Blood dripped down the blade of the sword on to the ground.
Jiang Zheliu grasped Ling Xiao Sword, the faint noise of the last of his exhausted energy came from his fingertips, bruises appeared where he was grasping the sword.
He could no longer detect any trace of internal force within his body.
At present all there was left was the red fresh blood rolling down Ling Xiao Sword, dying the ground a crimson red inch by inch.
Jiang Zheliu held himself up.
The meridians in his body had long been pulverized by the impact of the Realm Boundary, right now he is only able to still stand and hold his sword because he had reached the half-step Gold Immortal Stage.
An unending stream of spiritual energy was being extracted from Earth but after the Realm Boundary was fixed, it immediately stopped.
The sky was covered with thick clouds, the sun was red like blood.
Jiang Zheliu closed his eyes, the pitch blackness in front of him calmed his mind, he paused for a moment, then opened them again, turned around, putting the Ling Xiao Sword back into its scabbard.
The Ling Xiao Sword is the sword adorned by the head of the Ling Xiao Sect, and is a symbol representing the highest authority in the sect.
The sword subdued itself in Jiang Xueliu’s palm, emitting a deep trembling whine, before falling abruptly silent, without another sound.
When Jiang Zheliu turned around, the clouds spread and expanded behind him, and the glow of the waning sun stained the clouds in a stunning way. At this moment, his long hair, originally black like ink turned a snow white.
The Realm Boundary was repaired, and the catastrophe that the world faced had disappeared thanks to his lone effort.
Zhu Wuxin who was standing not far from him, looked towards him.
He watched as his Zhangmen Shixiong’s deathly white, snowy hair broke free from the restraint of the hair ornament and was blown around by the wind finally landing around his ears. He watched as the blood dripped from his never-dusty robes, the red patches gradually expanding and evolving into a blindingly bright red.
He watched as Jiang Zheliu sheathed his sword, watched the bottomless red clouds spread behind him, as if heaven and earth were parting to send him off.
Zhu Wuxin didn’t know if his shixiong wanted to die.
He stared at the Ling Xiao Sword.
At the same time, he was also watching his shixiong, who had always been overpowering him for more than a thousand years.
Jiang Zheliu had wanted to suppress the channels of his meridians that were drumming randomly and running around in his body, so that he could calmly instruct Zhu Wuxin, but he couldn’t suppress it and after just two steps, he was slowed down by the pain in his five organs and stopped for a moment while bracing himself against his sword sheath, a metallic substance spread across the corners of his lips.
Zhu Wuxin didn’t go to help him.
But Jiang Zheliu didn’t need him to, the more tattered and vulnerable he became, the more he felt a distinct sense of relief. If he wasn’t in agonising pain, perhaps he would have given his shidi a slight smile and then entrusted Ling Xiao Sect to him.
This was just returning something to its rightful owner. Jiang Zheliu thought.
Ling Xiao Sect’s former Zhangmen was Zhu Wenyuan, who was also the father of Wuxin. He, himself was only Wenyuan’s disciple, but the shidi in front of him was his son.
Jiang Zheliu walked up to his shidi.
The clouds swelled, and the residual haze spread, with the surging spiritual energy revived, the originally silent dead plants came back to life, sprouting from the cracks in the rocks beneath their feet, all living things regenerated.
Jiang Zheliu avoided standing on the newly sprouted grass shoots under his feet and handed Zhu Wuxin the Ling Xiao sword.
“Shixiong” Zhu Wuxin took the sword, he looked behind Jiang Zheliu’s back “Why did you go alone, if there were others assisting you……”
The Realm Boundary of the Great Thousand World Realm can only be touched by half-step Golden Immortals, are you able to find another in the Cultivation World.”
Jiang Zheliu’s voice, just like before, cold and almost emotionless. He was alway detached and indifferent, seemingly to everyone.
Zhu Wuxin’s grip on the sword tightened, his finger bones turning slightly white. He sighed and said, “Even at this time, shixiong still refuses to say more than a few words to me.”
