Xie Zhe and the others stayed in Xueyan Valley for one more day. The rain stopped in the middle of the night, so we took a short rest the next day and waited for the muddy road to become dry, making it easier to travel. Sometimes you can't be in a hurry, for fear that you will wake up early and catch a late meeting.
After that night, Ling Huan's spirit became somewhat normal, probably due to the effect of the talisman. After having a light breakfast, Lord Shuangyue came to visit them again. This time she was the only one. Other disciples and senior Zuoyun did not come. Perhaps it was her own intention. She asked Ling Huan if he wanted to go out for a walk, probably because she wanted to ask about Mi Yin. Ling Huan also happened to have the opportunity to ask her cousin about her experience. Therefore, both Xie Zhe and Han Zhang remained silent, thinking that it would be better not to come forward. In many words, it seems that only when girls are together can they open up.
"Do you want to come together?" Lord Shuangyue asked.
The two looked at each other and agreed. Since Mr. Shuangyue said so, how could he not go? Along the way, they went from crowded places to relatively remote places. Many disciples got up very early, gathered together to practice, or exchanged spells and learned from each other. The overall atmosphere of Xue Yan Sect is very relaxed, unlike many sects that have strict rules on the time to get up, eat and practice.
"Um……"
Han Chang walked from the main road and looked at the disciples gathered in the open space. Lord Shuangyue asked what happened.
"Ah, it's nothing special. I just found that a lot of people seem to be elderly. Four or five out of ten are over fifty, and there are one or two children mixed in. Logically speaking, all Jianghu sects are... Young people are.”
"Yes, this place is quite special... It is the place that many Jianghu people yearn for when they grow old. Many people are not willing to spend a lifetime, and for many reasons do not want or are unable to go home, or even have no home, so they will seek refuge here. place. Regardless of their age, they can hit people harder than anyone else. There are very few young disciples here, unless they are exchanging training with other sects or are interested in medical skills and pharmacology. Most of the young people follow the elders If you come, or you were born nearby, you can find a sect nearby to entrust you to practice some martial arts to strengthen your body. There are also many people whose parents are disciples in the valley."
"Then this place can be considered a paradise." Xie Zhe said.
"It's not even close. I heard that young people don't like staying here anymore and want to go out and make a living."
"Let's go," Han Chang laughed, "The more I go, the more I realize that home is the best."
"So they come back when they get old."
They all laughed, and Ling Huan also raised the corners of his mouth. Xie Zhe looked at her a few more times, feeling a little relieved. After walking a long way, the sun had already reached the top of their heads, but they were all walking under the shade of trees, so they were not very exposed to the sun. Along the way, they were all moving towards higher ground. Even if they were just relaxing, it would be too far. I don’t know where Lord Shuangyue wanted to take them.
Along the way, Ling Huan followed closely. Lord Shuoyue told her everything he knew about her cousin. When she learned that she had aphasia, she looked anxious; but when she knew that Mizumu-kun was taking care of her, she was relieved. It's just... Although Lord Shuangyue knew that Yinxuan had been taken away by Lord Yingyue, he didn't know much more, so he had to tell her that Yinxuan was still safe and sound.
The destination was finally reached - Mr. Shuangyue climbed to a high place, and in front of him was a relatively flat open space. The place is large, with a few trees scattered here and there, but none of them are thick. There are flowers everywhere, and the fragrance is fragrant. A group of butterflies flutters among the disorderly flowers, and the colors occasionally overlap with the flowers, and sometimes they are staggered. In addition to the buzzing sound of swarms of bees, there are also the melodious songs of birds.
"Xueyan Valley still has such a wide open space."
Looking far into the distance, Han Sheng couldn't even see the end of the flower field.
"Yeah. The soil here is very thin, so towering trees like that can't grow. However, Xueyan Valley doesn't like rain, and the soil is not easily washed away. In the past, this place was just a bare, flat rocky plain."
"It's amazing." Xie Zhe just sighed and suddenly remembered something, "Wait, could this be..."
"Yes, this is the fault of the mountain over there." Mr. Shuangyue pointed in a direction, far away. It seemed to be a little higher than here, and the stone wall was still bare. It has also become a large platform. Then under their feet, there should be a place where there used to be a snow ink stone pool. "It was that mountain that the Demon-Sealing Blade chopped down back then."
"...Time passes so quickly."
"Well, the scene five hundred years ago is like yesterday, and everything I have experienced is like a magnificent dream. Here, an old friend and my enemy should have been buried here. However, his body was buried by the shikigami It was taken."
"He is also a person with Tengu bloodline, I have heard of it."
"Um."
"Is your Tengu still around?"
"Of course. Do you want to see it?"
Now that they have this opportunity, of course they are very happy. So Mr. Shuangyue just raised his arm, and the clouds in the sky suddenly became chaotic, and the shadows on the ground moved more intensely, as if there was an invisible giant hand stirring above. Soon, a huge white monster fell from the sky, carrying a biting wind. When it fell to the ground, the surrounding plants were covered with a thin layer of ice flowers. Its fur looked very soft, and Ling Huan was a little scared, but he still tried to reach out and touch it. It does feel exactly as imagined, and the outermost layer is cool and very refreshing.
