sbdcsierra Chapter 674 The journey home is short, but the road ahead is long.
Chapter 674 The journey home is short, but the road ahead is long.
Cao Yike can drink in front of Ming Cheng's tomb.
Xue Lan watched from the side.
Lord Wolf King gently waved his sleeve, and the chilling autumn rain was completely blocked by a large, semi-transparent cover. The rainwater flowed down the edge of the cover like a curtain.
Cao Yike held her wine glass, quietly watching the rain curtain. After a long while, she suddenly smiled and said:
"I am just a mortal, and I originally thought that I would never have the chance to see an immortal again in this lifetime."
"I always felt that my first meeting with the girl was nothing more than a fleeting moment, like a mayfly watching the sun and moon."
"After all, most mortals only see immortals once in their lifetime, and when they are about to die, they may even doubt whether they have remembered it wrong."
He was a writer, and his speech was far more refined than that of ordinary officials. His tone was melodious, like that of a storyteller, carrying a unique scholarly air.
It's not the kind of literary atmosphere that the scholars at Bingdeng Academy have, but rather a literary atmosphere that leans more towards people's livelihood, the martial arts world, and the common people.
Xue Lan glanced at Ming Cheng's grave behind the two of them: "I've come to see Constable Ming."
Cao Yi poured a glass of wine, bowed several times, and then poured it out in front of Ming Cheng's grave.
The middle-aged man lowered his head, his voice hoarse:
"Thank you for remembering her, young lady. I am happy for her that even immortals remember her. After all, she was so young, yet she was buried in the earth."
"Miss Xue, they all say that there is an afterlife after death, and that there is reincarnation after the netherworld. Is this true?"
Xue Lan looked at the expectant light shining in Cao Yike's eyes, so bright it was almost blinding.
"Yes," Xue Lan said firmly, "After the judgment of the underworld, good and evil will ultimately be rewarded."
At this point, Xue Lan, looking at Cao Yike's expression, suddenly changed the subject:
"Would you like to go see Mingcheng?"
"Go and see Mingcheng in this life."
Cao Yike looked at Xue Lan in surprise, her hands trembling slightly: "I can see her?"
"Okay." Xue Lan nodded.
"I have some connections with the city gods of the various cities in the Southern Region. With my guarantee, I can take you to look through the Book of Fate. Finding her won't be difficult. But after you've seen it, you'll probably think of it all as a dream."
After all, Cao Yike is still a living person, and knowing too much in the underworld could easily shorten her lifespan.
Cao Yike looked at Xue Lan, then at Ming Cheng's tombstone.
In the cold autumn rain, the middle-aged man said with a sense of relief, "Let's not go then."
He drank the last bit of wine left in the flask: "Wu Chang wrote to me a few days ago, asking me to go to the capital to teach some coroners, saying that the local government offices don't have enough."
A glimmer of hope rekindled in the middle-aged man's eyes, as if he had transformed back into the young man who once wrote books by the campfire and dreamt of his own world.
He took out a thick stack of manuscripts from his pocket and smiled at Xue Lan: "Do you have pen and ink, young lady?"
Xue Lan took out the pen she used to draw weapon-refining blueprints from her sleeve and handed it to him: "No need to inscribe it, I'm giving it to you today."
Cao Yike had never seen such a rare item before, and carefully accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Miss Xue."
The middle-aged man sat cross-legged on the ground, wrote a few lines on the last page of the manuscript, and then handed it, along with the pen, to Xue Lan.
"I originally planned to burn it tonight, but since Miss Xiaotong has always appreciated me, I'll give it to Miss Xue today."
"As for this money... there is a difference between immortals and mortals. I was afraid that I would not want to die when I was about to die, so I came to bother you, young lady."
Xue Lan tucked the pen into his sleeve before taking the manuscript:
Will Cao, the coroner, continue writing books?
“Of course I will write it.” Cao Yike laughed heartily. “But the stories from back then are now finished.”
As the rain subsided by the Qinglin River, Cao Yike got up from the ground, and Xue Lan reached out to wipe the dampness off his body.
