The Word of Heaven

Chapter 336 The Farewell Finally Arrives
The world has been at peace for more than a hundred years. Now that all nations respect the Great Qin as their common ruler, only the wilderness is beyond human rule.

Because the North borders the wilderness, it is somewhat out of tune with other places in the human world during this peaceful period, so much so that in recent years, few practitioners who have gone out to seek a breakthrough are willing to go north.

On the contrary, a considerable number of northerners chose to leave their homes because of the establishment of the Divine Capital and move to the warmer, more livable, and more refreshing south... with more sunshine. Together with the White Emperor, they created the Divine Capital, the best place in the world.

There are already countless records related to this, which are about the old people's nostalgia for their hometown and the precious memories of their childhood. But no matter what words are used to describe it, it cannot change the fact that they gave up their hometown.

Therefore, the north can only become deserted as time goes by, and only a handful of towns remain bustling. However, if you look deep into the north, you can see nothing but one Wangjing after another.

Gu Zhuo and Pei Jinge did not deliberately avoid the hustle and bustle when they went north this time. They were immersed in the noise along the way, listening to different people talking about the same state affairs in different words.

No one expected that the beginning of spring in the first year of the Tianqi reign would bring such a major event that would be recorded in history books. Many people could not understand why Emperor Bai changed the reign title after making such a decision. It was impossible that he wanted to make Bai Langxing the crown prince who had not ascended the throne for fifty years, right?
Some people also recalled the ringing of the morning and evening bells, and worried that the emperor might not live long.

Words like these kept coming out, sometimes softly, sometimes cautiously, sometimes anxiously.

Pei Jinge saw all this and it was hard not to see the four words "panic" in people's minds. Thinking about the formation on Baidi Mountain that was not intended to prolong life, he was no longer in a happy mood.

Even though spring has arrived, even though she is no longer the head of the Sky Patrol Bureau, she still can't help but think about these things and care about them.

How can I relieve my worries when I am so worried?
The method Pei Jinge thought of was very simple and effective.

——It’s not the wine, but the pleasure of taking care of oneself.

Whether it was a joke like the time when he said that he was the Taoist Patriarch in Qingling Villa, or the trivial daily things that happened during the journey together, they could bring her a lot of happiness, even happiness she had never experienced before.

In Gu Zhuo's eyes, Pei Jinge like this was really strange, interesting, and cute.

So he won't say anything.

Until a chance encounter before arriving at Yishui.

Because it is close to the Yi River, there are no real towns of a certain scale within hundreds of miles, and the smoke from cooking fires is sparse even at sunset.

When Pei Jinge and Lin Wanyi met each other in the restaurant in the town, it was hard for them not to be surprised by each other's appearance.

"It's you?"

"it's me."

"sit?"

"sit."

In the past few years, Pei Jinge and Lin Wanyi had actually very little interaction. It was difficult for them to even recall what they had said to each other, so they should be strangers.

However, the magical thing is that neither she nor she feels strange at all, but somehow feels inexplicably familiar.

The two found a chair and sat down, and ordered a goose stewed in an iron pot from the store owner.

"I want to go to the wilderness." Lin Wanyi said straight to the point: "In order to sharpen my heart and break through the realm."

Pei Jinge liked this straightforwardness very much and said, "I want to go to the wasteland too, but I want to do something else."

Lin Wanyi did not ask further questions. She looked towards the already dark sky in the north and said softly, "Before going to the wilderness, I plan to ask Jian Yishui."

Pei Jinge thought for a moment and said directly: "Among your peers, no one in Yishui can be your enemy now."

This was undoubtedly a high compliment, but there was no trace of excitement in Lin Wanyi's eyes, and she remained as calm as before.

"Thank you."

Her tone was impeccably polite: "Winning or losing is important, but I also want to see different ways of swordsmanship."

Pei Jinge frowned slightly and looked at Lin Wanyi.

When she looked into his eyes, they were still like a pool of extremely clear water, and their beauty remained unchanged under the yellow light. There was no difference from the past.

"Is there anything else you want to do?"

"a lot of."

Lin Wanyi did not hide anything and said, "If I can get out of the wilderness and mountains, I will go and see the sword in Wanjianchi. After I have successfully completed these two tasks, I will find a quiet place to start my retreat."

Pei Jinge asked, "Do you want to combine the three sword arts into one?"

Lin Wanyi smiled, her smile was very light, and said: "Well, although this idea is not very realistic, I think it is very interesting and worth my time."

"Whether it can be successful in the end is of course important, but not that important."

