Zhi Hao and Zeng Shu Shu saw Zhang Xiao Fan here, more or less they all smiled and greeted him, only 6 Xue Qi still had a indifferent face, but her eyes still glanced at him, the depths of her eyes seemed to have flashed an unknown emotion, but it disappeared in an instant.

  Daoxuan Zhenren looked at the four people below and smiled: "Today, I have asked you four to come here for a reason. There is something that requires you to go down the mountain and gain some experience."

  Zi Hao and others moved together.

  Daoxuan Zhenren then recounted the events of the previous day at Kong Sang Mountains "Wan Bat Cave". He said, "This matter is of great importance. You four are among my sects elite, which is why I have dispatched you to investigate. But be cautious, for the demonic cultists are cunning and ruthless."

  The four of them said in unison: "Yes."

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren nodded and said, "In addition to my Qingyun Gate, the Fenxiang Valley and Tianyin Temple have also sent outstanding disciples to investigate together. You must not lose face in front of others, but you also cannot undermine the prestige of my Qingyun Gate. Moreover, Xiao Yicai, a senior brother from Changmen, has already gone to Kong Sang Mountain to investigate this matter. If you find him, discuss things with him."

  The four of them exchanged a glance and responded in unison.

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren looked at the four young disciples carefully, and finally his eyes fell on Qi Hua, beckoning: "Qi Hua, come here."

  Zi Hao was taken aback, walked forward, and Dao Xuan Zhenren looked him up and down before turning to Cang Song with a smile: "Younger brother, it seems Dragon Peak has someone to inherit its legacy!"

  Cang Song Dao Rens face had been looking unwell since earlier, but now he finally revealed a smile and said: "Elder brother is joking."

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren smiled and took out an object from his bosom, handing it over to Qi Huan, saying: "Take it."

  Zhi Hao took it and looked at it, but it was a small bronze mirror with an ancient shape, copper inlaid edges, dragon carved on top, tiger carved below, the eight trigrams were carved on the mirror, but the middle part of the mirror was not like ordinary copper mirrors, it was yellowish and blurry.

  Zi Hao had not yet reacted, when the Celestial Master Cang Song was already beaming with joy, shouting: "Foolish kid, what are you still stunned for? Quickly kneel down and thank me!"

  Zhi Hao immediately came to his senses and knew that the unremarkable object in his hand was probably the treasure "Mirror". He hastily knelt down and said, "Thank you, Master."

  Dao Xuan Zhen Ren smiled and said: "No need, no need, get up." He then turned to the others and said: "You all go out first."

  Everyone knew he was going to pass on the secrets of the Qihuang Mirror, so they all retreated together.

  As they walked out of the hall, Zhang Xiaofan and Tian Buyi went to one side. Tian Buyi looked at him and said lightly, "You now bear a heavy responsibility, so dont go back to Dazhu Peak again. Wait for a while and then head down the mountain with those three people. Ill take care of things at Dazhu Peak."

  Zhang Xiaofan was startled and immediately lowered his head, saying in a low voice: "Yes, Master."

  Tian Yidao said: "During this month when you were nursing your injuries, I heard that your Shifus wife taught you some swordplay techniques and secret methods. Did you remember them all?"

  Zhang Xiaofan nodded and said: "Yes, all disciples have taken note."

  Tian turned his body slowly and said: "Thats good, although your qualifications are not good, but after all, you are under my Dazhu Peak. Dont lose face for me when you go out."

  "Right away, Master," Zhang Xiaofan said immediately. "Your disciple will never lose face for you."

  Tian Bu Yi let out a soft hum, his back still turned to Zhang Xiao Fan, who couldnt see his face and had no idea what expression he wore. But from the tone of his voice, it didnt seem like he was angry. After a moment, Tian Bu Yi seemed to sigh, turned around to glance at Zhang Xiao Fan, but didnt say anything else. He simply waved his hand in greeting before drawing out his sword and taking off into the sky.

  Zhang Xiaofan stared blankly as his masters figure turned into a red mist, disappearing into the horizon. He didnt snap out of it until someone patted him on the shoulder, giving him a fright. He quickly turned around to see Xiang Shu Shu smiling at him. Looking around again, he saw that everyone else from the different sects had already left, leaving only the two of them and 6 Snow Chi standing alone in the distance.

  "Consider yourself lucky, I was worried you wouldnt make it this time!"

