A wave of headache struck me. I woke up, holding my head, and looked outside, but saw no one practicing swordplay. I looked up at the trees, but saw no figures.
So I got up and walked into the inner room. Lifting the curtain, I saw two wooden plank beds in the empty room.
"So this is where they usually sleep," I murmured to myself.
But where had they gone today? I walked out of the room and into the open. The courtyard was quiet, and time seemed to have stopped.
As I was wondering, a cold wind suddenly blew, accompanied by the sound of wailing ghosts.
My heart leaped, and I unconsciously followed the sound, walking out of the courtyard and into the thick fog.
After walking aimlessly for a long time, I suddenly saw a dark stone door.
The stone door was hollow, and the sound of wailing ghosts was coming from within.
I walked to the entrance of the stone cave. Just as I was about to step in, I heard someone behind me call out, "Muye!"
I turned around and saw Mo Zhidu and Chi Yan Long Wang standing behind me.
"Where did you go?" I quickly asked.
Mo Zhidu explained, "We just went for a walk. Why did you come out?"
"I heard the sound of wailing ghosts, so I followed it. Look, there's a stone cave here."
As I spoke, I looked back. There was only vast fog behind me, and no stone door or cave.
"Hey, it was right here just now. Why is it gone?" I remembered it clearly being behind me.
Chi Yan Long Wang comforted me, "You must have seen it wrong. There's no stone cave here. Let's go back."
Although I found it very strange, I agreed with him.
"Alright, I must have seen it wrong. Let's go back."
With that, I followed the two of them back to the small courtyard.
Mo Zhidu asked, "How is your progress with the swordplay I taught you yesterday?"
"These three moves of yours still need to be learned slowly."
"There's nothing to do now, let's practice swordplay."
"Okay."
"This time, I'll be your opponent. You'll use the Dragon Roar Swordplay to fight me."
"Okay."
"I'm making my move."
Saying that, he swung his sword at me. Chi Yan Long Wang quickly threw his sword to me, saying, "Catch!"
I caught the sword and met his attack head-on. After a few exchanges, I used the first move of the Dragon Roar Swordplay, "Dragon Swimming Out of the Sea."
I shouted, "Dragon Swimming Out of the Sea!" and swung my sword up. The sword body was elegant, like a swimming dragon, rushing straight towards him.
Mo Zhidu was not afraid at all. He turned and drew his sword. His sword came at me, and with just half a move, he repelled me.
Chi Yan Long Wang shook his head and said.
"This won't do. Why don't we just go all out?"
Saying that, he flew down and broke off a branch, charging at me. I turned and swung, he kicked at me, and I dodged to the side.
Mo Zhidu laughed heartily, finding it very amusing. He threw his sword to me.
"Here, use both swords to attack us now."
"Okay," I replied, catching the sword.
Then, he leaped up and also broke off a section of a tree branch to use as a weapon.
"Let's both attack," he shouted. Chi Yan Long Wang nodded, and the two of them swung their branches at me. I used both swords, thinking of the move "Vicious Ghost Entanglement" from the Scarlet Blood Swordplay.
So I threw both swords up, leaped to catch them, using the Dragon Roar Swordplay with my left hand and the Scarlet Blood Swordplay with my right, unleashing a "Dragon Swimming Out of the Sea" and "Demons Dancing in Chaos" simultaneously.
After dozens of sword exchanges, I switched swords in my hands. I used the Dragon Roar Swordplay with my right hand and the Scarlet Blood Swordplay with my left, first executing "Vicious Ghost Entanglement" and then "Startling Dragon and Shocking World."
They were both stunned, and they praised, "Who would have thought you could grasp the essence of dual-wielding swords so quickly?"
As I fought, I explained to them, "This is all thanks to Tai Chi."
"Tai Chi?" they asked, looking confused.
"Tai Chi combines Yin and Yang, using Yin to control Yang, and Yang to overcome strength. So I thought if I adjusted the dual swords according to the principles of Yin and Yang, I could use both sword styles at the same time."
Although they didn't fully understand, they still affirmed.
"Not bad, it's rare for you to be able to use dual swords so skillfully."
Then they attacked with their swords, and I cut off their branches with my dual swords, which finally made them stop.
Mo Zhidu said with satisfaction, "This is wonderful. I never expected you to be so insightful."
I chuckled humbly, "Not at all. I just tend to think a lot."
Although I could now master some ultimate techniques, I still couldn't use them perfectly, so I needed more practice. But when would I be able to go back?
