Unsterblichkeit, Unsterblichkeit

Kapitel 34

Ning reluctantly bowed, then glared fiercely at Xuan Sheng as if his eyes held daggers, before leading his disciples away.

"Ugh..." Knowing that Shuang Jing was not dead, Xuan Sheng felt the pain from the stab Ning Du had inflicted as soon as she relaxed. Although she had withdrawn some of her power at the last moment, and Xuan Sheng had excellent martial arts skills to block it, she had been greatly stimulated in the past few days. Her internal energy was in chaos and churning, and the pain came back twice as intensely.

Anxing rushed forward to support him, touched the wound with two fingers, and the last few drops of blood flowed out, then slowly stopped. Seeing this, she slapped his back with a little force, her hand on his back, lifting from his spine to his neck. With a "whoosh!" sound, Xuansheng vomited a mouthful of black blood. He first felt heavy-headed and dizzy, but then slowly regained his senses and felt much better.

"Thank you, young lady..." he said breathlessly. The news that Shuangjing was still alive made him feel relieved and happy, and he couldn't help but smile at Anxing.

An Xing was taken aback. In her memory, she had never seen this man smile like that before. She didn't know much about Xuan Sheng, only what she knew from rumors she had heard in the martial arts world over the past few years. In her impression, he was an extremely cold and indifferent man. However, this smile was as warm as a spring breeze, and it was somewhat similar to the gentle smile of Master Du standing next to the Master of Ziwei Hall five years ago. His gaze was so tender as if the woman in his heart was right in front of him. An Xing unconsciously turned her head away and said lightly, "You don't need to be so polite, please come with me."

"Miss... Sect Master...?" Although Shuang Jing was alive, he was still worried because he hadn't seen her. He couldn't help but ask as he followed An Xing.

"Please follow me, Your Excellency," An Xing said expressionlessly, leading him through the front courtyard where the funeral was being held and towards the reception hall.

As soon as Xuan Sheng stepped into the hall, he felt that familiar feeling surge over him like a tidal wave.

It was in this place that he first met Ye Shuangjing.

It felt like early spring in March, with everything enveloped in misty rain. Suddenly, he heard a loud bang! Xuan Sheng was jolted and slowly turned around, thinking that he had seen the woman rushing towards him excitedly and crashing into the door again.

But beyond that, there was nothing but the desolate autumn wind in the courtyard.

Xuan Sheng was stunned, and felt a pang of pain in his heart.

What made him think that Shuangjing would greet him so enthusiastically?

An Xing was unaware of his actions. She simply stood quietly in the middle of the hall, making sure no one was around, before slowly speaking. Her slightly cold voice sounded particularly abrupt in the empty hall: "The sect leader was kidnapped by the people of Flying Eagle Fortress five days ago."

"What?!" Xuan Sheng was shocked and his mind raced.

An Xing sighed, "Uncle Liu's heart condition was also triggered by this incident... Second Young Master, please don't worry, let me explain slowly. If the Sect Master is in danger, how can we slowly hold a funeral here?" At this moment, the doctor from the Seven Stones Sect rushed over, and she pointed to Xuan Sheng in front of the old man. After he was pressed into a seat and slowly treated, she began to talk about what happened a few days ago.

A romantic and talented scholar, a valiant and chivalrous hero, a beautiful and heroic woman, a laughing Buddha and a monk, ruling the world for thousands of years, with seven stones scattered across the four seas and the ends of the earth.

All the tools and implements in the world originate from the Seven Stone Gate.

Creating powerful weapons will inevitably harm the world.

The world of martial arts that Shuangjing's great-grandfather experienced was a bloody and turbulent place. At that time, the martial arts world was vying for supremacy, and all the gangs wanted to be the best in the world. There was intrigue, open and covert struggles everywhere.

Ultimately, the five major gangs gathered in Wolf Fang Forest for a fierce battle. When the leader of the Seven Stones Sect led his disciples to stop them, they witnessed a scene of carnage, with blood flowing freely and corpses piled high. Everywhere, there were weapons belonging to the Seven Stones Sect.

Feeling deeply guilty, the sect leader founded the Frost Condensation Sect and ceased forging weapons for the martial world.

However, the Ye family's craftsmanship must not be lost, so he held a "test of weapons" once every fifty years, inviting all heroes and warriors from all over the world to come to the Seven Stone Gate to test their abilities. The three who could pass the final test would receive three Ye family weapons.

The "Weapon Testing Meeting" is not only about martial arts skills, but also about character and morality. There are tests of martial arts, intelligence, and virtue. The Seven Stones Sect will even invite famous people from the martial arts world to evaluate the weapons. Only those who can be recognized by twelve distinguished guests and pass all the tests can obtain a peerless Ye family weapon.