  Zhang Xiaofan felt much more at ease with him by his side, and laughed as he said, "Yes, I was scared to death too."

  Zeng Shu patted his shoulder and looked him up and down before saying in a low voice, "Why didnt you bring Xiao Hui?"

  Zhang Xiaofan said with a bitter face: "I was brought here by Master early in the morning, I didnt expect to go down the mountain immediately, nothing was brought, how could I think of Little Gray?"

  "Never mind, I can lend you some clothes. If not, we can buy some when we get to Yangcheng at the foot of the mountain." He winked at Zhang Xiaofan and whispered, "Hehe, anyway, weve made a profit this time."

  "What?"

  Zeng Shus eyebrows twitched, he glanced back and chuckled: "Theres a beautiful woman traveling with us!"

  Zhang Xiaofan felt both annoyed and amused, but still glanced over at Xue Qi. At the same time, as if Xue Qi had also sensed something, she looked over here too. The two of them exchanged a distant glance, and Zhang Xiaofan only felt that her gaze was like frost, startling him so much that he hastily shifted his line of sight away.

  The two of them chatted and laughed for a while, when Zeng Shu was whispering to him about how he would travel with Xue Qi in the future. Suddenly, Zhang Xiaofans originally smiling face stiffened, his eyes also became straight, staring at something behind him.

  Zeng Shu suddenly felt a sense of confusion, turned his head to look, and saw that at the bottom of the long stairs, a man in his 40s was walking up with an awkward gait. His clothes were relatively clean, but he had a bewildered expression, his eyes were dull, and he was muttering some incoherent words.

  "Its raining, its dark, smelly mother, oh god, god, hehe, oh god"

  Under the gaze of Zeng Shu, Xue Qi and others from afar, Zhang Xiaofan walked over slowly, as if it had taken a long time before he finally reached the mans side.

  Just like walking up to past events!

  "Uncle Wang Er, are you okay?" He suppressed his excitement and said in a low voice.

  The mans eyes seemed to completely ignore Zhang Xiaofans existence, his mouth still muttering words, he shook off Zhang Xiaofan and walked past him, soon disappearing behind the main hall.

  "Who is he?" Zeng.

  Zhang Xiaofan looked at where Wang Ershus figure disappeared and said despondently: "A madman!"

  Zeng Shu looked at his face and tactfully stopped asking. After a while, Qi Huan walked out of the main hall with a joyful expression, waving to the three of them.

  Zhang Xiaofan absent-mindedly walked with Zeng Shu and others, after a few people discussed (Zhang Xiaofan was dazed and didnt say a word), they decided to go down the mountain to Heyang City first.

  Zeng: "Brother Qi, is the Mirror that Master Door passed down to you very powerful?"

  Qī Hào smiled and said: "The mirror is the most precious treasure of our Qingyun Gate, its naturally formidable. Im afraid that my cultivation isnt enough! Hehe, alright, this place is the mountain top, except for the Seven Veins Seat, other disciples cant ride swords. Lets go down to the Cloud Sea and then ride our swords from there to fly to River City."

  Xue Qis face was expressionless, Zhang Xiao Fan nodded vaguely, only Zeng Shu Shu had a smile all over his face, it seemed that going down the mountain was a joyful event for this fun-loving person.

  ※※※

  From Qingyun Gate to Heiyang City, among the four disciples of Qingyun Gate who came riding their swords, everyone else was relaxed and at ease, but Zhang Xiaofan couldnt help but feel a bit strained.

  He recuperated for a month, and Su Rou seemed to have expected that he wouldnt be in trouble, so she passed on some secret techniques of the Qingyun Gates Dao method. Along with it, she also taught him how to use the flying treasure to travel through the air. It was actually quite simple - as long as ones cultivation was deep enough and the treasure wasnt too inferior, using the Qingyun Gates Dao method in conjunction with mental energy to drive the treasure would be sufficient. However, Zhang Xiaofans cultivation wasnt deep, so naturally, his treasure was not bad, but it was quite strange. He was also unfamiliar with the newly learned Qingyun Gates Dao method, and when he tried to use it, it became a big hassle.

  At first, Su Rou didnt think that he would immediately want to go down the mountain as soon as he reached Tongtian Peak. She thought about letting him remember the mantra first and then letting him practice more after returning to Dazhu Peak. The other veins naturally didnt know the details of this strange kid either. Looking at his performance in the Seven Veins Great Martial Arts Competition, they assumed that he knew the most basic sword control technique. However, they didnt know that Zhang Xiaofan had secretly learned the Taoist techniques and had practiced to the "Expelling Objects" realm, but he didnt know anything about the true skills of sword control.

