Chapter 43: Love is broken
The turbulence in the mountains has ceased, but the rumbling sound is still echoing among the mountains.
You Xiao held the jar and carefully asked Cang Ming, "That man in silver clothes who was killing people just now, wasn't he your companion? He was fine the last time I saw him, how could he suddenly... He's a little too young..."
After saying this, he shook his head with increasing regret, beating his chest and sighing. Cang Ming's face turned even paler, and he silently replied, "...I don't know either."
Dusk was falling in the mountains, and the leaves and grass were all coated with golden light, but Cang Ming felt that everything in front of him was dark, as if the day would never come again.
Ten years ago, when disaster struck, her parents died and she was deserted by her family, she felt as though the sun would never rise again. But then, as she slowly embarked on the path to godhood again, she felt as if she could survive in the darkness without light, just as one eventually gets used to living in a cave.
Later, I met Wei Ci. In fact, the sky was bright again, but this brightness only showed traces of its former glory after it was destroyed.
Cang Ming squatted down against the tree roots, holding his buzzing head, and said in a tearful voice: "I am too miserable."
This time, her heart didn't beat wildly because of despair and excitement, her heart might have died directly.
"You have great magical powers and are young and promising. How many people envy you? Why should you belittle yourself because of a moment of misery?" You Xiao sat on the altar and comforted Cang Ming, "As for companions, you can just recruit new ones."
I don't know how long I sat there, until the moon reached the top of the mountain, Cang Ming stood up and said, "Let's go, I'll take you home."
You Xiao waved his hand and said, "I've already asked the old man to come pick me up. Master Daoist, you should stay and clean up the mess. Although there are no living people in the mountains anymore, you still have to patrol the mountains carefully. There might be some small animals affected..."
As he was speaking, the ghost ship, emitting a faint purple light, came sailing through the layers of distant mountains. Under the cover of the endless night, it glided smoothly and freely on the grass slopes and rocks.
Cang Ming opened the jar and took a look. The condition of the two ghosts inside had obviously improved. After a few more days of rest, they would be like normal ghosts again.
She returned the jar to You Xiao and watched him sail away. He waved at her and nodded encouragingly until the boat vanished. But she just stared blankly, not remembering to raise her hand until the very end.
Silence returned to the mountain. Holding the hilt of his sword, Cang Ming walked aimlessly deeper and deeper into the mountain.
The Weiyang Crown that the Ginseng Doll had thrown to her was in her purse. She reached out and took it out, holding it tightly in her hand and looking at it.
As expected, Old Guilian stole the Weiyang Crown. When did he start coveting this pearl crown?
In those days, the four major schools competed for this crown. Soon, the disciples of the four schools were assassinated one after another, so that today the four schools are almost wiped out. It can be said that the disaster started with the pearl crown.
If Old Guilian was already stealing the pearl crown for Wei Ci at that time... then was it Wei Ci himself who massacred the four major sects?
A deep hatred welled up in her heart, mixed with sadness and grievance. The demon king had seemed to know her when they first encountered her. Perhaps his long-standing care and attention were simply a facade of deception.
"But he also deliberately told me that Old Ghost Lotus was trying to lure me out, and he even deliberately showed me Li Chongshan and his wife..." Cang Ming murmured to Wei Yang Guan, "Master, if you are still alive, can you tell me... is he making a risky move, or is he truly moved by pity for me?"
The air was thick with the fragrance of flowers and a warm breeze blew across her face. Cang Ming was suddenly awakened, and she suspected that the demon king was proficient in the art of seduction, otherwise how could he have bewitched her so completely and still refused to change his ways until this moment?
Then a chill ran down her spine, remembering that Li Chongshan and his wife were still in the antique shop's cabinet. Now that she had broken with the Demon King, stealing the pottery figurine would be even more difficult. She had to set off for the ancient building immediately.
But the Demon King must have anticipated her coming to steal the pottery figurine, and might already be waiting in the shop. Otherwise, wouldn't it be strange that she held the Weiyang Crown, yet the Demon King hadn't come to kill her?
