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  The rain has stopped and the clouds have dispersed. The dark night is finally over, and the first faint light of dawn appears on the horizon, quietly spreading to the world.

  On the top of Qingyun Mountain's Dazhufeng, it is still a peaceful scene. Although the disciples are diligent, they will not get up so early. Outside the Shoujing Hall, there are still residual dew drops on the flying eaves and tiles from last night, which fall down intermittently. The bamboo forest in the distance is as green as before, and at this time, there is still a lingering mountain fog in the bamboo forest, like a thin gauze, floating gently.

  The gate of Shoujing Hall was still wide open as usual, and behind the threshold, on the green bricks, yellow silk curtains were rolled up beside the pillars. The long lamp in front of the altar of the Three Pure Ones' statues burned quietly in the morning light.

  A chilly morning breeze blew from afar, sweeping over the houses and buildings, making a gentle turn at the Guardian Hall, and then blowing to even more distant places. In the wind, there came several clear and pleasant bird calls, which were the only sounds in the quiet morning.

  This is a very peaceful picture, the Taoist fairyland, I don't know how many clear mornings have passed like this, without any worldly mundane air. But on such a morning, it was different from usual, with an extra disharmonious abnormality.

  A figure drenched from head to toe knelt at the entrance of the Quiet Hall, his head deeply buried in the crook of his arm, pressed against the ground. The earth around him was already soaked with water droplets that had fallen from his body, and still more water seeped out and slid down from his body and clothes.

  At the front of this person, six feet away from the stone steps at the entrance of Shoujing Hall, Tian Naiyi's body lay quietly. Although he had lost his life, Tian Naiyi looked very peaceful, with no pain on his face, as if death was not a big deal for him.

  Tian Ye's hands were clasped together and placed on his chest, and the clothes on his body had been carefully tidied up. In addition, there were also signs of wetness on his clothes, but the water vapor was much less than that of the person kneeling under the stairs. However, there were mud stains all over his clothes, which although had been hastily washed and ironed by someone, still remained visible due to the urgency of the situation.

  But he probably won't mind anyway.

  The morning wind was still blowing, gently sweeping over the top of Qingyun Mountain's Dabai Peak, blowing past the flying eaves and green tiles of the Guardian Hall, and landing in front of it. As if sensing the chill in the wind, Gui Li's body trembled slightly, his physique still looking frail. Yet, he remained motionless, kneeling in front of the Guardian Hall's gate, his head deeply bowed.

  Everything here is familiar to him, the buildings and temples, the stone steps and statues, even the soil on which he knelt and the faint scent emanating from it are all fragments that he cannot forget for a moment in his memory. He had dreamed of returning to those years countless times, returning to this mountain land, but now that he has returned, his heart is as dead as ashes.

  Behind the crouching figure of Gui Lie, a long stretch of empty space passed by, and as far as the eye could see, it was the kitchen that Zhang Xiaofan once considered his paradise. Ten years had gone by, and the two wooden boards that made up the kitchen door seemed to have remained unchanged, except for a few more scars, with some wood chipped off, making it look even more worn out.

  The kitchen door was ajar, but it was soon pushed open by a fluffy hand, accompanied by several faint "squeaks". Monkey Xiao Hui came in through the doorway, lightly jumping in. Even the layout of this kitchen seemed unchanged: the dining table and chairs, the stove for cooking rice and stir-frying dishes, were all still in their original places. Xiao Hui's eyes scanned around, and with a practiced motion, he jumped onto the central table, then looked to his right.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, on the right side of the kitchen table, against the wall, there was a big pile of dry straw stacked together. On top of it, a yellow figure was sleeping soundly, occasionally making "huffing" sounds with its nose and mouth. It was none other than Da Huang, the big yellow dog that had grown up playing with Xiao Hui since childhood.

  The little grey cat crouched on the table, its tail curled up, but it didn't immediately jump forward to hug its long-separated friend. It just scratched its head, turned around and looked out the kitchen door, then looked at the big yellow cat sleeping soundly, seeming a bit hesitant.

  At this moment, Dahuang, who had been sleeping with his ears drooping, still had his eyes closed, but his two ears suddenly perked up, as if he had heard something. Then his head moved slightly and opened his eyes.

  What entered the line of sight was a familiar figure lying on the table not far away. Da Huang was surprised, but immediately came to his senses, completely sleepless, and jumped up excitedly, barking "wang wang" twice at Xiao Hui, taking three or two steps to jump over, landing on his hind legs, with both front paws on the edge of the table, eyes full of excitement, tail wagging non-stop.

  Xiao Hui smiled and seemed to be infected by Da Huang's emotions, hugging Da Huang's dog head in her arms and stroking his shiny fur. Da Huang kept nudging Xiao Hui with his head, then stuck out his tongue to lick Xiao Hui's face. Xiao Hui giggled and jumped down from the table, and Da Huang followed suit, playing around for a while. After that, Xiao Hui seemed to remember something, frowned, patted Da Huang on the head, and pointed towards the kitchen door.

