Chapter Sixteen: Shadows Dispersed, Wine Cold, People Scarce in the Fallen Dynasty

  This night, the moon is dark and the wind is strong.

  Under the desolate moonlight, a corner of Taixu Peak suddenly emitted bursts of extremely unpleasant metallic scraping sounds, as if a giant beast was grinding its teeth under the moon.

  The solitary temple standing at the edge of the cliff was this giant beast. The two stone-like armored warriors stationed in front of the temple suddenly came to life, and with a clanging sound of armor, they retreated to either side and bowed their heads in respect.

  The two bronze doors of the Zhenxindian slowly opened, like a giant beast opening its mouth. Inside was dark and nothing could be seen. At the moment the door opened, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, the beast spewed out a cluster of icy, cold, and lingering mist.

  In the midst of clouds and mist, a faint sigh seems to come from afar, as if it contained the sorrows of a thousand years of parting and longing. Even in the most subtle fluctuations, there are infinite waves when listened to carefully.

  Although the man had not yet arrived, just hearing this sigh made the two armored soldiers' bodies bend even lower.

  A gust of cold wind dispersed the chill, and in the great hall, the faint cries of wronged souls rose again, each cry seeming to pull the souls of the living out of their bodies.

  The knight's head bowed deeply, the leaves of his dark steel armor standing on end, like a hedgehog with its quills raised. The tips of the leaves shone with a faint, dark light, clearly having mobilized his true yuan to defend against the wailing cries of the vengeful spirits emanating from the hall.

  Another wave of icy coldness surged out, and a woman in a white skirt walked out of the hall like she was treading on waves. The clear moonlight fell from behind her back, blocked by her high hair bun, and unwillingly circled around her face hidden in the darkness, illuminating the corner of her lips.

  In this moment, the world only has two colors: black and white. The half-point cherry lips revealed under the moonlight are as sharp as a knife edge, making one feel chilled at first glance, yet deep down in their heart, they unknowingly and vaguely want to provoke them.

  As she walked through the two guards, the guardian with decades of Taoism deeply buried his head, not daring to look directly at her face, and even seeing a corner of her skirt seemed to be deeply fearful.

  She stood still, her right hand lightly grasping the water sleeve, and her left hand, white as snow in the dark night, stretched out from the sleeve. Her slender fingers were like lotus flowers quietly placed, and when she waved them, there were residual shadows like orchids that lingered without dispersing. As her left hand relaxed, an old copper lock with rust spots quietly appeared, which was the Duan Yue Dry Kun Lock. The tip of her middle finger lightly touched the lock, and the Duan Yue Dry Kun Lock flew silently to the front of the hall, clicking into place.

  In this quiet and soundless night, the knocking sound of Duan Yue's universe locking up is particularly loud, echoing under the night sky.

  She slowly withdrew her hands into her sleeves, and quietly departed amidst a somber and chilly atmosphere.

  Until the faint scent she left behind had completely dissipated, the two soldiers who were prostrate on the ground merely slightly turned their heads to confirm that she was indeed far away before they slowly got up.

  A warrior lifted his helmet visor, took a deep breath of the icy night wind, as if this could slightly calm the blood in his chest. He smiled wryly and said, "Wen Tai, brother, what do you think?"

  Another guard also lifted his mask, looking in the direction she left, and said in a low voice: "Zhù Yún brother, I can still hold on, but I don't know how much longer. If it weren't for knowing that Zhèn Xīn Temple has the power to seize heaven and earth's fate, sometimes I really suspect that the one who came out is not Yīn Yīn Miss, but Sū Jiān!"

  When he mentioned the two words "Su Xi", his voice actually trembled slightly, and he unconsciously lowered it a lot, as if he was afraid of being heard by the heavenly fox locked deep in the Town Heart Hall.

  After a moment of silence, Fang said: "Wen Tai brother, you mean to say... Miss Yin has learned the Tian Huo witchcraft? This is not something that can be spoken lightly!"

  That Wentai, a skilled warrior, seemed to know that this conversation was taboo. He looked around cautiously, making sure no one was listening, before lowering his voice as much as possible and saying: "Zhù Yún brother, although Miss Yin's moral character is not outstanding, but for us who have been cultivating since childhood, even seeing her figure and movements will make our hearts move and blood flow. This is indeed the secret technique of Su Xiang! I really don't know why Jing Xiaozhenren would let Miss Yin learn the Tian Hu technique."

  Zhu Yun shook his head and said, "Wen Tai brother, Jing Xiao Zhenren has his own reasons. Our duty is only to guard the Town Heart Hall, what we need to do is to carefully guard our hearts, don't let Miss Yin break our Taoist heart unintentionally. As for what technique Miss Yin is learning, it has nothing to do with us, from now on, never mention these words again!"

  A moment later, the sharp lips stopped in front of the courtyard where Tai Chang Gong Ji Ruocheng lived. Her lips slightly opened, blowing out a warm air that melted a small piece of snow stuck on the gate. Only at this time could she feel that there was still a hint of life in her body.

  She gently raised her right hand, slender fingers unfolding, about to push open the courtyard gate that had been cleared of snow. Each of her movements was rhythmic and clear-cut, as if there was an invisible melody within, but just as her fingertips were about to touch the wooden door, the rhythm suddenly broke off.

  Those fingers, smooth as sheep's fat, lightly touched the wooden door and quickly withdrew like a snake's scales flashing in the moonlight, and under that silvery glow, those slender jade-like fingers hesitated to advance or retreat, already losing their composure.

