With a "clang", Yan Zhengming's sword slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground. As a sword practitioner of his generation, he didn't even notice that his foot was hit by his own sword.

At this moment, dusk was falling, and the person in front of him seemed to be the incarnation of his inner demon. When he landed on the ground, he looked exactly like one of the thousands of paintings in the cold night. In an instant, his three souls and seven spirits were frightened away. With just one glance, Yan Zhengming had completely forgotten everything around him.

Maybe some people would deceive themselves and harbor a glimmer of hope after knowing that they have lost, imagining that "we will meet again in heaven or hell", but Yan Zhengming would not do that. It was he who buried Cheng Qian with his own hands, cutting off his last glimmer of hope.

He always felt that he was weak enough and didn't need to go to the next level.

Yan Zhengming couldn't quite tell whether this was real or just a dream. He just felt as if everything had gone back to normal. Looking at the face engraved in his heart and Han Yuan surrounded by dark air not far away... he was vaguely back to the deserted island in the East China Sea, the most unbearable day of his life.

Yan Zhengming suddenly raised his hand and grabbed Cheng Qian's shoulder, not caring about the sword in his hand, and pulled him from his chest to his back, as if he had been tempered in countless midnight dreams, and pulled away all his hatred.

Cheng Qian obviously did not expect that the person he would be confronting was actually his own senior brother, the head of the sect. He had not even had time to get nervous when he was caught off guard. He was stunned for a moment, and at the same time, he hurriedly retracted his golden sword to prevent accidental injury when they met. He was dragged by Yan Zhengming and staggered two steps before he could stand firm.

Fuyao Mountain is hidden in a secret place. The disciples nearby are either shocked, confused, struggling, or crying.

The fellow students who had been together for a hundred years reunited, only to encounter such a scene.

Yan Zhengming was in a state between madness and calmness. He quickly cut the Gordian knot and sealed off his chaotic thoughts. He did not look back at Cheng Qian, but said to Han Yuan, who was completely different from the man in front of him, "Since you are here, stay."

After saying this, he didn't even look at the notched sword that fell on the ground, and his true energy rushed straight towards Han Yuan like a sharp blade, condensing into countless sharp swords in the air, all white and covering the sky.

The demon cultivator seemed to have completely controlled Han Yuan's body. He opened his mouth and spit out a ball of black mist, which transformed into a huge ghost-faced eagle on the spot. The ghost-faced eagle let out a sharp cry and suddenly spread its wings, wrapping Han Yuan tightly in it.

As the sword approached, the man and the eagle probably realized that they would not get the upper hand today, so they used some evil magic and turned into mist and disappeared.

Looking again, there was only a white paper man left on the ground, with an arrow piercing his heart.

Han Yuan...the demon cultivator saw that the situation was not right and ran away.

Yan Zhengming stood there in a daze for a moment, as if he could not muster up the courage to look back. After a long while, he took a few deep breaths, turned around as if he was rusted, and stared at Cheng Qian without blinking.

Throughout his life, Cheng Qian had never retreated, whether alive or dead. However, when they met again after a long separation, the look in his eyes from his senior brother suddenly made him want to run away.

Li Yun looked at this and that as if sleepwalking, and after a long while he uttered a mumbling: "Xiao...Xiao Qian? W-What's going on?"

Shuikeng held back his tears and spoke incoherently, "Third Brother, I saw your sword in Shu, but when I chased after you, you had already left. I... I thought that if it was really you, you would definitely come back... But I didn't know if I had seen it wrong, and I didn't dare to tell my brothers..."

She quickly lowered her head, the chains still wrapped around her arms. She wiped away her tears and sobbed for a long time before asking like a little girl, full of grievance: "You... why didn't you wait for me..."

Cheng Qian's heart, which had remained almost calm in the icy pond for decades, was suddenly gripped tightly, and he was almost speechless for a moment.

Yan Zhengming suddenly raised one hand slowly and held Cheng Qian's face. It was cold to the touch, as if it was lower than the body temperature of ordinary people. The Frost Blade Sword he carried with him all year round seemed to sense it, making an agitated buzzing sound and shaking slightly. Yan Zhengming's heart was shaking like an earthquake. He wanted to ask Cheng Qian where he had been all these years, whether the wound on his chest was still there, how he got through it, whether he had suffered... Thousands of words blocked his mind and it was blank.

However, I don't know where to start, because compared with my mood, no matter which sentence I write, it seems sloppy.

In the end, they twisted into one, turning into a humble and desperate plea in his heart. Yan Zhengming thought: "Could this be true?"

Cheng Qian lowered his eyes slightly, avoiding his gaze, and called out softly, "Senior Brother."

"Well," Yan Zhengming replied vaguely, "You still..."

The words he uttered were so weak that he could barely continue after saying two words. The second half of the sentence was almost stuck in his throat, and only his lips could be seen moving: "...You still remember me."

Cheng Qian gently pressed his hand and suddenly found it a little difficult to breathe.

