Xu Xian’s brow lowered as he recalled the words Senior Brother Yun Zheng had spoken to him that night.
He repeated them to Nangong Ning: "You are Nangong Ning first, and a disciple of the Wendao Sword Sect second."
Nangong Ning was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at the young man.
Xu Xian spoke with deep meaning, "The days ahead are long, and many things must be taken slowly. When it is time to rest, you must rest. If a bowstring is drawn too tight, it will snap."
Nangong Ning looked thoughtful. She took a small sip of the hot tea, cradling the cup in both palms and gently rotating it. She stared at the campfire before her, the light reflecting in her shifting gaze. She said, "I know. But such is life—wind and rain are the norm, facing them head-on is the mindset, and pressing through them is the only way to be."
Xu Xian remained silent.
Nangong Ning suddenly looked up, her fragmented gaze meeting his from across the fire. She offered a faint smile. "I am not living only for myself. I made a promise to them before the sword stele at Guidao Slope. I must do the share of work they never had the chance to finish. Therefore, I cannot rest, I dare not rest, and I do not want to rest."
She paused, then emphasized, "Besides, I don’t feel tired at all."
Xu Xian was dazed for several breaths...
He understood what Nangong Ning meant.
Some had died, while others lived. The dead said nothing, yet the living felt the weight of the injustice.
They would constantly ask themselves: Why was it me who survived?
And then...
That was simply how the world worked. Human nature was complex, and there would always be those who chose to carry the heavy burdens forward. Nangong Ning was one of them.
Stubborn.
Difficult.
The youth sighed, shaking his head helplessly.
"Silly girl."
"I’m not silly."
The youth raised his cup to the girl. "Fine then. As your Martial Grand-Uncle, I wish you a smooth journey and a safe return."
Nangong Ning gave a sweet smile and lightly clinked her cup against Xu Xian’s. "I’ll take those auspicious words to heart, Martial Grand-Uncle."
The two drank their fill under the silent moonlight.
Before their parting,
Xu Xian gifted the girl several life-saving spirit artifacts and talismans.
The girl tried to refuse repeatedly, arguing that there was no reason for an older girl to accept gifts from a younger man.
Xu Xian put on a solemn face.
"An elder’s gift cannot be refused. I am your Martial Grand-Uncle. If I tell you to take it, you take it. Refusing would be quite immature of you."
Nangong Ning yielded.
She accepted them all.
Just before leaving,
the girl turned back and gave Xu Xian a tight hug. She whispered softly in his ear, "Thank you, Little Grand-Uncle!"
Then, she released him, her cheeks flushed crimson as she fled the scene...
Leaving the youth standing alone at the mountain peak, catching the faint scent of the girl’s fragrance lingering in his embrace.
He curled his lips and muttered to himself, "She’s actually quite soft..."
On that morning,
a Cloud Boat carrying a thousand disciples set sail.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire sect, it headed straight for the east.
The banner of the Wendao Sword Sect fluttered high in the wind, gradually receding into the distance...
Xu Xian stood atop the peak, watching them from afar as they headed toward the place where he had once fought.
Last night,
he had heard from Nangong Ning that, according to Li Qingshan’s plan, this was only the first group. The Demon-Slaying Army expected to draw over half of the Sword Suppression Hall to form a cultivator army of nearly ten thousand to head to the East Desolation.
The first group consisted of the primary combat forces.
The subsequent groups
would focus on drawing disciples with wood and earth spirit roots to build a great city on the banks of the Wild River. At that time, disciples from the Formation Hall and the Talisman Hall would also go to set up formations for the city...
For a long time to come,
the banks of the Wild River would remain in a state of war preparation.
More than three days had passed since the battle in the East Desolation.
However, the rest of the world knew very little about the actual situation within the East Desolation.
There were many conflicting rumors about exactly how many demons Yun Zheng had killed and the extent of the demon race's losses.
