The jade pendant fell into her palm, and the chill penetrated her senses through the skin.
Li Longling froze, and she bit her lips lightly.
Since this man had put the pendant in her hand, it meant that the restriction imposed by her father had disappeared.
What this meant was self-evident.
The red snow had stopped, the demonic cultivators had died, and she had no one to rely on anymore.
She had never seen the light of day since she was born.
However, she never felt that this darkness was scary.
There was always a pair of big supporting hands behind her and a motivating voice in her ears.
But now...
The darkness that she was used to had become unfamiliar.
For the first time, she felt that the endless darkness in her eyes was so terrifying.
Li Longling had thought before that after the dust had settled, there would be many things waiting for her to do -- the Dragon House needed someone to take charge of the overall situation, the dead and injured monks needed to be buried and tended to, the damaged city needed to be repaired, and the survivors were waiting for her to give an explanation...
But now, she felt that these things did not matter. She didn't want to do anything now. She just wanted to stay here.
The Dragon House and its future had nothing to do with her.
But just when she was ready to give up on herself, a gentle young voice lit up a spark in the endless darkness in her eyes.
"And, Madam Li, I'm sorry for your loss."
"..."
Li Longling slowly raised her head toward Ye Anping and clenched the jade pendant in her hand.
This pendant was the Dragon House Master's token. Li Feng gave it to her many years ago. At that time, she only thought it was a simple identity token, but now, after hearing what the young man had called her, she understood how heavy this jade talisman really was.
It was so heavy that her hands could not lift it.
The maid named Ling'er looked in disbelief after hearing Ye Anping's words.
"Young master, you said you are sorry for the loss... What do you mean? What loss?..."
Ye Anping just looked at her without explaining, then saw Li Longling slowly standing up from the ground.
She put the jade pendant into her storage bag and asked, "Master Ye, can you take me there? I want to send my father on his last journey."
Ye Anping hesitated, fearing that Li Longling might not be able to withstand the pressure. It would be better to rest and calm down for a day or two, so he confirmed with her. "Now?"
"Yes, please."
"Okay..." Ye Anping sighed softly, then gently held her hand and turned to look at Xiao Yunluo. "Sister Xiao, please look after my sister and the others. I'm going out with Madam Li for a while."
Xiao Yunluo, who was helping Feng Yu Die unwrap the bandage, looked back. Seeing Li Longling's frown, she couldn't help but feel sympathy in her heart.
"Well, be careful. There may be blood spirits lingering outside."
"Right."
Watching the two walk out of the room with the maid, Xiao Yunluo thought for a while, then simply threw the bandage in Feng Yu Die's hand, stood up, and prepared to follow them secretly.
"Huh?" Feng Yu Die looked dumbfounded. "Sister Xiao, you..."
"Take care of yourself. I have something to do."
"What's going on?"
"Don't worry about it, just take care of Lianxue. You guys should be able to slowly resume activities after taking the high-quality Recovery pill and adjusting your breathing."
After saying that, Xiao Yunluo stood up and started to follow them out, but when passing by the door, she glanced at Liang Zhu, who was now leaning against the wall. Seeing his eyes, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"You... have I seen you somewhere?"
Meeting Xiao Yunluo's gaze, Liang Zhu immediately looked away.
There was a storage bag in his storage bag and another storage bag in the inner storage bag. There were seven layers in total, containing the black stone sword worth one million spirit stones that he had stolen from Xiao Yunluo previously.
If he was recognized...
Liang Zhu lowered his voice and made it sound hoarse. "It is truly an honor for me to meet Young Lady Xiao. However, I am only a rogue cultivator and have never been to the Black Star Sect. How could I have met you?"
"Hmm..."
Xiao Yunluo nodded hesitantly. She felt that this man looked very similar to the Seven Slayers Sect cultivator who had snatched her sword in the back mountain of the Black Star Sect. However, this man was brought by Ye Anping after all, so she gave up on this idea and took out a bottle of pills from the storage bag, giving it to him.
"Then you have a good rest and take these pills. I won't ask you for money."
"Thank you, Young Lady Xiao."
Liang Zhu nodded in agreement and watched Xiao Yunluo run out. Then, he picked up the pill bottle she handed over, opened it with difficulty, and after taking a look, his eyes widened instantly.
Did she just give him a bottle of top-grade Recovery pills?
The price of this bottle could be exchanged for an acre of four-grade spiritual cave dwelling.
As expected of the young lady of the Black Star Sect, she was really rich.
He put the cork back on and put the bottle in a storage bag for safekeeping. He was going to exchange it later for spirit stones and buy cultivation pills for Ating with them.
And after that, when he went to the Hundred Lotus Sect, he must also prepare some gifts to show his respect...
...
In the corridor of the inner mansion, the lights were dim, and there were no voices.
Ye Anping supported Li Longling and walked down the corridor to the garden. After a while, they passed through the crescent gate and reached the pavilion.
The maid who followed them bit her lip and sobbed when she saw Li Feng, who was sitting at the stone table as if playing Go but making no movement.
"Master..."
Hearing her voice, Li Longling stopped and interrupted her. "Ling'er, please wait outside the garden."
"Miss... but..."
"Go now."
"...Yes, Miss."
After the maid left, Li Longling removed her hand from Ye Anping's arm and walked toward the pavilion. She touched the edge of the stone table before stretching out her hand to put it on Li Feng's already cold hand.
She was silent for a long time.
Ye Anping approached and glanced toward the Go board. He saw that there were more stones on it than when they came, so he knew that Si Xuanji had probably already talked to Li Feng.
If white had made another move in the game, he would have won, but it stopped at the last move.
If the game was not finished, it was a draw.
Ye Anping looked at Li Feng's hand but saw no sign of the Heavenly Splitting Sword . For a moment, he thought Si Xuanji might have taken it back as a souvenir, but it was unlikely that the old woman would do such a thing.
After a moment of hesitation, he picked up a white stone and placed it on the ending position on the board.
Clatter --
The stone fell, and a beam of energy emerged.
A three-foot-three-inch white spirit sword appeared on the Go board.
Ye Anping reached out to take it and looked at it.
This sword was indeed a high-quality weapon that Li Feng dropped in the game. It lasted enough for players to use it until the middle stage of Nascent Soul . And now, he could take this sword for himself and bring it back to his sister.
But...
It wasn't like he couldn't find something more suitable for his sister.
Ye Anping looked at Li Longling thoughtfully. He then stepped forward, grabbed her shoulders, turned her to face him, and took her into his arms.
?!
Li Longling was startled, but after feeling the hand caressing her head, her tense body gradually relaxed.
"I'll lend you my chest. Don't hold back. Cry if you want."
Li Longling grabbed Ye Anping's lapel with her small hands and bit her lip. "There's no need..."
Ye Anping pressed her face on his chest with a little force, frowning, and reprimanded her. "Cry for me!!"
"Sniff--"
"Good..." Ye Anping's frowning eyebrows relaxed, and he gently stroked her back. "Just cry. Being strong is just for others to see. No one will know that you have cried."
"Woo-wu-wu-wu ah ah ah--"