Chapter 27: Moon Gazing Pavilion

  The bright moon casts a glow on Lu Xueqi's elegant figure.

  The night wind rustled, ruffling his pure white corner.

  She stood facing the bright moon, her serene face with a few more marks of fatigue. The bright moon was in the sky, where on earth was that person now? Would he be sighing to himself under the bright moon, and if so, for whom? For ten years, day and night, he had been thinking and yearning like this. Perhaps one day, he would really appear behind her own back, calling out her name.

  "Hehe..." She smiled bitterly, habitually dancing with the Tianyue sword. This set of swordsmanship had been danced for ten years and also saddened her for ten years, all for that elusive ending.

  The moonlight is like a wash, her pure white figure, the unity of man and sword, sometimes gentle and affectionate, sometimes passionate and majestic. The slow movement is like a cloud flowing water, all things are quiet, that is her inner sorrow and longing. The rapid movement is like a raging storm, shaking the earth, that is her fervent desire.

  She suddenly gestured, and even outsiders could see the many fragmented and broken parts of this sword technique. The true energy inside her body sometimes had the possibility of hurting herself, but it was just like that, Lu Xueqi practiced for ten years, wind, rain, snow, and frost never stopped, perhaps only the pain of true power hurting oneself would make this kind of madness subside a little.

  "You don't have to be like this!" A voice suddenly came from behind, it sounded so familiar, the person who had appeared countless times in his dreams, was it him? Had he really appeared? At the same time, it was also so strange, because on this Moon-Watching Pavilion, this was his first appearance. She slowly turned around and gazed at him.

  "You don't have to be like this!" He looked at that pale face, his heart ached, and he wished so much to hold him tightly in his arms at this moment.

  Two people just gazed at each other, staring at each other in the cold moonlight, their bodies as if covered with frost. What made these two infatuated people so close yet so far apart? Was that one step really so difficult to take?

  After a while, the bamboo forest behind suddenly made two "squeaking" sounds, and Xiao Hui suddenly ran out, with the wine bag still on his back. The turtle's wine had been drunk when they were climbing the mountain. Seeing the two people staring at each other strangely, this monkey felt strange, squatting down quietly, gazing at them steadily.

  Time may have been too long, the monkey suddenly couldn't help but let out two "squeaks", breaking the silence that these two people could not break.

  "How are you?" Gui Li asked.

  "The person is fine, but the heart..." Lu Xueqi said, but the last meaning was left unspoken.

  The ghost's voice suddenly became a bit hoarse and said: "I'm not worth your sacrifice, such cultivation is very harmful to the body!"

  Lu Xueqi smiled and said: "I know, but this pain is quite comfortable!"

  Gui Lie's body shook slightly, and he stared blankly at Lu Xueqi. After another long silence, he finally said: "You... come with me!"

  Lu Xueqi was shocked, both delighted and frightened. "Where can we go?" she asked, her words filled with passion and longing, the very thing she had been praying for day and night.

  "In the farthest corners of the earth, away from worldly dust, I am at peace wherever I go!" said Gui Li.

  Lu Xueqi sighed and asked, "What about Bi Yao?"

  The ghostly figure's body shook violently, and his mind flashed with a thousand threads of thought. "Nine Yin spirits, all heavenly demons, with my flesh and blood, I will make the ultimate sacrifice..." The voice that appeared in his mind that night, the water-green dressed girl, her beautiful face lying alone on the ice bed, scene after scene flashing before his eyes, her face alternating with his own, struggling and wandering in agony. His vow of love had already tormented him to the point of suffocation, was there still time for him to face the world? Perhaps this was the true meaning of ghostly cruelty.

  That struggling figure was reflected in Lu Xueqi's clear eyes, and instantly a faint ripple appeared. She actually cried and said: "You don't have to blame yourself, knowing that you have me in your heart is enough for me!"

  The ghost's figure flashed, and suddenly he stepped forward, holding Lu Xueqi tightly in his arms. He only felt that the warm and delicate body had shrunk a little smaller, completely melting into his embrace. At this moment, it seemed like an eternity.

  "Do you have the courage to take this step?" Lu Xueqi asked.

  The ghost's arm tightened its grip, fearing that the person in his arms would suffer any more harm. "I originally didn't have the courage to do so," he said. "But today, I was scolded by someone who looked just like me in a small town sixty miles away. As the saying goes, '忠言逆耳' ( faithful words are bitter to hear). Now that I think about it, what he said wasn't unreasonable!"

  Lu Xueqi was startled and found out it was him, they finally met, and asked: "Have you seen Zhang Yufan?"

  "Zhang Yufan!" Gui Li was taken aback and asked in confusion: "You know this person?"

  Lu Xueqi shrank her body again, her pale face pressed against Gui Li's broad chest, and said: "This person has an unknown origin, not only does he look like you, but even his cultivation method is the same as yours. Last time at the Wàn Dú Mén headquarters, when he was in a hurry, he used a demonic technique that was very similar to your Soul Devouring Technique, absorbing people's essence and blood. But in the critical moment, he still let Li Xun go!"

  "Chirp, chirp!" Xiao Hui suddenly cried out a few times, perhaps hearing them mention the person they met in the small town. He punched his fists on the ground quickly, jumping up and down in an awkward manner, imitating Zhang Yufan's strange behavior.

