Deep into the night.
On the Azure Ethereal Vapors, atop the Lesser Bamboo Peak, the sky was dark and void of moonlight and stars. The inky darkness enveloped the entirety of the Lesser Bamboo Peak. Lu Xueqi, clad in a white robe, stood alone on the Moon Gazing Platform behind the Lesser Bamboo Peak.
This Moon Gazing Platform is, in fact, the most renowned spot on the Lesser Bamboo Peak. It stands alongside “Cloud Sea” and “Rainbow Bridge” on the Celestial Peak as one of the Six Scenic Wonders of the Azure Ethereal Conclave.
The backside of the Lesser Bamboo Peak is covered with dense bamboo forests, but unlike the “Black-Jointed Bamboos” on the Greater Bamboo Peak, the Lesser Bamboo Peak is home to a peculiar variety called the “Tear Bamboo.” This bamboo has a bright green color, slender and elongated, with nearly half the number of joints compared to ordinary bamboo. Its texture is extremely resilient, said to be the strongest in the world, so tough that even a common woodcutter cannot cut it down. Yet, the Tear Bamboo’s fame lies in the tiny, rosy speckles dotting its green body, akin to the sorrowful tears of a gentle maiden, making it exceedingly beautiful.
And it is from this very characteristic that the name “Lesser Bamboo Peak” is derived.
As for the Moon Gazing Platform, it is actually a cliff that juts out mid-air, with only the rear part connected to the mountain. Most of it hangs over the precipice. It is said that on clear, moonlit nights, the moonlight slowly rises from below the mountain, gently climbing up the platform. When the moonlight fully illuminates the platform, it is exactly when the moon is at its zenith.
The most beautiful moment at the Moon Gazing Platform occurs then, when the radiant moonlight suddenly bursts forth, reflecting off the smooth rocks and illuminating the entire Lesser Bamboo Peak. At that moment, anyone standing on the platform feels as if they are in a celestial realm. Even more astonishingly, there is a legend that during the rare full moon night that appears once every sixty years, one might feel as if they are standing on the moon itself, an experience so thrilling that it is truly yearned for by many.
However, tonight, the moon was obscured and the wind howled, clearly not the time to appreciate the beauty of the Moon Gazing Platform. Not only was the rear side of the Lesser Bamboo Peak plunged in darkness, but even the front, where disciples reside, was pitch black, indicating that everyone had long retired to their beds.
Only Lu Xueqi, for some unknown reason, found herself alone at this secluded, desolate place.
Her inseparable Skyvein sword still hung behind her, emitting a soft, blue light that illuminated the surrounding area. The cold night breeze blew, causing her snow-white robes to flutter gently.
A few strands of her soft, delicate hair, ruffled by the wind, brushed against her fair face, but she seemed oblivious, standing silently at the edge of the Moon Gazing Platform, gazing distantly.
The mountain wind grew stronger, and her clothes began to dance in the air.
One step forward, and it would be a descent into the abyss.
At the cliff’s edge, in the dim light, the solitary white-robed woman stood.
Bit by bit, something deep within her heart surfaced—once tender feelings, now turning into sorrow.
Like invisible blades, they pierced her heart, each strike carving a mark of someone’s face.
Yearning, etched deeply…
In the silent, deserted night, she slowly spread her arms wide, facing the endless darkness, as if the vast universe lay before her.
The wind was fierce, rushing into her embrace like it sought to tear her apart. The darkness beneath her feet stirred, reaching out from unknown depths, wrapping around her, attempting to drag her into the abyss.
Yet, she stood there, lost in thought, as the wind battered her frail, vulnerable body, like a lily blooming in the darkness.
The night was deep.
An inexplicable chill seeped into every inch of her skin, but in her mind, a sudden, burning heat emerged. The deep, hidden tenderness within her heart burst forth, transforming into a raging flame, then coalescing into—
A face.
*Clang!*
A sharp sound echoed through the night, reverberating far and wide.
Skyvein, the divine sword, was unsheathed, radiating a brilliant light in the darkness. The white figure rose, catching Skyvein in mid-air. The biting mountain wind surged, enveloping the white silhouette, beginning a breathtaking, unrivaled sword dance on the Moon Gazing Platform.
