Farewell

Ever since getting rid of the flesh statues, Shi Jingzhi's constitution had become enviably good. Forget about coughing up blood - he could run ten miles without breaking a sweat.

The Sect Leader Shi was insufferably smug, constantly showing off. This included, but was not limited to, reckless acts like plunging into streams and standing in the night wind. Yin Ci couldn't restrain him, but the heavens acted first - upon returning to the northern lands, he sneezed over a dozen times in quick succession, nearly falling off the wooden cart.

Both of them knew some medical arts and realized Shi Jingzhi's condition was extremely mild. Some hot soup and a good night's sleep would take care of it.

Yin Ci understood this, but the man kept sneezing non-stop. In a moment of sympathy, he handed over his fox fur cloak to Shi Jingzhi. The latter obediently wrapped himself in two layers of fur, carefully blowing his nose with a handkerchief.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. Yin Ci's smiling gaze kept sweeping over him. That look was soft around the edges, but there was definitely a hint of teasing. Feeling he had thoroughly lost face, Shi Jingzhi could only bury his face in the fox fur.

What was wrong with him? He had merely been tempted by the delicious fish of the northern lands and entertained a small whim. Who knew that even in the warm autumn, the stream water here still carried a biting chill? He had misjudged and was caught off guard by the cold.

...But no matter what, he had caught a full basket of fish. Since he had already caught a chill anyway, he might as well enjoy some pepper fish soup.

Half a year had passed since the Luojiu battle, and the northern lands had returned to peace. The disciples of Mi Mountain Sect had always lived scattered and remote. Even with the jianghu turned upside down and the imperial court nearly changing hands, they still lived safely and quietly as ever.

However, this time they weren't here to pay respects to Mi Mountain Sect.

The giant dogs pulling the cart ran panting until they finally reached their destination. This place was covered in thick white snow, with faint outlines of ruins visible underneath, looking no different from anywhere else at first glance.

Five people were already standing in front of the ruins.

Yin Ci smoothly brought the wooden cart to a stop, rubbing the tails of the giant dogs as they wagged happily. Shi Jingzhi tossed down a few fish, still wrapped tightly in the thick fox fur.

"Sect Leader Shi, what's...?" Jin Lan started to ask.

Yin Ci: "He caught a chill, it's nothing serious."

Jin Lan didn't pursue the matter further - he knew how formidable these two were, and really couldn't bring himself to make too much small talk.

The Qu Duanyun incident had far-reaching effects, leaving Taiheng unable to hold its head high for a long time. Later, Qu Duanyun was abandoned by the Qu family and crippled by the martial arts world, losing one foot. That man refused to submit to the mortal world and kept causing trouble everywhere, which finally took some pressure off Taiheng.

In the Twin Roots case, they had eyewitnesses, but who would have thought Qu Duanyun was so silver-tongued? He insisted that no one had witnessed it firsthand or had concrete evidence, just some "vague rumors heard days later". This somehow allowed him to escape the death penalty.

Jin Lan had seen Taiheng torn in half by that man with his own eyes. Later, he and Shi Zhongyu spent considerable effort to correct those "deviant thoughts". He himself was even made a reserve elder, which could be considered a blessing in disguise...

...Yeah right!

The Suspended Tree in Luojiu needed to be dealt with, and as "Shi Zhongyu's confidant", he naturally had to go along. This trip would conservatively take five or six years. Given such an important task, Jin Lan felt a surge of pride in his chest, but his stomach was reluctant to part with Dayun. The contradiction made his head spin.

"Senior Sister, is Sect Leader Shi also going to Luojiu?" Jin Lan asked pitifully.

"No, they're like me, just here to pay respects to the deceased."

Shi Zhongyu had already become the leader of Taiheng. She wore plain-colored clothes and even changed her hairpin to the simplest style. She took a few well-preserved peach blossoms and placed them in front of the ruins of the small house.

