Ch1 - Knowing the End of Love

In the winter of year 370 in Tiancho, the chaotic snow was flying, and the scene was desolate and lonely.

When Long Qinghan slowly walked up the smoke-filled Fengque Mountain, he saw the man in blood-red robes on the steps.

The man in red was like a blazing fire, using his scorching heat to drive away the freezing temperature of the cold and snowy sky little by little. The vicissitudes of life had not taken away a trace of his majestic demeanour. The red lotus mark between his eyebrows still bloomed enchantingly. He stood proudly with his hands behind him, his lips tilted into a wicked smile and looked down at the world like a King. Long Qinghan slowly halted his ascent, quietly standing on the steps and stared at the man in scarlet red robes that made him unforgettable-Feng Xuanyang.

It had been more than 20 years since they first met each other. The memories of the past were still there but their broken relationship was beyond repair.

After fighting for twenty years, Long Qinghan was tired. That day, he had come to Fengque Mountain alone just to end his unbounded infatuation for Feng Xuanyang, either by killing him or being killed by him.

They stood there quietly and they only had each other’s figures deeply reflected in the adjacent ink pupils along with endless sorrow; gently flowing in their bottomless eyes. It slowly stirred up waves of emotion. Time passed slowly like gently running spring water and they didn’t say anything for a long time. Only reluctance and nostalgia were revealed in their eyes. Of course, one person is as scorching as the sun and the other person is as calm as stagnant water. Fire and water are not compatible and this was doomed to be their fate too!

The sky gradually lightened up and the fierce cold wind rolled up the snow and blew freely. They stood facing each other for several hours.

Until the bright yellow sun on the horizon rose. The moment the rising sun painted the sky into various shades of red and pink, they moved! The red and blue sword lights flashed a dazzling dance across the sky. They had pulled out their swords and charged towards each other. With a ‘clang’ the two swords met. Their unfathomable eyes expressing resentment or love!.

“Long Qinghan, it has been more than twenty years and yet you can’t help but come to Zao Zao ge today and end it!”

Chi Huang sword pierced obliquely, the sword light flashed, and Youze sword made a whisper like of a phoenix.

“Feng Xuanyang, why bother to say more? In the past, you did not hesitate to ruin the life of Jianghu sect leader, or even destroy my whole family to dominate Jianghu. I have to avenge this grudge!”

Even under all his anger, Long Qinghan’s face was still cold, his tone was so light that there was a certain appeal to it. There was not even the slightest of fluctuations in his eyes while he held a sword in his fair jade-like hands. Youze continued to clash with Chi Huang and so Long Qinghan made his move of Ning Bing's palm backhandedly.

Feng Xuanyang slapped away the hand and sneered, “It’s absurd. If you regard me as your enemy, what were you doing all these years? Twenty years have already passed and it is now that you come over to me for revenge!”

Long Qinghan’s movements became sluggish and he was silent. His hands were on the offensive but his eyes, as pale as a frozen lake, were silently closed.

Everything that had ever happened flashed by in his mind and scenes of the past were replayed clearly. At this moment, he realized that the memory of these twenty years was like a dream. Except for the memories with Feng Xuanyang, he couldn’t remember anything else. It seemed that his life was composed of only one person; Feng Xuanyang.

Even so, what can it be? Their opposing identities and status, the deep hatred between them, condemned them to their endless entanglement and also to their incompatible hatred. They both had been fighting for twenty years but neither of them lost or won. But there was more love in his heart but it was doomed by his reluctance, he couldn’t express it and it was also doomed to be ensnared for twenty years.

Now, Long Qinghan was tired and today he had made up his mind to invite Feng Xuanyang to fight alone, just to end the affection that shouldn’t have existed. If he died today, then he would be cut off from his unrequited love. If Feng Xuanyang died today, then he would be rid of the emotions and accompany his grave alone with wine for the rest of his life.

