It had been a year since the Zhongzhou School attacked Zhaoge City. The royal palace had finally been repaired, and the Great Formation of the royal palace had been strengthened with the help of Yimaozhai and other Cultivation sects. After the new emperor ascended to the throne, he implemented a more benevolent policy. The residents of Zhaoge City didn't have to worry about the thunder and fire falling from the sky every day and dying. Everything was slowly recovering.
In the grand hall, the Emperor was discussing with the chancellors.
In the side hall, Gu Qing sat in front of the desk and read the memorials to the throne, and Royal Concubine Hu was staring at him from a short distance away.
Apiao was drifting on the beam, and Ping Yong-Ka was lying on the bed.
A cold intent could be felt in the deep part of the room. Though he was in the room, the wind and snow kept falling down to a spot on the ground.
Yuan Qijing was sitting there. All the wind and snow that landed on him were absorbed into his body, not spilling out a single bit.
As a gentle wind blew over, Jing Jiu appeared in the side hall.
Ping Yong-Ka and Apiao showed a delighted expression and came to greet him hastily. In the next moment, they didn't know what to say to comfort him when they thought of the strange phenomenon last night.
Jing Jiu walked to the front of Yuan Qijing and bowed deeply to him in an exceedingly solemn manner.
Yuan Qijing didn't pay any attention to him with his eyes closed.
Normally, this was an extremely rude thing to do, and it shouldn't happen to this Sword Justice of Aoyama.
Gu Qing came back to his senses and came to his Master hastily. As he was about to report what had happened in the past year to his Master as quickly as possible, Jing Jiu waved his hand to stop him.
He walked into the grand hall. All the chancellors, including the Emperor, knelt down together.
The whole of Chaotian had witnessed the strange phenomenon of heaven and earth the day before.
The early morning in Dayuan City came early.
It was supposed to be late at night, but the morning sunlight filled the sky, and the sun rose early.
Everybody was well aware of what it meant.
Why was he still so calm, as if nothing had happened?
"Who is the best at playing zither?" asked Jing Jiu.
The Grand Scholar Hu, who was the best at playing chess, was almost one hundred years old. "I can play it," he said in a trembling voice.
"Play a piece for us," said Jing Jiu.
At this time, he was still in the mood to listen to the zither. Everyone felt a little strange.
Such coldness was truly unimaginable.
Palace maids and eunuchs brought out expensive zithers. Hu the Scholar collected his thoughts and used his withered fingers to play a tune.
Jing Jiu said, "It's not as good as the one I heard yesterday."
The hall was very quiet.
No one understood what he meant, nor did they know what he wanted to do.
Gu Qing looked at him worriedly.
"Back then, it only took me nine days to learn a lot of things. I thought that living was a very simple thing, but now I realize that there are many things that I can't learn, such as playing the piano, such as …" Jing Jiu paused for a moment before continuing, "Such as not crying."
"If He Zhan comes, don't let him go back to the north. If he insists on going back, have Aoyama protect him."
He told Gu Qing, "Send me home later."
Gu Qing suddenly felt a strong uneasiness.
Jing Jiu walked to the stone steps in front of the hall and looked at the sky in the distance, saying, "It's really difficult."
Having said this, he closed his eyes and fell backwards.
His body landed on the ground, not making much noise.
But it was like a mountain collapsing with a loud crash.
Countless surprised screams broke out in the hall. Jing Yao suddenly stood up and rushed toward the platform, but was stopped by the eunuchs sent by Royal Concubine Hu.
Ping Yong-Ka and Apiao came before the stone steps as quickly as they could, looking around cautiously, keeping the chancellors and eunuchs at bay.
Kneeling by Jing Jiu's side, Gu Qing reached out his trembling finger and felt Jing Jiu's breathing. He found that his breathing was long and weak, but it had not stopped. In the next moment, he was certain that his sword wills did not show any signs of dispersing.
Fortunately, the most frightening thing didn't happen.
Gu Qing felt a bit exhausted. His legs gave way, and he sat down on the ground.
The discussions in the hall grew louder and louder.
Gu Qing tried his best to control his mind. He picked up Jing Jiu from the ground and walked into the side hall, ready to put him on the soft bed.
Ping Yong-Ka suddenly remembered that the Emperor passed away on this very soft bed last year and thought it was inauspicious, so he stopped them hastily.
Royal Concubine Hu said to Gu Qing, "Let's go to my palace."
Gu Qing nodded after a moment of silence.
…
…
The security in the royal palace was raised to the highest level, and the flying carriages kept crossing each other in the sky.
According to the Will of the previous Emperor, Jing Jiu had the highest power in the Jing Imperial Court. His sudden unconsciousness would cause a great commotion, making people feel uneasy.
What they didn't understand was why Jing Jiu had suddenly fainted.
Ping Yong-Ka and Apiao stood by the bed, their expressions bewildered and helpless.
Gu Qing stood by the window with a grave expression on his face.
It was impossible for him to put his Master on the bed of Royal Concubine Hu. This was where he had stayed when he taught Jing Yao.
Jing Jiu had slept for three days and three nights, and there was no sign that he would wake up.
Gu Qing's mood grew heavier, especially when he thought that the letter to Aoyama had been sent out a long time ago; why hadn't anyone arrived yet?
