Volume 9 Extra 5. Thinking about the past, standing in the setting sun
Outside Luoyang City.
It happened to be drizzling.
Under the soft and drizzling rain, someone suddenly appeared in the rain.
The man walked with a weak step and a lonely look on his face, looking a little lost. His clothes were mostly soaked by the sudden downpour in a short while. There were bruises on his face and his hair was quite messy. He just walked on the deserted path.
It was not until a loud thunder sounded in the sky that Li Muchan came to his senses and rushed towards a bamboo pavilion not far away.
There was only a mottled, old stone table in the pavilion, covered with dust and a few fallen leaves that still had some green in them.
"well!"
Looking at the drizzle in front of him and the misty sky and earth, Li Muchan felt a myriad of sorrows welling up in his heart.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, wiped the rain from the ends of his hair, and then, as if he had made a decision, he took out a medicine bag from his collar and slowly sat down in the pavilion.
"It shouldn't be too bitter."
Looking at the rat poison in his hand, Li Muchan muttered to himself and then opened it.
He is really too tired.
I tried my best to make a name for myself, but nothing worked out and I never achieved my goal.
In order to become famous, he tried almost every means and endured humiliation and suffering that was too much for ordinary people to endure, but the results were always unsatisfactory.
Up to now, in Luoyang City, Li Muchan's ambitions and heroic spirit have gradually faded away. His will has been lost, his spirit has been lost, not to mention any aspirations. He is truly disheartened to the extreme.
"I never thought that in this vast world, there would be no place for a small figure like me." Li Muchan sighed again, poured all the rice grains wrapped in medicine powder from the medicine bag into his mouth, leaned against the pavilion pillar and chewed them carefully. Finally, he mumbled with hatred, "Fuck you!"
The wind and rain outside the pavilion grew stronger, so he simply closed his eyes and waited quietly for the end of his life.
He just smacked his lips. The pain like a ruptured intestine that Li Muchan had imagined did not appear, and there was even a hint of sweet aftertaste.
After a long time, Li Muchan slowly opened his eyes and just stared blankly at the medicine bag in his hand, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.
There are actually fake rat poison.
"Did that girl keep it for too long?"
Li Muchan smiled bitterly, thinking of the clay monkey-like girl in Cuifang Tower.
It turned out that this thing was given to him by the other party.
After just one experience between life and death, Li Muchan suddenly felt a sense of fear for his previous actions.
He was not afraid of death, he just didn't want to die so humiliatingly, without any sound; he still had great ambitions to realize, and he wanted to live happily in the martial arts world, so how could he die in such a place, and be poisoned by a bag of rat poison.
Even if I die, it should be earth-shattering.
Li Muchan's shoulders suddenly trembled and he laughed, but as he laughed, he let out a long howl towards the wind and rain outside the pavilion, howling wildly, as if he wanted to release all the resentment in his heart.
"Ah... I must become famous. No one can stop me. I don't care about good or bad reputation..."
But before the whistling sound had died down, footsteps were suddenly heard in the rain.
The man was wearing a white shirt, a rain hat on his head, and a single sword on his back. Most of his face was hidden under the brim of the hat, with only half of his pale and slightly pointed chin exposed.
This person seemed to be here to take shelter from the rain as well. With light steps, he rushed from the distant corner to the front of the pavilion in just a few steps and then came in.
Li Muchan looked at the other party's martial arts spirit and stepped back consciously.
In this world, there is no logic in killing people. If they want to kill you, they will kill you. A single glance, a single word, or an unconscious action may lead to your death.
Li Muchan just stood there quietly, with his brows lowered, looking at the raindrops falling outside the pavilion, quietly waiting for the rain to stop.
The swordsman in white was sitting across the stone table from him, also watching the wind and rain outside the pavilion without saying a word.
Li Muchan suddenly heard a faint sigh coming from beside him, which was very similar to the one he heard before.
Another person with something on his mind.
So what is this person thinking about?
The answer is vitality.
There were only these two words in Dao Twelve's mind.
He wants to survive.
Only by surviving first can he think about more things and then do them.
For example, how can one gain a firm foothold in the Demonic Cult, and then stand higher and see farther.
People all like to move towards higher places, whether they are those who are greedy for power, fame and fortune, or those who dislike power, are no exception.
After all, only by standing at the highest point, without any constraints, can you soar freely in the vast sky and earth, without being restricted by anyone, and only then can you truly see all the mountains below.
But the reason why Dao Twelve was thinking about his vitality was because his vitality was gradually dissipating.
And after that, all the things I originally wanted to do became dreams and fantasies, and there was no possibility of realizing them.
“Ahem…”
Under the rain hat, a burst of rapid coughing broke the tranquility of the rainy atmosphere.
Dao Twelve's cough was light at first, but as his heart and lungs trembled and his body shook, the cough became rapidly more intense, as if there was a wild beast lurking in his chest and abdomen, howling constantly and making sounds through his mouth and tongue.
