Embers of Sword

Chapter 380 No If
The lights flickered and the night wind howled.

Chu Guo, Deng Baiyi, Miyun, etc. were waiting outside the thatched hut.

"Squeak-"

Half an hour later, the door of the hut opened.

Chu Guo held his breath, clutching his sleeve tightly, not daring to look inside...

Xie Xuanyi pushed the wheelchair and left the cabin alone.

"how?"

Deng Baiyi looked nervous and asked about the result on behalf of Chu Guo.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi was silent for a moment, shook his head, and said in the softest voice: "I have tried my best."

This statement came out.

Chu Guo leaned against the wall and slowly slid down, he trembled and closed his eyes.

"Leave him alone."

Xie Xuanyi lowered his eyes, and Deng Baiyi understood what he meant. He pushed the wheelchair and left with Miyun.

Taoyuan is very quiet tonight.

The young man tilted his head back, his throat rolled, and two lines of tears slowly flowed down.

……

……

"Sir, this is a map of Yuanning County in recent years."

On the long table.

More than a dozen old parchment scrolls were unfolded one after another.

Meng Kejian, wearing light armor, stretched out his hand and stroked each of the maps.

"Ajian, have you noticed anything?"

Du Yunzhong stood on one side.

Although he is brave and good at fighting, he has a relatively simple mind and has always been unable to do these trivial and tiring tasks that require careful thinking.

"It's a little weird."

A faint snake-man image condensed behind Meng Kejian.

It's not about directly using supernatural powers.

Instead, he used the power of the Tao realm to deduce and calculate.

These dozen parchment scrolls were reproduced and printed in his heart, and finally overlapped one by one.

"These forty-one years."

"Yuanning County has changed a lot..."

“But the surrounding Buddhist temples haven’t changed much.”

Meng Kejian narrowed his eyes and said slowly: "Fanyin Temple has been cultivated for thousands of years, and ancient temples have been built in Yuanzhou a long time ago. Most of the temples left in Yuanning County are ancient temples, and there are only three or four new temples."

"Qingzhao Temple, Zhengfa Temple..."

Du Yunzhong stood in front of a map, following Meng Kejian's instructions, and studied it carefully for a long time. He frowned and said, "If I remember correctly, these newly built temples were razed to the ground a while ago!"

This time the destruction of Buddhism was massive.

The ancient Buddhist temples cannot be preserved.

The newly built Buddhist temple cannot be kept!
"Yes."

Meng Kejian's finger continued to move, landing on a remote and desolate mountain. "This is the weird part... Buddhist faith is like weeds, taking root and being cut off. The Yuanzhou cavalry spent a lot of effort to flatten all the temples on the map, but even so, they can't say that there are no fish that slipped through the net. Under such circumstances, do you think there will be temples that disappear on their own?"

Du Yunzhong widened his eyes and immediately understood what Meng Kejian meant.

"You mean, someone noticed the 'destruction of Buddhism' in advance?"

"Then, you took the initiative to abandon the Buddhist temple?"

This speculation is a bit too unbelievable.

Buddhist monks are all stubborn, and this anti-Buddhist campaign was unusually "unsmooth" and also unusually "smooth"... What was unsmooth was that every time the cavalry invaded the temple, they would encounter strong resistance from the monks. What was smooth was that these monks fought desperately, which made it convenient for the Yuanzhou cavalry to catch them all in one fell swoop.

"Yes."

Meng Kejian said coldly: "These temples were on the map last year, but they disappeared this year. It's really suspicious. We have visited several of these temples in person... They are indeed deserted, with only the temples left. It would be fine if they were demolished. But this 'Yuanguang Temple' is clearly marked on the map, why didn't the scouts report it?"

Du Yunzhong thought about it.

It seems true.

He hasn't seen the so-called Yuanguang Temple in the past few days.

Du Yunzhong then said gloomily, "Quickly call the scouts responsible for the exploration of Yuanguang Temple!"

Soon, two scouts entered the tent and kowtowed in fear: "Master Du, Master Meng!"

Meng Kejian held the sheepskin scroll and asked in a deep voice, "When we checked Buddhist temples a few days ago, why didn't Yuanguang Temple report it?"

The two scouts looked at each other, bewildered.

"Snapped!"

The parchment scroll landed in front of the two men. After taking a look at it, the scout breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He immediately responded respectfully, "Reporting to Lord Meng, we didn't find the so-called 'Yuanguang Temple' during our exploration that day, so we didn't report it."

"Didn't you find the so-called 'Enkoji Temple'?"

A faint flame ignited in Meng Kejian's pupils.

