Chapter 299 - The Little Flowers from Snow Country
The heavy wind blew in the rain. Wild waves rose and fell in the heavy wind on the surging sea surface; they kept whistling.
The flowers and grass on Mount Dibing were swaying in the rain and wind.
The broken twigs and the flower petals were flying and falling; everything was a mess.
Wang Tianzong sat in his grand hall alone quietly, admiring the wind and rain outside the window.
That was a luxury and yet reserved grand hall. It was big like a bedchamber; the walls were in dark color, the decoration was very simple.
The ceiling that was almost twenty meters tall stretched the space of the grand hall; the whole grand hall looked spacey and solemn, with a kind of solidified dignity.
The grand hall was dimly lit up.
The sky outside the hall was gloomy.
The loud sound of the rain echoed in the whole Beihai Province.
Wang Tianzong sat still. His figure seemed very small in the hall, but his shadow on the ground seemed indescribably heavy and sharp.
There was a big screen hanging on the hall.
The screen was on, but there was no sound.
On the silent screen, the final battle of Sky Academy that gotten a lot of attention was playing.
But right then, the battle on the screen was coming to an end.
It started from Gu Yunxia jumping onto the high platform and attacking on Li Baitian while ignoring the rules.
That was the moment of day alternating with night.
The countless sword shadows formed a bridge that was hundreds of meters long.
After the colorful lights, Great Void Sword Intent suddenly summoned a storm.
Hundreds and thousands of sword shadows rushed over and hit Gu Youlan’s and Gu Yunxia’s defense, and tore down the whole high platform.
The image was changing on the screen.
Then it entered the second stage.
Sword of Emperor Path appeared out of nowhere.
In the lights that filled the screen, only that blue giant sword was exceptionally clear.
Wang Tianzong took back his sight from outside the window and looked at the screen again.
His eyes were shining.
The raging Great Void Sword Intent on the screen seemed to be away from him completely.
His eyes were fixed on Li Tianlan.
Li Tianlan had only appeared for a short period of time.
But he rewound the scene again and again.
He seemed to be wondering about something; there were suspicion and also killing intent in his eyes.
The darkness of the night was getting thicker.
Wang Tianzong turned off the screen, closed his eyes and rested.
After a while, Wang Tianzong heard footsteps getting close, and finally stopping behind him.
“Dad.”
Wang Shengxiao’s voice rang; it was clear but light.
Wang Tianzong answered him, turning around and looking at Wang Shengxiao who was getting more and more high-spirited, then said calmly, “How are you feeling?”
Wang Shengxiao’s aura was more and more reserved. Judging from the outside, he wasn’t a public or domineering person in the first place. Now as his realm developed, he grew calmer and more peaceful, and somehow more mysterious.
His expression looked calm and confident; a bit of arrogant sharpness flashed in his eyes every once in a while.
“I have stabilized my realm,”
Wang Shengxiao said with a smile. There was a kind of indescribable force in his words, slow and yet heavy.
In that year, Wang Shengxiao was about to reach his twenty-sixth birthday.
At the age of twenty-six, he was a superior at the peak of the Thunder-shocking Realm who had Wind and Thunder Veins.
After breaking through successfully, Wang Shengxiao could clearly feel the change in him.
He could feel the change of great power even in his bloodstream.
His eyes looked determined and confident.
Maybe right then, he couldn’t beat a superior of the Invincible Realm, but he was well aware of his next step.
Half-step Invincible Realm.
Invincible Realm.
This road seemed a long way to the end, even longer than the distance from a rookie of Martial Arts to the peak Thunder-shocking Realm.
But Wang Shengxiao felt confident that he could reach the destination within the next ten years and enter the Invincible Realm domain.
That confidence was deeply rooted in him and became unshakable.
Wang Shengxiao held his fists tight.
Such a simple movement brought wind and thunder into the grand hall.
At that moment, Wang Shengxiao truly felt fearless.
A superior at the peak of the Thunder-shocking Realm at the age of twenty-six.
He achieved that even a year earlier than his father.
Half a year earlier than Li Kuangtu.
Three years earlier than Gu Xingyun!
Wang Shengxiao was high-spirited and vigorous.
“I have a videotape here, have a look.”
Wang Tianzong turned on the screen casually and hit replay.
Li Baitian’s figure fell on the screen.
The silent wild Great Void Sword Intent was raging, then a long bridge appeared in the air. The long bridge turned into a storm instantly, swallowing everything.
That white figure stood in the air, looking vague.
Great Void Sword Intent broke Gu Youlan’s and Gu Yunxia’s defense in the most violent way.
