For Tong Yan, the only place that could guarantee his safety was the Underworld and the hermit peaks of Aoyama.
He didn't want to go to the Underworld for the rest of his life, so he could only live in the hermit peaks.
Living in seclusion for a hundred years was inevitably a little boring and lonely. Fortunately, it was not difficult for a Cultivation practitioner. He spent most of his time cultivating. Jing Jiu did not give him the sword manual, so he was still practicing the Taoist magic of Zhongzhou School. When he was free, he would play a few games of chess with himself. Every few years, he would go out of the cave and wander around in the hermit peaks. He would step on the soft grass, brush the wild flowers with his fingertips, and listen to the sound of the wind passing through the bamboo flute.
That bamboo flute was the key to Fang Jingtian's Blossoming Heavenly Flower. No one knew when he had put it back.
This peaceful life was not broken until the autumn of last year.
Tong Yan received a letter from Zhaoge City and learned of the difficult situation facing the Aoyama Sect, or more precisely, the Shenmo Peak.
Aoyama Sect is going to choose a new Sect Leader?
Thinking of these things, he packed up the chessboard and chess pieces and left the cave residence. Before he left, he didn't forget to press the stone button under the table to turn the red light on the cliff green.
After passing through the thick fog and entering the Sword Jail, Jing Jiu tried his best to stay true to himself, paying no attention to the bloody and filthy energy in the cells. After passing through the long and gloomy passageway, he arrived at the spot of the sunlight. After bowing to the Dead Dog, he flew out of the prison.
The manor cave on Shangde Peak was still as cold as ever, though its master had gone to Zhaoge City and hadn't returned for a hundred years.
Tong Yan asked Junior Sister Yushan for a bamboo hat and put it on her head before descending the mountain.
…
…
From Shangde Peak to Shenmo Peak, one had to pass by the waterfall at the end of the Sword-Washing Stream.
There were many naturally-shaped stone platforms in the waterfall, where the masters of the peaks and the guests stayed during the Inherited Sword Competition.
Many years ago, the first time Tong Yan visited Aoyama was to attend the Inherited Sword Competition.
Like a fallen leaf, he floated onto the stone platform. Thinking about the past, he turned around and looked down the cliff.
The Sword-washing Stream shone in the sunlight, moving further and further away and straightening out, like a golden whip that had been lashed out.
Dozens of boys and girls were practicing their swordsmanship in the stream, playing and fooling around. It was very lively, and the mist that rose up was filled with the flavor of youth.
These people should be the new disciples of Aoyama Sect.
Not to mention them, Tong Yan didn't even know any of the instructors of the Xi Jian Pavilion on the shore.
A hundred years had passed, and many things had changed.
Looking at this scene, Tong Yan somewhat missed the streams in the Cloud Dream Mountain, but the longing was already very faint.
Back when he learned what had happened in Zhaoge City and what had happened to his Young Sister, the last bit of affection he had for the Cloud-Dream Mountain had disappeared.
At this time, the young disciples under the stream were discussing something and gradually began to quarrel.
"Zhongzhou School has a myriad of Daoist techniques. There must be something to learn from it."
"Have you not read the swordplay encyclopedia? Or do you not know that we are the best swordplay in Aoyama? All in One Sword! One sword can imitate all the methods in the world. As the disciples of Aoyama, we don't need to learn all that! "
"Even if we can imitate all the methods in the world with a sword, we should at least know the form of all the methods."
"Even so, why do we need to read the Zhongzhou School? The Zhongzhou School might have had some influence one hundred years ago, but what about now? Those so-called talented disciples are either missing or dead; who can remember them? "
"That's right. I heard that a figure named Lo Huainan, the principal disciple of the Center Sect, suddenly died in Guiyun City … Many people said in secret that she was killed by Senior Master Liu."
"Be careful with your words!"
"I'm just talking about it in private. We haven't seen the Zhongzhou School for so many years; what can we do to them?"
"What I mean is that the senior master is the master of Yimaozhai now; it's not appropriate for us to call him Senior Master."
"Everyone in the Cultivation circle knows that he was the personal attendant of the Immortal Sect Master. Hahahaha, it's impossible to hide it from others."
"Speaking of the Immortal Sect Master, I don't know when he will return to Aoyama … Back in the Battle of Zhaoge City, the Immortal Sect Master defeated the Sect Master of the Zhongzhou School first and then the Fairy Lady. It's indeed an admirable event, but I regret that I was born one hundred years too late to witness it."
…
…
Standing on the cliff, Tong Yan listened to the voices carried by the wind, wondering why the Sect Master was defeated by Lian Sanyue, but Jing Jiu took the credit for it.
The story had become a legend after one hundred years, so it couldn't be absolutely true, because it changed according to the standpoint of the narrators.
Thinking of all this and the disdain these disciples of Aoyama had for the Zhongzhou School, Jing Jiu shook his head reflexively. Unexpectedly, he was noticed by a few instructors of the Sword-Washing Hall by the stream.
"The person on the cliff, who are you?" a middle-aged man asked with a gloomy expression.
Mei Li and Lin Wuzhi had finished teaching at the Sword-Washing Hall a few decades ago, and returned to their peaks to cultivate after they were rewarded handsomely by the sect. Mei Li was in the middle state of the Broken Sea, and Lin Wuzhi had broken through the Broken Sea State and become an elder.