Zhu Wuxin raised his eyes and looked at his slightly tired brows, from which he could not find a trace of affection, nor could he find any trace of regret nor dissatisfaction in the other party, only a deep pool of calm and coldness remained.
To be honest at this point……
Jiang Zheliu had been depleted entirely of spiritual energy in his body and he could be put to death with a simple lift of his hand. The Ling Xiao Sword had arrived in his hand, and henceforth he, Zhu Wuxin, would no longer have such a shixiong pressing down on his head before him.
But even at this point in time, Jiang Zheliu was still so arrogant.
“Does shixiong have a place to go?”
Zhu Wuxin was reluctant to keep him, his prestige in the Ling Xiao Sect and the whole Cultivation World was too prestigious, he had dominated for a thousand years and was recognized by the world as the head of the Immortal Sect, Ling Xiao Sect. If Jiang Zheliu was kept in the sect, even if he was a heavily injured sick person, Zhu Wuxin was afraid that it would be difficult for him to pry the position out of his hands.
Jiang Zheliu knew what Zhu Wuxin was thinking, he turned to look at the remnant sunset, after a moment he said: “I’m going to Zhongnan Mountain.”
It was the place where the bones of Ling Xiao’s previous Zhangmen were buried. It was extremely remote, far from human habitation, and there were many small demons who lived there so it did not seem to be suitable for habitation.
“Zhongnan Mountain.” Zhu Wuxin repeated the place, looked at his head of snow-white hair, suddenly raised his hand, and wiped away the undried blood on the other’s lips, and smiled, “It is a good place for shixiong to recover from his injuries at ease.”
The fingertips gently rubbed the corners of the lips, with a softness different from his usual temperament.
“Recover……” Jiang Zheliu evaded this, and said “To die in front of shifu’s gravestone is a worthy way to go.”
Jiang Zheliu looked at him, seeing the sparkle in his shidi’s eyes, he said: “After I’m gone, take care of Ling Xiao Sect. There will no longer be anyone to discipline you or instruct you.”
He said this without emotion, but the pain that nearly shattered his five internal organs lingered. Jiang Zheliu coughed, blood moistened his lips once more, he didn’t care and continued: “If someone bullies you in the future, shixiong won’t be there.”
Zhu Wuxin choked on his words and looked at his face for a moment in awe.
“There is no need to come looking for me.” Jiang Zheliu said, “Nor is there any need to tell anyone. To become a part of Zhongnan Mountain, has been my lifelong dream and my final wish.”
Zhu Wuxin suddenly wasn’t sure what to say.
Before Jiang Zheliu said these words, he had envisioned all sorts of scenarios. In his eyes, his Jiang shixiong would always be able to make rapid progress and be all-powerful, and would always be best able to fulfil his father’s wishes and protect all the living creatures of the world behind him.
It was because of this trust that he had not done his best in assisting his shixiong. Zhu Wuxin hardly took the matter as a fault because he knew that his shixiong would be able to do it, and there was nothing in the world that his shixiong could not do.
But he did not expect that Jiang Zheliu, with his white hair, and badly wounded body and blood all over him, would still say these things to him with such a calm demeanour.
Zhu Wuxin was silent for a long time, his mind was confused, he was thinking that his shixiong had actually given him the power of the Ling Xiao Sect without reservation, that his shixiong had not wanted to regain his cultivation and seek medical treatment, that he had not stopped him from taking over the Ling Xiao Sword, that he had not lectured him on his ineffective aid ……
Zhu Wuxin knew that none of this could escape his eyes, but Jiang Zheliu did not mention a word about it.
The Zhangmen’s sword inexplicably burnt in his palm.
Jiang Zheliu continued: “The rules of co-existing with demons and devils, whether it is by following my old rules or by creating new ones, is at the disposal of the Shidi. Except……”
Here it comes.
Zhu Wuxin was slightly nervous, finally the moment had come when the other party would state what he wanted. He listened intently with a look of concentration.
“……Except the little demons that I took in. Jiang Zheliu paused and then said “let them go.”
