The vast ocean and the desolate road to heaven.

People gather and disperse in the world, just like the floating duckweed.

There was a hole in Master Tang's precious belt, and she didn't sew it herself. It was leaking badly while floating on the sea. The salty wind blew Yan Zhengming's messy long hair on his face like a whip. He felt that the place was full of fishy wind and turbid waves, and there was no end in sight.

Shuikeng had fallen asleep in Zheshi's arms. Han Yuan sat silently beside him, hugging his knees. He was also very sleepy. Li Yun couldn't help but whispered, "Big Brother, where are we going from now on?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhengming took a deep breath and pinched his eyebrows hard. The area under his eyes was dark and blue. He was actually more confused than Li Yun.

Everyone else comes to ask him, who should he ask?

Yan Zhengming felt that he might not be worthy of the seal of the headmaster on his chest. He might not be born to be the headmaster. Looking back over the past twenty years, he was either drifting with the flow or being forced to move forward. If there was no one pushing or pulling him, he would not know where to go.

Li Yun saw that he looked depressed, so he pulled him aside and said, "Big Brother?"

"Rest first," Yan Zhengming came back to his senses and comforted her softly, "It's okay, don't worry... If you really have nowhere to go, you can come back to the Yan family with me temporarily."

As soon as these words came out, Cheng Qian also turned around.

In fact, for Cheng Qian, as long as he didn't go back to Fuyao Mountain, it didn't make any big difference whether he stayed at the Yan family or wandered around the world begging for food. He had no objection at first, but now he had to speak up - because if Xueqing also got into trouble, Xiaoyue'er and the others might have been intercepted on the road. Then, would the Yan family, with its great wealth and goals... still exist?

Cheng Qian hesitated for a while, then said, "Senior Brother..."

He looked at Yan Zhengming's expression and hesitated for a rare moment.

On the one hand, Cheng Qian knew that he had to tell his senior brother about this, but when he saw his tired look, the words went around in circles and he couldn't bear to say it.

Yan Zhengming adjusted his expression stiffly, pretending to be nonchalant and asked, "What's wrong, little copper coin?"

Cheng Qian looked at him cautiously, his eyes inevitably evasive.

Yan Zhengming first felt warmed at the sight of his soft and tender gaze, which was rarely seen in a century. Then he suddenly realized that something was wrong, and a sense of foreboding suddenly surged in his chest.

Sure enough, the next moment, Cheng Qian said in a low voice: "I want to tell you something, please don't be too sad, okay?"

Cheng Qian was rarely so polite to him, and Yan Zhengming was so angry that his breath rose into his throat.

Cheng Qian gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and said quickly: "I broke the puppet talisman for Brother Xueqing."

Ochre's hand trembled and he almost fell into the puddle. Han Yuan looked up in confusion. Li Yun paused and then immediately reacted, taking a deep breath.

Yan Zhengming stared at Cheng Qian for a long time without saying anything.

Cheng Qian was afraid that he would be upset for a while, so he hurriedly said: "It doesn't mean that something really happened. Don't think of the worst for now."

He felt guilty for saying this, and as he felt guilty, he forgot the next words. Cheng Qian was good at pouring cold water, but he didn't know how to pour hot soup, so he could only clumsily advise: "Maybe he lost it by accident, or maybe it was broken in someone else's hands..."

"Well, you're right," Yan Zhengming seemed to have just come to his senses, forced a smile, and smoothly continued Cheng Qian's words, "Maybe he encountered a storm at sea, maybe your puppet talisman saved his life... Hmm..."

He suddenly shivered violently, and then, as if choked by the sea breeze, he covered his mouth with one hand and began to cough.

Cheng Qian opened his mouth, but still didn't know what to say. He tentatively put his hand on Yan Zhengming's shoulder and felt a little bit of body temperature coming from the eldest brother. Before he could touch him, it was blown away by the sea breeze. Cheng Qian would sometimes think of the first time he met the eldest brother, the sissy look on his face, and always thought of him as a lazy prodigal son who was burning incense in the land of gentleness.

