When the slopes of Zuwang Peak turned a golden autumn yellow and even the birds and beasts had begun to shed their coats for the season, most of fall had already passed. By then, Li Xun had spent yet another "three-month cycle" on the peak.
Twenty days earlier, Zhong Yin had declared that his "Bone-Meridian Heartlink" technique was finally complete. From that point on, Li Xun could practice the techniques of the Mingxin Sword Sect without any more blockages.
Even so, he showed no intention of leaving. And no one tried to make him go.
Day after day, when he wasn't training, he'd ask Qingyin questions about music and melody. Out of the twelve 24 hours, he easily spent a third of them with her.
It was a strange experience. It felt like his mind and his emotions had split into two separate, untouching pieces. One part of him would race at every smile she gave, would flush red at the slightest accidental touch, and would quietly ache whenever she grew a little distant.
And yet, at the very same time, another part of him was always mocking, always cursing, always suspicious, always resentful. He started to hate his own "cleverness," blaming himself for staying clear-headed in moments when it would've been better to fall into the illusion. If it really was a dream carefully spun by someone, why couldn't he have just stayed asleep?
Even now, he wandered in and out of that half-dreaming haze.
That night, on the Edge-of-Abyss Terrace, Li Xun stood behind Qingyin, keeping her company as they watched the mist that had lingered for years below the platform.
The Edge-of-AbyssTerrace looked no different from the countless stone terraces scattered across the mountain, but the mist beneath it was famous.
This cloudbank, called the Sky-Piercing Mist, stretched straight up and down for over five hundred and forty thousand li. In other words, if you were to fall from here, there would be nothing to stop you until you reached the very base of the peak.
Qingyin had been in a good mood lately, and tonight was no different. They started off talking about music theory, but somehow the conversation drifted toward the Sky-Piercing Mist.
She reached out into the swirling fog, caught a wisp of cloud in her hand, and said lightly, "Do you know, if you fall from here without using any true breath to stay afloat, even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would be smashed to pieces on impact."
Li Xun blinked. Just thinking about falling for all 540,000 li made his skin crawl. Naturally, all he could do was nod.
Qingyin went on, "And that's a Great Luo Golden Immortal. If it were just an ordinary person, even falling a few dozen li would be too much. With the pressure coming from both inside and out, they'd be crushed before long. As for highly skilled cultivators; very few could last beyond ten thousand li."
Li Xun had no idea why she was telling him all this, so he just nodded along politely.
She didn't seem to mind and kept talking. "Back when I was still on the mountain, I was really curious about this. I kept wondering.... if I jumped from here, what would it feel like to fall for that long?"
By "on the mountain," of course, she meant before she'd completed her training. Li Xun understood that perfectly.
What he hadn't realized until now, though, was that when Qingyin was "younger," she'd had some pretty strange thoughts.
Maybe her personality had always been a little unusual?
He was half amused by the idea when she suddenly said, "One day, I finally did it. I jumped."
Li Xun gasped softly. A flicker of shock ran through him at the quiet madness behind her words.
But Qingyin's voice stayed calm, completely steady. "It's hard to describe… the mist blurs your vision, jagged rocks flash by, and the pressure keeps building, heavier and heavier until it feels like your body's being torn apart. And right then, I thought to myself: that's it. I'm done for."
"But somehow, I still survived. And when I finally came to, everything that had happened before was a blur. The only thing I remembered clearly… was the despair I felt right here, when I couldn't see any hope at all.
That feeling....cut deep."
Qingyin turned to look at Li Xun's blank expression, then broke into a smile. "Thinking back on it now, it actually makes me kind of happy!"
Li Xun stared at her, speechless, unable to put into words what he was feeling. But one thing he knew for sure; he would never forget that smile for as long as he lived.
Whoosh!
A sharp, whistling sound tore through the air, yanking him out of his swirling thoughts.
From the thick clouds below, a streak of silver light burst upward, cutting through the mist in a straight line toward them. Qingyin frowned slightly, lifted her sleeve with a casual motion, and caught the light midair.
"A flying sword message from the sect," she said, giving it only a glance before losing interest. She flicked it casually with her fingers, sending the tiny two-inch-long flying sword into Li Xun's hand. "Something might've happened down at the foot of the mountain. Go let Zhong Yin know."
Li Xun nodded and was just about to leave when he heard Qingyin call out to him. He turned around and saw her smiling.
"Looks like you're heading down the mountain," she said. "These past few days… I've really enjoyed them. Thank you."
That light, almost offhand remark....was that her way of saying goodbye?
Li Xun looked at the gentle curve of her smile. Strangely, it didn't carry the usual warmth and brightness she always had.
He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Do I seem like an idiot to you?"
This was, without question, the thought Li Xun had buried deepest and sharpest in the past three months. Now that it had suddenly slipped out, Qingyin was caught completely off guard.
But Li Xun didn't say another word. He was sure Qingyin understood exactly what he meant. So he simply stared straight at her, waiting to see what kind of answer she would give.
He could tell, just from the way she was looking at him now, that something had changed. Her gaze was completely different. And right then, he saw her smile.
