'I am Zi Feng. Someone who always loved to live freely. Well, I spent the early part of my life completely carefree, until I met you. I didn't know what love was. At first, I thought it was nothing important. But thank you, Yue Ling, for making me understand the meaning of love.
I was happy all this time. Thank you for everything. But I realized that nothing is ever permanent.
Yue Ling, never forgive me! Never!'
The tears that flowed down her cheeks fell on the sheet of paper and wet it. Covering her face with her hands, she cried silently. "Why, why even at the end, why are you thinking about him..." she muttered, hugging the sheet of paper to her chest.
"Lin Yue, you are doing it again." The golden-haired youth standing by the door of the room said worriedly. Lin Yue wiped her tears and faced him. "It's not like I can forget." She whispered, forcing a smile.
The golden-haired youth, fully dressed in a golden robe, sat down next to her. Leaning her head on his shoulder, he let her cry quietly.
"Feng is so-so selfish," she said crying. "He Yu is so bad." Her tears soaked his robe. "How could they do this to me? Three hundred years to the day. T-They still haven't come." He silently patted her head. No amount of comforting words will bring her children back to her. "You read that letter too many times. Aren't you bored, Lin Yue?" he asked, staring blankly at the wall.
"I read it every day, I want to find out if Feng has even written a letter for me. I'm afraid I've missed it," she said. "My Feng won't leave without telling me."
He shook his head. There was a sad smile on his face. "You're right, Feng won't go without saying."
A moment of silence.
"Lin Yue really...there's really something I haven't told you." He took a deep breath. He had no idea where to begin. But he couldn't bear to see his wife suffer like this anymore.
"Actually, I just wanted to say…-"
He clenched his fists.
"Our Feng is alive!"
***
San Jie's face was as pale as a ghost. When they came back, Jun Peak was no more. Only the broken ruins remained. Now he was tired of cleaning them. The sect was completely turned upside down. Sha Diren and Juyao Peak were the worst destroyed.
"Sorry." Xiao Hai said, helping San Jie bring the firewood. "Stop it Xiao shixiong, you've told me that countless times now." He raised his head. Jun Peak was rapidly rebuilding, but none of them were happy.
Murong Meng had indeed betrayed them. However, his actions caused severe damage to all three peaks. Second Shixiong Mei Qingxuan was quieter and more fiery than usual. San Jie understood that. The person closest to Murong Meng was Qingxuan.
"But sorry," Xiao Hai repeated.
San Jie ".....?"
Xiao Hai strongly believed that the current state of Jun Peak was his fault. A man of few words, he said nothing but 'sorry' all this time. San Jie hoped that there would be no battle over taking the jade ruby of Chuangzhou to clean Jun Peak.
It had been three days. Yu Lingyu still didn't wake up. San Jie didn't know how Wu Xuan was doing, and he didn't care to know. He shouldn't worry so much that he doesn't die.
Also, Wei Yunhe was supposed to come back today.
"By the way Xiao shixiong, why is Yi Qiu the main disciple instead of you?" Xiao hai didn't answer.
San Jie gave up trying to talk to him.
"Because of Wei Yunhe," Xiao Hai answered curtly, coming out of the woodshed.
"Huh?"
Xiao Hai repeated, fixing his golden hazel eyes directly on San Jie. "Because of Wei Yunhe."
Xiao Hai seemed unwilling to answer, so San Jie didn't ask anymore. Even if asked, Xiao Hai's answers would only be short words without any meaning. "Oi San Jie, hurry up." Shen Ming, who was walking with a bamboo cane on his shoulder, saw them and shouted.
San Jie stared at him but didn't say anything. Also, Shen Ming did not clash with him throughout this period.
"But Xiao shixiong, is it really okay for you to work like this?"
Xiao hai nodded, picking up a few bamboo sticks. "all right."
"San Jie," Jian Yu came running from somewhere. "We've finished clearing the west courtyard. Need help?" San Jie smiled awkwardly. Since even the Lingxiao Sect was helping, he thought it was okay to get help from Xiao Hai.
Together they carried the bamboo. The construction of the temporary cabin was almost finished. San Jie sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "San Xiong," Duan Xia said, offering him water.
"Thank you, Duan Shimei, how is he?" San Jie asked as he rinsed the water from his head. "Yu Shixiong is fine. Luo Xiong is with him."
"How is he, that Wu Xuan?" San Jie asked looking away. Duan Xia smiled as if teasing him. "Yu Yi Shijie said he is fine. I think so too."
"That arrogant fool, never once came to see Yu Shixiong." San Jie huffed in anger.
"He came," Duan Xia said in surprise. "Didn't you see?"
"Huh?"
"He also had a golden rabbit in his hand. Just like our Da Shixiong's Xiao Yu. Oh right, where did our Hu Mao go? I didn't see him."
San Jie's face darkened. No one was happier than he because of Weasel's disappearance. "Did you say a golden rabbit?"
Duan Xia sat down on a rock next to him. "That's so cute."
San Ji's eyes narrowed. Could it be just a coincidence?
"I want to meet him." He muttered to himself.
"Rabbit?" Duan Xia asked, staring at San Jie's face with her wide eyes. Seeing the look on San Jie's face, she laughed out loud. "If you want to see Wu Shixiong, hurry up. I heard he is leaving for work today."
"Duan Shimei, you know everything."
***
Wu Xuan gently caressed the head of the calf that was snuggled against his chest. He had a powdered mooncake in one hand and he was feeding it to the cub. His eyes were full of love like never before.