That white shadow fell on the ground.
Wang Shengxiao suddenly raised his eyebrows and said with a low voice, “Li Tianlan?!”
“This video was recorded five hours ago.”
Wang Tianzong said blandly, “Right now Li Tianlan has returned to Huating and I’m sure he will be attending the final maneuver of the two academies a month later.”
The screen was still playing.
Gu Yunxia who was injured seriously was held up.
Blue light appeared in the sky.
The light covered everything.
Sword of Emperor Path from the Wang family of Beihai cut the firmament open. When everything faded away, Sword of Emperor Path disappeared, so did Gu Yunxia.
Wang Shengxiao narrowed his eyes hard.
He picked up the remote quietly and hit replay.
“How was he?”
Wang Tianzong asked calmly.
“Very powerful.”
Wang Shengxiao’s tone was calm, without any emotional change. Causing a serious injury on Gu Yunxia and Gu Youlan with one sword strike, he was indeed very powerful. But it didn’t impress him much, he could also do that.
“If that’s all he can do, then I can beat him easily.”
Wang Shengxiao said with a calm tone.
“What if he can do more than that?”
Wang Tianzong asked, “Plus the last strike of Sword of Emperor Path.”
“Li Tianlan doesn’t know how to use Sword of Emperor Path. However ridiculous Yuetong is, she wouldn’t teach him our core unique technique.”
Wang Shengxiao shook his head without hesitation. He thought about it and said, “And even when he can use it, he can’t beat me.”
He kept replaying the video on the screen, but he mostly focused on the first scene.
Because he wasn’t in that place, so Wang Shengxiao sounded a bit uncertain. “Great Void Sword Intent? It didn’t look like it... It looked more like he simulated the Great Void Sword Intent, simulated...”
His face froze, he looked at Wang Tianzong and said softly, “Is this... Empty & Infinite?! What the hell is the relationship between Li Tianlan and God from Purgatory of Heaven Capital?”
Wang Tianzong thought about it and said blandly, “Apart from the 24 Moves of Sword, you can think that they are not related in any way.”
He looked back to the screen and said blandly, “This sword intent was indeed simulated by Empty & Infinite, but it was still different from the unique technique of Purgatory of Heaven Capital. To put in plain language, Immortality Handprint is another developing direction from the 24 Moves of Sword, but with some changes. But in general, it’s still in the range of the 24 Moves of Sword.”
“Judging from current stage, I can be sure that, it was impossible that God would teach Li Tianlan his own unique technique. Li Tianlan learned Empty & Infinite himself, do you know what this means?”
Wang Shengxiao looked at the screen quietly, his eyes were still calm and bland.
Of course he knew what it meant.
It meant that Li Tianlan had figured out the entire 24 Moves of Sword of the Li family, he even figured out the different variations of the 24 Moves of Sword in different directions.
But that was it.
Figuring out didn’t mean mastering.
He restarted everything three years ago and had reached that stage.
Wang Shengxiao admitted that Li Tianlan was definitely very powerful at the moment.
But...
“Not enough.”
His tone was so calm that there wasn’t any fighting desire in it. “He’s still not my match.”
“That strike of Sword of Emperor Path killed Gu Yunxia in the end.”
Wang Tianzong rubbed his forehead and tried to change the topic. Feeling a bit of a headache, he said, “Even you think Li Tianlan can’t use Sword of Emperor Path, then tell me who was it? And judging form the crime scene, Li Tianlan indeed has an alibi. This is very interesting.”
“What do you think about it?”
Wang Shengxiao thought about it and asked softly.
“I’m not sure.”
Wang Tianzong answered blandly.
It fell silent in the grand hall.
Wang Shengxiao watched the video on the screen carefully again, then asked, “When will they bring in the audience list?”
Li Tianlan was back.
Sword of Emperor Path that appeared from the Sky Academy had killed Gu Yunxia.
Kunlun City must do something as reaction to that situation.
Li Tianlan didn’t know how to use Sword of Emperor Path and he had an alibi, then the killing would be easily linked to the Wang family of Beihai.
The Wang family of Beihai had to figure out what had happened as soon as possible.
And the Wang family of Beihai had to get the audience list of the Sky Academy first.
“Did you sleep with Song Ci?”
Wang Tianzong took a huge leap in his mind and asked a question from a completely different topic.
Wang Shengxiao didn’t know how to react. He looked awkward and ambiguous, then finally nodded with a bitter smile.
“The final maneuver this time is quite interesting. Song Ci is your woman, what’s your plan?”
Wang Tianzong asked.
