Longevity Candle

Chapter 14 I will always remember

The territory of Qian Kingdom is vast.

Over the years, Ayan has only traveled to half of the region.

Of course, it was also because she traveled around, stopping and starting along the way.

Now, she has also stopped and settled down in Fenghua City, where she bought a house.

"It's a pity you didn't have enough time. I really wanted to take you to see my father's restaurant, and my little brother, he's so cute..."

Ah Yan was very drunk, but her mind was perfectly clear.

Her words were practiced fluently, as if she had rehearsed them countless times.

The father's memory is long gone, and the younger brother's appearance is now blurred.

He was just a baby back then, but now he must be a grown man. How could she recognize him?

But in her words, they were so familiar with each other, got along so well, and she doted on her younger brother so much.

Jiang Zhu listened with a smile, feeling somewhat gratified; it was good to be able to live a peaceful life.

"Jiang Zhu, why is the martial world so treacherous and despicable? Is it because they, the immortal masters and Taoists, are noble spirits, that they do not deign to look down upon the mortal world?" Ayan held a wine jar in one hand and supported her forehead with the other.

“They don’t know because they’re busy with their own things,” Jiang Zhu said. “Just like you, you wouldn’t make a point of looking at those unfamiliar strangers. Even if you did make a point of looking, how much could you actually see?”

"So, has this world of martial arts frightened you?" Ayan asked.

Jiang Zhu shook his head slightly: "The evil in human nature goes far beyond this, and the righteousness in human nature is also beyond our control."

"Have you ever seen anyone more wicked? Why is someone so kind yet so helpless?" Ayan asked, puzzled.

"Yan Nanxing of Baiyun Temple killed one disciple after another in his pursuit of immortality. Yunhe also killed all his fellow disciples in his pursuit of immortality. Isn't this wicked?"

Jiang Zhu said calmly, "It is said that a teacher for a day is a father for life, and Baiyun Temple is the biggest source of evil."

"Sigh." Ayan sighed, seemingly filled with emotion.

Along the way, there have been countless good and evil experiences, far more than can be described in the few lines of a diary.

"I will bring you the martial arts manual."

Ayan got up and went into the house, bringing back seven secret manuals: "Maybe they will be useful to you. I also want to know, what is the limit of martial arts? Is the next step towards immortality?"

Jiang Zhu picked up the manual: "Let me see, I want to know too."

Through his exploration, the Seven Star Sword Technique had long surpassed its original form, but it was still insufficient to match his magical power.

Fortunately, it's still usable.

He perused the secret manual, "Purple Cloud Divine Skill," absorbing the purple aura of the rising sun to nourish his body and improve his health. It required painstaking effort, but progress was extremely rapid in the later stages.

The Jade Life Technique uses true qi to nourish the body, making the skin as smooth as jade and the body as hard as jade stone, with powerful and majestic true qi.

"The Sword Technique in the Clouds" is ethereal and agile, like a cloud spirit, unpredictable and leaning towards a gentle approach.

"..."

Jiang Zhu wrote down the secret manual, and it was almost time.

His body grew weak again. He bid farewell to Ayan and returned to his slumber under the green lamp.

The smile on Ayan's face disappeared. She silently drank her wine and looked at the dim lamp.

She felt a pang of guilt; she had lied to Jiang Zhu and had never been with her father at all.

There are also many things that were not recorded in the diary.

She has traveled alone to many places, including those with eerie rumors and Taoist temples with legends of immortals.

But those places were all dilapidated, some reduced to ruins, and long since lost their mystique.

It was related to Emperor Chongwu, who ordered the destruction of the temples dedicated to the evil gods.

She had visited the entire temple, but it had never been effective.

"If Bai Qiuyun could find such a rare item, why can't I?" she murmured, her drunkenness growing stronger.

After getting drunk, Ayan set off again, intending to visit cities she had never been to before.

Over the years, she has also started to form her own gang to gather the information she wants.

Although it wasn't found, the chances were greater than if she had found it alone.

Time flies, and Ayan is forty-three years old. Her martial arts skills have finally reached a new level.

But she panicked inside, and fear rose in her heart.

She has gray hair.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I could see some wrinkles.

That strand of white hair was particularly glaring in the mirror.

"I can't grow old, I can't grow old..."

