Dusk Returns to the Ruined Building

Traveling in the Northern Meng Mountains

The morning sun paints the spring blossoms with vibrant colors; the past is too painful to recall.

Love in this mortal world is as enduring as flowing water; with whom can I share these deep feelings? The path of life is full of vicissitudes.

The graves of those buried in Beimeng are scattered in a desolate place, yet they were all heroes.

I was born with talents but my luck is hard to use; my life is full of misfortunes, I can only blame Heaven.

A thousand songs of drunken revelry, the wanderer goes wherever he pleases, let alone his heart and soul.

Beimeng Mountain is an ancient mountain, a desolate mountain, and a mountain of loyal souls, located directly north of the ancient city of Luowu.

It is said that more people are buried in this mountain than are alive in the ancient city of Luowu. As for why, there are two theories in the martial arts world.

One type is Beimeng Mountain, which has mountains and rivers. Its terrain resembles a dragon or a jiao (a type of dragon), making it a feng shui treasure land. Naturally, some people are willing to be buried here.

Another theory is that tens of thousands of loyal souls are buried here, all of whom died protecting the ancient city of Luowu during the battle between good and evil a thousand years ago.

Therefore, Beimeng Mountain is also known as Zhonggu Mountain (Mountain of Loyal Bones), and of course, it also has another name: Wangling Mountain (Mountain of the Dead)!

In the northern Mengshan Mountains, do not sit on mounds of earth; they may be graves.

A day after Shen Yichen and Yixuan left Lingling Town, they arrived north of Beimeng Mountain and spent the whole day drinking.

Shen Yichen finally rediscovered the feeling he had when he first entered the martial arts world. This was the feeling he had been longing for. Wasn't getting drunk with friends better than fighting and killing? Of course, spending time with the one he loved was even more enjoyable than getting drunk with friends!

This is the friend, and you always have to be wary of him. Shen Yichen is very unhappy about this. But Yixuan's drinking is really to Shen Yichen's liking because he gets drunk as soon as he drinks, and he keeps drinking even after he's drunk. Yixuan can drink with Shen Yichen for a long time.

Shen Yichen and Yixuan are both smart people, and they both cleverly avoided the Ji family.

Yi Xuan showed no intention of leaving, and Shen Yichen kept bringing it up, but Yi Xuan simply wouldn't respond.

Although the two were wary of each other, their relationship grew closer without them even realizing it. Whether Yi Xuan was pretending or not was unknown, but Shen Yi Chen was genuinely sincere.

"I sing wildly, and ride my drunken horse into the world!"

"Qingchen, you're wrong. It should be: I ride my horse towards freedom, drunk and singing wildly, pacifying the world!"

"Yi Xuan, you've got quite the nerve. Someone who's afraid of graves and corpses wants to pacify the martial world? That would mean bloodshed and death. Isn't the martial world good enough now? Everyone has their own freedom and their own pursuits!"

Shen Yichen and Yixuan were drunk, and the two of them rode their horses backwards, letting the horses go their own way.

"Qingchen, when you were five years old, you stood on the Star Gazing Platform, ready to conquer the world. You were supposed to stand on your own Star Gazing Platform and look down upon the world. How have you become just another part of the world now? You've lost every bit of your heroic spirit!"

"I don't know if what you're saying is true or false. The person I am now is the real me. The person you know is at best an immature child!"

"You really don't remember me? If you remember the Moon Gazing Tower and the Star Gazing Platform, how could you not remember me? You're not lying to me, are you?"

"Do you look like me? Are you special? I can only think of three children: one is Ji Yihong, the two of us seem to have been fighting since we were little; another is Ji Yinan, I always call him Brother Nan, he's always there for me, good or bad."

There was another girl named Huang Xiyi, whom I only vaguely remember from meeting her once; I remember nothing else!

"I'm so heartbroken. How could someone forget me? I've always thought of myself as a chosen one. How could you possibly forget me?"

Yixuan is really depressed.

"Actually, I had forgotten about them too. I only remembered them after I entered the martial arts world. I think I'll remember you soon!"

"Forgetting me is a mistake, and that will be punished. You'd better watch out, or I really will punish you!"

"Bring it on! It seems I entered the martial world to accept all sorts of punishments!"

Shen Yichen took a big gulp of wine and lay down on the horse's back.

Yixuan also lay down, and before they knew it, the sun was already high in the sky.

"Those two people you know are getting married, supposedly on the eighth of next month!"

