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

For several days in a row.

The demon race outside the Sword Qi Great Wall is becoming more and more active. Scouts are being sent out wave after wave, but fewer and fewer are returning.

"The demon race has gathered again, and this is no small-scale skirmish; it is a real army that has marched out from the depths of the wilderness, a dark mass that stretches as far as the eye can see."

Ye Yun was wiping the countertop. He paused for a moment, then continued wiping.

These past few days he has noticed that the demonic aura outside the city is growing stronger, like an invisible dark cloud pressing down on everyone's head.

Fewer sword cultivators came to the tavern. Most of the regulars had been transferred to guard the city walls. They could only rush over for a drink during the shift change, wipe their mouths after drinking, and leave without even having time to say much.

Dong Bude didn't go to the city wall much anymore.

Since "Winter Plum" was sheathed, he has spent his days going back and forth between the cenotaph and the tavern. Sometimes he would sit in front of the grave for a whole day, holding the sword, neither speaking nor moving, like a stone statue.

Sometimes I come to a tavern, order a pot of wine, and slowly sip it while gazing out the window in a daze.

Ye Yun didn't ask him, and he didn't say anything either. The two of them just stayed there quietly, each lost in their own thoughts.

On this day, the eldest sword immortal summoned members of several major families for a meeting. When Ye Yun arrived, there were already seven or eight people sitting in the thatched hut. They were all familiar faces from the Sword Qi Great Wall, each with a powerful aura. The lowest level among them was the Immortal Realm, and most of them were sword immortals.

Chen Qingdu sat in the main seat, dressed simply in gray. On the table in front of him was a map of the wilderness, densely covered with markings.

"The demon race has come with great force this time," Chen Qingdu said in a low voice, pointing his finger to the most prominent marks on the map.

"The scale is unprecedented. According to scouts, there are likely Ascension Realm demons accompanying them, along with countless Immortal Realm and Jade Purity Realm cultivators. Their goal is to breach the Sword Qi Great Wall."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Some people gasped, some gripped the hilt of their swords tightly, and some lowered their heads and remained silent.

A powerful demon in the Ascension Realm?

Some suggested seeking help from Haoran Tianxia.

Chen Qing shook his head, his tone calm yet undeniable: "It's too late. By the time reinforcements arrive, the city will have already fallen."

Silence fell once again in Jian Ge.

Ye Yun sat in the corner without saying a word. He looked at the markings on the map and the long arrow that stretched from the depths of the wilderness to the foot of the Sword Qi Great Wall. He felt very calm.

It's not that I'm not afraid, it's that being afraid is useless.

"What can I do?" he asked, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

All eyes were on him.

Everyone on the Sword Qi Great Wall knew about Ye Yun's slaying of a peak immortal demon, and many people witnessed the sword light soaring into the sky from the city wall that night.

A tavern owner who usually keeps a low profile, but when it comes to fighting, he's more ruthless than anyone else.

Chen Qingdu looked at him, a hint of approval flashing in his cloudy old eyes: "Your Sword of Law can cut through the rules. If any demon race has a being above the peak of the Immortal Realm who wants you to take action..."

Ye Yun nodded and said, "Leave it to me."

The council meeting adjourned.

As everyone left, only Ye Yun and Chen Qingdu remained in the Sword Pavilion. Chen Qingdu stood up, walked to the window, turned his back to Ye Yun, and looked at the gray sky outside.

The clouds hung very low, like a lead plate about to fall.

"Boss Ye," he suddenly spoke, without turning around, "there's something I've been keeping from you."

Ye Yun looked at his hunched back.

"Zhou Mi sent more than just that one person; there's another who may have already infiltrated the Sword Qi Great Wall."

Ye Yun's heart tightened. "Who?"

Chen Qingdu shook his head: "I don't know. But you have to be careful. A meticulous person never makes a single move."

Ye Yun remained silent for a long time. He recalled the laughter of the woman in black when she was captured: "The God of War said that the end of the path of reincarnation is the otherworldly demon! You will also walk that path!"

He also remembered the copper coin in Zhou Mi's hand, which was exactly the same as the one he had obtained in the Lizhu Cave.

"I've got it," Ye Yun said.

