The white soup in the pot had finally dried up. A few pieces of softened green onions dangled beside the pot, looking like Zhuo Rusui's eyelids.
When Liu Ci left, his sleeve stirred up a gust of wind that blew out the fire at the bottom of the pot. There was no need to worry about the green onions being burned.
The mist in the private rooms and restaurants was also cleared. The cool breeze blew through the door and onto the street, dispersing all the clouds and mist.
The chilly sunlight shone on Cloudy Town. For the first time, the desolation and loftiness of late autumn were vividly displayed in front of people.
The tourists from other places were fine, but the residents of the town were stunned.
Most of them had never seen the scene of the clouds and mist dispersing.
The people quickly realized that this must be the marvelous Taoist magic of the Immortal Master of Aoyama. They knelt on the ground immediately.
…
…
The clouds and mist came from the peaks of Aoyama. It was the natural flow of water vapor between heaven and earth. It was also related to the Great Formation.
The Great Formation of Aoyama was activated. The light in the sky changed slightly, and the color of the red trees and green forests among the peaks changed slightly.
The disciples by the Stream of Sword Washing and among the peaks raised their heads to look at the sky. When they saw a cloud of sword, they knew that the Sect Leader had returned from the Cloud Dream Mountain. They all bowed to him.
The cloud of sword did not land on Tianguang Peak. Instead, it floated toward Shenmo Peak, which was further away. The Restrictive Formation of Shenmo Peak was activated automatically. The trees on the mountain swayed slightly, as if they were welcoming something.
The disciples of Aoyama were surprised. They thought of a possibility and couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised.
The Youngest Uncle was back!
In the past, Liangwang Peak was the place that the young disciples of Aoyama were most proud of and admired. Now, this position had been replaced by Shenmo Peak.
Shenmo Peak had Zhao Layue and Gu Qing, who were about the same age as them, but they were already famous, not to mention that Shenmo Peak had a Junior Martial Uncle.
Fifteen years had passed since the Plum Meeting. Jing Jiu had been trapped in the snowland for six years. Later, in order to break through the Sword Ghost, he snuck into the Demonic Prison in Zhaoge City and Cultivated with the King Of The Underworld for three years. After he came out of the Plum Meeting, he accompanied Guo Dong to enjoy the spring scenery and appreciate the autumn. In fact, he had stayed in Aoyama for no more than three years in the last fifteen years.
However, his name was not forgotten by the disciples of Aoyama. Instead, it became even more legendary.
Zhao Layue lost to Zhuo Rusui in the Sword Trial in Aoyama, but in the blink of an eye, Youngest Martial Uncle won it back in the Cloud Dream Mountain and got first place in the Dao Querying Competition of Zhongzhou School!
It was snowing on the peak of Shangde Peak. Young Sister Yushan and a few big brothers who were on duty sat in the Daoist Hall, chatting while eating pine nuts.
They suddenly heard the commotion outside and walked out of the hall. Seeing the sword cloud landing on the top of Shenmo Peak, Yushan's small face was full of surprise and delight. She stuffed the pine nuts in her hand into the bosom of a big brother next to her, saying, "I have something to attend to. I have to go now."
Seeing her figure turn into a band of snowy smoke on the mountain path, that big brother sighed, "Young Sister is always like this … I don't even know which peak she belongs to."
…
…
The sword cloud landed on the peak top and dispersed into countless strands of cloud energy, merging with the layers of clouds in the cliffs. It was hard to distinguish them from each other anymore. It had been years since they last met in Aoyama. Other practitioners might feel a little sentimental, but Jing Jiu had no such thoughts. He just felt that something had changed.
Looking at the Daoist Hall and the manor cave on the peak top and listening to the monkeys' cries coming from the cliffs, Jing Jiu found that he spent less and less time in Aoyama in this life and more and more time in the human world. He told himself that it was all Zhao Layue's fault for insisting on traveling in the human world.
The cheerful cries of the monkeys in the cliffs stopped abruptly, and the rustling sound in the forest suddenly disappeared. They had come to the peak top to welcome Jing Jiu, but they were too afraid to move forward after noticing Liu Ci. Gu Qing and Yuan Qu walked out of the manor cave. Before they could bow to Jing Jiu, they saw Liu Ci and hurriedly bowed to him. They had never seen the Immortal Sect Master before, but they had seen the portrait in that small building when they entered the inner sect from the outer sect. Which disciple of Aoyama dared not to remember that face?
