knife

Chapter 125 The past is like smoke

Zhou Zhi stood by the window, his gaze passing over the blooming winter plum blossoms in the courtyard, through layers of clouds and mist, and over mountains, as if he could see again that once-powerful city and those familiar figures.

"Stephen Chow, what do you want to do in the future?"

"I want to be a great hero who saves the country and its people!"

"Haha, with such poor martial arts skills and little education, you still want to be a great hero? You're more like a big bear!"

"Don't underestimate me. One day, I will achieve the Innate Realm and reach the Divine Realm."

"Then I'll be watching closely! Don't let me turn into an old woman before you've even mastered anything!"

"Don't underestimate people, He Qingqiu. What do you want to do in the future?"

"Of course I'll go save the world. This world is in a bad state and needs to be changed."

"Haha, so you thought the same thing as me."

He Qingqiu, with two long braids, was standing right in front of him, but he felt like he was looking at flowers through a fog, as if she were both far away and very close.

He Qingqiu must have been just over twenty years old at that time.

In a flash, He Qingqiu in green disappeared, replaced by He Qingqiu in a snow-white silk dress, smiling and raising her wine bowl at him: "Zhou Xingxing, I'm getting married, you have to come. By the way, what gift have you prepared?"

"I'm not going! Li Anze is no good man. I don't agree to you marrying him! I object!"

“Hey, Stephen Chow, you’re my friend, not my parents or my mentor. I don’t care if you agree or not! Whether you go or not, you have to give a gift.”

With a snap, the young man pulled something from his pocket and slapped it in front of the woman in white. "The gift is here. I'm not going anyway."

"My God, snow spider silk, Stephen Chow, where did you get this?"

"He Qingqiu, have you thought this through? Do you love Li Anze, or do you love his status? If you want to save the world, do you have to marry him?"

"Zhou Xingxing, are you jealous? Hahaha, Anze treats me very well, his status as the crown prince is not important to me."

"Who's jealous? I just think he's not good enough for you! No one in this world is good enough for you!"

Then, a blur appeared before her eyes again. He Qingqiu in white suddenly vanished, and in front of her stood a woman in black, covered in blood and holding a newborn baby.

"Qingqiu, what's wrong with you? Who could possibly hurt you?" The young man looked at the woman in shock and disbelief.

In the eyes of young people, the woman's martial arts skills were almost unmatched. Her husband was one of the most distinguished people in the world. How could she have become like this?
“Stephen Chow, this is my son. Take him with you and go as far as you can.”

“Alright!” The young man took the child without hesitation and held him in his arms: “But He Qingqiu, my martial arts skills are weak, I’m afraid I can’t protect him.”

"It's alright. I'll turn back and kill all those who are chasing me. And I won't let them know that I've already had a child. He Qingqiu's son doesn't exist in this world!"

"Since you still have the strength to kill, why don't you come with me?"

"I can't leave now. This child's vital energy was damaged in the womb before he was even born. To save him, I cleared all his meridians and cleansed all his muscles and bones. The price? I'm about to die!"

"He Qingqiu, are you crazy? You can have another baby if you lose the child, but if you lose yourself, you lose everything!"

"I can't have any more children, Anze is dead. Take good care of Bao'er for me!"

Her voice still lingered in my ears, but she had already vanished.

All that was in front of me was white. After an unknown amount of time, my vision cleared up again. This time, I saw a young man holding an infant in his arms, standing on the top of a high mountain. In the distance, thunderous roars could be heard from time to time.

Some people soared into the sky, seemingly trying to escape, but the black figure followed them relentlessly. After several exchanges, those who tried to flee were ultimately forced to land again. The commotion gradually subsided.

Suddenly, a clear phoenix cry rang out from afar, and a burst of red light shone brightly, making even the sun in the sky seem pale in comparison.

The young man collapsed to the ground with a thud, watching in despair as sparks rose from the distance and slowly disappeared into the sky and earth.

That is the Phoenix's Flame.

He Qingqiu refined the Phoenix Flame.

She has departed on the flames, and there will be no more He Qingqiu in this world!
"This is your mother. Her story could go on for three days and three nights." Zhou Zhi turned around, his eyes a little moist. "If it weren't for you, how could she have died with her cultivation level? Da Chui, remember this well: your life was bought with your mother's life."

Li Dachui wiped away his tears, rubbed his face vigorously, and asked, "Who killed my mother? Was it the emperor?"

Zhou Zhi pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Li Dachui: "At that time, the Third Prince Li Anmin suddenly launched an attack, initiating the Chang'an Coup. The Crown Prince's Eastern Palace became the focus of the attack. Your mother was pregnant at the time in the Lishan Villa. Upon hearing the news, she rushed back to rescue your father. The enemy had set a trap in the Eastern Palace, waiting for your mother to return. In a fierce battle, your mother broke through the encirclement alone."

"Doesn't Father have any allies? Is he such a failure as the crown prince?"

