Dusk Returns to the Ruined Building

A prodigal son, penniless, dares to travel far and wide, pride rising from his bones; a wanderer, with empty bags, never forgets his hometown, humility arising from his heart.

In the end, the dream of martial arts was shattered!

At the Moon Gazing Tower and the Star Gazing Platform, sat a man—Ji Qingfeng, a drunken Ji Qingfeng.

"Second Uncle, what brings you here drinking again?"

The little boy, Chen'er, knelt down on both knees, panting heavily. This time, he climbed up alone; his older brother, Nan, did not come.

Chen'er lay directly on her back on the ground!

"Uncle, I'm exhausted!"

Ji Qingfeng, who was drunk, was slightly taken aback. His eyes were vacant and his hair was disheveled. He must have been drunk for a very long time.

Chen'er lay there for a long time, then let out a long sigh of relief, got up, and walked to the railing of the observatory.

It was noon, and the sun was blazing overhead.

Chen'er came to see the Emperor Tree, which still towered into the clouds, its end nowhere in sight.

Chen'er tried several places, but the result was the same. Finally, she returned to Ji Qingfeng's side and asked in a sweet voice:

"Uncle, why can't we see the top of that Emperor Tree?"

Qingfeng, the drunkard, shook his head. He really didn't know. He had the same question when he was a child, but no one could give him an accurate and credible answer.

Chen'er sat down beside Ji Qingfeng, looked at the wine pot in Ji Qingfeng's hand, and said softly:

"Uncle, you love Brother Nan very much, why don't you say it? Why do you always secretly go to see him?"

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng, the drunken concubine, was startled. He turned to look at the little boy and asked in confusion:

"Chen'er, did your mother teach you the secret arts of Gu poison?"

Chen'er shook his head; he had never heard of the name of this secret technique.

"Nan misses you so much. He always calls out for his father in his dreams!"

Ji Qingfeng remained unchanged, swallowing all his emotions and bitterness with a sip of wine.

"Uncle, will Nan and I drink alcohol when we grow up?"

Chen'er was actually very curious about Ji Qingfeng, and he also really wanted to get closer to his uncle. He really wanted to drink a sip of what his uncle's wine pot contained. He didn't know what wine was, but he thought it must be very sweet.

Chen'er felt that although her uncle looked disheveled when he was drunk, he was very natural and real. Chen'er also felt the same way about her aunt in the crabapple courtyard under the setting sun. The two of them were as real and natural as the sunlight and flowers.

This was something Chen'er had never felt from anyone else, including his father and mother. Chen'er didn't know why, and he didn't know why he had this feeling.

"Silly Chen'er, what your second uncle is drinking isn't wine, it's an unattainable dream!"

Chen'er was stunned.

"Dreams? Second Uncle, I never dream, so does that mean I can't drink alcohol?"

Chen'er is really naive; he doesn't understand anything and believes everything.

The drunken concubine, Qingfeng, frowned slightly!

"Chen'er, you...you haven't had any dreams?"

Chen'er nodded.

"Uncle, what are dreams like?"

Ji Qingfeng was stumped by the question. He thought for a long time, then stood up, picked up Chen'er, and pointed to the entire Ji family imperial city below the observatory, saying:

"Chen'er, this is your uncle's dream!"

"How...how can we drink this?"

Chen'er's words made Ji Qingfeng laugh.

"Chen'er, tell your uncle, what did you see?"

"There are mountains, water, trees, clouds, the Ji family, and the sun!"

Ji Qingfeng spun Chen'er around in his arms and asked softly:

"Chen'er, tell your uncle, how can we stop seeing the Ji family?"

This question was asked to Ji Qingfeng by his father. Ji Qingfeng would come to the observatory every day, drunk, hoping to find the answer to this question.

"Uncle, look into the distance! What's behind those mountains? What's behind those clouds? If you don't look down, you won't be able to see the Ji family's house, will you?"

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng, the drunken concubine, was startled. He slowly put Chen'er down, stood by the railing, and looked into the distance. He seemed to have touched something, but it was so blurry and indistinct.

Chen'er gazed into the distance, pointing to the distant mountains and asking:

"Uncle, you said last time that Nan and I couldn't go there to play. What kind of place is that?"

"That's Yunxia Mountain!"

"Is it because it's far away that they won't let Nan and me go?"

"You'll understand when you grow up!"

"Uncle, what's the name of that mountain over there?"

"Qianzong Mountain, when you grow up, you can go there, that's your home!"

