The moon shines brightly over the empty mountains, and flowers fill the sky

Chapter 17

However, after watching for a long time, I felt a deep sadness and was unwilling to get involved in any romantic relationships.

Just like the former leader of the Seven Stones Sect and the young master of Half Moon City, who were once inseparable, are now like weeds breaking their hearts. One has had all his memories erased and has faded from the martial world, spending the rest of his life in seclusion in the deep mountains. The other has lost all his martial arts skills and can only wait bitterly within the Seven Stones Sect, never to regain his former unparalleled glory. Even if they are on the same path now, they will part ways in the future. Flowers fall and water flows, and sorrow and grief all turn into a sigh. The glorious scenery of soaring together years ago is long gone.

For some reason, I suddenly thought of Tiansha.

The woman who died in his arms years ago, even her last glance was a smile as warm as the winter sun.

Shen Tiansha is the only person in the world who can see the world clearly and still smile at it without any worries, which is very different from the petty and world-weary Lin Meihua in front of him.

He had never met someone so world-weary yet so clear-headed, yet deep down he felt a resonance with them. The sadness that was usually hidden beneath their strange clothes and playful banter seemed to find an outlet, flowing forth like a spring. Suddenly, a faint sadness welled up in his heart.

Looking up at the moon, the dew is still like pearls and the moon is like a plate.

The waxing and waning of the moon seems to happen in the blink of an eye.

However, things have changed over time.

Che Shui turned his gaze to the white-haired woman sitting beside them, who was still calmly looking at the stone bridge in front of her.

I don't know what they're waiting for.

“Clear water…!” Suddenly, Mei Hua exclaimed in a low voice, “Look!” She pointed at him with her eyes.

"Huh? What?" He snapped back to his senses and looked in the direction she was looking, then paused in surprise: "It's the Youying Grass!"

In the cracks of the stone bridge before us, a few slender, pale blue flowers swayed in the breeze under the silvery moonlight.

Mountain Sounds - A Rising Wind and Flooding Waters (1)

A gentle morning mist hangs over the deep valley, obscuring the distant cry of a lone bird.

A chorus of birdsong began to fill the forest. The sun pierced the clouds, casting a pale, light glow that began as a soft, golden haze. Moments later, it flooded the valley like a torrent, turning the mist into a golden hue and filling the air with a warm, radiant color.

Thousands of golden rays filtered through the leaves, and Xuan Sheng opened his eyes to see pear blossoms blooming like snowdrifts before him. Just then, a flower fell, slowly swirling and drifting in the air, landing between his brows.

He reached out and took it down, using it to prop himself up to sit up.

I had that dream again last night.

Although he couldn't remember the details, he felt a strong sense of familiarity with the images and memories. In particular, the panicked voice calling out to himself at the end made his whole body ache. Even now, after waking up, he felt that lingering bitterness in his chest, a slight stinging sensation, as if his entire body was shrouded in a not-so-unfamiliar sadness and despair.

That voice must be Ye Shuangjing's, right?

He remembered hearing a similar call not long ago, right there in the Chongchong Tower, when Lüming tried to assassinate him. That usually quirky but always composed woman suddenly lost her composure. Although it wasn't as heart-wrenchingly desperate as in his dream, it was enough to make him feel a pang of pain when he recalled it.

Shaking his head to stop thinking about it, Xuan Sheng stood up and walked towards the branch tip.

Sunlight streamed into the valley, the morning light crisp and refreshing. Gentle breezes caressed his face, and as the air flowed through his fingers, he felt as if he might be carried away by the wind at any moment. The valley was shrouded in a thin mist, the sun slanting through the trees, and the secluded paths winding through the hazy clouds. Xuan Sheng truly felt as if he had fallen into a peerless fairyland. Looking up, he saw thousands of golden specks falling among the leaves, and pear blossoms still gently drifting down everywhere. Perhaps he could build a bamboo fence and thatched cottage by the stream, casting nets in the bay, tending the fields and growing vegetables, seeing this tranquil and wondrous scene of the valley every day—it wouldn't feel dull at all.

But all of this is just fleeting and meaningless when it comes to Shuangjing.

Xuan Sheng turned to look at the Seven Stones Sect Master who was sleeping not far away. He saw that her whole body was flattened by the falling petals, like a huge pupa curled up on a branch. All he could see was a white, snow-white dung-like thing piled up next to her.

"..."

What an incongruous scene.

Then there was a slight commotion from among the pile of petals. A hand slowly reached out, then another hand, then a foot, then another foot, and finally Shuangjing, her head covered in pear blossoms, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and peeking out in a dazed and silly manner.