  Watching others raise their immortal swords, Qi Huans was a white "Hàn Bīng" (Cold Ice) immortal sword, Xuě Qís was a blue "Tiān Jué" (Heavenly Absolute) immortal sword, and Zēng Shūshū had an immortal sword with a hint of purple aura - "Xuān Yuán". Zhang Xiaofan felt tense in his heart, forcing himself to raise the "Huǒ Huò Gùn" (Fire Poker), but somehow it didnt feel quite right, lacking the perfect harmony he had experienced during the Seven Meridians Will trial.

  Crossing the clouds and crossing the mountains, this section was originally a half-day journey, but the four of them didnt arrive at Heiyang City until sunset. Zhang Xiaofan and the other three people got off the ground in a quiet place outside Heiyang City to avoid suspicion, and they were all soaked from head to toe, their faces pale, looking like they were even more exhausted than during the trial that day.

  This whole way in the sky, he had grasped the fire control several times, if it wasnt for Qi Huan and others by his side noticing something was wrong, not daring to leave him too far, and timely lending a hand, Im afraid this newly-minted "outstanding disciple" of Qingyun Gate would have fallen from high altitude and shattered into pieces, dying before he could bring glory to the sect, leaving behind a stench that would last for ten thousand years, causing Qingyun Gate to lose all face. Qi Huan and others decided to stop outside the city and enter on foot, although it was partly to avoid suspicion, but also because they were afraid that if something went wrong in the bustling city, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhang Xiaofan would fall down, and the lofty prestige Qingyun Gate had built up over two thousand years would be destroyed in an instant, alas!

  After a brief rest, the four of them walked towards the tall River City in the sunset. Zhang Xiaofan trailed behind, feeling the occasional puzzled glances from Qi Huan and Xueqi ahead. Apparently, they couldnt understand why someone who had excelled in the Seven Meridians Martial Arts Grand Trial couldnt even ride a sword properly. On the other hand, Zeng Shu was still smiling and walking alongside Zhang Xiaofan, not mentioning what happened earlier, and chattering away to introduce River City to him:

  Within a hundred miles, this is the largest and most prosperous place. The people living in this city have at least two or three million people, and the geographical location is also good, with many merchants coming and going, making it even more bustling.

  Zhang Xiaofan listened and listened, and in his heart he truly admired Zeng: "How did you know?"

  Zeng: "Whats the big deal, take a look." With a sly smile on his face, he leaned in close to Zhang Xiaofans ear and whispered, "Actually, Ive been here many times before, always sneaking down the mountain."

  Zhang Xiaofan was shocked and stuttered: "You, you..."

  Zeng: "You look so scared? Whats the big deal? Since Ive been practicing my sword skills, of course I need to practice often. Flying around and flying here, getting tired and going for a stroll, whats wrong with that?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was speechless.

  Listening to the two of them whispering behind, Qi Huan smiled slightly and said to Xiue beside him: "Sixth sister, its getting late, lets spend the night here tonight and continue on our journey tomorrow."

  Xue Qis face was as cold as frost, without any expression, and she just nodded slightly.

  As they entered the city, to avoid trouble, they had changed into their Qingyunmen attire early on. It didnt arouse much suspicion, but Liu Xueqis stunning beauty caused quite a commotion, attracting many passersby to stop and stare. Zhang Xiaofan glanced at Liu Xueqi and saw that although her face was expressionless, her bright eyes flashed with a hint of anger, making him worry about the onlookers. If Tianyin were to be unsheathed, he feared this ancient city would be destroyed in an instant.

  However, 6 Xue Qis demeanor was apparently much better than Zhang Xiao Fan had expected. Even after they moved into an inn called "Shan Hai Yuan", 6 Xue Qi remained calm and composed. Qi Huan, who had the most experience among them, naturally took charge of arranging their accommodations, and as a result, they were assigned to the best rooms in the rear garden.

  This Shan Hai Garden is quite large, with four separate gardens in the back. The four of them lived in the west garden, each occupying a room. After resting for a while, Qi Huan called everyone to go to the front wine building to eat.

  Shanhai Garden has its own wine house, located on the busiest street in Heiyang City, but in the third-floor VIP hall, it is very quiet. The spacious hall only had less than ten tables, and now about five tables have guests eating. Qi Hua called over a waiter, ordered a few dishes, and looked familiar with the place, probably a regular customer.

