(In the last sentence of yesterday's chapter, Master Lü was changed to Master Mo. I apologize for that.)
…
…
On the top of Shenmo Peak, the thin fog had gradually dispersed.
Gu Qing knelt down in front of Zhao Layue.
Neither Jing Jiu nor Zhao Layue liked their disciples kneeling down, but Jing Jiu had to kneel down that day, because he came back alone.
Looking at the empty ground by the cliff's edge, Zhao Layue thought of the bamboo chair there. After a moment of silence, she asked, "How many days ago did this happen?"
"Seven days ago," replied Gu Qing.
Standing by the side, Yuan Qu thought anxiously that his Senior Master had traveled for three years, and then disappeared as soon as he came out.
"Did he tell you anything?" asked Zhao Layue.
Gu Qing wanted to say no, but he suddenly remembered what had happened when the iron sword passed the Cold Mountain, saying, "My Master said that we should find out who the current sect master of the Mysterious Dark Sect is, and then kill him when we can."
Zhao Layue said, "Go find out then, and get ready."
Gu Qing thought that his Master meant for him to kill the sect master himself; but on second thought, his Master might not come back this time, so he couldn't help but feel very sad.
He had seen clearly the sword wielded in the blue sky and blue ocean that day.
Who could survive the sword wielded by the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean with all his might?
The atmosphere on the peak top was a bit gloomy, but not everybody was as sad as Gu Qing.
The white cat was sleeping on the jade bed while holding Cold Cicada in his arms, his eyes closed, snoring softly.
After leaving Aoyama this time, he didn't have a chance to fight the Old Dragon, nor did he have a chance to sneak-attack Jian Xilai. All he did was play with the little kids in Zhaoge City for a few years; it was indeed meaningless.
He didn't care whether Jing Jiu was dead or alive. It would be better if he were dead. It was well known that he wished that pair of brothers would die as soon as possible, and there should be many people in the world who had the same thought.
It suddenly opened its eyes and recalled that the fifth section Thunder-Soul Wood was still at the bottom of Shangde Peak, and its pupils couldn't help but constrict as it thought in its heart, Jing Jiu, you can't die yet … I have no way of retrieving the Thunder-Soul Wood from that damned dog.
Yuan Qu didn't feel sad, but he was a bit worried. It was because he didn't know what the sword wielded by the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean meant.
Zhao Layue's calmness worried Gu Qing.
There was no bamboo chair at the edge of the cliff, but there was a man.
He Zhan sat there in a daze.
Pei Baifa's corpse was brought back to the No-Mercy Sect by Fang Jingtian in person; it was unclear what would happen on the Longevity Mountain.
Su Ziye was his trusted friend, which was why he saved him in Yizhou City and introduced him to Tong Yan. As a result, the scheme against the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean came into being.
Unexpectedly, Su Ziye had betrayed them secretly a long time ago, and the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean had known the scheme in advance. How could anything have happened to him?
Mister Pei was dead, Tong Lu was dead, and Guo Dong's fate was unknown … These were all his fault.
Sitting by the cliff's edge, He Zhan looked at the fog in front of him, his eyes covered by a layer of fog. His voice was hoarse and deep.
"It's all my fault."
Zhao Layue walked to the cliff's edge and stood behind him with her hands folded behind her back.
Gu Qing and Yuan Qu thought that she was going to comfort He Zhan.
Unexpectedly, she suddenly kicked He Zhan to the bottom of the cliff.
The world was quieter now that she couldn't hear the nagging of this trash, and the frustration in her heart had dissipated a bit.
"Shiyue Peak said that the magic treasure called the Huanxi Silk should be from Shui Yue Nunnery."
Zhao Layue looked at Gu Qing, who was stunned, and said, "You take him back."
He Zhan's painful yell could be heard from the bottom of the cliff, "I don't want to go to the nunnery!"
Zhao Layue didn't heed him, turning around and entering the manor cave.
By now, Yuan Qu realized that his Master was in a terrible mood.
Gu Qing could feel it more clearly, so he didn't dare say anything. He asked the monkeys to go to the bottom of the cliff to get him out.
…
…
The Cloud-Dream Mountain was like a real fairy realm.
The green pine trees by the cliff's edge could be seen in the distance, and the high platform was hidden in the clouds. The fairy cranes were flying among them, passing the rainbow to pick some fairy fruits in the distance.
Standing by the high platform and looking at the scene in front of him, Tong Yan remained silent. His thin eyebrows looked as if they were about to disappear under the sunlight.
The green pine trees swayed slightly, and the ribbons were like clouds, and then retracted into her sleeves.
A young woman in white clothing appeared on the pine trees.
She should be in Zhaoge City, but she came back to the Cloud-Dream Mountain in a hurry for some unknown reason.
"What's going on?"
Bai Zao asked while staring into Tong Yan's eyes.
The news of what had happened in the deep end of the West Ocean had spread to Chaotian.
The Sect Master of the No-Mercy Sect, Pei Baifa, challenged the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean again to avenge himself, but he failed and died.
