"You don't need to become a beast of burden," Li Nianlong said as he looked at the kneeling Li Xiaoyao. Although this kid was a wanderer, he was also a filial son. It was a pity that he lacked the strength to protect his wife and child.
Thinking about the game's ending, Li Nianlong became infuriated.
He took out a prepared "Ten Perfect Tonic Pill": "Here is a spiritual pill, take it to save your aunt!"
Li Xiaoyao was overjoyed and carefully took the pill. "Thank you, hero! Thank you, hero! Don't worry, once my aunt recovers, I will come to serve you on Immortal Spirit Island."
Li Nianlong said coldly, "Didn't you hear what I just said? I'm giving you this pill because of your filial piety, but Immortal Spirit Island doesn't welcome outsiders. If I see you here again, watch out for your head!"
"Great... Great hero..."
"Get out!" Li Nianlong punched a large stone beside him, shattering it into pieces.
Li Xiaoyao was so scared that he stumbled out of the Immortal Spirit Cave and, scrambling, left Immortal Spirit Island on Zhang Sige's small fishing boat. Only then did Li Nianlong smile faintly, "Now, just wait for the black Miao people to show up."
If he remembered correctly, Zhao Ling'er should be bathing at this time. As a high-minded person, Li Nianlong would never stoop to peeking at a woman bathing, but seeing the real-life version of Zhao Ling'er was necessary.
When Zhao Ling'er first appeared in the game, she was innocent and adorable, radiant and graceful. However, after the slaughter on Immortal Spirit Island, she walked a path of tragic fate. Every player of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" would grit their teeth at Ling'er's ending. The best girl couldn't have a good ending. Though tragedy makes for classics, Li Nianlong didn't care about that. Since the system gave him the "Sword and Fairy" setting for his level 29 trial, he wouldn't allow the tragedy to happen.
Returning the same way, Li Nianlong had the leisure to observe his surroundings. The six statues were completely shattered, and across the river appeared a lotus path. Walking on the lotus flowers felt very stable, able to bear great weight, which explained why the large, black Miao man could also walk over.
However, the defenses of Immortal Spirit Island were too poor. Li Xiaoyao broke the statues, and later the black Miao people boarded the island without being noticed, leading to their massacre. It was well deserved.
Li Nianlong shook his head and sighed, "Indeed, they're just a bunch of old, weak, women, and children!"
Entering the Immortal Spirit Cave, Li Nianlong found a fork in the road. Going straight led to a stone bridge, and turning right led to a peach blossom forest. Seeing this, he knew what it was. The stone bridge must lead to Water Moon Palace.
As he walked forward, he was blocked by an invisible force. Smiling faintly, he turned right toward the peach blossom forest.
"It's not that I want to be a rogue; it's the heavens pushing me down this path!"
Thinking of Zhao Ling'er bathing, Li Nianlong felt a bit excited, but don't misunderstand. He was excited because he could see Zhao Ling'er, not because of her state of dress.
Walking along the stone path in the peach blossom forest, he encountered a young girl in a dark blue dress with a diagonal collar. She had a face as fair as the moon, a figure as graceful as a willow, and an aura that exuded a divine beauty as if she were a jade maiden from the heavens.
Zhao Ling'er!
Li Nianlong finally saw the real-life version of Zhao Ling'er. For some reason, seeing her for the first time, he thought of Nalan Ruoyue. Both girls had a celestial aura, strong and kind. The difference was Nalan Ruoyue preferred quiet, while Zhao Ling'er was still a playful child.
"Eh?" Zhao Ling'er was startled to see a strange man on Immortal Spirit Island. She quickly chanted a spell, and a gust of wind surrounded her, lifting her five meters into the air. From above, she looked down at Li Nianlong with a frosty expression, "Who are you? Why are you trespassing on Immortal Spirit Island?"
"..."
"Why aren't you speaking?" Zhao Ling'er's eyebrows furrowed, then she giggled, "Are you scared silly? How dare you trespass with such a small courage? Go back now, or I won't be polite."
Li Nianlong sighed and admired, "Flying is so nice."
"..."
Zhao Ling'er almost lost control of her spell and fell from the sky. She quickly calmed down, landed gently, and smiled, "So you're a fool. Hey, fool, where are you from?"
"From overseas." Looking at Zhao Ling'er up close, she seemed even more innocent and lovely. At this moment, she was just a child longing for the outside world. If not for Bai Yue, she could have had a happy life.
With a light sigh, he said, "Also, I'm not called a fool. My name is Li Nianlong. You can call me Brother Menglong."
