The Heavenly Master closed his eyes for a moment, and then faintly heard the familiar call in his dream.
"Brother Shi, Brother Shi."
The Heavenly Master vaguely responded.
"I'm here, I'm here."
Hearing his reply, the voice suddenly began to weep softly.
Slowly, it spoke of its heart's desires.
"Brother Shi, my greatest wish is to see you one more time.
Now that my wish is fulfilled, I should depart.
In the days to come, through mountains and rivers, you must walk well."
After speaking, the voice wept sadly for a while longer.
Finally, it left reluctantly, falling silent.
The Heavenly Master was startled and called out in a panic.
"Ruodi! Ruodi!"
A Li heard the sound and opened his eyes slightly, listening carefully.
He heard the Heavenly Master talking in his sleep and paid it no mind, returning to his slumber.
The next morning, a glaring light struck.
I opened my eyes slightly and found myself in a desolate area.
Confused, I sat up and looked around.
At this moment, the Heavenly Master and A Li also woke up.
A Li looked around the empty surroundings with confusion.
"What's going on? Weren't we sleeping in a room? How did we end up out here?"
The Heavenly Master also found it strange. He suddenly thought of someone and called out.
"Ruodi! Ruodi!"
However, the empty surroundings only responded with a slight cold breeze.
A Li said.
"This is truly strange, the change is too sudden."
I looked at the scene before me, also bewildered.
"Yes, I wonder where Sister Ruodi has gone."
"I don't know."
A Li looked around and saw that their horses were still there.
This indicated that last night there truly had been a house.
What we saw was not an illusion.
He was full of doubt, not understanding what had happened, and looked around randomly.
Suddenly, he saw a mound of earth in the distance.
There were some things placed in front of the mound. He pointed to the spot with confusion and said.
"Look, what is that?"
Hearing his shout, the Heavenly Master and I looked in the direction he was pointing.
We also saw the mound.
The Heavenly Master rushed forward, pushed aside the hanging weeds, and saw a shocking sight.
Seeing that the Heavenly Master had been still for a long time, A Li and I ran over.
I called out to him.
"Heavenly Master, what's wrong?"
He did not reply, remaining silent.
I pushed aside the weeds and saw the tombstone. Several large characters were carved on it.
Tomb of Li Ruodi, daughter of the Li clan.
Seeing these words, I immediately covered my mouth in surprise, unable to make a sound.
A Li also leaned in to look, and upon seeing the words, was also greatly astonished.
None of us had expected that Ruodi had already passed away.
But then, who was it that we saw last night? Could it have been her spirit?
The Heavenly Master stood stunned before the tombstone for a long, long time.
Finally, he gave a bitter smile, and a stream of hot tears fell.
A moment later, he began to tell us his touching story with Ruodi.
"Ruodi and I met when we were young. Before we were even born, our parents had arranged our marriage.
Later, when my family faced trouble, Uncle Li did not mind, only asking that we marry soon.
I was not very old then and didn't have many thoughts, only wanting to take good care of my sister.
I didn't have much time to pay attention to her, so she would always come to the mountains to keep us company.
It wasn't until later, when my sister passed away and I went mad, wandering everywhere, that I never saw her again.
I never imagined that the next time I saw her, it would be across the divide of life and death."
"Heavenly Master."
I called out to him softly, wanting to comfort him, but not knowing how to begin.
A Li suddenly crouched down and took a letter from under the stone slab in front of the tombstone.
Seeing the yellow and black spots on the envelope, it seemed to be quite old.
A Li handed it to the Heavenly Master and said.
"This should be for you to read. I don't know when it was left here."
The Heavenly Master took the envelope and opened it. Inside, it read:
Brother Shi, let our marriage be void from this day forth.
Your life has been fraught with hardship and suffering; I can only lament the unfairness of fate.
However, I have always believed, and I believe you will get better, and I believe you will return to Xizi Kingdom again.
When that time comes, you must come to see me.
I know that by then, you will have also emerged from your difficulties and achieved self-redemption.
Ruodi, signed.
The last character was written crookedly, indicating that writing this letter had taken all her strength.
After reading the letter, the Heavenly Master wept like rain, the tears falling onto the paper.
A Li and I were also moved by him, our eyes welling up with tears.
But we didn't know what to do, so we could only accompany him, crying silently.
The Heavenly Master sat before the tombstone for a very, very long time.
Then, he broke off some weeds and wiped the tombstone clean.
It was as if only by doing so could he feel a little better.
Finally, he let out a long sigh.
"Alas..."
Only then did he stand up and say, as if he had come to terms with it.
"Alright, let's head towards Xizi Kingdom."
Seeing him perk up, A Li and I said no more, but followed him onto the horses.
We headed towards Xizi Kingdom.
Along the way, it was silent, with no conversation.
