In the tranquil dawn, before the gates of the Thousand姬 Palace, a carriage fit only for nobility was already prepared.
Xue Ji pushed open her chamber door to find someone waiting. She raised her hand, allowing the person to assist her out of the residence and towards the Thousand姬 Palace.
Before boarding the carriage, she looked back. The grand, towering building stood before her. For the first time in her life, she let out a sigh of admiration.
"Truly beautiful."
Then, she slowly entered the carriage, allowing the driver to take her far away.
Jin Yu Lan stood on the tall building, watching Xue Ji's receding figure from afar, a sense of indescribable loneliness filling his heart.
A hazy memory surfaced: when she first arrived, she was just a little girl. Now, as she left the Thousand姬 Palace, she had blossomed into a graceful and stunning beauty.
He dropped a goose feather from his hand. The feather, carried by the wind, gradually disappeared into the mountains.
Early in the morning, Liu Shi Nian arrived in the courtyard to practice his sword. Upon seeing Xue Gu Cheng, he felt the urge to spar with him again.
Not as he was now, but as he was fifty years ago, when his swordsmanship had not yet declined.
Silently, something seemed to drift down from the sky, landing on his clothes.
He stopped and looked curiously. It was a pure white goose feather. He gently took it off, and as it landed in his hand, it transformed into a letter.
He drew out the letter and suddenly frowned. He read the words within, one by one, absorbing them into his heart. The letter read:
"Having seen the vast sea, other waters are but streams; leaving Mount Wu, no other clouds are comparable. Liu Shi Nian, I am about to leave the Thousand姬 Palace and head north. Before I depart, I wish to see you one last time."
Xue Ji's handwriting.
Liu Shi Nian felt a mix of hesitation and confusion. He wondered why Xue Ji, who seemed content at the Thousand姬 Palace, would suddenly leave.
However, upon closer inspection, the handwriting was indeed Xue Ji's.
He mused inwardly.
"Although it is impossible for Xue Ji and I to be together, if she truly wishes to see me, and I fail to meet her, wouldn't that make her sad?"
With this thought, Liu Shi Nian decided to descend the mountain to see Xue Ji. He told no one, and hastily made his way down.
He walked briskly and soon arrived by the Black Water River, not far from Black Mountain.
From a distance, he saw a carriage parked by the rows of weeping willows.
And by the river, a woman in white stood, looking forlorn.
The woman was fair-skinned and beautiful, like the gentle and lovely snow in winter, or like a newly bloomed lotus, unstained by the world's vulgarity. From afar, she seemed like a visitor from another realm.
Liu Shi Nian took two steps forward, peered slightly, and called out softly.
"Xue Ji?"
The woman, with her back to him, did not respond. This reminded Liu Shi Nian of his years of pursuing Xue Ji without ever receiving a response.
He sighed and turned to leave.
"You've come."
Hearing the voice, Liu Shi Nian turned back with joy. He saw a sweet smile appear on Xue Ji's usually ice-cold face.
He had never seen her like this before, and was suddenly stunned, his lonely face filled with tenderness.
At this moment, a figure hid nearby, observing everything. Half of his body was concealed behind a rock, his eyes fixed on the scene with fascination.
Upon closer inspection, it was Hei Feng.
It turned out that when Liu Shi Nian had secretly descended the mountain, Hei Feng had seen him. He hadn't made a sound, but had secretly followed him, curious about what he was doing.
Unexpectedly, he witnessed such a tender scene, and couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle.
However, he still felt something was suspicious, so he sent a message back to the elder, informing him of everything that had happened.
Liu Shi Nian smiled foolishly. Seeing Xue Ji again, he became somewhat incoherent.
"Um, um, you, are you leaving?"
"Yes."
"Where are you going?"
"To the Northern Divine Capital."
Liu Shi Nian was a little confused and asked.
"Weren't you doing well at the Thousand姬 Palace? Why are you leaving so suddenly?"
She smiled slightly and replied.
"Boss Jin said that there have been frequent conflicts in the Southern Sea City lately, and it's not very peaceful. So, he asked me to go to the Northern Divine Capital, where it's safer than anywhere else."
"Is, is that so? Then, can I see you again?"
"Probably."
At this moment, a gentle breeze blew, lifting the silk handkerchief from her hand and letting it fall by the river.
Liu Shi Nian hurried forward to pick it up for her. He saw that two lines of poetry were embroidered on the handkerchief.
"Having seen the vast sea, other waters are but streams; leaving Mount Wu, no other clouds are comparable."
He suddenly recalled that fifty years ago, he had accepted Jin Yu Lan's invitation to the Thousand姬 Palace.
There, he had met Xue Ji for the first time. Xue Ji's graceful dance and noble demeanor had deeply captivated him.
Unable to control himself, he had asked someone to embroider this poem for him and entrusted Jin Yu Lan to deliver it to Xue Ji.
