Ein Reisender, der alle Himmel und unzählige Welten durchquert

Kapitel 59

Qu Huailiu and Wan Ai were shocked upon hearing this. The young master was going to assign Yun You to handle this matter?!

From afar, a eunuch walked lightly toward the three of them, bowed before Yun Wuyai and said, "Young Master, the King requests your presence at Haiwei Palace."

"Mm." Yun Wuyai nodded.

"This servant will take his leave now." The eunuch then quietly departed.

"You two go down first. Make sure there are no oversights at Nanfeng," Yun Wuyai said, turning to the two men.

"Yes." Qu Huailiu and Wan Ai bowed and withdrew.

After Qu and Wan withdrew, Yun Wuyai still stared blankly ahead. The azure sea and the sunset were incredibly magnificent and beautiful, but what he saw and felt in his heart was weariness. He turned around and walked up the steps one by one. At the highest point of the North Peak was the Haiwei Palace of the Eastern Sea Supreme, the residence of the King of the Eastern Sea.

Before the solemn and magnificent Haiwei Palace, a palace attendant bowed and reported, "Young Master, the King requests your presence in the study."

"Hmm." Yun Wuyai nodded, followed the eunuch through the long corridor and across the main hall. Next to the garden with its towering rocks and blooming exotic flowers was the Northern King's study.

"Your Majesty, the young master has arrived," the eunuch reported softly.

"Please let him in." A young, pleasant voice rang out from inside the room.

The eunuch pushed open the door, and Yun Wuyai stepped inside. The door then quietly closed behind him.

"Your subject Yun Wuyai pays respects to Your Majesty." Yun Wuyai bowed.

"What are you doing?" A man quickly stepped out from behind the desk and helped Yun Wuyai up. "There are no outsiders here, do you need to do this?" His tone was slightly reproachful, yet exceptionally warm.

“If Wang Ruo were to meet me elsewhere, I wouldn’t need to go to such lengths.” Yun Wuyai smiled faintly, his gaze drifting to the row of portraits hanging high on the wall behind his desk. “I can’t feel at ease in front of them.”

The person who helped Yun Wuyai up was about the same age as him, with a broad forehead, deep-set eyes, and a high nose. His extremely striking features were accentuated by a pointed chin, which added a touch of gentleness to his otherwise masculine face. His physique was different from Yun Wuyai's tall and imposing figure; he was slightly shorter and thinner. As a result, when the two stood together, Yun Wuyai seemed to have the air of a superior. However, the man's bright pupils were full of boundless energy, unlike Yun Wuyai, whose eyes occasionally revealed a trace of weariness.

This man was none other than the Lord of the Eastern Sea—the Northern King.

"There's nothing I can do about it." The Northern King rubbed his shoulder, then pointed to the mountain of memorials piled on his desk. "There's too much to do, and I haven't finished them all. You're afraid of these ancestors now? Back in the day, you beat me so badly I vomited blood right here in this study." He rubbed his chest again, still shaken.

Recalling the past, Yun Wuyai felt a pang of sympathy in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. He only asked, "Why did you summon me here in your busy schedule, Your Majesty?"

"These." The Northern King picked up a few documents from the desk and handed them to Yun Wuyai. "You've always been in charge of those matters, and I've never interfered. But recently, the generals of the four cities and local officials have all submitted memorials to me. Because of the two people you want to arrest, they've not only mobilized troops, but also sent the guards of the Young Master's Mansion to run rampant in the cities, injuring many innocent people. Not only have they failed, but they've also caused chaos on Dongming Island, and the people can't live in peace."

Yun Wuyai casually flipped through the document in his hand and said, "It's no wonder they complained. Those two are unexpectedly capable, and they still haven't succeeded. It's definitely my fault."

"Oh? Is it that difficult?" The Northern King turned to look at him.

Yun Wuyai pondered for a moment before saying, "Perhaps it should be said that the strongest enemy in my life is on this Dongming Island. But if there is any mistake, we will lose everything."

Upon hearing his reply, the Northern King's expression turned serious. No one in the world knew Yun Wuyai better than him what kind of person he was and what abilities he possessed. The fact that Yun Wuyai could be such a troublesome opponent and considered a formidable foe spoke volumes about his strength. "I really didn't expect those two to be so troublesome."

Yun Wuyai put the memorial back on the desk and said, "Although the leaders and masters of the Imperial Dynasty's martial arts world are almost all in our hands, or even the Imperial Dynasty's martial arts world is in our hands, as long as those two are still around, we can turn the tide at any time."