The heart-wrenching cough, mixed with unwilling hatred and anger, as well as pain that penetrated deep into the bone marrow, echoed endlessly among the hills and could be heard from far away.
Dao Twelve's originally straight back has now bent and curled up, making him look like an octogenarian, and extremely weak.
Amidst the scalp-numbing coughs, Dao Twelve was already gasping for breath, his ten fingers almost digging into his thighs, as if his lungs were leaking air. He groaned, wailed, and coughed.
“Cough cough cough… Ugh… Ah…”
Sudden.
The hat fell off, and Dao Twelve's face was red and bloodshot, his eyes were bloodshot, his Adam's apple was moving, as if he was swallowing something hard, and he was trying hard to stand up again.
His illness became more serious.
And the pain seemed to have spread to his lungs... no, it had spread to his internal organs, becoming deeply ingrained, as if an invisible poisonous dragon was lurking within his body, sucking away his vitality day and night.
The wind and rain outside the pavilion were getting stronger and stronger, the wind and rain were pouring down to the sky, and the rain was as heavy as a torrential downpour, drowning out all the movements between heaven and earth.
In fact, it is not only a disease, but also a murderous intent.
The Demon Cult intends to advance eastwards, and they are just pawns, so no one knows how many of them will be able to return alive.
Besides, this mission is different from previous ones.
Luoyang City is a den of dragons and tigers in the martial arts world, and with the Qinglong Society being a behemoth, I'm afraid that once you go in, you will definitely die.
Not to mention that the old ghost who contacted him had already harbored ulterior motives.
Dao Twelve was thinking in his mind, but his eyes suddenly fixed and looked straight at the other person in the pavilion.
What was even more coincidental was that this person also stared at him with wide eyes, his face full of surprise and astonishment.
Dao Twelve was stunned for a moment, his face showing surprise.
Because this person looks very similar to him.
at the same time.
Li Muchan was shocked, surprised and surprised. He had never thought that there was someone in this world who looked exactly like him.
Apart from their different clothes and appearance, the only difference between the two is probably their expressions.
Li Muchan's face was very pale, with a hint of illness in it, and there were bruises on it.
Dao Twelve's face was frighteningly pale, all the blood had faded away, and he looked lifeless.
There was a storm outside the pavilion, but because of an accidental glance, the two people inside the pavilion had their different destinies intertwined in some inexplicable way.
Dao Twelve took a deep look at the miserable and disheveled man, and also saw the medicine bag in the other's hand. He then retracted his gaze and looked away.
"Could it be God's will?" he thought to himself.
He heard all of Li Muchan's howls just now, and even heard the unwillingness in them, as well as the five words "frustrated and unhappy".
You have to know that there are countless heroes and geniuses in the world, and no one knows how many people have fallen on this road, not to mention people like Li Muchan.
Who doesn’t want to rise?
Who doesn’t want to be famous?
But there is no fairness in this world, and how many people can get everything they want?
Li Muchan's eyes flickered, as if he was afraid that the other party would misunderstand something.
He just felt that this person was suffering from a serious illness, and it was distressing to hear him, so he subconsciously took a look.
He was surprised to find that there was a face exactly like his own hidden under the rain hat.
Fortunately, Li Muchan did not sense any murderous intent, and the white-clothed swordsman suddenly turned around and looked at him, carefully looking him up and down, and then smiled.
Li Muchan also laughed.
When faced with a smile, he always smiles back.
The two smiled at each other, then looked away in tacit understanding.
Then he saw Dao Twelve looking at the wind and rain outside the pavilion, and suddenly heaved a long sigh, "Huh!"
He seemed to have made up his mind and figured everything out.
Perhaps, all this is really what is called God's will.
When his life was about to end and his death was approaching, God actually let him meet another version of himself.
But this person has nothing.
Is it a trick of fate?
More importantly, there seemed to be extremely shocking ambition hidden in this person's eyes.
All it needs is an opportunity to rise.
Dao Twelve closed his eyes, as if thinking about something, and took off the single sword behind his back, stroking it with great care.
For many years, he never took off the knife even when he slept.
The murderous intent that was approaching all the time made him feel like he was walking on thin ice. He couldn't even sleep well. Only when he slept with a knife as a pillow could he feel at ease and as if his head was still on his neck.
And now, Dao Twelve suddenly wanted to have a good sleep.
Because he has found a way to get rid of it.
That is to face death.
At the same time, he was also looking forward to seeing how things would go in the end with this stranger who he met by chance but was exactly like him.
Dao Twelve is not a hesitant person.
What's more, looking around the world, he can no longer find anyone worthy of trust.
In that case, why not...
Li Muchan was also looking at the other person. After all, it was difficult for anyone to remain calm when encountering such a strange thing.
Suddenly, Li Muchan heard the white-robed swordsman in front of him whisper, "In half a month, remember to go to the Bodhisattva Temple ten miles west of Luoyang City. I have something for you."
After a pause, the man added without turning back, "If you want to break the current predicament, then don't break your promise."
