60. My Master Gave Me a Home, and That Was Enough.

Su Qing'an tried to find the stacked letter paper from before, but to no avail.

It seems that when Li Shishi got to this point, something happened that made her put the letter aside. She probably just quickly packed the letter away and didn't continue writing.

Without sufficient information, he was unable to determine the specific events.

Having learned some information about Li Shishi along the way, and judging from the time she left the last letter, she should not have encountered any danger at that time.

And it is thanks to the title of "Number One Under Heaven" and "One Sword Sinks the River" that the girl's whereabouts are so easily discovered that they cause a great uproar. As a result, there are quite a few legends left behind. Otherwise, if it were like Jiang Rongyue, there would be no way to make a judgment.

Su Qing'an was organizing the information brought by the letter.

Currently, the reason the two cannot find each other is that she disappeared without a trace about two years ago.

And since she could not be found in the vast pilgrimage site, it was naturally impossible to retrieve any related memories from passersby.

This was, after all, an ancient world with limited technology. Once Jiang Rongyue stepped into the vast sea of clouds, she would leave no trace or clue. Trying to find it in the way that ordinary people did, as Li Shishi wrote, was indeed so difficult that there was almost no hope.

As for the worst-case scenario that Li Shishi was worried about.

Su Qing'an, however, was not pessimistic about this. Even though he had not witnessed the strange phenomena that occurred after the girl entered the Ascending Tower State to corroborate his thoughts, he knew that it was almost certain just from the fact that Jiang Rongyue was able to leave behind information that would allow [Chaoxian] to develop steadily for twenty years.

Therefore, Jiang Rongyue would absolutely not die if she did not wish to die.

The problem is, will the Jiang Rongyue they find then be the same Jiang Rongyue they knew?

Su Qing'an dismissed the thought; finding the other party was the most important thing right now, no matter what.

First, if Jiang Rongyue only used [Predicting the Future], her body would probably be fine, but her mind would be overwhelmed by the massive amount of information, making it difficult for her to distinguish between reality and illusion. The reason she left should also be related to this.

Previously, he was surrounded by people and had to travel in a wheelchair, which was probably due to some mental health issues that were interfering with his physical health.

And if nothing unexpected happens, during this process, they will also choose to close their eyes to reduce their intake of information from the outside world.

However, judging from the information Jiang Rongyue left behind that allowed [Chaoxian] to continue developing for another twenty years, she must have been quite aware of her own situation.

In this state of being overwhelmed by a large amount of information, it's probably the best she could have left behind this data. As for her own fate, she probably didn't have much time to think about it.

Ultimately, given these conditions, the only way to escape this predicament is to simply let time heal all wounds.

Whether this process will lead to brain death or soul Honkai is another matter entirely.

Su Qing'an didn't believe Jiang Rongyue was dead, but if this state continued, whether she would still be herself, and whether she could return to normal, were all unknowns.

The young man tentatively believed that [Chaoxian] and Li Shishi should have some clues about Jiang Rongyue, but it was clear that the information was at most from before her disappearance, otherwise, the prosperous villages near Chao Xian City and Mount Taixu would not be completely without anyone knowing about her.

The significance of meeting them lies solely in the reunion.

But he preferred to find Jiang Rongyue before meeting Li Shishi, since the unruly Udu-dust in her Sea of consciousness might cause some strange accident.

On the other hand, her first wish upon seeing the two of them now is probably to help them find Jiang Rongyue.

Fu Hua was also very confused about Yu Duchen's strange changes, but she wanted to find her disciple first.

However, Li Shishi had already finished reading the letter, and besides knowing the bad news of the other party's disappearance, she received nothing else.

The girl pondered for a moment, then her delicate hand brushed against the blade of the sword hanging at her waist. She suddenly realized that she could try the method she had used to chase after Su Qing'an when she was racing against time.

That is, by using the interaction between the Key of Domination to achieve a positioning effect.

This Key of Domination, reshaped from the Grip of the Void into [Spring Void Roll], undoubtedly matches the conditions for mutual positioning with the [Demon Slayer], which is suspected to be Key of Domination in Jiang Rongyue's hand.

If successful, at least we can figure out where the other party is, and then follow the clues to find the real person.

Watching her actions, Su Qing'an roughly guessed the meaning behind this move, yet she still felt a vague joy and pleasure at the reshaping of the other party's Key of Domination.

This is a gift that my past self gave to Fu Hua.

The weapon shaping of the Key of Domination is distorted according to one's will and compatibility. The Grip of the Void could be reshaped at that time was enough to prove its existence. For Chi Yuan, it was enough to overturn everything that had been established in the past.

Seeing such a meaningful symbol would naturally change his mood.

In a sense, it's not much different from a token of love.

But Su Qing'an's expression remained unchanged; she simply said softly:

"Give it a try."

The girl nodded silently, her slender fingers slightly curved, her pale pink and neatly manicured nails flicking against the rather thin sword, causing a clear sword sound to resonate. The Heaven and Earth Qi then spread outwards from within the Fuyun Temple, adding a touch of melody to the murmuring sound of the Cloud Cliff Sea.