"How bitter!" Zhou Zhi's face twisted into a grimace. "He Qiku was a confidant of the Crown Prince. At the time, he controlled the Left Camp of the Imperial Guards and was responsible for the security of the capital. If he hadn't betrayed us, those people wouldn't have been able to touch the Crown Prince at all. As for the others? Heh heh, what your parents wanted to overthrow were the powerful and influential families of the land. Those who supported him were all from poor families. Although these people became officials, how much power did they really have? As soon as the rebellion started, almost all of them were killed."

"No wonder you always said that the streets of the capital are filled with the suffering of officials and nobles, and the gates of the capital are adorned with the heads of the powerful and wealthy!" Li Dachui suddenly realized, "Indeed, there isn't a single good one among them. Didn't they have a chance to turn the tide back then?"

"Of course there was!" Zhou Zhi said angrily, "If your father had been decisive enough to kill Li Anmin and several other leading powerful families, he would have been in an invincible position. At that time, why didn't he rebel? If those powerful families had really launched a rebellion, whether it was the northern border army or the southern garrison army, it would have been easy to wipe them out. At most, it would have caused chaos for a few years. Your father wanted to overthrow them, but he didn't want the world to fall into chaos. He wanted this and didn't want to give up that. Is there anything in this world that can be perfect? ​​It's a pity that your mother lost her life for him!"

"Who exactly is my mother? That Duanmu Miaomiao said that the Qiankun Qi I practice is the supreme martial art of the Southern Demonic Sect, and that the Phoenix Fire my mother practices is also a demonic sect skill, which was created from the Qiankun Qi," Li Dachui asked. "You have never told me anything about the Southern Demonic Sect."

“Outsiders call them the Demonic Sect, but we all call them the Divine Sect!” Zhou Zhi took a deep breath: “Your mother and I are actually both members of the Divine Sect. It’s just that your mother is a high and mighty Holy Maiden of the Divine Sect, while I am just a servant in front of her.”

"A holy woman of the Divine Cult?"

“That’s right, there’s not only a Holy Maiden, but also a Holy Son!” Zhou Zhi said, “Qiankun Yiqi is the sect’s supreme divine skill, and no one has been able to cultivate it successfully for many years! This skill is not a secret in the sect; anyone who reaches a certain level can practice it. However, as far as I know, those who dare to try have all died from the cultivation. On the other hand, many people practice the Phoenix Fire and Moonlight Weak Water that are generated from it. The Holy Maiden of the sect practices the Phoenix Fire, and the Holy Son of the sect practices the Moonlight Weak Water.”

"It sounds strange that women cultivate the extremely yang and strong fire, while men cultivate the extremely yin and soft water."

"What's so strange about that? The Phoenix Flame is extremely yang and strong, so it needs to be refined by a woman with a pure yin constitution to avoid being burned to death by the flames. The Moonlight Weak Water is extremely yin and soft, so it naturally needs to be refined by a man with a pure yang constitution."

Why didn't you refine it?

"I don't have that physique. To refine the Fire of Separation or the Weak Water would be suicide!" Zhou Zhi said irritably.

"But godfather, how could you have dared to let me cultivate such an evil Qi of Heaven and Earth? Weren't you afraid I would die from it too?" Li Dachui asked curiously.

“Didn’t your mother cleanse your meridians and bones? I think if there’s anyone in this world who can refine the Qi of Heaven and Earth, it’s only you!” Zhou Zhi said, “Moreover, if you want to take revenge in the future, your martial arts cultivation must at least reach the level of your mother, or even be stronger! That’s why I let you refine it.”

Li Dachui stared intently at Zhou Zhi, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Alright, I admit I took a risk. Anyway, at the time I thought my martial arts cultivation was just so-so. Wanting to avenge your mother was just wishful thinking. Let's see if you can succeed. If you can't, then so be it. What difference does it make whether you die at ten or a hundred years old?"

Li Dachui looked at Zhou Zhi with annoyance: "I really thank you on behalf of my mother! Your idea is quite unique! If my mother had known that you thought this way, she certainly wouldn't have entrusted me to you."

"Hmph, anyway, I succeeded!" Zhou Zhi said smugly, "You've cultivated the Qi of Heaven and Earth to this level, so there are basically no obstacles left. The rest is just a matter of perseverance. And you won't have the constraints of ordinary people. Reaching the Innate Realm and traveling in spirit mode is a sure thing. Kid, once you reach the Innate Realm, you can go on a trip to the South!"

"I haven't even finished dealing with things outside the Great Wall, what am I doing running off to the South?" Li Dachui asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Because only one type of person can become the leader of the Divine Cult! That is, someone who has mastered the Qi of Heaven and Earth. As far as I know, no one has succeeded in mastering it in the past few hundred years, so they only have acting leaders," Zhou Zhi said. "Don't underestimate the Divine Cult just because it doesn't have much of a foundation in the north; it's incredibly powerful in the south. If you became the leader of the Divine Cult, haha, what a sight that would be like!"

Li Dachui tilted his head, looking at Zhou Zhi as if he were an idiot.

(End of this chapter)