As if anticipating Shi Zhongyu would bring this, Yin Ci took out two jars of sweet rice wine that wasn't too spicy, along with six packages of high-quality tea leaves, and similarly placed them at the entrance of the ruins.

The remaining three people stood a bit further away, quietly waiting.

"May I ask Director Shen, this is...?"

"The joint burial site of Chen Qianfan and Wei Chun, I suppose. Back then when Sect Leader Shi forcibly broke the Immortal Gathering's restrictions, it was they who helped." The cold wind blew, making Shen Zhu's cheeks flush slightly. She wasn't usually sentimental or easily moved. But seeing this scene, a touch of melancholy still arose in her heart.

"No, that's not it." Yan Zheng struggled for a moment before speaking again. "We've heard about the deeds of those two elders. What I wanted to ask was, um, this goose..."

That's Su Si's goose, right?

As the former leader of the Ling Sect, Yan Zheng had long wanted to retire from the jianghu. Unfortunately, remnants of the Ling Sect were still bent on reviving it, so he planned to find a remote place to lay low. It happened to coincide with the Yueshui Bureau looking for people to deal with Luojiu's Suspended Tree, and Yan Zheng gladly went along.

Yan Zheng had originally thought he might see his brother Yan Qing, but instead of seeing him, he encountered another "old acquaintance" -

Lord Bai was tied up tightly, held in Shen Zhu's hand. It had eaten too well over the past half year and was terribly fat, with goose flesh bulging between the ropes. Whether it sensed the blood relation between Yan Zheng and Yan Qing or not, it immediately let out mournful honks, as if begging for help.

"Hm? Oh, I borrowed it from Sect Leader Su. He's always thinking about sneaking out to play with the Alliance Leader anyway. It would be a waste to leave this goose, it's almost being fattened to death. Might as well use it to deal with the Suspended Tree."

Shen Zhu gazed solemnly into the distance, speaking extremely quickly.

Yan Zheng: "..." Miss Shen, people only talk this much when they have a guilty conscience.

Yu Zikuan patted Yan Zheng and shook his head. This was Director Shen's gathering, and two heavyweight figures from the Ku Mountain Sect had come, while the Ling Sect Leader and Martial Alliance Leader weren't invited. Wasn't the reason obvious enough?

But this goose was indeed fat, completely different from before. If they hadn't seen this long-antennaed goose demon before, they would have thought it was tonight's drinking snack. It's said that the people of Luojiu like to sear fatty goose liver over flames to eat, and the taste is exquisite.

Yan Zheng and Yu Zikuan exchanged a glance, their gazes becoming increasingly meaningful. Lord Bai seemed to sense the two people's stares and cried even more miserably.

It had miscalculated! It had grown lax!

Su Si was selfish and willful, never bothering with such "matters of great righteousness", especially concerning other countries. With the Ling Sect Leader Su Si pampering it, it thought it could live out its days in comfort. Who - who would have thought the enemy was so cunning? To think that it, the noble Red Hook Divine Beast, would be stolen a second time!

Shen Zhu was someone who would use any means to achieve her goals. This move was even more underhanded than Su Si's back then. Although... although it hadn't foreseen any ill omens, and arguably owed Shen Zhu a life debt, these good days of eating and waiting for death were clearly over.

Thinking of the warm, clear pond and tender fish fry, Lord Bai's bean-sized eyes couldn't help but moisten amidst its mournful cries.

Perhaps annoyed by the goose's noisy honking, Shi Jingzhi walked some distance away after the group finished paying respects to the two elders of Mi Mountain Sect.

He stopped in an empty snow-covered area, his back to the ruined houses. The sky was clear and the sun brilliant, with the white snow reflecting light so dazzling it hurt the eyes. Shi Jingzhi was wrapped in two thick fox fur cloaks, his round silhouette a patch of white against the snow, looking somewhat comical.

Yin Ci finished pouring the last of the sweet rice wine and walked over: "What's wrong, feeling sad?"

"There's one more person we haven't paid respects to."

Shi Jingzhi crouched down halfway, placing one hand on the snowy ground.