He had a hunch that this might be the place he was looking for!
"Yes……"

A scout recalled: "When we led the cavalry there, there was no Buddhist temple in the wilderness, only a small village. We also searched the village...but we did not find the 'Yuanguang Temple' marked on the map."

"it is good."

Upon hearing this, Meng Kejian acted decisively and interrupted the scout's continued report.

"Old Du, you must report today's events in detail to the general... In addition, please confirm once again that the border defense of Yuanzhou is correct and nothing has been missed."

Meng Kejian took a deep breath.

He stood up, pushed open the tent, and issued an order word by word: "Yu Camp, listen up, tidy up your armor, and follow me!"

……

……

Many flowers are blooming in the mountains behind Taoyuan.

Many monuments were also erected.

In troubled times, the living have no home and the dead have no name. Most of these tombstones are wooden plaques with only a surname, stuck in the soil. When the wind blows, the wooden plaques sway with the wind. If there is a heavy rain, the wooden plaques may fall down and be washed away, never to be found again.

But... this is just like their life.

Like a blade of grass, like a wooden monument, like a fleeting flower.

Many people gathered here today.

The young woman who had recovered from her headache hugged her thick coat, her face full of tears.

Although the monks of Yuanguang Temple had taken off their robes, they were still holding Buddhist beads and chanting scriptures silently.

The atmosphere was solemn and everyone looked sad.

No one could have imagined that this separation would come so soon.

Zheng Feng fell ill last night.

This benevolent doctor saved countless lives throughout his life, but ultimately he was unable to save himself. He suddenly fell ill and left this chaotic and noisy world before sunrise.

He left in such a hurry, perhaps because there was nothing to worry about in such troubled times?
"My benefactor..."

"I am so sad……"

Miyun stretched out his hand and wiped the tears from his face. Before this mission, he had never truly experienced "separation between life and death".

Only now did he understand.

Every meeting in this world should be cherished.

Before we knew it, the last farewell has become a farewell forever.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi gently patted the little guy on the back.

Miyun was sad.

So why isn't he?

"Crash!"

The morning breeze blew, moist and humid, with a hint of chill.

Flower petals flutter on the mountain.

Chu Guo held a wooden tablet in his hand and slowly came to the burial site of Zheng Fengsheng. He knelt in front of the wet mud and thrust the tablet down with all his might...

Wooden tablets stand on the mountain.

They are all deceased people.

He is also a liberated person.

"In this chaotic world of Yuanzhou...there's really nothing good to stay here...it's better to leave..."

The young man looked at the words engraved on the wooden tablet and tried to act relaxed, but he couldn't help but said in a hoarse voice, "But you should wait a little longer. In a few days, I can take you to see the Qianzhou you've been longing for."

He has decided to practice desperately—

Last night, Chu Guo picked up the sword for the second time and chopped down many wooden men. If it weren't for the bad news, he could have continued chopping. If only he had more time.

He can definitely take Lao Zheng to Qianzhou.

in case……

There is everything in this world, except if.

The young man staggered and stood up.

There was only this look in his eyes, no other light.

It was as if this world...had nothing to do with him anymore.

"..."

The great monk Facheng of Yuanguang Temple stepped forward and gently patted the young man on the shoulder. He couldn't bear to look at the wooden tablet.

This is Yuanzhou today.

Life and death are unpredictable.

For ordinary people, every day of life is not easy.

Facheng presented a string of Buddhist beads to the wooden tablet, and then the monks of Yuanguang Temple and the residents of Taoyuan came forward, presenting flowers and pouring Tibetan wine. Although the funeral was silent, it was extremely solemn. Everyone sent their most sincere blessings to the deceased benevolent doctor.

……

……

The crowd dispersed and the back mountain became quiet.

Chu Guo still stood blankly in front of the wooden tablet.

The only ones left with him were Xie Xuanyi, Deng Baiyi, and Miyun.

"I don't mean to blame you."

After a long time, the young man suddenly spoke.

He turned around and looked at the young man in black in the wheelchair: "I know that Old Zheng is 'critically ill' and ordinary medical skills can no longer cure him. So... you don't have to feel guilty about this failure."

"..."

Xie Xuanyi was silent for a while, then said with some regret: "If I could do it again, I would have a chance to succeed."

It would be more accurate to say that he failed to save Zheng Fengsheng.

It would be better to say that Zheng Fengsheng took the initiative to choose to end this life.

During the silence of more than ten breaths, Xie Xuanyi seriously considered whether to reveal all the memories in Zheng Fengsheng's mind... But this would inevitably involve Chu Guo's identity as a prince.