It was then that the Great Formation of the royal palace suddenly sensed something. Someone had tried to barge into the royal palace and was blocked, and was confronting the magic army.
Gu Qing was surprised to see the intruder, and he motioned for the magic army to let him in.
…
…
The invisible barrier in front of him suddenly disappeared. He Zhan arched his eyebrows slightly and barged into the royal palace fearlessly. He came to the center of the square and yelled sternly, "Jing Jiu! Come out now! "
The whole of Chaotian had witnessed the peculiar phenomenon of heaven and earth in Dayuan City three days ago. Jing Jiu saw the morning sunlight even though he was in the deep part of the snowland.
The morning sunlight was bright, but not dazzling. It was like the fortunate encounters he had had since he was a child; it was always natural and dazzling.
In the next moment, the snowland was greeted by a magnificent and desolate broadsword light.
The monsters of the Snowy Kingdom and the human Cultivation practitioners couldn't stay there any longer.
He Zhan didn't want to stay there either.
Back when he was at the Baotong Zen Temple, he had vaguely guessed the identity of his aunt. As a result, he became more arrogant and dared go to Morning Lake to kill people, enter the snowland to kill monsters, and argue with the elders of the major sects.
He didn't need to be afraid of anybody as long as she was with him.
Now, she was gone.
He went to Dayuan City as quickly as he could, but he didn't find anything. Then, he came to Zhaoge City under the guidance of the nuns of the Three-Thousand Nunnery.
What had happened in Zhaoge City last year had spread all over Chaotian. Everybody knew the relationship between Jing Jiu and Lian Sanyue, and that they had left Zhaoge City to travel the world hand in hand.
She was dead now, but Jing Jiu was still alive.
He Zhan would of course come here to ask for an explanation.
It didn't matter if he could defeat him or not.
She was gone.
He wasn't afraid at all.
…
…
Gu Qing invited He Zhan into the grand hall.
All of He Zhan's anger, nervousness, and lethal intent had turned into bewilderment.
Jing Jiu was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, not breathing, as if he had become a dead object.
"What is going on?" he asked in a trembling voice.
Nobody knew the reason. Yuan Qijing might know, but he was in the grand hall of the royal palace with his eyes closed as well. It was unclear when he had woken up.
Thinking of his Master's experience of sleeping for a few years in the Guocheng Temple, Gu Qing said, "It might have something to do with the fairy energy."
This was the most probable scenario.
Even the Immortal Jingyang and Lian Sanyue would have to pay a great price to defeat the fairy lady who had come to this world.
One of them was sleeping soundly, and the other had already left the human world.
He Zhan felt very uncomfortable, but he had nowhere to vent it. He yelled angrily, and then started crying.
Seeing him cry like an orphan whose parents had died, Ping Yong-Ka and Apiao felt it odd, wondering why he was so sad.
He Zhan cried because he didn't know why.
Nobody knew the relationship between him, Shui Yue Nunnery, and Lian Sanyue.
Gu Qing had vaguely guessed something after being told by Jing Jiu. He patted his shoulder to comfort him.
…
…
He Zhan didn't stay in Zhaoge City for long. He left on the same night. According to him, the Broadsword King Cao Yuan was engaged in the fiercest fight against the Queen in the snowland in the last two hundred years, so he had to go back to White Town to keep an eye on him.
Jing Jiu hadn't woken up yet. Gu Qing had to do as he was told and bring him home.
The question was, where was his home?
Normally, he was the granduncle of the Emperor and grew up in the royal palace, so this was his home; but Gu Qing felt that he didn't mean it that way; otherwise, he wouldn't have said so.
"My Master has spent much more time in Aoyama than in the royal palace. As far as he is concerned, Aoyama is his home," Ping Yong-Ka said while scratching his head.
Gu Qing said, "Even if my Master means it this way, we can't go back to Aoyama."
Aoyama was too far away, and Yuan Qijing was in Zhaoge City, and Fang Jingtian was in charge of everything. It would be too dangerous to send the unconscious Jing Jiu back to Aoyama or Cloudy Town.
"Is it possible that the Immortal is referring to the Jing family of Taichang Temple?" asked the Royal Concubine Hu.
Gu Qing, Ping Yong-Ka and Apiao eyed each other, thinking it was sensible.
…
…
Jingyang's home might be the royal palace or Aoyama, but Jing Jiu's home was of course the Jing House, which was not far from Taichang Temple.
The black eaves of Taichang Temple were covered with dust. They weren't as lively as they used to be, but they weren't as formidable either.
Someone came by the evening after Gu Qing and the others brought Jing Jiu back to the Jing House.
The sunset glow was as bright as blood.
Standing under the begonia tree, Zhao Layue remained silent while looking at Jing Jiu in the study room who was sleeping soundly.
She wielded the Thoughtless Sword and cut all the begonia trees into pieces. The twilight shone through the window, illuminating Jing Jiu's face more clearly.
The broken pieces of the trees and flowers fell down with the wind, but none of them landed on her.
The breeze tousled her black hair on her shoulders.
She started growing her hair after hearing about what had happened in Zhaoge City last year, and it almost reached her waist.
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