After he returned to the Three-Thousand Nunnery from Dayuan City, Ping Yong-Ka had been sitting on the bridge, keeping a distance from the others.
He looked into the distance against the wind while holding his knees, pretending to be lonely. When he mentioned Gu Qing's elopement, he couldn't help but say something, which earned him a scolding from Zhuo Rusui.
Since then, he had become even more introverted. He didn't say anything, and the others seemed to have forgotten his existence.
In fact, everybody knew the reason why he was so introverted and forgotten.
Ping Yong-Ka was the sword spirit of the All in One Sword. The Immortal Jingyang was reborn as a sword; but where did he go?
What are you thinking about?
Zhao Layue and Liu Shisui didn't hear what Jing Jiu had said, but Zhuo Rusui and Yuan Qu didn't quite believe it. As Ping Yong-Ka said, they all thought that Jing Jiu should be such a person, who would do anything to survive and wouldn't be influenced by morality and emotions.
It wasn't until now that Jing Jiu told them about the past that they gradually learned the truth. … …
The stars in the sky shone on the small bridge and the flowing water. It was so quiet at the Three-Thousand Nunnery that Jing Jiu's voice was still echoing in the stream.
The Immortal Jingyang intended to bring the All in One Sword with him when he ascended more than one hundred years ago, just like Taiping Zhenren promised to bring the Dark Phoenix and the Dead Dog with him.
It was easy for him to leave with the Lone Sword and the Thoughtless Sword; it was because they had no spiritual awareness even though they were in a high state. To leave with the All in One Sword, he had to let the All in One Sword advance to a high enough state to ascend; it was because it was a living sword devil.
That was why there were two futons in that manor cave.
Thinking of the scene in which Jingyang and the All in One Sword sat on the futons, Zhao Layue and Liu Shisui had a complicated feeling, but they were also fascinated by the scene.
"Why did you leave alone in the end?" asked Zhao Layue.
Jing Jiu looked at Ping Yong-ka on the bridge and said, "Because we soon discovered that he couldn't ascend, so I had to leave alone."
Liu Shisui asked confusedly, "Since the All in One is the true spirit of the heavenly state just like the Green Sky Mirror, it is born to contain the world; why can't it ascend?"
Jing Jiu said, "Qing 'er is the Hidden Heaven Realm, and she can't leave either. The Snow Girl is also the Hidden Heaven Realm, and she couldn't leave either. They are different from the cultivators of the Human Tribe after all."
Hearing Jing Jiu's words, Ping Yong-Ka vaguely recalled some scenes. Looking at the distant mountains under the starry sky, he asked, "So you've been trying to help me?"
"That's right. I spent a few years to get you to leave that sword, but you seemed to have lost all your memories. You turned back into that naughty monkey and ran away."
Jing Jiu said, "I was at the critical moment of my ascension at the time, so I had to leave first. Later, I met you in Aoyama, but I couldn't be sure that you were you."
In order to let the All in One obtain true freedom, he had to leave the vessel or the shackles.
It sounded complicated, but it was actually quite simple, and it had already happened twice.
Jing Jiu helped Qing 'er leave the Green Sky Mirror and the Snow Girl leave this land for the same reason.
Ping Yong-Ka asked uneasily, "Can I still call you my master then?"
Jing Jiu said, "A master for a day is a father for a lifetime; moreover, it was I who brought you into the Cultivation world in your previous life."
Hearing this answer, Ping Yong-Ka felt relieved. He ran down from the bridge and sat by Jing Jiu's side.
Qing 'er said, "You failed in your ascension and were sneak-attacked by Bai Ren. So you used the Thunder-Soul Wood to be reborn as a sword … You're really lucky."
Zhao Layue and Liu Shisui looked at Jing Jiu reflexively, wondering if he was really lucky.
After they came back from that manor cave, their attitudes toward Jing Jiu had changed subtly; they had more sympathy than admiration for him.
Jing Jiu shot an inquiring glance at Zhao Layue.
Zhao Layue repeated what Nan Wang had said in the manor cave.
Zhuo Rusui, Yuan Qu and Ping Yong-Ka understood what she meant, and they looked at Jing Jiu with sympathy in their eyes.
It was the most excruciating pain to live in the world like a living dead without any sense of perception.
After a moment of silence, Jing Jiu said, "It's okay."
Zhao Layue said while staring at his eyes, "It's not okay."
