Dusk Returns to the Ruined Building

The true world of martial arts is not something you see or hear about, but something you create yourself.

Jingyun Gorge is piled high with white bones, and Beimeng Mountain is filled with desolate graves. This is the beginning of Shen Yichen's journey through the Jianghu in Yanquan.

Shen Yichen didn't realize it, and neither did Yixuan, that this was the path Tian Xianglong had guided them on!

Ning Menghuan led Shen Yichen and Yixuan down a different route.

The three of them, of course, sang and drank their fill as they went. In the world of martial arts, it's rare to find someone to get drunk with! And it's even rarer to find someone to get drunk with!

Shen Yichen was the person Ning Menghuan found to get drunk with.

As dusk fell, the three, still quite drunk, arrived at an abandoned courtyard called Wengqing Manor.

The three of them didn't care. Anyway, they could enter Luowu Ancient City the next day, so it didn't matter where they spent the night.

The three horses stopped here, and so did they. Interestingly, the three of them had actually ridden backwards all the way here.

Under normal circumstances, they should have rushed to Luowu Ancient City overnight, but the three of them preferred the feeling of being slightly tipsy.

That night, a waning moon hung high in the sky, shrouded in a thin mist and light smoke.

By the campfire, Shen Yichen was truly drunk, so drunk that he was drooling in his sleep.

Ning Menghuan must have been drunk too, because she slept with Shen Yichen, and Shen Yichen's hand was on her chest, yet Ning Menghuan was completely unaware.

Yi Xuan, who was sitting by the pillar, suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head to look at the two people who were sleeping, shook his head slightly, and flew out of Wengqing Manor, heading east.

Yixuan hadn't walked far when he stopped in the middle of an official road.

"Oh, I thought you were really drunk. You even let my young master eat the tofu, just to seduce me? Or are you just really thirsty?"

"The mind is weary, the wise are worried, but the incompetent are free. What are you doing following him around? Aren't you afraid that Ji Xuanren will find out you've come out?"

Ning Menghuan leaped and landed in the middle of the ancient road, blocking Yi Xuan's path.

"What does it matter if she knows? She is loyal to the young master, but she dares not, and cannot, utter a single word about my affairs!"

"Shen Yichen is a heartless, desireless, and unambitious person. What a pure and innocent martial artist he is! We should all cherish him!"

"Hmph, you only saw your younger self in my young master, but didn't you change in the end?"

"So I don't want Shen Yichen to change. I can let you go, but once you leave, you're not allowed to come back!"

Ning Menghuan's tone was somewhat cold, but very resolute.

"You? You've been wanting to test me the whole way, haven't you? Tonight, I'll satisfy your curiosity!"

A gust of wind rises along the ancient road, and green leaves flutter down!

Ning Menghuan and Yi Xuan really started fighting.

In fact, not only Ning Menghuan wanted to try Yi Xuan, but Yi Xuan had also wanted to try Ning Menghuan for a long time.

Since it's a test, we should stop short of probing!

The wind has stopped and the night is still. Along the ancient road, fallen leaves cover the ground, green yet disorderly.

Ning Menghuan sat on a treetop, tilting her head back as she drank her wine, swinging her legs freely.

"Go and come back soon. I can keep it from Shen Yichen. Remember my words, don't hurt him!"

Yi Xuan stood in the ancient road, his back to Ning Menghuan, his clothes fluttering without wind.

"I've never been a part of the martial arts world before. When I return, I'll know who you are!"

"So what if I know? I have no weaknesses, because I have no desires!"

"Hmph, once you enter the martial world, whether you have desires or not is not up to you. Ning Menghuan, you will regret stopping me today!"

Yi Xuan flew away, injured, but Ning Menghuan was powerless to stop him.

Under the waning moon, Ning Menghuan tilted her head back and drank a long cup of wine.

"Why isn't he using the Holy Emperor's Technique? Is he really a member of the Ji family?"

Ning Menghuan was of course unaware of the mysteries of Tianxianglong. Along the way, she had been investigating Yixuan, but like Shen Yichen, Yixuan was completely shrouded in mystery.

Ning Menghuan made her move tonight to confirm Yi Xuan's true identity, but unfortunately she failed!

"Brother Chen, you can't navigate the world alone. You either need to be strong enough or have someone to help you. You'd better wake up to this as soon as possible, or it will be too late to change anything!"

Ning Menghuan returned to Wengqing Manor, but she did not see Ji Xuanren.

Ning Menghuan was really funny; she lay down next to Shen Yichen again and placed Shen Yichen's hand on her chest.

"Sister Huan, you're so tempting, I can't resist!"

Ning Menghuan was startled by what she heard and turned to look at Shen Yichen.

Shen Yichen sat up, but his hands were honest and he couldn't help but use a little force.

Ning Menghuan's face turned bright red.

"You... sigh, all the Ji family members are such good at pretending!"

Shen Yichen was pretending to be drunk, but Ning Menghuan was completely unaware.

