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墨書 Inktalez
Winter Snow Flurries of snow fell thickly and heavily.
With no wind, the pure white snowflakes danced gently down. In just half an hour, the earth was blanketed in silver, covering the charred mountain tops, dark trees, and the grotesque remains of corpses. At this moment, the Lüliang Mountain area resembled a scene carved from jade, pure and serene.
Someone came singing through the snow:
"Five Heroes wielding swords to chase the clouds,
Directly aiming for the Heavenly River beneath the Imperial Capital.
Driving back three hundred thousand Jade Dragons,
Scattered scales and broken armor fill the sky!"
Li Hong laughed heartily as he walked through the snow. Taking deep breaths of the fresh air, he stood on a mountain peak, feeling refreshed by the pristine icy world around him.
He kicked something with his foot and looked down, exclaiming as he crouched down.
It was a Walking Corpse, or rather, just a portion of its remains.
Since the Beginning of the Month, countless battles had taken place, and the Nine Li Sect had once again sacrificed several elders. Although times were tough, they had repeatedly driven back the Demon attacks. After winter set in, as Walking Corpses became stiff and difficult to drive away, the Demon Sect finally ceased their assaults. It had been half a month since they last saw a swarm of Walking Corpses. Occasionally, there were scattered Demon sightings, but they always vanished at the first hint of shadow.
Now it was akin to a winter truce; thus, the Patrol Team no longer sent out groups into the mountains but instead dispatched elders for inspections. If any situation arose, they would promptly return to report at the Mountain Gate.
Today was Li Hong's turn. As soon as he left the Li Fire Formation, he was greeted by this beautiful snowy scene. This inspired him greatly. However, it was this object beneath his feet that piqued his curiosity even more.
Although remnants of Walking Corpses were common throughout Lüliang, he looked again and again, feeling an increasing sense of doubt. He decided to tear off a sleeve of his clothing to wrap up that object and headed straight back to the Mountain Gate.
Nine Vermilion Peaks, Spirit Stone looked at the remains with confusion while pinching his nose, and raised his head to Ask the Way: "What exactly are you thinking?"
Upon entering Mountain Gate, the interior was warm as spring, and the remains gradually melted, releasing a foul-smelling Black Water. The stench filled the Quiet Room.
Li Hong pondered: "Call Old Eight to take a look; he might know something."
Soon, Chuxuan arrived. Li Hong pointed at the remains and said: "Chuxuan, take a look. I found that this Walking Corpse actually has a gold seal from the Song Dynasty."
Chuxuan wrapped his palm with cloth and reached in to turn over the piece in the wooden basin for a closer inspection.
This was a section of a skull connected to the shoulder area. On the forehead, the skin was still intact, with a line of black characters clearly engraved: "Robber Sent to Shangzhou Prison City", indicating that this was a bandit who had been captured and exiled to Shangzhou Prison City.
Chuxuan wiped off some dirt from the characters, revealing that they were deeply embedded in the skin, clearly not forged. He mused: "Many bandits are sent to northern military posts or prison cities for military service after being captured. Currently, many of these people are in the Song Dynasty's resistance against the Jin Army, and they all have similar markings on their faces, which is no longer considered shameful. After all, they are good men fighting against the Jin. It is said that there is an order in the army that as long as one fights against the Jin, past offenses will be forgiven. This person must be one of our Song Dynasty's resistance fighters. But how did he become a Walking Corpse?"
"This is what I don't understand. Why don't you come with me to investigate further?"
Spirit Stone nodded in agreement, and so the three set out again, this time prepared to specifically examine the remains of Walking Corpse that had heads. After searching until dark, they discovered that many of the Walking Corpse had gold seals, all belonging to Song People.
The three returned to Mountain Gate, filled with doubts.
Chuxuan remarked: "At first, I thought the source of the Walking Corpse was ordinary civilians, but now it seems otherwise; it appears related to the military."
Li Hong recalled a detail and his eyes brightened: "That's right! Previously, when we drove away Demon Sect Monsters, there were both men and women among the Walking Corpse, young and old. But in these past four months, all the Walking Corpse driven away by Demon Sect Monsters have been tall and strong men. It turns out that demons have turned soldiers into Walking Corpse. No wonder they are becoming increasingly difficult to deal with!" At this point, his expression suddenly darkened: "There’s something we haven’t figured out yet—these Walking Corpse must have been processed with some kind of potion. Before this, were they alive when they were turned into Walking Corpse, or were they dead corpses used for this transformation?"
Spirit Stone contemplated: "I believe it is very likely that they were alive because the Demon Sect needs souls for their cultivation; they must have been turned into Walking Corpse while still alive, simultaneously having their souls taken away for their practice of Demonic Arts."
