Chapter 73 Sheng Ningyu was unaware that something was amiss.
In fact, she not only has a headache, but the wound on her wrist has also started to hurt, as if something is throbbing inside it, and the bone also hurts a bit.
But Sheng Ningyu couldn't care less about that now.
The scene before her was strangely familiar; the magnificent scenery of the Mitian Realm had somehow been blended together with the landscape outside Hehuan City. Given the chaotic scene, in the past, Sheng Ningyu would likely have burst out laughing and made a few sarcastic remarks.
But now, she doesn't even have the strength to smile.
Large swaths of memories flooded back, and cold sweat seeped from Sheng Ningyu's forehead.
In Sheng Ningyu's memory, the fragments that were deliberately erased in Hehuan City back then became more and more vivid, as if something was desperately struggling to break through the blockade, but the blockade was only relaxed for a moment, and countless memories were still locked in the depths of the fog.
Sheng Ningyu slowed her pace.
All around was an overwhelming barrier of puppets. The Netherworld Flames roared past, igniting everything around them. Sheng Ningyu could vaguely see that the cranes that seemed to be disciples were also being burned by the flames.
Illusion and reality are intertwined.
That person behind the scenes is truly adept at using illusions.
"Junior sister, is something on your mind?"
Sheng Ningyu suddenly let go of her hand.
She turned around and saw that the person behind her still had gentle features and an ethereal beauty that was made even more extraordinary by the flickering firelight, like a noble young master who had stepped out of a painting.
Rongque.
Her second senior brother.
A thousand thoughts raced through Sheng Ningyu's mind.
Rationally, she knew she should suspect Rong Que, even though there was currently no evidence to prove that Rong Que had done anything wrong.
But emotionally, Sheng Ningyu, amidst the flames just now, pulled him out without hesitation.
She couldn't bear to watch her second senior brother, who had raised her, die in front of her.
Even if... even if it's just an illusion.
"Second Senior Brother." Sheng Ningyu's gaze slid slightly downwards, landing on his waist. "Where is your sword, Qinggui?"
Rong Que seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Junior Sister knows that I have never liked carrying a sword."
His attitude was very calm, as if all of this was just ordinary conversation, as if he and Sheng Ningyu had never been separated for sixty years, as if they were still inseparable senior and junior brothers and sisters in the Sword Pavilion.
Sheng Ningyu's brows relaxed slightly.
It should be the "Rongque" in the illusion.
At this time, Rong Que had not yet focused all his attention on his junior sister Ning Jiao, nor was he as busy as he would later become. She was still the "troublemaker" of the Sword Pavilion, and Rong Que often had to stand up for her in the academy.
They haven't been separated by so many stories, nor have there been so many gaps between them.
Sheng Ningyu suddenly smiled.
She opened her arms to Rong Que: "Second Senior Brother."
Standing amidst the raging flames, when she looked up, her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, like stars in the sky.
Seeing the person in front of her seemingly lost in thought, Sheng Ningyu couldn't help but laugh.
Relying on the fact that she still looks like she did back then, she opened her arms and rushed towards Rong Que, wrapping her arms around his shoulders just like she did back then.
Like weary birds returning to their nests.
"Second Senior Brother..." Sheng Ningyu rested her forehead on Rong Que's shoulder, "It's been a long time."
A low response came from above.
Sheng Ningyu smiled.
She knew perfectly well that the person she was holding was just a false illusion, and she also knew that as the Sword Master and an elder, she had a duty to break through the illusion and save the disciples trapped by the puppet barrier and the Nine Netherworld Flames...
Sheng Ningyu always knew what she had to do, and she always did it.
Not bound by actions, not fixated on material things, not swayed by external influences, punishing the wicked and eliminating evil, upholding a just heart, and never judging others by one's own standards.
Whether as a disciple of the Sword Pavilion or as the Sword Master of Bright Moon.
Sheng Ningyu has always done a very good job.
But at this moment, Sheng Ningyu decided to be willful for once.
She hugged the person in front of her and talked incoherently. Her second senior brother, who had accompanied and indulged her ever since she entered the Sword Pavilion, patted her back and responded softly, coaxing her as always.
Sheng Ningyu didn't know what she was saying, but she had so much to say.
In Sheng Ningyu's heart, her second senior brother Rong Que was her closest family member. She should have introduced him to Xie Qianjing and invited him to her future Daoist couple ceremony.