Zhu Wuxin stared at him blankly.
He saw the blood-stained sleeves of his shixiong, the blood clots spat out from his entrails clotted on his lips as he covered them and coughed softly, the formerly strong and unparalleled Immortal Zhangmen, in front of his eyes now, was like an extremely fragile glazed cup that Zhu Wuxin dared not even touch.
Jiang Zheliu closed his eyes trying to regulate his mind to reduce the dizziness, after that he picked up his foot as if to leave.
He was not steady at this step, he was a little staggered, but Zhu Wuxin caught him in the next moment and held his arms steady.
“Shixiong, wait, wait a moment.”Zhu Wuxin suddenly felt that he was about to lose something, and he was a little flustered for no reason. “The Realm Boundary of the Great Thousand Worlds Realm has been repaired, and the sects should know immediately. They will soon come to Ling Xiao to say thanks to shixiong, shixiong…”
His supporting hand was slowly pushed away. The shixiong who stood before him was as he remembered, unruffled after any calamity, as if he had been born strong and resilient and would not let anyone find any weakness on him.
But this time it was not the case.
Jiang Zheliu was too tired.
He coughed up another mouthful of blood，he didn’t know how long this broken body without any spiritual energy could last under such severe injuries. But he also didn’t care, he was burdened with great responsibility for a 1000 years, and now he could finally be free.
Jiang Zheliu was overjoyed.
He took one last look at Zhu Wuxin: “Shidi take care of yourself.”
Zhu Wuxin was half speechless, except that the Lingxiao Sword in his hand trembled violently, seemingly wanting to disengage and follow Jiang Zheliu. Zhu Wuxin gripped the sword in his palm tightly, his heart sobered abruptly, and raised his hand in salute, “Shidi has a long road ahead, I ……”
“No need to send me off.”
Jiang Zheliu gave him a rarely seen slight smile.
“You should go back.”
The red clouds covered the sky, the sun began to set into the western mountains.
Zhu Wuxin watched him leave, watched the corners of his clothes full of blood, and watched his unrivaled shixiong, unexpectedly show a trace of frailty from his parting figure.
All these years and he had never discovered that Jiang Zheliu was in fact so slim, no matter whether it was his shoulder, back or waist, or even his bloodstained fingers, as if any part of him could dissipate with the wind, and never to be found again in the world.
Zhu Wuxin stood there for a long time, before coming back to reality with the Ling Xiao sword in his hand.
There would not be anyone to stand in his way，all of the shadows of his long inferiority, of his jealousy towards the position of Zhangmen……were all reduced to nothing, there was no longer anyone who would discipline him again.
He no longer had a shixiong.
————
The remnants of the sunset were gone, followed by a rare snowfall.
The road from the Ling Xiao Sect to the Zhongnan Mountains was a bitterly cold one, and with the heavy snowfall, there were not many people on the road.
The night was dense, and a lamp was hung in front of the carriage, swaying randomly in the snowy night.
There was a driver on the carriage，it was a mortal he had hired with silver, the carriage had also been hired with silver.
As an Immortal Zhangmen for so many years who had only ever heard people call him Xianzun or Qianbei, he rarely used money, so he didn’t know how much money was a suitable amount to pay for the driver. The price was asked by the driver, the driver was a relative of a Ling Xiao disciple，he had picked him from Ling Xiao Sect, even though he didn’t recognise Jiang Zheliu, he didn’t care to cheat him and go against principle.
The lamp swayed about on the roof of the carriage, the driver stopped his horse and said to him, “We are almost approaching the place that gongzi wishes to go, there is only a section of road ahead that the carriage can go, and then you will have to go up the mountain …… where there are many demons, this old man really does not dare.”
Jiang Zheliu asked：“What time is it now？”
“Almost yinshi.”
At this time, all of the other sects must already know that the Realm Boundary has been repaired and be on their way to Ling Xiao Sect.
Jiang Zheliu’s old habits were hard to change, and he would always think about the sect first, but this time, he didn’t think of it in the same way as he did before, and he didn’t think of it in a far-reaching way, but in a calm and natural way.