Cang Ming clutched the pearl crown tightly, filled with grief and anger. Suddenly, with a loud crash, the pearl crown in his hand suddenly broke into pieces and scattered all over the ground.
"Ah!" Cang Ming screamed, almost jumping up from the ground. After a few seconds of hesitation, she suddenly fell to her knees and tried her best to put the fragments together with her hands.
The master's burial item, the Weiyang Crown that shook up the martial arts world—was actually crushed by her?
The pile of debris seemed to fade slowly, turning into ceramics, and the gems inlaid on it were all tiny pieces of bricks and tiles.
Cang Ming's eyes widened. After a long moment, she let out a long breath.
This Weiyang crown is fake, it's a trick used to deceive the eyes.
The real Weiyang Crown might still be in the hands of the Demon King himself, or even in a secret compartment somewhere in the antique shop.
Cang Ming felt so miserable that she wanted to laugh. The demon king held a pearl crown in one hand and a pottery figurine in the other. Even if he was standing behind the ancient building waiting to kill her, she had no choice but to go.
So he drew his sword, cut through the dead branches and weeds, and walked out of the mountain in the bright moonlight like a clear spring.
At midnight, I suddenly felt something was amiss. The ancient tree at the entrance to the underground palace reappeared before my eyes.
I was clearly walking straight forward towards the exit of the mountain, but after walking back and forth, I found myself going around in a circle and returning to the starting point.
Cang Ming wiped his forehead with his sleeve. When the cold wind blew in the middle of the night, he suddenly shivered and woke up.
In this mountain, the strategy of Qi Men Dun Jia was arranged according to the profound numerology such as the I Ching, the Eight Trigrams, astronomy, astrology, Yin Yang and the Five Elements.
Cang Ming has never been able to recognize the horizontal and vertical roads, and he needs the direction of the demon king to fly the sword. In this situation, he has no way of guessing his position, let alone deciphering the numerology of the five elements and auspicious and inauspicious times.
"Qi Men Dun Jia, towering ancient trees, mountains in the southwest..." Cang Ming turned around in place, and suddenly felt that the more he looked at this mountain range, the more familiar it looked.
After looking at it again and again, she blurted out: "Tongduo Mountain!"
…
This Feng Shui treasure land with warm air and extraordinary spiritual beauty is none other than the once prosperous Tongduo Mountain, which is known as the Evening Bell of the Western Hills!
Cang Ming held his forehead with one hand and looked around at the mountains as if in a dream.
The Tongduo Sect chose Tongduo Mountain in the southwest as its place of practice. According to legend, many years ago, after seeing all the wonders in the world, the founder used Yin and Yang and the Five Elements to calculate that this mountain had the best feng shui for the sect, so he built a Taoist temple here.
The Zhong family's ancestral home was built outside the Great Wall, and generations of the clan had grown up there. Although Wu Lu grew up with Cang Ming, when he was old enough to travel far, he was sent to the southwest to live with his uncle in Tongduo Mountain, where he joined the Zhong family's sect and devoted himself to cultivation.
The Qimen Dunjia techniques within the mountain are profoundly mysterious, and only disciples of this sect know how to enter. When Wu Lu was cultivating in the mountains, Cang Ming had visited him twice, so he had some impression of the mountain. This time, he only recognized it now, simply because he was inside the mountain.
Revisiting the old place, he felt a damp, melancholic mood. Cang Ming caressed the grass and trees, and was about to sit by the stream and reminisce when he suddenly jumped up: "Not good!"
Before Old Guilian was silenced, he seemed to have said that this mountain belonged to his master.
The Tongduo Mountain that was mortgaged by Zhong Wuqi was actually mortgaged to the demon king Chu Weici!
At that moment, Cang Ming felt that the gods were blind and justice could not be tolerated. A myriad of thoughts flooded into his heart, making him feel like he was about to explode.
What a great guy Nakano Hiou is! It turns out that he is really the invisible mastermind behind the scenes, causing the four major schools to rest in peace and making Soname run around in circles.