Later, Guo Dong, the disciple of Shui Yue Nunnery, attempted to assassinate the Godly Swordsman again, but she failed again. She was rescued by an elder of Aoyama, but she was slashed by the sword of the Godly Swordsman of West Ocean on the way.
Tong Lu had something to do with the assassination. He failed to kill his Master, so he committed suicide out of desperation.
Bai Zao knew that the assassination had something to do with Tong Yan, and it was even planned by him.
She didn't ask Tong Yan if he didn't want to tell her, but the situation was different now.
She vaguely guessed that the person who rescued Guo Dong was not an elder of Aoyama, but Jing Jiu.
A few days ago in the Jing House in Zhaoge City, when she mentioned Guo Dong to Jing Jiu, she felt his reaction was a bit strange.
She had to go back to the Cloud-Dream Mountain and find out what was going on.
"This is the scheme we set up at the Baotong Zen Temple. The first level is what people see."
After a moment of silence, Tong Yan said, "The senior master Guo Dong doesn't trust Su Ziye, thinking that he will betray us; but Jian Xilai is too arrogant and will definitely participate in the scheme. As such, she hides behind him and becomes a variable in the scheme."
"Is this the second level?" asked Bai Zao.
Tong Yan said, "That's right. Only the senior master Guo Dong and I know this level. I objected to it, but she didn't listen to me."
Staring into his eyes, Bai Zao asked, "Then … what about the third level?"
"There's no third level," Tong Yan said calmly.
Bai Zao said, "Big Brother, we grew up together, and I know you better than anybody else. You never think things are so simple …"
After a moment of silence, Tong Yan said, "The third level is actually quite simple. Su Ziye, Mister Pei, and I all think it's impossible to kill Jian Xilai. He's too powerful; even my Master can't do it. As such, this scheme at the West Ocean is only the first half. We just want Su Ziye to win Jian Xilai's trust. As for what will happen next, we have to wait and see. "
Bai Zao exclaimed in disbelief, "So many people have died just to win Su Ziye's trust? You also said that Jian Xilai is too powerful; how can he succeed? "
"Su Ziye assured me that he has a way to kill Jian Xilai," said Tong Yan. "Under the circumstances, I have no choice but to trust him."
After a long moment of silence, Bai Zao said, "You guys have deceived Tong Lu, the senior master Guo Dong, and Mister Pei …"
"Mister Pei of course knows it," said Tong Yan. "If he can't defeat Jian Xilai, it's the best choice. As for Tong Lu … if Jian Xilai is dead, he will commit suicide for sure. It's just a matter of time."
"What about Guo Dong?" asked Bai Zao. "If she is the senior master you mentioned, how dare you scheme against her?"
Looking at the white crane soaring above the ocean of clouds in the distance, Tong Yan said, "Since she wants us to follow her path, she will understand what I'm doing."
"But Jing Jiu is dead now …"
"He is not the same person as us," said Bai Zao.
"Is the person who saved the senior master Guo Dong Jing Jiu?"
"It's impossible," said Tong Yan with furrowed eyebrows.
"Believe me," said Bai Zao. "It's him."
Tong Yan said after a moment of silence, "Then he might not die."
"Why do you say so?" Bai Zao asked in a trembling voice.
Tong Yan pulled back her gaze and wiped off the tears by her young sister's cheeks.
Speaking of Jing Jiu's death, Bai Zao cried.
Tong Yan looked at her and said with a faint smile, "We thought that you and he had died in the snowland back then. What happened later?"
"Big Brother," Bai Zao said, "Is it true that someone like you who is good at playing Go is so heartless?"
Tong Yan said, "You have to remember that the Go Play is about life and death, and it doesn't allow too much affection. I'm like that, and so is Jing Jiu."
…
…
The ocean wind died down after passing through the forest. The dry muddy road didn't become dusty, but it was still difficult to walk on it.
Jing Jiu walked on the road while carrying Guo Dong. He saw some badly damaged houses, rotten fishing nets, and some skeletons of domestic animals, but he didn't see anyone. The cold starlight shone on these objects, giving off a feeling of decay and terror.
It was evident that nobody had lived here for a long time. There must be a formidable demon nearby.
Thinking of this possibility, Jing Jiu wasn't worried at all. On the contrary, he felt that he finally had a destination.
He was severely wounded and couldn't ride the sword, but the regular demons couldn't hurt him.
He left the muddy road and followed the traces to the nearby mountain. It didn't take long before he found a stone cave amid the rocks and vines.
The stone cave was spacious and dry. There was a large pile of bones in the deep end, most of which were whale bones and fish bones.
The marks left by the iron broom could be seen clearly on the walls of the cave.
It was a demon with hard fur and was good at diving into the sea. It was unclear if it was a monster bear or something else.
Jing Jiu put Guo Dong on the pile of bones and walked slowly to the entrance of the cave while leaning on the iron sword, looking down at the foot of the mountain.
It was late at night, and the starlight was shining brightly. Jing Jiu could see a long distance with his eyesight.
A few miles away, a demon as large as a mountain was moving toward the seashore. As it was about to enter the sea, it turned its head around to take a look at the cave.
It was evident that the demon was reluctant to leave, but it had no choice but to do so because of an inexplicable fear.
