Una sonrisa puede derribar una ciudad

Capítulo 86

Ming Er defaults.

Feng Yi turned back to look out the window, not letting Ming Er glimpse even the slightest bit of his emotion.

"Yinyin and I... from the moment we were born, we've been inseparable. We have no one else, our bond is too deep, and so few can disregard sins and live a life without regret or resentment. So... Yinyin and I... this is enough. At least, she knows I've lived a peaceful life in Wushan, and I know she wields great influence in the martial world. Perhaps this isn't the best. But..." He paused, then turned to look at Ming Er, a fragile glimmer shining in his dark eyes that concealed endless pain. "Didn't you appear? And there's Ning Lang too. As time goes by, she'll eventually forget the past. After all, she still has decades of unknown life ahead of her."

Ming Er was surprised and looked at him, unable to speak for a moment.

Feng Yi walked back to the bedside and looked at him from a very close distance, as if the demon could see right through him, right into his heart. After a long while, he said, "You and she, you are both together and at odds, which is rare in this world. If one day you can get rid of this fighting and jealousy, perhaps you will become a divine couple like 'White Wind and Black Breath'."

Upon hearing this, Ming Er chuckled, a laugh tinged with a hint of mockery, but it didn't seem directed at Feng Yi; rather, it seemed to be directed at himself. He raised his eyes to meet Feng Yi's dark, unfathomable gaze. In that instant, the mist in his own eyes cleared, revealing his ruthless gaze to Feng Yi.

“I am the same kind of person as her, so I know that people like us can never have all the simple things that ordinary people can have in our lives. We... are bound together, but at best, we can only accompany and fight together in our lives.”

Upon hearing this, Feng Yi shook his head, took something from his robes and placed it in Ming Er's hand. To Ming Er's surprise, he closed his hand and said, "You and she still have decades to go, and many possibilities." He turned and walked away. As the door opened, a faint, ethereal sentence drifted out, "As for her and me... after the dynasty's fall, we will never see each other again. In this life, perhaps I will forget, perhaps I will remember."

Inside the room, Ming Er stood there, staring blankly at the object in his hand.

Final Chapter: Epilogue

On January 6th, the heroes of the Imperial Dynasty finally boarded the ship to return home.

On a clear and bright morning, two large ships slowly departed from the coast of Dongming, carrying the ashes of hundreds of heroes and thousands of souls, braving the wind and waves, and sailing towards the vast sea. Some remained in Dongming, perhaps never to set foot on the ancestral land of the dynasty again in their lifetime.

Standing at the bow of the ship, looking back at the ever-receding Dongming Island, Yuwen Luo sighed, "More than three thousand of us came for the 'Lan Yin Bi Yue,' but in the end, only a few hundred of us have returned."

Ning Lang remained silent for a long time after hearing this before saying, "If we hadn't sent the 'Biyue Flower' back to Shouling Palace with Senior, perhaps we wouldn't have had to come to Dongming."

Yuwen Luo shook his head. Since Dongming had already set his sights on it, he would do everything in his power to obtain Lan Yin Bi Yue.

"That's true," Ning Lang thought for a moment and nodded. "But, given that Senior's martial arts are superb and he is in his prime, why did he send the Jade Moon Flower back to the Guardian Palace?"

Yuwen Luo chuckled, "Can't you even think of such a simple reason? The reason he did this is, of course, to make things difficult for Senior Mingkong." He had already figured it out at the Pear Blossom Tomb. After a moment of silence, he continued, "The reason why Seventh Young Master took the Orchid Jade Moon that day was perhaps not just for the position of Martial Arts Alliance Leader. Because in the current martial arts world, she is already the one who is respected by everyone, and few can compare with her power and influence. So, perhaps she really just likes and wants the Orchid Jade Moon flower, just as she said."

"Hmm," Ning Lang looked at him, puzzled.

Yuwen Luo squinted as he watched Dongming Island turn into a tiny black dot. In the vast ocean, everything seemed so insignificant.

"The Orchid Moon not only represents the supreme position in the martial arts world, but it also represents something else, do you know that?"

Ning Lang shook his head.

Yuwen Luo hadn't expected him to answer, saying, "The reason Lan Yin Bi Yue is known throughout the world is because of Bai Feng Hei Xi. It is a peerless flower that Feng Lan Xi cultivated for eight years for Feng Xi. The two met in the martial arts world when they were young, traveled together for ten years, and married in their youth. They fought side by side in the world, but when they had half of the country in their hands, they both abandoned their positions and wandered the world. Later, they unified the martial arts world and became the supreme martial arts masters. In the end, they retired from the martial arts world and became a pair of immortal lovers. So Lan Yin Bi Yue also represents a perfect love. It represents the kind of affection between Bai Feng Hei Xi, who never abandoned each other, stayed together through life and death, and stayed together until the end. Seventh Young Master wants to get Lan Yin Bi Yue so much. Perhaps what he really wants is Chang..." At this point, he stopped talking, turned around and looked ahead. In front of him was a boundless sea. The seawater was blue and unfathomable, just like the human mind, which is immeasurable.

Ning Lang listened, and then his mind cleared up. He vaguely understood and seemed to know what he needed to do next.

These words were overheard by Ming Kong, who had just stepped off the ship, and at that moment, he couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

Does such perfect affection truly exist in this world? He and Weiming were once deeply in love and pledged their lives to each other, yet in the end, they forgot each other in the martial world. Bai Feng and Hei Xi fought in the martial world for ten years. In such a long period of time, did they never have any ulterior motives? Did they never have any disagreements? Did they never have any regrets?