The Northern King nodded, his words, though seemingly casual, were utterly ruthless: "No wonder they've caused such chaos in my Eastern Sea. Those two must not be allowed to live, nor should they be!"

"Yes." Yun Wuyai nodded. "I have already summoned Yun You. Your Majesty need not worry about this matter."

The Northern King was taken aback, then smiled. "Since you have already sent Yun You to handle it, there should be results soon. I will not interfere with what you have done. I only called you here to inform you of the situation below. After all, we cannot offend the people, and Dongming has not come to where it is today without hard work."

“I understand.” Yun Wuyai’s eyes turned serious as he looked at the portraits on the wall. “We have long been determined to realize the long-cherished wish of our ancestors for hundreds of years in our generation. This cannot be accomplished in a day, so we cannot waste time on the martial arts world of the dynasty. We must fight a quick battle!”

The Northern King's gaze also turned to the portraits on the wall, all of them portraits of past Northern Kings and their young masters. Their eyes were all fixed on the two of them, their deep, somber gazes seeming to emanate from the underworld, refusing to close for a moment. A thousand-pound weight pressed down on his heart, but in an instant, a surge of heroic spirit rose within him. He closed his eyes and asked, "Wuya, will we do it? What our ancestors could not accomplish, we will do. We will achieve this unprecedented miracle!"

"Yes, we can." Yun Wuyai's voice was clear and certain. "We can definitely do it together, and..."

The Northern King turned his head to look at him, his bright eyes gleaming with a captivating light.

Yun Wuyai's gaze shifted from the painting to him. His eyes no longer held that bright glint, but rather a weariness that carried an unwavering resolve. "We must do it, because... I don't want our next generation to bear the burden we have carried."

The Northern King was startled by that look in his eyes and that tone of voice.

The stars and moon are beautiful tonight, casting a silvery glow across the fields, like frost, and the temperature is as cold as frost.

In a sheltered spot by the mountain, a bonfire burned brightly. In the orange glow of the fire, Ming Er's gaze fell on a pool of chilling blood on the ground, which Lan Qi had just vomited. Beside the bonfire, Lan Qi was practicing his internal energy to regulate his breathing. His face was pale, and in the moonlight, he looked like a thin layer of ice, transparent and fragile, as if he would shatter at the slightest touch.

After a while, Lan Qi finished his practice.

When those emerald eyes opened, her pale face instantly came to life. When those emerald eyes moved, her whole body seemed to radiate light, and she no longer showed any trace of the drowning of a seriously injured person. She was still the "emerald demon" who bewitched all living beings!

This person seemed to have all her life force contained in those blue eyes. Her bewitching charm, her arrogance and willfulness, her cleverness and scheming, her cunning and malice, her cold-blooded cruelty... all of it was concentrated and hidden in those deep, dark blue eyes.

Did those blue eyes make her, or did they ruin her?

If one day those emerald eyes were to disappear, would she vanish into nothingness, or...?

Ming Er lowered his eyes, casually tossed a few pieces of firewood into the fire, and said indifferently, "You are about to be unable to suppress the cold energy in your body."

"Anyway, we've almost finished our business, so we should go visit our master and get the antidote while we're at it." Lan Qiyi spoke in a nonchalant tone, as if she wasn't the one who had just suffered a fatal attack of the cold poison.

"What if they don't have the antidote at all?" Ming Er glanced at her with a half-smile. It was "no" rather than "not giving," and given Bi Yao's nature, she would obviously resort to force, coercion, or manipulation—anything.

"Go back to 'Gentleman's Valley' and capture the legendary physician from the Jun family," Lan Qi replied simply.

"What if the poison takes effect before we can get back in time?" Ming Er asked with a smile.

"Is that so..." Lan Qi's eyes darted around, then she stared at Ming Er and said softly and affectionately, "Ming Lang, we have been through thick and thin together these past few days. No one else in the world can match our friendship. How could I bear to leave Ming Lang? I must go to the Yellow Springs with Ming Lang."

Perhaps it was the cold night wind, but Ming Er couldn't help but shiver. Then the wise second young master decided to pretend that he hadn't said anything.

However, how could Lan Qi easily give up such an interesting topic? She immediately jumped up and sat down next to Ming Er, turning her head to look at him, and said, "I think Ming Lang is a kind and chivalrous gentleman, and he would never abandon his partner who shares life and death with me. If I were to die here, Ming Lang would surely abandon everything to follow me. How could he leave me alone in hell?" At this moment, she rested her chin on her hand, her green eyes sparkling with light, reflecting the crimson firelight, which made her even more beautiful than snow. A faint smile played on her lips, and she was stunningly beautiful and elegant.

