Yu Hongchen

Xie Liuchen stood there in a daze, not daring to take a step closer.

It wasn't until there were buzzing voices beside him that he noticed that there were a dozen or so monks sitting on the grass next to Shang Lixing, some old and some young, forming a circle around him.

Shang Lixing was teaching the formation to the new disciples, everyone listened carefully, but was unexpectedly interrupted by his yell, and they all looked at him.

Xie Liuchen suppressed his excitement, approached slowly, and yelled again: "Senior Brother Shang..."

Shang Lixing sat on the big rock and stared at him. After a long silence, Fang stood up and said to the crowd: "Let's learn today's formation first, everyone go and do your own business." He said to him lightly: "You come with me."

Xie Liuchen walked into the Qiushui Gate with him in a mood full of ups and downs, seeing his figure standing upright and not saying a word, he felt even more disturbed.Shang Lixing's calm reaction was completely unexpected, he thought: "It's different, Senior Brother Shang is different from before." Fifty years is almost half a lifetime for ordinary people, but for monks, It's only a short period of time, and it's normal for Senior Brother Shang's temperament to change slightly.

However, what was the difference, he couldn't tell.

Shang Lixing led him through the gate of Qiushui Gate and onto the small bridge on the river bank. The casual cultivators who passed by greeted him one after another: "Master of the gate." Several casual cultivators who were familiar with him couldn't help but gasp when they saw him behind Shang Lixing One sound.

Xie Liuchen waved his hands and said bravely, "Hi everyone, long time no see."

There were a lot of new faces in the casual cultivator, and I didn't know his identity. After saying hello, he hurriedly pulled the old doorman aside, and whispered: "Who is that person?"

Following Shang Lixing along the way, he saw the landscape of Qiushuimen, almost unchanged, except for a few tall buildings on the southeast side, but at this moment he was fully focused on the person in front of him, he just glanced slightly, and then Quickly withdrew his mind, and called again tentatively: "Senior Brother Shang..."

Shang Lixing didn't realize it, and led him back to his yard, towards the study room, and when he closed the door, the room turned dark, and the warm aura around him suddenly dissipated, and he said flatly, "Thank you, junior brother, I haven't seen you for 50 years."

Xie Liuchen has only fully confirmed since then——50 years have really passed!

Only to hear Shang Lixing say again: "How are you doing?"

Xie Liuchen secretly raised his eyes to look at his back, wishing he could rush up and hug him, but hearing his calm tone, he couldn't figure out his mood at this time, so he just stood on the spot and murmured: "I...Senior Brother Shang, I miss you so much. you……"

Shang Lixing didn't look back, but just replied indifferently: "Really?"

Xie Liuchen became nervous for no reason.On the way back to Qiushuimen, he had already made various plans, even thought of the consequences of Shang Lixing driving him out of Qiushuimen, but he didn't want Shang Lixing to be so indifferent in the face of his return.

He lowered his head, thinking about how to explain.

Shang Lixing asked again: "Then, are you going back to Qiushuimen for something?"

Xie Liuchen said in a daze, "I'll come back to find you."

"Come back and look for me? What do you want me for?" Shang Lixing chuckled, walked to the desk and sat down.

Xie Liuchen replied in a daze, "Come back...to be with you..."

"Come back and stay with me?" Shang Lixing repeated again inexplicably, with a deeper smile on his lips, he picked up a book in hand, opened it, and read it.

Xie Liuchen took a few steps forward and said in bewilderment, "What's wrong, what did I say wrong?"

Shang Lixing buried his head in the book without looking up, and said, "Thank you, brother, the relationship between us is over."

Xie Liuchen's eyes widened immediately: "What do you mean? You don't want me anymore?!"

"When you left back then, you should have understood that there is no endless waiting in the world. What's more, you have been away for 50 years without any news...Why do you think I will stay here and wait for you?"

Shang Lixing's tone was very calm, and when he said the last sentence, he put down the scroll in his hand, and said with a smile: "Thank you, brother, you can't be too greedy."