The middle-aged man bowed deeply to Xue Lan one last time:
"When I get to the capital, I'll write some new stories. If Miss Xiaotong is still interested by then, I'll have her come and read them to me."
"Beijing is far away, and my wife is still at home helping me pack my luggage."
"Miss Xue, I'll take my leave."
The dark figure disappeared into the long night, leaving Xue Lan with a small glass lamp in its place.
Xue Lan spoke in a deep voice:
"Come out, this is what he left for you."
A jet-black blade of light flew out from Xue Lan's sleeve, landing on the ground and transforming into a tall, imposing single-edged sword.
He stepped forward and picked up the small glass lamp without saying a word.
"Why don't you come out and meet me?" Xue Lan asked him.
The single sword conjured three incense sticks, which he placed in front of Mingcheng's grave: "I'm tongue-tied, I don't know what to say, I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing as soon as I open my mouth."
I'm afraid that if I come out, I'll be reminded of the years we spent together.
The thought of being scattered and broken apart, some dead, some scattered...
Even a knife can cause sadness.
Xue Lan didn't press further, but simply called out softly in a secluded spot, "Aqing."
Qu Qing's enormous snake head appeared in the river: "Immortal Master."
Xue Lan walked towards the riverbank and handed the manuscript to Dan Dao as she passed him: "Take a look at what he wrote for you."
The woman leaped onto the snake's head and left, while Dan Dao alone opened the manuscript.
The rain stopped, the clouds dispersed, and the moon shone brightly. Soft moonlight fell on the pages of the book, and the last few lines Cao Yike added still felt damp and cool:
"The Xuanlin sword is drawn, the night rain and tides rise over the river, and we stand shoulder to shoulder, pillowing our heads on the snow and the waves crashing."
"Jin Xuanfei dream, chivalry breaks through the sky, chasing stars and treading the moon for ten long years."
The autumn moon signifies a short journey home but a long road ahead.
Dan Dao remained silent, quietly putting away the manuscript, and then received a telepathic message from Xue Lan.
"Give it back to me after you're done reading it. I'm showing it to Xiaotong."
Dan Dao was unusually reluctant: "I'll let her copy it."
"really?"
Xue Lan's voice was quite excited: "Then you can copy it, but remember not to copy the wrong words."
Dan Dao felt he had been tricked, but having no evidence, he could only silently follow.
After following up, Dan Dao confirmed his guess.
Lord Wolf laughed wildly, his eyes practically disappearing with laughter: "Look at you, you can't even speak properly, and you're hiding and refusing to come out. By the way, can Dao write?"
Dan Dao, no longer wanting to speak to Xue Lan, transformed into a flash of light and flew back into her sleeve.
"That's not how it works!"
Lord Wolf said aggrievedly, "He ran away after just a couple of teasing remarks. I get teased by Xue Tong every day, but I don't do that."
"That's because you're thick-skinned."
The inner demon appeared beside Xue Lan, dressed in a moon-white robe, looking more like an immortal than Xue Lan herself.
"What are you doing out here?"
"I want to ask you something." The inner demon touched his nose, feeling somewhat guilty.
"Before returning to the Northern Region River, you really can't trick the demon body out of Jinguang first..."
"Shut up!"
Before the inner demon could finish speaking, Xue Lan rudely interrupted him, and the Wolf King's expression became extremely serious:
"Are you crazy?"
"Is Jinguang just going to use his demonic body to hang me up, and then put me down and wait for me to disappear?"
The inner demon chuckled.
"You really know yourself."
"Of course!" Xue Lan proudly raised her head.
"But why did you suddenly bring this up?"
The inner demon was somewhat embarrassed: "I'm afraid that I'll be scattered by the Ember Light as soon as I enter the Northern River. Lord Wolf, you don't want that either, do you?"
Lord Wolf chuckled, then patted the inner demon on the shoulder: "Don't be afraid!"
"I will protect you. When have I ever lied to you?"
Inner Demon: Uh... No?