Early morning, another new day.

  At the entrance of Sanfu Town, Gui Li and that young man stood face to face, Xiao Hui was lying on his shoulder, and Evil Beast was following behind that young man with a bored expression.

  The young man glanced at Gui Li and smiled: "It's rare to meet, today we part ways, I don't know when we'll see each other again, take care of yourself, brother."

  "You're the same."

  It seemed that the young man remembered something at this time, and said: "Today's weather is chaotic, and the situation in the north is getting more and more tense. Brother, don't you want to go north to see the excitement?"

  The demon's expression changed slightly, and he couldn't help but glance at the young man. The young man's face was calm and collected, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Let's talk again. What, are you also interested in these struggles and killings?"

  The young man smiled slightly, but didn't answer. He just cupped his hands and said, "The road to the sky is far away, the world is full of dangers, let's meet again if fate permits."

  The ghost bowed and replied: "Yes."

  The young man burst out laughing, turned around and left. The Gourmand let out a low growl, as if also warning the little monkey Xiaohui, then followed him. The Xiaohui on Gui Lie's shoulder seemed reluctant to part with it, chirping at the Gourmand's back for several times. In less than a moment, the mysterious young man and the Gourmand had disappeared from sight.

  The demon gazed in the direction where their figures had disappeared, remained silent for a moment, then slowly turned around. The town of Sanfu in front of him was dead and still, without any signs of life. Xiao Hui made two clicking sounds with his mouth, grabbed the wine bag from behind and took two sips. Last night, he had found some strong liquor again in the cellar of that tavern.

  "Let's go, Xiao Hui." Gui Li said suddenly in a calm tone.

  Xiao Hui chirped twice, and the monkey's palm was placed on Gui Li's hair, stroking it. Gui Li's eyes gazed into the distance, and after a long while, he said quietly: "There, after all, is where we used to live together, do you still remember?"

  The monkey did not respond and it was unclear if he had understood, but on the entire quiet street, it seemed as though a cold wind had blown by...

  ********

  Qingyun Mountain, Dazhu Peak.

  Tian Bu Yi, the first seat of Qing Yun Men's Da Zhu Peak, was alone in the Shou Jing Tang on top of Da Zhu Peak, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. His mood was extremely bad, with a hint of anger and annoyance on his face. His wife, Su Ru, who usually understood him well, was not on Da Zhu Peak at this time, but had gone to Xiao Zhu Peak to see Shui Yue Dashi. As for the other disciples under the gate, they were all afraid of Tian Bu Yi and had long since hidden far away when they saw that he was in a bad mood. The only one who could barely speak with him, his eldest disciple Song Da Ren, was also nowhere to be seen at this time.

  Tian Bu Yi didn't know what was going on, but with the impending catastrophe looming ahead, no one knew when those terrifying demons would invade. As one of the leaders of Qing Yun Men, he naturally worried about it. However, it was precisely because of this that, after his wife Su Ru's repeated persuasions, for the sake of his disciple Song Da Ren's happiness, Tian Bu Yi finally went to Xiao Zhu Feng three days ago to propose a marriage between Song Da Ren and Wen Min to Master Shui Yue. Unexpectedly, at that time Master Shui Yue seemed to have eaten some kind of fire medicine, suddenly exploding in anger, not even giving face to Su Ru who was present at the same time, let alone the disciple Wen Min who was standing by with a gloomy expression. He directly and bluntly refused, and moreover coldly and sarcastically ridiculed Tian Bu Yi.

  Tian didn't expect such a temperament, and he was furious. At that time, on the top of Xiaozhu Peak, he had a big argument with Master Shuimeng, and almost started fighting. In the end, Su Ru managed to pull him back to Dazhu Peak with great difficulty, while Master Shuimeng was also stopped by his disciples who knelt down to beg him to return.

  After this commotion, Song Daren was naturally disheartened and dejected, with a gloomy face like a bitter melon. Tian Nanyi's mood was already bad, and seeing him in this state made him even more angry, scolding him several times, saying that if he didn't have a wife, then so be it, he should focus on cultivating his Taoist skills, who knows, maybe he would even benefit from this misfortune. Song Daren naturally didn't dare to argue with his master, but his expression was one of discontent, and it was clear that he still couldn't forget about Wen Mian from Xiaozhu Peak. Tian Nanyi saw this and became even angrier, scolding him even more harshly, until finally Song Daren was like a mouse afraid of cats, hiding everywhere, not daring to see his master again.

