Embers of Sword

Chapter 695 Elm Tree
The cage of red leaves burst open, and countless withered leaves fluttered and swept in all directions!

At the crucial moment, Jiang Miaoyin appeared.

The two swords, wielding their combined power, stirred up a surging wave of leaves. Taking advantage of the combined force, Xie Xuanyi struck again.

This sword strike appeared powerful, but it had no killing intent. It merely broke the Hundred Flowers Sword Formation before slowly dissipating.

Leaves fell softly from the sky.

The Valley Master of Hundred Flowers retreated dozens of feet, knelt on one knee, and supported himself with his sword.

"Master!"

"Master, are you okay?"

The disciples all gathered around and asked with concern.

"I am unharmed..."

The Valley Master of Hundred Flowers stared ahead and gritted his teeth, saying, "They escaped."

……

……

Qingzhou, a remote little town, in a private teahouse.

The woman removed her veil, took a small sip of tea, and the inside of the teacup rippled, reflecting a stunningly beautiful face.

"Sis, you came way too fast."

Jiang Qihu sat obediently, holding his teacup with both hands, and muttered, "I haven't had a chance to send a message yet..."

"Relying on you is like waiting for the day lilies to turn cold."

Jiang Miaoyin said irritably, "I was already on my way to Qingzhou before you sent the message."

"hey-hey……"

Jiang Qihu scratched his head and gave an embarrassed, sheepish smile.

"Please excuse me for a moment."

Jiang Miaoyin looked at Xie Xuanyi across from her and said directly, "I have something to talk to him about."

"……what?"

Jiang Qihu was stunned for a moment and didn't react immediately.

Jiang Miaoyin didn't repeat herself, but simply tapped the table lightly.

Two bangs.

Having been disciplined by his older sister since childhood and beaten countless times, Benhu quickly left the teahouse private room and went to the outside to keep watch.

The private room immediately fell silent.

Eyes facing each other.

The two grew up together from childhood and were true childhood sweethearts.

With just a glance, one can tell what the other person is thinking.

"Stop looking...it really is me."

Xie Xuanyi broke the silence first. He sighed and said helplessly, "A lot happened during the time you were in seclusion in the Ice Soul Cave... I borrowed the soul-binding secret technique of Forget-Worry Island to come to this dream."

"really."

Jiang Miaoyin lowered her eyes and said slowly, "No wonder Si Qi didn't send a letter this time."

"This time?"

Xie Xuanyi keenly grasped the key information in that sentence.

"This place is called 'Yusang City'."

Jiang Miaoyin said calmly, "Although I was born in Qingzhou, there are many small towns... that I have never been to before. Yusang City is one of them."

Xie Xuanyi was stunned for a moment.

After fleeing from the wilderness of Qingyang City, he followed behind Jiang Miaoyin.

After the three entered Yusang City, they drove through winding roads until they reached this place. Jiang Miaoyin was extremely familiar with the area, as if it were her first time there.

"This is not my first time in Yusang City."

Jiang Miaoyin said, "I am more familiar with the structure of this small city than I am with Qingyang City."

"What exactly... happened?" Xie Xuanyi's expression turned serious.

"It's very simple."

Jiang Miaoyin raised her head, her gaze piercing through the teahouse, looking up at the sky.

She said softly, "I am trapped in this dream of 'heartbreak.' If I cannot resolve the knot in my heart from ten years ago, this dream will never end and will continue to repeat itself endlessly."

Jiang Miaoyin's biggest unresolved issue was the Beihai case. This illusory dream of inner turmoil arose from it.

"Now that I've returned to ten years ago, I naturally want to change this tragedy."

Jiang Miaoyin paused for a moment, then murmured, "However... I've discovered that all my efforts have been in vain."

"I tried many methods."

"Using the Jiang family's influence, we will intercept the pursuers and use the most precious elixirs to help you heal your injuries."

"Persuade the law master to stop the 'Sword Dispatch Order,' and use the power of the Sword Palace to protect you."

"Enter the Imperial City to explain and implore the Imperial City Guard to reinvestigate the 'Moon Concealment Case'."

Xie Xuanyi's expression was complicated. From the moment Jiang Miaoyin spoke, he had guessed the final outcome of these measures.

Although the Jiang family is powerful, it cannot control the entire world.

Even if the old man himself intervenes, he absolutely cannot protect himself.

As for the Sword Palace to intervene, the outcome will only be worse. After all, the assassination attempt on her was just a pretext set up by Renshou Palace. The Empress's real target was the Sword Palace.

The third method is out of the question.

"And then what?" Xie Xuanyi asked in a hoarse voice.

"Everything will be reset."

Jiang Miaoyin lowered her eyes and chuckled softly as she spoke: "I will return to the Sword Palace, to Lotus Peak, and then the exact same things will happen again... Si Qi will return to the peak to deliver a message, the Moon Hidden Realm tragedy will be announced to the world, followed by the North Sea manhunt, and everything will repeat itself in the same order. Until this time, an unexpected event occurred."

Xie Xuanyi's appearance changed this illusion.

“You said earlier…you have come to this city of Yusang more than once.”

Xie Xuanyi asked, puzzled, "What's going on?"

"This should be considered a coincidence."

Jiang Miaoyin frowned slightly and said seriously, "Because time was too tight, even if I set off from the Sword Palace as soon as possible and arrived in Qingzhou... I couldn't prevent your identity from being exposed. The previous battles all broke out in Yusang City, so I simply came here directly to meet you. Over time, I became very familiar with this place."

It is precisely because of this extreme familiarity.

This time, she brought Xie Xuanyi directly here to stay and escape the pursuit.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi fell into deep thought.

Yusang City...

He had absolutely no recollection of this small town of Qingzhou.

Ten years ago, my actions were exposed in Qingzhou, but a great battle did not break out here. Some things that happened in this dream seem to have been rewritten silently.

However, it is reasonable.

Having experienced the tragedy of ten years ago, Jiang Miaoyin naturally would not stay at the Sword Palace this time.

Every action she takes will affect the course of the Beihai case.

Actually, nothing has changed in the previous few times I've met you.

Jiang Miaoyin lowered her eyes and spoke in a very soft voice: "You don't intend to see me... you just want to leave the Sword Palace. Even if I give you the Jiang family's golden core, you won't accept it..."

Xie Xuanyi was stunned.

Yes.

That's exactly what I thought in my previous life.

At that time, everyone in the world said he was guilty... If one person said it, everyone would say it, and wherever you went, you could hear the hatred and curses directed at you in the streets and alleys.

As time went on, even Xie Xuanyi himself became unsure whether he was innocent.

After a bloody battle that lasted a thousand miles, his escape to the North Sea was purely out of the instinct to "survive".

At that time, he didn't want to have any contact with anyone.

I don't want to implicate anyone.

This time, it's really different.

"Miaoyin, there are some things I haven't had a chance to tell you yet..."

Xie Xuanyi took a deep breath.

He raised his head, looked directly into the woman's beautiful face, and said earnestly, word by word:

"The case of the Hidden Moon Realm has been solved."

“I am innocent. The real sinners have already been executed.”

(End of this chapter)