1124 Encounter Beneath the Moonlight
The wind blew in the dark night.
It caressed the ground and landed on the buildings in the county's capital city. As it swam, it emitted a whistling sound, stirring up dust that swept past the corner of Old Master Seventh's clothes until it spread to the pavilion of the County Governor's residence.
It lifted Xu Qing's hair.
Xu Qing looked at the night sky and his heart was calm.
This calmness was something the Moon Offering Region couldn't give him. To Xu Qing, what he had experienced in Fenghai County had long made him treat this place as half his hometown.
That feeling of returning home caused Xu Qing's mind to be calm. However, there would always be some voices that wanted to fuse into his peace.
"Little Qing, what do you think is written in the jade slip the heir gave to the old man?"
The captain stood beside Xu Qing with a pondering expression.
"Just now, I noticed that after the old man saw the jade slip, the smile on his face bloomed like an old chrysanthemum…"
When Xu Qing heard this, he couldn't help but cough and instinctively swept his gaze around.
The captain smugly waved his hand.
"There's no need to check, the old man isn't here."
"I reckon that the content in the jade slip must be the heir expressing his admiration for the old man. According to my understanding of the old man, he must be feeling extremely pleased about this."
"Too tacky, too tacky!"
The captain shook his head, wearing a look of disapproval.
Xu Qing remained silent, feeling that it was best not to make any comments on this matter. What if… their master was still around or he could hear them…
The captain clearly didn't think so. He lowered his voice and was about to continue expressing his opinion when a familiar fragrance to Xu Qing blew over from outside the pavilion.
Accompanied by the fragrance, a slender and delicate figure appeared outside the pavilion. She walked over leisurely.
Draped in a pristine white gown, flawless and pure, her black hair danced with the wind, and her phoenix-like eyebrows added to her charm.
Her expressive eyes held a tender gaze, her delicate nose and lightly flushed cheeks radiated loveliness, and her oval face exuded absolute beauty.
As she drew near in the moonlight, her skin seemed as delicate as frosty snow, captivating anyone who beheld it, making it hard to break free from the enchantment.
Other than Old Master Seventh and Marquis Yao, the only one who could enter and exit the County Governor's residence on their own without needing to report was Zi Xuan.
Zi Xuan's arrival seemed to light up the pavilion as well. It was as though all the moonlight was unconsciously attracted by her at this moment and permeated her side.
Xu Qing's heartbeat instinctively sped up.
The captain blinked. The figures of Ling'er and the clay fox appeared in his mind and he began to compare them.
'Ling'er is innocent, the fox is alluring, and Zi Xuan has her own charm… Who else? Oh, right, there's the perverted Yanyan, and Ding Xue who is determined to win over Little Qing, not to mention Qing Qiu.'
At the thought of this, the captain sighed with emotion, realizing that each of these women possessed their own unique qualities.
Hence, he couldn't help but feel a little sour.
'However, speaking of which, Little Qing is quite pitiful. Being stared at by so many shrews, he must be anxious and exhausted from dealing with them. If he's not careful, he'll be killed!'
'Unlike me, so carefree, unconstrained, able to enjoy the freedom of the wind, soaring freely between heaven and earth. From the mortal realm below to the divine above, there isn't anyone who can bind this wild bull!'
'I will forever belong to freedom!'
The captain was proud and felt a sense of clarity. Right now, his thoughts were like those of a sage.
Hence, he coughed. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the height of his thoughts far exceeded that of ordinary people. He was also certain that his thoughts contained supreme truth.
Subsequently, with a calm and unruffled inner state, he looked down at Xu Qing with a sense of inner superiority.
That gaze was filled with sympathy and contained what he thought was life wisdom. He was about to tell Xu Qing about his comprehension.
However, at this moment, Zi Xuan's voice rang out.
"Erniu, Li Shitao is calling you over."
As soon as Zi Xuan spoke, the captain's eyes widened instantly, and at that moment, he seemed to bloom like a chrysanthemum, unable to control the ripples of emotion that surged within him.
His eyes were bright and his breathing became slightly hurried.
'It's the middle of the night and my Taotao called me over?'
The captain licked his lips in excitement.
At this moment, what sage, what comprehension, what freedom? All of them were no longer important.
He instantly rushed out anxiously, tossing Xu Qing to the back of his mind.
To him, no matter how fun other people's business was, it was inferior to his Taotao.
As he quickly left, he even took out a peach and nibbled on it, shouting inwardly.
'Taotao, wait for me.'
Amidst the waves in his heart, the captain's figure rapidly left.
Looking at the captain's departing view, Xu Qing didn't know what to say and wasn't in the mood to pay too much attention. At that moment, his speeding heartbeat became increasingly intense as Zi Xuan got closer step by step.
Although Xu Qing had grown up… when facing Zi Xuan, he was still the same as back then. He was nervous and instinctively retreated.
When he retreated to the edge and couldn't retreat anymore, Xu Qing could only brace himself and cup his fists toward Zi Xuan.
"Greetings, Fairy."
Zi Xuan laughed and didn't speak. She walked in front of Xu Qing and stopped very close to him… When she stood there, a fresh fragrance quietly spread throughout the entire pavilion and spread to Xu Qing's heart. Even the wind couldn't disperse it.