  Zhang Xiaofan thought to himself, he was born into a farming family and had never been to such a luxurious place as Shanhai Garden. Earlier, when he passed by the second floor, he saw that the hall was grand and magnificent, but when he reached the third floor, he saw carved dragons and phoenixes, red wooden beams, and an ancient charm that was completely different from the second floor. He naturally didnt know that people who had reached a place of wealth and nobility would often pursue status and elegance, even if some people liked to show off their luxury, but in order to make others say that they had some refinement, they would also pretend to be elegant.

  The four of them sat at a small table by the window, Zeng Shu looked around the hall and asked Qi Huan: "Qi brother, isnt it expensive here?"

  Qī Hào smiled slightly and said, "This is the best wine tower in the city of He Yang, so its naturally not cheap. However, our Qing Yun Men has a good reputation here, and the boss would be eager to have us come, so he wont charge us much."

  Zeng Shu nodded and said "ah", after a while, the shopkeeper brought up several small dishes of stir-fried vegetables, especially the last dish was a fresh steamed fish. The fish had an elongated body, with a slightly rounded front and a narrow rear, its dark brown color, with two pairs of whiskers, thick and long. Most importantly, the flesh was white and tender, with a fragrance that filled the air, making ones mouth water instantly.

  Zhang Xiaofan had always been interested in cooking, and he had never seen this type of fish before. He couldnt help but ask the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, what is this fish called, and how do you cook it?"

  The shopkeeper chuckled and said, "Sir, you really have a good eye for things. This Clear Steamed Fish is one of our signature dishes at Mountain Sea Garden. Its fragrant, tender, and sweet to the taste. In this Rivertown area within a hundred miles, its extremely famous."

  Zhang Xiaofan swallowed his saliva, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite, immediately closing his eyes and nodding repeatedly: "Ah, the meat quality is great, but its cooked even better. The sweetness comes from adding some sugar, and ginger slices to remove the fishy smell. Hmm, theres also the aroma of scallions, must have used fresh scallion heads. Ah, the most impressive thing is that the pepper, five-spice, and sesame oil flavors are mixed so well together. Impressive, impressive!"

  He had a look of intoxication on his face, which made Qi Huang and Zeng Shu stare in amazement. Even Xue Qi looked at him with a strange expression, but the shopkeeper standing aside was truly impressed, loudly praising: "Sir is indeed a connoisseur, knows his stuff!"

  Zhang Xiaofan only then noticed the looks of the people around him, his face turned red, and he quickly put down his chopsticks, but still asked one more question: "Excuse me, young fellow, where is this carp from?"

  The shopkeeper had not yet spoken when a womans voice was heard from the large table next to them, saying: "This fish is a specialty of Nanfang Zhushan, thousands of miles away. How can it be transported here? Are you deceiving people?"

  Everyone was shocked and looked back, only to see eight people sitting at a large table. Six men were wearing yellow robes, and the other two were women. One woman wore a light purple long dress with a veil covering her face, making it impossible to see her features clearly, but the exposed skin was as white as snow. The other woman was the one who spoke, looking only sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a water-green shirt, with a beautiful appearance, thin eyebrows and fair skin, a pair of bright big eyes that were extremely lively, dazzling at first sight, almost comparable to Xue Qi.

  Zhang Xiaofan let out an "ah" sound, but saw that the womans gaze fell on Xue Qi after she finished speaking, seemingly also startled by Xue Qis appearance. The woman loved beauty, and even Xue Qi, who was normally as cold as ice, couldnt help but take another glance at her.

  "This customer is right, however, you dont know that in the past hundred years, this fish was only found in the southern mountains of Zhugou. But later, Daoxuan Zhenren of Qingyun Gate passed by Zhugou Mountain and specially moved it back to be placed in the Hongchuan River under the shade of Qingyun Mountain. Until now, not only has it survived, but it has also gradually flourished. We are all blessed with the good fortune of having this delicacy thanks to the blessings of Daoxuan Xianren on Qingyun Mountain!" As he spoke, his face revealed an extremely reverent expression.

  Zhang Xiaofan and the other Qingyunmen disciples looked at each other, naturally delighted, with smiles on their faces. However, when the girl heard this, she turned her head and exchanged a glance with the woman whose face was covered with a thin veil, then sat back down, humming a sound to herself.

