Embers of Sword

Chapter 77 Bad Fate
The humid sea breeze blows from the northernmost tip, sweeping across the North Sea, across the river, and across the straight and narrow alleys of the ancient city.

It also brushed across Jiang Huang's cheek, blowing up her scattered hair.

The little girl sitting in front of the paper window was as quiet as an adult.

She watched silently as the tide gradually rose at the far end of the town, overflowing the horizon and the side wall bit by bit.

"Where is Xie?"

Jiang Huang suddenly spoke.

The tone of the voice made Deng Baiyi stunned for a moment.

This was the first time she heard Jiang Huang say such words... All the way from Qingzhou, the little guy's tone had been as if he was still sleepy.

Most of the time it's silly.

At this moment, his tone was extremely cold and stern.

And the way he addressed Xie Zhen was also very strange.

Your last name is Xie?
Deng Baiyi felt a little strange.

Jiang Huang slowly turned his head, and a breathtaking golden light flashed across the depths of his pupils, but it disappeared in an instant.

The next moment, her expression became confused: "Sister Bai Yi?"

The little guy fell into Deng Baiyi's arms, rubbed his head, and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "There is a flood... I'm so scared..."

"Don't be afraid."

Deng Baiyi gently stroked the little guy's head.

She looked down at Jiang Huang...the familiar feeling came back.

"I haven't seen Xie Zhen for a long time."

Jiang Huang stretched out her fingers and rubbed them in circles on Deng Baiyi's chest. She said aggrievedly, "Did Xie Zhen abandon us and run away?"

"how could be?"

Deng Baiyi was left in tears and amused by these words.

She smoothed Jiang Huang's hair and spoke slowly: "Would you like to go somewhere with Sister Bai Yi?"

……

……

"It's raining really hard in the Imperial City today."

An "uninvited guest" came to Zhidao Bookstore today.

Chen Jingxuan sat in front of the desk. He slowly put down the book in his hand and looked up at the man in front of him in a bright red robe.

"Brother Baihuang."

Chen Jingxuan rolled up his sleeves, poured a cup of tea for the guest, and asked softly, "What brings you here?"

The person who came was none other than Qin Baihuang, the head of the Equipment Refining Department.

Qin Baihuang didn't say anything polite and sat down opposite Chen Jingxuan.

He picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp: "Master Imperial Master, if Bai Huang said that he was just strolling around and walked into the library, do you believe it?"

Chen Jingxuan smiled slightly.

He picked up the pot again and poured a second cup of tea for Qin Baihuang.

Qin Baihuang sighed and drank it all again: "Actually, it's to avoid the rain."

Chen Jingxuan poured the third cup for Qin Baihuang.

"Ok."

Qin Baihuang said sincerely: "There are some problems in the development of the Thousand Chance Umbrella. I came here specially to ask for your advice."

Chen Jingxuan lowered his eyes and said calmly: "Oh? What's wrong with the Thousand Chance Umbrella?"

"The pattern of the umbrella ribs is too fragile. The moment the umbrella is opened, the magic weapon will collapse."

Qin Baihuang said in distress: "If I can't figure out the array pattern, then the Thousand Chance Umbrella can only be a disposable magic weapon... and the power of the umbrella is out of control every time it is opened, sometimes strong, sometimes weak. I hope the Imperial Master can give me some pointers."

"If the array pattern is not good, then change it."

Chen Jingxuan said calmly: "Brother Baihuang should be much better than me at this kind of thing."

"In the past ten years, I have changed many formation patterns."

Qin Baihuang was still smiling: "It's just that there is no formation that can carry my ideal [Thousand Chance Umbrella]..."

"This shows that the Thousand Chance Umbrella is just a concept."

Chen Jingxuan said: "The array pattern that can carry it does not exist, which may mean that this umbrella should not exist either."

"Just because there is no precedent, does that mean there won't be one in the future?"

Qin Baihuang held his chin with his hand and said something meaningful.

Then he suddenly remembered an old story: "Master Imperial Master, more than ten years ago, a guy gave me a suggestion... The suggestion made by that guy was quite ridiculous. He said that if the Thousand Chance Umbrella needs a solid rib, then why not find a sword instead?"

"Use a sword... instead of an umbrella rib?"

Chen Jingxuan raised his eyebrows.

"Doesn't that sound stupid?"

Qin Baihuang smiled and said, "I scoffed at it at the time, but now it seems like a very good suggestion... If I find a famous sword and use it as the ribs of the umbrella, the most difficult part of the Thousand Chance Umbrella can be conquered. There is no need for formation patterns and no need to waste time. As long as the sword is strong enough to withstand the explosion when [the umbrella is opened], the problem that has trapped me for many years will be solved."

“That’s a really good suggestion.”

Chen Jingxuan asked: "Why didn't you adopt it?"

"Because I want to make an umbrella, not a sword or a scabbard."

Qin Baihuang said quietly, "That guy just wanted to trick me into making a scabbard for him... If I had accepted his suggestion, I would have fulfilled his wish."

Speaking of which.