He hadn't expected that he himself had forgotten, yet Xue Ji had kept it with her all along. His heart was instantly deeply moved.
He carefully handed the embroidered handkerchief back to Xue Ji and said.
"Did you... always keep it with you?"
"Yes. I suppose you are quite talented. I also like this poem very much."
As she spoke, he suddenly mentioned someone else.
"I recently saw someone. He carries a jade pendant with him all day, I wonder what he's thinking about."
"The person you're talking about is probably Master Zhang."
"Yes. He told me that you already have someone you love. I've met that person too, but I still want to ask, are you and Mu Ye together?"
Liu Shi Nian's face suddenly flushed at her question. He inexplicably retorted.
"He, he's talking nonsense! When was I ever with Mu Ye?
You don't know how fierce and terrifying that woman is. I wouldn't want her even as a concubine. He's truly talking nonsense."
Xue Ji smiled faintly and said.
"Destined yet seemingly not, not destined yet seemingly so. If destined, no need to force; if not, it will be difficult on its own."
Liu Shi Nian didn't understand why she suddenly recited poetry. Before he could speak, Xue Ji asked again.
"Shi Nian, do you really like me?"
Liu Shi Nian was momentarily stumped. He couldn't articulate his complex feelings.
Seeing his difficulty, Xue Ji smiled slightly and explained herself.
"I think you probably like me. If we could have a good marriage, it would also be a beautiful story."
Liu Shi Nian was slightly startled. His mind raced.
"Xue Ji, has she finally agreed?"
As he was lost in thought, suddenly, the sound of flying darts came from the wind. Liu Shi Nian quickly stepped forward, shielding Xue Ji tightly behind him, and shouted.
"Be careful!"
Then, he drew his sword and swung, deflecting the flying darts to the ground.
At this moment, several figures in black leaped down from the trees, raising their sabers in unison and hacking at Liu Shi Nian.
Liu Shi Nian hurriedly pushed Xue Ji away, but was suddenly embraced by someone who had inexplicably appeared.
Liu Shi Nian focused his gaze and saw that it was Hei Feng.
"Hey, what are you doing!"
He was somewhat annoyed but couldn't shake off the attacker. He could only fight while warning Hei Feng.
"Hey! Kid, don't touch him. Your hands are dirty. Just protect her."
Hei Feng was displeased upon hearing this and retorted.
"I say, playboy, don't worry about me. I'm not someone who messes around."
Xue Ji couldn't stand it any longer and stepped on his foot.
"Ouch! You, you, you! Good intentions are not rewarded!"
Hei Feng, in pain, released Xue Ji.
Liu Shi Nian, on the side, praised.
"Well done!"
Then, he gave Xue Ji a sweet wink.
"Be careful, don't strain your back!"
Hei Feng retorted at him unhappily.
...
Meanwhile, on Black Mountain, after receiving Hei Feng's message, I vaguely sensed that something was amiss.
Lin'er also saw the problem at a glance.
"This is likely a trap, probably a trap set for Liu Shi Nian."
"What should we do?"
"We should hurry down the mountain now. We might still make it in time."
"Alright."
So, I called Xue Gu Cheng, Yan Wu Shuang, and Shi San Niang to descend the mountain with me. Lin'er stayed to guard the house.
We hurried to the foot of the mountain and rushed forward, only to hear a commotion.
When we arrived closer, we saw Liu Shi Nian facing several black-clothed men alone.
Hei Feng was watching from the side, while I glanced sideways and met Xue Ji's gaze.
Xue Gu Cheng drew his snow blade and leaped into the air, unleashing a powerful saber strike that immediately repelled the black-clothed men.
Hei Feng looked back and saw us arrive. He shouted with a smile.
"Ghost King, Brother Xue, Miss Yan, Shi San Niang, you're here."
He was about to run over to join us when a male voice suddenly came from the wind.
"So, you are the Myriad Ghost King."
Then, a gleaming sword flew out from the forest.
And standing on the sword was a person as unmoving as a mountain. The newcomer was the leader of the Four Great Evils... Ye Chang Feng.
He arrived on his sword, charging directly at me. Yan Wu Shuang and I quickly dodged.
With a "thud!", the sword plunged straight into a large rock, raising a cloud of dust all around.
After the dust settled, Ye Chang Feng stood there, sword in hand. At this moment, three more figures flew out from the forest and landed behind him.
Hei Feng's pupils contracted, and he exclaimed in surprise.
"The Four Great Evils."
"Hehehe, it seems quite a few people remember us."
Fu Zi Mo, the fourth of the Four Great Evils, chuckled.
"I didn't expect you to be that little girl who was with him that day, making us go through such a long detour."
The second of the Four Great Evils pointed at Liu Shi Nian and said resentfully.
Ye Chang Feng pointed his sword at me and said.
"I never hit women, unless you're a master. Draw your sword!"
Liu Shi Nian threw me his "Willow Sword" and said.
"Use mine!"