But outside of the trials, before everything was clear, she had to doubt him and keep her reservations about him.
It eventually came to a head.
Sheng Ningyu rested her forehead on Rong Que's shoulder, lowering her voice to a tone that seemed almost melted by the flames.
"...Senior brother, I miss you a little."
This time, however, no one answered from above.
But Sheng Ningyu doesn't need it either.
All willfulness and weakness are but a fleeting moment.
In the blink of an eye, Sheng Ningyu released her hand without hesitation and said without turning her head, "There's something strange ahead. I'll go check it out first. Senior brother, please find a safe place to hide. You don't need to wait for me."
"Junior sister, wait a moment."
Sheng Ningyu's arm was grabbed.
She didn't turn around, but she could feel someone patting the top of her head.
The one with disheveled hair was "Sheng Ningyu" from Hehuan City during the trial, while the Sheng Ningyu in front of us was wearing a lotus crown with tassels swaying back and forth, looking very neat and beautiful.
Someone chuckled behind her.
"Junior sister, please be careful on your journey."
Sheng Ningyu's eyelashes trembled, but she remained silent and did not turn around.
She went straight into the firelight, just like she had back then.
Rong Que stood on the edge of the flames, his hands behind his back gazing into the distance. The flames of the Nine Netherworld Fire fell on his jade-like face, like a fleeting dream.
She knew she shouldn't have done that.
But the scent of her lingered on his fingertips.
"Bright moon..."
Rong Que buried his face in his palms, seemingly sighing, but after a long while, he let out a soft laugh.
That's all.
Rong Que lowered his hand, twirled his fingertips, and smiled.
Let her have her way one more time.
...
Holding the Unbreakable Sword, Sheng Ningyu slashed through countless puppet obstacles, saving many cranes in the trials and mortals in the illusion.
It wasn't that Sheng Ningyu was putting on an act; she was just doing it on a whim.
She didn't care about the few sword strikes.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Sheng Ningyu thought of Xie Qianjing's earlier deduction, took out the spirit bone from the Star River Pouch, weighed it in her hand, and then tore open her wrist without hesitation, tentatively putting it in.
The demonic energy on the spirit bone still lingered, but having learned from the previous experience of being caught off guard, Sheng Ningyu was smarter this time.
After confirming that there was only a thin, barely perceptible layer of spiritual power left on her spiritual bone, Sheng Ningyu recalled the feeling of being possessed by a demon during the Thousand Mountains Trial. She then wrapped the piece of spiritual bone with her thick spiritual power, trying her best to dissipate the demonic energy on it.
Sheng Ningyu's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and blood from her wrist flowed down her palm and between her fingers.
Her wrist was torn apart, and as the demonic energy contracted, it felt as if an invisible blade was repeatedly slicing her wrist. Each cut precisely struck the nerve that could feel the pain most, amplifying every bit of pain infinitely. When the pain reached its extreme, Sheng Ningyu was almost numb.
A raging fire had scorched the forest black, and amidst it all, a young girl stood alone beneath a withered tree. Her hair was perfectly styled, yet her clothes were stained with blood, especially her right wrist; the sleeve was almost entirely blackened with blood, dripping slowly.
To outsiders, this was undoubtedly a terrifying scene.
Especially in the eyes of those who came after Sheng Ningyu.
The young master, wearing a crown adorned with delicate flowers, forgot all his former composure and shouted with eyes practically bloodshot, "Sheng Ningyu!"
Sheng Ningyu turned her head blankly and saw someone seemingly heading for her right hand. Her eyes sharpened immediately, and she swung her sword back without hesitation!
Sheng Ningyu's swordsmanship was always very fast, especially this move "Joy".
The sword light was like a rainbow, almost piercing through all the darkness in the forest!
With a "rip," Sheng Ningyu seemed to have broken through something. She was startled and, upon seeing who it was, immediately withdrew her hand, but the tip of her sword had already pierced the man's chest.
In the instant the sword flashed, the world turned into daylight.
Only then did the young master of the Hehuan Sect get a clear look at Sheng Ningyu's face.
Blood was still dripping from her right hand, and her face was pale. But... now, the corners of her mouth were turned up in a smile.
She was laughing, laughing heartily.
Li Qingfeng paused for a moment, then slowly, a smile spread across his face.
"Why are you here all alone?" Li Qingfeng moved the tip of her sword away with his fingertips, seemingly unconcerned about the faint pain in his heart, and said as if nothing was wrong, "I see it's so lively up ahead, aren't you going to go and see?"