  On this day, Su Ru went out early and specifically instructed Tian Naiyi to go to Xiaozhu Peak to persuade Shuiyue. Tian Naiyi hummed a few times, coldly and sarcastically mocking Shuiyue a few sentences. Su Ru didn't pay attention to him and left directly, leaving Tian Naiyi alone to sulk. However, before leaving, Su Ru quietly told Tian Naiyi a few words, which made Tian Naiyi somewhat understand why Shuiyue was so arrogant that day.

  Su Ru simply said: "I heard that the day before we left, Lu Xueqi returned to the mountain. Shui Yue Shijie summoned Lu Xueqi alone and talked for a long time. As a result, I don't know what happened, but Lu Xueqi was severely punished by Shijie, and even other disciples were scolded."

  Tian Bei's expression didn't change, but he wasn't a dull person. After a moment, he reacted and understood the reason behind it. However, after Su Rou left, every time he thought about how he had gone to her door and been humiliated, he couldn't swallow this breath of air, his anger was unbearable.

  The Shou Jing Tang was quiet and soundless at this moment, with only Tian Bu Yi's footsteps echoing through the air. His face also changed slowly as he walked, but somehow, later on, his expression became somewhat strange, as if he had thought of something: Lu Xue Qi rejecting him in front of everyone at the Tong Tian Peak Yu Qing Hall, he knew about it, and regarding the rumors about Lu Xue Qi being the most outstanding young disciple, Tian Bu Yi had also heard them.

  But what he cared about deep down was another person in those "rumors".

  "It's been ten years." He let out a soft sigh, his expression somewhat dazed. Sometimes even he himself found it strange that the unassuming little disciple from back then could make him worry for so many years.

  Tian Bu Yi smiled wryly and shook his head. At this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of awareness, furrowed his brow, and looked towards the outside of Shou Jing Tang. From far away, he only heard the sound of something tearing through the sky. Tian Bu Yi hesitated for a moment, composed himself, and walked out.

  Only a white light flashed across the top of the Great Bamboo Peak, swift as lightning, and shot straight to the summit. In the blink of an eye, it arrived in front of Tian Bu Yi, six feet away, and the dazzling white light trembled and dispersed, revealing the figure of Xiao Yicai from Qingyunmen Tongtian Peak.

  Xiao Yicai turned around, a hint of a smile on his face, and cupped his hands in respect: "Greetings, Master Tian."

  Tian nodded slightly and said, "Mm, how did you come here? Is there something going on?"

  Xiao Yizai smiled and nodded, but immediately looked around and felt a little surprised. "Master Tian, why is it so quiet here? Where are the other few fellow disciples under your seat? Why haven't I seen them?"

  Tian Bu Yi said, "If you could see them, that would be a ghostly encounter. One by one, they don't know where to hide." But on the surface, he was as calm as if nothing had happened, and said lightly, "They are all doing their homework, so they haven't come out. It's not like your Tongtian Peak, where people are crowded and it's common not to see anyone."

  Xiao Yicai was taken aback, and he detected a hint of displeasure in Tian's tone, but he was well-versed in etiquette and pretended not to notice, smiling instead: "Oh, I see. Master Tian, I came today at the behest of my master to pay my respects to you, uncle-master, and I have a few questions I'd like to ask for your guidance."

  Tian didn't knit his brow, but was startled instead, and said in surprise: "Asking me for guidance? What could I possibly guide you on? Daoxuan Shixiong has studied the heavens and the human world, and his abilities have reached the level of creation - what could he possibly need to ask a useless junior brother like me?"

  Xiao Yicai smiled slightly, but didn't speak, only looking at Tian Buyi. Tian Buyi understood and said: "Let's go in and talk." As he spoke, he turned around to head towards the Guardian Quiet Hall, with Xiao Yicai following behind him. Suddenly, Tian Buyi stopped in his tracks, turning his head sharply to look towards the disciples' quarters on that side of the house.

  Xiao Yizai found it a bit strange and also looked in that direction, but saw nothing, and couldn't help asking: "What's wrong, Master Tian?"

  Tian hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said: "No, I must have seen things. How could he...". He suddenly coughed and calmly said: "Let's go inside to talk."

  Xiao Yicai listened to it and was at a loss, couldn't help but look over there again, but only saw row upon row of houses neatly arranged, quiet and silent, looking very normal. At that time, he didn't think much in his heart, and followed Tian Buyi into the Quiet Hall.

  After the two figures disappeared into the Guardian Hall, the quiet atmosphere once again enveloped the mountain head of Dazhu Peak. It was unknown how long it had been when suddenly a figure flashed on the corridor of the disciples' houses, and to everyone's surprise, it was Gui Li. He silently gazed in the direction of the Guardian Hall for a moment before turning around and walking slowly along the familiar corridor into the depths of the mountain.

