In the silent night of the valley, there were no weeds as far as the eye could see. Instead, there was a dark night sky that stretched between two precipitous walls. Fan Xian tidied up his clothes and tied up his torn left trouser leg as he said in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry.
"That fairy's surname is Ye. Her name is Ye Qingmei."
...
...
"Ye Qingmei?" Xiao En was shocked. "What did you say? Could it be that the mistress of the Ye family is the fairy I once met? "
When the Ye family suddenly rose to prominence, Xiao En was still the head of Northern Wei's secret service, so it was no surprise to Fan Xian that he knew the name of the mistress of the Ye family. He smiled. "Aside from the fairy you speak of, who else could have the Ye family change the state of the world in a few short years?"
"So that's how it is, that's how it is!" Xiao En coughed again. "No wonder the Kingdom of Qing could rise so fiercely. So there was the shadow of the temple behind it."
"Wrong," Fan Xian said. Fan Xian said, "You are already a person about to die, so let me tell you, Ye Qingmei, the fairy you speak of, is not an immortal from the Temple. She is like us, just a normal person."
Xiao En had not yet recovered from his earlier shock. He did not believe what Fan Xian had said. Instead, he was immersed in his last question before he died. "Why... did the fairy want to capture me and bring me to the Kingdom of Qing?"
As the head of Northern Wei's secret service, he naturally knew the relationship between the Ye family and the Overwatch Council of the Kingdom of Qing.
"The Kingdom of Qing had to kill you back then," said Fan Xian. He paused. "I must admit that back then, you were a very terrifying person... and the reason why Ye Qingmei sent Chen Pingping to capture you instead of killing you must have been because of your friendship back then. After all, it seems that it was because you broke into the temple that she came to this world."
...
...
"Then... just who... ahem... are you?" In the darkness, Xiao En's eyes stared at Fan Xian like two sharp arrows.
For an old comrade on the verge of death to still have such sharp eyes, Fan Xian couldn't help but feel a little startled. He chuckled. "Me?"
After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth.
"I am Ye Qingmei's son."
Ye Qingmei's son … How Fan Xian wanted to be able to say it aloud to everyone in this familiar yet strange, intimate yet inharmonious world. Unfortunately, there was no such possibility right now. The night was getting darker, and the darkness before dawn had arrived. In a cave with only the two of them, Fan Xian spoke quietly and faintly.
I am Ye Qingmei's son.
For some reason, the moment these words left his mouth, Fan Xian felt much more relaxed. His heart, which had borne too much pressure, struggled free of the many branches and vines on it in an instant. At least, it obtained a temporary relaxation and gently embraced the taste of freedom in the night wind.
…
…
The sky gradually brightened.
There weren't many memories, but Xiao En spoke very slowly. After a day and a half, Fan Xian had finally achieved the most important goal of his journey north. He looked at Xiao En and said quietly, "Do you have anything to tell me?"
Sean just looked at him with a strange expression. After a while, he gasped and said, "You are … her son?"
Fan Xian nodded and smiled. "I don't have the habit of calling someone my mother."
Xiao En coughed violently, shaking out the last few drops of blood in his heart. He seemed to be crying and laughing at the same time. "No wonder you know so many things. No wonder you are so interested in the location of the temple …" Before he died, the old man finally saw everything clearly. Gasping for breath, he said, "It seems that this cave won't be able to hold you."
"I don't have the habit of throwing myself into a deathtrap." Fan Xian had already prepared everything. He moved closer to Xiao En.
Xiao En suddenly stared fixedly into his eyes. "If you want to live well, don't go to the temple."
Fan Xian's face was calm. He didn't reply.
Xiao En didn't look at him again either. He only turned his gaze to the precipice behind Fan Xian. He frowned slightly, as if thinking about something. After a while, the old man gasped softly. "I used to think that I was a ruthless man who didn't fear death. I only sought freedom. Now that death is right in front of me, I know that everyone is afraid of death."
"There is no one in this world who isn't afraid of death." For some reason, Fan Xian looked at the dying Xiao En and slowly loosened his right hand. He said softly, "But … perhaps death is not the end. Perhaps you will go to a completely unfamiliar world."
This was his greatest secret, his greatest regret.
Xiao En's gaze fell into the distance. His bloodshot eyes gradually softened. "Are you really the son of the Little Fairy … no, Ye Qingmei?" Without waiting for Fan Xian to reply, Xiao En continued indifferently. "But you don't look like her at all."
Fan Xian said, "You've only seen her when she was four. How can you be so sure?"
Xiao En smiled. "Because you are far less beautiful than the Little Fairy."
Fan Xian subconsciously tilted his head. "In this world, there are not many women more beautiful than me."
"The look in your eyes is different."
"How is it different?"
