Dusk Returns to the Ruined Building

A desolate wind blows before the mountain, a lone figure plays chess in a solitary pavilion.

Ji Yinan doesn't like playing chess, but he loves watching it, since he's been the one playing chess with Shen Yichen since they were little.

Shen Yichen's assessment of Ji Yinan was that she would play a dead end game even when she knew it was a losing proposition; she was stupid and couldn't think outside the box!

In the lonely pavilion on the desolate mountain, Ji Yinan quietly watched the unfinished game of chess.

"Senior, something has happened to the Ji family, hasn't it?"

The expedition of the God-Slaying Army is definitely a major event for the Ji family. Ji Yinan is unsure whether this is his father's idea.

Within the Ji family, the God-Slaying Army only obeys one person: the head of the Ji family. This is something Ji Yinan knows, but what is the reality?

The true commanders of the Ji family's God-Slaying Army are the three royal families and the family head. The Ji family has a total of four God-Slaying Armies, with each of the three royal families in charge of one and the Ji family head in charge of the other.

The Ji family has been peaceful for too long, and the God-Slaying Army has almost been forgotten. Because Thirteen Feathers handles everything, many people in the Ji family believe that the God-Slaying Army only obeys the family head.

"It should be said that something happened to Yanquan!"

Ji Linghai gazed into the direction where the God-Slaying Army had disappeared. His heart was heavy because General Ji Xuanwei, the Conquering General, was under the command of the royal family of Yunxia Mountain.

In Ji Linghai's memory, the God-Slaying Army, which was controlled by the royal family of Yunxia Mountain, had never been used since Ji Xuanfeng left the Ji family.

Ji Linghai really couldn't imagine what major event could have happened in Yanquan that would warrant the Yunxia Mountain royal family's God-Slaying Army launching an expedition!

Ji Linghai couldn't understand why Ji Xuanwei would personally come to kill Ji Yinan; this matter was not so simple!

"Senior, I don't know much about the Ji family. Could you please give me some pointers?"

Ji Yinan was unaware that he only held the title of young master but had not actually participated in many major events within the Ji family.

"Return to Zhongzhou and quickly and steadily take over the Demon Extermination Hall. That's all you need to do. These are turbulent times, and the Demon Extermination Hall cannot be in disarray. The Ji family enters the martial world to eliminate demons, but there cannot be any Ji family demons within its ranks. Do you understand?"

Ji Yinan nodded, then shook his head.

"Senior, there's something I've never understood: why has no one ever addressed the internal conflicts within the Ji family?"

Ji Linghai smiled upon hearing this.

"Silly child, this is the secret to the Ji family's continued strength. It is through conflict that the family grows. Carry on your master's last wish, eliminate the evil within the Ji family, and never get caught up in conflict. Do you understand?"

Ji Yinan nodded. He looked up at the setting sun in the distance. He had a question in his mind, and after pondering for a long time, he finally asked:

"Senior, is General Zheng Yong's action a manifestation of the evil of the Ji family?"

Ji Linghai looked at Ji Yinan quietly, sighing inwardly:

"This responsibility is far too early and too heavy for you!"

Ji Yinan couldn't understand the meaning behind Ji Linghai's gaze.

After a long pause, Ji Linghai responded calmly:

"You should ask your master, not me. The Demon Extermination Hall's determination of the demons within the Ji family is not subject to the patriarch's agreement or the techniques of the three royal clans. This is the very foundation of the Demon Extermination Hall's existence. If you believe Ji Xuanwei is a demon, then he is; if you believe Ji Xuanwei is not a demon, then he is not. Don't ask me, and certainly don't ask anyone else!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yinan was shocked. He understood, and for the first time, he felt the weight and difficulty of the burden on his shoulders! He had never thought about it in this way before.

"Observe the chess pieces to see the heart. Ji Xuanwei and you share the same heart. Alright, go back to Zhongzhou. I'm going to Yanquan!"

Ji Linghai still decided to go to Yanquan to see for himself. Yun Xiashan's interference in the affairs of the martial world was no small matter, and Yun Xiashan was ruthless!

Ji Yinan nodded and stood up to see Ji Linghai off.

Ji Yinan certainly wouldn't go to Yanquan. He wanted to return to Zhongzhou, take over the Demon Extermination Hall, and marry Huang Xiyi.

Inside the desolate mountain pavilion, Ji Yinan and Ji Linghai parted ways. Ji Yinan drove alone, taking Mei Ying southward.

The chessboard in the lonely pavilion is still there!

As the setting sun shone on the lonely pavilion, another person arrived: Sima Lifeng, with a full head of white hair. He had not drunk any alcohol, and his demeanor was calm, with clear eyes.

Sima Lifeng seemed to have become a different person, or rather, Sima Lifeng had truly been reborn.

Sima Lifeng stared at the chessboard, lost in thought. After a long while, he murmured to himself:

"Is this fate? Should I go into Yanquan or not?"