The feeling of being deceived and persecuted filled her heart with hatred.
Slowly raising the ice blade sword, Cang Ming stabbed it down.
The longsword only penetrated three inches into the ground, yet it caused countless trees and grasses to sway and whistle. It was a spell in Cang's name, echoing through every peak and valley in the mountain, calling out to every spirit, demon, or ghost within. Just like Wu Lu's cries whenever he stewed soup, they would echo through the chimneys and into the streets and alleys, their meaning only understood by demons and ghosts.
After a cup of tea, the bushes began to shake. An indigo-colored male ghost, his skin and clothes an eerie shade of blue, stepped out, pushing aside the grass.
Cang Ming looked at him quietly, and he looked back forcefully, staring at Cang Ming and shouting, "Who summoned me?"
Seeing that Cang Ming didn't answer, he felt that his momentum was insufficient, so he roared even more arrogantly: "Are you shouting and disturbing my sweet dream?"
Cang Ming drew out his sword, threw it from his right hand to his left hand, and turned it around a few times casually.
The ghost's arrogance waned: "Who... are you?"
Cang Ming said, "A Taoist priest."
The ghost looked at her suspiciously and took a few steps back: "Who are you looking for?"
Cang Ming said, "Find the ghost in the mountains and ask for information."
The indigo ghost pouted, "A Taoist priest is asking ghosts to find out about something? That's the first damn thing I've heard of."
"Is this Tongduo Mountain?" Cang Ming's eyes were like two frozen black and purple ice stones, emitting a chilling air. "Did this mountain get ceded to someone?"
"Fuck." The ghost slapped his thigh. "Just talking about this makes me angry. To be honest, this Tongduo Mountain was originally given to me by the master of the Tongduo Sect!"
"Zhong Wuqi? Mortgage it to you?" Cang Ming was stunned and took out the land deed from his purse. "Could it be this?"
"Fuck!" The ghost slapped his thigh again, "How did it get into your hands? It's a shame this paper is useless!"
Cang Ming asked doubtfully, "What do you mean?"
The ghost said, "Damn it! I originally took over this mountain, intending to dig up all the gold and silver mines and sell them for money. Who would have thought that some great king would suddenly come and snatch the mountain away!"
"My king, is it a young man?" Cang Ming's heart twitched.
The blue ghost shook his head and said, "I don't know whether he's young or not. He just sends his minions to do the work. But he's definitely a powerful king. I heard he's well-dressed, all in white. You can tell at a glance that he's not afraid of getting dirty..."
"Sure enough." Cang Ming's heart felt like it was crushed, and he felt dizzy.
"You, aren't you coming here to rob the mountain too?" Blue Ghost smacked his lips. "It's no use looking for me. I don't know who else to look for."
Cang Ming smiled bitterly and said, "I'm not here to rob the mountain, I'm here to kill the monster."
"Gah." The blue ghost was so frightened that he jumped back several feet. Suddenly, he nodded and said, "If you want to kill the monster, then kill it. Don't touch me, a ghost who is paying for it. I am also a victim."
Cang Ming turned around and was about to leave when the ghost trotted over and said attentively, "Grandma Taoist, call me if you need anything..."
Cang Ming uttered a "thank you" in a daze. He walked one foot deep and one foot shallow, and after an unknown amount of time, he returned to the ancient tree without a doubt.
This time, a person stood quietly under the tree. His silver-white clothes fluttered in the wind, his eyes were sad, and the tip of his nose was slightly red.
Cang Ming suddenly stopped in her tracks, her eyes not filled with surprise, but with fierceness. She drew her sword and spoke slowly, "How dare you offer yourself up here?"
The silver hair crown was still on her head, forgotten to take it off. She didn't know how long the demon king had been following her. Even now, this shameless man was still following her. Cang Ming hated him to the extreme. He raised his head and sneered. Looking at his handsome and charming face, he rushed forward like an arrow without saying a word.
With a ding-dong sound, the long sword pointed at the Demon King's heart was deflected by his finger. Cang Ming changed his sword technique, turned around and attacked again, but was caught by the Demon King's wrist. He lowered his head and looked at her deeply, his voice a little hoarse: "Don't fight, okay?"