"Oh?" Zhao Ling'er looked at Li Nianlong curiously, "Indeed, your clothes are different from ours, and your accent has a northern flavor. You are tall and strong. Are you from the north?"
"If you say so." Li Nianlong smiled faintly but internally criticized the game's inconsistent setting. In the Lock Demon Tower, the Book Immortal mentioned its history, "This tower was built 584 years ago by Emperor Liang Wu, who gathered gold and jade stones from across the land..."
Emperor Liang Wu, named Xiao Yan, reigned from 502 to 550 AD. Adding 584 years places the story of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" around 1086 to 1134 AD.
In Suzhou Lin Family Fort, Li Xiaoyao claimed to be born on the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month in the year of the Ox. He was 19 years old during the story, making that year a year of the Monkey. In 1086-1134 AD, only 1104 was a year of the Monkey, during the Northern Song Dynasty.
In the Jade Buddha Temple, Xiao Shitou said, "I am a Buddha bead held by Dharma Master, and I have been cultivating for 999 years."
Dharma Master, believed to have died around 535 AD, during Emperor Liang Wu's first year. So, the latest the story could happen is 1534 AD, during the Ming Dynasty. The closest year of the Monkey around this time is 1524 AD, or 60 years earlier, which is implausible for Dharma Master.
The capital in the game is Chang'an, the historical capital of various dynasties but not the Northern Song or Ming.
In the novel, Zhao Ling'er jokingly said, "I know, you were cross-talk partners in your past lives!"
Cross-talk, a comedic performance, originated in the late Qing Dynasty.
Considering these points, the timeline of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" is inconsistent. Thus, it's a computer game without a specific historical background, like Jin Yong's "The Deer and the Cauldron," created out of boredom.
Li Nianlong spoke in standard Chinese, and Zhao Ling'er identified him as a northerner. In this confused era, where is standard Chinese commonly used in the north?
"Hehe, you are indeed a northerner." Zhao Ling'er was pleased with herself, "So, Brother Menglong, why did you come to the south? How did you get to Immortal Spirit Island? Grandmother said ordinary people can't enter the Spirit Cave. How did you get in?"
The title "Brother Menglong" made Li Nianlong feel ecstatic. Zhao Ling'er was his goddess when he played the game. Now, hearing her call him that, he felt a sense of fulfillment.
Smiling, he said, "If I told you I was swept up by a tornado and ended up here when I fell, would you believe me?"
"A tornado?" Zhao Ling'er tilted her head, "What is that?"
Having grown up on this small island learning immortal arts, her knowledge was limited.
"A tornado is..." After explaining the principle of a tornado, Li Nianlong said, "Luckily, I am strong and my clothes are sturdy. Otherwise, I would have been blown to death by the tornado."
"I see." Zhao Ling'er looked at him with sympathy, "Brother Menglong is really unfortunate. Your family must be very worried."
"Family?" Li Nianlong was silent for a moment, then said, "I have no family in this world."
Indeed, Nalan Ruoyue and the others were on Earth, so he had no family in this world.
This ambiguous answer led Zhao Ling'er to misunderstand, and she looked at him with even more sympathy. "So, Brother Menglong, you have no family either..."
The atmosphere grew somber. After a while, Zhao Ling'er forced a smile, "It's okay, Brother Menglong. Since you have no family, I'll talk to Grandmother. You can stay on Immortal Spirit Island."
"Oh?" Li Nianlong smiled faintly, "Thank you for your kindness, but aren't you afraid I'm a bad person who will harm you?"
"Hehe, no!" Zhao Ling'er said proudly, "I can sense that Brother Menglong is not a bad person. If you were, I would dislike you."
Li Nianlong chuckled, "Are you so confident? Aren't
you afraid it's just an illusion?"
"Impossible." Zhao Ling'er shook her head, "I've been practicing immortal arts since I was little and am sensitive to auras. I've met bad people before, and they have a nasty, filthy aura. But Brother Menglong doesn't have that. Instead, you have a comforting aura, so you must be a good person."
"Oh?" This surprised Li Nianlong, "Immortal arts can reveal a person's nature?"
"Of course." Zhao Ling'er smiled, "So don't worry, Brother Menglong. Grandmother knows immortal arts too. When she sees you, she won't drive you away."
Li Nianlong pondered: No wonder Grandmother allowed Zhao Ling'er to marry Li Xiaoyao and didn't kill him. She must have sensed that Li Xiaoyao was not a bad person.