Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Shen Mo's gaze sharpened as he took the water-ripple message talisman. The talisman was cool to the touch, with a strange texture, and the spiritual patterns on it were ancient and profound, indeed quite different from the message talismans he usually saw.

"Do you know who they are from and what they are saying?"

"The talisman has no signature, only a special divine soul imprint as a guide, which can only be read by a specific person touching it with their divine sense. No one in the pavilion can decipher it."

Chen Hao shook his head, his expression becoming even more peculiar. "But when this talisman appeared, it was accompanied by a very faint, almost imperceptible, fluctuation of sword intent. Among the worshippers was a master swordsman. After sensing it, his expression changed drastically. He said that the sword intent was ethereal and elusive, yet it contained hidden mysteries, bearing some resemblance to the ancient 'Free and Unfettered Sword Intent,' but he was not certain."

"Moreover, the feeling of that soul imprint... forgive me for speaking frankly, but it vaguely feels somewhat familiar to me, yet I can't recall where I've seen it before."

"The Free and Unfettered Sword Intent? A familiar soul imprint?" Shen Mo frowned slightly, a thought flashing through his mind. He separated a wisp of his divine sense and cautiously probed the soul imprint on the talisman.

The mark was not aggressive; instead, it emanated a gentle, subtly aloof, and carefree aura. The instant their divine senses made contact, the water-like patterns on the talisman's surface rippled outwards, transforming into several lines of elegant, fluid characters, seemingly poised to drift away on the wind, appearing before Shen Mo's "eyes":

"Twenty years have passed since we parted at the mountain gate. I am very pleased to hear that you have embarked on the path of the Nascent Soul and that your name is known throughout the Eastern Wilderness."

"The Tianyuan era is about to begin, and heroes will gather. Old friends will return, and in Tianyuan City, we will brew tea, discuss swordsmanship, and reminisce about our past ties."

"Name unknown, I bow my head in respect."

The writing slowly faded away, and the letter also turned into a handful of tiny specks of light, like dewdrops in the sunlight, quietly disappearing without leaving a trace.

Quiet.

Shen Mo maintained the posture of holding the talisman, his eyes flashing with extremely complex emotions—surprise, realization, reminiscence, vigilance, and a trace of indescribable tremor.

The handwriting, the subtle charm of "Free and Unfettered Sword Intent," especially the four characters "Name Unknown" and the signature "Free and Unfettered," instantly pulled him back to more than twenty years ago, to the most turbulent years of Qingyun Sect, when he had just transmigrated and everything was just beginning.

"Li... Xiaoyao?" Shen Mo uttered the name in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of déjà vu from a distant past.

"Li Xiaoyao?!" Han Lin, standing to the side, was stunned at first, then his expression turned to disbelief. "It's that... mysterious rogue cultivator, Fellow Daoist Li, who briefly stayed in our sect more than twenty years ago?!"

Chen Hao's body jolted, and he slapped his thigh: "Yes! Yes! That's the feeling! No wonder that soul imprint felt so familiar! Back then, when Senior Li visited our Hundred Treasures Pavilion's southern branch, he appraised several antiques and displayed his exquisite skills in concealment and perception. His soul fluctuations were unique, which is why I had some impression of him!"

"It's just been so long, I couldn't remember for a moment! It was him! He's still alive? And it seems... his cultivation has become even more unfathomable! He can actually use such a lost ancient talisman to send messages!"

Li Xiaoyao.

This name might be unfamiliar to the younger disciples of the Qingyun Sect today. But for Shen Mo, Han Lin, and even some of the earlier disciples, it represents a special and vague memory.

About twenty-five or twenty-six years ago, Shen Mo had just transmigrated and inherited a mess where the sect leader had disappeared, resources were depleted, morale was low, and only Han Lin and a few old, weak, sick, and disabled disciples were struggling to keep things afloat.

His cultivation level was low, only at the early stage of Qi Refining. He barely survived by relying on some knowledge from his previous life and his caution. He had no idea how to revitalize the sect. His biggest goal was simply to survive and prevent the Qingyun Sect from completely disintegrating.

