The winter was getting colder and colder, and the wind was like a knife.
As the tension eased, the refugees who had been transferred to Chang 'an had all returned to their homes. The people living in the south of the city were cleaning up the villages that had been burned by the enemy in the bitter cold.
More than a hundred Tang soldiers were walking along the official road. Judging from their armors and weapons, they should be the ordinary prefectural army of a certain state. The people who were busy rebuilding their homes saw the tired soldiers and put down the tools in their hands to cheer them up. Someone shouted, "We're almost at Chang 'an."
The Tang army nodded and continued to move forward. The applause by the roadside soon subsided. The imperial court could not increase the relief efforts. They had to rely on their own hands to survive the cold winter. The villagers had to hurry up and at least build houses that could withstand the wind.
There were a few carriages behind the Tang army. The villagers who were busy working thought that the people in the carriages might be officials from some southern state, so they had no time to care about them. They did not know that, in a sense, it was the people in the carriages who had saved the Tang Empire.
The sunlight shone through the gap of the window and fell on Jun Mo's face. He had not recovered from his serious injury and his thin cheeks were extremely pale. Under the winter sunshine, his face looked like clean snow. He looked at the scorched village outside the window and remained silent. No one knew what he was thinking.
Mu You looked at his profile and her eyebrows were full of worry.
The disciples of the back of the mountain of the Academy were all seriously injured in the battle of the Verdant Canyon. She was in the best condition. She had used up too much Psyche Power to maintain the tactical array. After resting for a few days, she had mostly recovered.
Fourth Brother and the others were in a much worse condition. They could not get up after receiving treatment and had been resting in the carriages behind. No one knew when they would really recover.
But she was most worried about Jun Mo, because he was the most seriously injured. Jun Mo had woken up after leaving the Verdant Canyon. He seemed to be fine, but she was very worried.
Because he had been silent for too long during the journey. He had been sitting quietly by the window, looking at the snow-covered fields in the south of the Tang Empire and the villages that had been burned by the enemy.
Mu You looked at his determined profile and his scattered hair. Then she looked at his empty sleeve and sighed silently in her heart.
…
…
Those carriages did not enter Chang 'an City, but directly went to the Academy.
The Tang Army in charge of escorting them left when they reached the meadow. The meadow was covered with a thin layer of snow. There were countless peach blossoms in the snow, but it was not the season for them to blossom yet. The Academy was very quiet today, even a little deserted.
No members of the royal family or ministers bowed humbly, no people lined the streets to welcome them, no grand ceremony, no loud gongs and drums, and not many people came to welcome them.
No one cared about this, because they did not inform the people in Chang 'an. They would go out to battle and then come back. Returning to the Academy was the same as going home.
There were only two people waiting for them on the meadow — the cute little attendant, Xu Jialun, and Ning Que, who was holding a walking stick and covered in bandages.
Looking at Jun Mo, the little attendant shed two lines of tears without saying a word.
Jun Mo had left him in the Academy and he had been living in fear for so many days. Today, he had finally seen his young master come back alive. How could he control his emotions?
When he saw that Jun Mo's right arm was broken, he immediately burst into tears.
Jun Mo frowned slightly and said, "Don't cry."
The little attendant was obedient and desperately wiped his tears. However, there were too many tears, and he could not wipe them clean. When he saw Jun Mo's hair, he could not help but cry out.
"Young master, how did your hair turn white!"
Ning Que looked at Second Brother's empty sleeves and gray hair, and did not know what to say.
Jun Mo said expressionlessly, "There are burning villages everywhere, and there is too much dust on the road."
It was a very clumsy and even cute explanation, but no one laughed.
It was quiet in the carriage.
"Why is the Academy so quiet?" Second Brother asked.
Ning Que said, "Third Sister dismissed instructors and students in the front yard of the Academy in advance. Some instructors and students have left, but most of them are working for the imperial court in Chang 'an City, and some have gone to the front line."
Jun Mo asked, "How are Senior Brother and Yu Lian now?"
Ning Que said, "They are fine, but it is a little inconvenient for them to move."
The carriage drove through the dilapidated stone gate of the Academy and went deeper.
The teaching building and the front hall of the second floor of the Academy were all ruined, especially the lane leading to the old library and the back of the mountain. It was impossible to find anyone to repair it.
Jun Mo looked at the scene in silence.
…
…
The back of the mountain of the Academy was still warm as spring.
The little attendant and Tang Xiaotang carried the teachers to the soft beds in the thatched hut that could not be destroyed by the autumn wind. Some were still unconscious, and some were barely supporting themselves.
They could not hear Beigong's flute, Ximen's zither, Song Qian and Eighth Brother's quarrel over a chess piece for the time being. They would probably never see their teacher again.
Eldest Brother and Yu Lian were sitting in the wheelchair.
Jun Mo let go of Mu You's hand, walked to the wheelchair of Eldest Brother, and bowed to him. Then he looked at Yu Lian and said, "Xiong Chumo deserves to die. Why didn't you kill him?"
Yu Lian said calmly, "Some people are more useful alive than dead."