No matter how calm one's Dao Heart was and how strong one's willpower was, it was still not a good life to live like that.
"I've slept most of the time in the last one hundred years. It's really okay that my spiritual soul can sense things in the Green Sky Mirror, and … I can always sense things from other places."
Jing Jiu walked to the bridge and looked at the world under the starry sky.
In this world, there were romantic scenes, the setting of the sun and the moving of the stars, and the rising and falling of the sea.
All of these could be seen and sensed.
It was true that he didn't like eating hotpot.
There was no difference between the bone broth and the butter broth, no matter how many chilies and Sichuan peppers were added. What was the difference between the black tripe and the thousand-layer tripe? What was the difference between the different parts of the beef? What was the difference between the oysters in Lelang County and the cold-water oysters in the Dongyi Dao?
Yet, he liked to watch others eat hotpot; he liked to see Zhao Layue eat the meat even though she was an elegant girl; he liked to see Zhuo Rusui and Yuan Qü fight for the meat; and he liked to see Liu Shisui and Gu Qing cut the meat.
Similarly, he didn't like drinking tea either. He couldn't taste the tea of Little Ya, Maojian, or Bloody Robe. Yet, he liked watching the world through the steam in the teacup, listening to the tea in the iron kettle singing softly, and watching the attentive expression on Gu Qing's face when he stared at the silver coals in the small stove.
Likewise, he didn't like drinking wine either. The green liquor that could bring some sensation to Taiping Zhenren and the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect was like water to him.
The only difference was that he could feel a slight burning sensation on his skin when he was soaked in the river of lava at the bottom of the Cold Mountain. It was indeed a comfortable feeling.
The feeling was similar to other people drinking wine and eating chilies.
It was true that he didn't like any of them, and he didn't care about any of them.
It should be the case.
However, he wouldn't cry when he was sad.
He wouldn't cry no matter how dazzling the morning sunlight was.
It was a bit annoying.
Thinking of this, Jing Jiu let out a wry smile.
"That's all for this matter," he turned around and said to his disciples.
It was quiet at the Three-Thousand Nunnery.
Looking at his figure on the bridge, the disciples suddenly felt that he was quite lonely.
Many years ago at the Plum Meeting in Zhaoge City, Zhao Layue had the same feeling when she saw Jing Jiu's face when Lian Sanyue played the zither.
"Everything has its cause and effect. You are my cause and effect, and I am yours." Jing Jiu continued, "I will influence you, and you will influence me. I am a part of your lives, and you are a part of mine, including Gu Qing … He went to the ocean and satisfied himself, which means he has perfected me. Why wouldn't I be happy?"
Ping Yong-Ka said, "Yes, I can sense that you are truly happy right now, Master."
"Go back to Aoyama," Jing Jiu said to Ping Yong-Ka.
Ping Yong-Ka was taken aback, wondering what mistake he had made this time.
Zhuo Rusui sighed, thinking that anyone would feel uncomfortable when their emotions and thoughts were perceived by others and even controlled by them. If Jing Jiu spoke up instead of pretending to be introverted, it would make the Immortal Sect Master feel uncomfortable. How could he let him feel uncomfortable?
Ping Yong-Ka ran away, stirring up countless lotus leaves in the lotus pond like a gust of wind. Before anybody could react, he had disappeared into the darkness of the night, heading toward Aoyama.
After Jing Jiu left, the young sect master of the No-Mercy Sect was brought into the Three-Thousand Nunnery.
Peng Lang felt nervous and embarrassed, because those present were all disciples of Aoyama, and he was the only outsider.
Jing Jiu motioned for Peng Lang to follow him into the meditation room and closed the door.
Zhao Layue and Zhuo Rusui eyed each other, and then glanced at Liu Shisui.
They were all people with natural Dao quality, and had the highest talent in the Aoyama Sect and even in the whole Cultivation world.
Until Peng Lang suddenly appeared in the world.
Peng Lang's name was quite ordinary, and he looked quite ordinary, but it took him merely one hundred years to break through the Heavenly Arrival State.
And he was not an ordinary swordsman in the Heavenly Arrival State, but a swordsman in the Heavenly Arrival State who could kill Emperor Xiao with one swing of his sword and block a swing of Jian Xilai's sword.
It didn't make sense.
What was Jing Jiu talking to him about at the moment?
Was it another cause and effect?
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