Her voice was gentle, without any obsession: "There will always be people in the future who hold the same ideas as me, and I am sure that I will leave something useful for those who come after me."

Pei Jinge remained silent.

This idea was undoubtedly extremely immature and full of youthfulness, but she did not hear the enthusiasm and excitement that she should have heard in Lin Wanyi's words. Instead, there was only calmness like the passing of a stream.

It's more like a seasoned traveler returning to his hometown and deciding to do something meaningful. It doesn't seem like making a note for the past years, but more like preventing the rest of his life from being spent in emptiness.

What's up with this?

Pei Jinge looked at Lin Wanyi, seeing the gentle and distant smile on her face, and said, "I remember you like Gu Zhuo?"

This sentence came extremely suddenly, but Lin Wanyi's expression did not change much. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, how about you?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Curious, I remember you had a pretty good relationship with him."

"Of course I don't like him. There are so many things in his character that I hate, and those are things he can't change."

"for example?"

"He is always too gentle in his dealings with others, and is reluctant to kill those who should be killed. I can't even imagine how he hates someone."

"You know him better than I thought."

Pei Jinge said indifferently: "It's just a habit. I have to understand someone as dangerous as him."

Lin Wanyi thought that this sounded too much like an explanation.

Thinking of this, she didn't continue the topic because the iron pot was brought over by the store owner.

The aroma wafts away with the hot mist, and the rich sauce is quite tempting in color. It tastes delicious no matter how you look at it.

"I have something to tell you." Pei Jinge said, looking at the meat in the pot.

Lin Wanyi glanced at her, then looked at the goose in the pot, feeling a little embarrassed, and said, "How can I still eat after hearing this?"

Pei Jinge was slightly stunned and speechless.

However, when she started to think about it, she had to admit that Lin Wanyi's worries made sense.

Lin Wanyi understood, smiled and said, "Then let's talk about it after we finish eating?"

Before she finished her words, she had already picked up her chopsticks, and her chopsticks fell like flying swords.

She was not polite just because Pei Jinge was her elder. She put the best parts of meat in her bowl and ate it very quickly.

This neatness is not vulgar, but rather has a peculiar elegance that suits her status.

Pei Jinge didn't have as much appetite as her, but in order not to spoil her fun, she also started eating.

About half a minute later, Lin Wanyi picked up a hot towel and wiped her mouth. The bone plate on the table was already full of debris.

Pei Jinge heard a sentence before she could open her mouth as she put down her chopsticks.

"It must be him."

Lin Wanyi said casually: "You are not going north alone, he is also here."

Pei Jinge was slightly startled, a little surprised, but then felt that this was not worth being surprised, so he nodded in agreement.

Lin Wanyi thought for a moment and said, "Given his personality, he wouldn't avoid me. He must have something important to do now... Is he going to Yishui to pay tribute?"

"That's right." Pei Jinge said, "He and I separated after noon. Considering the journey and the sacrifice, it's almost time for him to come back now."

After a moment of silence, Lin Wanyi sighed and said, "The world is so big, and I didn't approach him on purpose, so how could I still meet him?"

“So this was a real chance encounter.”

Pei Jinge's voice was sincere, because this was also her true thought: "It's worth it for you to meet him."

Lin Wanyi didn't say anything.

Pei Jinge looked into her eyes and found that the clear water was changing. Those should be the changes caused by her fluctuating emotions.

"Then see you."

"I thought you would say no."

"I have thought about it, but it seems too hypocritical and unnecessary."

"You can ask him for some swordsmanship lessons."

"There is something more important."

"what's up?"

Lin Wanyi did not answer, but raised his right hand above his head and shouted to the shop owner.

"Boss, please add more dishes. Waiter, bring the wine!"

……

……

The Yishui River is peaceful under the cover of night.

The wind was blowing fiercely, and the old feelings were gone across the river.

The lights in the jade-like palace were bright, reflecting the dancing of the singing girls, and the scene was no different from the old days.

It's nothing more than that the mountains and rivers reflected in the green waves are missing the figure of an old person, and there is an empty grave.

Gu Zhuo stood in front of the empty tomb.

The river water kept dripping on his clothes, telling how he got here and why he did not alarm the people in Yishui.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Gu Zhuo lit a bonfire in front of the grave, threw a few sweet potatoes into it, and said, "Last time you said I withheld two sweet potatoes from you. I have always remembered this. I don't know when I will come here next time, so I plan to return them to you tonight."

An empty tomb without a corpse is also silent.