Let's give the Heavenly Master more time; he has suffered enough.
After traveling for an unknown distance, we suddenly heard a clamor ahead.
Looking up, we found ourselves at the city walls of Xizi Kingdom.
There were no soldiers guarding the city, only patrolling figures standing atop the ten-zhang high city walls.
We entered the city smoothly.
Suddenly, there was a deafening "Bang!"
We saw a billowing plume of thick smoke rising into the sky from the west.
Then, we heard someone beating a gong and shouting.
"The West Tower is on fire, the West Tower is on fire."
Without a word, the Heavenly Master led us towards the burning area.
Arriving at West Street, we saw a three-story building across the way engulfed in raging flames from within.
"What a huge fire!"
A Li looked at the flames enveloping the entire tall building, his heart filled with worry.
The Heavenly Master said.
"You two wait here, I'll go help."
"Okay."
A Li and I nodded.
As he straightened up, about to ride his horse to extinguish the fire, a green shadow suddenly flew down from the building.
Upon closer inspection, the person seemed to be Yue Jiucao, whom we recognized from before.
At this moment, the shop owner cried out in a panic.
"Quick, put out the fire! My livelihood, quick, put out the fire!"
The Heavenly Master calmly stepped on his horse's back and leaped up.
He unleashed a move called "Dragon's Breath," attempting to use his true qi to disperse the raging flames.
However, the fire was very peculiar. Upon receiving the true qi, it burned even more fiercely.
Yue Jiucao turned back and saw the Heavenly Master, saying.
"Heavenly Master, don't exert yourself. This fire is very strange; true qi is useless."
Hearing his words, the Heavenly Master frowned slightly.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to try a different move.
Thus, he pushed his hands forward, inhaled, opened his mouth wide, and sucked in the air, his belly swelling.
He exhaled instantly, and a gust of strong wind erupted, blowing the flames backward.
The crowd below watched intently, all hoping that the Heavenly Master could extinguish the fire.
Suddenly, the fire surged back, almost engulfing the Heavenly Master.
He retreated in fright and landed on the ground. It was truly a strange fire.
The crowd was filled with disappointment and busied themselves with carrying water to fight the fire.
Just then, two more men flew up.
One spat fire, and the other spat water.
The water and fire mingled and descended from the rooftop, covering the entire building.
After a long time of spraying, the raging flames gradually subsided.
Everyone found it strange but began to clap and praise.
"Amazing."
"Well done."
"Fantastic."
In a short while, the fire was extinguished, leaving only an empty frame.
The shop owner rushed in, only to find ashes everywhere.
Everything in the house had been burned to nothing.
The shop owner ran out crying, knelt before the building, and wailed.
"Oh heavens, my entire fortune, this was our entire fortune!
How am I supposed to live, how am I supposed to live!"
As he spoke, he began to sob.
His cries, each word filled with sorrow, evoked pity from those who saw him. Everyone had their own struggles.
Zhang Tianshi was the first to untie his belt, take out gold coins, and walk forward.
He pulled the owner up, placed the gold coins in his hand, patted his shoulder, and comforted him.
"You can build another one."
Then, Yue Jiucao also stepped forward and handed a bag of money to the shop owner.
The two men who extinguished the fire also came forward voluntarily and paid some money.
Only then did I clearly see the two men as Ying Lu and Shui Fang from below Qiancao Peak, whom I had met before.
Following them, more and more people generously contributed.
No one asked for much, only for peace of mind.
Seeing this scene, I also wanted to contribute, but found myself with not a single coin.
I nudged A Li, who helplessly shrugged.
"Don't count on me, I don't have any either."
Alas, it's so difficult to be a good person these days.
After everyone had dispersed, A Li and I dismounted and went to greet them.
"Brother Yue, Brother Ying Lu, Brother Shui Fang."
As if reuniting with old friends, I called out naturally.
They turned and saw me, and also greeted us.
"Muyu, A Li."
A Li also said.
"Brother Yue, Brother Shui Fang, Brother Ying Lu, why are you all here too?"
Recalling, we had met them in Nanhai City not long ago.
Why had they all come to Xizi Kingdom?
Ying Lu said.
"Shui Fang and I have been traveling here since we parted ways in Nanhai City.
Why have you two also come to this place?"
I replied.
"We have some matters that require us to come to Xizi Kingdom, and we didn't expect to meet you here."
"Yes, what a coincidence."
The Heavenly Master then slowly walked over from the side and asked.
"Why are you all here?"
Yue Jiucao replied.
"We had nothing else to do, so we were traveling around, and we came to Xizi Kingdom again.
Are you, Heavenly Master, returning home?"
It turned out he knew that Xizi Kingdom was the Heavenly Master's homeland.
The Heavenly Master smiled faintly and shook his head.
"No, I'm accompanying Muyu and the others."
"Accompanying Muyu? Where are you going?"
