Chapter 42

(new week, please give me your recommendations, support, and thanks in advance...)

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The spring breeze blew, lifting the clothes on Bai Shi's body and the strands of hair on his shoulders. The fluttering hair brushed against Bai Shi's face, but he did not move at all. His eyes showed a hint of disappointment. At one moment, he raised his head again and looked at the place where Ouyang Qingqing had left. There, only a stream of clouds, like Qingqing's figure, was drifting away in his line of sight.

At this moment, he suddenly realized how difficult it was to meet and part.

At this moment, Bai Shi suddenly understood that his feelings for Qingqing were no longer just simple affection, but something beyond that.

This, perhaps, was what love was.

But this kind of love seemed distant at this moment. When Qingqing left, her face was filled with helplessness. The middle-aged man accompanying her, though cold, showed great respect for Qingqing, making Bai Shi clearly aware that the distance between him and Qingqing was not just a step away, but as vast as the heavens and earth.

"This farewell... I don't know when we will meet again."

After a long silence, Bai Shi gazed at the place where Qingqing had left, letting the fluttering hair strike his face and the cold spring breeze assault his body. In this silence, he did not continue to walk but suddenly turned his head and looked at the direction of Dongchen Manor.

At this moment, Dongchen Manor was just a blurry shadow. But in this shadow, Bai Shi could vaguely see someone standing on the roof.

Bai Shi knew that person was Dongchenzi.

After the shocking changes of that day, Dongchenzi seemed to have aged a lot overnight. Since Bai Shi came to Dongchen Manor, the once lifeless Dongchenzi had gained some vitality. Now, as Bai Shi and Su Xuan embarked on a new journey, it seemed that something was missing from Dongchenzi's life, but it had to be missing. Thus, he stood on the roof, his robe fluttering in the wind, his gaze fixed on Bai Shi and Su Xuan, silent for a long time.

Bai Shi looked at the blurry figure, as if he could see the沧桑 (cangsang, meaning the wear and tear of time) on Dongchenzi's face, a kind of kindness. In this kindness, the farewell turned into a deep heaviness. This heaviness came from the unwillingness in his heart, but he had no choice but to let them go.

This, perhaps, was a choice! Just like the path Bai Shi was on, a choice that could only move forward.

Even though the time he spent at Dongchen Manor was not long, Bai Shi felt a care he had never experienced before. This care came from Dongchenzi's heart. Long ago, after talking with Dongchenzi, Bai Shi had already considered Dongchen Manor his home, the only home since he came to this strange world.

Now, he had to leave home, and this departure might mean he would not return for a long time, just like when he suddenly came to this world.

However, he had to leave. Although Su Xuan did not know what happened that day, he clearly saw the strange scene in the sky and heard the thunderous sound. From that sound, Bai Shi had a strong intuition... that there would be some unknown calamity in the 'Daochen Mountains.'

In this calamity, he must continuously strengthen his own power to protect this only home.

"Farewell... for the sake of meeting again."

After another moment of silence, Bai Shi took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the distance, the location of 'Suxing City.' His eyes, which had been lost in thought, seemed to regain a glimmer of light. As he took another step, even though it was heavy, it was like his heart, making a choice.

Su Xuan walked alongside Bai Shi. Even though he was usually talkative, he seemed to understand the gravity of Bai Shi's heart and did not speak much. It was not until dusk, when the sky was filled with rosy clouds, that the rosy light fell on a stone forest, adding a touch of red to the pale stones, giving a sense of warmth, like a new life.

The white fox followed them, and all the strange beasts fled far away.

In Su Xuan's view, the white fox following them was just an ordinary strange beast, Bai Shi's pet.

There was a very familiar aura in this stone forest, an aura that came from Bai Shi himself. Standing in front of the stone forest, he seemed to recall the days he spent here. After a moment of silence, he walked to a small hill made of large stones.

Gently pushing aside the weeds, he saw the bloodstains on the stone wall, now faded, and said, "Before, when I was training in the 'Daochen Mountains,' I spent some time in this cave."

After saying this, Bai Shi crawled inside. Considering that they had been traveling for almost a whole day, and Su Xuan was exhausted, he decided to rest in the cave for the night before continuing their journey.

Hearing this, Su Xuan did not ask more questions but immediately crawled into the cave, put down his backpack, and lay on the weeds, breathing heavily.

They had prepared plenty of food before leaving Dongchen Manor, which was stored in a storage bag. When Bai Shi took it out, it was still warm.

After eating, Su Xuan quickly fell asleep due to exhaustion, while Bai Shi sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy with his consciousness.

As his consciousness expanded, the spiritual energy from the heavens and earth slowly flowed into his body. However, this spiritual energy was scarce for him at this moment.

In such a meditation, it was soon midnight. When Bai Shi could no longer sense the spiritual energy in the air, he slowly opened his tightly closed eyes and lazily stretched. Seeing that Su Xuan was still sound asleep, he walked out of the cave.

The night sky was dotted with stars, and the moon was like a sickle. This scene had appeared in the stone forest a few days ago.

Bai Shi sat on a large stone, the white moonlight stretching his shadow long, lonely and desolate...

At the same time, Dongchenzi at Dongchen Manor was also looking at the night sky. He seemed to have never come down from the roof, gazing at the night sky, looking at the twinkling stars, as if he was thinking of something or seeing another world.

His brows furrowed, and at one moment, he suddenly descended from the roof, looked at the night sky again, and sighed, "I hope Su Xuan and Bai Shi can escape this calamity... and not return."

At the same time, Bai Shi retracted his gaze from the night sky, suddenly raised his hand, and a crystal-like pill appeared in his palm, slowly rotating under the energy's envelopment.

"Although I have now entered the Dongxuan Realm... there are not many cultivators in the Dongxuan Realm in the manor. If this trip to 'Suxing City' really allows me to find the herbs I need... I wonder how my strength will change."

In his contemplation, a glimmer of anticipation appeared in Bai Shi's eyes. Under this anticipation, he took out his storage bag and, with his consciousness, summoned the Longyin Sword, which immediately appeared in his palm.

Staring at the Longyin Sword in his hand, Bai Shi could no longer see the soul he used to see, only feeling a familiar aura. This aura came from the soul of the sword, as if his own soul had already merged with the sword on that day, and the woman's soul had disappeared.

Bai Shi knew that the soul was actually the sword spirit of the Longyin Sword. Once a sword had a sword spirit, it would never disappear. The woman's soul must have merged with his own soul, but at this moment, Bai Shi's strength was limited, and he could not achieve the unity of man and sword, nor could he fully unleash the sword spirit's power.

"What I need is a set of superior... sword techniques!" In his contemplation, a sharp light flashed in Bai Shi's eyes. After putting the Longyin Sword back into the storage bag, he leaped to the entrance of the cave and crawled inside.

Everything was as quiet as the night. In this silence, Bai Shi and Su Xuan walked for four days. On the fifth day, at dusk, a large stone about three meters high appeared before them. The stone seemed to have been carved, and on it were three large characters—Suxing City!

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