It's a pity he's dressed as a man right now. Ming Er thought with some regret, then his heart skipped a beat.

"Minglang, since we can live and die together, can we also face the hellish trials of life and death hand in hand?" Lan Qi continued softly, her emerald eyes suddenly darkening, leaving only a faint glimmer of light.

In that instant, even the brilliant and insightful Second Young Master Ming could not discern whether her words were true or false. At that moment, the surface of the water rippled slightly, no longer able to remain calm as a mirror, to the point that he was unable to utter a single word.

"Hehe..." Lan Qi suddenly chuckled softly. As she smiled, her emerald eyes regained their bewitching aura, and she was once again the enigmatic and unpredictable "Emerald Demon." She slowly reached out her hand, her fingertips lightly touching Ming Er's jade-like face, and said in a soft and charming voice, "Second Young Master, you'll agree to my request, won't you?"

24. Living and Dying Together (Part 2)

Ming Er raised his hand and grabbed the cold finger that was moving across his face, casually replying, "Why does Seventh Young Master only think about hell? Don't you want to share the good things in heaven with everyone?"

Lan Qi was taken aback, then burst into laughter as if she had heard an extremely funny joke, her blue eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Hahaha... Second Young Master, how could people like you and me possibly ascend to heaven..." He spread his fingers, grabbed Ming Er's hand, and held it up in front of the two of them. "These two hands are tainted with too much and too heavy stuff. We can never fly. We can only sink down, sink and sink... all the way to the eighteenth level of hell!"

"Is that so?" Ming Er raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, turning his head to look at Lan Qi. "Seventh Young Master, you want someone to accompany you? Are you afraid of the Hellfire?"

"No." Lan Qi shook his head with a smile. "I long for the fires of hell, for them to rise from the earth and burn all the way to this world."

Upon hearing this, Ming Er's lips curled into a cold smile. "I've heard that the fires of hell are as red as blood. If they could burn in this mortal world, they would surely bloom into the most magnificent and beautiful flowers." His eyes shifted to the deep darkness beyond the campfire. "When that flower blooms, everything in the world will be burned to ashes. At that time, everything will be as clean as snow."

Lan Qi stared blankly at the burning campfire, and murmured, "At that time, there will be no more betrayal and despair..."

Upon hearing this, Ming Er turned to look at Lan Qi, and Lan Qi's gaze also shifted from the campfire to Ming Er.

In that instant, their eyes met, and all the fog and eeriness vanished from each other's gaze.

In that instant, they looked into each other's eyes with an unprecedented clarity and depth, penetrating each other's souls.

A lonely, desolate, and desperate soul, yet even so, still persists in living, because it wants to see how this world is destroyed in decay and stench.

In that instant, the two were brought closer than ever before.

But in just a moment, the two of them turned their gazes to the darkness ahead almost simultaneously, and the bamboo flutes and jade fans hidden in their sleeves slipped from their palms at the same time.

That glimpse of a red dress was the first to emerge from the darkness, like a flame blooming in the darkness.

Then I saw a girl who looked about twelve or thirteen years old skipping and hopping towards me. She had a small, round body, a round, red face, round, black eyes, curved eyebrows, red lips, and a cheerful, sweet smile on her face. She was as cute as the Fuxi doll in the New Year's painting.

"This must be the color of hellfire," Ming Er thought, looking at the girl's striking red dress.

She was like a ghost suddenly leaping out of hell. Lan Qi's gaze was fixed on the girl's hopping feet, none of which landed on solid ground; she seemed to be traversing the void. No one in the imperial martial arts world possessed such lightness.

"You two brothers are so handsome." The Fuxi doll jumped in front of the two men, its eyes sparkling as it looked at them through the fire, as if it were looking at its favorite toy.

"My little sister is adorable too," Lan Qi replied in return.

"Giggle..." Fuxi doll beamed, her delicate voice sweeter than the early spring rain, "Youyou likes your two older brothers, will you two older brothers play with Youyou?"

"What a pity." Lan Qi shook his head regretfully. "I've always only played with beauties."

“Brother is bad, but Youyou is also a beauty.” Fuxi Doll pouted.

Lan Qi instantly opened her jade fan, and with a clinking sound, a needle gleaming with blue light was inserted into the fan surface. She couldn't help but sigh, "Beautiful women always spit out fragrant flowers; those who only spit out poisonous needles like you are the work of ugly monsters."