Xiao En looked at him. With a hint of coldness, he said, "Only now do I understand. On that snowy wasteland, the Little Fairy gazed at the vast white earth. Her eyes were still soft and compassionate … I never knew how to describe it, but now I seem to feel the coming of that darkness. Only then do I understand that all the emotions in her eyes were expressing one thing."
"What is it?" Fan Xian's heart jumped.
…
…
"The love and attachment to life." Xiao En smiled and said, "Although there is always a bright smile in your eyes, it is not the same... Your mother should be an extremely sentimental person, but you are an extremely heartless person."
Fan Xian smiled. "I don't deny that."
"I've killed many people in my life, so I never expected to have a good death." Xiao En did not continue this topic. He looked at the misty sky in a trance. "To be able to die in this cave, as you say, a good grave is not bad."
Fan Xian half-squatted by his side and put his left hand on the old man's shoulder. He found that the old man's muscles had gradually softened.
The sky outside the precipice was still dim, but through the mist that pervaded the valley, a holy light could be seen. This light shone softly on Xiao En's withered face. It made this secret agent, whose hands were stained with blood, and who had spent the latter half of his life alone and miserable, feel a sense of relief.
"Danzhou doesn't have those two date trees, does it?"
This was the last thing Xiao En would ask in this world.
…
…
Fan Xian took the last needle from under the old man's ear. After a moment, he confirmed that he was dead. He tilted his head slightly and looked at Xiao En's body. Suddenly, in a soft voice, he said, "Although Danzhou doesn't have those two date trees, perhaps there is a better world waiting for you after you die."
Xiao En's eyes had already softly closed. His pupils were bloodshot, and he could no longer look at this strange world.
Fan Xian let out a murky breath and laid Xiao En's body flat in the deepest part of the shallow cave. As for whether or not there would be any eagles pecking at him, it seemed that he had not considered that, so he appeared somewhat cold and emotionless.
He walked out of the cave and reached out his hand into the air outside the precipice. The white mountain mist moved along with his fingers, and all he caught was empty air.
— — — —
The Brocade Guard should still be searching for the bodies or traces of the old man and the young man at the bottom of the valley. The precipice of Swallow Mountain was as smooth as a mirror. No one would have thought that someone would be able to jump off the cliff and stand steadily. And no one would have thought that someone would be able to climb up the slippery and wet mountain walls.
Fan Xian's whole body was like a piece of paper, tightly pressed against the mountain wall. Behind him was the thick morning mist, effectively concealing his figure. Even if someone was on the opposite side of the mountain wall, they would not be able to discover that he was slowly climbing up like a gecko.
When he was in Danzhou, from the age of 12 to 16, he had spent a full four years controlling his zhenqi outside his body. This was an extremely foolish method of cultivation, but Wu Zhu did not care. Fan Xian practiced it to his heart's content. Unexpectedly, later on in Fan Xian's life, it had helped him so much.
Crawling like a gecko, sticking close like a snake, Fan Xian carefully climbed up and up and up, his face expressionless. The effects of the ephedra pill had long since faded, and his zhenqi was somewhat lacking, so he did not dare to be careless.
…
…
The shallow grass rustled slightly, and a hand clung to a rock beside the precipice. A person covered from head to toe in black night clothing climbed out of the valley like a ghost.
Fan Xian's face was covered by a hat. He turned his head and saw that the valley was quiet, as if nothing had happened. After a moment, his heart skipped a beat. Through the thick morning mist, he gazed at the mountain forest, but he could see nothing.
But he felt as if someone was watching him, and that person's gaze seemed to be fixed on him.
Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and turned around. He did not think, nor did he have time to think. Like a black arrow, he plunged into the thick mist, running in the direction of the capital.
Outside the residence of the diplomatic mission in the capital, Gao Da held a long knife in his hand. His eyes were as round as a fierce tiger's as he stared at the people in front of the courtyard. The young master had not left the house for a day and night, and all visits from Northern Qi officials had been refused. But early that morning, someone from the Brocade Guard had come to deliver an edict from the palace, saying that the young emperor wanted Fan Xian to enter the palace for a chat.
Few people knew that Fan Xian was not with the diplomatic mission. The commander of the Brocade Guard, Shen Zhong, hoped that Fan Xian was not with the diplomatic mission, but after a night of searching, Fan Xian's body had not been found. So Northern Qi finally became suspicious, and so they urgently wanted to know where Fan Xian was.
Who would have thought that the people of Qing would be so rude and unreasonable? Using Fan Xian's drunkenness as an excuse, they forcibly prevented the Northern Qi officials from entering the diplomatic mission. Conflict was about to break out, but at that moment, a rustling sound came from the end of the street.
It was not the sound of street sweeps, but footsteps. The Northern Qi officials were overjoyed.
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