At that time, he had no calluses on his hands and no worries in his heart. How wonderful it was...

Why should he have to bear all the pain and confusion of being exiled to a foreign land?

This day was destined to be an eventful one. Before Cheng Qian had time to feel heartbroken, the situation at sea suddenly changed.

The entire sea surface seemed to be shaking as if the earth was shaking. A huge wave came from somewhere and formed a wall of water, which was fifty or six feet high and rushed over one after another.

The ordinary sea breeze turned into a strong gale. Tang Wanqiu's belt with a hole in it swung violently and flew up to a higher place precariously, but it seemed that it was not strong enough. In the middle of the journey, a sound of tearing cloth was heard, and the belt was actually torn into two pieces from the hole!

The tear was right under Cheng Qian's feet. He missed a step and fell off his belt. This time Yan Zhengming reacted quickly and grabbed his arm. The blood that he had just coughed out and hidden in his palm immediately smeared all over Cheng Qian.

Cheng Qian instinctively grasped the Frost Blade Sword and subconsciously mobilized his true energy. At this critical moment, the sword actually made a light "clang" sound. Although it was drowned out by the sound of the waves in the blink of an eye, Cheng Qian still caught it. His heart moved, and he didn't know whether to cry or laugh for a moment - this was clearly the reaction of concentration!

Cheng Qian: "Big Brother, let me go!"

Yan Zhengming turned a deaf ear to him. He was in great sorrow and depression just now, and was almost possessed by a demon. The only thought in his mind was that he would never let go of him, even if he died.

Cheng Qian was in a hurry and had no time to argue with him. He quickly recited the mantra of concentrating the mind and controlling the sword in his mind. Maybe it was because the time was right, or maybe it was because of the danger, but for a moment, he actually skipped the long stage from concentrating the mind to controlling the sword, and let the Frost Blade float in the air in a precarious manner.

Yan Zhengming's hand felt lighter, and he finally came to his senses. He gathered his thoughts and loosened his grip to prevent external forces from interfering with Cheng Qian: "No... don't try to be brave yet, come closer slowly, slower, you can't fly steadily now, slower."

Cheng Qian certainly did not dare to be careless. The feeling of concentrating on the sword was equivalent to turning the sword in his hand into a part of his body. Even if he was standing safely on flat ground, he would stumble a few times if he grew a leg for no reason - not to mention that the Frost Blade sword was a not very obedient leg that he could not completely suppress.

Cheng Qian controlled his true energy steadily, not daring to lose focus at all, and slowly brought the Frost Blade Sword closer to Tang Wanqiu's belt. But just when Yan Zhengming was able to stretch out his hand to protect him, something strange happened again.

Suddenly, a column of water appeared out of nowhere on the sea surface, and it brought up a huge wave in an instant. When it fell from the sky, the sea water seemed to carry an indescribable force. Cheng Qian felt a tightness in his chest and couldn't breathe. The Frost Blade lost control and was washed aside with the sword.

The screams in his ears were drowned out in an instant. Cheng Qian only had time to grab the hilt of the sword before he fell into the sea. Then, he was hit by the falling waves and suddenly lost consciousness.

Fortunately, he instinctively did not loosen his hand holding the sword. The scabbard of the Frost Blade Sword disappeared, and the sharp blade was washed away by the water and hit Cheng Qian, unceremoniously cutting a bloody gash on his calf. The sea water killed the wound and Cheng Qian woke up from the pain.

He choked on the water several times, then tried his best to hold his breath and struggled hard.

Cheng Qian claimed that he was not afraid of life or death, but he did not want to drown in the sea so meaninglessly.

Unfortunately, he was not very good at swimming, which was a shame for the Sea Tide Sword he usually used. He could still swim in the small ditch on the ground, but he was really helpless in such a rough sea.

Cheng Qian trembled as he made an unskilled hand gesture, and a thin bubble emerged around him, tremblingly holding him inside. Unfortunately, the waves even broke Tang Zhenren's belt in two, and his struggle, which was like a spent force with his true energy exhausted, was completely useless.

