Chapter 347 Jiange Xu Man
“The scene is filled with yin energy, like peaks and clouds sharing the fire. The rays of light hold the sun up to the sky, and the red color rides on the wind into the eaves of the palace.” (1)
< br>Gu Xu suddenly felt that this poem was quite suitable to describe the scenery at this moment.
The Mangshan Ghost King is indeed powerful, but its power is limited after all, with just a wisp of its soul.
Like the morning sun dispelling the night gloom.
The black smoke in the alley quickly dispersed in all directions under the strong light and gradually faded away.
Hu Yun's body repair speed suddenly slowed down.
I don’t know if it was Gu Xu’s illusion - he also noticed that there was a hint of painful emotion in Hu Yun’s originally cold and empty eyes.
Such a look had never appeared before, even when Hu Yun was being burned by the fire.
After the black smoke in the alley became thinner, Gu Xu gathered his true energy and prepared to use "Fire" again to completely burn this "ghost waiter" who dared to hurt his fiancée to ashes.
As a person who holds grudges, Gu Xu has long remembered the Ghost King of Mangshan and his "ghost attendants" in the little notebook in his heart. However, due to his limited cultivation, he was temporarily unable to deal with the "Mangshan Ghost King" himself, so he could only deal with its minions first.
However, at this moment, like lightning piercing the night, a silvery white dazzling light suddenly flashed across the dark sky.
Immediately afterwards, a sharp sword light fell from the sky, instantly dispersing the black smoke in the alley.
Gu Xu couldn't help but look up and saw a huge hole suddenly appeared between the thick clouds, revealing the clean and clear blue sky. The sun shone in through the hole, stinging his eyes.
In the ten thousand feet of light, Gu Xu saw a figure flying with a sword.
She was a thin woman with a cold temperament.
She wore a black outfit, long boots, and a bamboo hat with a circle of gauze on her head. Although her face was covered by gauze, Gu Xu could feel her sharp sword-like gaze.
Shi Xiaohan blinked his eyes with longing.
Her dream has always been to become a heroine who can slay demons and do justice for heaven. This woman in black, wielding a sword in the air, was undoubtedly her ideal image of herself.
But the most unexpected thing was the reaction of "Ghost Attendant" Hu Yun.
When this woman in black clothes appeared in his field of vision, Hu Yun suddenly covered his head with his hands and fell to the ground, frowning and clenching his teeth, as if he was experiencing extreme pain.
In the blink of an eye, the woman in black put away her sword and landed steadily beside Gu Xu and Zhao Yan.
Gu Xu took a step forward, cupped his hands towards the woman in black and said, "I, Gu Xu, the head of the Exorcism Department, have met Pavilion Master Xu."
The cold and neat woman in front of him is clearly from Shu. Xu Man, the master of the Jiange Pavilion, one of the "Five Saints" of the Daqi Dynasty, and Su Xiao's master.
Although Gu Xu has never seen her, he knows her appearance and usual dress through portraits and other people's descriptions. Combined with her cultivation, he can recognize her at a glance.
Xu Man glanced at him and said calmly: "So you are the young genius Gu Xu who has become famous recently. It is indeed extraordinary to be able to use "Seven Styles of Burning Heaven" in such a way. No wonder Su Xiao always wants to find I have the opportunity to discuss with you.”
While speaking, Xu Man’s eyes swept over Shi Xiaohan’s body—the petite girl was lying on Gu Xu’s back like a koala, with a pair of apricots. His big eyes were staring at her curiously.
It seems that Shi Xiaohan's appearance awakened some of Xu Man's memories. There was a gentle sigh from behind the tulle.
As for Zhao Yan, she took a step back and remained silent.
After all, after Yan Guogong Zhao Changying rebelled against the country, her identity as a "traitor's daughter" became very sensitive. Xu Man, on the other hand, was the head of the clan and also had the title of "Taibao" in the court. Officially speaking, the two are undoubtedly on opposite sides.
Of course, everyone present did not know that Emperor Tianxing had issued an imperial edict to "kill the traitor Gu Xu". Otherwise, even if Gu Xu was given ten courages, he would not dare to take the initiative to say hello to Xu Man.
"Junior Sister Xu, you are here..." At this moment, Hu Yun, who fell to the ground and covered his head, suddenly spoke, his voice was painful and hoarse.
Xu Man finally turned to look at him.
No one can see her expression clearly through the white gauze.
She took two steps forward, and her attention suddenly fell on the silk flower pinned to Hu Yun's chest - Hu Yun was scarred and ragged, but the silk flower was brightly colored, clean as new, and looked Extremely abrupt.
Just when she was about to speak, black energy rose from Hu Yun's body again, and the painful struggle in his eyes disappeared without a trace, becoming cold and sinister again.