Li Hong sighed, "I think the same."
He exchanged glances with Spirit Stone, both of them filled with a mutual understanding of anger.
Chuxuan clenched his fists tighter and said angrily, "Our Song Dynasty has just begun to win battles and reclaim lost territory, yet the Demon Sect Monsters are using thousands of our good men to create such evil beings. The Song Dynasty has lost so many generals all at once! This absolutely cannot stand! They dare to interfere in mortal wars! They want to destroy our Song Dynasty!"
"No wonder... no wonder..." Chuxuan's eyes blazed with fury. "I wondered why the Song Dynasty was so vulnerable; it turns out the Demon Sect Monsters are behind this!" Suddenly, he knelt before Spirit Stone, banging his head on the ground repeatedly, pleading, "Master, you are also Han People; please help our Song Dynasty! We cannot let the Demon Sect Monsters ruin us like this!"
Spirit Stone reached out to help Chuxuan up and said awkwardly, "This is only our preliminary judgment; we cannot be certain. However, I need to report this to Elder Brother Zhangmen and let him inform the sect leader to see what the Immortal Sect has to say about this."
Chuxuan despaired, saying, "By the time they make a decision, who knows how many brave men from our Song Dynasty will have been turned into evil beings? Time is of the essence! Master..." He pleaded, "Please allow me to go down the mountain; I need to investigate this matter thoroughly." He then turned to Li Hong and begged, "Chu Hong, you are also Han People; you have deep enmity with Golden Dog over the Sea of Blood. You cannot just stand by and say nothing!"
Li Hong thought for a moment and shook his head. "I think Master is right; this is only your preliminary judgment. Currently, there is no solid evidence that the Demon Sect has interfered in mortal wars or turned our Song Army into Walking Corpses to strike against us. You must know that in four months, the Demon has driven away no less than fifty thousand Walking Corpses. If our Song Army suddenly lost so many elite soldiers, wouldn’t there be an investigation? Wouldn’t some news have leaked out? Yet we haven’t heard a whisper about it. This may just be your personal speculation."
Chuxuan paused for a moment but still believed his judgment was correct. He shouted, "There’s only one solution: we must investigate!"
Spirit Stone pondered and said, "I think I should report this to the sect leader now; you all wait here and must not act on your own." He then transmitted a message to Li Hong: "Old Eight wants to go down the mountain to assist the Song Dynasty; you’ve given him a huge reason now."
Li Hong could only smile wryly.
In the Quiet Room, only Chuxuan's heavy breathing could be heard as he looked down at the decaying Walking Corpses in the wooden basin, lost in thought.
Li Hong was contemplating whether Chuxuan's words had any possibility. Fifty thousand Song Army soldiers disappearing in four months was no small number. The Song Dynasty could not possibly be unaware of it. Could it be that he and Master were mistaken? The Demon Sect Monsters were using the Song Army to create Walking Corpses, but was it after they died in battle? Yet he distinctly remembered that those Walking Corpses were not missing limbs; every time they charged, they were whole. How could so many complete corpses come from those who died in battle?
It was truly perplexing.
Chuxuan's breathing gradually calmed down, returning to the unique long and slow rhythm characteristic of a cultivator, indicating that his emotions had settled. Indeed, he spoke up: "Sixth Senior Brother, I have always had doubts about why the Song Dynasty fell so quickly and thoroughly. Today, I finally understand. Hmph! The Demon Sect actually dared to intervene in the Mortal Realm war; they have violated the rules of the Cultivation World first. Senior Brother, we absolutely must do something; we cannot just watch idly!"
Chuxuan firmly asserted that the Demon Sect assisted the Jin people, which made Li Hong a bit troubled. To be honest, he did not believe this. The Demon Sect did not regard mortals as humans but as mere tools for their cultivation; it was unlikely they would differentiate between Jin and Song. Wouldn't the Jin people also be used by the Demon Sect for soul collection and cultivation? Li Hong shook his head at the thought.
Chuxuan continued passionately: "From the very beginning, this battle was one-sided. The most ridiculous part was that Demon Guo Jing, boasting about having six divine weapons assisting him, actually deceived the Filial Piety and Benevolence, the Holy Emperor into believing his nonsense. He opened the city gates wide and handed over Tokyo! Thus came the Humiliation of Jingkang. I can almost conclude that Demon Guo Jing was definitely sent by the Demon Sect Monster!"
He paused for a moment and indignantly said, "If they from the Demon Sect can intervene, why can't we from the Immortal Sect?"