  Lu Xueqi looked at the gray-haired monkey and smiled: "He really learned it!"

  A black line suddenly flashed across the sky, so mysterious and unpredictable that if not seen with one's own eyes, no one would have noticed someone passing by. The person was so eerie and shocking that he seemed like a ghostly Mr. Hei, what was he doing in Qingyun?

  Lu Xueqi leaned into Gui Li's arms, unaware of the thoughts in her mind. Suddenly, she pushed him away with a hint of reluctance: "You should go, it's best if you don't come back. I won't betray Master and Qingyun!"

  The ghost was shocked, but soon understood the meaning of the words, and his mood became even heavier. What could he say now? Wasn't he also unable to let go of Bi Yao? The woman who had sacrificed herself for him was still lying alone in the stone room, waiting for him to return so peacefully!

  He hesitated here, and suddenly a figure whizzed past his ear, it was Lu Xueqi who broke through the air and left, leaving behind a cold moonlight that only reflected this person and monkey. Bi Yao can disregard everything for me, but Xueqi values loyalty and righteousness even more, her dedication is truly sincere, she also has her own heart knot.

  "Chirp chirp!" Xiao Hui called out twice and jumped onto Gui Li's shoulder, patting the wine sack to indicate it was time to leave.

  The ghost turned around and disappeared into the bamboo forest.

  Just as he had just left, two people suddenly appeared from behind a large stone not far away. One was slightly shorter than the other, and the other was born with a pretty face.

  Only the slightly shorter girl said: "Elder sister, who is that man?"

  "Zhang Xiaofan!" The speaker was Wen Mian. He furrowed his brow and said again: "No, it's Gui Lie!"

  Under the moonlight, this girl looked even more pure and beautiful, a real beauty, blinking her eyes with some curiosity and saying: "Isn't Zhang Xiaofan from Dazhu Peak?"

  Wen Min was taken aback: "Xiao Shi, how did you know?!"

  Xiao Shi, a disciple of Xiao Zhu Feng, smiled at Wen Mian and said: "Master sister, don't hide it for Lu Shixiong anymore. Who doesn't know that Lu Shixiong secretly loves Zhang Xiaofan from the Da Zhu Peak? The people from other sects have all spread the news, but no one dares to say it in front of Lu Shixiong."

  Wen Min shivered, looking at the young junior sister with a puzzled expression, and asked: "I didn't expect you to be so concerned about love affairs at such a young age, what else do you know?"

  The little poem was only sixteen years old, except for being a bit shorter than Wen Mian, all the other advantages were even more impressive. She tilted her head and made a face at Wen Mian, saying: "I know a lot of things, such as Tian Ling'er's Zeng Shu Qi Huai Lin Xing Yu, I all know, and..."

  The little poem hadn't finished speaking but Wen Min immediately reacted, this little girl's eyes were very strange when looking at her, knowing that there must be a ghost in the middle, loudly asking: "What else?"

  "And also, it's you, Sister Shī and that wood-delivery guy!" Little Po said with a smile as she ran off.

  "Delivering firewood?" Wen Min was taken aback, but quickly reacted, realizing that the one who said "delivering firewood" could only be Song Da Ren. He cursed loudly: "You damned girl, watch me tear your mouth apart!" Having said that, he rushed forward in a fit of rage.

  Xiao Shi was no match for Wen Mian, and after running six or seven steps, he was cut off by Wen Mian. In the moonlight, the two of them frolicked and played, their carefree and innocent hearts a stark contrast to the anxious and hesitant ones of the other two. Even the tense situation at hand couldn't affect their mood.

  The laughter gradually subsided, and the two people gazed at that one wheel of golden yellow moon, with two beautiful shadows stretched out behind them by the moonlight.

  "Sister!"

  "Ah!"

  "Do you think Lu Shijie can be with Zhang Xiaofan?" Xiao Shi was obviously very concerned about Lu Xueqi's affairs, and he was also the most crazy one in his daily life.

  Wen Mian gazed at the bright moon on the horizon and let out a long sigh, saying: "Who knows if this fateful encounter will have any outcome? After all, Zhang Xiaofan has rebelled against Qingyun. Let alone the master's uncle, even if Tian Shifu was constrained by face, it's unlikely he would tolerate them. Not to mention Bi Yao is still out there!"

  Little poem is so innocent and pure, as if she understands the meaning behind it. With a beautiful and subtle frown, she says: "If I were to meet such a good man, I would be infatuated like Lu Shijie too, hehe, where is the man destined for me?"

  She muttered to herself, but Wen Min was shocked. Why were all the girls who had just fallen in love so crazy?

  Little poem, slender hand supporting her cheek, slowly said: "Master sister, I have something that I don't understand!"

  Wen Min looked at her and said, "You speak!"

  "Why do all the men from Wen Mian's side like the women from Da Zhu Feng?" Wen Mian was shocked, but Xiao Shi's next words were even more outrageous: "One Zhang Xiaofan and one Lu Shijie, one delivering firewood and one being a senior sister, and if we go further back, there's also Su Rou Shifu and that Tian Shifu, the roots of our two families really run deep..."

  As soon as the little poem was finished, her head was knocked on, and then she heard Wen Ming yelling: "You dead girl actually dragged Su Rou Shu Shu into it, if Master knew about it, he wouldn't tear your mouth apart!"