Chapter 103 Return to Qionghua

  Yun Tianhe and the other two heard Huai Mi's cry, they all stood up from their chairs and rushed out of the door, Shen Bailian also followed them out. When they arrived in the courtyard, they saw that Huai Mi and his brothers were working together to carry a flat object into the gate, the object was blue and shiny like a large round plate, it was actually the Kunlin scale he had seen many years ago.

  "Meow... The elder said that since Mr. Shen is speaking on your behalf and it's rare to see someone willing to show kindness to demons, he's willing to give you the large dragon scale he collected as a reward for helping the demon in the past..." Huai Mi pushed the large scale forward with his head, shaking the feathers on the back of his neck and meowed, "Meow... This thing has a very heavy chill, if not for the elder's spell on it, my brothers and I wouldn't have been able to touch it..."

  "Thanks to you, Huai Mi." Liu Mengli squatted down and gently stroked the backs of several small Huai demons, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Also, thank your elder for me, thank him for being willing to give us the Kun scales."

  "Meow~ Helping friends is a must!" Huai Mi proudly rubbed against Liu Mengli's palm, but soon her little head drooped down again, "But... the elder said, he said..."

  "What did he say?" Han Xiang asked curiously while leaning over to examine the scale.

  Huai Mi said in a low, mournful voice: "Meow... the elder says that humans and demons are different, and the person who came with you is very dangerous. It's best if he leaves and doesn't come back. Please take the Kun scales and leave immediately, and don't come to Ju Chao country again..."

  Yun Tianhe and the other two were taken aback, their faces showing a hint of gloom. But seeing that the little Huaiyao were even more heartbroken, they quickly put on a smile to comfort them. It took a while before they managed to calm down the little Huaiyao slightly. After putting away the Kun scales, Liu Mengli remembered something and asked Shen Baiying in a hurry: "Shen senior, there's one thing I still don't quite understand. You said that the lake bottom demons wouldn't harm people, so why have there been so many civilians suddenly drowning recently?"

  Shen Bailian explained: "This is because many whirlpools have appeared on the surface of the lake, and if those fishermen are not careful, they will be drawn in when they row their boats nearby."

  "That's even stranger. A few months ago, I and Tianhe also passed by Tonglu Lake, but at that time, we didn't hear about any whirlpool on the lake."

  "Meow~ I know this!" Huai Mi said hastily, not waiting for Shen Baiying to speak, "The elder said that it's because a large island flies over the sky of Chao Lake every 19 years, so these strange whirlpools appear. However, after some days, Chao Lake will return to its original state."

  "What a huge island?" Han Xiang's curiosity grew even more.

  The calico cat shook its fur and said with some embarrassment: "Meow... I don't know about that."

  Shen Bailian smiled slightly: "It's roughly the same as Bailianzhou in Lake Heart, only with a fixed orbit, constantly moving."

  Liu Mengli nodded and said, "So, as long as we prevent the fishermen from coming to the lake for a few days, there won't be any drowning incidents." She thought for a moment and then had an idea, "Hmm... why don't I hurry back to Shouyang City and ask Father to issue a notice, ordering the citizens and nearby villagers' fishermen to take a break for a while, and also send some silver to compensate them. Once the whirlpool disperses, they can come back to fish."

  The three of them carefully discussed and decided that Cloud Heavens River and Han Qingsuo would take the lead, sending Kunlun back to Kunlun Mountain, while Liu Mengli would wait until he had finished his business in Shouyang before returning. Shen Bailian listened from the side, her eyes flashing slightly, and made a secret decision in her heart.

  As the sky grew darker, Cloud River Three bid farewell to Shen Baiyue and Huai Mi brothers, heading straight out of the city. The Huai Mi brothers saw them off all the way to the city gate before reluctantly returning to their mansion, only to find that as soon as they entered the door, the house was already empty with no one in sight, and Mr. Shen, who had stayed behind on purpose, had vanished without a trace.

  On the lake's surface, the dusk deepens. In the glow of the sunset, the stone walls of Shouyang City appear mottled and indistinct. Outside the city, under a few willow trees, the figure of Shen Baiying in red clothes seems to blend with the crimson clouds and sunset glow. He stands behind the tree, waiting quietly.

  It was unknown how long it had been, until the night color inside the city wall gradually spread to the outside of the wall. The two thick city gates slowly closed together, and at this moment, a blue and white shadow suddenly flashed out from the gap between the closing gates.

  That figure was slender and elegant, obviously a woman. She didn't stop walking until she reached a row of trees far from the city gate, where she finally stopped. Only then did the sound of a guqin come from her bosom, and it turned out that she was still holding a guqin in her arms. The girl was none other than Liu Mengli, who had left the county magistrate's mansion and exited the city, planning to rush back to the Qionghua Sect day and night.

  Shen Bailian hid behind a tree and saw Liu Mengli pinch the handprint, about to ride the sword and fly up, when she suddenly coughed lightly.

  Liu Mengli's figure paused for a moment, and without turning her head, she said: "Since you've already come, why don't you show yourself?"

  Shen Bailian smiled slightly and walked out from behind the tree. Liu Mengli turned around, saw him, and was not surprised at all, still with a calm expression, and said lightly: "What brings Senior Shen here?"

  "Are you really unaware or just pretending to be stupid?" Shen Baiying sighed and said, "Or perhaps, you simply refuse to acknowledge your own identity?"

  Liu Mengli's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of unusual color flashed in her eyes: "Senior..."

  "Don't call me senior, I don't dare to be." Shen Bailian gently shook her head, "If I'm not mistaken, you're probably going to call me... brother."

