Wind and Cloud
Wen Liang hadn't smiled in a long time since that incident. That's why he was so enthusiastic when facing everyone.
Bai Hanxin rested her chin on her hand, while Li Er straightened his posture, not looking very relaxed, and his face did not appear to be in good condition.
“Wen Liang.” Li Er murmured his name, but it was largely lost in their discussion.
With Bai Hanxin by her side, she naturally went back to help Li Er with this trivial matter.
“Wenliang, Li Er is calling for you.” Bai Hanxin pointed at him.
Wen Liang suddenly turned his gaze to him, and Li Er subconsciously lowered his head, gradually realizing that Sister Hanxin had helped him.
"Is there something you need?" Wen Liang continued.
He was given enough time to speak; he could wait.
“I want to tell you something I know about Zhonghua Mountain. I heard my brother say that he was a hunter from Zhonghua Mountain, and he liked to tell me rare stories when I was little.”
"The story revolves around a statue. That statue is called the Qi Zhi Statue. I heard that a long time ago, the Qi family was a very mysterious family. As for why, I don't know. Everyone in their family knew magic. This is just a unique legend about that area."
"But when I was little, my brother said he had seen the statue of Qizhi. It was a very beautiful sculpture, surrounded by all kinds of plants, a small river, or something else. I don't remember it very clearly, but that's the gist of it."
"The original name of the statue of Qi Zhi was Qi Yuan. Yuan means abyss. According to legend, he had a falling out with his family and ran away from home. However, he passed through Zhonghua Mountain and stayed there. After that, things took a different turn."
The sound of the raindrops became rapid.
The sound of footsteps gradually came from outside. It was so dark and humid that he couldn't see anyone's shadow. Before he could say anything, he heard someone call out to them, "Hey, is anyone inside?"
Chi Wangyue and Yan Tianhua each carried an umbrella and walked side by side on the winding road. They were talking and could vaguely see an inn ahead, but the sign on it was crooked and the characters were ugly.
"The Old Inn—"
Is anyone inside?
Chi Wangyue had just been pretending to be silent and unperturbed, but then she took Yan Tianhua's hand and went inside.
Their luck wasn't great along the way. They didn't encounter any major disasters, but the minor obstacles they faced were increasingly troublesome.
"This journey has been incredibly arduous."
After finally overcoming countless hardships, like Tang Sanzang, I finally spotted an inn on the outskirts of my destination, only to find it was raining.
As they arrived, the rain began. A light drizzle fell on their umbrellas; the gloomy weather dampened their spirits, but despite their exhaustion, they continued walking.
For example, he kept playing with the little white rabbit he met on the road. Now, he has successfully entrusted it to a field, letting it roam the world on its own.
Yan Tianhua watched him tinker with these strange and unusual things, and cooperated with him, not reporting him, and even participating in them. Chi Wangyue felt a revolutionary camaraderie rising within him.
As soon as he entered, Chi Wangyue saw a group of figures made up of black cubes sitting together. Before he could see them clearly, one of them was already holding a short sword to his chest.
"What's going on?" He tried to push away the people who were getting close to him, but to no avail.
As the other man held Chi Wangyue's neck, Yan Tianhua pressed her sword against his chest.
The two were rather impolite during their first meeting. Chi Wangyue's eyes darkened, and she reversed the Cang Sheng Sword she was holding in her hand, aiming it at the other person's waist.
"Let go."
Yan Tianhua's expression was gloomy, and he moved the sword he was holding forward a little.
When Bai Hanxin saw Yan Tianhua and Chi Wangyue, she went forward, but Gou Xunhuan's short sword was faster than her.
"Stop!" Bai Hanxin threw her peach wood sword, narrowly avoiding Gou Xunhuan.
“These two are friends, not enemies.” She stepped forward and raised her hand to sheath her sword.
Upon seeing this, Gou Xunhuan sheathed his weapon and leisurely walked back to his companion, Chi Wenliu.
"Oh, please forgive my previous rudeness."
...
"Bai Hanxin, who are they?" Ms. Bai Hanxin remained silent, pondering how to explain.
Yan Tianhua glanced at the people inside, patted Bai Hanxin on the shoulder, and said in a gloomy voice, "Let's go inside and talk."