At that moment, sunlight streamed down like pools of water, its soft glow filtering through the lush green waves. Amidst the pear blossoms, a young girl opened her eyes. Her pupils were like autumn water, her hair as black as a spring, and her skin as white as snow. She tilted her head slightly, and snow-white petals fluttered down from her head and cheeks, making her slightly flushed face appear even more translucent. Her clear eyes reflected the layers of leaves above, as if overflowing with verdant greenery flowing in her gaze. Her long hair meandered like a spring, cascading down the branches along with her flowing, wide robes.

She looked around blankly at first, then seemed to remember everything and turned to look for something.

When their eyes met, she smiled.

A very clear and transparent smile.

Xuan Sheng felt like he had seen that smile somewhere before.

There was no trace of shadow or sorrow, as if she had awakened from a long slumber, having lived a life of calamity in a dream, only to find upon waking that it was all an illusion. Then, the moment she opened her eyes, she saw him, and life was as it was at first sight. She was still the spirited and proud sect leader, and he was still the chivalrous and tender-hearted second young master.

As if infected by the smile, he couldn't help but laugh too.

He softened his gaze, relaxed, and looked at the girl in the flowerbed on the tree with a smile that was both amusing and intriguing.

"Xuansheng..." she said in a soft, slightly languid voice, grinning, "I dreamt about you..."

"What did the sect leader dream about?" Xuan Sheng walked to her side without thinking, bent down to help her up, and asked softly.

"I dreamt that you were dancing naked for me!" Shuangjing winked and smiled at him.

"..."

While the second young master of Half Moon City was still recovering from the shock, Shuang Jing moved a little closer to him and said coquettishly, "Let's make my dream come true?"

"?!" Xuan Sheng immediately retreated, trying to create distance between them, but then he heard a snap! The branch snapped under his foot, and he fell backward. Because he was supporting Shuang Jing, he also dragged her down. He instinctively pulled her into his arms, and then the branches behind him crackled and shattered as he fell. Then, with a thud, the two of them landed on the ground.

Before he could even look up, he heard the wind whistling past his ears. He reached out to protect his hands, and with a thud, a large branch fell on his head, followed by a shower of falling petals.

"..."

"Oh dear, Xuan Sheng..." Shuang Jing lifted her head from his arms, shyly tapping his chest. "So passionate so early in the morning... that's not good..." Then she rolled over and lay on top of him, smiling as she said, "But I don't mind..."

"!!!!" Stay away from me!

I even had the urge to slap him.

Xuan Sheng weakly removed the branch from his head, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, and coughed lightly, "Sect Leader, please don't lean on me." Couldn't you at least be ten steps away? TAT

“Alright… I won’t sit on you!” The Seven Stones Sect Master readily agreed. Just as he was surprised by her etiquette, he saw her suddenly prop herself up: “I’ll sit on you!”

Before he could react, Xuan Sheng saw Shuang Jing's smiling face magnified in front of him, and then he felt his mouth being kissed by soft, flower-petal-like lips.

Those were incredibly soft lips, sweet and fragrant, like a flower blooming on my lips. Shy yet resolute, with a touch of longing and greed, I timidly explored his lips.

Xuan Sheng felt a loud bang, his mind went completely blank, he couldn't move or react, and his hands were still in the position of protecting her from being hit by tree branches or crashing into the ground.

For some reason, as if his body were responding naturally, he hugged her back.

She felt the two needles in her arms pause slightly, then reached out and put her hands on his shoulders, squeezing in even more affectionately.

With nothing to lean on behind him, Xuan Sheng was tackled to the ground by her. Her long, black hair, like a waterfall, cascaded down his body, and their hair intertwined on the ground, refusing to separate.

Shuangjing's skin smelled of grass and pear blossoms. Because she had slept among the petals all night, her sleeves and hair were filled with a faint floral fragrance, and a few dewdrops fell along her hair onto Xuansheng's collarbone, crystal clear and slightly cool.

He reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling her warm body heat seep through her layers of clothing. His breathing quickened, and the air seemed to grow thinner. Her clean lips moved from initial shy contact to gentle sucking. He should have pushed her away, should have kept his distance, but he felt as if he were drawn to her body, unwilling to let her leave his side even an inch.

no.

Trying to regain his composure, Xuan Sheng held her cheek and took a moment to breathe, creating some distance between them.

Shuangjing's face was less than two fingers' width away from him, flushed from her panting. Her lips were slightly swollen, her hair disheveled, and a few strands clung to her face, adding to her charmingly naive air. Her eyes were large and clear, and Xuan Sheng saw his own reflection in them—a gentle man, looking at the woman in his arms with a gaze that was somewhat bewildered and puzzled, but mostly as calm as a still lake in the afternoon.

He never imagined he would have that kind of expression.

Although it looks unfamiliar, it feels incredibly familiar.

It felt as if I had traversed the torrent of time and memories, all for the sake of seeing you again.