Liu Ci motioned for them to stand up, and was about to say some gentle words of encouragement to them.
Gu Qing was quite famous now, and he would probably become the Royal Preceptor in the future. As for this young man Yuan from Lelang County, he also had a good background …
The sound of fallen leaves being stepped on suddenly broke out on the peak top.
The white cat strolled out of the cave, his long hair combed clean and smooth. It was unclear whether it was the work of Yuan Qu or Cold Cicada hiding in his hair.
The Lord White Ghost, the Principal Guard of Aoyama, stepped on the fallen leaves on purpose, reminding others to look at him and look at him.
Liu Ci glanced at him and then turned to Jing Jiu, saying, "As the Principal Guard of Aoyama, I can't guard the door for you all the time."
Jing Jiu said, "If the Principal Guard of Aoyama doesn't come to guard me, then who should he guard?"
The white cat narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering why the two of them didn't pretend to be familiar with each other. It was so boring.
Liu Ci didn't know how to answer Jing Jiu's words, and he didn't want to argue back in front of the disciples of the younger generation like Gu Qing and Yuan Qu, so he left with a bitter smile.
While Gu Qing and Yuan Qu were still in shock, the white cat had already stepped forward and rubbed against Jing Jiu's calf affectionately.
Jing Jiu knew what the cat meant, so he reached out his right index finger and wrote a few lines on a leaf on the ground. Then he grabbed the leaf and was about to give it to the monkey, but he gave it to Yuan Qu after some thought, saying, "Give it to Yuan Qijing."
Yuan Qu was a bit nervous. He looked at Gu Qing's smiling face and then at the Lord White Ghost's half-smiling eyes, thinking that he didn't need to pretend anymore.
He left the peak on his sword, but he didn't dare to go directly to his destination. Instead, he followed the rules of the Shangde Peak and stopped at the foot of the mountain, then walked up.
After a few steps, he saw Junior Sister Yushan rushing down like a snowstorm. He was a bit surprised and asked, "Junior Sister, where are you going?"
Yushan was also surprised to see him and said, "I'm going to see Uncle Master. Why are you here?"
Yuan Qu handed the leaf in his hand to her and said, "Bring a letter to him. Put it under the stone where we watched the stars that night."
Yushan spat shyly and said, "I don't care what relationship you have with the masters in the peak. You can deliver it yourself. I'm going to the Shenmo Peak."
Yuan Qu sighed and said, "Uncle Master is so lazy. How could he be willing to accept another disciple? Even if you want to transfer to the peak, no one will accept you."
Yushan's little face was full of confidence as she said, "It was Uncle Master Jing who asked me to become a disciple of the Shangde Peak during the Sword Trial. He has no reason to ignore me."
Yuan Qu said helplessly, "Don't make trouble. At least don't go there today. Uncle Master is obviously in a bad mood. He keeps clenching his fists as if he wants to hit someone."
Yushan opened her eyes wide and thought that although Uncle Master was cold, he never lost his temper with others. What had happened?
Yuan Qu said with a bitter face, "I don't know. Master is in closed-door training. Who would dare to ask?"
…
…
While this pair of innocent Senior Brother and Junior Sister were making boring guesses at the foot of the Shangde Peak, something really important was happening at the top of the Shenmo Peak.
Jing Jiu stood at the edge of the cliff and looked at the familiar sea of clouds for a while. He felt a bit depressed when he thought of what Liu Ci had said along the way.
He turned to Gu Qing and said, "I have something to tell you."
"Your disciple is listening," Gu Qing said seriously.
"You're going to be the Sect Master from now on. You have to practice the Inherited Heaven Sword well. Other things can wait."
Jing Jiu said, "And your sword is really not good enough. Don't always think that the sword will rise with the person. I'll find some time to change it for you."
Gu Qing had always been cautious, calm and tranquil in times of trouble, but he was still stunned at this moment.
He knew that his Master had a profound background in both Aoyama and the Cultivation world, but the matter of being the Sect Master … could a disciple be a disciple just because his Master said so?