"Fine, let's get married then! I'm not a member of the Ji family!"

After Shen Yichen finished speaking, he suddenly sat up and exclaimed in surprise:

"What did you say?"

Shen Yichen sobered up halfway.

Yi Xuan didn't notice Shen Yichen's unusual behavior. He squinted and a slight smile appeared on his lips, probably thinking about something wonderful.

"The young master of the Ji family is going to marry the holy maiden of the Xuan Nu Sect of Qingwei Mountain. Isn't that interesting? The Ji family is really interesting! Let's put on a show, let's put on a show to our hearts' content, the real show has just begun!"

Shen Yichen understood. Ji Yinan and Huang Xiyi were getting married. He had known this would happen, but hearing the news now, especially since it was next month, made Shen Yichen's heart ache as if it were being cut by a knife.

Shen Yichen collapsed onto the horse, drinking wine and shedding tears. The tears and wine went down his throat at the same time, so spicy and so numbing.

"So fast? I heard from the martial arts world that they're only engaged!"

"There's a saying: 'It's inevitable, it has to be done.' You don't understand the Ji family's affairs. Ji Qingfeng will compromise. This is a move he has no choice but to make; he has no other option!"

"Ji Qingfeng, the head of the Ji family, as a member of the Ji family, aren't you being extremely disrespectful to him by addressing him by his given name!"

"If the head of the Ji family is not from the royal family, how many people in the Ji family do you think will respect him, support him, or even give him a second glance?"

Shen Yichen was drinking. He was somewhat sober. He really didn't understand the Ji family's affairs, but he did understand his drunken uncle.

He was a good person, a good person with genuine feelings.

Shen Yichen seemed to understand why Ji Qingfeng had always been drunk back then. His uncle's dream was shattered, just like his own. The path of the martial world and the dream in his heart always went against each other.

"It's tough for him, isn't it?"

"This has nothing to do with you or me. Didn't you say you didn't want to know about the Ji family?"

Yi Xuan turned to look at Shen Yichen, who was crying. This was the information Tian Xianglong had just given him: Shen Yichen was crying!

Shen Yichen was unaware that Yixuan was watching him.

"Since you understand that I don't want to know about the Ji family, why did you tell me?"

“Your brother Nan is very good to you. I just want to tell you that he may be in danger. You should be prepared. Some members of the Ji family are unwilling and do not support this marriage. I heard that he also went to Jianying. Do you think he can return to Zhongzhou alive?”

Shen Yichen was startled by these words, abruptly stood up, looked at Yixuan, and exclaimed in surprise:

"Do you really mean what you say?"

Shen Yichen only then realized that Yixuan was looking at him intently.

Shen Yichen hurriedly wiped away the tears on his face.

"So, you met Ji Yinan in Jianying? I've entered the martial world, so I don't know anything about Jianying. Tell me about it!"

Shen Yichen shook his head and lay down again.

"I've really forgotten, I've forgotten forever!"

"Well, you should forget about those three kids. I'll make an exception for you. If you ever think of me, I'll tell you about your brother Nan's situation!"

Yi Xuan had no idea that Shen Yichen was crying because of Huang Xiyi. Sigh, that first love was so important and so precious to Shen Yichen!

Shen Yichen took a sip of wine, muttering to himself:

"Is what I'm giving you really a blessing?"

Shen Yichen felt a sense of unease. Huang Xiyi was probably really about to enter his dream of reality. Perhaps this was fate, a calamity, a destiny that no one could change!

"It turns out that people really do change when they grow up. Back then, when your left arm was about to fall off, you didn't utter a sound or shed a single tear. Now, why do you cry so easily?"

"People will eventually change. When you go back to the Ji family, you'll understand why people change. Maybe one day, I'll also go back to the Ji family. Tell me, will I be the same person I was before, the same person I am now, or a completely different person?"

"Qingchen, you can be who you are at any time, you can be anything you want, but you must never be sentimental, otherwise, I will kill you, remember that!"

Yi Xuan was joking, but it was also what he really felt, though Shen Yichen didn't understand.

"Being affectionate is troubled by being heartless!"

Shen Yichen sighed. He thought of that empty booklet. He used to be passionate, even promiscuous. Now, the passion was gone, but his heart was filled with sorrow.

"Heartlessness is both affection and not affection; it is also a kind of sorrow!"

Yixuan tilted his head back and drank the wine, then lay down on the horse's back.