led to numerous mistakes, and his current stagnation in cultivation is a consequence he deserves.
But……
Ning Jiao served Qi Baiya the medicine and tugged at his sleeve playfully, saying, "This is medicine that I personally went to Qingniao Yiye Flower to get. You can't refuse to drink it now."
Upon hearing the words "Bluebird and Leaf Flower," Qi Baiya's expression darkened. He looked at Ning Jiao and sighed, "Little Jiao, why did you have to go..."
"Alright!" Ning Jiao's expression suddenly changed. She slammed the medicine bowl heavily on the table. Her previous delicate and charming appearance vanished, and her innocent features even showed a hint of ferocity.
"If I can't do this, and I can't do that, what else can I do!"
Before Ning Jiao could continue to rage, Qi Baiya immediately stepped forward, and without even glancing at the bowl of medicine, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
Ning Jiao's expression softened.
"Xiao Jiao." Qi Baiya put down his bowl and sighed, "You didn't clean up what you did at the Ghost Market, and now you've been used by others, causing a huge uproar..."
He knew she didn't want to hear it, but he still had to say it.
Qi Baiya recalled the turbulent events involving various forces during this period, as well as the upcoming Thousand Mountains Trial, and his head began to throb with pain.
He was not afraid of death.
But what will happen to Ning Jiao after he dies?
She was so young, and only because she acted impulsively at the time did she become his wife. Now, her cultivation has stagnated, stuck at the fifth stage of cultivation for a long time. After his death, how will she deal with the turmoil in the Three Realms and the schemes of others?
Qi Baiya knew that Ning Jiao seemed somewhat cunning, but she was no match for the seasoned and shrewd elders of various sects. For example, in the Ghost Market incident, Ning Jiao was clearly being manipulated, and now, all fingers were pointing at the Mountain and Sea Never Sleeps City…
Not to mention, Yan Wurong, who is far away in Banbi Sect, is also eyeing them covetously.
If he's gone, anyone can kill her.
Qi Baiya coughed violently, and Ning Jiao stood beside him, looking at him helplessly.
Qi Baiya sighed inwardly. This once dashing and unrestrained hero took her hand: "These days, you should stay in the City Lord's Mansion and not go anywhere, okay?"
Ning Jiao lowered her head and didn't speak, only silently withdrawing her hand.
Qi Baiya was not surprised. After all, he was older and patiently coaxed Ning Jiao, telling her some interesting stories about the city. Somehow, the conversation turned to the Qingyi Academy.
At this point, Qi Baiya suddenly paused and stopped talking.
The old name of the Mountain and Sea Never Sleeps City was Hehuan City. After Qi Baiya became the city lord, he continued the old system. It was only after he married Ning Jiao that the name was changed.
The mountains and seas never sleep.
It is a place where the night never ends, hence "no moon".
Anyone who hears this name can probably guess at the feelings of the person who named him. As Ning Jiao's Daoist partner, Qi Baiya knows that his wife's hatred for that Bright Moon Sword Master from back then is deeper than anyone expected.
In the City of Mountains and Seas Never Sleeps, nothing related to the word "Bright Moon" is allowed, and it is forbidden to talk about anything related to the Bright Moon Sword Master. Even in teahouses and restaurants, no one is allowed to gossip about it.
Later, he joined forces with Qingniao Yiyehua and the Feng Sect Master to form an array, so that the Mountain and Sea Never Sleeps City would never be completely dark again.
Qi Baiya raised his head and looked cautiously at Ning Jiao beside him: "These are all old stories, let's not talk about them anymore."
Unexpectedly, Ning Jiao did not immediately lose her temper this time.
She neither mocked him nor reopened his old wounds, nor did she furiously destroy everything in the palace. Instead, she suddenly gripped his wrist tightly, her slender fingertips unleashing astonishing strength, almost digging into his flesh.
Qi Baiya was startled by her appearance: "I'm sure. I was there back then too."
Seeing that Ning Jiao's expression was obviously wrong, Qi Baiya became more and more worried. He coughed heavily a few times and looked down at Ning Jiao's hand that was holding him.
So slender and petite, if he were to truly unleash his spiritual power, she probably wouldn't last three moves.