A wandering cultivator who called himself Li Xiaoyao arrived here and, seeing the misty mountain scenery, wished to stay for a few nights.

At that time, Zhang Daniu and other new disciples of Qingyun Sect had just entered the sect, and Han Lin had also just joined. Zhang Daniu served as the disciple guarding the mountain and the gate, and Li Xiaoyao visited the sect many times to play and listen to the teachings.

During this time, he did not disturb the affairs of the sect. Every day, he would either stroll in the mountains, play chess under the trees in the guest courtyard, or chat with Han Lin about the local customs and products. Occasionally, he would give some basic instructions on breathing techniques and body strengthening skills to the few remaining disciples (including Zhang Daniu and Sun Xiaohou, who were still young at the time). His attitude was easygoing and made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

Shen Mo was wary of this mysterious visitor and observed him secretly for a long time. Seeing that he was indeed not malicious and had extensive knowledge and excellent manners, he gradually lowered his guard and occasionally went to ask him for advice on cultivation basics and his experiences in the outside world as a disciple.

Li Xiaoyao always answers questions with unique insights that often hit the nail on the head, greatly benefiting Shen Mo. However, he always remains silent about his origins, cultivation level, and purpose, or casually brushes it off with "a carefree life, making the world his home."

What impressed Shen Mo the most was about half a month after Li Xiaoyao's stay. At that time, Shen Mo was troubled about how to "fabricate" a spiritual spring for Li Xiaocao's herb garden. He needed a "reasonable" opportunity for "discovery" that could be accepted by his disciples.

It was Li Xiaoyao's "discovery" of a spiritual spring in the back mountain that enabled Shen Mo to successfully "fabricate" the spiritual spring.

It was Li Xiaoyao's "discovery" of a spiritual spring in the back mountain that enabled Shen Mo to successfully "fabricate" the spiritual spring.

Looking back, Shen Mo realized that Li Xiaoyao's seemingly aimless stroll around Qingyun Mountain, listening to Su Xiao's lectures, etc., was probably not without reason. It's just that everyone's cultivation level was low at the time, so they didn't feel it deeply. Now that he has stepped into the Nascent Soul stage, he realizes that Li Xiaoyao's behavior was illogical in many ways.

Not long after Su Xiao, Shi Tie, and the others returned from their training trip to Black Mountain City, Li Xiaoyao took his leave. Shortly after the spiritual spring had stabilized, he gracefully departed, saying that he wished to travel to the "Central Region".

Before leaving, he warned Shen Mo: "...Brother Shen, the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow. Your Qingyun Sect's foundation is still a bit weak. Right now, you can still intimidate people with the 'ancient inheritance' as your shield. But in the long run, some people will inevitably become suspicious, or... they might simply disregard the rules and try to use force. You'd better be careful!"

More than twenty years have passed, and looking back now, Li Xiaoyao's warning still rings in my ears. And his warning was not something that an ordinary rogue cultivator could have made.

Over the next twenty years, under Shen Mo's leadership, the Qingyun Sect weathered storms and experienced ups and downs, ultimately soaring to great heights. During this time, Shen Mo would occasionally recall this mysterious passerby, speculating about his identity, but with too few clues and his own affairs too complicated, he gradually buried this person deep in his memory. He simply regarded him as a peer of great skill who had casually stopped by during a period of wandering.

Who would have thought that more than twenty years later, at a time when news of the Tianyuan Conference was coming, Shen Mo himself was caught in a mystery about his identity, and the sect was preparing for war with all its might, this mysterious Li Xiaoyao would send a message in such an abrupt and secretive way!

He also stated that he would attend the Tianyuan Conference, hoping to "discuss swordsmanship over tea and rekindle old friendships"!

"It was him..." Shen Mo slowly sat back in the main seat, his fingers unconsciously touching his empty palm, where there seemed to be a trace of spiritual energy fluctuations left before the talisman disappeared.