  It was probably because of the afternoon time, and other disciples on Dazhu Peak didn't see any shadows. In memory, the most common sounds heard here were the crisp laughter of Little Sister Tian Ling'er and Du Bi Shu's slightly disappointed shouting, because he must have lost another bet. Then, the thick laughter of Big Brother Song Da Ren would be remembered, and several other brothers would follow with jokes, while the smallest and most inconspicuous little brother would probably smile secretly in the corner.

  At some point in the past, the passing time, in the slow footsteps, lightly turned over, those old things seemed to be engraved between every brick, pillar, stone, and building around him.

  The ghastly complexion on his face changed from the initial numbness, and the icy expression that had shrouded him gradually dissipated. The past memories were so touching that even after many years, he still couldn't forget them.

  If, if... If nothing had changed...

  He stood in the faint sunlight that shone on the corridor, and slowly sat down on the low railing of the cloister, with the warm sunshine shining on his face, as if it were ten years ago.

  ……

  There were footsteps and voices, coming from far behind, getting closer and closer. It turned out to be He Dazhi, the fourth disciple of Da Zhu Peak, and Du Bishu, the sixth disciple, walking side by side towards this place. At the moment their figures appeared, Gui Li had suddenly disappeared like a ghost. The mountain wind blew, and the branches and grass all swayed together, but no one knew where he was hiding.

  He Dazhi and Du Bishu seemed to have noticed nothing, the two of them speaking in hushed tones as they slowly walked by. Du Bishu was carrying a wooden bucket with half a bucket of water inside, with a rag draped over the side, looking like he was about to go clean something up. As they watched the two of them walk away, before long they arrived at a door, whereupon Du Bishu shrugged his shoulders at He Dazhi, who chuckled and followed him inside.

  A moment later, Gui Li's figure emerged from a corner of the corridor outside, with a complex gaze looking forward. The two rooms that his former senior brothers had entered were actually the rooms where he used to live as Zhang Xiaofan, a young disciple of Dazhu Peak. But wasn't that room supposed to have been abandoned for many years? Why did the two senior brothers still go in?

  The ghost floated past quietly and soundlessly.

  It was as if he had suddenly fallen into a dream of the past, and he stood at the door, in this small courtyard, which was exactly the same as it had been all those years ago. The winding stone path was still there, the green grass was still there, and even that small pine tree was still standing, only now it had grown much thicker over the years.

  Sounds of water came from inside the house, and then Du Bi Shu and He Da Zhi's voices came out: "Fourth brother, you'd better say something. After all these years, why does Master still want us to clean this room? Isn't he intentionally making me suffer?"

  "What a stinky little kid, you want to slack off again, huh? I'll tell you, Master has been furious lately because of Big Brother's matter, so don't go provoke him, or else Master will skin you alive!"

  Du Bi Shu chuckled and said, "Elder brother, you're teasing me again. How dare I provoke Master? It's just that little junior brother has been gone for over a decade, yet Master still instructs us to keep this place as it was, sweeping every day. I really don't know what's on his mind."

  The figure standing outside the house stood motionless, slowly lowering its head.

  In the room, He Dazhi fell silent for a moment, then let out a sigh and said in a low voice: "Although Master has never mentioned Little Shidi over the years, we all know that he loves Little Fan Shidi the most."

  Du Bi Shu's voice said, "Yes, I can see that too. To be honest, sometimes I miss Little Brother as well. But what's the use? Little Brother has already become a different person now. Would he still return to Da Zhu Peak and become Zhang Xiao Fan again, our Seventh Brother?"

  Outside the window, the ghostly face became increasingly indifferent, his body straightened up, only two hands clenched into fists, gripping tighter and tighter.

  Can I turn back?

  The steps you took in time, the roads you crossed, years later, do you still remember to look back and gaze into the distance? Do you still want to turn your head back?

  The warm sunshine shines on my body, but it feels like I'm in an ice cellar!

  He Dazhi and Du Bishu also fell silent, as if the topic they had inadvertently brought up made them feel dull and speechless. They fiddled around in the house for a while, then carried out water buckets, He Dazhi gently closed the door, looking at the small courtyard with lush green grass and swaying branches, although it was full of spring atmosphere, but somehow felt a bit desolate. It seemed that the owner of this house was not there, and even the spring light had faded slightly.

  He shook his head, sighed and left with Du Bishu.

  After a long time, Gui Li slowly walked out from behind the pine tree. The familiar mountain breeze blew on his face, blowing his hair. He walked to the door and raised his right hand, placing it on the door.