Xie Liuchen was even more at a loss, and said repeatedly: "Actually, I have been in Zhoujia Village..."

"Then why didn't you go back to Qiushuimen, but went to Zhoujia Village?"

"Senior Brother Shang, I didn't mean not to go back to Qiushuimen to look for you. I really had reasons! I left you a letter before I left!"

Shang Lixing looked at him: "Then, what is the difficulty?"

"I—" Xie Liuchen squinted his eyes, and just saw a book on the table, with familiar and old handwriting, it was the list of casual practitioners back then.He remembered his experience in Hokuriku, and his face changed.

He desperately wanted to explain everything, but when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back, thinking: "Brother Shang knows that I killed Qi Huan, he will definitely hate me even more, I can't say it!"

He shook his head and whispered: "I can't say it, if I say it, you will hate me."

There was silence in the room for a long time, only to hear Shang Lixing sigh deeply: "Since that's the case, then there is nothing to say, thank you junior brother, I'm tired, you go out first."

As if struck by lightning, Xie Liuchen left the study in a trance, walked to the river, and heard a surprised voice: "Junior Brother Xie, are you Brother Xie?"

When he turned around, it was Bai Xuan.

Xie Liuchen was first attracted by her slightly bulging belly, and then came back to his senses, and called out aggrievedly: "Sister Bai..."

Bai Xuan said: "Long time no see, I thought you already..."

Xie Liuchen lowered his head in frustration: "Sister thinks I'm dead?"

"Otherwise, why didn't you come back for so long?" Bai Xuan caressed his brows and asked doubtfully, "So sad? What did the sect master say to you?"

Xie Liuchen said dejectedly, "It's nothing, Sister Bai, I'm leaving."

He was afraid that Bai Xuan would say something embarrassing again, so he covered his face and ran out of Qiushuimen.

In the morning, the sun is warm and the birds are frightening the forest.The casual practitioners listening to the lectures outside Qiushuimen dispersed, and he sat down on the rock where Shang Lixing was sitting with a sad face all the way, feeling cold and helpless.

Brother Shang's reaction was so indifferent.

He was really heartbroken by himself.

That's right, I didn't say a word, I left as soon as I said, and I have been there for so many years, it's rare for Senior Brother Shang to treat me so calmly, so what should I expect?

But all of this couldn't be explained, because once Senior Brother Shang knew about his murder of Qi Huan, he would not be indifferent to him, but hated him.

Whether it's hatred or indifference, it's unbearable for him.He deeply felt a suffocating powerlessness, buried his head between his knees, and sobbed.

Then someone patted him on the shoulder.

He raised his head, and the visitor stared at him with big eyes.

It was a burly young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a golden collar hanging around his neck. His eyes lit up, and he slapped him a few times excitedly: "Brother Xiaochen, I finally found you!"

Xie Liuchen wiped the tears off his face, frowned and said, "Who are you?"

The young man shook him vigorously: "I am Danwu!"

Xie Liuchen said: "Danwu, you have grown up so much."

Danwu was careless, and didn't see that he was lost at this time, but kept asking: "Brother Xiaochen, why didn't you tell me when you left Zhoujiacun? I have been looking for you everywhere in Nanling for decades, I can't find it anywhere!"

Xie Liuchen frowned and said, "I haven't left Zhou Family Village. I'm obviously sleeping in the house, so how could I not find it?"

"There is no one in the house, and there is no one in Zhoujia Village." Dan Wu looked at him with a strange look, sad and wronged: "I thought you were still angry with me and refused to tell me your whereabouts."

Xie Liuchen faintly felt that something was wrong: "Wait, you said there was no one in the room? What's going on?"

Dan Wu scratched his head; "What's wrong? Brother Xiaochen——"

Xie Liuchen only felt that something was deliberately interfering with his thoughts, and he was deeply involved in it, like looking at flowers in a fog, and his thoughts were fleeting.

While thinking about it, Qiu Shuimen quickly walked out of a casual cultivator and handed him a letter: "Thank you, fellow daoist, the master of the sect has a letter for you."

