“Although I really want to cure him,” Yin Ci squinted at Shangguan Xian in Xue Zhi’s arms, “I have also said that I will not cure anyone to death.”
160
Overnight, it seemed like everything had changed.
In Xuezhi's twenty years of life, never had a night felt as desperate as this one. Holding Xian'er's body, she sat on the riverbank of Suixing Island, thinking of many things.
Before Shi'er and Xian'er were born, she and Shangguan Tou argued constantly about the names they insisted on. After the children were born, they argued about who was smarter and who was less intelligent. Xian'er was a clever child who could call out "father," "mother," and "brother" shortly after birth. Although she always spoke highly of Shi'er, she knew that Xian'er would definitely be very successful when he grew up.
Every day, she fantasized about what they would look like at one year old, two years old, three years old, studying and practicing martial arts, growing into adults, getting married, and becoming grown men… Looking into their innocent and pure eyes, endlessly having the same dream, she felt like the happiest person in the world. And they were the most beautiful gift God had given her.
Those large, bright eyes were now tightly closed, never to be opened again.
At that moment, the pale yellow candlelight illuminated the ground.
Familiar footsteps gradually approached.
Shangguan Tou, carrying a paper lantern, squatted down next to Xuezhi and reached out to gently stroke Xian'er's fluffy hair.
The lantern's faint light reflected on the river's surface, the shimmering yellow ripples rising and falling, mirroring the rhythm of their breaths.
"Zhi'er," Shangguan Tou said in a very low voice, "We'll talk about Xian'er later. The important thing now is to save Shi'er."
Xuezhi did not reply.
The evening breeze lifted the stray hairs at Xuezhi's temples and the hem of her lightly fluttering clothes.
“This time Shi Yan summoned me, he must be trying to take my life. Even if I go to my death, I may not be able to save Shi’er.”
Xuezhi seemed not to hear her, and continued to pat Xian'er's back rhythmically. Her pale yellow clothes were already stained red with blood, blending together completely.
"Therefore, we cannot act rashly. Tomorrow we should all get up early and go get reinforcements. At noon, we will meet at the upper reaches of the Guangmingzang River, and then I will go to the River Pavilion alone. If anything happens, you will lead the men and rush up there, understand?"
Xuezhi continued patting Xian'er's back.
She remembered what Shangguan Tou had said to her before Shi Yan arrived.
Will he still care about Shi'er?
She slightly raised the corners of her mouth, her smile filled with sarcasm and embarrassment.
Besides, at this moment, she didn't want to think about anything anymore.
She never looked back at Shangguan Tou. The sound of the wind also masked the unusual tone in his voice.
A gentle evening breeze stirred, and the green grass swayed in the breeze.
Shangguan Tou had a lot to say to her, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.
His snow-white clothes were already soaked with tears.
"Zhi'er".
He called her softly, but she didn't turn around. He carefully wrote a line of words on the sand by the shore, then gently wiped it away with his hand. Then he said, "I'm leaving."
He pulled the lantern closer and got up to leave.
The footsteps gradually faded away.
Xuezhi pressed her cheek against Xian'er's forehead, and large tears fell onto his face.
The Tianxing River is clear and deep, like a somber elegy, filled with the shadows of clouds, mountains, trees, spring, autumn, withering, and flourishing.
The summer breeze was cool and soft, like a melancholy dream, taking away the dew, the thin sand, and the "I love you" he wrote, which she would never see.
The next day, at daybreak.
Shaolin Temple.
Abbot's Room.
Shi Yan took off his night clothes and put on a cassock. Liu Hua was covering Shi'er's mouth, trying her best to quiet him down.
At that moment, a man's voice came from outside the window:
"How's it going?"
"The child is in our hands."
Why is there only one?
"The other one was killed."
"What!" The voice, unchanging for millennia, finally showed a hint of emotion. "You killed another child?"
"This...wasn't it you, young master, who killed him?"
"When have I ever let you kill him!"
“Young Master does indeed have…” Shi Yan knew that the young master had an eccentric temper and often forgot what he said, so he rolled his eyes and said, “This old monk is afraid that Shangguan Tou might come up with some way to deal with us, so let’s give them a warning first.”
There was no sound outside the window.
Shi Yan stepped forward and asked again, "Young Master?"
“Mother,” Liu Hua plopped down in a chair, frowning, “Since Shangguan Tou is going to come anyway, we might as well kill him.”
“I…” Shi Yan’s fingers trembled slightly, “It seems I have angered the young master.”
Liu Hua laughed and said, "Are you kidding me? He can get angry?"
Shi Yan paced back and forth several times, then changed into his night clothes once more: "Never mind, let's go to the River Pavilion and wait there first."
Xuezhi didn't sleep a wink all night. At the same time, she searched the entire Moonlit Valley, only to find that Shangguan Tou hadn't even informed his own sect. She had no choice but to give everyone a brief account of what had happened the previous night. Lin Yuhuang was still fast asleep. She ordered everyone not to tell him, or they would be expelled from the sect. Then, she led a group of disciples and hurried towards Spirit Sword Manor.