Gu Zhuo thought about what the old man in the wheelchair would say if he were alive, and said to himself, "Of course I'm not going to exchange these two sweet potatoes for your life. I'm not that absurd. If I must say something, I really don't know how to repay the favor I owe you."

"In fact, when the ancestors gave that condition, I was tempted. It was not because of the title of Lord of Heaven, but because I thought that doing this might be able to pull you out of the grave and repay the favor I owe you."

He paused and said, "But in my opinion, you are someone who hates this kind of thing. Of course, even if you change your mind now, I can't listen to you anymore. So let it be."

The sound of the wind became increasingly lonelier.

The river water ripples, reflecting the stars in the sky and the lights on both sides of the river. It is obviously a very lively scene, but what is filled here is loneliness.

It has been like this since the thick fog cleared.

For the people of Yishui, this island in the middle of the river is a huge tomb.

Who would like to live next to a dead person?

Gu Zhuo thought about these things, his emotions became more and more complicated, and he said: "My previous life was not smooth sailing, but in this life, I have lived a very smooth life, almost everything I asked for, for example... when the morning and evening bells rang, I thought that Taoism was a destined outcome, and I never thought that the abbot would stand up in the end. There have been too many changes like this, even someone like me who doesn't believe in luck, sometimes can't help but start to doubt whether I am destined to be lucky, otherwise how to explain these things?"

"Well, maybe there is another explanation, which is that the world needs me to be alive."

He reached out his hand, picked up the sweet potatoes from the campfire, and said, "When the time comes, heaven and earth will work together."

The sweet potatoes tasted delicious after being peeled and eaten while hot. This was a skill that the two had honed in the wind and snow in the wilderness and mountains.

Gu Zhuo tasted one, put the others in front of the tombstone, and said, "Try it, and don't say I didn't leave any for you."

After saying this, he waved his hand and used his Taoist magic to sweep away the remaining bonfire on the ground, then stood up and walked in the direction he came from.

The moment Gu Zhuo entered the Yishui River, a sword light suddenly rose from a solitary grave on the island in the middle of the river, like a rainstorm going against the current, reaching the sky.

The night sky was dyed white by the sword light.

Back to daylight.

People on both sides of the strait were all surprised. They walked out of the doors and looked up, thinking that someone from Yishui had broken through and ascended to heaven.

Little did he know that the people in Yishui were also shocked by this, and Wei Qingci's face was as gloomy as water.

When he arrived in front of the lonely grave and saw the three sweet potatoes that were still steaming, his hands hidden in his sleeves clenched into fists.

He is not an idiot, how could he not realize who is coming?

Just as Wei Qingci was silent and angry about this, thinking about how to deal with it, the sword light in the sky dimmed slightly.

then.

There was night rain accompanied by starlight falling on the earth. No matter who was witnessing this scene or who was in the rain, they all heard those words in their hearts at this moment.

The words that Chu Jun failed to leave on the tombstone.

Standing at the bottom of the river, Gu Zhuo could no longer hear the noise from both sides of the river.

Heaven and earth share this loneliness.

All things are silent and share the same melancholy as Gu Zhuo.

……

……

When Gu Zhuo returned from the memorial service at Yishui and followed the scent left by Pei Jinge to the restaurant, Lin Wanyi's back came into view.

The restaurant's business was a little slow, so the owner naturally came forward to receive the guests, and so Lin Wanyi and Gu Zhuo met.

The girl leaned over and looked back, smiled at Gu Zhuo, then noticed some kind of embarrassment and stood up and sat next to Pei Jinge.

The dishes on the table were still fresh and steaming, and the wine had not been opened.

Gu Zhuo sat down and could still feel the warmth left by Lin Wanyi, which he was not used to.

"She and I both saw that sword light."

Pei Jinge poured a glass of wine for Gu Zhuo and said, "This is the funeral that the Yishui Grand Elder deserves."

Gu Zhuo said: "Maybe."

Then he picked up the glass of wine, took a sip, looked at Lin Wanyi and said, "You are very unhappy."

Lin Wanyi was slightly startled, then laughed and asked, "Really?"

Gu Zhuo said: "It's obvious."

Lin Wanyi shook her head and said, "There are just a lot of things I can't figure out, but I don't think I'm sad, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here."

"That makes sense." Gu Zhuo did not deny her and asked, "Can you tell me about it?"

Pei Jinge was very surprised. He didn't expect to hear this sentence. He thought to himself, can't you see that this has something to do with you?
Lin Wanyi's eyes narrowed slightly.

Gu Zhuo looked at her quietly and said seriously: "No matter what the final result is, it's better than ending in nothing, isn't it?"

(End of this chapter)