Gu Xu can probably guess that this is the will of Mangshan Ghost King and Hu Yun himself, fighting for control of this body.
It’s just that he didn’t expect that after Hu Yun had been a “ghost attendant” for so long, his own will still existed and had not been completely wiped out by the Ghost King of Mangshan.
Furthermore, the relationship between Hu Yun and the master of the Jiange Pavilion must have been extraordinary - after all, when Xu Man showed up, Hu Yun's self-awareness became extra active, extra tenacious, and even faintly resisted He overcame the control of Mangshan Ghost King on him.
“Get lost.”
Xu Man glanced at the black smoke and said in a cold tone.
She did not draw her sword.
But there was a flash of silver sword light, cutting the black smoke into pieces.
Hu Yun raised his head and looked at her blankly, his eyes no longer empty and cold.
Xu Man slowly knelt down in front of him, reached out to grab the silk flower on his chest, and said softly: "Brother Hu, have you been wearing this all these years?"
"Yeah," Hu Yun laughed dryly like a fool, "I haven't taken it off since you pinned it on my clothes that year."
Xu Man remained silent and did not speak immediately.
Over the years, Hu Yun was expelled from the sect and wandered around the world. Then he somehow became the "Ghost Attendant" of the Ghost King of Mang Mountain. He then moved to Luojing City and worked as an undercover agent for many years... He really experienced suffered too much. He had a broken arm, and his clothes were in tatters and smelled fishy, but this silk flower was still brand new.
Xu Man clearly remembered that this silk flower was made by her own hands using ordinary silk cloth when she was a girl, and it did not have any special magic attached to it.
It can be preserved intact to this day without any dust on it. It can only be because Hu Yun has been subconsciously caring for it.
"When you came to Luojing City and became a teacher at Longmen Academy, I was quite happy for you," Xu Man sighed again and continued, "I thought that you had escaped from the sword pavilion's law as you wished and walked out. To make his own way, to stand out in the Daqi Dynasty, to gain the respect of the world... Well, as you said back then, he slapped the master in the face.
"I didn't expect that something like this happened in the middle. So many things I don't know.
"Well, if there hadn't been that ideological battle between you and Master... If you were willing to bow to Master temporarily, if I had asked for a favor for you, if... if you could How nice would it be to stay in Jiange and stay with me? "
"Yeah, how nice would it be?" Hu Yun looked at her with a silly smile and repeated her words.
Then he lowered his head, looked at his bruised body, and sighed: "It's a pity that time can't be turned back, and I'm about to die... Spirituality is really killing people. Pay for it with your life.”
After all, Hu Yun is not a saint or a strong man.
Gu Xu's magic "Sui" caused fatal damage to his internal organs.
Just now it was the power from the Mang Mountain Ghost King that maintained his vitality and combat effectiveness.
Now, he has cut off the connection with the Ghost King of Mangshan and got rid of the control of the Ghost King of Mangshan. Naturally, he has no ability to stop the passage of his life.
But he didn't expect that he would be able to see Junior Sister Xu again on his deathbed.
This made him feel happy, regretful, and somewhat inferior. "Come back to Jiange with me," Xu Man said, "There are still many treasures in the sect. I don't believe I can't save you."
Hu Yun looked at it with a smile She then shook her head slightly.
"No need," he said, "A ghost and monster accomplice like me is committing a heinous crime. If you live in this world, you will be sorry for the people who died in Luojing City. Those natural and earthly treasures of yours should be kept To those who need them more.
"Actually... Junior Sister Xu, for me now, it would be the happiest thing if I could die sober and happily. It is better than living in confusion and being a puppet at the mercy of ghosts. ”
Xu Man didn't refute again.
She lowered her head and silently arranged his dirty and tattered clothes and the bright silk flower with her slender hands holding the sword.
"By the way, Junior Sister Xu," Hu Yun suddenly said again, "Can I see your face again?"
Xu Man nodded, and then slowly opened the hat. Gossamer embellished on it.
Under the gauze is a delicate and pure face.
Qiong nose, thin lips.
The eyebrows are thin, the eyes are quiet, and the facial features are picturesque.
Although she is not stunningly beautiful, coupled with her cool and neat temperament, she has a unique charm.
“You are so young,” Hu Yun sighed. “After all these years, you have not changed at all. You are still like a young girl. You are worthy of being a genius swordsman who was promoted to a saint at the age of thirty-six.< br>
“And I am only one year older than you, but I am already a bad old man with white hair and white beard. ”
Once a practitioner is promoted to a saint, he can maintain his physical condition for a long time and will not age again until his life span is exhausted.
Therefore, although Xu Man has passed his sixties, his cheeks are still fair and smooth, without a trace of wrinkles.
"Young girl... what you said is too exaggerated," Xu Man squeezed out a self-deprecating smile, "At least she is an old lady."
