parting
This time it really was time to part ways. Lin Yun and Sang Zhao watched them fly away on their swords.
The evening clouds were soaked with the lingering echo of the sword's cry, and the last rays of the setting sun shone on the fluttering tassels of Liu Xubai and Fan Qingdu's swords.
The bright young girl waved her hands and shouted, "You must come to Qiling City to find me! We've been waiting for you!"
Lin Yunwang's reply was carried away by the evening breeze, and she looked up at the fading light on the horizon.
They had only spent a few days together, but the friendship they had formed was deep, and now they felt a little reluctant to part.
She likes you a lot.
Everyone knows that the young master of Xuanji Pavilion has an outgoing personality, but this is the first time he has been so enthusiastic.
Perhaps because he resembled her brother, Yun Wang didn't give the answer directly, but simply said, "I know."
"If we keep looking, we might end up staring through the sea of clouds."
He gently touched the jade pendant at his waist, which represented the personal disciple of Venerable Yichen of the Jingyin Sect. The pattern was the same as that worn by Lin Yunwang, which was proof that the two were fellow disciples.
Sang Zhao thought to himself: It is truly fortunate that my junior sister has made such a virtuous and upright friend as her first friend in the cultivation world.
He quietly closed his eyes and clasped his hands, sincerely praying in his heart that Lin Yun's path to immortality would be smooth, with fewer cliffs and more opportunities for enlightenment.
Admittedly, cultivating immortality requires trials and tribulations; a life that is too smooth is unlikely to go far.
He understood the principle that cultivation is like tempering in fire to become a useful tool better than anyone else, but he also had his own selfish motives.
Sang Zhao hopes that Lin Yun will be happy, healthy, and free.
Moreover, a smile appeared on his lips. With his junior sister's current willpower, she was capable of achieving the ultimate goal of all cultivators—the Great Dao.
He firmly believed it.
The city appeared as a half-dry ink dot in Fan Qingdu's eyes.
“It’s already shrunken to the size of a mustard seed.” Liu Xubai patted Fan Qingdu on the shoulder when he saw Fan Qingdu still looking back. “Where were you before? You only started being so attentive when you couldn’t see him anymore.”
"Who knows, she might think you hate her."
Fan Qingdu remained unmoved, like a pine tree standing on a cliff, completely unaffected by her words.
Young Master Liu's eyes darted around, and it was unclear what wicked thoughts he was harboring.
By the time Liu Xubai came to her senses, Fan Qingdu was already far ahead of her.
"Wait for me!" She quickened her pace on her sword and caught up with the woman in green. "Could it be that you've fallen in love with Miss Yunwang at first sight?"
"You know perfectly well that it wasn't something you only saw once."
Liu Xubai certainly knew.
He couldn't help but sigh, "Life is unpredictable; I never expected to meet you here again."
The young master gazed at the eaves of the Immortal Venerable Palace, which were faintly visible at the end of the sea of clouds, hoping that the prying eyes that landed on the token would all turn into illusions in a mirror.
"If the Immortal Lord asks, I will say that you gave the token to the girl you admire."
"good."
The two were once rivals and enemies, but now they are accomplices.
The mountain path and stone steps meander into the deepening night.
When the two returned to Shixi Village, most people had turned off their lights and gone to sleep. Only a few houses still had their lights on, and the light shone through the windows, giving the roadside a little light.
Lin Yun told Sang Zhao to go back and rest first.
The orange-yellow light leaking from the village chief's window spread into a small patch of warm mist on the bluestone road.
She walked towards the village entrance, stepping on the scattered dappled sunlight, and hesitated at the village chief's door.
A familiar cough came from behind the door, and she abruptly withdrew her fingertips just as they touched the brass ring.
"Grandpa, are you asleep?"
An aged voice came from inside the house, "Cough cough... Not yet, come in."
The dull thud of the pipe hitting the earthenware basin broke the silence. The window was pushed open halfway, and thick white smoke, carrying the scent of aged mugwort, poured out.
She hadn't returned for two days, and she thought the village chief would scold her first. When she was a child, Ah Sheng and I would play until late and then come home, and we would always get a good scolding from the village chief.
But to my surprise, Grandpa picked up his bad habit of smoking again.
The old man tried to hide his long-unused pipe, but the smell of smoke filling the room completely exposed him.
"Grandpa, didn't you promise me you wouldn't smoke?" She snatched the patina-covered brass pipe.
"Your health has not been good since you fell ill..." The farewell speech that had been prepared beforehand was forgotten upon seeing the person in person, leaving only concern.
She only stopped rambling when the village chief promised he would never smoke again, and then she started thinking about how to tell her grandfather that she was going to the Jingyin Sect.
"I..." The word "Jingyin Sect" stuck in his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
A tacit understanding forged through ten years of companionship.
Before she could speak, the old man could read the unspoken words in her eyes.
The night lights suddenly came on, stirring up memories of yesterday.
Ever since the village chief woke up, he sensed that Lin Yun was preoccupied.
As it happened, Yun Wang was not at home these past few days, and he wanted to take this opportunity to find out what was going on.
Yang Suyue's wolf-hair brush was already hanging half an inch above the Xuan paper.
The moment the ink fell, the sound of a bamboo broom sweeping across the bluestone slabs suddenly came from outside the window. The village chief was pretending to sweep the village roads and "coincidentally" wandered to her window for the third time.
