The years I was in the human world

The Phoenix Terrace was originally desolate, and its past prosperity was reduced to ruins after Zhu Huang's nirvana. Xue Feng was aloof from worldly affairs, and the palace rebuilt with him was as cold and desolate as iron. Peacock knelt on the ground, stroking the cold bricks and stones, with the moonlight falling behind him, and his eyes were full of desolation.

The hustle and bustle of the day will blur people's perception, and only when the night is quiet and the cold penetrates into the bones will one feel lonely.

Peacock pushed open the door, and moonlight came in from behind, spreading on the stone tiles like a layer of cold frost. The white silk hanging over the palace fluttered in the wind like a ghost in the wind, floating without roots.

In the silent pavilion, the strings of the zither that Lu Zhouxue had arranged in the past and the silk skirt that Xiao Su had not finished were all placed casually and neatly. There were deep sword marks on the wooden beams. Everything was the same as before, except for the person who was supposed to return.

Looking at the three or five empty houses under the sparse moonlight, Peacock suddenly slumped down on the ground, unable to help but sob with his hands covering his face. The regrets that he had deliberately ignored suddenly burst out like a river bursting its banks.

How could it not be painful? The choice itself was an either-or decision, but the choice she made was to give up herself as well.

"Revenge is just an excuse. You will always regret it, and then toss and turn in every lonely night." When leaving the old capital, Ke Rou's words suddenly filled his mind. There was no need to wait until later. On the first night of killing his enemy, Peacock regretted it.

"Mother, I'm not happy, but there's no way to turn back, and I can't turn back... What exactly is the opportunity of heaven?" Peacock sat on the ground with his legs curled up, murmuring softly with tears on his face.

"Little nephew - are you crying?" The young man's clear voice sounded, and Wei Ruge nimbly flipped down from the roof with a box in his hand. Seeing Kong Que huddled together, he was slightly startled, walked over carefully, and whispered, "Little nephew? What's wrong with you?"

"It's okay." Seeing that it was Wei Ruge, Kong Que wiped the tears from her face and tried to pretend that nothing had happened, but the redness in her eyes could not be concealed no matter what. She reluctantly moved the muscles on her face, trying to force out a distant smile, but it was terribly stiff.

Wei Ruge pursed his lips upon seeing this, and silently reached out to rub Kong Que's hair. He seemed to not know what to say. After thinking for a while, he just said dully: "Don't cry, Uncle Shi will help you vent your anger."

Wei Ruge could not see through Kong Que's plans. In his eyes, Kong Que was just an orphan who had lost the protection of her elders one after another. As the child of his senior sister, he was half an elder and should take care of her. What's more, this was also the instruction of his master before he went into seclusion.

This simple sentence was better than any sweet words to Kong Que. In an instant, she could no longer bear the grievance in her heart. Those complicated emotions occupied her mind in an instant, and she forgot all her calmness and self-control at this moment.

She threw herself on Wei Ruge and cried bitterly in the boy's arms: "Uncle Junior Master——"

She only shouted like that, and all her pain and grievance were revealed in her words. The boy had never experienced such a scene before, and he was somewhat at a loss, his body stiffened, and he didn't know where to put his outstretched arms. In the end, he could only clumsily but carefully hug Kong Que and whispered, "Master uncle is here."

Kong Que had cried enough. The uncle and nephew sat side by side at the entrance of the Phoenix Palace. Kong Que wolfed down the food Wei Ruge brought her. Wei Ruge looked around the empty palace, frowned unconsciously, and asked, "Do you want to go back to Wuxiang Peak with me?"

Kong Que looked up at him with a little doubt, and Wei Ruge said slowly: "Master is in seclusion, and I am the only one on Wuxiang Peak. The Phoenix Terrace is desolate, and I am worried about you being alone here."

"Okay." Kong Que responded softly. She didn't want to face Baili Changqing, but since the latter was in seclusion, it would be more convenient for her to go to Wuxiang Peak. Besides, her old friend was gone, and staying alone in Fenghuangtai would only increase her sadness, so she accepted Wei Ruge's invitation.

Kong Que was inconspicuous in Zhongting, and her move to Wuxiang Peak did not alarm anyone. However, Yaoguang, who was closely monitoring her, heard the news and sneered softly: "This girl is better at getting along with everyone than her short-lived mother."

Apart from this, there was nothing else going on. The days at Wuxiang Peak were very boring. Wei Ruge was burdened with Baili Changqing's instructions and often left early and returned late. On the rare days he stayed at the peak, he would mostly stay in his room and force himself to read files.