Lin Xuanfeng was overjoyed to hear about Xuezhi's visit as soon as she got up. She led Feng Zi to the hall to greet her: "Xuezhi, what brings you here?"
The upper reaches of the Guangming Tibetan River.
River Pavilion.
"You've arrived so early." Shi Yan chuckled, his back to Shangguan Tou. "Didn't expect that the earlier you arrive, the faster you'll die?"
The wind was strong by the riverbank. Large leaves rustled in the wind, and Shangguan Tou's white robes fluttered erratically.
"Whether I will die or not is still uncertain." He looked tired, but stood straight, his imposing manner in no way inferior.
"Oh? Under such circumstances?" Shi Yan slowly turned around.
He was holding Shangguan Shi in his arms.
Shangguan Tou was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.
Shi Yan asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"Master Shi Yan, who prides himself on being the supreme master of the martial arts world, actually had to use a child as a threat to deal with the little Shangguan Tou."
Shi Yan was speechless for a moment, then suddenly threw the child out.
Shangguan Tou quickly leaped up and caught Shangguan Shi.
"Don't even think about escaping, you can't escape."
"Since I've come here alone, I'm not going to run away." Shangguan Tou placed Shi'er behind a large rock on the shore, drew his Cold Soul Staff, and assumed a fighting stance. "Abbot, when a person is filled with hatred, they don't care about anything. Don't forget, you killed my son."
161
Lingjian Manor.
"Ambassador Shi Yan killed your son?!" Lin Xuanfeng and Lin Fengzi exclaimed in unison.
Lin Xuanfeng said, "How could that be? I... I don't believe it."
“Whether you believe it or not, he has practiced the Nine Forms of the Lotus God.” Xuezhi looked at Lin Xuanfeng and his daughter seriously. “Besides, I would never joke with you about my child’s life.”
Lin Xuanfeng and Lin Fengzi looked at each other in bewilderment.
Xuezhi only briefly recounted what had happened before telling them she didn't have time to wait for their decision. She only had enough time left to call Lin Xuanfeng. In the end, Lin Xuanfeng chose to believe her 70%, telling Feng Zi to stay at the manor while he took his disciples and Xuezhi with him. Feng Zi insisted on going with them, but they both stopped and scolded her. She knew she was saddened by her nephew's death, but she didn't understand the danger of Shi Yan mastering the Nine Forms of the Lotus God, or the perilous situation of Shangguan Tou going to see Shi Yan.
At this moment, if they could gather disciples from all the major sects to go together, defeating Shi Yan wouldn't be impossible. However, with the sun high in the sky, they no longer had time.
But distant water cannot quench a nearby fire. They didn't even have time to call upon Master Ciren, Shangguan Tou's aunt.
Xuezhi and Lin Fengxuan led many disciples toward Chonghuo Palace.
"I wonder how many people Valley Master Shangguan has found," Lin Xuanfeng said.
The upper reaches of the Guangming Tibetan River.
River Pavilion.
"The Flame Blade is neither gold nor iron, formless and shapeless. It is refined purely by sensing the true qi of the three yin energies between heaven and earth with the true qi of the body, and by following the law of the five elements' mutual generation and restraint." Shi Yan recited the Blade Technique of the Burning Wood Blade while brandishing the greatsword in his hand, "Let me show you what the Burning Wood Blade technique under the Lotus God Nine Forms is like."
Like Xia Qingmei on the day Shangguan Tou and Xue Zhi got married, Shi Yanwu wielded a burning wooden sword, but his moves were completely unlike those of a burning wooden sword. The pure yang energy of Shaolin was distorted beyond recognition by his evil moves.
Unlike Xia Qingmei, Shi Yan's internal energy was not chaotic at all; on the contrary, it was so strong that it could not be ignored. Shangguan Tou was struggling to parry the attacks, with almost no room to retaliate. His Cold Soul Staff had already been slashed countless times with numerous nicks. He was about to be overwhelmed.
Finally, he was knocked to the ground by a palm strike following Shi Yan's swift blade. Shi Yan flashed in front of Shangguan Tou and began to pound his waist repeatedly with his fists, delivering dozens of punches in a row.
Shangguan Tou's face turned deathly pale, and Shi Yan's movements were so fast that he could barely see them. Finally, at the last moment, Shi Yan caught his attack. Shi Yan grabbed Shangguan Tou's waist from behind, hoisted him up, and threw him forcefully, leaving him slammed behind him. Shangguan Tou clutched the back of his neck, his face contorted in extreme pain.
Shi Yan lifted Shangguan Tou up once again, raising him high in the air:
"It's such a pity that such a handsome young man has died."
Before he finished speaking, he threw him out and, before Shangguan Tou could land, leaped up and slashed Shangguan Tou's chest with his knife.