Li Hong listened with great curiosity, unaware that there was such a demon involved in the Humiliation of Jingkang. Considering that the Immortal Sect referred to the Demon Sect as demons, could it be true that Demon Guo Jing was indeed sent by them? Otherwise, who would be so foolish as to open the city gates and welcome their enemies? Unless at that time, Demon Guo Jing had indeed shown some 'immortal techniques' in front of Zhao Huan, which convinced Zhao Huan.
Thinking of this, he pondered: "The Demon Guo Jing you mentioned really needs to be investigated."
Seeing that Li Hong was finally interested, Chuxuan's eyes lit up: "Exactly! It should have been investigated long ago. Unfortunately, I strictly adhered to the Cultivation World’s rule of not intervening in Mortal Realm wars. I was caught and brought back by Master several times when I sneaked down the mountain. Now I can finally go down openly to thoroughly investigate this matter. Senior Brother, you must help me!"
Li Hong smiled wryly, rubbing his nose, unsure of what to say.
Chuxuan took Li Hong's silence as consent to help him and immediately stood up to bow deeply: "Thank you very much, Sixth Senior Brother!"
Li Hong wanted to help him up, but Chuxuan had already steadied himself. Li Hong thought of a question he had never asked before and couldn't help but ask: "What exactly is your relationship with the Song Dynasty Ruler? You shouldn't be a blood relative of Zhao Gou, yet you seem very concerned about him. What is your background?"
Chuxuan's expression darkened as he sat down dejectedly and slowly said after a while: "I won't hide it from you any longer. In fact, I am truly a royal grandson; my father is Prince of Yun, the third son of Daojun Emperor. Actually, I shouldn't directly call Zhao Gou by his name; I should refer to him as Uncle Emperor. Unfortunately, his claim to the throne is illegitimate, which makes it hard for me to accept."
Li Hong was greatly shocked upon hearing this—Daojun Emperor Zhao Ji's own grandson! Chuxuan turned out to have such a background. But how could such a royal grandson come to study immortality techniques at Nine Li Sect?
Chuxuan continued slowly: "The existence of the Immortal Sect is no longer a secret for us from the Song Dynasty Zhao Family. There is an ancestor from Nine Li Sect who belongs to our Zhao Family's direct lineage; unfortunately, he achieved little and eventually faded into obscurity. In this generation, my father saw that the Song Dynasty Nation was in turmoil and sought Nine Li Sect again. At that time, Master came out of seclusion and examined my family’s six sons; ultimately only I was determined to possess immortal roots—specifically Fire Spirit Root—when I was only six years old. You know what happened next; five years later when Nine Li Sect opened its doors for discipleship, I entered alongside you." At this point, he looked at Li Hong with a glint in his eyes and smiled bitterly: "Back then you kicked me down! Fortunately, Master was already waiting below to catch me. That’s how I managed to join Mountain Gate."
Li Hong said with a hint of embarrassment, "Who told you to be so weak and unable to move your feet? You almost got Old Seven into trouble."
"Forget it, I've long forgotten that matter, so let's not talk about it. My mother is a consort, and I am a child born out of wedlock, so I never received any favor. It was only after my master decided to take me in that my father began to look at me differently. Sigh," Chuxuan sighed deeply at this point, "I am unfilial! Grandfather passed away last year, and my father has also departed. Both were poisoned by the Jin people! Yet here I am, stuck and unable to save them." As he spoke, tears shimmered in his eyes. He lowered his head to wipe away the tears, clearly feeling very unsettled inside.
Li Hong could only comfort him, "If what you say is true, with the Jin people backed by the Demon Sect, your low cultivation level would only lead you into a trap. Besides, the Cultivation World cannot interfere in mortal wars; that is a rule. Even if you are worried, it won't change anything."
Chuxuan gradually calmed down and clenched his fists, saying, "But as long as I have breath in me, I must ensure the Song Dynasty lasts for ten thousand years!"
Li Hong found this statement quite unreasonable. A ten-thousand-year dynasty? Which dynasty in history has lasted that long? A general's success often comes at the cost of countless lives; it is the common people who suffer. Moreover, their ancestor had also obtained the throne through dubious means. However, saying this to Chuxuan, whose thoughts were deeply rooted in royal bloodline ideology, would be pointless. At least his desire to protect the Song Dynasty and the Han people was commendable.
The Jin people are so cruel and ruthless; having them rule over the Han people is something no self-respecting Han person would accept.
It is better to have no ruler among the Di Yi than to have one among the Huaxia.