After some time, they arrived at Zhongnan Mountain. The carriage stopped and the driver put down a small stool. When he got up looking up, he saw a hand separating the curtains of the carriage, the knuckles were delicate, the nails were rounded and white, almost as if carved from beautiful jade.
The driver subconsciously held his breath as he saw this gongzi pressed into a very heavy plush cloak, his long snow-coloured hair only half tied back, his features handsome and cold, his eyes dark, with no glimmer in them, and his body tainted with a bitter ice coldness that made people almost want to back away.
The carriage driver felt that the wind and snow did not look as cold as this gongzi looked.
But when he helped him, he felt that this gentleman was unstable and weak, as if he was only hanging on by a thread.
“Thank you.” Jiang Zheliu paid him the rest of the fare, then looked up at the familiar shape of the mountain.
In the past, when the shifu died, it was he and his shidi who buried and entombed his bones here. On his deathbed, his shifu entrusted him to take care of the Ling Xiao Sect and Wuxin.
Now that his mission had been fulfilled and his cultivation had been destroyed, he is no different from a mere mortal.
The Ling Xiao Sect, the Cultivation World, and all beings within this Divine World no longer need him.
Jiang Zheliu stretched out his hand and tightened his cloak on his shoulders, stepping on the thick snow all over the ground.
For the first time since he had started cultivating, he re-experienced the cold of the world today.
Jiang Zheliu walked across the snow, until he reached the snow-covered tombstone.
He knelt down, stretched out his hand to dust off the snow on the gravestone, and stared at the engraving upon it for a long time. He had countless things to say, but he didn’t know where to start.
Jiang Zheliu was an orphan since he was a child. When he was three years old, he was brought back to the Ling Xiao by Zhu Wenyuan. Since then, his shifu became his parent, and Ling Xiao Sect his home.
The moonlight shone belatedly.
Jiang Zheliu thought about it for a long time and then finally said：“Wuxin is all grown up.”
He said: “I’ve come to keep you company.”
Blood dripped down the blade of the sword on to the ground.
Jiang Zheliu grasped Ling Xiao Sword, the faint noise of the last of his exhausted energy came from his fingertips, bruises appeared where he was grasping the sword.
He could no longer detect any trace of internal force within his body.
At present all there was left was the red fresh blood rolling down Ling Xiao Sword, dying the ground a crimson red inch by inch.
Jiang Zheliu held himself up.
The meridians in his body had long been pulverized by the impact of the Realm Boundary, right now he is only able to still stand and hold his sword because he had reached the half-step Gold Immortal Stage.
An unending stream of spiritual energy was being extracted from Earth but after the Realm Boundary was fixed, it immediately stopped.
The sky was covered with thick clouds, the sun was red like blood.
Jiang Zheliu closed his eyes, the pitch blackness in front of him calmed his mind, he paused for a moment, then opened them again, turned around, putting the Ling Xiao Sword back into its scabbard.
The Ling Xiao Sword is the sword adorned by the head of the Ling Xiao Sect, and is a symbol representing the highest authority in the sect.
The sword subdued itself in Jiang Xueliu’s palm, emitting a deep trembling whine, before falling abruptly silent, without another sound.
When Jiang Zheliu turned around, the clouds spread and expanded behind him, and the glow of the waning sun stained the clouds in a stunning way. At this moment, his long hair, originally black like ink turned a snow white.
The Realm Boundary was repaired, and the catastrophe that the world faced had disappeared thanks to his lone effort.
Zhu Wuxin who was standing not far from him, looked towards him.
He watched as his Zhangmen Shixiong’s deathly white, snowy hair broke free from the restraint of the hair ornament and was blown around by the wind finally landing around his ears. He watched as the blood dripped from his never-dusty robes, the red patches gradually expanding and evolving into a blindingly bright red.
He watched as Jiang Zheliu sheathed his sword, watched the bottomless red clouds spread behind him, as if heaven and earth were parting to send him off.
Zhu Wuxin didn’t know if his shixiong wanted to die.