This time, her smile held nothing back; it was real, from deep within. It wasn't like her usual smiles, which always seemed to be wrapped in a soft mist, hiding her true feelings.
For just a moment, Li Xun felt like he'd finally caught a glimpse of Qingyin's heart.
Then she spoke.
"The lowly cannot speak of the lofty, the ordinary cannot point to the profound. Fools are unfit to speak of wisdom, and the lovestruck have no place talking of love.
The fact that you understand that now\... is good."
Li Xun's pupils shrank in an instant.
Qingyin smiled faintly, gave him no time to respond, and with a sweep of her sleeve, vanished like a gust of wind.
Li Xun stared at the spot where she'd disappeared, stunned into silence.
....
Just as Qingyin had said, something had indeed happened. And it was big.
In the Polar Night's Heaven of the North Pole, at the headquarters of the Miaohua Sect, the long silence following the Tiandu incident had finally been broken.
Two days ago, word came that Jade Wanderer, along with Demon Phoenix, Qing Luan, and Gu Yin, had jointly issued a declaration calling for a massive "Alliance of Rogue Cultivators," inviting hundreds of thousands of unaffiliated cultivators across the world to join.
The news caused an immediate and widespread uproar.
"An alliance of rogue cultivators at the North Pole? Now that's something you don't hear every day," Zhong Yin said with a smile after reading the message from the flying sword. "If they're forming an alliance, can they even be called rogue cultivators anymore? That old Sect Master has always been shrewd, but she still doesn't understand her uncle's temperament."
Li Xun was still a bit dazed, lost in thoughts of Qingyin. He barely registered the comment and let it pass without reacting.
Seeing his state, Zhong Yin said no more. He simply picked up his brush and went back to his painting, leaving Li Xun standing awkwardly to the side.
By the time Li Xun realized how out of place he looked, he didn't know how to break the silence. Just as the awkwardness was beginning to weigh on him, the sound of a sword's whistle came from outside, followed closely by footsteps.
Li Xun turned quickly, almost with relief, just in time to see Ming Ji walk in through the door.
Their eyes met. Ming Ji gave him a small smile, and Li Xun quickly smiled back, adding a slight bow as a respectful greeting. He then turned toward the room and called out, "Immortal Ming Ji has arrived."
It wasn't strictly necessary to say this aloud, but doing so was a show of respect. Small gestures like that, done right, often mattered more than grand displays.
Ming Ji gave him another brief smile before turning to Zhong Yin and bowing. "Sixth Martial Uncle," she said, "word just arrived from Nightless City. The Ten Current-Reversed Demons have crossed its borders and joined forces with the Miaohua Sect."
"In response, Nightless City has deployed a ten-thousand-li-wide Aurora Barrier to stop them. Mistress Tianzhi personally stepped in to help, but was seriously injured by the combined attack of Demon Phoenix and Gu Yin.
"As of now, there's a breach in the ten-thousand-li Aurora Barrier surrounding the North Pole. Dozens of rogue cultivators and demonic beasts are slipping through every day. The situation is starting to get out of hand."
Li Xun, standing to the side, felt a chill run through him as he listened.
Li Xun had heard of the "Ten Current-Reversed Demons" before, but never paid them much attention. What truly shook him was the mention of Mistress Tianzhi. As the Lord of Nightless City, she cultivated the unparalleled Aurora Mystic True techniques said to be second to none. For Grandmaster-level figure like her to suffer a heavy defeat… it was clear that the Miaohua Sect had gotten far too bold.
And then there were the names Demon Phoenix and Gu Yin. Just hearing them made his teeth hurt.
Zhong Yin, however, remained completely at ease, as calm as ever, showing no sign of surprise. He set down his brush and glanced over the unfinished painting before him, smiling faintly. "How are the other demonic sects responding?"
"Most are still watching from the sidelines," Ming Ji replied. "But five of them; Succubus Sect, Heavenly Demon Sect, Venom Veil Sect, Bliss Sect, and the Underworld Monarch Sect, have all publicly stated their support. That said, none have taken any real action yet."
"What's our Sect Master planning to do?"
A sharp flash flickered through Ming Ji's eyes, but her voice remained composed. "The Sect Master has decided to travel to Nightless City in person, along with a few disciples, to meet with the other sect leaders and discuss how to handle this."
Her words were full of calm diplomacy, but to Li Xun, the ending note of her sentence rang with the metallic ring. Like a treasured sword trembling restlessly within its scabbard.
Maybe this was the real face of Ming Ji, the Flash Spirit Sword of the Tongxuan Realm.
Zhong Yin gave a small, knowing smile, clearly aware of the fire stirring behind his niece's calm facade. He nodded, amused. "Then go. If you're concerned about the mountain's defenses while you're gone, just say the word. I've been a bit lazy lately, but walking the peaks a few times wouldn't be too much trouble."
"We'll trouble you for that, Uncle," Ming Ji said with another respectful bow.
Then her gaze slid to Li Xun.
He felt a bit uneasy under her stare and forced a polite smile, just about to say something....when Ming Ji spoke first.
"Also, by the Sect Master's orders, Li Xun is to come with us."