Is it Feng Qingli... oh no, at this moment, is he still Li Qingfeng?
Sheng Ningyu blinked as she looked at the handsome young man in front of her, who was wearing the old-fashioned scarlet and silver silk robe of the Hehuan Sect.
"I really have to go there."
She sheathed her sword and slowly asked, "Do you want to come with me?"
Li Qingfeng smiled and said, "Okay."
The two of them stood side by side, clearing away countless obstacles of puppets along the way, almost leveling the entire area.
For some reason, they didn't encounter a single person along the way.
Li Qingfeng spoke with her for a long time, when suddenly a cry of surprise came from ahead!
"A demonic seed has appeared in the world! What... what is it holding?!"
"The remains of the Sword Master's Flawless Sword!"
Sheng Ningyu glanced over and caught sight of Feng Xiaosheng, then felt relieved.
However, a mere demon seed cannot restrain the young lord of the Phoenix Clan.
According to the plan, she only needs to...
"Sheng Ningyu".
Amidst the flickering flames and countless screams, the young master of the Hehuan Sect beside her suddenly spoke.
He stared straight ahead, all his former carefree attitude and playful laughter amidst the flowers vanishing in an instant.
Under the firelight, her beautiful eyebrows and eyes held a strange solemnity, and her graceful figure was ridiculously tense.
His voice was low, and his usually arrogant and disdainful tone was now somewhat hoarse.
"If you were to part ways with me in the future, would you regret... opening that door just now?"
No way.
Sheng Ningyu smiled casually, but gave her answer without hesitation.
Firelight and demonic energy intertwined, and twisted monsters howled within it, as if everything in the world was being thrown into the raging fire and burning.
Sheng Ningyu looked up and quietly watched the scene from that year reappear.
She crossed her arms, her wooden sword encircling her: "I wasn't without a choice back then."
“It was I who chose to be your friend, it was I who chose to push open that door, and it was I who swung that sword. Even if I were to stand in front of Jinghe’s 43-year-old self now and tell her, ‘Don’t save this person, you and he will turn against each other in the future’... Ha, I can already imagine what I would say.”
Sheng Ningyu, holding her sword, shrugged and chuckled, saying each word clearly, "Mind your own business. I never regret what I've done."
The person beside him suddenly turned around.
Amidst the raging flames, a gentle breeze arose, causing her hair to flutter backward, yet it could not diminish her imposing sword intent, nor could it conceal her radiant brilliance.
As his gaze shifted, it seemed as if moonlight was rising.
Feng Qingli felt waves of pain in her heart, unable to tell whether it was from the sword intent she had just been injured by, or from the words of the former Sword Master that echoed in her ears once again.
A bright, clear moon is naturally best paired with a cool, refreshing breeze.
She was indeed as beautiful and radiant as the bright moon, but in the corrupt Hehuan City, only deep affection remained, and no gentle breeze was ever seen.
Sheng Ningyu turned her head and raised her eyebrows.
She raised her right hand, holding the Unyielding Sword, and used the blade to flick his collar: "If this were Li Qingfeng of Hehuan City, he wouldn't tolerate me drawing my sword to offend him like this."
Feng Qingli lowered his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and he raised his hand without hesitation to grasp the tip of her sword.
Blood flowed all over Feng Qingli's hands, yet at that moment, he laughed heartily.
In this way, he and she became kindred spirits.
Feng Qingli smiled, tilted her head back, and unconcernedly exposed her vulnerable neck, saying, "Then why can't I be the Li Qingfeng you were when you were trapped in the Mitian Realm?"
Sheng Ningyu chuckled, glanced at him sideways, and twitched her lips: "Would you still smile at me back then? If you didn't turn around and leave when you saw me, you were in a good mood."
After she "died," didn't this person just go around mocking and ridiculing her?
Upon hearing this, Feng Qingli chuckled softly.
With a flicker of her brows, Sheng Ningyu's face subtly changed, no longer remaining in her most youthful state, but rather appearing somewhat more mature.
Her face was clearly as cold as the bright moon, yet there was a free and easy charm in her gaze.
So many years.
Feng Qingli thought, "How laughable is this vast mortal world, these beings of the three realms, living through such years."
With such dedication from the Chu family head, how come she couldn't find anyone who resembled her?