He stared at the Ling Xiao Sword.
At the same time, he was also watching his shixiong, who had always been overpowering him for more than a thousand years.
Jiang Zheliu had wanted to suppress the channels of his meridians that were drumming randomly and running around in his body, so that he could calmly instruct Zhu Wuxin, but he couldn’t suppress it and after just two steps, he was slowed down by the pain in his five organs and stopped for a moment while bracing himself against his sword sheath, a metallic substance spread across the corners of his lips.
Zhu Wuxin didn’t go to help him.
But Jiang Zheliu didn’t need him to, the more tattered and vulnerable he became, the more he felt a distinct sense of relief. If he wasn’t in agonising pain, perhaps he would have given his shidi a slight smile and then entrusted Ling Xiao Sect to him.
This was just returning something to its rightful owner. Jiang Zheliu thought.
Ling Xiao Sect’s former Zhangmen was Zhu Wenyuan, who was also the father of Wuxin. He, himself was only Wenyuan’s disciple, but the shidi in front of him was his son.
Jiang Zheliu walked up to his shidi.
The clouds swelled, and the residual haze spread, with the surging spiritual energy revived, the originally silent dead plants came back to life, sprouting from the cracks in the rocks beneath their feet, all living things regenerated.
Jiang Zheliu avoided standing on the newly sprouted grass shoots under his feet and handed Zhu Wuxin the Ling Xiao sword.
“Shixiong” Zhu Wuxin took the sword, he looked behind Jiang Zheliu’s back “Why did you go alone, if there were others assisting you……”
The Realm Boundary of the Great Thousand World Realm can only be touched by half-step Golden Immortals, are you able to find another in the Cultivation World.”
Jiang Zheliu’s voice, just like before, cold and almost emotionless. He was alway detached and indifferent, seemingly to everyone.
Zhu Wuxin’s grip on the sword tightened, his finger bones turning slightly white. He sighed and said, “Even at this time, shixiong still refuses to say more than a few words to me.”
Zhu Wuxin raised his eyes and looked at his slightly tired brows, from which he could not find a trace of affection, nor could he find any trace of regret nor dissatisfaction in the other party, only a deep pool of calm and coldness remained.
To be honest at this point……
Jiang Zheliu had been depleted entirely of spiritual energy in his body and he could be put to death with a simple lift of his hand. The Ling Xiao Sword had arrived in his hand, and henceforth he, Zhu Wuxin, would no longer have such a shixiong pressing down on his head before him.
But even at this point in time, Jiang Zheliu was still so arrogant.
“Does shixiong have a place to go?”
Zhu Wuxin was reluctant to keep him, his prestige in the Ling Xiao Sect and the whole Cultivation World was too prestigious, he had dominated for a thousand years and was recognized by the world as the head of the Immortal Sect, Ling Xiao Sect. If Jiang Zheliu was kept in the sect, even if he was a heavily injured sick person, Zhu Wuxin was afraid that it would be difficult for him to pry the position out of his hands.
Jiang Zheliu knew what Zhu Wuxin was thinking, he turned to look at the remnant sunset, after a moment he said: “I’m going to Zhongnan Mountain.”
It was the place where the bones of Ling Xiao’s previous Zhangmen were buried. It was extremely remote, far from human habitation, and there were many small demons who lived there so it did not seem to be suitable for habitation.
“Zhongnan Mountain.” Zhu Wuxin repeated the place, looked at his head of snow-white hair, suddenly raised his hand, and wiped away the undried blood on the other’s lips, and smiled, “It is a good place for shixiong to recover from his injuries at ease.”
The fingertips gently rubbed the corners of the lips, with a softness different from his usual temperament.
“Recover……” Jiang Zheliu evaded this, and said “To die in front of shifu’s gravestone is a worthy way to go.”
Jiang Zheliu looked at him, seeing the sparkle in his shidi’s eyes, he said: “After I’m gone, take care of Ling Xiao Sect. There will no longer be anyone to discipline you or instruct you.”
