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

Ye Yun's return to the Sword Qi Great Wall is not important.

The main news was about the reopening of "Forget-Me-Not Tavern," which spread like wildfire throughout the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Many people who enjoy drinking seem to have found a place to kill the demon and play with it.

Ye Yun didn't bother to notify anyone. He simply opened the door, wiped the tables and chairs clean, arranged the wine jars, and then sat behind the counter to wait.

He knew that those who were meant to come would eventually come.

When the door was pushed open, Ye Yun was wiping a ceramic bowl. He looked up and saw a burly man standing in the doorway, backlit, so he couldn't see his face clearly.

But Ye Yun recognized him at a glance: his carefree demeanor, the scar on his left cheek running from his brow bone to his chin, and those eyes that always seemed to be smiling.

Qian Shouxin.

He was much stronger than a year ago, with broader shoulders and thicker arms, standing there like a wall. But his left leg was slightly lame, and he walked with a slight limp, as if he had suffered some kind of injury.

He was no longer wearing that tattered short jacket, but a nearly new city defense battalion uniform, with a broad-bladed longsword hanging at his waist.

Qian Shouxin grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and said, "Boss Ye, I didn't believe you when I heard you were back. This morning, I was on patrol and saw the lights on; I thought I'd seen a ghost!"

Ye Yun put down the ceramic bowl and looked at him.

Qian Shouxin strode in, each step making a loud thud on the floor. When he reached the counter, he slammed his hand on the table, causing the wine jug on it to jump.

"I'll pay you back the money I owe you for drinks today!" He pulled out the money from the mountain from his pocket, spread it out on the counter, and looked at Ye Yun triumphantly.

Ye Yun looked down at the raindrops, then looked up at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"What about the interest?"

Qian Shouxin's smile froze for a moment. He touched his nose, muttering somewhat guiltily, "Interest... could you pay the interest for a few more days?"

Ye Yun didn't say anything, but simply took out a flask of wine from under the counter and placed it in front of him.

Qian Shouxin's eyes lit up, and without waiting for Ye Yun to call out, he pulled out the stopper and took a big gulp.

As the wine went down his throat, he squinted his eyes, a look of extreme enjoyment on his face.

"It still tastes the same," he exclaimed.

"I haven't had it in a year, I've missed it so much."

Ye Yun poured him another glass, then leaned against the counter and looked at him.

After a few drinks, Qian Shouxin started talking non-stop. He went on and on about the events of the past year, how the demon race's offensive had become increasingly fierce, and how they attacked the city every few days.

He patted his left leg and said nonchalantly:

"Trading a leg for a Golden Core demon is worth it."

Ye Yun looked at him without saying anything, but felt a little admiration for the man.

"But Zhao Qi, before he died, said he couldn't pay back your money for the drinks."

"I've got it. I'll go find him down there sometime," Ye Yun said with a hint of emotion, half-jokingly.

Qian Shouxin nodded, wiped his face, and took another swig of wine.

He quickly reverted to his usual carefree grin and began boasting about his heroic exploits on the battlefield. Ye Yun listened, occasionally responding and pouring him a drink.

As evening fell, the tavern door was pushed open again.

This time, it was a woman who came in.

Clad in a green robe, wielding a long sword, and with sharp eyes, she stood at the entrance, her gaze sweeping across the empty tavern before settling on Ye Yun behind the counter.

It was Ning Yao, that girl.

She walked to the counter, sat down, and looked at Ye Yun.

"Boss Ye, you're back too." Ning Yao said in a calm tone, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

Ye Yun took the "Longing" wine from the wine rack, poured her a glass, and pushed it towards her.

Ning Yao looked down at the wine in her glass, then picked it up and took a sip. Her brow furrowed slightly, not because she disliked the wine, but because she seemed to have remembered something.

"Are you willing to leave that kid?" Ye Yun asked with a smile.

Ning Yao paused for a moment.

She paused for a moment, put down her wine glass, and looked out the window. Outside was the long street of the Sword Qi Great Wall; several sword cultivators hurried past in the twilight, none of them stopping.

"What's there to be reluctant about? He's still a bit short." Ning Yao's voice was very soft.

Ye Yun didn't ask any further questions, but simply poured her another glass.

Ning Yao picked up her wine glass and took a big gulp. She drank it a little too quickly, choked, and coughed a few times.

Given this girl's personality, it's a bit strange that she's fallen for Chen Ping'an.

"Chen Ping'an's bridge to immortality is broken, and I don't know how to help him."

Ning Yao felt reluctant, but there was nothing she could do.

Ye Yun did not answer.

Chen Ping'an was from the main family, so naturally he wouldn't die.

Ning Yao looked at him, her eyes filled with a complex expression: "Boss Ye, do you have any ideas?"

Ye Yun shook his head and said, "Do you think he'll die? He survived such a dangerous situation."

Ning Yao stared at him for a long time.

Then she lowered her head, a faint smile appearing on her lips, so faint it was almost invisible, but Ye Yun saw it.

"That's good."

"Let's go!"

Ning Yao stood up, hung the longsword back on her waist, and straightened her clothes.

She walked to the door, then suddenly stopped without turning around.

"Boss Ye, you seem to have gotten even stronger. Teach me swordsmanship sometime."

Ye Yun watched her retreating figure and nodded.

"it is good."

The tavern fell silent.

Qian Shouxin peeked out from behind the table in the corner. He had disappeared there sometime before Ning Yao came in.

He glanced at the doorway, then at Ye Yun, and whispered, "This girl seems to have changed a lot since she went out."

Ye Yun smiled and said, "I have someone I like."

Qian Shouxin then said, "Who could this girl possibly like?!"

Ye Yun remained silent, only offering a smile.

Qian Shouxin scratched his head and looked at Ye Yun: "Boss Ye, did you go to the same place as her?"

Ye Yun did not answer, but simply collected the silver from the counter and cleaned up the wine cups and wine pot.

Qian Shouxin wisely refrained from pressing the matter further.

He finished the last sip of wine in his glass, stood up, and patted his butt.

"I'm off, I have patrol duties tomorrow. Boss Ye, I'll pay you back for the drinks when I get my paycheck."

Ye Yun looked at him: "Didn't you just return it?"

Qian Shouxin chuckled and touched his nose: "That was paying off the old debts. Today's drink is new, so I have to start owing again."

Done.

He pushed open the door and limped out.

Ye Yun was the only one left in the tavern.

He sat behind the counter, watching the sky outside the window gradually darken. Twilight poured in through the window, filling every corner of the tavern.

A night breeze blew by, carrying the chilling aura unique to the Great Wall of Swords. He looked up at the top of the wall, where sword lights flashed—the night watchmen were patrolling.

In the distant, desolate world, everything was pitch black, with only a few eerie green flames occasionally drifting by, like the eyes of ghosts.

He suddenly felt that the moon over the Great Wall of Sword Qi was brighter than it had been a year ago.

Perhaps it was because he had been gone for a year, and it had been too long. Perhaps it was because of the events at Lizhu Cave Heaven that he had gained a new understanding of life and death. Perhaps it was simply because he had returned.

He returned to the place where he had lived for five years, and to the people he had known for five years.

To truly transform oneself and comprehend the meaning of reincarnation, one must first comprehend the fundamental nature of life and death.