Second Brother thought for a while and did not continue to ask.
Eldest Brother looked at his empty sleeves and gray hair and said, "Teacher once said that we should learn to accept some things since we can't change them."
"I don't care, but I feel regret."
Jun Mo looked at the gray sky outside the hut and said, "I always wanted to be like Youngest Uncle, drawing his sword and fighting against the heavens. When Master ascended to the sky by the Sishui River, I thought that one day, I would be able to follow Master's footsteps. But now it seems that there is no chance."
Not everyone could understand what he was saying.
Eldest Brother sighed and brought up another matter. "Pipi has left."
In the back of the mountain, Jun Mo and Chen Pipi were the closest. Hearing the news, he kept silent for a while and then asked, "Can the Abbey Dean recover?"
It was the most important question for the Academy.
Jun Mo looked at Ning Que when he asked the question.
Everyone in the hut who was awake was looking at Ning Que.
That day on the Vermilion Bird Avenue, Ning Que had given an answer to the people in Chang 'an. But today he still thought for a long time and then said with certainty, "No."
Hearing this answer, Second Senior Brother's cold expression finally relaxed a little. Even the wind that blew into the thatched cottage seemed to have become a little warmer.
The state that the Abbey Dean had shown was the coldest cloud in the heart of the people in the back of the mountain. Although he was defeated in Chang 'an, he was not defeated by Ning Que, but by the God-stunning Array.
In other words, he was still defeated by the Headmaster of the Academy.
If it were not in Chang 'an but in another place in the human world, no matter Eldest Brother, Jun Mo or even Yu Lian, they would not be able to defeat the Abbey Dean.
As for Ning Que, it was even more impossible.
…
…
The sound of the waterfall reverberated in the courtyard. It was deafening.
Ning Que had never understood how Second Brother could fall asleep in such an environment. He also could not understand how Senior Brothers and Sisters could hear each other's voices when they were discussing in the courtyard.
He once asked Second Brother this question, and Second Brother's answer was, "You will get used to it after a long time. As long as your heart is calm, no sound can disturb your ears."
Dozens of days later, Jun Mo returned to his courtyard after seven days and seven nights of unimaginable fighting in front of the Verdant Canyon and two dazzling battles between powerhouses.
For the first time, he felt that the sound of the waterfall was a little noisy.
He knew that it was because his heart was not calm enough.
It was already dark. He stood by the window and looked at the night sky above the mountain. He was silent for a long time, and then he looked at his empty sleeve and frowned slightly.
He had lost his right arm in the battle with Liu Bai.
The disability of the body was not a problem. Jun Mo could still sweep the world with the iron sword in his left hand. The problem was the disability of the mind. The body and the mind had always been two sides of the same coin.
He was very clear that he would probably never reach the end of the cultivation path in this life.
The end of the cultivation path was the Great Way.
The other side of the river was the other side.
It was not above the Five States, but a higher place. It was a place that only Youngest Uncle and the Headmaster of the Academy could reach.
It was above the sky.
In terms of Sword Taoism, he was only slightly inferior to Liu Bai. But he was younger and had more potential, so he had more hope of reaching that place.
Now, these hopes had been lost.
For cultivators, this was the heaviest blow. It was even more terrible than death. It made people crazy. Even someone as strong as Jun Mo gradually turned black.
But if someone asked him if it was all worth it, he would still disdain to answer.
Because he did not see the water of the Yellow River coming from the sky. Because the mountains saw how charming he was. The falling water could not rise again, and the collapsing mountain could not rise again. Regret had nothing to do with the proud Second Brother.
How could it not be worth it to fight with Liu Bai to his heart's content?
It was just … a little regretful.
…
…
"If we can't fight with Heaven, it's actually very interesting to fight with people."
Ning Que walked into the small courtyard. He looked at the lonely back of Second Brother and said, "Although the Abbey Dean is disabled, Eldest Brother and Third Sister are also seriously injured. They can't be seen and can't recover in a short time. Both the Tang Empire and the Academy need you now."
Jun Mo did not turn around and said, "Don't worry about me."
Ning Que said, "I can't not worry."
Jun Mo turned around and looked at him with a smile. He said, "It's just a little regret. Don't think about it."
Ning Que suddenly felt that he did not know this man standing in front of him. It was as if some subtle changes had happened to him.
It was not because Second Brother did not wear a crown or a bun, nor was it because he showed a rare smile. He was still the proudest person in the world, but he did not have the aura that made people stay away from him.
This change made Ning Que a little uncomfortable and he did not know what to say.
Jun Mo said, "I'm just not used to it. When I put my hands behind my back, my left hand can no longer hold my right hand, and I can't salute anymore. The most important thing is that my posture is not good."
…
…
(Two chapters with 7,000 words are completed. Two chapters will be written tomorrow. Please vote for me on Monday and report to me. I will try to finish this volume in four days. I have been thinking about the outline of the next volume these two days, so I don't have enough brain power. I read the fourth volume, The Year of the Curtain, again and found that it is really good.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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