The Immortal Chi Yuan was able to sense the response from [Spring Void Roll] in her hand almost immediately. She was surprised, as it was much faster than she had initially thought, indicating that [Demon Slayer] was not far away, or even very close.

Su Qing'an asked:

"You found it already?"

The girl let the sword blade float, finally looking at the specific direction its tip pointed, gazing at the Chuyun Pavilion standing amidst the broken walls. After a moment of silence, she said:

"Very close by, besides [Ruoshui], there is also an activated Key of Domination in the Chuyun Pavilion."

"Then it must be [Demon Slayer]."

As they talked, the two stepped onto what appeared to be a newly built bridge by [Chao Xian] and entered the rarely visited building on foot.

After learning that [Demon Slayer] was located in the Chuyun Pavilion, Su Qing'an knew that Jiang Rongyue would not be there. However, when he actually saw the exquisitely crafted, ancient-looking bronze sword placed in the Soul Steel Box in the room, he still sighed in his heart.

When the boy was training Jiang Rongyue in Qinglong Town, it was clear that the girl cherished every gift Hua gave her, whether it was the dark blue silk ribbon for tying her hair or the Key of Domination as a weapon.

Now that she has abandoned her sword and left, her whereabouts unknown, the implications of this, upon careful consideration, inevitably evoke a sense of unease and melancholy.

Do you feel there's no need to take it with you?

But... under what circumstances would it be determined that there is no need to take it away?

Fu Hua was also deeply moved by this. She suddenly felt a strange sense of powerlessness, as the search function of Udu-dust and the location function of the Key of Domination were no longer effective.

Even though he was known as an omnipotent immortal, if Jiang Rongyue were to completely disappear from this world, even he would be unable to find her.

This situation was considered very troublesome even by Su Qing'an and Fu Hua, and the despair would be even greater if the identities and positions were reversed for Li Shishi.

The girl placed the Soul Steel Box on the table. Her wide sleeves drooped down with the movement, making her arms and wrists appear even more slender and fair. She slowly took out the [Demon Slayer] and hung it on the other side of her waist. Then, she discovered a piece of dark blue silk lying under the empty bottom of the box.

A slight ripple appeared in her eyes, and she became even more speechless.

This was a hair-binding silk ribbon that I had given Jiang Rongyue on the day I brought her back to the mountain. Five years later, it was still as new as ever, as if I had never worn it and it had not suffered any erosion from time.

As the sect leader of [Chaoxian], Jiang Rongyue's reason for valuing and cherishing it so much seems to be no other than herself.

Although Fu Hua treated her like family, she felt she had never done anything for this disciple. Perhaps Jiang Rongyue didn't need anyone to do much for her; all she wanted was... a home.

The immortal held the last letter left behind by Jiang Rongyue in his hand.

This is the last clue in the room, but it's information she left behind five years ago, shortly after the two of them left. It's unlikely to be of much help in the current situation.

But she still opened it. The handwriting was just like the person, straightforward and sharp. Every stroke was economical and neat, and the overall feeling was very clear and refreshing, like a flowing spring.

[I don't know when you will return, because everything related to my Grand Martial Uncle is beyond infinite possibilities, and I cannot glimpse even a fraction of it.]

[But I think it doesn't matter if it's a very long time.]

[Before I knew you would leave, I had Shishi trick me into revealing the Qi technique to break the maze. At that time, I began preparing to establish the Chaoxian Sect. I knew I would not fail, therefore... If you see this letter, you will understand its meaning.]

Therefore, I may never see my master again, but the gift I give will transcend the distance of time and space, so that I can see him whenever he returns.

[Because it's a gift, there shouldn't be any elements that would cause Master any dislike or reservations. However, if it's kept for a very long time, it might become stained with indelible dust and grime, which is quite normal. If that's the case, please have Master wipe it away for you.]

[I've always been someone who doesn't know why I live. The Jalana within my chest engulfs my self, and an unknown Stigmata propels me through life-and-death experiences in those mountains, yet I still manage to survive. Afterwards, while wandering the world, I passively avoided many dangers by knowing fragments of the future; one wrong step along the way, and I would have fallen into an abyss.]

[From this I realized that the malice in people's hearts is never any less than the demons in the mountains.]

[I once told Senior Xiao Xuan that my mother brought me into the mountains to protect me.]

[She said that as long as she was invincible, there would naturally be nothing in the world that could make her feel sad or upset, and she would definitely find happiness for the rest of her life. But she also said something else: she would be better off dead, because then she would be completely free from the sorrow and evil of the world.]

[I think my mother knew that even if she were invincible, there would still be things she couldn't do, she would still grieve for the death of someone she loved, and she would still be imprisoned and unable to be free.]

[So from the moment I stepped into the mountains, I understood that one of my mother's two sentences was a lie, while the second was true.]

[She knew all along that demons lurked in these mountains. She didn't come to help me escape, nor to teach me her family's swordsmanship; she simply... came to free me.]