She thought back to the times she had casually mentioned "cultivating immortality" to the village chief to test his attitude, and she feared that it had attracted the old man's attention.
“Suyue.” The old man suddenly tapped the window frame with his pipe, startling the inkstone so much that ripples appeared. “Yesterday, the Kitchen God appeared to me in a dream and said that a golden phoenix will be born in our village.”
She walked to the window, opened it, and ignored the village chief's words, saying, "The term 'golden phoenix' is too sensitive. You'd better avoid using that term."
Yang Suyue lowered her head mysteriously and whispered, "Besides, who in our village isn't a golden phoenix?"
She deliberately changed the subject, but the old man asked directly, "Is Yun girl going to follow the Immortal Lord to cultivate immortality?"
She dared not give a definite answer.
After all, the village chief's grandson had said he was going to the immortal realm to find his parents, but then disappeared and never returned.
"Ahem, you two girls are very perceptive... but you can't escape the eyes of this old man."
“I’m going to the Jingyin Sect.” She looked at the two characters Jingyin she had written on the table, but did not reveal the whole truth. “I met Immortal Master Sang who said… that Yunwang’s talent is rare.”
It would be good to go to a reputable sect in the cultivation world. They can protect her and teach her survival skills, so she won't end up like that brat...
Yang Suyue looked at the old man in front of her, saying "okay" but her hands were trembling. She suddenly understood why even someone as honest as Lin Yun couldn't bring himself to say goodbye.
They look so alike; the elderly person can't bear to experience the same blow twice.
She remembered the old man's expression at the time, like an old sparrow witnessing its fledglings flapping their wings for the first time, both proud and apprehensive.
His silvery-white beard rippled in the moonlight: "Suyue was afraid I would worry, so she told me about it long ago."
“Young people should always make their own way in the world. Why should they be confined to this small village and waste their time by this old man’s side?”
These were the truth. The village chief had wanted to tell her this a few days ago, but like Yun Wang, he didn't know how to bring it up.
“If I were twenty years younger, I would do whatever I wanted without hesitation, unlike you who is so indecisive. In this respect, Ah Sheng is more like me; look at him, he just left without a second thought.” The village chief said these words of comfort in a joking tone.
Ah Sheng's departure will no longer hold him back, and he hopes it won't hold Yun Wang back either.
"I..." Lin Yun opened his mouth, about to speak, but was interrupted.
"I know you're worried about me, but I'm capable of taking care of myself, so why are you so concerned?" The village chief admired her loyalty and affection, but he didn't want those three words to trap her right now.
Lin Yunwang's position was different from his, and so were his thoughts.
Grandpa is getting old now, but there is no one to accompany and take care of him, which is quite inconvenient for Lin Yunwang.
The village chief viewed her as a bird about to leave the nest but reluctant to part with it. Since she would eventually leave, he figured it was better to let her do what she wanted while he was still healthy enough to do so without worry.
“You should be like your name.” The village chief stroked her head as he did when she was a child. “Clouds come and go, just like flowing clouds, free and unrestrained.”
The night wind stirred up the faded admonitions, which rustled softly between Lin Yun's tightly clenched fingers.
She finally uttered the half-spoken phrase, "Jingyin Sect," which had been stuck in her throat.
"It's a good place. Just look at what Immortal Sang looks like... you can tell it's a good place to nurture people."
"My granddaughter is really amazing."
The old man laughed proudly, a laugh that seemed to have a magical power, calming the bitterness in Lin Yun's heart.
"If you find it interesting, then study it well; if you get tired, then come back, no one will laugh at you."
Yun bent down and hugged the hunched old man, just like when she was a child and always sought comfort from her grandfather whenever she encountered setbacks.
"Grandpa's here, don't be afraid." The village chief patted his granddaughter's back, just like before.
The tranquil time flowed between the two of them.
The two chatted for a long time, mostly about embarrassing things that happened when Lin Yunwang and Asheng were children.
Today you will attract cats, tomorrow you will entertain dogs.
Lin Yunwang was shocked to realize how troublesome he had been as a child. "I clearly remember being very well-behaved when I was little."
Yes, she was indeed a well-behaved child. After all, at that time, her body housed the soul of someone in their twenties, so she naturally lacked the playfulness typical of children.
She was always implicated by Ah Sheng, who was always causing trouble: she was easily swayed, and as long as Ah Sheng said a few kind words, she would completely forget about being implicated and scolded.
She carefully recalled her thoughts at the time, and realized that she should have just let it go.
It was late at night, and the old man looked tired.
He still asked the question that he found difficult to ask.
When do we depart?
"It will be announced tomorrow."
The old man gazed at the moonlight filtering through the eaves and said, "I'll prepare some farewell food and drinks for you at noon."
"I need to go to Fanyin Temple tomorrow," Lin Yun interrupted hastily.
The elderly people who are in a coma have all been here; this should be their final journey tomorrow.
But she swallowed her refusal, saying, "We'll do our best to get back tomorrow."
Back in her courtyard, Yun curled up in a wicker chair, finally choking back tears.
The rolling tears were soaked with the bitterness of impending parting, brewed the sorrow of twilight turning black hair white, and condensed the cold dew hanging on the empty wooden gate.
The babbling of the stream surged from the depths of the night, carrying with it the memory of that desperate spring night ten years ago, flowing quietly towards the vast starry river beyond the mountains.
After regaining some of his strength, Lin Yun headed towards the village entrance, as he had a treacherous banquet to attend that night.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