Regarding this matter, the library chose to keep it deeply sealed, and Chu Guo also chose not to explore it.

That being the case.

It would be better for him to remain silent.

"There's no need to say this. You and I both know there are no ifs in this world."

Chu Guo shook his head and said, "You didn't save him, I don't blame you. This matter was caused by me. When the martial law is over, I will leave Yuanzhou with you... We can go anywhere."

"it is good."

Xie Xuanyi hesitated to speak, and in the end could only utter this one word.

No matter how much you say, it's meaningless.

"Now, I want to be alone."

Chu Guo said softly: "If possible, please set up some more wooden men for me in the back hills."

……

……

Deng Baiyi pushed the wheelchair and walked along the familiar path leading to the back mountain.

It is the season for flowers to bloom.

There is wind all around and light above my head.

But for some reason, these things all felt slightly cold when they fell on my body.

"My benefactor..."

Miyun's voice sounded: "Have you made a breakthrough in your 'Life Principle'?"

Deng Baiyi was also very curious about this question.

Last night, the thatched hut was wrapped in layers of array patterns, and no one saw what happened during this "rescue".

but……

She could feel that Xie Zhen seemed to be in a bad mood after leaving the hut.

"Never."

Xie Xuanyi said softly: "Just a little bit more."

"A trace?"

Deng Baiyi sighed and asked regretfully, "Is it because the opportunity to break through hasn't come yet, or was it Zheng Fengsheng's departure last night... that caused the failure?"

"Quite the opposite."

Xie Xuanyi's voice sounded somewhat self-deprecating.

"Only when Zheng Fengsheng dies can I succeed in breaking through the realm."

These words inevitably make people shudder.

At this moment, Deng Baiyi finally understood where the coldness came from.

It turned out to come from Xie Zhen.

Every leaf blown down by the wind and falling on Xie Zhen seemed to become dry and yellow, with all its vitality sucked away.

If you pick up a piece, you will find it.

The surface of these fallen leaves has faint traces of ice and frost.

Xie Xuanyi did not explain what happened between Sheng Zhize and Lu Yuzhen.

If someone else heard this.

It is difficult not to associate Zheng Fengsheng's death with Xie Zhen.

This really sounds like something an evil cultivator would say.

"My benefactor..."

Miyun said in a very soft voice: "They probably hope that Old Zheng survives."

"Yes."

Xie Xuanyi whispered: "It's a pity that I couldn't save him."

"My uncle once told me that when a person dies, it is like a light going out."

Miyun looked up and said softly, "I didn't quite understand this before. A lamp can be lit again after it's blown out, but a person who's dead can't be resurrected. Later, I gradually understood that a lamp that's really extinguished can't be lit again because the wick has burned out. When a person dies, it's really like a lamp going out. It's pitch black. No matter how hard you try to rekindle it, it's all in vain."

"Your uncle is right."

Xie Xuanyi said calmly: "People who have died once are the most emotional. Some lights can be lit again after being blown out, because they are not completely burned out."

"Yes."

Miyun said softly: "Since all the lights in this world will burn out, then death is not so worth fearing. Everyone is the same and will eventually face the end."

"..."

Deng Baiyi couldn't help but frown. This conversation was a bit weird.

She didn't understand what Miyun wanted to say.

Xie Zhen and Mi Yun were obviously younger than me, but I could hardly understand what they were saying.

"I want to say..."

"Since Zheng Fengsheng's death was not caused by you, you don't have to feel too guilty."

Miyun carefully consoled him, "As far as I know, only my great-grandmaster has successfully comprehended the Law of Life. If you can comprehend the Law of Life, you might be the second person in the world to master the power of this law. This is really not easy."

Xie Xuanyi and Deng Baiyi are different.

From the beginning.

He understood what Miyun meant. After this little guy awakened to the "law of cause and effect", his mind became much more clever.

"You want to tell me that I shouldn't stop at this last step."

Xie Xuanyi chuckled softly.

Miyun didn't respond, but said sadly: "My benefactor, if possible, I hope Lao Zheng can survive. But..."

But there is no need to say more about the rest.

But there are no ifs in this world.

Death is like a lamp going out.

During the conversation, the wheelchair had already reached the back mountain, where he and Chu Guo practiced sword fighting.

There are fallen leaves everywhere.

The mountain is full of wooden stakes.

a mess.

"Miyun, you still don't understand me."

Xie Xuanyi sighed softly and said, "I stopped at this step, not because I don't want to break through. It's just that I want to break through this realm in my own way."

(End of this chapter)