  Finally, with a creaking sound, she pushed open the courtyard gate.

  The walls inside the temple were clean and tidy, although the snow had been swept away by the miscellaneous workers, but the daily necessities and Buddhist utensils in the house were all packed up neatly, and it could be seen that no one had lived there for a long time.

  She covered her mouth with her hand and let out a low cry, no longer caring about her dignity. She whirled around all the rooms like a tornado, only to find that Ji Ruochen was nowhere to be found. For a moment, she stood frozen in the courtyard, at a loss for what to do.

  "How could this be! Where is he?!" she cried out in a trembling voice.

  "Miss Yin needn't worry, if Dust comes down the mountain to practice, he's already been gone for ten days." Before the words had even fallen, Yun Fengdao had already walked into the courtyard.

  Zhang Yin turned around swiftly, staring at Yun Feng and asked: "With his cultivation level, how could he possibly go down the mountain to practice? Where did he go?"

  The moonlight poured down, illuminating her face. Compared to the past, she was almost a different person now. Under the moon's reflection, she seemed like smoke rising from an empty valley - cold and proud, making it impossible for anyone to grasp or look up to her. Her eyebrows were like crescent moons in the sky, but at their tips, they were sharp as knives, with a faint killing intent that couldn't be concealed.

  Under the moonlight, Zhang's eyes suddenly lit up, and that one piece of icy, arrogant cold light instantly overpowered the moon.

  Yun Feng Dao stepped back, turned his head and said: "Miss Yin, letting Ruocheng go down the mountain to practice is what the eight true men have decided. I'm not entirely clear about the reasons either. However, according to my master, this time going down the mountain to practice will be very beneficial for Ruocheng's cultivation."

  Zhang Yin raised her head high and took two steps closer to Yunfeng, her eyes narrowing slightly as she asked coldly, "Oh, where did he go?"

  As soon as Zhang Yin took a step forward, Yun Fengdao immediately retreated two steps, maintaining the original distance between them. Not one step more, not one step less, looking like he was extremely unwilling to get any closer to her.

  Yun Feng Dao Chang said: "I am a humble person with a low position, I don't know where the dust is going, but..." He wanted to speak but stopped.

  Zhang Yin suddenly understood and nodded, saying: "You don't need to say anything else, I'll go ask myself."

  Nor did she see any movement, a cold air suddenly emerged from under her feet, carrying her slowly upwards, disappearing into the night.

  Until Zhang Yin went far away, Yun Feng Dao finally lifted his head, sighed silently, and hurried to the residence of Zi Yang Zhen Ren.

  "I'm going to Luoyang too!" Zhang Yin stood in the hall, her voice calm and determined.

  "Hu nao!" Jing Xiao Zhenren slapped the armrest of his chair and shouted, "The road to Luoyang is long and treacherous, not to mention that you'll have to pass through three places where evil spirits gather! With your meager cultivation, how can you possibly make it?"

  "He's gone, why can't I go?" Zhang Yinyin asked without relaxing at all.

  Jing Xiao's face turned red with anger: "How can he be the same as you? This matter is of great importance, and I also cannot tell you about it. In short, it's not possible!"

  "It's just a treacherous place where three groups of demons gather, what if I can get through it?"

  Jing Xiao said: "You pass, I'll let you down the mountain!"

  Zhang Yin listened and didn't say much, then turned around and floated away.

  Jing Xiao's anger had not dissipated, when Lan suddenly spoke in a warm tone: "Jing Xiao, you really are muddled! Why don't you think about it, Yin Yin has been following her to learn the arts for over a year now. In this world of demons and evil spirits, who would dare not to give way to Yin Yin?"

  "Ah, Jing Xuan, you've been sitting in the position of a true person for too long, always thinking you're the leader of the righteous path. You've forgotten to consider things from other perspectives. Yin Yin has been stubborn since she was young, even daring to defy Su Xiang's teachings. Alas, it's also due to Yin Yin's deep good fortune that Su Xiang would look at her differently. With Yin Yin's temperament, if you don't let her leave the mountain, she'll likely sneak down on her own. Rather than that, why not just let her go out and experience things? You can't leave Mo Gan Peak, but I'll secretly protect her."

  Jing Xiao, the true person, stood up with a long body and frowned: "Xing Lan, now the group of demons is surging and wants to move. Wen Xuan also escaped by unknown means. The world is really not peaceful. I'm afraid you won't be safe if you go."

  Lan snorted and said, "Zhang Jingxiao! Your swordsmanship is only half a notch stronger than mine. Is it because you've been doing this for so long that you think you can show off at home? Humph! Anyway, I'm going down the mountain to protect my daughter. If you're not convinced, we might as well have a duel!"

  He finished speaking and **Lan Feng** strode away with a flick of his sleeve. Jing Xiao Zhenren was so angry that he huffed and puffed, but didn't dare to really lose his temper.

  "I'm going to Luoyang!" Zhang Yin said coldly as he stood in the dungeon.

  Su Ji's eyes widened slightly, showing a hint of surprise, but she immediately smiled and said: "You want to pass those three dangerous passes? You're considered half my disciple, so it shouldn't be difficult. If anyone gives you trouble on the road, just mention Wen Yu or Yi Xuan's name, and they won't dare cause more trouble. However, you still need to stay for seven more days and get rid of your sharp edges. Only then will I let you leave the mountain. You've been learning my secret techniques for years, if you can't even win over a man this time, wouldn't that tarnish my reputation?"