If even a useless person like him can't be controlled, how can Ning Jiao survive in the hands of those cunning old guys after he's gone?
Thinking this, Qi Baiya's face grew even paler, and his coughing was so severe that one almost suspected he was about to die.
Ning Jiao's expression changed. These coughs pulled her from her past thoughts. Ning Jiao let go of her hand: "I'll go call the physician in."
"No need to worry." Qi Baiya shook his head, then took Ning Jiao's hand, his rough palm covering her young, fair skin. "But what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Ning Jiao snapped out of her daze and smiled, but although the smile was still charming and beautiful, it carried a hint of melancholy.
"I have been in poor health since childhood, and according to the decree of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, I am not allowed to step out of the Sword Pavilion. I have never seen this 'Flying Snow Melting Talisman' before, so I was lost in thought just now."
Ning Jiao sat down next to Qi Baiya, tugged at his sleeve and shook it, and said softly, "Senior Qi, could you draw one for me?"
She was young and had a delicate face, and she was also embroiled in scandals, so in public and in private, Ning Jiao always called him "husband" or "city lord".
Only when she needed something from him would she call him "Senior Qi" in a gentle and soft voice.
This was how she addressed him when they first met.
Qi Baiya was fully aware of all this, but he still fell into the trap: "Okay, I'll draw it for you, but you can't get angry."
He tapped her nose, then flicked his sleeve, and yellow paper and cinnabar rose up, instantly filling the entire room with golden spiritual energy.
Qi Baiya still looked sickly. He had been ill for a long time, and his outer robe was already loose. He had been dragged by Ning Jiao earlier, and now his clothes were not even in order.
But what's different now?
The sword cultivator's expression was cold and stern. With a wave of his hand, his spiritual energy transformed into a sword blade, carrying cinnabar as it rode the wind and disappeared. In just a few seconds, it became a talisman.
"well!"
An elderly steward came in from outside, and with a trembling voice, he stamped his cane on the ground and exclaimed, "The city lord still has the spirit of yesteryear!"
Qi Baiya coughed again, covering his mouth, and a bit of color returned to his pale face: "Uncle Bai, it's just an unfinished talisman, far inferior to that person... Please don't make fun of me."
Ning Jiao watched all of this intently, but her eyes did not reflect admiration; instead, they showed deep longing and envy.
However, he hid these emotions very well, so well that neither of the other two noticed anything amiss.
Manager Bai had come to Qi Baiya to discuss something. Before leaving, Qi Baiya, in order to comfort Ning Jiao, whom he had abandoned, thought for a moment and jokingly talked to her about things outside.
“Although my talisman is called the ‘Flying Snow Melting Talisman,’ if you use it now, people will probably laugh at it for being outdated.”
Ning Jiao had already tossed the yellow paper aside, but upon hearing his words, she reluctantly picked it up again and looked at it: "Why?"
She's still so childish. It seems she was just curious when she asked about the Snow Melting Talisman.
Qi Baiya glossed over Ning Jiao's dislikes in a vague manner and continued.
“Initially, this stroke should have been drawn upwards and then turned back. But now the cultivation world knows that this stroke is not only useless, but also consumes a lot of spiritual energy. If you are not careful, the talisman will be destroyed. So now most people omit this stroke and no one draws it like this anymore.”
Qi Baiya paused for a moment, then commented casually, "I don't know what that person was thinking that day, choosing this complicated and useless stroke as the core of the talisman. Even if you remove it, there's no difference."
Ning Jiao snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "Who knows? How could we mortals possibly fathom the thoughts of the Bright Moon Sword Master?"
Qi Baiya sighed inwardly, knowing that his words had no effect of appeasement; they only meant that he could no longer slander that Sword Master.
It goes against my conscience.
In this lifetime, doing just one thing against your conscience is enough.
After confirming that Ning Jiao was alright, Qi Baiya left. As soon as he left, Ning Jiao immediately turned around at the door and sternly shouted at the maids, "Get out of here!"
The maids were already used to the city lord's wife's unpredictable temper, and she used many underhanded methods to punish them, so they couldn't wait to leave.
The place was bustling with people when they arrived, but now that they have all left, her Xuandu Palace is empty and desolate.