  ※※※

  After finishing the delicious dinner, Zhang Xiaofan and others returned to their residence with satisfaction. Qi Huan said to everyone at the west garden gate: "Everyone will rest here tonight, and tomorrow morning, we will rush to Kong Sang Mountain."

  Zhang Xiaofan and Zeng Shushu responded in unison, but Xue Qi remained silent, walking back to her room and slamming the door shut with a "bang". Qi Huan was taken aback for a moment before forcing a smile and saying, "You two disciples should also get some rest."

  Zhang Xiaofan glanced at his handsome face, and under the sunset, Qi Huas spirit was not inferior to before, but instead had a few more extraordinary intentions. Suddenly, he felt disheartened and couldnt muster up the energy, barely exchanging greetings with Zeng Shu Shu, who didnt even acknowledge Qi Hua, and walked back to his room on his own.

  Zeng Shu smiled and said a couple of words to Qi Huan, then they both went back to their rooms to rest.

  This was the first night in five years that Zhang Xiaofan left Qingyun Mountain, tossing and turning, unknowingly having a sleepless night. It wasnt until midnight that he finally fell into a daze, but suddenly he dreamed of himself covered in blood, standing amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood with an unspeakable frenzy of killing intent surging deep within his heart, as if the red blood before him was like sweet spring water, attracting him, tempting him, making him unable to resist the urge to obtain all this through slaughter.

  "Ah!"

  Zhang Xiaofan woke up with a start from his dream, sat up abruptly, panting heavily, and covered in cold sweat. It wasnt until after a while that his wildly racing heart finally calmed down.

  He sat in the darkness for a while, unintentionally stretching out his hand and touching the fire poker placed beside the pillow. A chill ran through him. This dream was very similar to the nightmares he had been having all these years, that scene where he seemed to turn into another person, the bloodthirsty murderer in the dream made him feel fearful of himself.

  Dead silence all around, pitch black everywhere.

  He sat up straight with his legs crossed in the darkness, took a deep breath, closed his eyes and clasped his hands together in front of him.

  Darkness was like a gentle woman, softly wrapping around his body, a layer of faint golden light, vaguely emanating from within him. Reflecting that faint glow, Zhang Xiaofans face seemed to be shrouded in an air of solemnity he shouldnt have had.

  It wasnt until much later that the golden light gradually dissipated, and Zhang Xiaofan opened his eyes in the darkness, feeling calm and peaceful. At times like these, he especially missed the kind and wise Master Puzhi.

  He no longer had any sleepiness, walked to the door, opened it and went out. The rooms next to him were all pitch black, presumably Qi Huan and the others were asleep. The back garden of Shan Hai Yuan was built in a garden, with four courtyards built in the east, south, west and north directions respectively. Zhang Xiao Fan walked out of his own West Garden and arrived at the flower garden in the center.

  It was already late at night, looking up at the sky, the stars were all over the sky, and a round moon hung on the horizon. The night wind was blowing gently, carrying a faint fragrance. The small path was winding and deep, leading to an unknown place in front. On both sides of the road, there were green grass, shrubs, and various flowers blooming everywhere.

  Zhang Xiaofan felt a dizziness in his head and continued walking along the path, with the gentle breeze brushing against his face, bringing a faint coolness.

  On such a quiet night, a young man walked alone in the deep garden, reminiscing about past events.

  By the roadside, a small flower was trembling in the night wind, with dew drops on its pale white petals, delicate and transparent. Zhang Xiaofan stopped in his tracks, unaware that he had been staring blankly at it.

  Faint fragrance, quietly transmitted.

  Suddenly, a slender jade hand, as if from the eternal darkness, brought a touch of ethereal beauty, bearing the imprint of moonlight and starlight from above, reached out to this flower.

  Knock it down!

  At that moment, Zhang Xiaofans mind was like a loud "boom", as if all the moonlight in the sky had lost its luster, and the garden suddenly fell into darkness.

  He turned his head and looked back with a hint of inexplicable hatred.

  A young girl in a light green dress stood there, as if attracting all the light in the sky, gently placing a flower in front of her nose and taking a deep sniff.

  ※※※

  Note 1: "Shan Hai Jing · Shan Jing Volume 4 · Zhū Gōu Mountain": Further south, the water flows for five hundred li and is called Zhū Gōu Mountain. There are no grass or trees, only sand and rocks. This mountain is a hundred li in circumference and has many sleeping fish.