The water, like a vast heaven, turned into an endless galaxy, swirling gracefully in her slender hands, flowing freely in the night. It surged upwards, then fell, transforming into a silver stream of light, lingering on the ethereal visage; it then dispersed into a myriad of twinkling stars, sparkling brightly.
Lu Xueqi, on the Moon Gazing Platform, bit her lip, closed her eyes, and her body swayed like a floating petal, a cold flower, dancing in a sorrowful, mesmerizing form.
She became a white, fleeting light, pouring all her strength into the dance. Her pale face, dotted with faint sweat, continued to move, perhaps hoping that exhaustion would erase all thoughts!
So she danced, danced, and the shadowy figure in the night, so elegantly beautiful…
*Ping!*
A soft, crisp sound, and Skyvein slowly slipped from her hand, the sharp blade disregarding the hard rock, piercing into the stone silently, like a needle in snow.
The radiant, beautiful white figure gradually bowed, and the darkness crept in.
Who was panting softly in the darkness?
A drop of water, falling gently onto the rock, perhaps the sweat of fatigue?
She breathed lightly, then gradually calmed down, her gaze lifting, but with a faint sense of bewilderment.
Sometime later, she had moved to the back of the Moon Gazing Platform, facing a grove of bamboos, and before her, the slender, gentle Tear Bamboos.
In the faint light, the tiny speckles, like the tears of a heartbroken woman.
She stared, then suddenly laughed, silently, with a hint of bitterness. She ignored the dust on the ground and her clean white robes, leaning against the Tear Bamboo, sitting down.
Looking up, gazing at the sky!
The boundless heavens…
The night wind carried a faint, familiar scent.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
After the fatigue, the face in her heart became even more vivid.
Memories, each drop, etched in her heart, never to be erased.
Just like that day outside the Celestial Emperor’s Treasury, when he impulsively grabbed her hand to save her, forgetting his own danger.
She kept her eyes closed, but a faint smile appeared on her lips. Then, she thought, thought…
Until she remembered the mysterious script that danced around them at the last moment, realizing that those words were deeply imprinted in her mind. Perhaps, this way, she could forget him?
She spoke to her heart, though she did not believe it, but still, she murmured softly:
“Heaven and Earth show no mercy, treating all things as straw dogs…”
In the deep night, the ancient words sounded like a spell, echoing lowly in the darkness.
—
On the Celestial Peak of the Azure Ethereal Vapors, in the Ancestral Hall.
The light in the main hall was as dim as usual. Daoxuan, the Sect Leader, held three incense sticks, respectfully bowing to the countless ancestral tablets, then stepped forward, placing the incense in the censer on the altar.
Beside him stood the elderly caretaker of the Ancestral Hall, his face deeply lined, illuminated by the flickering yellow light.
Daoxuan turned, his gaze landing on the old man, and suddenly said, “You seem to have aged a bit more.”
The old man, expressionless, replied, “Time marches on, what’s strange about that?”
Daoxuan smiled, about to say something more, when a voice came from outside the hall, “Elder, your disciple Lin Jingyu has returned and wishes to pay his respects.”
Daoxuan frowned, remaining silent. The old man stepped forward, raising his voice slightly, “Ah, it’s you. When did you return?”
Lin Jingyu, outside, replied respectfully, “I returned yesterday. After reporting to the Sect Leader, I went to see my senior brother on Dragonhead Peak, and came here as soon as I could.”
A faint smile appeared on the old man’s lips, “Oh, I see. Wait a moment, I have a guest here.”
Lin Jingyu, seemingly taken aback, noted that the Ancestral Hall rarely had visitors. But he had been under the old man’s tutelage for ten years and respected him greatly, so he quietly waited.
Daoxuan slowly walked a few steps, standing in the shadows of the hall, looking out the door. In the warm sunlight, Lin Jingyu, with his Dragon Slayer Sword on his back, dressed in long robes, wearing a jade belt, and with an elegant, respectful demeanor, stood patiently at the side of the Ancestral Hall.