She acted as if she had gone mad, her inner energy surging violently. She had thought she would grow old, but she never expected it to happen so quickly.

I still need to see Jiang Zhu, how can I grow old?

"My plans need to be accelerated."

A cold glint appeared in Ayan's eyes.

The world of Qian Kingdom is in turmoil.

In the north, martial arts practitioners quickly gathered, and even some from the south were heading there.

They all came for Ayan, and for the entire martial arts world, for that coveted title—the leader of the martial arts alliance.

However, this selection was only made in the North, so the leader of the Northern Alliance is the one chosen.

The martial arts alliance conference also attracted the attention of the Qian Kingdom's imperial court. The court had been on guard against this group of martial artists and had not had the opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

Knights-errant use their martial arts to break the law. Although they mostly punish evil and uphold justice, they also trample on the laws of the Qian Kingdom.

The Qian Kingdom's court would naturally not let the opportunity to eliminate them all at once slip by.

As for Ayan, this peerless martial arts master, the imperial court also intends to recruit her, provided that she is obedient.

Almost all the masters of the Northern martial arts world have arrived.

But to the surprise of the imperial court, all the top martial arts masters jointly elected Ayan as the leader of the alliance to rule the martial arts world.

The anticipated bloodshed and fighting did not occur.

Ah Yan had already made preparations and had visited these top figures in the martial arts world long ago; those who disagreed could not come.

She sent people to negotiate with the imperial court, hoping to end the matter. She promised to restrain the martial arts practitioners, punish only the wicked and eliminate evil, and not harm the innocent.

The court officials naturally disagreed; they wanted an obedient dog.

Now that the army has arrived, the martial world has no other choice.

Martial arts practitioners are proud and arrogant, and difficult to restrain. With the addition of Ayan, one of the top figures in the martial arts world, they naturally have a lot of confidence.

They had never witnessed the terror of the imperial army.

The battle, after all, had begun.

Ayan originally wanted to capture the leader of the thief, but with a barrage of arrows, she could only defend herself.

Seeing so many martial arts masters fall, and seeing the arrogant demeanor of the imperial general, she finally drew her sword and killed him.

The sword's edge stretched for over three zhang, destroying everything in its path and causing changes in the celestial phenomena.

At this moment, even the most skilled martial artists and the most powerful generals of the imperial court paled in comparison to the sword.

The sword energy surged, tearing open a gap and carrying the martial artists away.

She single-handedly covered the rear, fighting her way in and out of the army seven times.

At that moment, the arrogant general of the imperial court was terrified and retreated in panic.

After this battle, Ayan's position as the leader of the Northern Alliance was firmly established, and the Northern martial arts world surpassed the Southern martial arts world.

The name of the Sword Immortal spread like wildfire.

And the Qian Kingdom's hostility towards martial artists in the Jianghu had reached its peak.

While martial artists across the land were being slaughtered, Ayan ordered them to go into hiding and, incidentally, to inquire about the strange artifacts.

Time flies, and Ayan is fifty years old.

The candlelight flickered, and Jiang Zhu woke up again. He looked at A Yan, whose skin was as white as jade, but the wrinkles on her face and the white hair on her head could not be removed no matter what.

Ayan forced a smile, tears welling in her eyes, her voice trembling slightly: "Am I ugly right now?"

“You’re not ugly. You’ve always been that young and beautiful Ayan,” Jiang Zhu said.

"Will you always remember Ayan from now on?" Ayan asked.

"Yes, I will always remember. There was once a girl named Ayan. She was incredibly skilled in martial arts, innocent and carefree, and had a chivalrous heart," Jiang Zhu said gently.

"Innocent and carefree, chivalrous and righteous," Ayan said with a smile.

Her hands were already stained with innocent blood. Ever since the massacre in the imperial army, she knew that she was no longer the Ayan she once was.

"My martial arts have improved again. I can now unleash a four-zhang sword beam, elevating the martial arts of the world to a higher level."

I feel I've reached my limit again, about to undergo a transformation. At that time, perhaps I'll be able to glimpse the path to immortality.

Ayan said.

“Your martial arts talent is the strongest I’ve ever seen,” Jiang Zhu said.

Ayan smiled and said, "Although you haven't met many martial artists, I still take your words as the highest praise."

(End of this chapter)