The voice was low and cool, echoing right on her forehead, too close. Like the thawing of a river and the collision of ice in the chill of spring. Cang Ming was dazed again, suddenly remembering the first time he saw him at the foot of the ancient building. This momentary distraction made her resent herself for being such a loser. The demon before her was clearly one of the enemies she had painstakingly sought for years, yet in her heart she was still...
Keep a little admiration.
"When you massacred the four major sects, did you ever think of today?" Cang Ming stabbed with his sword several times, each move aimed directly at the vital point, "You stole the Weiyang Crown, stole Tongduo Mountain, and even lied to me..."
The demon king dodged left and right, twisted and turned, flew up and down, but never fought back: "I didn't."
Cang Ming danced with his sword even more vigorously, tears flying out in the wind. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his heart stopped. Cang Ming thrust his sword towards his eyes, but it stopped less than half an inch away, and was caught by the demon king's two fingers. Cang Ming stared into his eyes, his voice trembling slightly: "My parents... were you the one who sent those Tao people to kill them? Aren't the Tao people your men?"
"It wasn't me." The demon king pursed his lips tightly. Perhaps because the dew was heavier in the deep mountains, a thin layer of mist covered his eyes. "I didn't do anything. Don't you believe me?"
Cang Ming pulled back his sword with all his might, and then he came back, recklessly killing everyone. This battle was truly a world turned upside down, with stars flying, the earth cracking, the sky collapsing, and the sea roaring.
The sea-blue and silver-white colors swirled and mingled, transforming into lightning bolts, making it impossible to distinguish the figures. Wei Ci simply resisted with his bare hands, refusing to summon his Feiou special move. Cang Ming shouted angrily, "If you want to fight, then do it wholeheartedly. Don't drag it out. This is a fight to the death!"
With a whoosh, the ice blade, reflecting the bright light of the moon, came out from the air along with Cang Ming and pierced straight into the heart of the demon king.
The demon king suddenly lowered his arms, stood upright, and waited for the sword tip to pierce his chest.
Cang Ming was startled and stopped dead in his tracks, his sword already touching his chest. She shouted sternly, "What evil plan do you have?"
The demon king said, "I'll let you stab me."
The long sword trembled, nearly slicing a hole in his outer robe. The demon king said, "If you want to kill me, then kill me. This grudge is over now. Don't be obsessed with the Weiyang Crown anymore."
The night wind blew, and the rustling of grass blades was clear. Cang Ming held his sword high, and the two of them faced each other at a sword's length. His breathing was ragged and rapid, the sound of Cang Ming's panting. The Demon King remained silent, his chest rising and falling, but he looked at her without a word.
After a long moment, Cang Ming stumbled back two steps, threw a yellow talisman at the demon king, turned around, stepped onto the ice blade, and flew away as if fleeing for her life. She closed her eyes in pain and said to the silhouette of her master, "Failure."
With no one following him, the mountain was finally peaceful, as if there had never been a war. He flew wildly on his sword, using the Qimen Dunjia technique that reached high altitudes. After flying for a long time, he still couldn't find a way out of the mountain. Surprisingly, he didn't return to his starting point, but instead arrived at an open area.
The moon hung unobstructed in the sky, a brilliant yellow, startlingly round and enormous. It turned out to be the fifteenth day of the lunar month. Cang Ming looked up at the moon and suddenly felt restless and anxious. An unprecedented wave of uneasiness and throbbing burned through his body like wildfire, leaving him in such extreme pain that he almost rolled over on the ground.
Just as Cang Ming suspected she had been drugged, she heard shuffling footsteps behind her. A pair of old hands supported her. Turning around, she saw it was Fortune Teller Li, who had transformed back into human form.
Old Mrs. Li looked at her and said softly, "The time has come...it's time."
Cang Ming unknowingly collapsed to the ground, his head aching. When he was about to ask something, Mrs. Li said, "I have been waiting for you here for a long time."
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