The tengu turned around and pointed its long beak at the faces of the three. From the front, the monster's appearance is still a bit scary. But next to Mr. Shuangyue, it seemed very gentle. Xie Zhe looked at it, then at Lord Shuangyue, and asked:
"Then, if ordinary people die, where will their tengu go?"
Lord Shuangyue looked at the flower field and let out a small sigh. She stretched out her other hand and a butterfly landed on her fingertips. It is the simplest of those gorgeous butterflies. It seems to be just a white butterfly with a greenish tint. It didn't stay too long. After realizing that these were not flowers, it flapped its wings gently and left.
"They will be free." She said while stroking the Tengu's hair. "This is something I didn't know until later. Every Tengu can only establish a blood contract with one human in its life. I have also read the Wangui Zhi. Yes, there were many people like me at that time. In the memories of all the tengu in the book, there is only one owner."
"Then there must be more people of this bloodline now, right?"
Mr. Shuangyue shook his head: "Only less. The blood of the ancestors is becoming more and more sparse, and only a small number of people are enough to awaken this kind of contract. There may be even fewer in the future... Until people like us disappear completely, the contract will be completely it's over."
Xie Zhe thought for a moment and said, "Wait a minute, Wan Guizhi... In this case, those heavenly dogs will also die."
"Of course, everything is destined to die, but it is just a matter of time. Although the life span of tengu is longer than that of humans, it is short-lived among the long-lived monsters. Except for the original tengu, it still lived for a long time after the death of its owner. It is said that, The place where it died is called the Tengu Tomb. After that, all Tengu who have established a blood contract, no matter how they died, no matter when they died, no matter where they were... their remains will eventually appear in the Tengu Tomb, sleeping with their ancestors. .”
Ling Huan felt strange when he heard this. She asked, "Do you know where that place is?"
"I didn't want to go, so I didn't ask about it." The Tengu was lying on the ground, and she rubbed the fur on its chin and said, "If I could... I would have wanted to end our contract a long time ago."
The snow-white tengu didn't understand or didn't understand, but it didn't make any reaction. However, maybe it doesn't have any ideas, because for Shikigami, the master's will is the absolute will, and they only need to be recognized and executed. The three of them looked at each other, and Han Shang asked three words on behalf of everyone:
"Why?"
"I used to be a demon warrior... Heh, this is not popular now, right? In short, I have had many shikigami, but after I accepted the fate of the six paths of impermanence... I terminated all the contracts . They don’t have to work hard for me all their lives. If I go through a cruel battle, I won’t die, but they will, and I can’t just watch them die. They already have a lifespan longer than mine, and they are trapped in my fate. , It’s not necessary. Only the blood contract with the Tengu is too special and cannot be solved.”
"Maybe...it doesn't care?"
"They just have no choice." Lord Shuangyue looked at Xie Zhe faintly, "Domestic dogs will never be able to live the life of wolves, and military horses will never be able to gallop in the wilderness and can only fight on the battlefield. Not to mention living in a more dangerous environment. Pigs in small pens, chickens in cages, and fish in tanks. Without the ability to live alone, they have no choice. If they knew the taste of freedom and took back their undomesticated abilities, would they still choose this way? ? I have already looked away."
"So you want to...find a way to end the blood pact?"
"Well. All I can think of at the moment is that I am no longer the Six Paths Impermanence. Over the past five hundred years, it has still helped me a lot. I want to repay this favor - we should be friends, not a master-servant relationship. I will continue to think of a way. However, I still have to rely on it to take me to Mutsuki-kun and deliver the amber to him. The amber has healed Miss Ye's injuries, but...as you said, she lost her spiritual power. I don’t know if I can restore it to its original state. After that, it depends on fate.”
Xie Zhe had communicated with her last night about Mu Yuejun and Ling Huan. He nodded without saying anything. He not only hoped that Mr. Shigetsuki would not push himself too hard, but also hoped that Mr. Mutsuki would get help as soon as possible.
"I'm leaving now. Kuai Ma has been entrusted to them to prepare. You can go directly to Zhang Yun."
Saying that, Shigetsuki-kun jumped onto the Tengu's back. The tengu stood up, ready to fly high at any moment.
"Aren't you going to say hello to the disciples?"
"No, trouble. Everyone has their own things to do. By the way, your name is Zhongli Hanshang, right?"
Han Chang nodded and looked at Lord Shuangyue, waiting for her to continue.
"I heard that the mirror spirit of Yun Waijing is in Wanren Mountain, maybe still at Kuanyun Peak, I don't know. I will learn more about the situation from Mutsuki-kun, and if there is any news about the fox demon, I will try my best to tell you. Right now, it is important to go to Dailuan City. If you really see Master Lintian, you can ask him about Yun Waijing... But forgive me for my inability to do anything. Yun Waijing cannot be borrowed easily. There are rules here. I I don’t know you well enough, and I can’t boast to the disciples and guarantee that nothing will happen. Besides, it’s all because of the disciples’ kindness and righteousness that I can have a place here. It’s just a matter of final decision—I shouldn’t interfere.”
They said goodbye to Lord Shigetsuki and watched her quietly blend with the Tengu and the white clouds.
