When Yan Zhengming left Fuyao Mountain, he was less than seventeen years old. He was in his early twenties and focused on flying the sword. His appearance had grown and he has not changed much since then.

Now, his soul has entered the Sword God Realm, and although his features have not been stained by the passage of time in the slightest, his temperament and demeanor are completely different.

The two boys guarding the gate looked at each other, and were a little puzzled. Fuyao Mountain was a secluded place where few outsiders came. The boys had never seen such a powerful person, and the owner was not at home.

The two young men were a little timid and hesitated for a while. Finally, the older one mustered up the courage, stopped his companion behind him and walked forward.

He did not dare to raise his eyes, but bowed respectfully to the ground, and said politely: "My master went out for a tour yesterday, and I don't know when he will return. I'm sorry that you have come at an inopportune time today. May I ask your name? I will report it later."

The younger children were no more than twelve or thirteen years old, with childishness still on their round faces. They stared at them blankly from a few steps away.

Yan Zhengming's throat was choked. He really wanted to say, "Don't you even recognize me?" But when the words came to his lips, he suddenly realized that he could not remember the names of the two children.

He seemed to have returned to his previous life. Looking across the hundred-year-old Forgotten River, he had an impression of everything, but everything seemed vague and not so real.

What people say, "Leaving home when young and returning when old", is probably something like this, right?

Suddenly, the young Taoist boy blinked his eyes and said in surprise: "Oh, Brother Garcinia, this person looks like our young master!"

Oh, yes, this child is called Gamboge - Yan Zhengming suddenly remembered that these Taoist children were originally servants of the Yan family. When he left home, his family carefully selected a batch of them and sent them to him. He saved trouble by giving each person a color name like a palette. At that time, he was spoiled to the point of lawlessness. People came and went around him, but he didn't take any of them to heart. He forgot the names he had given them in a blink of an eye. He was so heartless.

It had been a long time since the word "young master" was heard. When the group of people heard it, they all laughed.

Li Yun smiled and said, "Fuyao Mountain has been sealed for more than a hundred years, but it is only a day and a night for you. It seems that you have lost track of time. Now he is no longer a young master, but the head of the sect. I am Li Yun, do you remember?"

Garcinia opened his eyes wide and stood there in disbelief for a long while: "A hundred years?"

His eyes swept out aimlessly and he saw a big locust tree at the foot of Fuyao Mountain. It was as thick as a man's embrace and had lush branches and leaves.

Garcinia stared at the big locust tree for a long while, and suddenly murmured, "That was planted by the headmaster before he left. He said that when the small tree grows a few times bigger, you can come back..."

Now it has grown into a towering building.

Garcinia stretched out his hands in vain to calculate for a while, not knowing what he had calculated. Then he raised his head and tried hard to recognize a familiar look from each person's face: "You are the second, second uncle... and the third uncle! Didn't the third uncle go up the mountain with the headmaster the year before last? He is only this tall... Oh my god..."

His eyes fell on the puddle, and he hesitated and didn't dare to call out.

Shuikeng said, "I am Han Tan."

Although Garcinia had some guesses, he still had some indigestion after seeing the people who grew up overnight.

The younger Taoist boy said bluntly, "Young Master is the head of the sect? Then where is the head of the sect, Han? And the fourth uncle, didn't they come back with him?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone's expression dimmed. Gammon was smart and could read people's expressions. Upon seeing this, he immediately slapped his companion and said, "You are the only one who talks too much. Go to the mountain and tell them to stop being lazy. Young Master... Bah, the headmaster and the others are back!"

Fuyao Mountain became completely lively. All the living creatures here abandoned their posts and came to look around. Who could have thought that after just a nap, the sun and moon would have changed when they woke up?

Even the cranes in front of the hall circled and flew down. Cranes are smart and even though the puddle looked completely different, it still remembered its smell.

After rubbing the puddle, it stretched its neck to look down the mountain, as if it was thinking someone would come back.

Shuikeng had the least impression of Fuyao Mountain, and fell silently to the end, staring intently at the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery of the mountain. As she looked, she remembered something and lowered her head somewhat dejectedly.

Someone next to her asked, "What's wrong, little girl?"

Shuikeng looked up and saw that it was Tang Zhen who was visiting. She was not familiar with Tang Zhen, but Tang Zhen had saved her life from Xuan Huang in the Bone-Dissolving Formation, so she felt somewhat familiar with him.