Mountain Sounds - Rising Wind and Flooding Waters 2

"Sect Master..." he heard himself say with difficulty in a slightly hoarse voice, "I..."

"Hmm..." someone suddenly said next to the two of them.

The two looked up, and Xuan Sheng almost drew his sword immediately. It turned out that the white-haired woman was standing next to them, looking at them with her lifeless eyes: "You're awake."

"...!"

"...!"

When did she stand next to them?!

The two stared at her for a moment, then Shuangjing was the first to react. Ignoring their extremely ambiguous posture, she narrowed her eyes and gave a lazy smile: "Good morning! It's a beautiful day today!"

"...What are you two doing?" A voice, as if from a ghost, came from behind them. The two turned around and saw Mei Hua and Che Shui looking at them with exhausted expressions, both with deep dark circles under their eyes and pale faces.

"What's wrong with you guys? Why do you look so pale?" Shuang Jing looked at the ghostly Lord of Chongchonglou with surprise: "Che Shui, are you hungry again? We ate a lot of dry food before we went to sleep."

"..." The other two exchanged glances, but didn't know what to say.

Could it be that we were so bored yesterday that we couldn't sleep, so we wandered into some extremely eerie place and got our pressure points sealed, leaving us standing in the same position until we could finally move? TAT No way, that's so embarrassing.

"...Um, we found the Youying Grass." After a while, Plum Blossom seemed to remember something and pointed behind her: "It's deep in the forest."

"?!" Xuan Sheng immediately stood up, but he didn't forget to help Shuang Jing up. However, when their eyes met, he turned away awkwardly. Shuang Jing, on the other hand, was still smiling at him and took the opportunity to put her arm around his.

"Let's go, let's go, let's gather the herbs and head down the mountain as soon as possible!" She pulled Xuan Sheng toward the place the plum blossoms pointed to.

Xuan Sheng followed her forward and felt her hand gently pat his arm, a gesture of comfort and reassurance. Looking at her, he saw no shadows in her eyes, only reflections of leaves and floating petals, clear as water; as if saying that what had just happened was nothing to worry about.

Just like all those things before.

Whether it's because he took a blow for you and lost all his martial arts skills and health, or because he dragged his sick body a thousand miles to come for you, you don't need to take it to heart.

What was clearly a gesture that should have relieved him caused Xuan Sheng's heart to ache slightly.

fool.

"Let's go." But he still heard himself sigh and say calmly.

-----

The herb called Youyingcao, actually named after the leaf called "Fuye," is so named because it resembles an isolated island standing in a lake and has a dark, gloomy color. It grows in places where the days are humid and warm, the nights are cool, and the climate is spring-like all year round. Its stems are upright, its leaf sheaths are bluish, and its leaves are slender and slightly flattened. Every fifty years, when it grows to three inches, the tips of its leaves turn slightly bluish and have a faint fragrance, which can be used to make medicine. However, the immature leaves are poisonous and must be harvested only after the plant has fully grown.

“So many…” Shuangjing stood in the woods, looking around. “How come we didn’t notice them when we came in?”

"Because it was nighttime, right? We couldn't see anything at all." Che Shui squatted down in front of a clump of grass, poking at the grass swaying in the wind. He glanced at the white-haired girl who was keeping her distance behind them. Because they were afraid of being acupunctured again, he and Mei Hua didn't dare to take them to the edge of the cliff from last night. Fortunately, this grass grew everywhere in the forest, so they wandered aimlessly to a place with more grass.

"If only you had more blood, you could collect a lot and sell it for money," Plum Blossom said casually, kicking at the pebbles on the road. She then yawned. "You could sell it for a lot of silver just at Frost Condensation Gate."

"Don't even think about that idea." Che Shui raised an eyebrow and said to her, "Xiao Jing is so wicked." Besides, making a deal with Murong Jin? You're dreaming. You won't even know how that fox sold you out.

"I was just saying, do you think I'm that heartless? Humph!" Plum Blossom glared at him defiantly, but because she was very sleepy and tired, her originally imposing shout turned into a soft voice, like the buzzing of a mosquito.

"Sect Master..." Xuan Sheng looked around hesitantly. With so much grass, how could he tell which ones had already grown properly?

"Ah, it's alright, Xuan Sheng." Shuang Jing turned around with a smile, not caring at all, as if she had encountered something very interesting and was relaxed and curious. However, this made the second young master of Half Moon City feel a chill, as if he had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.

Sure enough, the woman in front of him spun around with the speed of the fastest man in the martial world, and drew his Heavenly Sword from his waist. Her movements were beautiful and swift, so fast that even Xuan Sheng couldn't see it clearly. It was evident how invincible the former leader of the Seven Stones Sect must have been.