At this time, Peacock sat aside and silently looked through the information he brought back, and then gently reminded: "Little Master, if you check these, you will get yourself involved."

Wei Ruge was entrusted by Baili Changqing to investigate the old case. Kong Que knew everything and he had never avoided her.

"Even if I don't investigate, I've already been dragged into this. Kill me if you can." The young man, who didn't like reading documents, put the file on the table and answered angrily, as if he had a fearless courage.

He threw away the file, turned his head and looked at the pile of documents beside him, and then picked up the discarded jade slip with a pout, and continued to read it painfully. While reading, he muttered: "Why do those lousy scribes in Shiqu Pavilion write so obscurely? Do they care about their lives to speak human language?"

"Junior Master, it's getting late. You should go and have a rest. I'll take a look at these." Peacock couldn't help but lower his head and smile. He gently took the jade slip from Wei Ruge's hand, showing a calmness that was not in line with his age.

"How can you finish it? Let's read it together." Wei Ruge yawned and picked up the jade slip and read it. When the sky gradually turned pale, he stretched and sighed, "If it were in the past, I should have gotten up to practice swordsmanship at this time."

After sighing, Wei Ruge seemed to remember something, turned around and looked at Kong Que seriously and asked: "Little nephew, I have been busy sorting out the files these days and forgot to test your swordsmanship. How is your swordsmanship going?"

Kong Que didn't expect that the carefree junior master would suddenly ask about his swordsmanship. He was stunned for a moment, but still answered truthfully: "Although the junior master has not been in the peak these days, he has not slacked off in his daily lessons."

"Practice? Very good, then you show me a set and I'll see how well you do it." Wei Ruge casually broke off a peach branch and handed it to Kong Que. Although he was young, he was a genius in swordsmanship, and he was also Kong Que's uncle in terms of seniority. It was quite legitimate for him to ask to check her skills now.

"Okay." Peacock nodded, took the peach branch handed over by Wei Ruge, and began to dance according to Baili Changqing's old teachings.

After finishing the swordplay, Wei Ruge frowned, not saying anything good or bad. He pondered for a moment and said, "Except for the ones my master taught me, show me the swordplay you learned elsewhere."

Kong Que then performed another set of sword techniques. Compared to the one taught by Baili Changqing himself, this one was much more mediocre. Wei Ruge frowned even more. After Kong Que finished performing two sets of sword techniques, he said, "The second set of sword techniques is mysterious, but you obviously failed to comprehend the mystery and performed mediocrely."

"You have learned the third set thoroughly, but the moves are clumsy and not neat. It's more like a knife technique than a sword technique - is this what Xiao Fengzhuo taught you?" Wei Ruge criticized without any hesitation. Upon hearing this, Peacock could not help but clench the peach branch in his hand.

So what she has learned in the past few months is really useless?

"Xiao Fengzhuo's swordsmanship is the best in the world. The secret lies in that although the swordsmanship is heavy, he uses it lightly and quickly." Wei Ruge held Kong Que's wrist, his warm chest pressed against her back, and he explained Xiao Fengzhuo's swordsmanship in a clear voice in her ear.

"He has a casual personality, so his swordsmanship is not fixed. If you want to learn his swordsmanship, you can't stick to fixed moves, but be casual, just like this--" Wei Ruge said, holding Peacock's wrist with one hand, moving the peach branch in her hand, and casually slashing it, and a blade of sword energy was thrown out.

The sword energy was not as sharp as Xiao Fengzhuo's own, but it was strong enough to strike the dead leaves piled up at the roots of the peach tree, just like the morning breeze blowing up the autumn leaves in the yard.

The young man gathered his energy, and the flying leaves froze for a moment before returning to the earth. Wei Ruge let go of Kong Que's wrist, stepped back a little, looked at her seriously, and asked, "Do you understand?"

Peacock nodded, stroking her wrist that Wei Ruge had just held. She remembered the feeling of a powerful spiritual energy flowing through her tendons when her arm was pulled, wrapping around her fingertips and the peach wood branch, and then turning into a sharp sword energy - that was power.

"Junior Master, can you teach me swordsmanship every day from now on?" Peacock looked at Wei Ruge earnestly. She longed for power, longed to become stronger, longed to be like him and be able to defeat thousands of troops with a single sword. In this lawless Final Court, only power could make her achieve her wish.

"If you want to give me some pointers, that's fine, but if you want to teach me, that's not possible." Wei Ruge shook his head. Kong Que looked at him in astonishment. Before Kong Que could ask, he explained.