Only the eyes staring at him became eternal.
Under this gaze, Xu Qing's mind was a little blank and he felt helpless.
He had never encountered such a thing when he was with Ling'er. However, for some reason, it was always the same when facing Zi Xuan.
"Turn your back."
Zi Xuan spoke softly.
Xu Qing silently turned his back to Zi Xuan.
Zi Xuan's smile was gentle, and with a slight lift of her jade-like hand, she picked up Xu Qing's long hair. With a graceful gesture, she produced a hairband and tied it up, creating a ponytail hairstyle. She then tidied it up for him.
Xu Qing felt a little uncomfortable. However, if there were others here at that moment, they would definitely be stunned when they saw Xu Qing who had changed his hairstyle. Such a hairstyle made Xu Qing's handsome face even more prominent, adding a hint of unruliness.
"Now, it looks good."
Zi Xuan's voice became even gentler. She walked over and stood beside Xu Qing, looking at the distant night sky with him.
The moonlight scattered down, stretching their shadows on the ground.
The night was beautiful.
The pavilion was filled with peace.
Zi Xuan's gentle voice asked Xu Qing about the events in the Moon Offering Region.
Amidst this gentle voice, Xu Qing's heart slowly calmed down as he recounted the past.
Zi Xuan listened attentively. From time to time, she would turn her beautiful eyes and look at Xu Qing. It was as though there were no distractions in her eyes.
Time flowed by and the two of them seemed to have returned to the time when they were traveling together.
This feeling gradually caused Xu Qing to feel a sense of comfort.
When the night deepened and Xu Qing finished telling her about the Moon Offering Region, Zi Xuan also told him about her experiences in Fenghai County in the past few years.
"In the past few years, my main focus has been on the Qing Xuan Sect, while Fenghai County was managed by your master and Marquis Yao. Everything was recovering. If it wasn't for the arrival of King Tian Lan, you would have seen a thriving scene when you returned this time."
"As for our Qing Xuan Sect, it has already gotten a foothold. Currently, it is quite famous in Fenghai County."
"Also, your master and Marquis Yao opened the Immortal Forbidden Land to be developed again. Because there is no Immortal Forbidden god anymore, a lot of the anomalous substances inside have dissipated. Some books and artifacts were still there, which has increased the power of Fenghai County by a lot."
"I also went to the Immortal Forbidden a few times."
At this point, Zi Xuan stared at Xu Qing. The night wind blew a few strands of her black hair up and brushed past Xu Qing's face. Xu Qing's heart stirred uncontrollably.
"There's a ruin there. It's very special…"
"I can faintly sense that it's summoning me."
A hint of confusion appeared in Zi Xuan's eyes. She had buried this question in her heart for a long time and didn't tell anyone. Only today, when she faced Xu Qing, did she speak.
"Xu Qing, do you remember what I told you about the dreams I often have?"
Zi Xuan's voice was very low.
"The feeling that those ruins give me is somewhat similar to my dreams in the past. I seem to have been to those ruins a long, long time ago."
"I'm not sure…"
"Unfortunately, that place is only ruins."
Looking at Zi Xuan's confused expression, Xu Qing recalled Zi Xuan's dream, and carefully recalled the Immortal Forbidden Land. However, there was a limit to the places he went there back then, so he didn't know what place Zi Xuan was talking about.
There were many ruins in the Immortal Forbidden Land.
However, he remembered the strange phoenix hall where he had discovered the Bottle of Time. Although in his memory, that place had nothing to do with Zi Xuan, he recalled that the moment he placed the Bottle of Time in the 12th Heavenly Palace, he didn't know if it was an illusion but he seemed to have heard Zi Xuan's sigh.
Hence, his heart stirred. Just as Xu Qing was about to ask, Zi Xuan's voice rang out again.
"However, I found traces of you in those ruins."
When Xu Qing heard this, his eyes narrowed as he slowly spoke.
"There aren't many places I've gone to in the Immortal Forbidden Land, but there's a location that will become clear when we get close until it becomes the nine phoenix halls. If we stay far away, it will turn into ruins."
"I lost my memories for three days there and obtained a time bottle."
"After that, that hall seemed to have really turned into ruins."
"If you found traces of me, then it's very likely that the ruins you mentioned are in the same location as the place I mentioned."
As Xu Qing spoke, Xu Qing waved his hand and the divine repository behind him appeared. As it fluctuated in all directions, the time bottle that had fused into it slowly flew out and floated in front of Zi Xuan.
There was a sense of time permeating it, causing one to be unable to help but be attracted by it. Its body also shone and fused with the moonlight, emitting a colorful aura.
It was reflected on Zi Xuan's pretty face, causing her eyes to be clear and bright. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as Zi Xuan stared at it. The waves in her heart seeped out of her fair and flawless skin and turned into a faint red flush. Her thin lips gazed as delicate as rose petals.
A lengthy time later, Zi Xuan let out a light breath. She retracted her gaze from the Time Bottle and gazed into Xu Qing's eyes.
"Shall we make a trip?"