“I’m sincere, but I’m not stupid. I knew something was up when you two tried to get me drunk. Yi Xuan has a way with Tian Xianglong, so he won’t get drunk at all. As for you, I don’t know what’s going on, but I know you’re not drunk either!”

Shen Yichen quietly watched the campfire. He didn't chase after Ning Menghuan and Yixuan because he knew Yixuan would definitely find him.

"Brother Chen, what about you? How come you're not drunk?"

A sword aura flew out of the manor and turned into mist and rain in the night sky.

"What kind of technique is this? How come it's similar to the swordsmanship of the Nether Sword Sect?"

"I don't know what it's called. This is my first time trying it. I forced all the alcohol I drank out of my meridians, and I was completely drunk, but the alcohol didn't penetrate my body at all!"

Shen Yichen used the cultivation technique taught by Wan Ning. Since true essence can exist outside the meridians, he believed that the aroma of alcohol could also work, and he actually succeeded.

"Brother Chen, you've really matured!"

Ning Menghuan felt somewhat disappointed. Maturity means change, and change ultimately leads to only one outcome: compromise! Just like her, her heart is forever in the martial world, but her body will always belong to the Zixia Sect.

"Sister Huan, to be honest, after going through so many life-and-death situations, the only thing I've learned is that you can't trust anyone!"

Ning Menghuan was taken aback upon hearing this.

"You've never believed Yixuan?"

Ning Menghuan asked a pointless question, and Shen Yichen probably never believed her anyway.

Shen Yichen slowly got up, stood at the door, and looked at the waning moon in the sky.

"In reality, there might not be anything wrong with the Ji family conquering the world. I just really didn't expect that this would be caused by me. It seems good that Yi Xuan has the ambition to conquer the world. He has freed me. I will walk my path in the martial world, and he will pursue his dream of conquering the world. We will each get what we deserve!"

"The Ji family's struggle for the throne is a calamity for the entire world!"

"If the Ji family doesn't contend for the world, will there be no more calamities in the world? Since the law of the jungle is what you consider the rule of the martial world, I don't think there's anything wrong with the Ji family destroying this rule. The martial world will still be the martial world, and perhaps there will be less conflict. It's just that the establishment of a new rule requires far too much bloodshed!"

Ning Menghuan fell into deep thought. She understood Shen Yichen's meaning: to exchange the lives of a generation for the peace of the martial arts world. But that was not just about life and death; it was about the millennia-old heritage of various sects and schools!

Shen Yichen, representing Guanxing Mountain, might be able to give up, but how many people in the martial arts world are willing to abandon their sect's legacy?

"Brother Chen, a drunken revelry is worse than a dream of the martial world!"

"I can't get drunk anymore, Sister Huan, I'm in the game again!"

Shen Yichen closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. The feeling of helplessness and being unable to control his own destiny truly broke his heart.

A waning moon and a gentle breeze; the forest is deep and the water is still.

"Master, what brings you to Yanquan?"

Yixuan was genuinely shocked. He had seen the signal during the day and was already surprised, but seeing the person sitting next to the chessboard now surprised him even more.

"sit down!"

Yixuan sat down opposite the chessboard and looked at the game on the table.

"Master, didn't I tell you how to solve this Hongya Chess Game when I was seven years old?"

"I only recently learned that someone not only solved the Hongya Chess Puzzle, but did so even before you. I'd like to know if there are any other solutions to the Hongya Chess Puzzle?"

Yi Xuan was taken aback by what he heard. He quickly thought about it, realizing that his master would not have said that without a reason.

After a long while, Yi Xuan exclaimed in surprise:

"Master, are you talking about Shen Yichen?"

"We just received news that the elite troops of the Zhushen Army from Qianzong Mountain and Yunshuiyao have left Zhongzhou, and Benyanquan has arrived. We don't have much time left. Have you thought about how to deal with him?"

"Does their arrival have anything to do with our affairs? Shen Yichen seems genuinely unaware of Ji Xuanfeng's whereabouts, and moreover, he is actually the Chosen One!"

Master Yixuan's chess piece fell silently to the ground, clearly indicating his shock!

"Was it manifested by Tianxianglong?"

"Shen Yichen illuminated the mysteries of Heaven and Earth, life and death, yin and yang in Tianxianglong; he must be the chosen one!"

Both master and apprentice fell silent.

After a long while, Master Yixuan said softly:

"Once you enter Luowu Ancient City, he will know your identity. Have you thought about how to deal with it?"

"Let's play along. The chosen one comes from the Ji family. I'm really curious how the Eight Great Sects of Xuantian will respond. Please trouble Master to pass on the message to Yanquan Jianghu!"

Under the cover of night, Yixuan played a game of chess with his master, but it was certainly not the Hongya Chess Game.

As Yixuan left and emerged from the dense forest, another voice echoed from its depths:

"Xuan Ce Ling's men have entered the martial world!"