The middle-aged man who spoke was Xue, a swordsman in the upper state of the Undefeated on Shiyue Peak. His granduncle was an elder of Shiyue Peak, but he died a few years ago, and his sword returned to Aoyama. Aoyama allowed him to take over the post of the Sword-Washing Hall because of his many years of hard work.
Tong Yan didn't pay any attention to this man, and walked toward the waterfall.
The swordsman with the surname Xue grew more vigilant, yelling, "Stop! Which peak are you from?"
As he said this, he blocked the path in front of Tong Yan with a flash of sword light. The rest of the instructors and disciples of the Sword-Washing Hall had also rushed over.
Tong Yan fell silent for a while. He found that he had no way to resolve the current situation, no matter how smart he was.
He had joined the Aoyama Sect after the battle of the West Ocean. It had been more than a hundred years since then … but he still didn't have an identity.
Jing Jiu didn't give him the token, nor did he teach him the sword style.
How could he prove his identity then?
Tong Yan waved his sleeve, and the magic came out from the sleeve, forming a green light that looked like a bird, heading toward the distant Liangwang Peak.
Seeing this, the swordsman with the surname Xue suddenly turned pale. He took two steps back and raised his hand to signal the others to come over, yelling sternly, "You are from Zhongzhou School!"
Upon hearing this, the instructors and young disciples of the Sword-Washing Hall were also startled, wondering how a person from Zhongzhou School could pass through the Great Formation of Aoyama. They couldn't help but feel bewildered.
Fortunately, the awkward situation didn't last long. A beam of cold sword light illuminated the Sword-Washing Stream. Gu Han arrived on his sword from Liangwang Peak. Seeing the scene, his face suddenly turned cold, and he yelled, "Get lost! What are you doing here instead of practicing your sword style! "
Then he looked at the swordsman with the surname Xue and the other instructors, and said in a low voice, "Is the Sword-Washing Hall so free now?"
Now that Guo Nanshan had returned to Tianguang Peak for cultivation, and You Siluo and the others had also left, only he was still on Liangwang Peak, welcoming new disciples one after another. His prestige in Aoyama was extremely high. The swordsman with the surname Xue and the other instructors felt uneasy after being reprimanded by him, and they hurriedly made way for him.
"Sorry, Big Brother." Gu Han bowed to Tong Yan solemnly.
The disciples of Aoyama who had participated in the battle of Zhaoge City all knew that Tong Yan had made a great contribution to the sect, and they all respected him very much.
More importantly, he was transferred from Zhongzhou School, and was a target that Cloud-Dream Mountain must kill. Of course, Aoyama Sect had to ensure that he wouldn't be hurt.
Tong Yan smiled slightly, returned the bow, and left the cliff.
"Nobody is allowed to tell anyone about what happened today." Gu Han glanced at the crowd coldly, and rode his sword back to Liangwang Peak.
Seeing the back of the figure disappearing into the cliff, the swordsman with the surname Xue and the other instructors and disciples were shocked speechless, wondering who this man wearing the conical hat was.
…
…
Along with the screeching of the apes, Tong Yan arrived at the top of Shenmo Peak.
Sitting on a rock, Yuan Qu was recuperating while holding the strange sword in his arms. Hearing the footsteps, he opened his eyes and found it was Jing Jiu, feeling relieved. "You've finally come out," he said.
At the beginning of next spring, the Aoyama Meeting would be held to elect a new sect master. Shenmo Peak was of course unwilling to accept it, but they didn't know how to deal with it. It was because they were used to letting Gu Qing or Tong Yan make the arrangements.
"The simplest and most likely strategy is to support Shiyue Peak with all our strength," said Tong Yan.
Yuan Qu had just lit the charcoal under the stove, and the water in the iron kettle hadn't even boiled yet, when he found that Tong Yan had already made the decision. He couldn't help but feel bewildered. But after some thought, he found that this was indeed the best strategy. At the moment, only Guangyuan Zhenren, who was also in the Heavenly Arrival State, could compete with Fang Jingtian for the position of the sect master.
"No," Zhao Layue said expressionlessly as she walked out from the manor cave.
Tong Yan didn't expect her to give a reason, and she had guessed that she wouldn't accept this arrangement. "Then we have to think of another way," she said.
"Think of another way," said Zhao Layue.
Tong Yan winked at Yuan Qu.
Yuan Qu was taken aback. He went back to the grand hall and took out a pile of files, which were the sect rules he had brought back from Shangde Peak.
The sect rules of Aoyama were really complicated. Tong Yan and Yuan Qu hadn't found anything useful after reading them for a day and a night.
Zhao Layue had never had the patience to deal with such matters. "I'll be back before next spring," she said.
Having said that, she called out the Thoughtless Sword and stepped on it, heading toward the northern sky like a blood-red line.
As the sword light of the Thoughtless Sword disappeared on the horizon, Yuan Qu had finally felt relieved. He rubbed his chest and asked Tong Yan uneasily, "If my Master knew that you and Big Brother Gu were going to elect her as the sect master … would she hack us with her sword?"
Tong Yan said calmly, "It's not easy to hack me in my Cultivation state; it's more dangerous for you."
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