Jing Jiu paid no attention to the somewhat despondent Liu Ci. He walked into the manor cave and came to the stone door that was tightly shut.
Zhao Layue had been in closed-door training here ever since she was defeated by Zhuo Rusui.
Staying behind closed doors was a sacred thing for many Cultivation practitioners. Nobody dared to disturb Zhuo Rusui when he stayed behind closed doors on Tianguang Peak.
It was probably because he had stayed behind closed doors too many times that Jing Jiu didn't think so. He had told Zhao Layue and the others that the people on Shenmo Peak would still communicate with the outside world when they stayed behind closed doors. They would even come out to listen to the tunes from Qingrong Peak when they were bored.
Sensing his presence, the stone door opened slowly. Zhao Layue walked out along with some smoke and dust.
They hadn't seen each other for a few years. How are you?
Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue didn't ask these questions; they just eyed each other.
Zhao Layue wondered why Gu Qing still carried the iron sword on his back when he said that he had entered the middle state of the Free Travel.
Jing Jiu found that she had completed the initial state of the Free Travel and was on the verge of breaking through the state. He was satisfied with this result, but he didn't feel satisfied with her appearance.
Zhao Layue's short hair had become long hair that hung down to her shoulders, but she didn't take care of it. Her hair looked messy, much worse than Liu Ada's.
"Where's the comb?" Jing Jiu asked.
He didn't forget to take the bamboo chair with him when he left Aoyama, and he didn't forget to leave the wooden comb behind.
Zhao Layue said carelessly, "I don't see her anyway."
But she could see her now.
She reached out her hand to grab some water from the air and wiped it on her black hair.
"Come with me."
Jing Jiu led her out of the manor cave, heading to a higher spot on the peak top.
Gu Qing was still standing by the cliff's edge like a clay statue, and the white cat followed behind him while shaking his head.
There was a cave on the highest spot on the peak top. The cave was hollowed out so that it could receive the starlight and the energy of heaven and earth.
It was here that Jing Jiu used the sword traveling technique to inform his friends overseas to keep an eye on the old devil of the Foggy Island.
With a thought, he summoned the Thoughtless Sword to take a look.
Zhao Layue clutched her chest and glared at him.
No matter how much trust he had, it was still strange for a sword cultivator to take something without asking.
The color of the Thoughtless Sword was indeed a bit different.
He turned to look at Zhao Layue and asked, "Why did you suppress your sword will?"
Zhao Layue replied, "Zhuo Rusui is a junior, and me fighting him is bullying him. If I use the Thoughtless Sword, it would be even more unfair"
Jing Jiu said, "Don't think too much about it outside"
Zhao Layue replied, "If he's an enemy, I'll kill him with one strike."
Jing Jiu really liked the idea of killing with one strike. He reached out to touch her head and found that it was still a bit wet.
Zhao Layue's hand went into her sleeve, as if she was taking something.
Jing Jiu didn't notice, and waved his right hand to release something.
Zhao Layue was alarmed.
She couldn't even see those things.
Liu Ada was also alarmed, and his hair stood on end.
He had smelled the scent of those things; they were the mosquitoes in the Fiend Prison!
Pah!!! Cold Cicada fell down from the cat's hair and onto the ground. When Liu Ci was around, Cold Cicada was scared to death, so he didn't dare stick his head out. Now that he landed on the ground, he looked at the sky curiously, his strange and translucent eyes rolling around, as if he was staring at something.
Jing Jiu felt surprised, because he didn't expect this small beetle in the snowland to be able to see those mosquitoes.
Of course, Cold Cicada didn't see those mosquitoes, but sensed the existence of those mosquitoes through their heat.
Jing Jiu found it interesting, and said to Cold Cicada, "If you can control them well, I'll let you use them."
Cold Cicada was taken aback at first, but then it suddenly turned over and pointed its belly at Jing Jiu to express its submission and gratitude.
In the next moment, its thin limbs rubbed against each other at a high speed, making a sizzling sound. It was quite pleasant to hear, like the tapping of a soft jade, extremely joyful.
…
…
White Ghost was crouching outside the cave.
Cold Cicada led those mosquitoes to guard the surroundings.