The Wendao Sword Sect had not released any official data, so the cultivators of the Central Plains were left to guess wildly.
Some said
Bai Ze was dead.
Some said
the Eight Tribes had been wiped out.
Others even claimed
there were no longer any beast gods in the current East Desolation...
Rumors were flying everywhere.
While the common folk gossiped, those at the top kept their eyes fixed on the Wendao Sword Sect.
They were waiting for the sect to announce the final answer.
In truth, even among the internal disciples of the Wendao Sword Sect, there was much speculation.
Even Xu Xian
did not have the full picture.
He only knew that Bai Ze wasn't dead, but his wings had been clipped and he was heavily injured.
He also knew that, not counting the beast sovereign corpses, there were eight beast god corpses lying in his storage bag. That was all.
As for how many experts remained in the East Desolation or the extent of their remaining strength, he truly didn't know.
However, it was certain that for the next five thousand years, the demons of the East Desolation would find it difficult to pose a significant threat again.
That night, Li Qingshan arrived uninvited. He was visibly startled when he saw the short-haired youth, but then remarked, "This kid looks quite spirited."
Xu Xian said boastfully, "The hairstyle? I cut it myself."
Upon hearing this, Li Qingshan couldn't help but study him for a few more moments, clicking his tongue. "Tsk tsk, I have to say, you did a good job."
Xu Xian squinted his eyes with a half-smile. "Envious? I can give you one too. Free of charge."
Li Qingshan’s sturdy frame shuddered as he said solemnly, "That won’t be necessary."
Lu Yuan gave the two of them a cold glance, turned around, and pointed his rear toward them...
Are they ever going to stop?
Can they not have a conversation without bringing up my hair?
Pfft...
He let out a fart!
Xu Xian scoffed and asked lazily, "What are you here for?"
Li Qingshan walked to Xu Xian’s side and stood tall, his hands behind his back as he faced the wind. He said coolly, "I’m here to talk business with you."
"Business?"
"Yes, big business. Are you interested?" Li Qingshan asked.
Xu Xian curled his lip and rejected him without a second thought. "Not interested."
Li Qingshan was stunned. "Huh? I haven't even told you what it is, and you’re already refusing?"
Xu Xian mocked him, "Your credit with me is too low. I won’t do any business with you. Unless you settle the five years of salary you owe me. It’s not much—just a mere 650,000 merit points..."
Li Qingshan stared, fuming. "Are you even human?"
"Just tell me if you’re paying or not."
Li Qingshan snapped, "In your dreams!"
Xu Xian shrugged. "Then there’s nothing to talk about!"
Li Qingshan glared at him from the corner of his eye, feeling a sudden urge to commit murder.
How could there be someone so thick-skinned in this world? The guy had been at the Demon Suppression Abyss for four years, yet he was still fixated on that salary?
You weren't even working! Why would I pay you? Do you think I'm some kind of charity?
He really wanted to slap him to death.
But...
One must endure small slights to achieve great plans.
He took a deep breath to calm his thoughts and said nonchalantly, "If this business deal goes through, we can fleece your Senior Sister for a fortune."
Xu Xian’s eyes lit up. "Which Senior Sister?"
The corner of Li Qingshan’s mouth curled up slightly as he said calmly, "My master."
Upon hearing this, Xu Xian immediately perked up. He patted the stone beside him and said enthusiastically, "Sit down, let’s talk."
Li Qingshan said haughtily, "I thought you weren't doing business with me?"
Xu Xian’s face changed instantly. "How could that be? Only a fool would turn down money."
Li Qingshan let out a cold laugh, thinking to himself, Got you.
No one understood Xu Xian better than him.
After all, just like Xu Xian, he was also someone whose 'umbrella' had been torn by Ye Xianyu.
He was also a man who had been hurt by Ye Xianyu.
Xu Xian urged him impatiently, "Quick, tell me, how are we going to fleece... I mean, how are we going to do this business?"
Rate on N.U.