If that's the case, then so be it. He slowly stepped off the stern, only to find Feng Qiuchangtian already there.

"Brother Ming, we've come back empty-handed and accomplished nothing, haven't we?" Qiu Changtian turned to look at him and said.

"This is already a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune," Ming Kong sighed deeply.

"That's true," Qiu Changtian nodded.

"If the descendants of the Feng family had shown up that day, we might have really perished here."

Ming Kong shook his head imperceptibly, a deep worry on his face.

"Brother Ming?" Qiu Changtian looked at him. "Why are you so worried?"

Ming Kong remained silent, then suddenly turned to look at another ship a few feet away. Ming Er and Lan Qi were on that ship, but the subordinates of the Ming and Lan families were nowhere to be found, just as they had been when they arrived.

"Brother Ming?"

Ming Kong turned around and slowly said, "Nephew Luo once told me that the Yunmen Jiuyou of Dongming was completely wiped out by Young Master Ming and Young Master Lan."

"Huh?" Qiu Changtian was startled upon hearing this. He had fought against Jiu You before and naturally knew his skill level. Even he was no match for him, yet those two were able to kill... Jiu You. This martial arts...

“Young Master Ming and Young Master Lan are indeed among the most talented in the world, but the combined strength of the Nine Netherworlds is definitely not inferior to their combined strength. In the end, nine people died at the hands of the two of them, which is definitely not just a matter of martial arts,” Ming Kong said earnestly.

"What is that?" Qiu Changtian asked, puzzled.

"Twenty years ago, I saw a man fight six top-tier masters alone. Two of those masters could have been his equals if they had joined forces. But in the end, all six masters died. Ming Kong's gaze fell on Lei Hai, while that man, though seriously injured, survived. I am on par with that man and we have always been used to competing. I am confident that my martial arts are no less than his. But if I were to fight six masters alone, I would have no chance of winning. So, I conceded defeat then. But that man smiled and said, 'It's not that his martial arts are better than mine, but that he has been accustomed to killing since childhood. He doesn't care about martial arts, only about killing. He can kill people who are much more skilled than him.'"

Qiu Changtian was stunned for a long time after hearing these words, then he understood and was immediately shocked.

"The martial arts world has reached its zenith at this point. The number of sects and masters is unprecedented. Yet, how many are still left?" Ming Kong turned to look at Qiu Changtian. Everything on Dongming Island had been under the control of those two from beginning to end. "Brother Changtian, those two children are truly extraordinary."

"You mean..." Qiu Changtian was now trembling with fear.

His name remained silent.

After a long while, Qiu Changtian came to his senses and sighed deeply, "We... have grown old without even realizing it."

“Hmm,” Ming Kong said for a long time, then sighed deeply. “Such a person might not appear even once every few decades, but two have appeared in this era. Alas, I don’t know whether it is a blessing or a curse.”

"What will the martial world be like after we return?" Qiu Changtian looked up at the sky. "I just hope there won't be any great calamity."

Ming Kong turned his gaze to Ning Lang at the bow of the ship. On the azure sea, under the clear sky, the figure of the boy in blue was so perfectly matched and blended in.

If only we could give this child some time, he would surely become famous in the future.

They lay down and headed west, heading towards the imperial dynasty.

Those days, the weather was exceptionally good, sunny every day, without any wind or rain.

During those sunny and leisurely days when the ship sailed on the vast ocean, Lan Qi and Ming Er had the following conversation.

"Fake Immortal, it seems we can see at a glance what the martial arts world will look like in our hands."

"It depends on what you want to see."

"But what do you think would happen if it were in the hands of someone like Ning Lang?"

"oh?"

"You and I may not believe in benevolence or chivalry, but we don't doubt that Ning Lang possesses such qualities, do we?"

"He is an anomaly in this world, a rare breed."

“We’ve seen too many terrible things, but aren’t you curious about what it will bring? You and I have both encountered such things. There are people who, no matter how much injustice or suffering they have endured, still hold onto hope in their hearts, hoping to see something beautiful, believing in that day they’ve never seen before. Back then, we always laughed at those people for being foolish. But now that you and I can see it, why don’t we give it a try?”

"You really want to see it?"

"Since neither of us can kill the other, this seems like a solution, doesn't it?"

"It's not impossible."

On that day, the two casually decided who would become the future leaders of the martial arts world, but there was a hint of regret in that casualness. What was the regret? Only the two of them knew.

So, one day, Lan Qi saw Ning Lang on the opposite side of the boat from the bow, and her soft, yet incredibly clear voice reached Ning Lang's ears.

“Ning Lang, I’ll give you five years. If you are capable of becoming the leader of the martial arts world after five years, then we will let you go. If you are not capable of becoming the leader, then we will take over the martial arts world.”

On the azure sea, under the clear sky, the two figures, one in green and one in purple, standing gracefully against the wind at the bow of the ship, were so beautiful and picturesque.

Later, the East Sea witnessed these words.

"Fake Immortal, plant a Lan Yin Bi Yue sapling for me too."

Why should I plant it?

"Because I like it."

"I won't plant any. If I'm going to plant anything, it will only be the Jade Fairy Flower, the Jade Eye Flower, or the Jade Lotus."

……

With the passing of the Feng family descendants, Lan Yin Bi Yue also disappeared forever from the martial arts world. The legend of Bai Feng Hei Xi may also fade away, and a new legend in the martial arts world has begun.

(over)