He said this without emotion, but the pain that nearly shattered his five internal organs lingered. Jiang Zheliu coughed, blood moistened his lips once more, he didn’t care and continued: “If someone bullies you in the future, shixiong won’t be there.”
Zhu Wuxin choked on his words and looked at his face for a moment in awe.
“There is no need to come looking for me.” Jiang Zheliu said, “Nor is there any need to tell anyone. To become a part of Zhongnan Mountain, has been my lifelong dream and my final wish.”
Zhu Wuxin suddenly wasn’t sure what to say.
Before Jiang Zheliu said these words, he had envisioned all sorts of scenarios. In his eyes, his Jiang shixiong would always be able to make rapid progress and be all-powerful, and would always be best able to fulfil his father’s wishes and protect all the living creatures of the world behind him.
It was because of this trust that he had not done his best in assisting his shixiong. Zhu Wuxin hardly took the matter as a fault because he knew that his shixiong would be able to do it, and there was nothing in the world that his shixiong could not do.
But he did not expect that Jiang Zheliu, with his white hair, and badly wounded body and blood all over him, would still say these things to him with such a calm demeanour.
Zhu Wuxin was silent for a long time, his mind was confused, he was thinking that his shixiong had actually given him the power of the Ling Xiao Sect without reservation, that his shixiong had not wanted to regain his cultivation and seek medical treatment, that he had not stopped him from taking over the Ling Xiao Sword, that he had not lectured him on his ineffective aid ……
Zhu Wuxin knew that none of this could escape his eyes, but Jiang Zheliu did not mention a word about it.
The Zhangmen’s sword inexplicably burnt in his palm.
Jiang Zheliu continued: “The rules of co-existing with demons and devils, whether it is by following my old rules or by creating new ones, is at the disposal of the Shidi. Except……”
Here it comes.
Zhu Wuxin was slightly nervous, finally the moment had come when the other party would state what he wanted. He listened intently with a look of concentration.
“……Except the little demons that I took in. Jiang Zheliu paused and then said “let them go.”
Zhu Wuxin stared at him blankly.
He saw the blood-stained sleeves of his shixiong, the blood clots spat out from his entrails clotted on his lips as he covered them and coughed softly, the formerly strong and unparalleled Immortal Zhangmen, in front of his eyes now, was like an extremely fragile glazed cup that Zhu Wuxin dared not even touch.
Jiang Zheliu closed his eyes trying to regulate his mind to reduce the dizziness, after that he picked up his foot as if to leave.
He was not steady at this step, he was a little staggered, but Zhu Wuxin caught him in the next moment and held his arms steady.
“Shixiong, wait, wait a moment.”Zhu Wuxin suddenly felt that he was about to lose something, and he was a little flustered for no reason. “The Realm Boundary of the Great Thousand Worlds Realm has been repaired, and the sects should know immediately. They will soon come to Ling Xiao to say thanks to shixiong, shixiong…”
His supporting hand was slowly pushed away. The shixiong who stood before him was as he remembered, unruffled after any calamity, as if he had been born strong and resilient and would not let anyone find any weakness on him.
But this time it was not the case.
Jiang Zheliu was too tired.
He coughed up another mouthful of blood，he didn’t know how long this broken body without any spiritual energy could last under such severe injuries. But he also didn’t care, he was burdened with great responsibility for a 1000 years, and now he could finally be free.
Jiang Zheliu was overjoyed.
He took one last look at Zhu Wuxin: “Shidi take care of yourself.”
Zhu Wuxin was half speechless, except that the Lingxiao Sword in his hand trembled violently, seemingly wanting to disengage and follow Jiang Zheliu. Zhu Wuxin gripped the sword in his palm tightly, his heart sobered abruptly, and raised his hand in salute, “Shidi has a long road ahead, I ……”
“No need to send me off.”
Jiang Zheliu gave him a rarely seen slight smile.
“You should go back.”
The red clouds covered the sky, the sun began to set into the western mountains.
Zhu Wuxin watched him leave, watched the corners of his clothes full of blood, and watched his unrivaled shixiong, unexpectedly show a trace of frailty from his parting figure.