Seeing the demon disappear into the sea, Jing Jiu felt regretful. He had thought that he could take out the Devil Pill and let Guo Dong eat it if the demon's state was high enough.
Guo Dong had already taken the magic pill of Shui Yue Nunnery on the beach last night, but the fresh medicine would be more effective for her injury.
Unexpectedly, the demon was so vigilant and sensitive that it had run away a long time ago.
Jing Jiu was baffled, wondering why this demon was scared away when he was severely wounded and his energy hadn't leaked out.
He didn't expect that he had stayed in the Fiend Prison for three years, and he had been stained with a great deal of odor after a fierce battle. It had only been a few days, so some of the odor still remained.
And he would hug Liu Ada once in a while.
This meant that the odor of the Old Dragon of the Center Sect and the White Ghost of Aoyama was on his body.
No matter how powerful the demon was, he would be scared to death when he smelled the odor in the wind from a distance. He had no other choice but to flee.
…
…
The starlight shone in from the outside of the cave, illuminating the scene in the cave.
There was a cocoon among the white bones, and a person was in the cocoon.
Guo Dong's face was exposed.
She was sleeping soundly, looking as innocent as an infant.
It was an interesting scene.
Jing Jiu thought that it would be better if He Zhan were here, so he could draw it out.
Jing Jiu sat down in front of the white bones, recuperating while sitting cross-legged.
The next morning, Guo Dong opened her eyes and woke up.
She didn't feel discontented or uncomfortable when she was placed among the white bones.
As she had said on the beach the other day, she had killed too many people and seen too many white bones.
She knew that Jing Jiu had been awake the entire time.
"What are you thinking about?"
Jing Jiu opened his eyes and said, "I'm wondering if I should send you back to Shui Yue Nunnery or to White Town."
This place was closer to White Town than Shui Yue Nunnery, but it was still far away.
They had no way to get there due to their injuries, and they had no way to inform the mountain gate. It was not safe for them to disappear through someone else.
Guo Dong said, "There is a Dayuan City four hundred miles to the southeast. There is a nunnery outside the city. Let's go there."
This place was located in the north of Chaotian, not within the sphere of influence of the Aoyama Sect, but nunneries could be found in all the provinces and counties.
Jing Jiu thought it was a good idea, saying, "I'll arrange it. You should be sleeping now."
The natural worm silk cocoon was a method similar to hibernation for Cultivation or healing.
Guo Dong understood what he meant, saying, "Call me if anything happens."
Jing Jiu moved to the outside of the cave and sat down while supporting himself with the iron sword.
The last few stars in the distance were disappearing, and the morning glow over the ocean was extremely red.
Innumerable clouds came up from the surface of the ocean.
The clouds rose up when they encountered a mountain range that extended to the north. Some of the clouds had successfully crossed the mountain range and turned into countless threads.
They would become the spring rain, nourishing the land and the lives on that side.
There would be small streams and rivers flowing into the ocean there.
And so on.
Jing Jiu sensed something.
This was the way of cause and effect. It was unclear where the cause and effect originated from, but it was actually directed to each other.
He closed his eyes slowly.
By the time he opened his eyes again, more than ten days had passed.
He used the Piercing Discernment to check inside his body and ascertained that his injuries had gotten better, but he still couldn't do any strenuous exercise.
For instance, he could ride the sword to leave, or kill someone with the sword, or leap to the cliff enshrouded by the thick fog one thousand feet away. But he could do some simple things now.
The iron sword left his side and drifted back into the cave. It moved at a high speed on the ground and the cave wall, giving off a faint grinding sound.
The seemingly blunt tip of the sword had innumerable complicated and detailed patterns carved on it.
Having done all this, Jing Jiu got up and walked back to the cave. As he came before the pile of white bones, he found Guo Dong's face looked a bit better, looking a bit ruddy.
The condition of her injury was quite stable. Though it couldn't be cured completely, she wouldn't die in a short time.
Looking at the ordinary face, Jing Jiu fell silent for a while.
He had wondered why she couldn't figure out who he was, but he realized that he couldn't recognize her at the Plum Meeting back then, so he felt relieved.
They were both stupid in this regard.
Jing Jiu woke her up and put the iron sword back into his body.
Seeing this scene, Guo Dong thought of the rumor, saying, "It's said that you encountered a problem in your Cultivation and stagnated. It looks like you have made some progress."
Jing Jiu didn't answer her question, saying, "I'm going to take care of something."
"Where?" asked Guo Dong.
Jing Jiu said, "There seems to be a mountain village over there. It's not far."
…
…
It was a difficult task for Jing Jiu to climb over the mountains. Fortunately, he had the help of the iron sword, and he only needed to climb over one mountain to see the mountain village.
He had lived in the small mountain village of the Liu family for a year, so he knew how to deal with people.
He took off a conical hat and put it on in front of a house, and walked to the large locust tree at the entrance of the village. He bought the information he wanted with a golden leaf.
Where was this place? How far was the nearest big city? Which house had a car?
Then, he found he had a problem.
The only person in the village who had a car was an official retired from the county town.
It was said that there were a few large carriages in that house.
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