  Dahuang looked at Xiaohui, not quite understanding what Xiaohui meant. Xiaohui chirped again and jumped onto Dahuang's back. Dahuang opened his four legs and ran out of the kitchen, looking around in all directions. Soon he saw a figure kneeling in front of Guan Jing Tang.

  And that figure was also one it was familiar with.

  Dahuang couldn't help but get excited, barking "Woof woof woof" several times at the figure, and then ran over with big strides, wagging its tail all the way. Soon it had run across the empty space and approached Gui Jie, but just as it was about to reach him, Dahuang's footsteps suddenly stopped, and it came to a halt.

  Its gaze passed over the ghostly figure kneeling in front of the Shou Jing Tang gate, and saw Tian Naiyi's body lying quietly on the stone steps outside the Shou Jing Tang.

  Xiao Hui quietly slipped down from Da Huang's back, ran to Gui Li's side, touched his head, looked around, then squatted on the ground, leaning against Gui Li's body.

  Dahuang slowly walked over, stepped up the stone steps, and came to Tian Nanyi's side. It first gazed at Tian Nanyi's face for a long time, then lightly sniffed Tian Nanyi's body, followed by sniffing other parts of Tian Nanyi's body. Its tail was shaking gently towards Tian Nanyi while doing so. Finally, Dahuang turned its head around, seemingly still somewhat perplexed, walked to the side of Tian Nanyi's head, and lightly rubbed its forehead against Tian Nanyi's face, making low "woo woo" sounds in its mouth.

  Tian Bu Yi had no reaction at all.

  The big yellow dog was stunned for a long time, but there was no expected loud barking and howling. It weakly rubbed against Tian Naiyi's face one last time, still without reaction, as if it had given up. The yellow dog quietly lay down in front of Tian Naiyi, its eyes still fixed on him, as if hoping he would suddenly wake up. It put its head on its paws, drooped its ears, and nestled against its owner's cold, unangry body.

  The morning wind, carrying the chill of last night, blew quietly by. Under the stone steps, Gui Li's body trembled slightly again, but he soon fell back into a motionless state, kneeling still.

  This chilly morning, time is still quietly slipping away.

  "Ah!"

  A faint cry, Su Ru woke up from her dream, covered in cold sweat.

  Her hair was slightly disheveled and her face pale, she slowly got up from the table, last night, she had quietly fallen asleep on this very table.

  The window that had been closed slightly ajar, and through the gap, a ray of morning light crept in, illuminating the room. Su Ru stared at the light for a long time, until her emotions slowly calmed down, then she smiled wryly and turned around, pulling over a small round mirror on the table.

  In the mirror, her beautiful face appeared, although she looked a bit haggard due to longing and staying up all night, the charm emanating from her face still captivated people's hearts.

  Although your face is still young, what about your heart?

  She gazed at her reflection in the mirror for a long time, let out a sigh, and pressed the small round mirror onto the table. Then she got up and walked to the window, stretched out her hand, and with a "creak", fully opened the window.

  The morning light suddenly flooded the room, driving away all the darkness and making one's mood shake. Su Rou's face showed a faint smile, facing the window, slowly stretching her waist.

  The morning breeze on my face still carries a hint of chill.

  She opened the door and walked out.

  Looking at the early sky, I suppose those disciples haven't gotten out of bed yet. Never mind, let them sleep a bit longer. Later, I'll order them to go down the mountain to search for Nie Yi. Some of them must be tired.

  Su Ru thought so in her heart and walked towards the front hall of Shou Jing Tang.

  The curved corridor stretches slowly underfoot, outside the corridor, the bamboo sways in the morning wind, making a rustling sound. Somehow, Su Ru found many things she had neglected in her daily life on such a clear morning.

  The paint on the corridor railing has faded and peeled off over the years, with many places falling off. I remember the last time we renovated the Shoujing Hall was when Tian Naiyi and I were newlyweds. Unconsciously, this corridor has also accompanied me through countless years. When I passed by here to promote agriculture, I didn't even notice it. When Tian Naiyi comes back, I must ask him to find some time to repaint it again.

  There is still a railing outside the bamboo forest, and the thickest branch of the bamboo can still be seen with two small swords carved on it. This was carved by myself when I was newly married and joyful, hoping to combine the two swords and cultivate the Taoist path together. I remember that at that time, Tian Naiyi even joked that the carving looked ugly, and I pretended to be angry, scaring him half to death, and after coaxing him for a long time, he finally forgave me.

  The scene of that year is still vivid in her mind, and Su Rou's mouth corners reveal a hint of a smile, improving her mood. She took a deep breath of the slightly sweet morning air and continued walking. Then she thought again, Da Huang was not an easy dog to raise from a young age, he had been gone for so many days, and she didn't know if his apprentices had taken good care of him, if he had become thin due to neglect, Da Huang would complain when he came back.

  Su Ru smiled and shook her head, deciding to take advantage of the early hour to go to the kitchen and see Da Huang. As she walked along thinking about this, she unknowingly arrived at the front hall of the Guardian Quiet Hall.