Yan Zhengming's eyes turned red little by little: "Why didn't you come to us for so many years?"

Cheng Qian said nothing.

Yan Zhengming suddenly pulled his hand away from Cheng Qian and punched him in the abdomen without mercy. Cheng Qian didn't even try to dodge and took the blow with a muffled groan. A fishy smell came up in his mouth, but before he could swallow it back, Yan Zhengming's second punch came in. The blood got stuck in his throat. Cheng Qian immediately half-knelt on the ground, coughing bitterly.

The stunned Li Yun finally woke up from his sleepwalking, rushed over, hugged Yan Zhengming's waist, and desperately dragged him back: "What are you doing?"

Yan Zhengming attacked indiscriminately, and Li Yun was hit by his elbow in return: "Let go!"

Li Yun yelled into his ear: "Are you crazy?"

Yan Zhengming's voice was hoarse like a rusty sword colliding, and he hissed: "I've been crazy for almost a hundred years!"

Cheng Qian's ears were buzzing, but he didn't know what to do.

He had been in seclusion in the ice pond for more than fifty years, and his memory was taken away by Tang Zhen. When his fellow disciples were displaced, he seemed to be lazy and unaware, with a calm heart. When Cheng Qian thought of this, his anger cooled down and sank into his stomach, turning his guilt into ashes.

He felt guilty and aggrieved at the same time, but he had no place to put his strength on both. Both feelings seemed to be about to burst out along with the blood between his fingers.

Cheng Qian suddenly felt that he might never have such a deep concern for anyone again in his entire life.

The puddle shouted, "Have you had enough?"

She suddenly spread her wings, threw off the chains on her body, ran to Cheng Qian, and carefully supported him: "Third Brother..."

Even the little kid who was raised as a mascot by the whole family has grown up in the blink of an eye. Except for the wings, she looks familiar, but she has been transformed into a big girl, which is a bit unfamiliar.

When she approached, Cheng Qian couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable. He dodged slightly and waved his hands. He was speechless for a moment, only a smile with a little embarrassment and nostalgia in his eyes.

Yan Zhengming and Li Yun quarreled until they were exhausted, and finally they calmed down temporarily. He stared at Cheng Qian for a long time, closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and walked towards Cheng Qian. In just two or three steps, the resentment and unwillingness that he had felt during the years of hardship and no one to complain to suddenly disappeared.

It was like finally waking up from a nightmare that had lasted for years.

Yan Zhengming took Cheng Qian's hand off his mouth, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth bit by bit, and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Cheng Qian hesitated for a moment and nodded.

"It's right that it hurts," Yan Zhengming leaned over and hugged him, resting his chin on Cheng Qian's shoulder, and murmured in a low voice, "If you dare to leave home for so long next time, I will beat you to death... A hundred years, Cheng Qian, is just a mortal's life..."

At this point, his forced composure was shattered, and Yan Zhengming hugged Cheng Qian and cried and laughed loudly, as if he had expressed everyone's joys and sorrows by himself. The others were so worried that they had no time to talk about their own feelings, and they all followed him in fear, fearing that the Fuyao Sect would have another crazy leader after the Bei Mingjun leader and the weasel leader.

...That's really too embarrassing.

The commotion lasted until midnight. Yan Zhengming finally calmed down and lit a fire in the puddle as usual. The weather was already hot and humid, so several of her senior brothers stayed away from her.

Cheng Qian placed the Frost Blade across his knees, using the coolness of the sword to calm down and regulate his breathing. Yan Zhengming sat silently beside him and watched over him.

Li Yun poked Yan Zhengming from behind in annoyance and asked, "Master, are you cured of your madness?"

Yan Zhengming reluctantly gave him a look, smiled wryly and said, "It seems to be getting worse."

Li Yun said, "Tsk!" and asked, "Why does Xiao Qian seem to be a little afraid of the heat? Has this happened before?"

"Hmm?" Yan Zhengming looked a little confused and asked, "Really?"

Li Yun continued, "I remember that we buried him on a deserted island with our own hands. His breathing and pulse had completely stopped, and you kept dithering. In the end, he was completely cold and had no sign of life. What do you think happened?"

Yan Zhengming replied absentmindedly: "I don't know."

Li Yun frowned and followed his own thoughts. "Looking back, it was indeed a bit strange at the time. Zhou Han was very powerful at the beginning, but as soon as Xiao Qian showed up, his cultivation seemed to be suppressed by half. Do you think it has something to do with this? Hey, Senior Brother, I have an idea. Do you think it is possible that Xiao Qian met someone or got something vital when he separated from us, which saved his life?"

Li Yun's guesswork was so random that he actually got most of it right, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse. Unfortunately, no one appreciated his cleverness because Yan Zhengming seemed to have not heard a word he said and did not even react at all.

Li Yun couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Big Brother!"

"Can't you wait until he wakes up to ask these nonsense yourself?" Yan Zhengming raised his hand impatiently to drive Li Yun away, "How should I know? Are you done yet, you chatterbox? Go away!"