She paused slightly, forced a smile and said, "Senior, I am over a hundred years old, I am not a little girl anymore."

Tang Zhen said: "In your Tonghe clan, a girl who is over a hundred years old has not even fully grown bones yet, so how can she not be considered a little girl?"

When Shuikeng heard the word "Tonghe", the forced smile on her face gradually dimmed. She sighed and whispered, "I'm not the real Tonghe."

Tang Zhen: "How do you mean?"

Although he was asking the question, Tang Zhen did not look surprised - this man seemed not to be surprised by anything.

Shuikeng was not her cunning second brother, and he was not very wary of others. Moreover, Tang Zhen had a close relationship with the Fuyao Sect, so he said without hesitation: "My mother is the Demon Queen of the Demon Valley in the back mountain, but my father is not the Demon King. I am the son of the Demon Queen and a man."

Tang Zhen seemed to be surprised by her frankness and was slightly stunned.

Shuikeng continued, "I heard that after I was born, I stayed in an egg for more than a hundred years. Others thought I was a dead egg. My mother put me on Linxiantai and died because she trespassed on Linxiantai. I have never seen my biological father's name and I don't know if he is still alive. My last name is my master's, and my first name was given to me by my senior brother... It's just a name that is not very impressive. I only hear it a few times a year. My senior brothers call me 'Shuikeng' 'Shuikeng' all day long, as if they can't remember my name unless they want to scold me."

Although she was complaining, her words revealed a nonchalant attitude. Tang Zhen was amused by her, and the sick look on his face seemed to fade a little.

Shuikeng wiped his nose and said in self-abandonment, "Anyway, Second Senior Brother said that I am just a piece of chicken whose father doesn't want me and whose mother doesn't care about me. Now that I'm back at Fuyao Mountain, I might run into people from the Demon Valley at the back of the mountain during festivals. I don't know how the Demon King will feel when he sees me, a cuckold."

Tang Zhen paused for a moment, and opened his mouth to comfort her. Before he could finish his words, Shuikeng blinked his eyes and said self-deprecatingly, "Alas, it's actually nothing. I heard that the Demon King has a narrow mind and has been wanting to kill me since I was still an egg. Anyway, now that I have the head brother here, he dare not do anything to me. If he can add to the trouble by seeing me, then I have avenged myself. Haha, if I piss him off to death, maybe I will be the next Demon King!"

This little bastard who is not loved by his father and mother has great ambitions. Tang Zhen silently swallowed back the words he was about to say and smiled, "That's right."

Shuikeng ran to the front, patted the gloomy Nian Dada on the back, and said, "Nephew, the dead cannot be resurrected, but your father is still a Yuanshen cultivator. As long as his Yuanshen is not dead, he can reincarnate. Wait for you to formally enter the sect, and I will take you to the Nine-story Sutra Tower. There must be a way to find reincarnation in it!"

Nian Dada glanced at her with bloodshot eyes and whispered, "Thank you, Junior Master."

He used to be noisy and could play two roles at the same time, but now he seems to have calmed down after a great tragedy.

Nian Dada looked up at Fuyao Mountain. The magnificent scenery of the world flashed through his eyes like a fleeting light. He didn't take it seriously. He just thought silently: "Is it because I am too useless?"

Cheng Qian turned around inadvertently and saw the look in the eyes of his cheap disciple, and his heart suddenly moved.

It seems that every young person's hard work starts with such a look of "I am useless". As time goes by, it seems that a complete circle has been formed among generation after generation, repeating itself over and over again.

Yan Zhengming suddenly pulled him from the side and whispered in dissatisfaction: "Hey, you always look at what he does, why don't you look at me more."

Cheng Qian: “…”

He now began to regret what he had said in Shijuezi, because he felt that his senior brother, who was very good at taking advantage of the situation, was being a little too arrogant.

After all, Fuyao Mountain is a place for meditation and it is not suitable for singing and dancing.

In the evening, Yan Zhengming simply called everyone together and set up a simple banquet in the open space in front of the preaching hall.

The chef was specially sent by the Yan family that year. When the dishes were served, the chef was still a little dazed. Weren't the young master and his fellow apprentices on Fuyao Mountain still eating extra meals to grow up?

In the blink of an eye, those who were fasting started fasting, and those who were abstaining from alcohol stopped drinking!

During the meal, Cheng Qian took something out of his bag and left the table alone.