Sheng Ningyu drew her sword a few times before finally retrieving it. She paused, looked at Feng Qingli who was standing quietly in place, and asked, "Aren't you going to remove the obstacle?"
Feng Qingli leaned casually against a withered tree, gave a cold snort, and said with a half-smile, "I am the sect leader of Qingniao Yiyehua, and I am not among the eleven righteous immortal sects. With your Young Master Feng around, isn't that enough?"
That smile, however, revealed a hint of the charisma of the Bluebird One Leaf Sect Leader.
Sheng Ningyu smiled, turned her face away, and said, "Then I'll be leaving now."
She had been observing from the shadows, but now it was time for her to make her move.
Feng Qingli looked at her still bleeding right hand, opened her mouth as if to say something, but suddenly swallowed it back when she met her eyes.
Though it was a faint smile, her eyes seemed utterly indifferent.
How could Feng Qingli not know all this?
One of them was a disciple of the Sword Master of the Sword Pavilion, a sword prodigy with innate sword talent, and the other was the son of the Sect Master of the Joyful Union Sect, whose biological father was unknown.
A bright, clear moon deserves a gentle, refreshing breeze.
Feng Qingli had long known that he and Sheng Ningyu were not on the same path. However, he was young at the time, and the brilliance of Qingyi Academy was too good. So good that he could only be with her for a moment, which made the ignorant young man have the illusion that it could last a lifetime.
But the more this is the case, the more uneasy I feel.
Resentful of meeting those one hates, and bitter of parting from those one dies.
All the emotions he showed her would become the bargaining chips for her to trample on his dignity.
Feng Qingli is determined to sever ties with Sheng Ningyu.
"Sheng Ningyu!"
But Feng Qingli had no time to care about any of this.
A subtle, persistent pain welled up in my heart; this was the "joy" within the first sword move of "Ninefold Sword".
She used that same move when she cleaved open the burning wooden door of the Hehuan Sect's hall.
That's very good.
Feng Qingli thought that after many years, her sword was still sharp.
Now, he doesn't want to ask about Sheng Ningyu's situation over the years, nor does he want to ask what will happen in the future.
Over the years, he has worked tirelessly to barely clear the old fog from the Bluebird One Leaf Flower, but due to his various words and deeds, he is still both praised and criticized in the cultivation world.
Some say he is resilient and has great potential, while others say he is indifferent to past relationships and is inherently cold-hearted.
But Feng Qingli didn't care.
All the past events are now just fleeting memories, with no continuation in the future.
Feng Qingli only wanted to ask one question.
"Do you know what the Sword Master Guihai thought of me back then?"
Sheng Ningyu paused in her steps, turning her head to the side: "What?"
“Your master said that we two are not of the same ilk.” Feng Qingli still had a frivolous expression, as if he was just talking about some old things. “He said that our relationship is only temporary and cannot last.”
Sheng Ningyu blinked.
"I know."
Feng Qingli's hand, hidden under his sleeve, suddenly clenched tightly, and it seemed as if even the blood in his veins had frozen into ice.
Feng Qingli could probably guess that he looked terrible, but he had never admitted defeat since he was a child. Even though he didn't know how to smile anymore, he forced a smile onto his face.
"Really? That's good..."
"Do you know what I was thinking back then?"
For a moment, it was as if her blood had reversed, and Feng Qingli froze completely in place.
He didn't want to listen, but he couldn't even lift his hand, let alone circulate his spiritual energy.
If someone were to kill him now, this sect leader of Qingniao Yiyehua, who could single-handedly break through the trial, forcibly kill "himself" in Hehuan City back then, and take his place, would be completely vulnerable.
"Back then?"
Feng Qingli felt as if a large amount of blood was gushing from his heart. In the firelight, he swayed precariously, yet inexplicably longed to hear the answer that would pronounce his death sentence.
"Back then, I thought..."
The person in front seemed to remember something and chuckled.
From Feng Qingli's perspective, her silhouette was outlined with a dazzling golden edge by demonic energy and firelight, which spilled outwards as if shrouded in moonlight.
A metallic taste rose in her throat, and the wound in her heart could no longer be contained as it reopened, but Feng Qingli had no time to care about either.
Over the years, he has questioned Heaven, Earth, and the mortal world, yet he has remained silent throughout the Three Realms.
Only she gave him the answer.
Feng Qingli suddenly raised her head, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of her lips.
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Author's Note: Double update!
This chapter still features 24-hour red envelopes!
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