Wang Shengxiao looked into his father’s eyes and said softly, “I know what I should do.”
“Go ahead.”
Wang Tianzong leaned on the chair again. “The list is in Huating, while you’re there, look into that strike of Sword of Emperor Path.”
Wang Shengxiao hesitated a little. “Then Yuetong...”
Wang Tianzong looked at the wind and rain outside the window with no expression on his face and said blandly, “Let her be.”
Wang Shengxiao felt a bit confused.
In the video, Li Tianlan’s combat capability was definitely very powerful.
It would be hard for Song Ci to beat him.
He went to Huating to help.
But Yuetong...
But his father said that he was to let her be.
Wang Shengxiao didn’t believe that his father had no clue what Yuetong would do.
So he didn’t understand what Wang Tianzong meant.
Wang Tianzong didn’t say anything.
Wang Shengxiao stayed silent for a while, then bowed deeply at Wang Tianzong, turned around and walked out of the grand hall.
...
Even in summer days, it was still extremely cold in the North of Snow Country.
When it was almost noon, in Mormans City of North Snow Country, the temperature dropped to the freezing point and the cold wind whistled. The whole city had a kind of wild and yet subtle exotic vibe in cold weather.
The coldness there was different from the dry cold weather in the North of Zhongzhou State or the moist cold weather in the South of Zhongzhou State. There was a cruel and violent coldness; it felt irresistibly cold everyday, all year.
Xuan Xuanzi couldn’t get used to the weather in Snow Country or the view of the dome building in Snow Country; he couldn’t get used to the luxury Caviar in Mormans or the black cloak in him, either.
It was cold outside.
The sight through the cloak was dark, without any color.
Feeling the coldness of Snow Country, Xuan Xuanzi often felt lost in the dark.
The fire was vigorous in the fireplace of the simple hall.
Xuan Xuanzi stood in the hall and watched on with the whistling cold wind.
He was close to the fireplace, but he felt colder and colder.
He wanted to leave that place subconsciously.
Although he just gone there three years ago.
Xuan Xuanzi felt annoyed, he dragged his cloak and tried to take it off.
“This is not a good habit.”
A clear voice suddenly rang out behind Xuan Xuanzi.
Qin Weibai who was dressed in light but warm, comfortable clothes, walked into the hall. She looked Xuan Xuanzi who was moving stiffly and said, “Your identity is special. No matter where you are, especially around, you should get used to your clothes.”
Xuan Xuanzi stayed silent for a while, then sighed deeply and put down his hand.
He turned around and looked into the mirror next to him.
He saw a figure that was completely covered by the cloak, Xuan Xuanzi couldn’t even see himself; the cloak was all that he could see.
“Like Saint and Military Counselor?”
Xuan Xuanzi asked in a mocking tone, but it sounded more like he was mocking himself.
“Yes.”
Qin Weibai said blandly. She walked to the desk and sat down, looked over the pile of documents on the desk. “But you’re not as important as them, at least to me.”
Xuan Xuanzi shook his head and said subconsciously, “Who the hell are Saint and Military Counselor?”
Military Counselor, and Saint.
The true identities of the two was a secret that the whole Dark World wanted to uncover.
But nobody could find any clues about who were the two men covered in black cloaks.
Even when Xuan Xuanzi joined Samsara Palace, he didn’t know who they were. He was a metaphysics grandmaster, but he couldn’t get the answer for everything.
“You’ll see them in the future.”
Qin Weibai read the documents carefully. Her long eye lashes were flapping; she looked concentrated and beautiful.
But that woman who looked perfect in appearance and deportment only made Xuan Xuanzi feel scared.
He turned his head and looked at the Mormans City outside the window subconsciously, then said slowly, “I don’t know why we are here, is this place the headquarters of Samsara Palace?”
“No.”
Qin Weibai’s voice was elegant and calm. “But this place is very close to the headquarters of the Polar Ground Alliance.”
The Polar Ground Alliance.
Its headquarters was naturally in the polar region.
Qin Weibai didn’t know the exact location of the Polar Ground Alliance, either, but she knew that the place was very close to it.
“The Polar Ground Alliance?”
Xuan Xuanzi felt a bit shocked.
Qin Weibai didn’t explain, just said blandly, “This place is very important to me, and I like the caviar here.”
Xuan Xuanzi let out a bitter laugh and said honestly, “But I don’t like it here.”
Xuan Xuanzi didn’t know why was that place so important to Qin Weibai; he didn’t want to figure out, either. He felt very uncomfortable there, he just wanted to leave that hellhole.