Chen Qing turned around and looked at him. There was something indescribable in his cloudy old eyes. It wasn't worry or warning, but something close to trust.

"Go, get ready, the great battle is not far off."

Ye Yun left the Sword Pavilion and did not return to the tavern, but went to the city wall instead.

He stood on the third crenellation on the left of the northern section of the city wall—the spot where Dong Bude usually sat—looking towards the desolate wilderness. The sky was hazy, with low-hanging clouds like an old rag that had been washed many times.

On the distant wasteland, something could be vaguely seen moving, a dark mass, like a swarm of ants gathering.

The wind blew in from that direction, carrying a stronger, more fishy smell than usual. He stood there, the wind making his blue robe flutter loudly.

A storm is coming.

Ye Yun withdrew his gaze, walked down from the city wall, and went to the cemetery at the foot of the city wall. Mei Ruoxue's cenotaph was in the deepest part, leaning against the base of the city wall. Dong Bude sat in front of the grave, holding "Hanmei", with his back against the city wall, his eyes closed, as if he were asleep.

Hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes, glanced at Ye Yun, and said nothing.

Ye Yun sat down beside him, leaning against the city wall, gazing at the simple grave in front of him.

The words "Mei Ruoxue" are engraved on the bricks in front of the grave. The characters are crooked and distorted, and they gleam with a faint light in the twilight.

The two sat in silence for a long time.

"Young Ye, a great battle is coming."

Ye Yun nodded and said, "I know."

What might be dangerous for others is simply luck for Ye Yun.

He had a feeling that his luck would be of great use to him in the future.

Dong Bu looked down at the "Winter Plum" in his arms, his fingers gently tracing the plum blossom pattern on the scabbard: "If I die, help me bury Ruoxue's sword next to her cenotaph. She has been lying here alone for five hundred years. Now that the sword has returned, it's time for me to go and join her."

Ye Yun remained silent for a long time.

He looked at Dong Bude's profile; his face was crisscrossed with wrinkles, his skin was loose, and his eyes were sunken.

He had truly grown old. For six hundred years, he had guarded the Great Wall of Sword Qi, slaying demons his entire life and waiting for humans his entire life. Now that the sword had returned, there was nothing left for him to hold onto.

"You won't die."

Dong Bude turned his head and looked at him, a hint of a smile in his cloudy old eyes: "You've lived for six hundred years, that's enough."

Ye Yun didn't speak. He stood up, dusted himself off, and looked down at Dong Bude.

As dusk settled, the old man's white hair was ruffled by the wind, and the sword in his arms gleamed faintly in the moonlight. A slight smile played on his lips, as if he were waiting for someone he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Old Dong," Ye Yun said, "wait for me to come back."

Dong Bu nodded without asking where he was going. Ye Yun turned and walked back to the tavern.

In the distant, desolate direction, dark clouds continued to roll, and the thunder grew ever closer. Torches atop the city walls flickered in the wind, and swordsmen on night watch patrolled, their footsteps hurried and heavy.

Ye Yun gazed in that direction and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

"A storm is coming," he said softly.

He placed the empty cup on the windowsill, turned around and walked behind the counter. The four natal flying swords flowed slowly within his body, filled with sword intent, and he was in excellent condition.

He checked the healing pills again to make sure he had enough, and then carefully put away the guest elder token and the wooden plaque given to him by Old Man Yang.

Everything is ready.

Ye Yun sat down behind the counter, gazing at the moon outside the window. Moonlight shone on his face, illuminating the calmness between his brows.

He felt neither fear nor tension, only a sense of calm. It was like sitting indoors before a storm, listening to the wind and waiting for the rain.

Outside the window, the thunder grew closer and closer to the distant wilderness. Dark clouds had spread to the horizon, and crimson lightning flashed through the clouds, illuminating the dense, dark shadows on the wasteland.

The demon army is approaching.

Ye Yun sat there, motionless.

He is waiting.

He awaited the storm, the inevitable great battle, and all that he had to face. He was not afraid, for his sword remained, his heart remained, and his task was not yet complete.

He won't die until then.

Outside the window, the first raindrop fell, hitting the windowpane with a crisp sound.

Another great war broke out.