"My home? Isn't my home in the capital?"

"There is a home there that belongs only to you!"

Chen'er didn't understand. He pointed to the other lake, a lake very, very far away, and asked:

"Uncle, what kind of place is that?"

"That's Yunshuiyao, there's a home for you there too, a home that belongs only to you!"

Chen'er looked up at Ji Qingfeng, pouting her little lips!

"Why should it belong only to me? I want to take Nan Ge there; isn't it good enough that it's our home together?"

The drunken maid Qingfeng shook her head, repeating the same statement:

"You'll understand when you grow up!"

"I don't want to grow up. This is my home, Nan Ge's home. It's my home, and I'm the one who calls the shots!"

Chen'er got angry and turned to run downstairs.

"Ouch!"

Chen'er was knocked down; to be precise, he bumped into a woman and fell on his own.

"Ha ha……"

A little boy's laughter was so unrestrained and excited.

Chen'er, who had been lying on the ground, got up, raised her head, and roared:

"Ji Yihong, is it that funny?"

"Serves you right, can't you even watch where you're going? Does the young master think he's got the sky in his head?"

Ji Yihong was placed on the ground. He was about the same height as Chen'er, but he was a year older than Chen'er.

The drunken concubine Qingfeng walked behind Chen'er and bowed slightly.

"Why would a senior like you come to this Star Gazing Platform instead of meditating and cultivating yourself in Ling Shuang Valley?"

Chen'er then looked at the person he had bumped into. It was a woman wearing a gray monk's robe. Strangely, the woman was wearing a veil. Her exposed eyes were so charming, but Chen'er felt a strange sense of fear. He hid behind Ji Qingfeng.

"It was all because of those two kids showing off. They kept telling Yihong that they saw a tree that seemed to stretch to the horizon, and that they could see the entire Ji family capital. Yihong kept insisting on coming to see it for herself!"

The woman's voice was very soft, like a spring breeze caressing the heart. Chen'er felt very comfortable, very comfortable!

"Senior, please!"

Ji Qingfeng gestured for him to enter, but by sheer coincidence, he burped and almost vomited. He hurriedly picked up Chen'er and flew down from Wangyue Tower.

"Uncle, I'm scared!"

"Silly child, I'm scared too!"

On the Moon-Gazing Tower, on the Star-Gazing Platform, the woman in gray shook her head and whispered:

"He was mischievous as a child, and he's still the same now that he's grown up!"

"Grandmaster, are you talking about Yichen?"

"You're silly too. Has Yichen grown up yet?"

Ji Yihong stuck out his tongue. Of course, he dared not mention Ji Qingfeng; he was terrified of his drunken second uncle.

Below the Moon Gazing Tower, the drunken Ji Qingfeng carried little Yichen and flew around the tower in circles, wanting to get a clear view of the Ji family's imperial city.

"Ah, I never want to come to Wangyue Tower again! You stinky uncle! No, no, I'm scared!"

"Try it a few more times, jump a few more times, and you won't be afraid anymore. Uncle will take you to see the Emperor Tree!"

Chen'er, nestled in Ji Qingfeng's arms, opened her eyes and asked in confusion:

"Uncle, wasn't Father punished last time? Weren't we not allowed to go see him?"

"I'll take you to see it from the clouds!"

The Drunken Maiden Qingfeng, her true essence surging, flew straight towards the Emperor Tree with Chen'er in her arms.

Chen'er screamed in fright:

"No, no, I don't want to see, I don't want to..."

Shen Yichen suddenly opened his eyes, his head covered in cold sweat. He had been dreaming again, dreaming of the past, of memories he had lost for so long.

"You're awake! I saw you were covered in sweat and thought you were sick. You were talking a lot of nonsense in your sleep, it made me dizzy!"

Shen Yichen then realized that Yixuan was right in front of him. He turned his head and broke out in a cold sweat, because he and Yixuan were hanging on a withered branch extending from the edge of a cliff, with a bottomless abyss below.

"My goodness, we're incredibly lucky to be alive!"

"Luckily to be alive? What bad luck! How did I end up with someone like you who's destined for death!"

No sooner had Yi Xuan finished speaking than a creaking sound rang out, and before Shen Yichen could react, he and Yi Xuan were simultaneously plummeting into the abyss.

"do not want!"

"Haha... Brother Qingchen, these are the two words you shout most often in your dreams, making it sound like I molested you!"

The abyss was deep and dark, with gusts of cold wind blowing. Shen Yichen and his companion were once again at the mercy of fate.