It is more than fifty miles from Fuyao Mountain to Taiyin Mountain, but it only takes a moment to fly the sword.

The lingering smell of blood lingered around the Ten Direction Formation. All the people had left, and some of the dead were left unburied, so their bodies lay alone in the spot, waiting to become one with the heaven and earth.

Han Yuan seemed to have melted into the darkness.

Hearing the deliberately heavy footsteps, Han Yuan tilted his head slightly, his expression gloomy, and it was hard to tell whether it was him or his inner demon who was not good at speaking.

Cheng Qian held the Frost Blade in his hand, walked over silently, sat down beside him, and took out an oil-paper bag from his arms.

There was a little oil stain on the edge of the oil paper bag, which was still warm. Cheng Qian threw the paper bag into Han Yuan's arms, brushed away the dust on the remains of the Ten Direction Formation, and sat down beside him.

Han Yuan opened it and saw a bag of crystal clear pine nut candies inside, mixed with a subtle sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance. Each pine nut was cut into thumb-sized pieces, one by one, without any sticking to the other.

The big devil was stunned for a moment. He didn't say anything rude, nor did he cry of gratitude. He just picked up one and put it in his mouth.

Han Yuan's cheeks were so thin that his bones were visible, and he looked mean and unlucky. When a candy was stuffed into his cheek, a bulge appeared on his cheek. There was blood on his face, and he tasted the candy so seriously that his brows furrowed, and he looked bitter and resentful, as if he was swallowing medicine.

He kept talking, and after a while, he gathered up all the crumbs and poured them into his mouth with his head tilted back.

Cheng Qian was watching from the side and felt a little pain in his tooth, so he asked, "Would you like some water?"

"Drink," Han Yuan said, "I'm choking to death."

Cheng Qian made a hand gesture, and a handful of cold air condensed in the air, forming a bumpy cup. He also drew some water and handed it to him.

Han Yuan finished it in one gulp, sighed, and said, "The first sweet thing I ever tasted in my life was pine nut candy."

Cheng Qian: "My senior brother gave it to me."

Han Yuan glanced at him and said, "You gave it to me. I thought it was incredible at the time. I thought if there was such a delicious food, the little beggars would break their heads and risk their lives to get it. You actually gave it to me casually. You are either stupid or too kind to me."

Cheng Qian smiled and said, "No, I just didn't like my senior brother at that time and was too lazy to eat his food."

Han Yuan was silent for a while, then smiled and said, "I think so."

Then he asked again, "Are you okay?"

Without having to explain, Cheng Qian knew he was talking about Fuyao Mountain, so he nodded casually and said, "Same as before - wait until you come back and see for yourself in the future."

Han Yuan paused, smiled strangely, and said, "Stop teasing me, little brother. What did Master say to you before he died? 'Those who are guilty of unforgivable crimes must be cleared out by their fellow disciples themselves'. Did you eat it with candy?"

Cheng Qian turned around and looked at him steadily: "Is your crime unforgivable?"

Han Yuan's expression changed slightly, and in just a moment, Cheng Qian realized that the coward Han Yuan had run away again, and the person who was talking to him had become a demon in his heart.

The inner demon Han Yuan glanced at him lazily and said, "Tian Yan's family has become a rat crossing the street. I think the emperor's family is almost as bad as before. When their luck is over, naturally someone will rebel. I am angry now and feel refreshed. You have the final say on whether it is a crime or not."

Cheng Qian shook his head and avoided answering. He glanced at the frosty moonlight and said, "I'm leaving. I'll come back tomorrow."

"I want that milk cake tomorrow," Han Yuan touched his stomach and added, "It's too sweet. I feel uncomfortable after eating it. Bring me half a chicken."

Cheng Qian waved his hand, and the frost blade flashed like a meteor and disappeared.

When he returned to Fuyao Mountain, the banquet had already ended. Cheng Qian went straight back to his Qing'an Residence, where Tanghuang was waiting for him.

Seeing that he seemed a little nervous, Garcinia took two steps forward, took the sword from his hand, and whispered, "Young Master... The Master is here."

"Oh, I'm here to study the wish-fulfilling stone left by our master." Sect Leader Yan said in a way that made things even more obvious.

Cheng Qian glanced at the legendary wish-fulfilling stone on the No Regrets Platform, and saw a wine jug placed on it. He did not expose him and asked casually, "What did you find out?"

Yan Zhengming glanced at the gamboge that had just been transferred to Qing'anju.