The two people already knew it well.

Chen Jingxuan poured himself a cup of tea and said softly, "So, what's wrong with fulfilling that person's wish?"

"Now, there's nothing wrong with it."

"But I didn't think so at the time."

Qin Baihuang lowered his eyelids and said self-deprecatingly: "Although this guy has a weird temper, he is not a bad person. Maybe I should make him a scabbard. Maybe he can survive this way."

Pause.

Qin Baihuang raised his head and said frankly: "I came here today not to avoid the rain, nor for the Thousand Chance Umbrella. I came for 'Xie Xuanyi'."

This name has not appeared in the streets of the imperial city for a long time.

"Xie Xuanyi?"

Chen Jingxuan did not look at Qin Baihuang, but just silently flipped through the book: "He has been dead for a long time."

"who knows?"

Qin Baihuang's eyes lit up with a gleam of brilliance.

He said in a deep voice: "His body has not been found in Beihai. The Weapon Refining Department and the Imperial City Department have been looking for him for ten years, but they haven't even found his sword! You know, this guy is very lucky. When Beishou was attacked, we all thought he was dead... Who knew that he was not only alive, but also alive and well, and even captured a phoenix-blood monster in the end!"

"The so-called calamity lasts for a thousand years!"

Qin Baihuang pressed the jade table and moved forward: "What if, what if Xie Xuanyi is not dead?"

Chen Jingxuan just remained silent.

"Chen Jingxuan, stop pretending. I know you care about Xie Xuanyi a lot."

Qin Baihuang noticed something strange about Chen Jingxuan. He frowned and said, "I always thought that when you inherited the mantle of the Imperial Master and took the position of the Imperial Master, you would start to settle the old case from ten years ago. Now you only lack the title of 'Imperial Master', and the Hunyuan Instrument has been handed over to you. What are you waiting for?"

Chen Jingxuan had no choice but to look at Qin Baihuang.

He opened his mouth.

In the end, he was speechless, a rare occurrence.

"I came to see you today and beg you, not to overturn the verdict. I just want to know where Xie Xuanyi died."

"Since we have the Hun Yuan Yi, why don't we go and see where Xie Xuanyi is? Even if we can only find the body... at least this is an answer."

Qin Baihuang gritted his teeth and said, "I know that checking the Hunyuan Instrument requires consuming life points. I can't make up for this thing, but I can exchange it for the [Thousand Chance Umbrella]. All you need is to help me with divination once. Once the [Thousand Chance Umbrella] is developed, I will send it to the library as soon as possible!"

This series of words was met with silence.

Chen Jingxuan remained unmoved.

Qin Baihuang sighed. This reaction was not unexpected.

The silence between the two continued like this.

for a long time.

After a long time.

Qin Baihuang pretended to regain his composure.

"Chen Jingxuan, you and I have known each other for more than 20 years, and I remember you were not like this before."

Qin Baihuang asked disappointedly: "I came to you to beg you, are you afraid of trouble, afraid of embarrassment, or afraid of losing the title of national teacher?"

"Brother Baihuang, it's not like that." Chen Jingxuan sighed in his heart. How could he not know why Qin Baihuang came to find him.

From the moment this guy pushed the door.

He already knew what was going to happen next.

By now, he had seen through Qin Baihuang's "method of provocation".

But sometimes, even if you see through it, it’s still difficult to deal with.

Chen Jingxuan rubbed his brows and said, "You came to the library to find me this time because of Fairy Jiang from Yuping Peak, right?"

The expression on Qin Baihuang's face was a little stiff.

"You developed the Ruyi Token. I ordered Qihu to send one to her."

Chen Jingxuan sighed, "I guess you must have contacted Fairy Jiang through that token, right?"

"Although Yuping Peak doesn't see anyone, you are the head of the Weapon Refining Department after all, and your status is precious..."

Chen Jingxuan continued, "Besides that, when Xie Xuanyi fled north, you secretly helped him along the way. No matter how ruthless the man from Yuping Peak was, he couldn't just ignore Xie Xuanyi's benefactor. I guess you came to me this time to find out the whereabouts of Xie Xuanyi's body for Miss Jiang, right?"

"Please stop using your magical powers and stop talking."

Qin Baihuang said unhappily, "I like Miss Jiang Miaoyin. Everyone in the imperial city knows this. With or without Xie Xuanyi, I am still like this. Heaven and earth are my witnesses, and the sun and the moon can attest to this..."

He took a sip of tea in silence, and perhaps it was an illusion, but he actually tasted a hint of alcohol.

This is the bad thing about being with Chen Jingxuan.

Boring!

So boring!
suddenly.

The head of the Equipment Refining Department remembered an interesting thing.

He leaned in close, winked and asked, "By the way, how are you and Tang Fengshu from the Taoist Tianxia Zhai doing? I heard that the master of the Tang Zhai, who is unshakable and even more obsessed with cultivation than Jiang Miaoyin, suddenly ended his retreat a few days ago. Could it be that someone sent a divine message to arrange a meeting?"

"What are you talking about?"