Bubbles kept rising and were constantly broken by the sea water. Every time they broke, Cheng Qian would choke on several mouthfuls of sea water. Gradually, his consciousness began to become sometimes clear and sometimes blurred. He didn't know how long it had been up and down. In the end, he was almost in a state of chaos and floating up and down, unable to struggle.

Cheng Qian just felt cold.

The sword was cold, the water was cold, and he was almost unconscious from the cold.

Cheng Qian couldn't help but think of the funeral of the old man next door that he saw in the village when he was young - it seemed like something from the previous life - the old lady sewed a thick shroud for the old man and stuffed all the cotton she had saved for more than two years into it. From then on, Cheng Qian had his first impression of death.

Death, he thought, must be extremely cold.

But this time, Cheng Qian did not die.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun had already set.

Cheng Qian sat up suddenly, feeling a sharp pain in his lower back. He almost fell back down, only to find that he was on a large reef. The sword wound on his calf was soaked white by the sea water and was spreading out to the sides. A layer of pale salt frost condensed on his exposed skin.

He only heard someone say behind him: "Still alive?"

Cheng Qian turned around and saw a "savage" meditating behind him.

The man was even more miserable than he was, with ragged clothes that barely covered his body, and his hair and beard were all messed up, leaving only his two eyes exposed, his gaze shooting at him like lightning. Cheng Qian first looked at the man and felt that he looked familiar. After recognizing him for a long time, he shouted in shock: "Are you... Master Wen Ya?"

Wen Ya glared at him and said angrily, "Are you blind or have you lost your memory? What are you yelling about?"

Cheng Qian felt a sharp pain in his temples. Seeing his old friend for the first time here, he wanted to say a thousand words to himself - about his master, his senior brother, the island owner, and Master Tang... But it was only for a moment. After a moment, his heart cleared of the unnecessary fragility and he calmed down again.

Cheng Qian took in those words word by word and swallowed them back along with the salty and bitter sea water. He respectfully paid his respects to Master Wen Ya as a junior, then silently put the Frost Blade Sword aside, sat on the ground to regulate his breathing, and quickly repaired the true energy that had been depleted in the sea water.

Wen Ya looked at him for a moment, with a look of admiration and praise on her face. She thought to herself, "Xiao Chun told me that this child might be the reincarnation of his master. It seems that he does look alike."

He silently protected Cheng Qian for half a night. The sky was full of stars, hanging above the sea. The tide receded slightly, revealing most of the original appearance of the reef.

Cheng Qian had just finished his practice when he heard Master Wen Ya whisper in his ear, "The 'Unhappy Death Sword' is unruly and cannot be subdued by appealing to emotions or reason. I'm sure you've already sensed that."

Cheng Qian was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "Is this sword placed in my room by you, senior?"

Wen Ya sneered, "Isn't it? Thanks to your cursed sect, I couldn't even open that shabby inn by the sea because of my connection with you. I was chased by a bunch of bastards. I was going to return the things your sect had entrusted to me, and then move to another place and hide until the storm was over. Hey, I didn't expect that it was better to arrive early than to arrive at the right time. I just happened to catch a big show on Qinglong Island."

Cheng Qian: "Is this sword my master's?"

Wen Ya sneered, "Bullshit! How can a doughy person like your master wield such a deadly weapon? This belonged to your great master. It fell into my hands by chance many years ago. At that time, there were many disabled and small people in your sect, and there was no one to entrust the sword to. That's why I have been keeping it for you. If the person holding this sword has a heart of steel, it can kill everyone. If he is a little weak, it will backfire. It is the most cowardly thing in the world. I think your sect is like a weasel hunting rats, and each generation is worse than the previous one. Your generation is even worse. You are the only one who can barely fight it."

Cheng Qian felt very subtle after hearing this, and felt that this senior was really good at chatting. He immediately stood up and said goodbye, "Thank you for your help, senior. I still have to go find my brothers, so I won't accompany you for now."