“You won’t be staying here forever, I’ll get you out of here soon. You should be in Zhongzhou State.”
Qin Weibai put down the document in her hands and said slowly, “I just hope that you won’t forget about your standpoint.”
From her personal standpoint, even the standpoint of the whole Samsara Palace, she didn’t really need Xuan Xuanzi. But after Great Master Wuwei’s death, Xuan Xuanzi’s identity became sensitive and important. Even if Qin Weibai didn’t need him, she didn’t want anyone else to use him.
Xuan Xuanzi stayed silent for quite a while, but then he said blandly, “Then why did you bring me here?”
“You need to take someone away.”
Right after Qin Weibai finished that sentence, someone knocked on the door from outside.
The mature and coldly elegant Flaming Fire walked into the hall with a disc in his hands.
Qin Weibai frowned slightly. She looked at the disc in Flaming Fire’s hands; there was confusion in her eyes.
“Boss... Tianlan appeared in Huating a few hours ago. He caused serious injuries on Gu Yunxia and Gu Youlan. This is the video of it.”
Flaming Fire said.
Qin Weibai’s eyes suddenly lit up, even her breathing became hasty.
“I need to see him now!”
Qin Weibai said.
Flaming Fire nodded and prepared the gear at the fastest speed. Right after that, the image of Sky Academy appeared on the screen in the hall.
It also began with the ending of the battle between Li Baitian and Gu Youlan.
Great Void Sword Intent formed a storm.
Li Tianlan appeared.
But that was the full video, it even recorded the conversation between Li Tianlan and Zhuang Huayang.
Then Li Tianlan left.
Sword of Emperor Path appeared.
Gu Yunxia was killed.
Qin Weibai watched it over and over again.
In three years, he had a dragon vein in him, big breakthroughs and big achievements.
Qin Weibai wasn’t sure how far could Li Tianlan go, but she could feel that Li Tianlan was very powerful.
She played the video again and again.
Qin Weibai stared at Li Tianlan on the screen.
Her eyes were smiling softly; she couldn’t hide the pleasingly affectionate smile on the corner of her mouth.
Xuan Xuanzi watched everything and felt a chill inside.
“This is my man.”
Qin Weibai looked at the screen and said with a smile, “Isn’t he handsome?”
Xuan Xuanzi said yes with a bitter smile.
Then Qin Weibai smiled more and more widely; her expression looked proud.
In front of Xuan Xuanzi, it was a woman who felt proud of her man.
But in his mind, it was a crazy woman who dared to go to Mount Dibing after declaring war on the Wang family of Beihai.
Even then, Xuan Xuanzi couldn’t figure out how did Qin Weibai climb up to Mount Dibing without getting caught by Wang Tianzong.
That was literally beyond logic.
“He’s back.”
Qin Weibai looked at the screen and said softly.
Flaming Fire didn’t speak.
Qin Weibai looked at her watch and said quietly, “Get a plane ready, I’m going to Heaven Capital.”
Flaming Fire answered with a yes, turned around and left.
At the same time, someone knocked on the door again.
Horsewoman with tall and thick figure walked in.
A little girl that was about eleven or twelve years old followed her.
The girl was tall and slim; she had pale and tender skin, gorgeous like a piece of jade.
She was still very young, but she would grow into a gorgeous beauty.
The girl stood next to Horsewoman. She looked at Qin Weibai and called her sister softly.
Her expression wasn’t of joy or sorrow, just soft and natural.
That was a standard eastern girl.
Xuan Xuanzi suddenly exclaimed; his eyes were fixed on the girl, he took a step forward subconsciously.
“What do you think?”
Qin Weibai looked at Xuan Xuanzi and asked.
“This kid...”
Xuan Xuanzi looked serious and surprised. “She has a strong destiny!”
He had seen so many successful people with great destiny, but he had never seen someone with destiny like hers before.
“This is a destiny that can help her achieve anything, or destroy everything for her.”
“If this were a kid you met by chance, what would you do?”
Qin Weibai asked.
Xuan Xuanzi froze, then said subconsciously, “Of course I would send her...”
Qin Weibai lowered her head and said blandly, “Do what you want. Go back to Zhongzhou State with her and take her where she’s supposed to be, then wait for my orders.”
“You...”
Xuan Xuanzi seemed a little hesitant.
Qin Weibai didn’t say anything else.
Xuan Xuanzi realized something. He stopped asking, took a deep look at Qin Weibai and said with a low voice, “I’ll take care of it.”
He looked at the girl.
The girl walked over to him and held his hand.
Xuan Xuanzi let out a bitter laugh, then walked to the door with the girl.