"Muyu has something that requires my help, so I came with them."
"If that's the case, then that's good."
Shui Fang said.
"Are you in a hurry? If not, since we've met after so long, let's find a place to catch up."
The Heavenly Master said.
"We're not in a great hurry, we still have time. Let's find a place and have a good chat."
Yue Jiucao thought for a moment and proactively recommended.
"I know a good restaurant around here. I'll take you there."
"I guess you're talking about that place called 'Dongyue Lai', aren't you?"
Ying Lu chuckled, guessing the place he meant.
"Exactly. It seems you frequent that establishment as well."
Speaking of this, Shui Fang couldn't help but interject.
"Their wine is good, all aged for a hundred years, with a rich flavor."
Hearing them say this, the Heavenly Master also thought it was a good idea and said.
"Alright, let's go to this 'Dongyue Lai'."
"Okay, I'll lead the way."
Saying this, Yue Jiucao walked at the forefront, leading the way, and we followed behind him.
Together, we went to the 'Dongyue Lai' restaurant on East Street.
As soon as we entered, Shui Fang impatiently found a waiter and asked.
"Are there any empty tables upstairs?"
"Yes, yes, yes, there are several empty tables by the balcony."
Zhang Tianshi chose a spot on the second floor that was open, and the waiter hurried over to ask, "What would you like to order, sirs?"
"Some wine and food."
Zhang Tianshi said.
"Coming right up."
"Heavenly Master, what brings you back this time?"
Yue Jiucao asked.
"I've returned this time for some personal matters, nothing worth mentioning.
Young Master Yue doesn't seem like someone who enjoys traveling. You must have a reason for coming here."
He waved his hand.
"It's nothing much, it's just that my sister Liu insisted on competing with me.
We chased each other here, but she left first."
Zhang Tianshi teased.
"You two haven't achieved enlightenment yet. This has been about 200 years, hasn't it?"
"Alas! Sister Liu loves to fight and doesn't think about anything else.
If you count it this way, it's been 200 years since we've been like this."
Yue Jiucao replied with a hint of embarrassment.
"Ying Lu and I arrived shortly after Brother Yue.
As soon as we got here, we encountered the big fire."
Shui Fang said.
Speaking of this matter, Zhang Tianshi frowned, recalling with some confusion.
"It's strange, when I tried to extinguish the fire earlier, I felt as if the fire had a pulling force.
It sucked away my true qi to use as fuel."
"I was chasing Ling Mei to that shop.
After entering the shop, I learned that she had already left.
Just as I was about to leave, I heard someone in the backyard shouting that there was a fire.
So I went to extinguish it, but unexpectedly, the fire grew larger the more I tried to put it out."
Yue Jiucao explained in detail.
Zhang Tianshi frowned, thought carefully, and analyzed.
"It seems this is not an ordinary fire, but perhaps the long-lost Original Karma Fire."
As he was thinking, the waiter called out.
"The dishes are here!"
Interrupting everyone's thoughts, he brought over the dishes one by one.
As an outsider, I couldn't tell if they were vegetarian or meat dishes.
As soon as the wine was served, Zhang Tianshi forgot what he was thinking.
With a joyful expression, he poured a cup of wine and was about to hand it to me.
Ying Lu stood up, flicked the bottom of the cup, and snatched it away, laughing.
"This wine is not suitable for Miss Liu to drink."
Just as he was about to drink it, Yue Jiucao intercepted it with his chopsticks and drank it all in one gulp, saying.
"Girls shouldn't drink this strong liquor. I'll drink it for her."
"Give me that wine cup."
Saying this, Shui Fang intercepted with his chopsticks, and Yue Jiucao caught the chopsticks with his own and pressed them onto the table.
The Heavenly Master held the wine cup and chuckled.
"I'll pour you some wine."
Saying this, he poured the wine out, and Yue Jiucao threw out his wine cup to catch the wine steadily.
Ying Lu reached out to take it. He released his chopsticks, lifted them, and flicked them.
He hit Shui Fang, then caught the wine cup again and drank it all.
I watched, somewhat confused, and asked.
"What are they doing?"
A Li explained.
"This is called 'meeting friends with wine.' It's a way for friends to spar."
"Wow, you can play like this."
I watched them spar back and forth, regretting that I knew nothing.
Otherwise, I would have joined in.
The Heavenly Master clapped and laughed.
"I didn't expect that Young Master Yue would be the most skilled, hahahaha, come, come, everyone, let's eat!"
"Brother Yue is truly worthy of the title 'Shadowy Swordsman.' His skill is far above ours."
Shui Fang said admiringly.
"You flatter me. I do have a few things I can show off, hahaha."
Yue Jiucao laughed.
Throughout the entire gathering, Yue Jiucao never removed his veil.
It made one curious about the face hidden beneath his veil.