The cruel blood-like bright red light got brighter and brighter and reflected down on Feng Xuanyang’s red robe. The dazzling brilliance pierced Long Qinghan’s eyes, flooding with layers of moisture. Long Qinghan was completely overwhelmed by that tall figure but since Feng Xuanyan is cruel, he could not give up!

He tightened his lip and condensed a trace of cold blue light. Youze moved, bringing along with it a biting cold blue light, going in for a killing blow. Feng Xuanyang held his sword to resist and the two swords collided and the sound of clangour appeared emitting a bright silver light.

Feng Xuanyang’s fiery eyes deepened and he saw Long Qinghan’s eyes were full of indecipherable emotions, “Long Qinghan, you know that you and I are incomparable in martial arts but I am slightly better than you in terms of internal strength. You challenged me to fight alone this time. You will undoubtedly lose. But if you concede defeat and leave, I will let you make a go. Then you and I will fight another day!”

“Don’t think about it!” Long Qinghan’s face showed a faint trace of sorrow and his attacks became more and more vigorous. He was like the lonely snow lotus that had been blooming on the iceberg for thousands of years. How can he break the upright flower branches because of others!

Feng Xuanyang looked at Long Qinghan with an unscrupulous smile, but his words unexpectedly revealed tenderness, “Long Qinghan, for twenty years you were so stubborn and unwilling to give in. Okay, I’m staying here today. You will lose!”

Feng Xuan Yang retracted Chihuang in a daze and moved back a few steps. He stood not far from Long Qinghan. He flipped his right hand and the sword body instantly burst out a strong sword aura. All the snow on the ground flew up and fluttered all around his body, reflecting the arrogant phoenix in the snow. Long Qinghan shook Youze in his hand coldly and stabilized his body. He stood face to face with Feng Xuanyang.

They bathed in the red sunlight, standing proudly in the red dawn and chaotic snowstorm. They were the most arrogant martial arts myth in the world but they were lonely and wanted to kill each other!

When the last snowflake fell coldly and the red sunlight enveloped the vast land, there was a burst of shouts from their mouths and they both raised their feet and ran towards each other. When Masters fight against each other, just one sword move can decide the winner!

but–

The expected death did not come. Long Qinghan stared blankly at the sword that pierced Feng Xuanyang’s heart. The dripping hot blood condensed his heart into ice bit by bit. “Why?” The powerless and trembling voice was as desolate as the snowfield around them.

The moment the two swords met, the bleak smile of Long Qinhan that appeared in Feng Xuanyang’s eyes made him instantly astonished- as if he was about to lose something important, causing his heart to be squeezed tightly and he couldn’t breathe. However, when he regretted it, it was hard to recover. The hand holding Chi Huang dropped slowly before him and the cold sharp sword immediately penetrated the body with an intrusive sound of flesh being shred, drawing away from the hot blood. Feng Xuanyang smiled miserably. The smile that was about to disappear, reflected the red lotus mark, it was a splendid sight to the whole world. He slowly stretched out his hand and pulled hard and the sword completely plunged into his heart. He embraced the man in blue that he thought about day and night.

“Qing Han, I have been tired for more than 20 years. I wanted to give up the dream of dominating Jianghu but I didn’t find a reason to. But up to this moment, I knew that the reason for me to give up was you.” The scenery in front of him began to become misty. His arrogant life was about to come to an end, “I would like to walk hand in hand with you in Jianghu and also grow old with you…”

“hand in hand with you in Jianghu and also grow old with you…” repeating the words at his death, Long Qinghan only felt that his heartbeat seemed to have stopped along with it. “Qing Han, in the end, today, you are going to lose me…” Feng Xuanyang smiled lightly. He turned his head slowly and kissed his cold lips with the last tenderness of his life and then said, “I… You…” A hot tear fell from the corner of his eyes and fused into Long Qinghan’s battered heart. “Qing Han…I…I…I have never harmed your relatives…In my life…I killed people and subverted Jianghu, just for…” However, there was no time left and the voice was very low. Slowly it slipped off the corners of his lips, dissipating forever in the snow and wind. He left his love that was too late to put an end to at this eternal moment with a heartbreakingly gentle smile.

