Singing with a Sword

The following is the main text of the novel "{?$article_title?}" ({?$jieqi_title?}) provided by {?$jieqi_sitename?}. Please enjoy! In the lake, Yi Ranxiao, with a complex mix of emotions, swam slowly. Meng Da and the others had actually burned their souls for her sake! Burning one's soul means being unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation! What a terrible price to pay! What a profound debt of gratitude!

……

……

Following the underground river, I swam for an unknown amount of time before I noticed slivers of light filtering through the water. Looking up, I saw a shimmering surface of water that rippled and swayed like a piece of soft silk.

Out!

Yiran Xiao was overjoyed and was about to swim upwards when dozens of crocodiles swam over from the water!

Although Xiao's injuries had improved somewhat, they were not fully healed, and facing these crocodiles, his chances of survival were slim!

The crocodiles suddenly spotted a prey, became excited, and stared at Yi Ranxiao with drooling eyes, swarming over to it!

Yi Ranxiao wasn't afraid of facing a large number of enemies, but using swordsmanship in the water was too restrictive. What about using decapitation to unleash endless icy energy? If that icy energy were released, the entire lake would probably freeze, trapping Yi Ranxiao herself inside the ice!

Therefore, the only option left was to use the Divine Thunder Forbidden Scripture to unleash lightning attacks on the crocodiles. Before the crocodiles could even swim up to Yi Ranxiao, he released a massive barrage of electric snakes!

The lake water, full of impurities, is conductive, and the electric snakes surged wildly into the crocodiles' bodies along with the water!

Hiss~ Hiss~

The crocodiles were instantly electrocuted. Yi Ranxiao swam to the surface and looked around. She realized that this small lake was the very place where she and Meng Da had picked orchids. No wonder there were crocodiles here.

However, thinking of Meng Da, Yi Ran Xiao couldn't help but feel melancholy. Alas, she never expected that the members of their Flying Leopard Mercenary Squad would be so loyal and righteous, even sacrificing their souls for her...

Yi Ranxiao took out Meng Da's guillotine again. Looking at the guillotine, scenes of her time with Meng Da played out in her mind like a movie. Until the very last moment, Meng Da handed the guillotine to her and said, "Brother Yi, please take care of my only sister. She is not my biological sister."

Taking care of his only sister was Yi Ranxiao's natural responsibility, but what puzzled him was why Meng Da had told him, "She's not my biological sister." Even if she wasn't Meng Da's biological sister, Yi Ranxiao would still take care of her. The problem was, according to normal thinking, why would someone say that in that situation?

Still, Xiao was completely baffled...

Yi Ranxiao left the small lake, retracing his steps while recovering from his injuries. He dared not stop to heal in any place; Xue Wuyai was incredibly powerful and might catch up with him and kill him.

The White Desert truly lives up to its reputation as the number one desert in the East. Even if you retrace your steps, you'll still get lost without a guide! These past few days, Yi Ranxiao has changed direction, and no matter which way he goes, he can't see the edge of the desert!

Getting lost wasn't the main problem; the real issue was the harsh conditions and scarcity of resources in the White Desert. Yi Ranxiao wasn't an ordinary person; he could go for long periods without food or water, but that required the absorption of spiritual energy from heaven and earth. However, the White Desert was so resource-scarce that even the spiritual energy in the air was incredibly sparse! If this continued for too long, Yi Ranxiao might also perish here.

Besides, he also had a small stone monkey in his storage bag! Even if he could survive, could the monkey? If they were trapped here for too long, both of their lives would be in danger!

Xiao was still extremely anxious. If he were truly trapped and died here, then Zhi Banjie would not be able to obtain the Orchid Heart Grass, and thus would be unable to refine the Life-Sustaining and Soul-Returning Pill. Xiao Fan would also suffer as a result! Meng Da's sister would be constantly worried about her brother's disappearance. Another thing that worried him was the battle between the Divine Wind Hall and the Vanguard Hall!

Yi Ranxiao has been away from Shenfeng Hall for almost a month and a half, and the hall war will begin in a month and a half! If he is unable to participate, then Shenfeng Hall will be defeated once again!

Absolutely not!

A strong will supported Yi Ranxiao to keep going, dragging his tired body onward. Even if he couldn't find a way out, he might encounter a caravan or something, and then he would be saved! With this belief, Yi Ranxiao walked for many days, but—he still couldn't find a way out, nor did he encounter a caravan! Exhausted, he finally collapsed and fainted. In the instant he fainted, he opened his storage bag.

The little stone monkey is still in his storage bag. If he dies, the bag won't open, and the little monkey will definitely suffocate inside. But if he's released, there might still be hope for his survival.

……

……

After an unknown amount of time, Yi Ranxiao slowly opened his eyes, just like when he first opened his eyes when he came into this world. He thought he was dead, but he came back to life. He was overjoyed, but even more surprised!