The forbidding formation of the Shenmo Peak had been opened.
Nobody could hear the conversation between Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue.
Even Liu Ci and Yuan Qijing couldn't do it.
"I have something to tell you," said Jing Jiu.
Zhao Layue nodded nervously.
There were only the two of them in the quiet manor cave.
"Sit down," said Jing Jiu.
Zhao Layue sat down in front of Jing Jiu.
She got along with Jing Jiu quite naturally in the outside world, just like what she had done in the past years. But she behaved more and more obediently toward Jing Jiu when they were alone.
"I've actually forgotten something," said Jing Jiu.
Zhao Layue wondered if he was going to explain it to her.
She said uneasily, "I'm a bit nervous."
She had walked on the Sword Peak, walked in the human world, killed a group of monsters with her sword, been assassinated by Bulao Lin, and then assassinated Lo Huainan.
She had never been nervous no matter what happened.
She felt nervous when Jing Jiu told her about the past.
How could she get rid of this nervousness?
Zhao Layue took out a comb from her sleeve and handed it to Jing Jiu, and then turned around.
She didn't have to look at his eyes in this way.
Jing Jiu took the comb with his right hand and started combing her hair.
The dark comb slowly slid through her black hair, bringing with it a kind of wonderful charm.
"This wooden comb was brought back by Taiping from the Underworld, and he gave it to me."
Jing Jiu sensed that Zhao Layue's body stiffened for a moment.
"It was also because of Taiping that I could find the King Of The Underworld in the Fiend Prison."
Jing Jiu told her what had happened in the last few years in detail.
Gu Qing had told her some of what had happened after he returned to Aoyama, but Jing Jiu was the only one who knew the details of what had happened in the Fiend Prison and what had happened at the West Ocean.
In the end, Jing Jiu told her about the Dao Competition at the Zhongzhou School and how he obtained the Fairy Book.
It seemed to have happened a long time ago, but it was only yesterday that he obtained the tripod on Buzhou Mountain and took a step into the empty space.
Zhao Layue was startled, asking, "Is the Fairy Book being held by your left hand right now?"
"Yes. Besides the fairy energy in the Fairy Book, there is also a fairy awareness left by Bai Ren."
Jing Jiu continued, "As I told you before, Jingyang has succeeded in ascending."
Zhao Layue remembered that Jing Jiu had indeed said so a long time ago, wondering why he had come back.
"He had stayed in that broader world for a while, and then he encountered a problem, so he had to return to the human world."
Jing Jiu continued, "I didn't know what the problem was until I held this Fairy Book."
"Is it because … you are familiar with the fairy energy in the Fairy Book?" asked Zhao Layue.
Jing Jiu said, "It's not the fairy energy, but the fairy awareness left by Bai Ren. It feels familiar."
It became very quiet in the manor cave.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Layue said, "Are you suspecting that it was the Zhongzhou School that did something to the Immortal Jingyang when he ascended instead of Taiping Zhenren?"
"I told you by the bank of the Muddy River that my investigation of Taiping Zhenren had nothing to do with Jingyang's ascension, but it doesn't mean that he has nothing to do with it."
"He has the motive and the ability," said Jing Jiu.
Zhao Layue said, "You said there was nothing wrong with the Great Formation of the Dispersing Smoke and Clouds."
When Jingyang ascended, he set off toward the sky from this manor cave.
The Great Formation of the Dispersing Smoke and Clouds was also here.
"There's nothing wrong with the Great Formation of the Dispersing Smoke and Clouds. Nobody in the peaks of Aoyama could have done anything to it; but the Great Formation itself … might be wrong."
After a moment of silence, Jing Jiu said, "That is to say, when he started teaching Jingyang the magic methods a thousand years ago, he had never intended for Jingyang to ascend successfully."
If that was the case, it would be a sad and meaningless part of the past.
Zhao Layue didn't want it to be like this, saying softly, "Maybe … it was the Fairy Lady Bai Ren who sneak-attacked the Immortal Jingyang in the Immortal Realm, and it had nothing to do with Taiping Zhenren."
Jing Jiu shook his head and said, "If there was nothing wrong with the Great Formation, how could Bai Ren be a match for Jingyang after he ascended?"
…
…
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