——If there is an afterlife, I just hope that we will meet again, Qinghan… Qinghan…

Drop after drop of blood dyed the pale snow a brilliant scarlet. It looked like flowers blooming against the white drops of the snowfield; agonizing and sorrowful. He was an arrogant person, even if he died, he had to stand and die and he had to stop breathing in the arms of his beloved.

Endless pain choked his throat. At that moment, the proud blue-clothed man held the cold body in his arms and silently wept. He had no way of knowing why he he wanted to kill people and subvert Jianghu all his life- for power? profit? or love? He only knew that the moment he left, he also took away his beating heart.

‘Who said that fire and water are never compatible? Who said that you and I were destined to kill each other?’

“Xuanyang, you won.” He won from the first instance.

Long Qinghan’s body staggered as he drew out the blood-stained sword. Warmblood still dripping and splattering, he smiled sadly. Then he didn’t hesitate to raise his sword. The sword passed through Feng Xuanyang’s abdomen and pierced into his abdomen. The two bodies were instantly connected and the blood meld together!

‘This time, we are no longer separated. I can stay with you in the blue sky no matter where the bridge is.’

He hugged the man tightly, kissed the lips that had lost the temperature with affection and used his last remaining warmth to warm the lips that should have been warm. Gradually, he closed his eyes with a sad smile and slowly exhaled his last breath.

In the vast world, the red sunlight reflected the sad silhouettes of the couple embracing and kissing, dyeing the world with scarlet blood and misery.

‘——Xuanyang, let us walk in Naihe Bridge and drink Mengpo Tang together .’

‘——Xuanyang, wait for me, wait for me…’

***

The sound of flowing water entered his ears. It was the cold rain or the tears of broken strings. Opening his eyes slowly, Long Qinghan looked at the surrounding scenery in confusion.

He saw green curtains and wisps of incense smoke, which were both familiar and unfamiliar. Long Qinghan awakened in shock. He straightened up and subconsciously touched his abdomen. There was no pain. He pierced his abdomen with a sword and ended his life. But how was there no wound and he was alive?

“Young Master, you are awake.” A familiar voice rang within the room and he looked up. It turned out to be the Long Mo who had already died in that field of destruction!

Long Qinghan was stunned. He still remembered that Long Mo died under a chaotic arrow to protect him in the Massacre of the Eradication, but now Long Mo is still alive?

He rubbed his forehead trying to make sense of this weird scene. Wait, there seems to be something he has missed.

“Long Mo, what did you call me just now?”

“Young Master.” Long Mo said in surprise.

“Young Master?” Long Qinghan was astonished and there seemed to be a hint of understanding in his mind.

He asked with some excitement, “Which year is it now?”

Long Mo frowned slightly and replied with a weird look: “Tiancho, 347th year.”

With a bang, it exploded in Long Qinghan’s ears like a bolt of lightning from heaven. In the 347th year of the Heavenly Dynasty, it was 23 full years before he went to Fengque Mountain alone and died with Feng Xuanyang! At this time, he has not yet inherited the position of the suzerain and it hasn’t been long since he first came out of Jianghu. And this year was also the year when he first met Feng Xuanyang. Could it be that God gave them another chance to live and start over?

Thinking of this, Long Qinghan, who has always been displeased with fate, grabbed Long Mo’s hand excitedly and asked, “What month and day is it today?”.

Long Mo replied hesitantly: ” Young Master, March 20th.”

“March 20…March 20…” Long Qinghan muttered to himself. He didn’t seem to know that, he who had always been displeased had the corners of his mouth twitching. March 20th was when he was about to attend a wedding banquet at Xiang Mountain Villa and before he met Feng Xuanyang. So, since God let him start over with Feng Xuanyang. Then, let him beat him first and never let go of his hand in this life.