"Okay." After Bai Hanxin led the two in, Li Er thoughtfully tidied up two chairs for the two newcomers.
"Thank you." Yan Chi said, and Bai Hanxin followed him. "Waiter, thanks. From now on, if you have any ailments, come to me for treatment, and I'll give you a 1% discount."
Their seats were next to Wen Liang, but the shopkeeper showed no ill intent whatsoever.
Wenliang warmly welcomed the two empty seats that had been added next to him.
"Let's start with introductions," Wen Liang said to his two friends, demonstrating first. "I'm Wen Liang, the innkeeper, and this is Li Er."
Chi Wangyue glanced at the people around her and said unhurriedly, "We are from the Luoshu Sect, Chi Wangyue and Yan Tianhua."
"Luoshu Sect, Bai Hanxin."
Bai Hanxin's mind was in turmoil, but he couldn't express it in words. Suddenly, he looked up and saw Chi Wangyue winking at him. She paused for a few seconds, then smiled slightly.
—She understood.
"The Chaomu Sect, Yi Yannian and Meng Qu."
"Dark River Sect, Chi Wenliu, Gou Xunhuan."
...
Chi Wenliu silently stepped on his foot, saying, "Look at the trouble you've caused."
"Heh." Gou Xunhuan suddenly grabbed his hand secretly and held on tightly. Chi Wenliu suspected that he was going to slash him with a knife, but after a while, he realized that the other party was either innocent or deliberately trying to hold his hand.
"...What are you doing?" Chi Wenliu's lips curled down in displeasure, but her expression remained unchanged. She was simply too proud to admit it.
He initially tried to pull away, but when he realized he couldn't pull back, seeing his slightly disheveled appearance, he patiently let him hold his hand.
Gou Xunhuan originally just wanted to have some fun and get revenge for the other party stepping on his foot earlier. But when Chi Wenliu tried to pull back, a strong thought surged into his mind: "I don't want to let go."
He's probably the first person to "not let go because he doesn't want to," but so what?
After glancing around, Gou Xunhuan rested his chin on one arm and listened to the opera.
Chi Wangyue and Bai Hanxin exchanged glances, each walking in opposite directions, each seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Yan Tianhua watched their little actions but remained silent and didn't expose them.
However, Yi Yannian quickly interrupted Chi Wangyue and Bai Hanxin's private tutoring session.
After what had just happened, Yi Yannian asked Bai Hanxin a lot of questions about Yan and Chi. Bai Hanxin gave him a brief summary, while Meng Qu watched him intently, without making any inappropriate moves.
They understand their partner and try their best to cooperate with her.
Wen Liang rarely spoke to Li Er, but each time he did, it was after much thought and effort. Although Li Er never offered any emotional support, or perhaps that wasn't important to him, what mattered was the friendship, not what Li Er could provide.
Their relationship began at Zhonghua Mountain, was forged at the old inn, and ended at Zhonghua Mountain.
Yan Chi didn't understand the previous situation. Bai Hanxin, as the middleman, was not only capable of handling things but also had to be able to explain them. In particular, Bai Hanxin had grown a lot along the way, in ways that were not visible to others.
"Previously, we talked about the origin of the Qizhi statue and its connection with Zhonghua Mountain."
Li Er looked at her carefully and said, "Hmm."
Yan Tianhua and Chi Wangyue exchanged a silent glance, as if they had made some connection to the content, about Liu Linfeng and Xing Yu's illusion, and the Qi Zhi statue in the so-called "realm within a realm".
Next, let's continue—
When Li Er tells his story, he needs a quiet atmosphere, Wen Liang cooperates with the business, and others listen to the story.
"After Qi Yuan settled down in Zhonghua Mountain, he would often wander around the nearby villages. The villages were always lively. Sometimes he would come to help and was loved by the villagers."
"He changed after that incident. According to word of mouth, people call it 'The Butterfly and Cause and Effect.' The butterfly is a metaphor, and as for the specifics, I'm not very clear. As for cause and effect, it's the mistake he himself made."
"My brother briefly told me about what he did. First, he sacrificed the lives of the entire village to save one person; this is 'cause and effect.' Second, the entire village survived, but he manipulated them using secret methods."
Li Er paused for a moment, then said, "These are all rumors and should only be used for reference."
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