  A look of surprise flashed across her eyes like a crystal, and she stared blankly at Shen Bailian: "You said you are... I am too..."

  "That's right. I'm a demon, and so are you." Shen Bailian nodded deeply, "You're not only a demon, but also the young master of the Xuanming Realm's Qiong demon clan, who is highly respected."

  “...Mò yāo......” Liu Mengli whispered, her expression changing constantly. After a long time, she finally heard herself sigh softly, “I... I've felt since childhood that I'm different from others. I always hear voices that others can't hear, and I can do things that ordinary people can't do... At that time, I often dreamed of myself in a very strange place, where it didn't belong to any part of the human world. There was a purple mist lingering all year round, and many purple beasts... So it turns out, I'm really different from Father, Mother, Tianhe, Linglian, Ziying, and them...”

  Shen Bailian looked at the girl in front of him with a worried expression, and a hint of sympathy rose in his heart. When had he thought of his true origins, realizing that he was not human but a demon, wasn't his mind also in turmoil?

  "Meng Li, I've been searching for you for 19 years." Shen Bai Ling looked at her warmly, his expression like that of an older brother. "Back then, when the Fantian Realm was in chaos, I entrusted you to Yun Tian Qing, but he took you and left the realm. Your mother was worried sick after learning of your disappearance, all because of me. Luckily, heaven has taken pity on me and allowed me to find you."

  "...... Mother?" After a while, Liu Mengli asked softly, "Is... is she still alive?"

  Shen Bailian nodded: "Yes. She was seriously injured, but now she's almost fine. Come back with me, if you see her, I'm sure she and the Kirin in the Phantom Realm will be delighted, and my guilt can be slightly alleviated."

  "I..." Mù Líng's eyebrows furrowed even tighter.

  Shen Bailian's smile slightly faded, and she furrowed her brow, saying: "Could it be that you don't want to follow me to the Huanming Realm, and don't want to see your mother?"

  "No!" Liu Mengli suddenly raised her head, her eyes full of knots. "I'm not unwilling to go back... I just want to see Yun Gongzi and the others, I want to bid them farewell..."

  "Well, then let's set off to the Kunlun Mountains' Qionghua Sect. After bidding farewell to Yuntian River and the others, you can follow me back to the Huanming Boundary." Shen Bailong asked in a gentle voice, "Is that alright?"

  Liu Mengli lowered her eyelids and nodded slightly.

  Shen Bailian immediately summoned the Spring Water Sword and, together with Liu Mengli's Yu Jian, flew northwest. In just a few days, they arrived at the foot of Mount Kunlun. Along the way, the closer they got to the Qionghua Sect, the paler Liu Mengli's face became, Shen Bailian saw...

  In his eyes, he knew that this farewell was the only way, but he feared that he would never see those close friends again in this life. His heart ached with sympathy, and he couldn't help but want to comfort them, but how could he when he couldn't even untie his own knot? In the end, all the words he wanted to say turned into just one sigh.

  The two of them rested in Baoxian Town for a night and set out on the Taiyi Immortal Path the next day. When they arrived at the mountain gate, Shen Bailong couldn't help but feel a little surprised: Why was there not even a disciple guarding the gate? Had they all snuck off to some other place to slack off? But no matter how he tried to explain it, this reason seemed too far-fetched. The Qionghua Sect had always been very strict with its rules, and Su Xiang had always been particularly meticulous, so how could there be a disciple who dared to be so reckless?

  Accompanying Liu Mengli to pass by the front of the Qionghua Palace, they arrived at the Jianwuping. Shen Baiying's heart became increasingly strange, as he hadn't seen a single Qionghua disciple along the way. In his memory, the Qionghua Sect had never been so deserted. Not to mention that there were always many disciples guarding the front of the palace, even on the Jianwuping, it was impossible not to see anyone practicing swordsmanship. Now, however, not a single person was in sight, and the coldness gave off an eerie feeling, making him feel uneasy.

  Liu Mengli, however, was preoccupied with her own thoughts and didn't notice these trivial matters. She walked through the Sword Dance Pavilion to a row of houses, where Shen Bailong had lived for over a decade, and naturally knew that it was where the disciples resided. Liu Mengli stopped in front of one of the doors, which had two stone lions in front of it, hesitated for a moment, then turned around and said to him: "Shen... brother, please wait here for a moment." She then pushed open the door.

  Shen Bailian glanced and saw that there was someone lying on the couch in the house, with broad shoulders and narrow waist, vaguely resembling Yun Tianhe's back, but before he could take a closer look, the door had already closed gently, blocking his line of sight.

  After a few cups of tea, Shen Bailian only vaguely heard the sound of people talking inside the house, which continued without stopping. She couldn't help but feel a little anxious and thought to herself: "Dreaming Lian, this young girl, has so many things to say to Yun Tianhe? Alas, she's probably thinking that she won't be able to see him again in the future, so she wants to tell him everything she can. However, there are many acquaintances from the Qionghua Sect who know me, and if I continue to accompany her, it might not be good..."

  Just as he was thinking, a sudden earthquake shook the ground, accompanied by countless chaotic sounds. Shen Baiying was shocked and barely managed to stand up straight, when suddenly his whole body shook violently, and he turned his head towards the direction of Juan Yun Tai. At this glance, his face instantly turned pale.

  Only to see the distant horizon, suddenly two sword lights burst out, one blue and one red, entwined and inserted into the clouds. The scene was exactly the same as what he had seen with his own eyes on the Volume Cloud Platform nineteen years ago. He stared in shock, his body trembling gradually.

  The sword pillar will be established, and the web of the demon world... The great war with the Phantom Fog Realm is about to begin again?