After saying this, without paying any attention to Li Muchan's reaction, Dao Twelve picked up his rain hat, walked out of the bamboo pavilion, walked into the rain, and floated away.
Inside the bamboo pavilion, Li Muchan stood there in a daze, not understanding what was being said.
But a gleam of light suddenly flashed in his eyes. Since the other party was willing to help him break this predicament, he had to go no matter what.
"The Bodhisattva Temple ten miles west of the city?"
…
"Bodhisattva Temple!"
With a murmur, the person sleeping soundly in the pavilion slowly opened his eyes.
Looking at the mottled stone table in front of him that had not changed, Li Muchan yawned.
"uncle."
Suddenly, I heard a soft call outside the pavilion.
But I saw a woman in green clothes and a wooden hairpin walking towards this side, holding a delicate jade doll in her hand.
It was Ye'er.
Ye'er asked, "Uncle, are you dreaming?"
Li Muchan sat in the pavilion, shaking his sleeves. A hint of melancholy flashed across his eyes, and then he said softly, "Yes, it seems like I had a long and distant dream, and I seemed to have dreamed of your father."
Although the furnishings inside the pavilion have not changed, the outside of the pavilion has long been covered with bamboo forests, among which there are several wooden huts, surrounded by a fence and a large water buffalo.
At this time , the setting sun was as blazing as fire, and the bright afterglow slanted into the pavilion.
Ye'er shook his head, then continued, "Disciples within the alliance have sent word that the man in white fought Xue Qingbi seven days ago, then went to Bashan Sword Lodge to fight Taoist Gu, and then to Tianqin Sect. He's now heading south with my younger brother and Xie Xiaoyu, seemingly intending to head to Feixian Island in the South China Sea."
Li Muchan sighed, "It seems he has already decided on his final destination. He will definitely be buried in Jiangnan."
Ye'er brought a pot of wine and asked curiously, "Uncle, didn't he come to the Central Plains to challenge you? Why does he seem to no longer be obsessed with this battle?"
Li Muchan drank his wine and pondered, "He probably already knows what I'm thinking."
Ye'er thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up, "You mean my younger brother?"
The little brother she was referring to was Li Xiyi.
Among the several children of the Li family, Li Xiyi is the most like Li Muchan, both in terms of means and character. He also has extraordinary comprehension and excellent aptitude, and is a genius in swordsmanship.
Li Muchan sighed, "He's a remarkable man. It's a pity the poison has taken root deep within him, damaging his very foundation. Otherwise, he might still be able to make further progress."
It turned out that the man in white had also tried medicine for Zhu Da in the past. Although he stopped himself in the end, the poison entered his body. Although there was no harm at first, as time went by and there was no external force to balance it, it gradually invaded his internal organs and even gods could not save him.
"Can this person be saved?" Ye'er asked.
"Disaster!"
Someone else came over.
Pharmacist Li and Shangguan Xiaoxian walked over leisurely, accompanied by a lively girl who was holding a chicken leg in each hand and her mouth was full of grease.
Pharmacist Li said, "The poison has seeped into this man's bones and marrow. The prerequisite for saving him is to dissipate his power and eliminate the poison's properties. Only then can we talk about treatment. However, this man's ambition is too high, he only seeks a moment of glory, and will never give up his power to save himself."
Shangguan Xiaoxian's face was as cold as frost. She said in a cold voice, "Li Muchan, don't you think I don't know what you're thinking? You actually gave your own son to someone else as an apprentice? The second son is missing, and the eldest son is still unknown whether he is dead or alive, and you still have the leisure to sleep here?"
"This wasn't my idea; it was simply a coincidence. I think he realized his mortality was imminent, and after his battle with Xie Xiaofeng, he gained some enlightenment, which is why he brought Xiyi with him." Li Muchan smiled wryly and shook his head, then continued calmly, "As for Thirteen... You and I both rose from humble beginnings amidst the strife of swords, but our struggles were even more difficult than that kid's. If he were our own flesh and blood, he wouldn't have stopped here. Besides, this is also a test for him, and perhaps he'll even have a chance encounter."
Although Li Muchan's tone was normal, his eyes kept changing, and he could not hide his worry.
"Have you forgotten that Xiaoqing has lived overseas for a long time? She must have made arrangements long ago. That's why she was determined to go out to sea even though she knew Sun Xingyu possessed the Divine Water Skill. She's not completely hopeless." Seeing the mist in Shangguan Xiaoxian's eyes, as if she was extremely sad, Li Muchan suddenly changed the subject, "By the way, do you remember giving me a bag of rat poison that year?"
Shangguan Xiaoxian was stunned when she heard this.
The others were also confused for a moment.
Unexpectedly, Li Muchan narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Thanks to you."
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Xiaoxian's cheeks suddenly flushed, and then she cast a resentful look at him and said unhappily, "Humph, after all these years, you only remember it now."
Li Muchan smiled, looked at the setting sun in the sky, then looked at the crowd, and couldn't help but sigh: "It feels like a dream, a dream of the martial arts world!"