Although Garcinia was young, he was quite smart. He immediately realized that he was in the way and quickly found an excuse to run away.

Yan Zhengming: "What did you do?"

Cheng Qian didn't answer, but just smiled.

Yan Zhengming immediately understood what was going on. He did not ask any more questions, but just slapped away his hand that was reaching for the wine jug: "Don't move. The wine has nothing to do with you. Just one glass."

Cheng Qian's eyes fell on the stone that made his wishes come true. He had copied countless scriptures using this stone since he was a child. With his eyes closed, he could even count the number of holes on the stone. He placed his hand on the stone, and the stone reflected a faint orchid light, making his hand appear as white as jade.

Yan Zhengming said that looking at the stones was just an excuse. At this time, he stared at Cheng Qian's hand intently, sipping his wine from time to time, using his junior brother as a drink.

Cheng Qian suddenly frowned: "Hmm?"

Yan Zhengming asked absentmindedly: "What?"

Cheng Qian: "I always feel like there's something flowing inside this stone."

Although this stone looked like a pool of water before, it was stagnant dead water. But now, Cheng Qian felt that the light and shadow inside it were changing, as if it was moving.

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhengming took out a small bottle from his arms, squeezed out a few drops of water that looked like grass juice, spread it evenly on the stone surface, and it quickly condensed into a water film the size of an inch square.

Looking through the water film, the texture of the stone seems to be magnified countless times, and the delicate stone quality can be clearly seen.

Cheng Qian came up and asked, "What is this? Did Second Senior Brother make this?"

Yan Zhengming: "Well, that's all it is good for - it's called the eye-blinding leaf juice. Generally, if there's an eye-blinding trick or any subtle fluctuation, a few drops of it can magnify it on the surface."

The two waited for a while, only to see that the water film formed by the grass juice was very still and did not change for a long time.

On the contrary, when Cheng Qian approached, the airflow from his breath brushed across Yan Zhengming's face, causing him to feel a little uneasy.

Yan Zhengming stared at Cheng Qian's profile, thinking of his own origins. He leaned back, coughed, and said, "It's been so many years, maybe it's just your illusion?"

Then, he turned his gaze towards Qing'anju quietly: "It's still quiet here. I always feel that the bamboo forest behind has a fairy air, which is very suitable for retreat."

After saying this, Yan Zhengming felt a little regretful. Although he originally intended to stay here, he didn't want to sound so impatient.

This doesn't feel like a big brother, but more like a lecher.

As someone's senior, I always feel that it's not good to be too shameless.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Qian didn't hear his hidden meaning at all, and asked absentmindedly: "Are you going to retreat?"

Yan Zhengming: “…”

This unromantic idiot.

Cheng Qian actually thought that what he said made sense, and said, "That's right. You've been running around since you entered the Sword God Realm, and you haven't had the opportunity to retreat and consolidate your realm. Besides, when I was refining that wooden sword, I didn't have a deep understanding of the sword's meaning. You really should refine it again... Uh, what's wrong?"

Yan Zhengming looked at him gloomily.

Cheng Qian was puzzled and asked, "Is it still about the wooden sword... haven't we already let that go?"

Not only is he not empathetic, he is also very good at making irrelevant remarks.

Yan Zhengming stood up with the wine jug in his hand and said unhappily, "You wish for that. Who told you about it? I'm angry just by looking at you. I'm leaving now."

Cheng Qian quickly went over the conversation in his mind, and suddenly he called out to him, "Hey, Senior Brother!"

Yan Zhengming has some expectations.

At this time of heavy frost and dew, and in the dead of night, Cheng Qian suddenly thought to himself: "He came here at this time, and there was nothing serious to do. He just said a few words and left. What does that mean?"

As this thought came to his mind, his throat felt dry, but then he thought, "It's late at night, and I asked him to stay. Is that abrupt? Senior Brother often has tantrums, what if he doesn't mean that?"

He weighed the issue secretly and felt that it was still a bit abrupt, so he changed his tone.

Cheng Qian said sincerely: "If you find it too noisy to go to other places, just retreat here. I will protect you."

Yan Zhengming thought to himself, "Shut your head, I'm so mad at you."

So he said nothing, and took what seemed like long strides, and it took him a full incense stick of time to finally reach the door of Qing'anju, and he got stuck in the non-existent mud on the threshold of the courtyard.

Sect Leader Yan thought uncomfortably, "If you don't keep me here, I'll have to leave."