Li Yun: “…”

He could see that the head brother's mind was currently clouded by the thought of the third junior brother, and he couldn't think of anything else at all. He didn't even care about the cause and effect of the matter.

Yan Zhengming ignored Li Yun and took out a snow-white headband from his arms. It was said to be made of silk from the northern snow silkworms. Snow silkworms are not easy to survive. A snow silkworm can live for three thousand years. The silk it spits out in three thousand years can only be used to weave one and a half inches of material. It feels cold to the touch and is priceless on the black market. Yan Zhengming, the "money-making young man", only kept this one in private and was never willing to take it out.

He forced his true energy into a thin thread at his fingertips, and carved a puppet symbol on the priceless headband like threading a needle. He was extremely focused, as if this was the only thing on his mind. When he was done, he flicked his fingers and the headband flew towards Cheng Qian's hair.

Li Yun gasped: "Big Brother, can you calm down?"

Cheng Qian frightened Jin Sichan so much at a glance that he dared not open his eyes. His cultivation must have reached the level of Yuanshen or even higher. For a master of this level, his consciousness will naturally be projected outward when he meditates. Even if he is unconscious, nothing can get close to him.

Li Yun seemed to have seen handfuls of gold shattered into pieces in the air, and looked at Sect Leader Yan with a look of grief and indignation - he now understood what Sect Leader Yan meant by "it's getting worse".

Yan Zhengming: "Shh, look."

The hairband flew lightly to Cheng Qian, tied up his hair that had just been loosened by Yan Zhengming, and tied a knot deftly, without any obstruction from beginning to end.

This means that Cheng Qian was completely unprepared when he was meditating.

Li Yun's expression changed several times, and finally he sighed softly: "The vast sea has turned into mulberry fields, how come he seems to have not changed at all?"

Yan Zhengming smiled, squinted his eyes as if he was a little sleepy, and whispered: "I really want to open Fuyao Mountain and go home."

Li Yun said sternly, "Master, please don't be impulsive again. Are you sure now is a good time? Those people are watching us."

Yan Zhengming raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a somewhat sarcastic smile: "They are just a bunch of clowns. If they dare to come, I will make sure they never return... This is not the reason why I have been reluctant to close the mountain."

Li Yun had never heard him say this before, and thought he knew the reason tacitly. At this moment, he couldn't help but wonder, "What's the reason?"

"Because I can't open it." Yan Zhengming said calmly.

Li Yun suddenly turned over and sat up: "What?"

"You should be more calm, you are so jumpy." Yan Zhengming frowned in dissatisfaction, and then continued, "The mountain sealing order in the master's seal has three locks, 'Heaven, Earth, and Man', with the 'Man Lock' in the front. The locks left by Master when he sealed the mountain are the true essences of the five of us. At that time, I thought it was Xiao Qian... so I didn't even look carefully at what the 'Heaven' and 'Earth' locks were."

Li Yun: “…”

No wonder the eldest senior brother looked so grim after his soul entered the sect leader’s seal for the first time!

Li Yun lowered his voice and asked, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"What's the point of saying it?" Yan Zhengming yawned, "I have been looking for a way to circumvent the mountain sealing order. The master seal also has spiritual consciousness. Although I don't know how deep it is, I have been able to feel its existence over the years. I originally thought that if one day my cultivation can be strong enough to suppress the spiritual consciousness in the master seal, maybe I can forcibly open the mountain sealing order."

Li Yun asked fearfully, "How strong is that?"

Yan Zhengming closed his eyes slightly and said vaguely: "The consciousness in the master's seal is the superposition of the consciousness of the masters of my sect. What do you think?"

Li Yun: “…”

Yan Zhengming whispered: "So it's useless to tell you, there's still a long way to go..."

His voice became lower and lower until it was almost inaudible. Li Yun said woodenly, "I don't think this road is long. It's impossible to walk this way!"

Yan Zhengming didn't say anything. Li Yun sighed exhaustedly, lay back on his back, and consoled himself: "Finally, Xiao Qian is back. Xiao Yuan... Well, although it's a little difficult, it's not completely hopeless. There is still hope, right?"

No one answered - Cheng Qian entered into meditation silently, Shuikeng had curled up beside the fire and fallen asleep. She was born with the element of fire, so she was not afraid of getting burned even if her hair fell into the fire. The tiny flames danced on her black hair like crazy.

The chirping of cicadas in the midsummer night makes the surroundings seem even more peaceful. Only in the night sky there is a Milky Way like a silk thread, holding up a handful of thousands of bright points, shining brightly for a long time.

Winter comes and summer goes, things wither and flourish, and flicker.

Li Yun turned around again, only to see Yan Zhengming had fallen asleep with his head tilted to one side. Having been hurt by the great sadness and joy, there was a look of fatigue between his brows that had not been seen for many years, but the gloom was gone.

There is always hope.