He could only search for words of comfort: "Your father has passed away, but perhaps your legitimate brothers are still alive. After all, they are still young. Even if they were captured and taken to the cold northern lands of the Jin Kingdom after the Jingkang Shame, they might still survive. Why not wait for my master to return? I can plead with him to allow me to accompany you on a journey to rescue one or two of your brothers, as a way to appease your father's spirit."
Chuxuan coldly laughed and replied, "That is quite unnecessary."
"Ah?" Li Hong's mouth fell open in surprise. Wasn't he supposed to be filial? Why did he not care about his brothers' lives?
"I ask you, if your elder brother were in trouble right now, would you save him?" Chuxuan calmly countered.
Li Hong was stunned. His elder brother Li Wu! He was nothing but a disgrace to the Li family—betraying the Song Dynasty and siding with the Jin people to kill Song subjects. Li Hong blurted out, "Save him? He'd better not cross paths with me; if he does, I will definitely kill him to avenge my family's disgrace!"
"Isn't that settled then?" Chuxuan sneered. "I know my brothers well; they must have already been fawning over the Jin people just to survive! Such brothers are better off without. I have suffered enough bullying from them since childhood; who told me my mother was not favored? If it weren't for my master taking me in later on, who knows how they would have killed me! Moreover, my mother... she has long since passed away. I have no attachments left."
Li Hong truly had no words left, unsure whether to sympathize with Chuxuan or to blame him for his lack of feelings.
The Prince of Yun's family might now be down to just him as the last descendant. Yet, he was still thinking about how to preserve the Zhao Family's millennia-old legacy. This Chuxuan was both infuriating and pitiable.
The two sat in silence, unable to find anything more to say. Spirit Stone, however, turned back and frowned, saying, "You Sect Leader Uncle thinks this matter is indeed suspicious and has ordered us to investigate thoroughly."
Chuxuan was overjoyed, suddenly standing up and bowing deeply, "Thank you, Master!"
Spirit Stone meaningfully addressed Chuxuan, "This matter will require your identity. The Jade Register you brought with you since childhood and the Golden Order Token from the Yun Wangfu can be put to use. There will be no military conflicts around winter; you and your Sixth Senior Brother should take a trip to Lin'an."
Tomorrow they would be heading to Lin'an. Li Hong packed a few items, first preparing a complete set of Elder Robes and then planning to bring some clean clothes. When he opened the wardrobe in the corner of his bedroom, a pang of pain shot through his heart.
The neatly folded small garments, knee pants, shoes, socks, and handkerchiefs had slightly yellowed. He took out a White Silk Handkerchief and ran his fingers over the delicate stitching along the edge, finally stopping at the small character "Hong." Before him seemed to appear that person, sitting alone by a dim light, hair neatly cut across the forehead—lonely yet incredibly sweet—stitching every bit of longing into the handkerchief.
He weakly leaned against the chest and thought for a moment before taking out a Small White Jade Box from his Cosmic Bag. Inside was only one thing: a small Red Velvet Flower that had already faded. That flower had once been pinned to the chest of a Scarecrow that resembled him; he had plucked it off and kept it carefully in his Cosmic Bag, only taking it out to play with when no one was around.
This was a secret known only to him and Wanyi. From the moment he plucked the Red Velvet Flower from that Scarecrow's heart, she had known that he held her in his heart, just as she had long held him in hers.
Bittersweet emotions surged within him—sorrow, sweetness… all kinds of feelings welled up. After a long sigh, Li Hong carefully placed the small Jade Box back into his Cosmic Bag.
In this lifetime, he would keep it forever; there was a corner in his heart reserved solely for her—a shrine that must not be forgotten for thousands of years.
With a snap, the lid of the wardrobe closed; Li Hong had finished packing.
A beam of crystalline sword light suddenly appeared, and Chu Xi was quietly standing on the porch.
Li Hong slowly walked down the stairs, and when he looked up, he met Chu Xi's clear gaze.
"You've come."
"You're leaving tomorrow, so I came to see you off."
"Mm."
The two stared at each other in silence, as if there were countless words to say, yet they did not know where to begin.
At some point, a deep chasm had formed between these once close individuals. This chasm was built with care, separated by a figure that had already transformed into a Phantom.
The farewell blessing had instead become the greatest obstacle and the biggest Heart Demon.
In Chu Xi's clear eyes, mist swirled; she looked at the imposing figure before her. Despite having a thousand words to say, she found it impossible to voice them.
Li Hong felt the same way. He wanted to say something like "take care," but the words caught in his throat. He knew that what Chu Xi wanted was not this.
But he could not guarantee it; he did not know how to guarantee it.
The farthest distance in the world is not standing in front of you yet not knowing I love you, but knowing we love each other yet cannot be together.
The end of this volume.
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