Xie Liuchen stood up with a bang: "A letter from Senior Brother Shang? He changed his mind temporarily?" He excitedly unfolded the letter, and immediately put his doubts behind him.

After reading all the contents of the letter, his mood changed from joy to disappointment, and his whole face collapsed: "It wasn't written by Brother Shang, it was written by Yunshan Sword Sect."

Na Sanxiu said: "Yes, the head of the sect told me that he has repeatedly urged the head of the sect, saying that if Fellow Daoist Xie comes back, please come to the Yunshan Sword Sect!"

Xie Liuchen suddenly seemed to be hit hard on the heart by someone, and lost his voice: "What does he mean by giving me the letter to senior sister at this time? He wants to drive me back to Yunshan Sword Sect, he really doesn't want me anymore!"

"Uh, this—" The casual cultivator didn't know if he was asking himself, he hesitated, "I don't know very well."

Xie Liuchen clutched the paper tightly, as if clutching his painful heart, his expression turned cold, and he flew into Qiushuimen again.

Danwu called "Brother Xiaochen" a few times to no avail, followed closely behind him and broke in.

Xie Liuchen rushed to Shangli's room in one breath, and the man raised the letter in his hand: "What do you mean? You want to drive me away?"

Shang Lixing said without raising his head: "Junior Sister Wan Ning knows that you are not a member of the demon clan, nor a murderer, and intends to clear your innocence and accept you back to Yunshan."

Xie Liuchen shattered the letter and shouted: "I won't leave, and I won't leave even if I die! You were the one who said you liked me back then, how can you just say no?"

He took a step forward and met the man's gentle face as before, only to feel that his lover was close in front of him, but his heart was far away. The fear, worry, and unwillingness that had been nightmares for a long time all broke out at this moment: "Killing is not what I want, I have been separated for many years and I can’t control it. I don’t understand why it’s been 50 years since I woke up. I’m still confused! If this is God’s game, you want to punish me, and I will admit it! But you can’t If you don't love it, you don't love it!"

"Thank you, junior brother—"

"You said I didn't grow up—yes, I was very stupid before, always mistaking sincerity for malice, and love for passion, but I have always understood my own mind, since you took responsibility for me that time After the crime of murder, I have fallen in love with you!" He took a deep breath, tears kept coming out of his eyes, "I know that I have done a lot of things wrong, and I have been trying to make up for it. But the more I do, the more mistakes I make. Get more!"

The more he talked, the more he was aggrieved, and in the end he just sat down on the ground and cried: "Senior Brother Shang, I was wrong, I was really wrong! I really like you!"

His voice was so loud that it almost spread inside and outside the courtyard. The casual cultivators who passed by felt that the situation was not good, and all of them were silent like cicadas, not daring to take a step closer.Only Danwu didn't know the inside story, stood outside the door, listened to him lose his composure and yelled, finally walked in and helped him up at a loss: "Brother Xiaochen, don't do this, it's too embarrassing!"

Xie Liuchen pushed him away, looked at Shang Lixing with tears in his eyes, and only waited for him to give an explanation now.

Shang Lixing's eyes trembled slightly, he raised his head slightly, and seeing him rolling around, he didn't feel sorry for him, and his tone didn't change in the slightest: "Junior Xie, it's not that I'm indifferent, but that I really don't have feelings for you anymore. .”

Xie Liuchen was shocked and took a step back.

Shang Lixing said softly again: "I didn't want to drive you away, you can live in Qiushuimen if you want to, but Wan Ning has been worried about your safety, you'd better go to Yunshan to reassure her."

There was a bustling sound outside the door, and it was obvious that he needed to find the owner of the door again.Finally, a casual cultivator dared to speak out: "Master Xiang, the head of the sect heard that Fellow Daoist Xie returned to the Qiushui Gate, and sent a message again."

This time it was not Shang Lixing who reacted first, but Xie Liuchen, "I'm going to Yunshan now, and I'll be back soon! One day, no, one hour! I'll be back in one hour!" He wiped away With tears on his face, he turned and ran out of the study.

Dan Wu looked puzzled, and followed him out again.