This time, the 'testing session' was organized by Ye Shuangjing, who had been in office for less than ten years.

At that time, the Seven Stones Gate was packed with people. All the martial arts practitioners, regardless of age, gender, or whether they belonged to the righteous or the wicked, flocked to Cloud Mountain Mist Valley. Although most people came for the world-famous Ye family weapons, many others were curious and came to witness the recent sensation caused by Ye Shuangjing and his group in the martial arts world.

A constant stream of people came and went. The twelve distinguished guests were all renowned figures: Shangguan Jiao, wife of the Lord of Honghu Fortress; Qin Yu, the second young master of Fengdai Pavilion; Du Cheshui, the master of Chongchonglou; A Ling, the Night Wolf Knight; Ye Shuangqing, wife of the Lord of Ningshuang Sect; Hua Wushuang, the master of Jianrou Manor; An Shuitong, the white-clad heroine; Yao Shaozhu, the Eighth Arhat; Li Sha, the young master of Qianyu Kongcheng; Minghe, the master of Minggu Manor; and Lin Meihua, the master of Meihua Hall, who wasn't actually in the VIP section but was busy doing business. Such a grand display and lineup left the young men and women, new to the martial world, speechless. Even Ye Shuangjing, seated at the head table, was merely a delicate and pretty girl, and they couldn't help but feel basic respect and admiration for her.

However, even with seven of the top ten martial arts masters in the world present, Ye Shuangjing was kidnapped.

It was the third day of the 'Weapon Testing Competition'. The more than two hundred participants had not even passed the first round. According to the rules, the eighteen martial arts disciples of the Seven Stones Sect had to stand guard on the steps that stretched from the foot of the mountain to the top and fight the challengers. The losers had to leave their weapons behind. (This is why Xuan Sheng saw so many abandoned swords and sabers along the way.) Thus, the valley was filled with the sounds of clashing swords and the clash of blades.

However, halfway through the duel, a sudden gust of wind arose. The distinguished guests chatting and sipping tea inside the Seven Stone Gate looked up to see themselves surrounded by torches, and thousands upon thousands of arrows rained down like a storm. Each arrow was bound with rouge incense, which would seep into the skin and paralyze the limbs. No matter how much internal energy they used to resist, they couldn't escape it. But the several masters, worthy of being the best in the martial arts world, managed to block the rain of arrows in a few leaps. But then another volley of arrows rained down, this time bursting into smoke and miasma. Combined with the effects of the rouge incense gradually seeping into their skin, although they managed to withstand it, when they turned around, Ye Shuangjing was gone. Only countless arrows remained stuck in the ground, each bearing a single character: Eagle.

Du Cheshui sneered a few times, said "good, good, good" several times, gave a slight bow to everyone present, and then chased after them.

Lin Meihua and Hua Wushuang glanced at each other, sighed, waved to their attendants and gave them some instructions, and then went down the mountain to chase after them.

The others remained silent.

Actually, he was just being stupid.

Well, they've already heard about the not-so-intense feud between Eagle Fortress and Seven Stone Gate a while back.

Ye Shuangjing, as expected of the head of a sect, behaved with great manners. Not only did he give the items, but he also laughed it off and left behind a few fingers. If this had happened to Chongchonglou or Fengdaige, it would probably have been a disaster that wiped out the entire sect.

However, Flying Eagle Fortress is really pushing its luck, actually kidnapping someone in front of so many people! Isn't that blatant provocation? They're just a declining gang, what do we care if they found the Thousand Heroes Tower's treasure? With so many of us, are we afraid we can't wipe them out?

Just as a group of people were filled with anger and eager to storm Flying Eagle Fortress to rescue their loved ones, An Xing and Ning Du arrived after receiving the news. After understanding the situation, the two exchanged a glance, showing no surprise. An Xing first bowed to the seniors present and said respectfully and firmly: "Please return, everyone."

"—What?!" Yao Shaozhu, the Eighth Arhat, immediately shouted, his voice booming like thunder, almost blowing Ningdu away: "—Why?!"

"My sect leader had already anticipated this might happen," An Xing said, rubbing his ears. "On the day before the Weapon Testing Gathering, she summoned us and instructed us, 'If anything happens to me, you must not allow the distinguished guests present to take any risks. Ask them to return to their respective territories and properly train their disciples. If we fail, this martial world... will likely be engulfed in a bloody storm. Everyone must be prepared.'"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically.