I took it, but didn't know which move would be best. At that moment, I recalled the wuxia dramas I had watched, and then swung my sword forward, using a mixed set of skills.
"Soaring Rivers and Mountains."
Ye Chang Feng had never seen such a move, but he didn't dare to be careless. He leaped into the air and slashed down with his sword.
I dodged to the side, raising a gust of sand, then burst out of the sand, lightly deflecting his sword and cutting his sleeve as I moved past.
He looked at his missing sleeve but didn't seem to care. Instead, he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, you do have some skill, but I wonder how you'll handle this."
"Qi Jue Shan Ying!"
He shouted, attacking with rapid steps, then leaping into the air and instantly splitting into several figures, all swinging their swords at once.
For a moment, I was somewhat overwhelmed and could only quickly turn and slash upwards with my sword.
However, he still found an opportunity and thrust his sword at me. Fortunately, I managed to block it with my sword body in time.
He forcefully pushed me back. Unable to match his strength, I could only retreat passively.
Yan Wu Shuang, seeing this dangerous sword strike, couldn't help but shout.
"Mu Ye!"
Then she reminded me.
"Bend down low, and twist your sword back."
I followed her advice, bending down low and twisting my sword back. It was effective, and Ye Chang Feng had to retract his sword to dodge.
"You meddling woman, you're asking for death!"
Zhu Yan angrily accused Yan Wu Shuang, then raised his saber and swung.
Yan Wu Shuang leaped to dodge and looked back to see a long gash on the ground.
Yan Wu Shuang wanted to step forward to face him, but was stopped by Xue Gu Cheng, who said.
"Let me face him."
Then, he raised his saber and swung forward. Instantly, a surge of icy coldness erupted and rushed forward.
Zhu Yan swung his saber again, unleashing a surge of true qi that seemed to break through the earth, colliding directly with Xue Gu Cheng's icy aura.
With a loud "bang!", the point where the saber qi met exploded.
Seeing this, Zhu Yan did not hesitate to praise.
"Such powerful sword qi, a worthy opponent."
On our side, Ye Chang Feng retreated a few meters, then leaped into the air and shouted.
"Moon Gu Sacrifice!"
After gathering some strength, he fiercely swung his sword, and the sword body immediately emitted crescent-shaped sword qi that rushed directly towards me.
I held my sword in front of me, forcefully blocking this fierce attack, but leaving other areas exposed. My arms and legs were torn by the sword qi, creating several wounds.
"Mu Ye! Ghost King!"
The people around us also cried out anxiously.
I had no choice but to flip and leap, dissipating the sword qi, and then leaped into the sky.
I intended to defeat him with the sword technique of falling from the sky.
Just as I held my sword like a meteor plummeting down, suddenly, a white mist spread from the forest.
Immediately after, a figure flew out from the woods, kicked me flying, and then charged at Liu Shi Nian with his sword.
Liu Shi Nian was completely unprepared. Seeing the sword blade approaching, a figure suddenly rushed forward and blocked in front of Liu Shi Nian.
He looked down and saw that it was Xue Ji. With a cry of "Ah!", the sword blade entered her body.
A spurt of blood splashed out, landing on Liu Shi Nian's face. He cried out in panic.
"Xue Ji! Xue Ji!"
The assassin dropped his sword, his face filled with grief. Everyone looked up in disbelief. The person was actually Jin Yu Lan.
Ye Chang Feng accused him.
"Who are you? Why are you disrupting our match!"
Jin Yu Lan said nothing, dropped his sword, and fled.
Ye Chang Feng looked at the Myriad Ghost King who had been kicked aside, then at Liu Shi Nian. Knowing that he had lost the will to win, he sighed and said.
"Alas! Let's go!"
Then he left with his brothers.
Xue Ji, her strength failing, slumped into Liu Shi Nian's arms. Liu Shi Nian held Xue Ji's hand, his voice filled with grief.
"Xue Ji, hold on, I will definitely save you."
Xue Ji shook her head, mustering her last breath, and returned the embroidered handkerchief in her hand to Liu Shi Nian. Then, with a sense of relief, she smiled calmly and slowly said.
"Looking back at the past... bleak and desolate... returning... with neither wind nor rain... nor sunshine."
Liu Shi Nian was heartbroken and replied to her with tears.
"Destiny has always been like water, rarely needing tears. Why should a lifetime of affection be so strained?"
Hearing him say this, she looked at him one last time, truly and carefully, for the first and only time.
She looked at his furrowed brow, at the tears hanging beneath his eyes, and sighed in her heart, her gaze falling in resignation.
Liu Shi Nian looked at Xue Ji forlornly, at the person he had never possessed.
He then recalled his master and suddenly lamented his own ill-fated destiny. Those he had seen, those he had loved, had all left him one by one.
Not even a trace of memory remained. His heart was filled with grievances, with nowhere to express them.
He could only let his tears pour out, drop by drop, falling onto Xue Ji's face, and also onto his own heart.