“Remember, from now on, you’re the thirteenth Super Master of Samsara, your code name is ‘Divine Secret’.”
Qin Weibai said while reading the documents without lifting her head.
Xuan Xuanzi’s body froze, then turned around and left in silence.
Flaming Fire walked over again and said softly, “Boss, the plane is ready.”
Qin Weibai threw away the pen in her hand, stood up and said, “Let’s go.”
...
No matter how the seasons changed, Kunlun City seemed to always be covered in wind and snow.
The wild wind brought the snow to the mountains and rushed into the town among the mountains. The snow was flying in the sky. In a trance, Kunlun City which stood in snow looked more and more desolate.
Xuan Xuanzi took off the uncomfortable black cloak.
He put on the clean Taoist Robe again, but there wasn’t any Horsetail Whisk in his hands anymore.
He was holding a kid in his hands.
An old man and a kid stood on a hill that was less than two kilometers away from Kunlun City.
The beautiful little girl didn’t dress for the area. She was trembling in the wind and snow, and her face looked pale. Poor thing.
Xuan Xuanzi who was dressed in a thin Taoist Robe stood still and looked at the distant gate tower. His stare was deep, as if he wanted to see through the tower.
He wanted to get in the town.
But in the past decades, he had never been in there.
He was two kilometers away from Kunlun City.
That was the closest he could get to Kunlun City in decades.
A black dot appeared faintly outside Kunlun City.
The black dot moved straight out from the door at a high speed.
When Xuan Xuanzi felt dizzy, the black dot had expanded in his sight and finally appeared in front of him.
Gu Xingyun who dressed in black and looked gentle as a student looked at Xuan Xuanzi, frowned and said, “You shoudn’t be here.”
“I have to be here.”
Xuan Xuanzi’s tone was indifferent.
“What do you want?”
Gu Xingyun raised his eyebrows. His expression was calm, but there was impatience deep in his eyes.
Before he joined Samsara Palace, Xuan Xuanzi indeed was a member of Kunlun City.
Few people knew about it.
But even fewer people knew that, their relationship wasn’t very good.
“I want to get into the city.”
Xuan Xuanzi looked at the town in front of him peacefully.
“In your dreams!”
Gu Xingyun let out a cold laugh, and then looked at the girl standing next to Xuan Xuanzi.
A flick of strange light flashed in his eyes.
“This is a kid I found by chance in Beihai Province.”
Xuan Xuanzi said with no expression on his face, “The destiny in her is very strong, the strongest I have ever seen. In less than ten years, she can take over the Phoenix Pavilion.”
“I came here with her today. We have to get into the city.”
He looked into Gu Xingyun’s eyes, without backing off.
Gu Xingyun looked at the girl in front of him in silence.
His eyes slowly lit up.
Xuan Xuanzi looked at Gu Xingyun coldly.
After a while, Gu Xingyun took a deep breath, shook his head and said, “Not today. I made an appointment with Wang Tianzong; you can’t get in.”
Xuan Xuanzi raised his eyebrows and suddenly said, “Because of Li Tianlan?”
“He has to die!”
An Evil Spirit instantly flashed on Gu Xingyun’s gentle face.
Xuan Xuanzi fell silent.
“This girl is very nice.”
Gu Xingyun calmed his tone. “But I’m not sure if she can run the Phoenix Pavilion in the future. I’ll bring her in. Wait here and on Mid-autumn Festival, I’ll bring you in. How about that?”
Xuan Xuanzi seemed a bit hesitant.
He stayed silent for a while; finally he felt powerless and let go of the girl’s hand.
Gu Xingyun smiled, pulled the girl over calmly and asked softly, “What’s your name?”
“Little Flower.”
The girl kept her head down, her voice was tender.
Her name was such a cliché.
Gu Xingyun narrowed his eyes and looked at Xuan Xuanzi subconsciously.
Xuan Xuanzi seemed to know what he wanted to ask, then nodded at him seriously.
In decades, he had only brought two girls there.
The girl in front of him was the second one.
Gu Xingyun seemed to relax a bit, but there was still suspicion deep in his eyes.
He stayed silent for a while. Looking at the girl in front of him, he said softly, “From now on, your last name is Gu.”
His tone paused.
He thought of a long-lost name deep in his mind, the name of a woman.
Gu Xingyun zoned out and lost focus in his eyes.
He noticed the girl trembling out of coldness and regained his composure.
Gu Xingyun laughed at himself. Looking at the girl in front of him, he said calmly, “From now on, your name is Gu Xianyan.”