But Ning Jiao had no time to worry about these things.
The city lord's wife, dressed in a gold-embroidered robe, suddenly lunged at the table. She clutched the yellow paper left by Qi Baiya and pulled something out of her inner garment.
It was just a dusty, gray storage pouch.
The storage pouch is no different from the star pouch, the only difference being that the star pouch is more gorgeous and beautiful in appearance, and also more expensive.
For ordinary cultivators, there is little difference between the two, but for Ning Jiao, no one in the world would think that this city lord's wife, who could command the wind and rain in the Mountain and Sea Never Sleeps City and whose food, clothing and daily life were all extravagant, would keep such an ordinary storage bag that could be bought at any spirit market close to her body.
The storage pouch floated in the air, its opening stirred by spiritual energy. A moment later, the remnants of several used talismans fell onto the table.
These are the remnants of talismans that Ning Jiao picked up at Qingyi Academy.
That day, she inexplicably placed it in her personal storage pouch, intending to show it to Qi Baiya. However, she encountered the Puppet Barrier chasing her on the way and was ridiculed by Feng Qingli, so she forgot about it.
Now, these few incomplete talismans are neatly arranged on the silver-threaded table.
They are not all that remains, but among these scattered remnants, there is something different.
Some, as Qi Baiya said, have a blank space in the middle, while others...
In the middle, make an upward stroke and then turn.
Ning Jiao gripped the yellow paper so tightly that her knuckles turned white, almost making a "crunching" sound, nearly crumpling the paper, which was shrouded in spiritual energy.
It could be... really...
The name that had haunted Ning Jiao's nightmares appeared in her mind again and again.
【Sheng Ningyu!】
【Sheng Ningyu!】
Ning Jiao's chest heaved, her breathing was sometimes heavy and sometimes light, her face first turned pale and then flushed red.
【Bright Moon!】
[Sword Master!]
【Sword Master Mingyue!】
The names people used to address that person still echoed in my ears—some with respect, some with longing, some with flattery, and some with anticipation…
All these sounds outlined Ning Jiao's entire youth, and overwhelmed the girl named "Ning Jiaojiao".
She is flamboyant, yet timid; she is fearless, yet cowardly.
The more upright and honest she is, the more sinister and despicable she appears.
Ning Jiao hated Sheng Ningyu to the core.
Furthermore, she secretly altered Sheng Ningyu's letter kite.
Ning Jiao hated the Bright Moon Sword Master to the extreme. She hated him so much that she wished the Bright Moon had never existed in this world, and she loathed all the rumors and anecdotes related to him.
The elegantly dressed city lord's wife was huddled in her chair, her magnificent outer robe torn and tattered, wrapped around her in layers. Combined with her pale face, she looked like a dying person being strangled by a venomous snake.
They look so pitiful.
No one would associate the person sitting in the chair at this moment with the rumored, invincible Lady of the Mountain and Sea Never Sleeps City.
Ning Jiao huddled inside her outer robe, her lips trembling, unconsciously and mechanically biting her fingertips until they were almost bleeding.
Even so, though her fingers were trembling, she could still feel the warmth of the hand that person had once held.
The scene of her second senior brother Rong Que smilingly strangling the "reincarnation" who looked exactly like her was still vivid in her mind. At that moment, her heartbeat was far greater than ever before. Even though she quickly realized that the "reincarnation" was fake, her heartbeat was still pounding.
Ning Jiao's eyes were wide open, but they were empty. She just stared blankly at the shattered talismans on the table, like a puppet possessed by someone.
Her mind was a mess, filled with overwhelming hatred, a sense of triumph at having deceived everyone, and an almost arrogant disdain...
Is there your handwriting in this?
The sentence appeared in my mind and then disappeared without a trace, as fast as fog and lightning.
Ning Jiao chuckled, stood up, and her embroidered cloud-patterned dress slid off as she moved, then vanished like dust upon touching the ground.
Without a trace.
Just like the title that came up with that sentence earlier.
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Author's Note: Chapter 23: The difference between the Star River Pouch and the Storage Pouch; Chapter 33: Ning Jiao picks up the talisman fragments.
The next chapter will officially begin the Thousand Mountains Trial! [Sunglasses]
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