"No, no, "Hu Yun chuckled and said, "In my eyes, Junior Sister Xu, you will always be the 28-year-old girl who pinned silk flowers for me."
Even if you become a "ghost waiter", Hu Yun will always be the same. I still remember the scene at that time——
The mountain of peach blossoms in Jiange is in full bloom.
He wanted to pick one and give it to Junior Sister Xu.
Junior Sister Xu kept a straight face and shook her head repeatedly, claiming that the peach blossoms looked beautiful, but they would eventually wither and become corrupted.
Hu Yun was very frustrated and didn’t know what to do for a while.
But Junior Sister Xu smiled, took out the silk flower, and said in a naughty tone: "Let me give you this peach blossom that will never wither!"
Perhaps, it was precisely because of this stubborn memory that he could barely maintain a trace of self-will and was not completely wiped out by the Mangshan Ghost King.
“You’re talking nonsense again,” the gauze on Xu Man’s bamboo hat hung down again, blocking her beautiful face, “No wonder your name is ‘Hu Yun’!”
Hu Yun continued to giggle.
While smiling, the look in his eyes gradually faded. Xu Man knew that this was his life slowly passing away.
Just when he was about to close his eyes, he suddenly remembered something important.
He supported his weak body, took out a crumpled book from his robe, and thrust it into Xu Man's hand.
"Junior sister, take it for me... to that little girl," he said exhaustedly, "This... this is the new line that I walked out of after leaving the sect. path...but, I can't continue on it...that little girl still has some talent in swordsmanship...In the academy, I failed to fulfill my responsibility as a teacher and teach her the real swordsmanship. ...If she is willing, maybe she can try to follow this path in the future..."
His words ended abruptly.
He has been a walking zombie for many years and finally turned into a real corpse today.
Xu Man stretched out his hand and closed his eyes for him, then stood up and looked for the "little girl" in Hu Yun's words.
Her eyes first swept over Zhao Yan, lingering for a moment on her fire phoenix wings and the spear in her hand, and then fell on Shi Xiaohan.
Seeing the destroyed formation in the alley, seeing the shackles on Shi Xiaohan’s hands, seeing the looming bird seal pattern on the back of her neck, and seeing the "Kunwu Sword" thrown on the ground. , Xu Man could roughly guess what happened just now.
"Are you a swordsman?" She walked up to Shi Xiaohan and asked her.
Shi Xiaohan said "hmm" and nodded.
"Hu Yun is your teacher in the academy?" Xu Man asked again.
Shi Xiaohan pondered for a moment, pursed his lips, and nodded again.
At this time her spirit had recovered slightly.
She clearly remembered that Hu Yun asked her to practice various basic knife skills day after day, making her breathless and exhausted, and her appetite increased sharply, but he refused to teach her anything more advanced; She also clearly remembered that while Hu Yun was comforting her for failing to withdraw from the "Luoshui Conference", he also tricked her into the formation and wanted to turn her into a "Ghost Waiter".
“Hu Yun must have done a lot of things that I feel sorry for you,” Xu Man continued, “Although it was not his original intention, as his junior sister, I still want to apologize to you on his behalf. An apology. "
At this point, she bowed deeply to Shi Xiaohan.
Seeing a strong saint giving such a gift to him, Shi Xiaohan was startled and almost fell off Gu Xu's back.
"Pavilion Master Xu, you don't have to——"
"——Many years ago, when Hu Yun was still young," Xu Man smiled and interrupted her, "He Zeng had some different opinions from the former master of the Sword Pavilion on the concept of cultivation. At that time, he made a fierce fuss, which made the master very angry. Later, the master couldn't stand him, so he broke up. His sword drove him out of the sect.
"After that, he gave up the sword and adopted the sword, and created his own sword technique based on the "Pingtian Sword Art". And he opened the 'Fengdu Gate' and had his own Dharmakaya.
“Well, if he hadn’t met the Ghost King of Mangshan, he might have had the opportunity to prove himself and become a strong saint.
"It's a pity that fate played a joke on him.
"I haven't read this booklet yet. But if nothing else, it records the set of sword skills he created and what he has learned throughout his life.
“Now he leaves it to you.
“In this way, you can be regarded as his only descendant and my nephew.
“If you read something you don’t understand, you can write a letter and send it to Jiange. Hu Yun’s sword technique was derived from Jiange’s "Pingtian Sword Art". Maybe I can help you answer some questions.
"If you are willing, you can come to Jiange to practice in the future. The high mountains and ridges of Shu are much quieter than the streets and streets of Luojing."
…………
Notes:
(1) Excerpted from Tang Dynasty Qi Bai's "Red Clouds Represent Summer in Shouchang Festival";
(End of Chapter)