I sighed and threw the swords back to them, sitting alone under the cherry blossom tree, feeling dejected.
Mo Zhidu walked up and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Although I've learned the swordplay, I still can't go back. What should I do if I can't go back?"
Chi Yan Long Wang sat beside me and asked, "Do you have to go back?"
"Yes, I still have to lead my brothers and sisters to fight. I thought if I was killed by Liu Xiang, it would be over. If I wasn't killed, he wouldn't dare to harass us anymore, and I could wholeheartedly lead everyone to continue fighting."
Mo Zhidu also sat beside me and said inexplicably, "You're always worrying about others wherever you are. What if you can't defeat the opponent? Will you still fight?"
"I will fight, whether I win or lose, I will never give up."
Seeing my resilience, he didn't say much more, but stood up and said.
"For some reason, I'm a bit sleepy today. I'm going back to my room."
Chi Yan Long Wang also stood up and said, "I'm going back too."
"Oh, right," Mo Zhidu turned back and said, "Your room is very simple. Let me redecorate it for you."
After they left, I practiced swordplay alone under the cherry blossom tree. As I practiced, another cold wind blew.
In that cold wind were mixed sounds of weeping and sorrowful cries, each one like it was coming from hell with all its might.
My heart leaped, and I remembered the mountain cave I had seen earlier. I stopped my sword and looked into the distance.
"Do you want to know what's in that cave?"
I turned around and saw Mo Zhidu appearing behind me without me knowing.
"You saw the cave?" I asked, a little confused.
He nodded, confirming my suspicion.
At this moment, Chi Yan Long Wang also came out of the room and asked me, "If you want to go, we'll take you."
I thought for a moment and replied, "I want to go and see."
"Alright, follow me." Mo Zhidu led the way, and Chi Yan Long Wang and I followed him.
This time, he led me into the thick fog. With a wave of his hand, the mist parted to the sides, revealing a small path.
Following the path, we suddenly saw a hundred-zhang-high stone wall. At the bottom of the stone wall was a stone cave without a door.
The inside of the stone cave was dark, and the eerie and terrifying sounds were coming from within.
Mo Zhidu led us into the cave, took a torch from the cave wall, blew on it, and lit it.
Instantly, the stone cave was illuminated, and a row of stone steps appeared at our feet, leading straight down.
Mo Zhidu simply said, "Let's go down and take a look."
He led us to the very bottom. At this point, the wailing sound of ghosts grew closer, and then I saw a scene that terrified me.
Inside this stone cave was a river of death. In the river of death floated countless skeletons, large and small, but they seemed to have life, struggling and howling in the river of death.
The blue crystals that grew from their bodies shone with an unusually dazzling blue light, like the light in the dark night.
"This, this is!" I was so shocked that I couldn't speak.
Chi Yan Long Wang explained, "This place is called the River of Dead Souls. Anyone who tries to cross the river to escape to the land of the living will fall into this dead water and suffer torment."
My heart sank. Was I really unable to go back?
Mo Zhidu pointed to the other side of the river of death and said.
"Do you see that point of light? That is the exit from the Netherworld Ravine, but to get out of here, you must cross this river of death."
Looking at the writhing corpses and the mournful cries, I was filled with dread. After a moment of panic, I still resolved.
"No matter what, I will get out."
Mo Zhidu pointed at the skeletons and said.
"Once you touch a skeleton or the dead water, they will drag you into the water and turn you into one of them."
No matter what, I had to go back. Liu Shinian and the others were still waiting for me, and my Black Mountain army was still waiting for me to return.
"I must go back. There are still people waiting for me, and I can't let them wait too long."
Seeing my determination and resolve, Mo Zhidu smiled slightly.
Then we returned to the small courtyard from the stone cave. Mo Zhidu encouraged me, "Only by practicing your swordplay well can you protect yourself when crossing the river."
"Okay, I will practice my swordplay diligently."
"When you've practiced well, you can cross the river."
"Okay, I will practice hard."
With that, I broke off two branches and began to wield them.
"That won't do. Use this," Chi Yan Long Wang threw his sword to me, and Mo Zhidu also threw his sword.
I caught both swords with my hands and immediately began practicing.
Mo Zhidu walked to the cherry blossom tree, pulled out a bottle of wine from the roots, and handed it to Chi Yan Long Wang, taking one for himself.
"Shall we go up?" Mo Zhidu asked.
"Let's go up," they said.
With that, the two of them leaped onto the tree and lay side by side on the trunk, gazing into the distance.
Although there was fog all around, they seemed to be able to see the distance that others could not see through the fog.
