A Man in the Snow: Starting with a Sword Challenge to the Northern Liang Prince's Palace

into the night.

Ye Yun arrived near Mud Bottle Alley.

He didn't enter the alley, but stood under the old locust tree at the alley entrance. He closed his eyes, channeled his sword intent, and sent out a wisp of extremely subtle sword intent.

The sword intent was very light, like the faintest star in the night sky. It passed through Mud Bottle Alley, through that dilapidated hut, through those sleeping dreams, and landed in front of someone's window.

After a while.

A slender figure emerged from the depths of the alley.

Ning Yao was wearing a light blue dress, her long hair casually tied up with a wooden hairpin. When she saw Ye Yun, her eyes lit up and she quickly walked over.

"Boss Ye!" she said in a low voice, but her tone couldn't hide her surprise.

What are you doing here?

Ye Yun took out two jugs of wine from his pocket, handed one to her and said, "Please have a drink."

Ning Yao took the wine jug, uncorked it, and smelled it. Her eyes lit up even more: "It still tastes the same!"

She took a sip and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

The two sat down under the locust tree, leaning against the trunk, gazing at the moonlight in the distance.

The night at Lizhu Cave was very quiet, without the constant clamor of swords at the Sword Qi Great Wall. Moonlight shone on the rooftops of Mud Bottle Alley, and the old tiles gleamed with a silvery-white light, which was actually quite beautiful.

"Boss Ye, are you here seeking an opportunity?" Ning Yao asked.

Ye Yun took a sip of wine and smiled without saying a word.

Ning Yao didn't press the matter, and simply continued drinking her wine. She drank very quickly, and had already finished more than half of the pot.

She has a good tolerance for alcohol, but she seemed particularly eager to drink tonight.

"Girl, you want to help that kid from Mud Bottle Alley?"

"Huh? Not really, he just saved my life."

Ye Yun smiled but remained silent.

Ning Yao was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "His bridge to immortality was broken. He is different from others."

Ye Yun looked at her, and a complex emotion suddenly welled up in his heart. This female sword cultivator who was decisive in killing on the Great Wall of Sword Qi was now just a girl who was worried about the boy.

The affection expressed cannot be hidden.

"You like him?"

Ning Yao's face flushed red. She glared at Ye Yun: "Who...who likes that stupid boy!"

Ye Yun smiled and didn't expose her.

Ning Yao lowered her head and remained silent for a long time. The moonlight shone on her face, revealing her slightly flushed cheeks and the worry in her eyes.

Ning Yao raised her head and looked at Ye Yun, saying, "I know it's not appropriate to ask you for help. You are my master, and you have taught me swordsmanship. I haven't repaid you yet, but I still have to trouble you."

Ye Yun waved his hand and said, "Speak! What is it?"

Ning Yao took a deep breath and said, "I would like to ask you to secretly help Chen Ping'an."

Ye Yun looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

Ning Yao said, "Now some people want to kill him. Fu Nanhua, Zhengyang Mountain, Yunxia Mountain, and those who covet the opportunities on his body will not let him go. His bridge to immortality is broken, and he doesn't even have the ability to protect himself. He probably doesn't have much time left to live."

"Don't worry! He's protected by Mr. Qi from the private school."

Ning Yao shook her head and said, "Mr. Qi can protect him for a while, but not forever."

Ye Yun's heart skipped a beat; this girl's intuition was indeed sharp.

He was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why didn't you protect him yourself?"

Ning Yao bit her lip and said, "Of course I will protect him. But I'm not enough on my own. Those forces are too powerful. I... I'm afraid I can't protect him."

Ye Yun looked at her, a complex smile on his face.

This girl, who is still a child herself, is already thinking about how to protect another person.

"Okay!" Ye Yun said.

Ning Yao was stunned: "Really?"

Ye Yun nodded: "I promise you, I will intervene at the crucial moment and will not let him die."

Ning Yao's eyes immediately reddened.

She lowered her head, blinked hard to force back the moisture, then looked up and gave Ye Yun a big smile.

"Thank you, Boss Ye!" Ning Yao said with a smile.

Ye Yun waved his hand and said, "Don't thank me. I only agreed to help; I won't shield him from all the trouble. He has to walk his own path in the end."

Ning Yao nodded vigorously and said, "I know. I just don't want him to shoulder this alone."

"You're a good girl, don't be so strong-willed," Ye Yun said.

Ning Yao's face flushed again, and she muttered, "Boss Ye, why are you saying such strange things today?"

Ye Yun smiled.

The two drank in silence for a while.

Moonlight filtered through the locust tree leaves, casting dappled shadows on them.

Ning Yao suddenly asked, "Why do you want to resurrect that person?"

Ye Yun paused for a moment.

Ning Yao quickly said, "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I'm just curious."

Ye Yun remained silent for a long time.

"Because she is my wife, she took a sword for me to save me."

Ning Yao was stunned and didn't say anything, just listened quietly.

Ye Yun continued, "So I will do everything I can to revive her. I want to take her to eat the world's finest food, drink the world's best wine, and roam freely between heaven and earth."

Ning Yao lowered her head and said softly, "Boss Ye, so you're a sentimental person. No wonder your wine is different from others."

Ye Yun laughed: "Haha, not really, just someone I can't let go of."

He finished the last drop of wine in the pot and stood up.

"It's late, it's time to go home."

Ning Yao also stood up and returned the empty wine jug to him. She stood under the locust tree, looked at Ye Yun, and suddenly bowed deeply.

"Boss Ye, thank you for your help over the years, for teaching me swordsmanship, and now for telling me all this."

Ye Yun waved his hand and turned to walk out of the alley.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped without looking back.

"Ning Yao, that boy, although he's a bit slow, is worth it."

Ning Yao stood there, her face turning red again.

Ye Yun smiled and strode away.

The moonlight shone on him, casting a long shadow. He walked out of Mud Bottle Alley, across the long street, and to the dilapidated little house at the east end of town.

I pushed open the door, turned on the light, and sat down by the window.

The moonlight outside the window remained the same. The lights in the dilapidated little house in Mud Bottle Alley were already off. The boy was probably asleep, covered in wounds, with a heart that refused to accept his fate.

Ye Yun took out the unfinished wine and took a sip.

Ye Yun closed her eyes, letting the moonlight shine on her face.

He remembered many things: the moment when Pu She shielded him from the sword, the look in Dong Bude's eyes as he stroked the old handkerchief, Qi Jingchun's smile when he said "A gentleman does not save," and Chen Ping'an's calmness when he said "I hate that I am useless."

These people and these events are all related to him.

And he is willing to bear these consequences.

Because this is what living is all about.

To live is to meet people, form connections with them, support each other, and walk together on the path of life.

Ye Yun closed his eyes and entered into cultivation once again. The myriad aspects of the world, the cycle of cause and effect, are the origin of the cycle of life and death.