"All sword cultivators in the world admire their master and follow the Way of Mercilessness, but I follow the Way of All Living Beings. Little nephew, we have different ways, so you cannot rashly claim to be a master or a disciple. If you do not follow the Way of All Living Beings, you cannot learn from me."

The path of all living beings? Kong Que was a little surprised. Since ancient times, most of the cultivators who followed the path of all living beings died on the road of proving the truth with their own bodies, just like Chunhui Jun Lin Xiyang and her biological mother Zhu Huang Yuzhao. Could her junior uncle be the one in a million exception?

Thinking of this, Kong Que looked at Wei Ruge with worry in her eyes. She was about to say something, but suddenly remembered that Wei Ruge had also taught her swordsmanship in the ghost house a month ago. At that time, the young man did not say anything about different ways and cannot be taught.

Instead, he was so arrogant that he even criticized Baili Changqing.

"Your moves are contradictory. Who taught you this? Swordsmanship requires natural movements and smooth transitions, not just killing intent."

"Uncle Wei, this is not what you taught me last time."

"What happened last time was wrong, you should do it this time."

"You said the same thing last time."

"I will definitely not say that next time. No matter what others say in the future, you should just follow what I taught you today."

"But that's what our master taught us. He said swordsmanship requires quick and decisive actions, and no lingering feelings."

"I told you to be decisive, but I didn't tell you to be so righteous and arbitrary that you broke the sword - your master's level is not good enough."

The previous Wei Ruge was so arrogant and took it for granted, as if he could handle everything with ease. Compared with the slightly upright young man in front of him, he seemed like two different people.

"Junior Master, I don't know how to perform the second half of a sword technique. Can you show it to me?" Peacock said as she waved a peach branch and performed the sword technique that she had learned from Xiao Jin in the Ghost Mansion. At that time, the latter only had time to teach her the first half, so she only performed half of it.

"This sword technique...where did you learn it from?" Wei Ruge asked seriously as soon as Peacock finished fighting.

"Junior Master, this is what you taught me in the Ghost House a month ago. Don't you remember it?" Peacock was stunned by Wei Ruge's question and blurted out the truth subconsciously.

"Not to mention that I have never been to the Ghost House, the last ten moves you just practiced are the same as the first ten moves in the "Luocheng Martial Arts Master's Guide" in the ancient fragments. It is a typical ruthless swordsmanship. I am a cultivator of the Way of All Living Things. How can I teach you?" Wei Ruge said, "My nephew just said so. Could it be that you have seen me in the Ghost House?"

"A Brief Introduction to Luocheng Martial Arts", also known as "Luocheng Sword", is a ruthless sword-fighting supreme martial art known to everyone in the world of cultivation. However, when it was first published, only the second half was available, without the first half as a foundation. Anyone who attempts to practice it forcefully will either go astray or die, and the end is always tragic.

Due to the lessons learned from countless people, the "Luocheng Sword" has become a sword technique that is recognized by cultivators as extremely powerful, but difficult to practice.

Wei Ruge has a very high talent in swordsmanship. Although he does not practice the ruthless way, he has read the contents of "Luocheng Martial Arts Master's Guide". The sword moves that Peacock just performed were not in the second half of "Luocheng Martial Arts Master's Guide", but they happened to be connected to the first ten moves of the second half, so it is very likely to be the first half.

Peacock did not answer Wei Ruge immediately. She just raised her eyes and looked quietly into the boy's eyes, thinking whether she could trust him.

The boy's eyes were very clear and could almost see through people's minds at a glance. He was strong and sincere, but naive and gullible, just as Peacock had originally intended. If he wanted revenge, he would be a very good knife. However, after thinking for a moment, Peacock made a decision.

"Yes, I met a man who looked exactly like you in the ghost house. He taught me this set of sword skills and mentioned some way to heaven to Xuefeng. Xuefeng then planned to go to Lingshan, and then lost her life." Peacock carefully considered his words, reversing cause and effect, and intentionally guiding Wei Ruge's thoughts.

"Lingshan? So that's how it is." Wei Ruge realized something and suddenly clenched his fists. Seeing his reaction, Kong Que knew that her guidance had achieved its goal. She was satisfied in her heart, but her face was still confused: "Little Master? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just continue to practice the sword skills you just used. Uncle Master Li Feng is handling some matters." Wei Ruge treated Kong Que as a little girl who knew nothing. He did not intend to explain to her in detail the twists and turns that he did not understand. He simply gave her a few instructions and left in a hurry.