The sound that reached her ears was the excited shouts of monkeys. Yi Ranxiao squinted her eyes, and what came into view was a little monkey whose face was initially anxious but then turned to joy. And standing next to the little monkey was a tall woman with fair skin and a graceful figure dressed in green.

Why did a woman suddenly appear? Did she save me? Or did the little monkey save me?

As Yiran Xiao pondered, he sized up the woman. While her appearance wasn't exactly breathtaking, it was still quite beautiful. Coupled with her fair skin and slender figure, she was a pleasing sight to behold.

"You're awake?" the woman suddenly asked. Yi Ranxiao opened her eyes and looked around. She found herself in an oasis. It seemed that the woman in front of her had brought her here.

"Excuse me, did you save me?" Yi Ranxiao asked as he sat up. The little monkey immediately jumped onto his shoulder and squeaked at him for a while. Yi Ranxiao couldn't understand, so he looked at the woman in green.

The woman in green said calmly, "It was this monkey who found me and started chattering away, which I couldn't understand. Then he grabbed my hand, and I followed him. That's when I found you, and I brought you to this oasis. Well, I guess I saved you, but without this monkey, I wouldn't have been able to save you either. So, you could say the little monkey saved you."

The woman in green spoke calmly, seemingly tinged with sadness. Meanwhile, the little monkey on her shoulder squeaked excitedly, as if boasting that it had saved its master. The two presented a stark contrast.

Yi Ranxiao glanced gratefully at the little monkey. This little guy was quite resilient. Even though she had fainted, he was still able to hold on and go find someone to save her. It seemed that this little monkey was not an ordinary monkey. However, she didn't know much about the species of spirit beasts, so she could only ask Huangfu Cheng after returning to Shenfeng Hall to find out what kind of species this little monkey was.

Yiran Xiao looked at his second savior with curiosity, then looked around and asked in surprise, "Are you alone?" The woman in green nodded and said, "Yes."

Yi Ranxiao was somewhat surprised. A girl walking alone in the white desert? Just as she was about to ask something, the woman in green said, "Since you're awake, I'll be leaving." With that, she turned to leave the oasis.

To be honest, when Yi Ranxiao saw this woman, she took a liking to her, so she didn't want her to leave just like that, and immediately called out to her, "Miss!" The woman in green turned around, "Hmm?"

Yi Ranxiao said somewhat awkwardly, "Well, that girl saved my life, and I'm a grateful person. Well, it's bound to be dangerous for you to be traveling alone in the desert, so I'll... protect you to repay your life-saving grace."

The woman in green thought for a moment and said, "Alright, then let's travel together." She paused, then continued, "Since you want to repay my kindness, could you also help me find someone? The most distinctive feature of the person I'm looking for is a small mustache. He's my brother, a mercenary. He entered the White Desert some time ago, and according to the plan, he should have returned a month ago, but he didn't, so I..."

Yi Ranxiao suddenly interrupted her, saying, "Meng Da?" The woman in green was startled, her voice trembling, "You... how do you know my brother's name?"

It turned out this woman was Meng Da's sister! They thought they'd have to go through all sorts of trouble to find her, but they'd just run into her like this! Yi Ranxiao shook her head in surprise. This world is truly amazing!

However, Xiao was immediately faced with a dilemma: should she tell Meng Da about his death directly? If she knew her brother was dead, would she be able to accept it?

"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? Did you run into my brother?" the woman in green asked anxiously. Meng Da was her only family in the world, and the person she cared about most!

Yi Ranxiao hesitated for a moment, but in the end she told the woman in green the whole story. What she needed to know was what she needed to know, and deliberately hiding it might have the opposite effect, so Yi Ranxiao spoke frankly.

Upon hearing this, the woman in green's eyes glazed over, and she became agitated. Pointing at Yi Ranxiao, she exclaimed, "You're lying! You're definitely lying to me!" Yi Ranxiao flipped her hand and took out Meng Da's heirloom, the Demon-Slaying Sword. But the woman in green said, "I know now. My brother must have been killed by you. You must have killed my brother to steal the Demon-Slaying Sword! That must be it!"

Yi Ranxiao gave a wry smile. "Why would I lie to you?"

The woman in green simply didn't believe it. Indeed, the guillotine could be forcibly taken from Meng Da's hands, so it couldn't serve as strong evidence to prove that everything Yi Ranxiao said was true. However—

Suddenly, Yi Ranxiao remembered Meng Da's words and said directly, "Meng Da told me that you are not his biological sister!"

Upon hearing this, the woman in green was stunned, staring intently at Yi Ranxiao. In this world, besides herself, only two people knew that she wasn't her brother's biological sister: her deceased mother and Meng Da himself! The demon-slaying guillotine could be snatched from Meng Da, but how could he easily reveal this secret to anyone else?

Therefore, the woman in green had no choice but to believe Yi Ranxiao's words. However, she immediately burst into tears. Her brother, her only relative, had also left her!

This world is so cruel!

Yi Ranxiao kept comforting her, and the little monkey jumped onto the woman in green's shoulder, comforting her in monkey language as well...