  His movements were very slow, as if his hands were under immense pressure, and even the expression on his face seemed to be struggling for breath. But that strange, inexplicable feeling, like an invisible force, finally pushed open the door!

  It's as if I had pushed open a window into past years and caught sight of bygone days.

  The familiar bed, the familiar table and chairs, and the horizontal banner with the words of the way on the wall, which has been slightly yellowish after many years, even the teapot and tea cups on the table look exactly the same as they were back then!

  Who knows, this simple and unadorned room has appeared in dreams how many times? Even the air here seems to have a faint past sentiment. He slowly walked into the house, walked to the bedside, slowly sat down, and gently stroked the bed frame quilt with his hand, soft feeling from the palm through.

  Who saw him suddenly bite his lip, so hard, so deep!

  ********

  In the quiet hall, Tian Naiyi and Xiao Yicai sat down together. Tian Naiyi seemed a bit restless, facing Xiao Yicai but looking elsewhere, as if thinking about something. Until Xiao Yicai coughed and called out: "Tian Shu Shu."

  Tian Bu Yi suddenly came to his senses, nodded and said: "Hmm, okay, what does Dao Xuan, the sect master's brother, want you to do that requires your presence here?"

  Xiao Yicai smiled and said: "I don't dare. It's like this, Master has two things he wants to ask you to ask Tian Shu about."

  Tian Bu Yi Dao said: "Oh, you say."

  Xiao Yizai said: "Firstly, the number of Orthodox Daoist friends who have recently come to Qingyun Mountain is still increasing. Other factions have already received many people, and Dazhu Peak has also arranged more than a hundred Daoist friends in the houses on the mountain waist. However, despite this, there are not enough accommodations, so Master wants me to ask you, Uncle Master, if it's possible to arrange some more Orthodox Daoist friends on Dazhu Peak?"

  Tian didn't raise an eyebrow, but glanced at Xiao Yicai, who looked a bit embarrassed. However, he still smiled and said: "Master Uncle, this is also because of the current catastrophic situation, we had no choice but to do so. Moreover, our Qingyun Gate has always been known for its leadership in the righteous path, how can we push our fellow Taoists out of the door?"

  Tian hummed and said, "Don't think I'm a fool. Those so-called righteous Dao friends, when they really fight with those beast demons, less than 30% of them can exert their strength. More than half are just taking advantage of our Qingyun's reputation to come and hide."

  Xiao Yicai sighed and said, "Elder Tian, your words are too serious. Even if it's like that, we can't push people out of the door, can we? If so, how will the world view our Qingyun? For the greater good, please help us more, Elder Tian."

  The field was not easy to turn white, and suddenly it seemed like he had thought of something. The front suddenly lit up, the corner of his mouth revealed a hint of sarcasm, and he coughed, revealing a righteous expression: "Since Master Daoxuan said so, I won't decline either. Anyway, it's all for the sake of the world's orthodoxy and the greater good, let's do it this way."

  Xiao Yicai was overjoyed and cupped his hands in gratitude, saying: "Thank you, Master Uncle."

  Tian did not easily reveal a faint smile, and suddenly raised his hand saying: "Wait, I have not finished speaking yet."

  Xiao Yicai was taken aback for a moment, then said: "What? Master Tian, please speak."

  Tian smiled wryly and said, "Since the disaster is imminent, everything should be considered for the greater good. I heard that among our Qingyun Seven Veins, there is still one vein... uh, it seems to be the one with more female disciples..."

  Xiao Yicai originally had a smiling face, but after hearing halfway through, his face stiffened and he couldn't smile anymore.

  Tian Bu Yi still smiled to himself and said, "I remember that place has a vast terrain, and just the other day I went there, the number of empty houses is countless. How could Master Yingming, who was wise for a lifetime, not think of this place?"

  Xiao Yicai's face was filled with a bitter smile, and after a long while, he said: "Tian Shu, this...this..."

  Tian did not easily hum a sound, his chubby face looked up at the sky, and he was silent. Xiao Yi Zai saw him like this, shook his head secretly, and could only say: "Yes, after the disciple returns today, I will inform my master and ask him to take charge."

  Tian did not say a word, his expression didn't change, he just nodded slightly, but in his heart, he was extremely pleased and secretly laughed to himself.

  Xiao Yizai calmed down and said, "So, Master Tian, there's a second matter that's even more important than the previous one. My master has repeatedly instructed me to ask you to think carefully before answering."

  Tian Yili's expression turned serious, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor. It was clear that this matter was no trivial thing. He couldn't help but pause for a moment before nodding and saying, "Oh? What's so serious? Tell me."