Anyone who has met Ye Shuangjing knows that although she is usually unconventional and even unconventional in her conduct, she always speaks with reason. Seeing her give such serious instructions, everyone felt a chill.

It was Lady Shangguan Jiao, the mistress of Honghu Fortress, who regained her composure first. After a moment's thought, she nodded to An Xing and the others, saying, "In that case, I'll inform the fortress lord and the others about this matter and have them begin investigating what happened. I'll also send a few more people to Flying Eagle Fortress to lend a hand to the sect leader and the others." She couldn't help but sneer, "Flying Eagle Fortress dares to challenge us? They're really asking for trouble."

Even Minghe, the master of Minggu Manor, couldn't help but speak up: —Sect Leader Ye, do you have anything else to say?—

— She said…—

“If Xuan Sheng, the second young master of Half Moon City, comes, give this to him,” An Xing said, looking at the man in front of him and extending his hand to him.

In her palm lay a crystal-clear crescent-shaped tassel.

On the way home, even if we meet again, we might not recognize each other.

In her palm lay a crystal-clear crescent-shaped tassel.

"!" Xuan Sheng was shocked and looked up at An Xing in astonishment: "This..."

“This is what the sect leader asked me to give you.” An Xing’s eyes were calm: “She said there was another bronze mirror, which she gave to Master Du.”

Looking down at the all-too-familiar crescent moon pendant, Xuan Sheng couldn't help but wonder. Wasn't this the one he had given to the people of Flying Eagle Fortress? Could it be a fake jade pendant, or was the one he had given away a fake, and this one the real one? And was Shuang Jing kidnapped because of this?

Seemingly noticing his confusion, An Xing waved for the doctor who had finished bandaging him to leave, and said softly, "The sect leader has never been as good as an ordinary person since childhood. We don't know what she's thinking, so we can't help you figure it out. But..." Her face was a little pale, "She said that if this half-moon tassel cannot be handed over... then... then I... must take over and become the new sect leader of the Seven Stones Sect."

"What?!" Xuan Sheng's expression changed drastically, but he immediately understood Shuang Jing's intention.

If Plum Blossom's explanation at Jianrou Manor last time was true, then the treasure of Qianxia Tower requires these two keys.

If Eagle Fortress only has one of these weapons, even if they steal the Twin Blades, they still won't be able to open the treasure.

So, double cleanliness...

He suddenly shivered and felt his whole body go cold.

Was it really that resolute?

If he doesn't turn back, then she doesn't want to live in this world.

However, out of a sense of responsibility and her status, she would not seek death herself, so the outcome would undoubtedly be... mutual destruction.

That's why such a scheme was devised.

Unravel the mysteries of the martial world one by one, hand over the Seven Stones Sect to An Xing, and let Chongchonglou demonstrate its power once again when dealing with Flying Eagle Fortress. If Chongchonglou's strength is insufficient, the other gangs have already been warned and will not allow Flying Eagle Fortress to succeed under any circumstances. As for herself, she will die in the rage of Madam Han or Xiyun, using her death to awaken the various sects of the martial world to attack Flying Eagle Fortress.

He held the jade pendant, half in anger and half in amazement.

Even after many years and losing all her martial arts skills, Ye Shuangjing, the legendary girl of yesteryear, still possesses the ability to control the martial arts world.

Seeing the slight seriousness in his eyes, An Xing knew that he had made up his mind, so he stood up from his seat, walked to him, and suddenly knelt down, clasped his fists tightly, and said with sincere eyes: "An Xing is here, I beg the Second Young Master to rescue my sect leader!"

Xuan Sheng was shocked and hurriedly reached out to help her up: "Miss! You mustn't! How can I accept your bow?!" He tried to help her up, but she remained kneeling on the ground, unmoving.

"Second Young Master, Anxing is useless. He can only stay at the Seven Stones Sect to appease everyone and give the Sect Master peace of mind. But there are a few things that Anxing must say."

Seeing her resolute will, Xuan Sheng let go, but he also knelt down and earnestly replied, "Please speak, young lady!"

“Second Young Master…” An Xing’s face was serious. After a moment of contemplation, she finally gritted her teeth and raised her head: “Although An Xing and the Sect Master are master and servant, we are as close as sisters. An Xing knows what the Sect Master has been thinking these past few years. An Xing also knows that the Second Young Master will definitely go to rescue the Sect Master, but…” She seemed to bite her lip as if she had hardened her heart, and tears immediately flowed down her cheeks: “But… if you do not have the intention of growing old with my Sect Master, then… this journey is better left undone.”

Xuan Sheng was startled, and suddenly remembered what Che Shui had said.