"Wait," Wen Ya stopped him, "Do you know where they are?"

Cheng Qian probably knew that there were only a small number of islands and reefs in the East China Sea, and Yan Zhengming and his men could only land nearby. Although he was not very skilled, he was able to fly a sword, so he could take advantage of the calm wind and waves to fly around the nearby waters, so it would not be too difficult to find them.

The next moment, he was shocked to hear Wen Ya say, "I tell you, they are on a deserted island less than five miles away from here. If you fly on your sword, you can get there in a moment, but I advise you not to go - because Zhou Han is also on that island."

Cheng Qian paused.

Wen Ya continued, "There was a huge earthquake in the East China Sea last night, and even you were affected, which means that a great man has fallen. Gu Yanxue... Alas, that pretty boy surnamed Zhou must have also taken advantage of the chaos to evacuate - humph, he ran fast."

Cheng Qian was not that anxious at first, but after hearing Wen Ya's words, he could no longer hold back. Before Wen Ya finished speaking, he had already risen into the air with the Frost Blade Sword.

Wen Ya didn't expect him to be so impatient. She cursed softly, flicked her finger and sent out a green light, releasing a fairy-binding rope. She chased after Cheng Qian and tied him up tightly, then dropped him back onto the reef.

Wen Ya angrily said, "Are you crazy? Are you looking for death? Who said you are the reincarnation of that old devil? Is he blind?"

This was a confusing statement, and Cheng Qian couldn't help but understand it. He struggled violently, "I was not one in the first place. Master made a mistake. Senior, Zhou Hanzheng has bad intentions. I'm afraid he will be bad for my brothers. Please spare me and let me go."

Wen Ya said, "Don't be ignorant of your own highness. Although the white-faced mule surnamed Zhou is not a good guy, his realm is there. If I were in my prime, I might be able to meet him... You? Humph."

Cheng Qian was not moved at all: "Thank you for telling me, Senior. I can't beat you in a fight, but I can still launch a sneak attack and plot against you. Please don't make it difficult for me."

Wen Ya: “…”

He really didn't know how Cheng Qian could say this. If he was sixteen or seventeen years old, he would be considered an independent young man among ordinary people. But in this world of cultivation where there are thousand-year-old turtles and ten-thousand-year-old tortoises, he is just a kid who can't even be controlled.

Wen Ya couldn't understand how Han Muchun raised Cheng Qian - not only did he have no respect for people stronger than himself, he was also blatantly cruel!

Cheng Qian was already furious, but because Wen Ya was an old friend of Master Mu Chun, he did not get angry on the spot and said patiently, "Senior Wen!"

"Sect..." Wen Ya suddenly sighed, "Boy, you kids can't support Fuyao Mountain."

Cheng Qian didn't know why he had to speak ill of the Fuyao Sect, but when he remembered that this man had never said a few good words to his master, he felt relieved. He did not argue about it, but just looked at Wen Ya stubbornly for a moment, then secretly studied the Immortal Binding Rope on his body, trying to find a gap to free himself.

Unexpectedly, the next moment he felt his whole body relax, and Wen Ya took back the Immortal Binding Rope.

Wen Ya said: "At your age, you have already reached the level of flying a sword, which is outstanding. I have known your master for many years, and I can't watch you seek death like this-"

Before he finished speaking, several shadows suddenly appeared on the reef, and Wen Ya released three clones.

"If you can break out of these three soul divisions of mine, I will not stop you," Wen Ya said, "but there are rules. I don't want to see your Fuyao sect's mandarin duck and butterfly or fancy sword techniques. You can only pick one move, and you can only use it repeatedly. As long as you can break my soul division, you can plot against anyone you want."

If you are only allowed to use the same sword move, doesn't that mean you will have to use all your true energy?

Cheng Qian almost laughed out of anger - he felt that Senior Wen was a bit disrespectful to the elders, as he actually proposed to compete with him in True Essence. How was that different from an adult arm wrestling with a four or five-year-old child?

It's really shameless and beyond the realm of shame.