"Back then, the 'Secret Book'... the Mi Lan Empress', finally scattered here."

Yin Ci was slightly taken aback, not knowing what to say for a moment. Shi Jingzhi was just looking at the snow, and Yin Ci couldn't see his expression.

"If I hadn't met you, this would probably have been my best ending - discovering a bit of the secret, exhausting myself to pass it on, causing resentment in future generations to take revenge for me. Now the Suspended Tree have been destroyed, the Immortal Gathering has declined, and the National Teacher's lineage has no chance of rising again. She would certainly want to know."

Shi Jingzhi grabbed a handful of fallen snow, which quickly melted into water due to his high body temperature. A biting wind swept across the snow's surface, blowing up a layer of ice-like snow particles.

Yin Ci was silent for a moment, then untied another jar of strong liquor from the cart. He used a stream of true energy to remove the seal, then handed the jar to Shi Jingzhi.

"You tell her."

Shi Jingzhi turned his head with difficulty, smiling at Yin Ci. Then he poured the strong liquor onto the snow. As the golden flames met the alcohol, they burst into a raging inferno. Both sky and snow were perfectly pure, the flames brilliant gold without any black smoke.

In this brief moment of golden flames, Shi Jingzhi slowly stood up, but ultimately said nothing.

He bowed towards the empty space, then revealed his most radiant smile. Yin Ci's heart skipped a beat at that dazzling smile. Before Shi Jingzhi could turn around, he gently pulled the man closer and nipped at his lips.

Shi Jingzhi's eyes widened slightly, the Northern sun making them as clear as amber. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, suddenly -

"Achoo!"

Shi Jingzhi himself stepped back two paces, turning his head to let out an enormous sneeze. He retreated too hastily and nearly fell on his backside. Fortunately, Yin Ci was quick, grabbing Shi Jingzhi's collar in one hand. From a distance, it looked like he was holding onto a big furball.

The iron-hearted Demon Lord Yin burst into laughter. Seeing this scene, the group in the distance couldn't help but smile as well.

The rich aroma of alcohol spread out, and the last traces of sunfire extinguished in the sunlight. Perhaps it was the imagination of those present, but the gloomy aura of this place seemed to have thinned somewhat. The cold wind gradually became gentler as it brushed past people.

As if someone had quietly left, gently sweeping their robe hem behind them.

As night fell, Shen Zhu led the five back to the main group.

Though called the main group, it was really only about twenty people. Besides the personnel sent by various sects, even the imperial court had dispatched a few high-ranking experts from the palace.

Though thick-skinned, the Desire Child didn't have the nerve to openly ask for special treatment in front of everyone. Shi Jingzhi reluctantly contributed all his fish, having Yin Ci personally cook a pot of milky white pepper fish soup.

With the earlier turmoil in Dayun, the group had come from all corners and suffered different flavors of hardship. Now on the eve of leaving the country, everyone couldn't help but feel nostalgic, chattering endlessly about everything under the sun. But once the fish soup was served, its hot, spicy, and savory aroma completely dispelled the cold. Paired with good rice from the big pot, people nearly swallowed their tongues and could no longer spare any attention for talking.

Naturally, no one noticed the Sect Leader Shi quickly gulping down fish soup and rice, then quietly slipping away with Yin Ci into the night.

The next day, the group officially set out. The Ku Mountain Sect master and disciple stayed behind with Shi Zhongyu, watching the group gradually disappear into the distance. Shi Zhongyu's eyes were red-rimmed, and she was just about to speak when -

"Achoo!" "Achoo!" Master and disciple sneezed simultaneously.

Shi Zhongyu: "..."

Forget it, she swallowed back her tears and sentiments.

Lady Shi looked the two over for a while, shaking her head with amusement: "The northern lands are bitterly cold. You two had better return to the Central Plains soon. I've brought some Arrow Horses, would you like a few protective shuttles?"

"One, one is enough... Achoo!"

Author's note:

Shi Zhongyu: ? I think I know what you two did