"Brother is bad, he bullies Youyou!" Fuxi doll snorted through her nose.

Almost at the same time as Fuxi Doll snorted, Lan Qi suddenly leaped up, flying more than ten feet into the air. In mid-air, she spun around and flew sideways, landing a ten feet away. Where she had been standing, only sizzling sounds and a burnt smell could be heard.

"Fairy brother, will you play with Youyou?" Fuxi Doll changed her target.

Ming Er sighed softly and said, "It is truly unworthy for a young lady of your age to call me 'brother'."

Before the word "shame" could even be uttered, a cloud of black smoke instantly enveloped Ming Er.

"Hahaha..." Lan Qi burst out laughing, "Second Young Master, so you can be this cute too."

The Ming family's unparalleled lightness skill came into play at this moment. The Second Young Master Ming was as light as a falling leaf, and in an instant, he drifted away more than two zhang with the wind.

"It turns out that no matter what kind of woman she is, she doesn't like others to say she's old." The second young master sighed again in mid-air.

At the same time, as the sleeves of his robes were raised, a plume of black smoke flew towards the Fuxi doll with the wind from his sleeves. At the same moment that the Second Young Master Ming raised his sleeves, Lan Qiyu raised her jade fan, and a burst of silver light mixed with a streak of blue light shot towards the Fuxi doll.

"They're all bullying Youyou, they're all bad people!" Fuxi Doll's small, red body flashed past the black smoke and dodged the poison needles with incredible speed. Like a streak of red lightning, she swept across the campfire, and with a flick of her sleeves, two red ribbons attacked Ming Er and Lan Qi like venomous snakes spitting their tongues.

From her lightness skill just now, Ming Er and Lan Qi already knew that this person was highly skilled. And now, seeing her easily dodge the poisonous smoke projectiles and even counterattack, the two knew that they had encountered an extraordinary master this time.

Without a word, Ming Er and Lan Qi, one with a flick of their sleeves like a cloud rolling down from the sky, and the other with a jade fan like a knife, thrusting straight for vital points, instantly surrounded the Fuxi doll in a combined attack. Although the two had never fought together before, their coordination was perfect, and every move was seamless. Even under the attack of the two, the Fuxi doll was able to maintain a good balance between offense and defense and did not appear to be in a sorry state, which showed that its martial arts skills were very high.

For a moment, all that could be seen in mid-air was the fluttering of red ribbons, as vibrant as the sunset and as fierce as fire; the fluttering of jade fans, as white as snow and as sharp as a knife; and the drifting of green shadows, as ethereal as smoke and as wild as the wind. It was incomparably beautiful and elegant. If anyone saw it, they would surely be amazed and sigh. This was hardly a life-or-death struggle. But when their gaze shifted to the violently swaying campfire below, the suddenly appearing pit, and the inexplicably broken tree, they were filled with fear at the danger lurking within.

After a brief struggle, Lan Qi suddenly sighed and said, "The night is cold and the wind is chilly. I should be sleeping with a beautiful woman with soft and fragrant flesh in my arms. How can I be playing with a child in this wilderness? It's so boring, so boring."

As soon as the word "ya" was uttered, the snow-covered jade flowers bloomed in the snow, one after another, covering the sky. At that same instant, a sword aura suddenly shot out from the green shadow, cutting through the rosy clouds and heading straight for the throat.

"Alas?"

Fuxi Doll let out a startled cry and instantly retreated, her red ribbon dancing in her hand as she flew to block in front of her. But all that was heard was the sound of tearing silk, and in an instant, pieces of the ribbon fell from the sky like fallen petals, turning into dust as soon as the campfire swept them up.

Ming Er, Lan Qi, and Fu happy doll looked at each other quietly across the campfire, each with a faint smile on their face.

"Hehehe... Your two older brothers are really good at kung fu." Fuxi doll clapped her hands and said happily, but then frowned and pouted, "It's not fair that both of you brothers are bullying Youyou."

"Sigh." Young Master Ming sighed softly again, looking at the Fuxi doll, "Miss, the Seventh Young Master and I combined are probably not even as old as you, so we are actually at a disadvantage."

"Hahaha..." Lan Qi smiled, half-covering her face with her jade fan. Her emerald eyes glanced at Ming Er and then fell on Fu Xi doll. "Second Young Master, since I met you, I find you particularly pleasing to the eye tonight."