If you intend to leave Shuangjing even a step today, then I will kill you first, and then stab her to death. It would be as painful as she will live in the future.

He also recalled that when he thought Shuangjing was dead, his first thought was that he didn't know how or why he should live.

I can almost hear the sigh of the plum blossom.

What is love in this world?

How can one truly be willing to die for another?

Better to be a shattered jade than a whole tile. Ye Shuangjing's stubbornness and decisiveness would put countless men to shame.

“Please rise, young lady…” Xuan Sheng silently helped An Xing up and said calmly, “I will definitely bring the Lord back unharmed.”

An Xing wiped away her tears. Seeing that he did not answer her question directly, she sighed and looked sad and distressed: "The Second Young Master is unaware of this because he has lost his memory. Five years ago, everyone knew that Sect Leader Ye was the top disciple of the invincible heroine Fu Ping, and therefore must have no weaknesses."

But everyone knows that the only one who can harm the sect leader is you, sir. So...so..." she said hastily.

“If I had no intention, I wouldn’t have come to the Seven Stones Sect.” Xuan Sheng interrupted her, looking at her calmly and saying, “I have already injured the sect leader once, and I have no intention of letting her be injured again. Whether she is injured by me or by someone else, I will not allow it.” He helped her up, then politely stepped back a few paces, his tone indifferent and his demeanor arrogant: “Rest assured, young lady, if Flying Eagle Fortress were to injure the sect leader, then there would be no place in this world that would tolerate them.”

Seeing Xuan Sheng's solemn expression and serious tone, An Xing knew that Xuan Sheng was a man of his word, and felt somewhat relieved. He recalled how Xuan Sheng had knelt before the coffin, heartbroken and believing it was Shuang Jing who had died, and felt a sense of relief, finally able to put down a heavy burden. Seeing that Xuan Sheng only carried two longswords and some dry rations, An Xing said, "In that case, I'll have someone prepare things for the Second Young Master. Flying Eagle Fortress is quite far from here..."

“They didn’t go to Flying Eagle Fortress.” Xuan Sheng frowned slightly, looking into the distance with a serious expression. “They should have gone to Ligu.”

They went to the place where the white-haired girl lived, and to the place where the treasure was buried in Qianxia Tower.

"Miss Anxing, could you please pass on a message for me?" He turned and asked, as if remembering something.

"Please speak, Second Young Master."

"Please, Sect Master Ning Shuang... go to Ligu and tell him that no matter what happens, save Shuang Jing and the others first." If anything really happens to her, he will never forgive himself. In the end, he was the one who abandoned her, the one who was heartless and refused to look back, and the one who didn't stand by her side to protect her when Flying Eagle Fortress and the others attacked. Therefore, if anything happens, let him atone for his sins.

"Alright, I'll send someone to inform them right away." An Xing understood his meaning and nodded immediately, then thought, "However, Sect Leader Murong should already know. Anyway, I'll help first..." She was about to say something when a gust of wind rushed towards her from the front, causing her to unconsciously take several steps back. A moment later, when she opened her eyes, Xuan Sheng was no longer there.

"If you see Xuan Yi on the road to the underworld, you will be forever separated from the Three Lives Stone." An Xing murmured, "May my sect leader and you both return safely."

She stood by the window, looking at the scene outside. She saw the setting sun casting a deep, slanting light through the green window. The white silk joss paper fluttering everywhere was tinged with the twilight, giving it a blood-red hue, as if bloodstains were scattered all around.

She felt a slight unease, clenched her fists, and turned to prepare to deliver a message to the Frost Condensation Sect.

Outside the Seven Stone Gate, Xuan Sheng had already descended the mountain. He traversed vast valleys like a whirlwind, rapidly heading towards Li Valley. His thoughts raced. Li Valley was far from here. Although he was certain they had headed in that direction, what if he miscalculated and missed the chance to rescue Shuang Jing?

Suddenly, he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

All that could be seen were the colors of autumn on every tree and the setting sun on every mountain. A figure stood atop a tall tree, with a huge setting sun slowly sinking in the west behind her, its remaining light gilding half of her mask.

"Second Young Master Xuan Sheng," Jing Shan smiled faintly, "I've been waiting for you here for a long time."

"Miss Jing Shan." Xuan Sheng was taken aback, turned around, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Are you here on the orders of Master Hua?"

"I suppose so." Jing Shan lightly jumped and was in front of him in the blink of an eye. She raised her chin and smiled: "Firstly, because the master of the manor instructed me to wait here for news, and secondly, because... that fierce woman asked me to ask her a question."

"A fierce woman?" Xuan Sheng was taken aback, then remembered after a moment: "Plum Blossom?"