As they drank, Mo Zhidu suddenly had an idea and turned his head to ask me, "Hey, Muye, how about we become sworn siblings?"
I stopped practicing my sword and looked at him curiously, "Sworn siblings?"
Chi Yan Long Wang looked at him helplessly and chided, "What mischief are you up to again?"
He explained.
"I know Muye will leave sooner or later. If she leaves, won't we be lonely? Why don't we become sworn siblings of different genders now?"
He knew my mind was made up, and this was his way of leaving me with a memory.
"Okay, then let's become sworn siblings."
"I don't think I will," Chi Yan Long Wang said.
"It won't work without you," saying that, he pulled him down from the tree.
"Let's swear brotherhood with wine."
"Okay."
With that, he dug out three bottles of good wine from under the tree roots, one for me, one for Chi Yan Long Wang, and one for himself.
"Let's use the cherry blossom tree as our witness."
Saying that, he knelt under the tree. Seeing that we were still stunned, he said, "Hurry and kneel down."
So the two of us slowly knelt down.
"Heaven as our witness, the cherry tree as our proof, I, Mo Zhidu, am willing to become sworn siblings of different genders with my two friends."
"I, Liu Muye, am willing to become sworn siblings with the two of you."
"I, Chi Yan Long Wang, am also willing."
At this moment, Mo Zhidu suddenly said, "Chi Yan is older than me, so he's the eldest brother. I'm older than Muye, so I'm the second brother. Muye, you're the third sister."
"Okay."
So the three of us said in unison, "Our eldest brother Chi Yan Long Wang," "Our second brother Mo Zhidu," "Our third sister Liu Muye."
"We swear here, not seeking to be born in the same year, month, and day, but only seeking to die in the same year, month, and day."
"Cheers!" Mo Zhidu uncorked the bottle and drank it in one gulp. Chi Yan Long Wang followed suit, and I imitated them, drinking it down in one gulp.
After the ceremony, Mo Zhidu happily said, "From now on, we will call each other eldest brother and third sister."
"Yes, second brother, eldest brother," I said, cupping my hands.
"Third sister is indeed sensible."
Chi Yan Long Wang suggested, "Since it's such a happy occasion with two new younger siblings today, why don't we have a big drink?"
"Okay, we won't stop until we're drunk."
"We won't stop until we're drunk."
With that, he took out more good wine from under the tree roots and threw it to us to drink, while he also raised his wine and drank.
The three of us then drank heartily under the cherry blossom tree. Before long, the empty space on the ground was piled high with empty wine bottles.
Seeing him still taking wine from the tree roots, I curiously asked, "Second, second brother, you, how do you still have wine?"
He replied, "You're talking about this place? My wine here is inexhaustible."
"No, no, it can't be that you buried your own fine wine."
Chi Yan Long Wang chimed in, "It's not his fine wine, it's tree wine, wine made by this cherry blossom tree."
"What? This tree can make wine?"
"Yes."
Saying that, he took another large gulp. In the end, I don't remember how we got back to our rooms.
I only remember my head feeling groggy, and seeing a luxurious bed, I threw myself onto it.
In my dream, I suddenly heard someone say.
"No one has ever escaped from the River of Dead Souls in thousands of years. Can Muye escape?"
"We can only help her."
"How can we help?"
"As long as the person crossing the river doesn't step on the skeletons or the water, they can pass."
"Okay, let's do as you say."
I slightly opened my eyes and saw two figures flickering before my eyes. I could tell they were eldest brother and second brother.
So I breathed a sigh of relief and fell back asleep.
When I woke up again, the entire courtyard was eerily quiet. The thick fog made it impossible to distinguish between day and night.
I got out of bed and looked around for them, but they were nowhere to be seen. Just then, I suddenly heard that eerie and terrifying crying sound again.
"Did they go there?"
Thinking so, I walked out of the courtyard. However, the small path was no longer there, and I could only grope forward by instinct.
After groping for who knows how long, I suddenly saw a protruding stone wall appear before me. I looked up and saw it was the same one I had seen before.
However, what was strange was that there was no stone door under this stone wall.
"Where did it go?"
I was a little confused, but I calmed myself down and felt around the stone wall. At this moment, I had only one thought: to find the stone door.
After searching for who knows how long, I found that I was still at this stone wall, and hadn't left.
Feeling disheartened, I knocked on the stone wall, feeling sad. Just then, a cold wind blew out. I turned my head and saw that the stone door appeared before my eyes.
It was a mixture of sorrow and joy.