All these years and he had never discovered that Jiang Zheliu was in fact so slim, no matter whether it was his shoulder, back or waist, or even his bloodstained fingers, as if any part of him could dissipate with the wind, and never to be found again in the world.
Zhu Wuxin stood there for a long time, before coming back to reality with the Ling Xiao sword in his hand.
There would not be anyone to stand in his way，all of the shadows of his long inferiority, of his jealousy towards the position of Zhangmen……were all reduced to nothing, there was no longer anyone who would discipline him again.
He no longer had a shixiong.
————
The remnants of the sunset were gone, followed by a rare snowfall.
The road from the Ling Xiao Sect to the Zhongnan Mountains was a bitterly cold one, and with the heavy snowfall, there were not many people on the road.
The night was dense, and a lamp was hung in front of the carriage, swaying randomly in the snowy night.
There was a driver on the carriage，it was a mortal he had hired with silver, the carriage had also been hired with silver.
As an Immortal Zhangmen for so many years who had only ever heard people call him Xianzun or Qianbei, he rarely used money, so he didn’t know how much money was a suitable amount to pay for the driver. The price was asked by the driver, the driver was a relative of a Ling Xiao disciple，he had picked him from Ling Xiao Sect, even though he didn’t recognise Jiang Zheliu, he didn’t care to cheat him and go against principle.
The lamp swayed about on the roof of the carriage, the driver stopped his horse and said to him, “We are almost approaching the place that gongzi wishes to go, there is only a section of road ahead that the carriage can go, and then you will have to go up the mountain …… where there are many demons, this old man really does not dare.”
Jiang Zheliu asked：“What time is it now？”
“Almost yinshi.”
At this time, all of the other sects must already know that the Realm Boundary has been repaired and be on their way to Ling Xiao Sect.
Jiang Zheliu’s old habits were hard to change, and he would always think about the sect first, but this time, he didn’t think of it in the same way as he did before, and he didn’t think of it in a far-reaching way, but in a calm and natural way.
After some time, they arrived at Zhongnan Mountain. The carriage stopped and the driver put down a small stool. When he got up looking up, he saw a hand separating the curtains of the carriage, the knuckles were delicate, the nails were rounded and white, almost as if carved from beautiful jade.
The driver subconsciously held his breath as he saw this gongzi pressed into a very heavy plush cloak, his long snow-coloured hair only half tied back, his features handsome and cold, his eyes dark, with no glimmer in them, and his body tainted with a bitter ice coldness that made people almost want to back away.
The carriage driver felt that the wind and snow did not look as cold as this gongzi looked.
But when he helped him, he felt that this gentleman was unstable and weak, as if he was only hanging on by a thread.
“Thank you.” Jiang Zheliu paid him the rest of the fare, then looked up at the familiar shape of the mountain.
In the past, when the shifu died, it was he and his shidi who buried and entombed his bones here. On his deathbed, his shifu entrusted him to take care of the Ling Xiao Sect and Wuxin.
Now that his mission had been fulfilled and his cultivation had been destroyed, he is no different from a mere mortal.
The Ling Xiao Sect, the Cultivation World, and all beings within this Divine World no longer need him.
Jiang Zheliu stretched out his hand and tightened his cloak on his shoulders, stepping on the thick snow all over the ground.
For the first time since he had started cultivating, he re-experienced the cold of the world today.
Jiang Zheliu walked across the snow, until he reached the snow-covered tombstone.
He knelt down, stretched out his hand to dust off the snow on the gravestone, and stared at the engraving upon it for a long time. He had countless things to say, but he didn’t know where to start.
Jiang Zheliu was an orphan since he was a child. When he was three years old, he was brought back to the Ling Xiao by Zhu Wenyuan. Since then, his shifu became his parent, and Ling Xiao Sect his home.
The moonlight shone belatedly.
Jiang Zheliu thought about it for a long time and then finally said：“Wuxin is all grown up.”
He said: “I’ve come to keep you company.”