Even Sima Lifeng hesitated.

Sima Lifeng stood up and looked towards Jianying in the north of Yingzhou. After a long while, he turned and went to Yanquan. The matter of Jianying was not over yet, and he wanted to settle it!

This time, Sima Lifeng entered Yanquan not for feelings or love, but for business, so he did not walk along the banks of the Hanyin River.

Long after Sima Lifeng left, another person arrived at the Lonely Pavilion. He was a man wearing a veil and completely hidden from view, and he was also watching the game of chess.

After a long while, the man burst into laughter, muttering to himself:

"I understand now. I finally understand why one must be a ghost among men. A ghost among men can enter, retreat, hide, and escape!"

This person is Ji Xiaoliu, and his only identity and name now is—the Ghost Among Men!

He was no longer a member of the Ji family, no longer the leader of the Demon Extermination Feather, no longer the master of the Demon Extermination Hall, and no longer Ji Xiaoliu.

The ghost among men headed south; he was returning to the Central Continent!

The amazing thing is that the chess game in the lonely pavilion on the desolate mountain is still there. It is a game where you can advance or retreat, yet you are in a dilemma. And it is the same whether you play black or white!

Therefore, Mo Qu was actually torn between two options.

The waning moon rises, and the sound of a zither lingers.

Since the return of Ji Xuanyan in white, the Hidden Smoke Residence in the imperial city of the Ji family has been filled with melodious zither music every day. Moreover, it refuses to receive anyone, including not only Ji Qingfeng, the head of the Ji family, but also Ji Qingyun. Ji Qingyun can enter, but Ji Xuanyan in white will not say a word.

The music continues!

A person walked out of the ginkgo forest and soon arrived at the gate of Yinyan Residence. This person was Ji Xuanyi, the Divine Master Yi Xuan, who wore a half-black and half-white Tai Chi mask.

"Hidden order lies hidden, a game of chess unfolds amidst mountains and rivers, a grand scheme for the world is laid out. Have you truly let go? Why can't I let go? Someone from Yunxia Mountain has entered the martial world!"

Inside the Hidden Smoke Residence, the zither music abruptly stopped. After a long while, the white-clad Ji Xuan Yan spoke softly:

"Yunxia Mountain still can't forget Ji Xuanfeng!"

Ji Xuanyi leaned against the fence, looked up at the waning moon, and softly replied:

"If that were true, I'd be happy. But I'm worried their target is the chosen one!"

"Wouldn't that be even better? Isn't Yunxia Mountain always waiting for the chosen one?"

The white-clad Ji Xuan Yan's zither music rang out again, but this time the piece she played was "Ambush from Ten Sides," its sound resonant and powerful.

Ji Xuanyi remained silent for a long time before asking softly:

"Why can't I see whether the Chosen One is a calamity or a blessing for the Ji family?"

"Haha... Master Shenyi, are you asking me? You are in charge of the Ji family's secret celestial arts, are there any heavenly secrets you don't know? If you don't know them, how could anyone else in the Ji family know them?"

"The Ji family's Heavenly Manifestation Dragon has always been in the hands of the royal family of Yunxia Mountain. My Heavenly Manifestation Secret Technique is just a facade!"

"Then go ask Ji Qingyun. Isn't he the one you serve? What is he doing here at my humble Hidden Smoke Abode?"

"I want to know why you chose Shen Yichen? You must have a reason I don't know!"

Ji Xuanyi spoke directly, without beating around the bush. He couldn't beat around the bush when talking to Ji Xuanyan either.

"Tch, you chose Ji Qingyun, and I don't know why either. But you don't need to tell me, I'm not interested, so I won't tell you. You can leave now!"

"The leader of the Demon Extermination Hall is dead. Are you already aware of this?"

The music from Yinyan Residence stopped again, after a long while.

"not my business!"

"Ji Qingfeng has agreed to hold Ji Yinan's wedding ceremony on the eighth day of next month!"

"It has nothing to do with me. Don't come here again!"

"Xuan Ce Ling is also entering the martial world!"

After Ji Xuanyi finished speaking, he left. He took off the mask and hung it on the fence of Yinyan Residence.

A breeze stirred in the ginkgo forest, but the spring wind could not reach Hidden Smoke Abode. The half-black, half-white mask danced in the wind. Inside Hidden Smoke Abode, the white-clad Ji Xuan Yan sighed softly:

"The martial world? What does it have to do with me?"

"That doesn't sound like you at all!"

Outside Hidden Smoke Abode, another person arrived—a woman dressed in a grey monk's robe.

"It's you!"

"It's me. I'm asking you about someone!"

"do not know!"

"Hmph, don't think I don't know, you were the one who saved him back then!"

"This is Hidden Smoke Abode, not Sacred Hidden Feather Garden!"

The sound of a zither rose again from Hidden Smoke Abode.