He watched for a while, then said, “This child is a good prospect, both in talent and character, one of the best.”
The old man, moving slowly, approached and looked outside, “Why didn’t you take him as your disciple back then?”
Daoxuan, his gaze distant, fixed on Lin Jingyu, whose youthful vigor was evident, with a vitality and sharpness that set him apart.
Daoxuan suddenly smiled, a very calm, gentle smile, and turned to the old man, “Because he is too much like someone, in temperament, expression, and even in talent. If he were by my side, I wouldn’t be able to sleep.”
The old man’s face twitched slightly.
Daoxuan turned, looking at him for a long time, then shook his head, smiling, “I was just joking!” As he spoke, he frowned, pressing his chest, coughing softly.
The old man glanced at his chest, noting the slight pallor in Daoxuan’s face, “It’s been ten years, and your wound hasn’t healed yet?”
Daoxuan said nothing, but his coughing grew louder, his face becoming more haggard. After a while, the coughing subsided.
Taking a deep breath, Daoxuan turned away from Lin Jingyu, walking to the altar where the ancestral tablets stood, gazing at them silently, “I didn’t expect the backlash of the Immortalbane Nexus to be so powerful!”
The old man, slowly cleaning the altar, said, “The Immortalbane Nexus is immensely powerful, especially with the Immortalbane Array, capable of defying the heavens. Such a malevolent force, against the will of nature, you should have known when you used it.”
Daoxuan, his voice flat, “I knew. The stone tablet in the Illusory Moon Cave, from Ancestor Qingye onwards, strictly forbids using this sword unless absolutely necessary.”
The old man, still wiping, very slowly, “I often thought, perhaps if you used the Immortalbane Nexus more, you might die faster than me.”
Daoxuan, watching the old man’s bent back, his pupils narrowing, turned and walked out, “Are you leaving?”
The old man’s voice, tinged with melancholy, “Do you remember what I said when I saved you?”
Daoxuan stopped, but did not turn, “I saved you because I owed you, but I won’t let you live longer than me!”
The old man, fading into the shadows, remained still, as Daoxuan left the Ancestral Hall.
—
Lin Jingyu, waiting outside, was startled to see the Sect Leader emerge. He hurriedly bowed. Daoxuan, his eyes flashing strangely, nodded and left.
Lin Jingyu watched Daoxuan depart, noting a strange pallor in his face. He was thinking when the old man’s voice came, “Is that you, Jingyu? Come in.”
Lin Jingyu, entering the hall, felt a chill. The hall was dim, and the candles before the ancestral tablets only added to the eerie gloom. He had lived here for ten years, growing accustomed to the strange atmosphere, and he bowed to the old man, “Elder, I have returned.”
Over the years, Lin Jingyu had often tried to call the old man “Master,” but the old man always refused, so he continued to address him as “Elder,” respecting him as he did the Sect Leader.
The old man smiled, stepping from the shadows, looking Lin Jingyu over. Seeing the marks of travel on his face but noting his vitality, he asked, “Did you get injured?”
Lin Jingyu smiled, “A few minor injuries, nothing serious. Unfortunately, our mission to the Dead Marshes was unsuccessful.”
He briefly recounted the events. The news of the destruction of the Everlife Sect by the other three major factions of the Demon Sect had spread widely, and Lin Jingyu also mentioned this to the old man.
The old man, uninterested in the Everlife Sect’s fate, asked, “Were the other three major sects, including the Venomous Gates, involved in the mission?”
Lin Jingyu nodded, “Yes.”
The old man hesitated, then asked, “Did you see Cang Song?”
Lin Jingyu, startled, his expression complex, replied, “No, Elder.”
The old man, seeing his face, “Do you hate him?”
Lin Jingyu, pain in his eyes, “I don’t know, but right and wrong are clear. If we meet again, we will be mortal enemies.”
The old man snorted, “He raised you, taught you, and even gave you the Dragon Slayer Sword. Did he ever wrong you?”
Lin Jingyu, slowly shaking his head, “He was always kind, and I admired him like a god, seeing him as a father. But…”
The old man, after a long silence, sighed, “Cang Song was just a pitiful man who took the wrong path…”
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