  "Right!"

  The first sound of the bell in the early morning, came from afar, was the signal for the Qingyun Gate to rise, and also the voice that awakened this new day. The sound of the bell was low and heavy, echoing in the mountains, lingering for a long time.

  Su Ru's heart also seemed to jump violently with this sound.

  In front of the Shou Jing Tang, there were figures either kneeling or lying down. Da Huang, who usually loved to sleep in, surprisingly got up early today and was quietly lying on the stone steps at the entrance of the Shou Jing Tang, looking listless.

  It seemed to have heard some sound, Da Huang's ears moved slightly, and his head turned around, looking towards the Shou Jing Tang. In the shadows that had not yet been fully illuminated by the morning light, a woman was standing there at some point, staring blankly at all of this.

  Su Ru's heart was beating faster and faster, as if it was about to explode, making her feel like she couldn't breathe. The figure quietly lying on the stone steps of Shou Jing Tang was familiar, as if etched deep into her soul, a shadow that could never be erased.

  But at this moment, she was praying in her heart thousands of times that she was wrong, that she had misjudged...

  Her face was as white as paper, her feet felt like they were filled with lead, and she walked slowly step by step. Her lips were also slightly trembling. The big yellow dog lying beside Tian Naiyi looked at Su Rou's slowly approaching figure, wagged its tail lightly towards her, then buried its head in the ground again, silently watching its hungry owner lying before it.

  As they drew closer, they finally reached a place where they could no longer avoid each other. Tian Nai's familiar face appeared in Su Rou's eyes, he seemed to be asleep, quietly asleep.

  Su Rou only felt a dizziness, her feet stumbled and she fell to the ground. Fortunately, she had a strong foundation, barely stabilizing her body, but even so, her vision was blurry, her legs were weak, and she walked to Tian Bu Yi's side, collapsing onto the ground.

  Her trembling hands slowly stroked Tian Naiyi's body and clothes. When they passed over his chest, Su Rou's hands paused for a moment, shaking even more violently. Then, two lines of clear tears flowed down from the corners of her eyes, drop by drop, falling onto Tian Naiyi's face.

  By her side, Da Huang let out a mournful "Woo Woo" sound, nuzzled over, and gently rubbed against her leg.

  She slowly raised her head, looking at the figure kneeling below the stone steps, and the gray-haired monkey beside it. After a while, she said in a low voice, with a sob: "You are... Little Fan?"

  The ghost's body shook slightly, without lifting his head. On the contrary, his skull was buried even lower, and it was already tightly attached to the rough ground. The mud rubbed against his skin, at first he seemed to be unconscious, after a while, I heard his trembling voice.

  "It's... disciple... , Master... wife."

  Su Rou smiled coldly and said: "You don't have to be like this, get up and talk."

  The ghost knelt down on the ground, not daring to raise his head, as if he had lost all his courage and did not dare to look at Su Rou again. He said in a low voice: "The disciple should die ten thousand times... didn't... couldn't protect Master completely..." His voice was intermittent, as if every word he spoke was a punishment for him.

  Su Ru slowly lifted Tian Naiyi's upper body and hugged him in her arms. Her body trembled slightly, unsure if it was because she felt the chill on Tian Naiyi's body or thinking that she wanted to warm up his cold body with her own warmth.

  "Get up." Her voice sounded hollow and desolate, in his memory, he had never heard Su Rou sound so powerless and helpless before, and this discovery only made him more painful, involuntarily moving his face slowly on the sandy ground, so that the pain on his face could distract the heart that was about to burst.

  "You won't get up, how can you tell me what happened?" Su Rou said lightly, but her eyes were fixed on the body in her arms that had long since lost consciousness, as if at this moment, there was no room for anything else in her eyes.

  The big yellow moved forward two steps, gently rubbed against Tian Naiyi's body with its head, and let out a low, mournful cry.

  The ghostly figure paused for a moment, then slowly straightened up, lifted its head and looked at Su Ru. The elegant and beautiful woman, even in this desperate moment, seemed to have never lost her poise. In the morning breeze, her slightly fluttering hair floated around her temples, as she pressed her pale face against Tian Bu Yi's cheek.

  "You're back, you've finally come home..."

  This is what Gui Li heard Su Rou say, her last sentence.

  Then, his chest suddenly surged with blood and energy, the blood and energy churning like a turbulent wave, followed by a sudden darkness in front of his eyes, as if the string that had been tightly stretched in his mind suddenly snapped.

  He fell to the ground with a thud, like a wooden board, and lost consciousness.

  In the moment before he lost consciousness, everything in front of him was dark and blurry, feeling as if his entire body had been scorched by fire, yet inside, it was cold like an ice block. From a distance, faintly came several loud shouts, those voices filled with terror and pain, which soon turned into a chorus of sobbing sounds.

  Footsteps echoed in all directions, but they were all heading towards one direction.

  "Master's wife! Master's wife......"

  This silent scream was the last and only thought that flashed through his mind, and then he lost all consciousness.