Wu Xuan was not fully recovered either. But he transferred his spiritual energy to the cub every day. "Don't they taste good?" And when the cub refused food, he asked anxiously and sadly. Calling a disciple, he shouted to bring some more food.
"Da Shixiong, why don't you give him some grass- ok I will." Amidst Wu Xuan's deadly gaze, the trembling disciple quickly ran outside.
"You broke in two again, didn't you?" And he asked as the cub played with his hair. "Don't worry, we'll leave today to meet Master Lian." He said to the cub.
But at the same time, the door opened, and the cub ran into a corner of the room in fear, angering Wu Xuan. "Wha- oh, dad!"
San Jie leaned against a nearby pillar, breathing rapidly. He was covered in sweat. Wu Xuan said nothing, rolled his eyes, and gave a sarcastic smile. "g-go-goin' somewhere?" San Jie asked, trying to breathe properly.
"Is that a problem?" Wu Xuan asked as he stood up, folding his arms across his chest.
"I'm coming too!"
Wu Xuan said ".....?"
He was silent for a while and laughed out loud. "Did I hear you right now? But sorry, I don't need any helpers."
"It's not like I want to help either," San Jie said, blushing furiously. Turning on the other side, he left with a loud step and stopped short at the door. "Thanks for the day before!" He said in a low voice and left without pausing for a moment.
It all happened in a very short time.
"Did you hear that," Wu Xuan asked, picking up the cub. "Your father thanked me."
Within the next few hours, he handed over the peak to his juniors and descended the mountain. This behavior of Wu Xuan after such a big event was unfamiliar to Juyao Peak, but they did not say a word against him. He passed Lilan City within half a day, but it wasn't a good idea to keep flying with the sword.
"I can't believe the injuries are taking so long to heal." He told himself with a sneer. "Also, I can't believe that my spiritual strength weakened in the middle of a forest like this."
Everyone knew that Wu Xuan was very impatient in his affairs. He also knew how to turn things around if something didn't go his way.
He walked slowly on the footpaths made by people in the middle of the forest. The little cub was sleeping on his arms, snuggled against his chest. Wu Xuan looked at it with sad eyes. Yu Lingyu lived thanks to Hong Li. If it weren't for her, his soul might even fade away forever. However, Hong Li did not use her energy to destroy Xul'goth but to protect Lingyu. So no one could tell if Xul'goth was truly destroyed.
As they progressed, the forest slowly narrowed and the big trees withered and turned into small bushes. Wu Xuan's thoughts were correct. Ahead of them was a village. Its gloomy torches were lit and no one remained outside.
"It's already midnight. Let's find a temple or shelter." Touching the calf's head and whispering, he entered the village. A cold wind blew through the village, stirring up dust. Dry leaves were strewn all over the ground as if they had not been cleaned for a long time and the wind made a terrible noise when it stepped on dry leaves.
But he kept walking. There was no demonic aura, and he had no reason to panic, but Wu Xuan was still hypersensitive. So, when a woman's voice came from behind him, he trembled and even drew out his sword.
"Ah damn!" Wu Xuan snorted as he looked at the shrunken old woman in front of him. She was dressed in old clothes and carried a stick in one hand and a basket in the other. "You, boy not from this village," said the old woman, opening her eyes a little and trying to get a better look.
She looked very old and didn't look dangerous.
"No, I'm just passing." Wu Xuan said as he sheathed the sword again.
"Do you, boy have a place to stay? It's not good to walk around this late at night."
Wu Xuan shook his head from side to side as if he had nowhere to stop. At the same time, he remembered Han Ziying's warning.
"Xiao Hai, I say this because you are so careless, if you ever meet an old lady late at night, hurry up and run the other way."
Xiao Hai - okay.
"Ah damn," Wu Xuan said, slapping himself. "Ziying and his jokes."
"You boy, then stay at my place today." The old lady said as she walked past Wu Xuan. He remembered Han Ziying's words again.
"Especially, if the old lady says to stay at her house tonight, don't do it, never."
Wu Xuan bit his lip. It was obvious that Ziying was joking. After all, Wu Xuan firmly believed that this old woman could not harm him at all.
"Even so," Wu Xuan said, pausing. "If it's dangerous at night, where are you walking late at night?" And he asked, gently stroking its head, as the cub clung to his chest again, as if cold.
"I am the leader of this village, and I am a mage. There have been many incidents in this village recently, so I must go around the village every day." said the old woman, continuing. She simply didn't seem to care whether he went with her or not. Therefore, Wu Xuan decided that there was no danger from her and followed her.
"What happened in this village recently?"
The old woman raised her head and looked at Wu Xuan. "Once every week, a young person in this village goes missing. That's why we are short of young men. That's why I told you not to walk late at night." She said turning back to the journey.
"Weren't the cultivators informed about this?"
"We did, but no one came."
It did not surprise Wu Xuan. The Wen Sect was busy with demonic activities in Lilan City, and with the activities of the Lotus Sect, it was possible for such a small village to be overwhelmed. But it was Shensheng Peak who handled the proceedings of the sect. Even if they missed a case, there was no room to bury it. Shensheng Peak was after all the most responsible and loyal peak of the Wen Sect.
They moved on in silence and stopped in front of a small but pleasant-looking mud house. Its torch lights fluttered in the wind, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing. "Come in," said the old woman, entering the house. Sighing, Xuan entered the house behind her.