[But my mother didn't know that my Stigmata were strange; in fact, I didn't know either before that.]

[So I didn't die, but I also didn't know how to live. During those five years wandering the martial world, I couldn't find a home, nor would I ever have one.]

[So... I'm very happy to have met my master and to be allowed to make Mount Taixu my home.]

The immortal silently turned to the second sheet of paper. The signature and date on it were from about two years ago, most likely written by Jiang Rongyue before she left Chaoxian without saying goodbye to Li Shishi.

But in order to conceal some traces and the truth, she deliberately stuffed it into this envelope from five years ago.

She and the boy continued watching, and it was obvious that the handwriting had become much more messy and disordered, suggesting that the other person's mental state had deteriorated to the point that it was affecting their sword-wielding.

[This year marks the end of your third year away. I think Master must have encountered some trouble that has held you back, forcing you to return late. Just as Grand Martial Uncle mentioned before he left, it's an uncertainty that even you can't control.]

[That must be something very important, so important that you, who have been Shenzhou for thousands of years, have had to temporarily relinquish your accustomed responsibilities. Therefore, if anything goes wrong during this process, I will likely never see you again in my lifetime.]

[But I'm not sad, I'm just a little reluctant for Master to blame himself for this.]

[I thought of many ways to avoid upsetting you if something unexpected happened, but suddenly I felt a sense of relief at the future that the Stigmata had given me.]

[I've seen countless visions of my future and my ultimate fate, but in all those scenes, I never see a future where I meet my Master.]

[I think my Grand Martial Uncle is special, and it is his existence that has brought about this unexpected change and the present situation.]

[If I hadn't met my master, I might have hidden in the wind beneath the setting sun and the vast desert, dying alone until all that remained beside me was yellow sand and a rusty sword. I might have wandered aimlessly through an empty, snow-covered garden until my body stiffened, letting the cold devour me, leaving only my broken frame in the world. I might have aimlessly swung my sword until there was nothing left beside me, standing there until my body was utterly desolate.]

I've seen many different endings, but no matter which one, I can never find my home.

[So if when Master returns, he will no longer see me, please do not be sad or blame yourself.]

[My master gave me a home, that's enough.]

The immortal's expression faltered slightly. She stared at the letter, which resembled a will, her heart filled with complex emotions. Her slender fingers, which were gripping the paper tightly, had turned white without her noticing.

The girl lowered her eyes and brows, her lips moved but she couldn't utter a word.

Although she had taken him in as a disciple, she felt she had never done him much kindness.

The two had only known each other for half a year under the guise of teacher and student, so the reason why the child cherished her so much could only be related to her life experiences and circumstances.

Perhaps this is what happens to people who lack love; their inner desert is so barren that even a glass of water feels sweet and unforgettable.

Su Qing'an remained silent for a while. He could roughly understand why Jiang Rongyue couldn't see the possibility related to him. However, after knowing this, his guess about the nature of that power was as solid as conclusive evidence, and was completely ruled out.

This fact itself, like the suicide note, is anything but pleasant.

The boy reached out and touched the immortal's fingers. He removed the letter, placed her soft hand in his palms, and massaged it to soothe her emotions, whispering:

"Rongyue treats Mount Taixu as her home."

"This is something we already knew, but it's not hard to see from this letter that it was an obsession of hers, or rather, a conviction born from the fulfillment of that obsession."

"Judging from the handwriting and the date, this letter was written when she was in a very poor mental state. She probably didn't have a clear plan for where she should go. In her state of confusion, she was very likely in the Mount Taixu. The mountain range is vast and boundless, so it's normal that [the immortal] couldn't find her."

Fu Hua also thought this made a lot of sense and asked:

"Shishi said in her letter that she had already had Xiaoxuan use the equipment from Mount Taixu to check. If she is indeed inside the mountain..."

The girl realized the problem. The only person who could use the equipment in Mount Taixu was Tome of Cangxuan. Before leaving, she had deliberately taught Jiang Rongyue about related matters. The other party's [foresight] was inherently difficult to apply in similar situations. If that person wanted to, after leaving the letter, they could use some means to make people forget that they were still in Mount Taixu.

Even if that's not possible, the inability to detect the specific location is enough for them to hide.

She said:

"Qing'an, I remember you can remember other people's soul aura and use that to locate their positions, right?"

Su Qing'an nodded silently. Even though the state of Manas consciousness could not use the Soul Essence as before, the passive perception field alone was enough to conduct a fairly large-scale search. It would be difficult to search the entire Shenzhou in a short time, but it would only take a few hours at most to search through Mount Taixu.

He perceived the world around him with a wondrous perspective, and said softly:

"I started looking even as I was telling you."

At this moment, the boy was mostly focused on finding someone, so he hadn't realized that Fu Hua's words actually meant that her memories of the previous era were slowly returning.

Otherwise, he would definitely start to feel a chill run down his spine at the way that Young Hua habitually called him.

Su Qing'an's eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face. He was unable to sense Jiang Rongyue's soul aura immediately, but he did detect another familiar soul aura.

Senior Sister Shishi?