A black line appeared on Chen Jingxuan's forehead.

"The relationship between Master Tang and I is not what you think, and...she is from the Taoist sect."

Chen Jingxuan said very seriously: "Don't spread rumors in the imperial city. This will have a very bad impact on Master Tang's reputation."

"What happened to the people of the Dao Sect..."

Qin Baihuang was asking for trouble, and muttered quietly, "There are many Taoist masters who have married happily... There are also those who have married Buddhist Bodhisattvas in Xianghuozhai."

"You also know it's a bad fate?"

Chen Jingxuan glared at him fiercely.

Qin Baihuang didn't dare to say anything more.

"If you really want to know the whereabouts of Xie Xuanyi..."

"I used the Hun Yuan Yi to check it once."

Getting back to the point, Chen Jingxuan said word by word: "Although Chen's life span is short, I can still afford this price."

"Hmm?" Qin Baihuang's eyes lit up.

"Ten years ago, Xie Xuanyi died in the North Sea. I have confirmed this with the Hunyuan Instrument, and it is beyond doubt."

Chen Jingxuan said quietly: "If Brother Baihuang really wants to meet Xie Xuanyi, he can set off for Beihai now..."

Qin Baihuang's expression changed slightly.

Going to Beihai?
It’s not like he hasn’t been there before!

The North Sea is so vast that finding Xie Xuanyi's body in it is as difficult as fishing for a needle!

"Master Imperial Master, is what you just said true?"

After Qin Baihuang heard this, his eyes dimmed.

He did come to test us.

However, he did not come here entirely for Yuping Peak's instructions.

He was a loner all his life and had few friends. Xie Xuanyi could be considered half a... half a bad friend.

It's such a pity that he died like this.

"Jingxuan swears by the will of heaven that everything I said before is true."

Chen Jingxuan said calmly: "By the way, Brother Baihuang, I wonder if Jingxuan can take your words of encouragement about the Thousand Chance Umbrella seriously?"

"???"

Qin Baihuang was stunned for a moment, coughed dryly, and said seriously: "Mr. Imperial Master, please be patient. The development of the Thousand Chance Umbrella... will take some time."

Chen Jingxuan sneered.

Qin Baihuang stood up and said goodbye.

"and many more--"

Halfway through the walk, Chen Jingxuan spoke again and called him to stop.

Qin Baihuang turned around, a little confused: "Master Imperial Master, do you have any other instructions?"

"You don't have to give me the Thousand Chance Umbrella."

Chen Jingxuan said softly: "Make a scabbard for me, the same one Xie Xuanyi wanted back then."

Qin Baihuang readily agreed and left happily.

The library returned to its deserted and lonely state.

Chen Jingxuan took out a Ruyi Order.

Chen Jingxuan used this token specifically to communicate with Jiang Qihu.

Not long ago, a second person was added.

At this moment, the Ruyi Order's surface was very dull, having lost all its original luster...

The reason for this is that the two people used for communication are in a "blocked" state. Even if Chen Jingxuan sends out divine thoughts, the token cannot receive them.

Chen Jingxuan stroked the token, his eyes revealing a hint of reminiscence.

He smiled and waved his hand.

"Boom!"

The entire library began to tremble, and more than one stream of light flew in from the niche.

"Objects" similar to the Ruyi Order flew in front of Chen Jingxuan one by one.

There is the "Willow Leaves" in Baihua Valley.

There is a "Soul Jade Ring" from the Demon Country.

There are brightly colored red sword tassels.

There is also a square Bagua bronze mirror with strange patterns engraved on it.

Chen Jingxuan stood up and hesitated for a long time before taking the Bagua bronze mirror down from the dazzling array of hanging objects.

"Master Tang."

He injected a ray of divine consciousness into it and said in a gentle voice: "Jingxuan, excuse me for interrupting you."

The bronze mirror shone with a bright light.

"Ah."

A slightly indifferent laugh came from the other side: "Young Imperial Master, you really don't come to my temple for no reason."

This title is obviously a bit sarcastic.

There was a lot of guilt in Chen Jingxuan's eyes, but after a sigh.

He said seriously: "I want to ask you for a favor."

This time, the voice from the other end of the bronze mirror did not conceal the sarcasm at all.

"Chen Jingxuan, are you still a man?"

Master Tang's voice was filled with not only sarcasm but also anger: "You said you wanted me to watch the tide, but it turns out you wanted to watch a tide like this? Now that the entire Lichao City is surrounded by a demon formation, you used the Bagua Mirror to contact me...Are you asking me for help, or are you plotting against me?"

“Some of both.”

Chen Jingxuan was not good at lying. He thought for a long time and said sincerely, "As long as you help me this time, I will agree to one of your requests."

There was a brief silence on the Bagua Mirror.

Tang Fengshu said: "Any request is OK?"

"As long as it does not violate Da Chu's laws."

Chen Jingxuan paused and said seriously: "As long as I can do it."

……

……

(This chapter has 4K words, and there will be more in the evening~ Please give me a monthly ticket~~~)

(End of this chapter)