Spirit City, Worship Hall.
Qian Renxue stood on the fourth step, and a light door appeared in front of him.
She walked inside and the fantasy unfolded.
She stood at the door of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, with a bluestone road and a vermilion gate. The stone lions in front of the door were eroded by wind and rain and their faces were blurred.
She looked down at her hands. The cuffs of her white palace dress were embroidered with angel patterns in gold thread.
This is Qian Renxue's hand. She looked up and saw a man standing at the door, wearing a moon-white brocade robe, a jade crown held high, and a gentle smile on his face.
Xue Qinghe.
The other party looked at her, her smile unchanged. "You're here."
Qian Renxue said nothing.
"You've been pretending to be me for more than ten years and now you don't want to pretend to be me anymore?" Xue Qinghe took a step closer and said,
"What should I do if you leave? The substitute will approve memorials for me, go to court for me, and deal with Ning Fengzhi for me.
But he won't think for me, what will Heaven Dou Empire do in the future?"
Qian Renxue looked at him. "You are not Xue Qinghe, you are my inner demon."
"I am you." Xue Qinghe's smile faded, "The part of you that you dare not face."
His face began to change, the moon-white brocade robe turned into a white palace dress, and the jade crown turned into blond hair.
Another Qian Renxue stood in front of her, wearing the same clothes and having the same hairstyle.
The only difference was in those eyes. There was light in the other person's eyes. It was not holy light, but some kind of light that belonged to a girl that she had not seen for a long time.
"You weren't like this when you were a child." The other party said,
"When you were a child, you would laugh, run, and pull your grandpa by the hem of his clothes and ask, 'When will mommy come back?'
Now you won't laugh, you put on Xue Qinghe's mask and lock Qian Renxue in the corner, you forgot what she looks like."
Qian Renxue's fists were clenched tightly.
"I haven't forgotten."
"Then tell me, what does she look like?"
The scene in the fantasy world suddenly changed. This scene was at the door of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Ning Rongrong was standing in front of a silver-haired boy, holding a flower stem in his hand.
Ask "Are you sincere in what you said last time?"
The young man said "yes". Ning Rongrong left, and Xue Qinghe came out from behind the stone lion and stood beside the young man.
The setting sun stretched her shadow very long. She stood there for a long time, leaving a shallow shoe print on the bluestone ground.
The young man lowered his head and looked at the shoe print. He looked at it for a long time and did not step on it, but he lost the flower stem on his hand.
Qian Renxue looked at this scene, his eyes were red, he opened his mouth but made no sound.
The other party smiled. "You can't answer it because you really forgot."
Qian Renxue lowered his head and looked at his hands.
These hands have killed people, poisoned people, and approved tens of thousands of memorials. She remembered that she was sent to Heaven Dou City when she was nine years old.
The first time I put on Xue Qinghe clothes, I looked like a stranger in the bronze mirror.
She looked at it for a long time and wanted to cry, but she didn't. From that day on, she never saw Qian Renxue in the mirror again.
"I live for her." Qian Renxue raised his head,
"I endured for her, waited for her, and got to this day for her. I haven't forgotten it. I just hid her."
The other party didn't speak.
"After hiding her for a long time, I can't find her myself. It's like someone who wears a mask for a long time and can't take it off."
Qian Renxue's voice lowered, "But someone found it."
A face appeared in her mind, with long silver-white hair, a light golden mark between the eyebrows, and bright and calm eyes, as if she had seen through everything, but also seemed not to care about anything.
"When he first met me, my name was Xue Qinghe, and he called me 'Brother Xue'.
Later in the Cangmang Mountain Range, he called me 'Sister Xue'er'.
Later in Spirit City, he called me 'Qian Renxue'.
It's not the same person who calls every time, but it's the same pair of eyes that you see every time."
She put her hand into her sleeve and touched the feather with her fingertips. The feather was slightly hot in the illusion, like a beating heart.
"He was at the door of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and did not step on the shoe prints.
It's not that I didn't see it, it's that I didn't want to mess it up. He's remembered it for so long, what else can I hide?"
The figure of the other party began to fade, like dissipating starlight.
"So you don't have to look anymore, you've found it."
The illusion shattered, Qian Renxue stood on the stairs, with the fifth step in front of him.
There was a tear in the corner of her eye, but she didn't wipe it with her hands.
Qian Daoliu's voice came from behind.
"The fourth level is passed."
She took the fifth step and never looked back.
Wilderness, beside the campfire.
Tang San was sitting by the fire, Clear Sky Hammer was lying across his knees. The blood on the hammer surface had dried, it was dark red and had penetrated into the veins and could not be washed away.
He looked down at the lines. The dark golden light of the hammer was darker than before, like iron tempered by blood.
Tang Hao leaned under a tree not far away, eyes closed.
"How many have you killed today?" Tang Hao asked.
"Three."
"How does it feel?"
Tang San was silent for a moment.
"When I killed the first one, there was nothing in my mind.
When I killed the second one, I thought of Xiao Wu.
When I killed the third one, there was nothing left."
Tang Hao opened his eyes. "When you think of Xiao Wu, are your hands too slow?"
"Slow."
"How much slower?"
"A moment."
Tang Hao nodded. "A moment is enough. When masters fight, a moment can mean life or death."
Tang San placed Clear Sky Hammer on the ground, put his hands on his knees, and looked at the fire.
The firelight shone on his face, stretching his shadow very long. The scarlet lightning mark on his forehead flickered in the firelight, like a dormant snake.
"Father, what if I forget Xiao Wu at the end of the fight?"
Tang Hao said nothing.
"Slaughter City those people, they have no cares, no feelings, they only recognize the sword. They are better than me." Tang San raised his head,
"If I become like that, can I still be me?"
Tang Hao looked at him for a long time.
"You ask me?" His voice was hoarse,
"Since your mother was sacrificed to me, I have been sinking for more than ten years. What should I do if I forget her?"
Tang San lowered his head.
"I can't forget." Tang Hao stood up, walked to the fire, and sat down.
"I can't forget it, and I can't get it back. I'm just living like this."
He took out a wine bag from his arms, took a sip and handed it to Tang San.
Tang San took it but didn't drink it.
"It's your choice." Tang Hao looked at the fire, "Choose to forget, or choose not to forget. Don't regret it if you choose."
Tang San held the wine bag, his knuckles turning white. He handed the wine bag back.
Tang Hao took it and took another sip.
The bonfire crackled and sparks flew into the night sky, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
Spirit City, Worship Hall.
Qian Renxue stood on the fifth step, not moving forward in a hurry. She turned back and glanced behind her.
The road we came from was no longer visible, only the white-gold light flowing under our feet.
Qian Daoliu stood at the bottom of the stairs, wearing white clothes and white hair, like a statue.
"Take a rest when you are tired." His voice was very soft.
"Not tired."
Qian Renxue Turn back and continue walking up.
Cangmang Mountain Range Deep in the depths, gray-black mist surges.
The black-robed master stood on the black stone altar, gray-black flames beating in the palms of his hands.
He looked in the direction of Ashen Territory, and the corners of his mouth curved in a cold arc.
"Soon."
Wilderness, beside the campfire.
Tang San stood up, picked up Clear Sky Hammer, and wiped off the dust on the hammer surface. Tang Hao leaned back under the tree and closed his eyes.
"Let's go."
Tang San didn't ask "where to go" and walked towards the darkness. Tang Hao followed him, five or six steps away.
The bonfire gradually extinguished behind it, leaving only a few sparks flickering in the night wind.