Qin Tiexin didn't speak immediately after hearing what Zhou Chongshan said.
In his hand he still held the pen with which he had drawn half of the sketch of Spirit Rune.
Sixth Squad. He remembered this team. More than a month ago, the captain of Sixth Squad came to greet him and said Qin Tiexin's Repair's technique is good, they all come from the same sect. If Law Artifact has a problem in the future, he will have to trouble him. The man is young, Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, speaks with a slight accent, and has a bright voice when he laughs.
That was the first Waifeng senior brother Qin Tiexin met at Wind and Snow Pass.
He put down the charcoal and put the sketch into the storage ring. "Let's go."
The two of them left the refining room, walked through the darkened inner city streets, and walked quickly in the direction of the Ice and Snow Pavilion Medical Hall.
Zhou Chongshan didn't say anything along the way, and Qin Tiexin didn't ask. Occasionally, someone passed by them, walking in a hurry, not knowing what happened tonight.
Wind and Snow Pass's night and day are two different worlds. It's lively and busy during the day, but it's extremely quiet after nightfall. Those Rogue Cultivator who had set up stalls on the street during the day closed their stalls, and the night watch team began patrolling along the street. The sound of footsteps was uniform and echoed in the empty streets.
The hospital is on the east side of the inner city, close to the outer city wall, and is a courtyard three deep. It is usually quiet and orderly, with only injured monks coming for treatment. Occasionally, Alchemist will be drying medicinal materials in the courtyard. But tonight, before reaching the door, Qin Tiexin saw many people standing outside the courtyard door.
They are all disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect.
Some people were leaning against the wall, arms folded, silent; some were gathered together in twos and threes, chatting in low voices, very slowly, and occasionally some were shaking their heads; and some had just come from outside, with fresh snow and ice on their armor, obviously coming directly from the mission.
No one spoke loudly.
Qin Tiexin walked through the crowd and walked into the door of the hospital.
The courtyard was more depressing than outside. There were several Ice and Snow Pavilion Alchemist standing in the corridor, exchanging words in low voices, with pestles and gauze in their hands. They looked tired and had obviously been busy for a long time. The door of the main hall was ajar, and there was a dim light and a strong smell of medicine - mixed with the smell of styptic grass, bone rejuvenation ointment and some stronger and more pungent medicinal powder, which could be smelled even when standing outside the door.
Qin Tiexin saw several familiar faces in the crowd.
Nangong Yao stood in the corridor, leaning against the pillar, her face pale. She usually always smiled, and even if she encountered danger in the wild, she could easily say a few witticisms to ease the atmosphere. But at this moment, there was no smile on her face, her lips were slightly pursed, and her eyes fell on the half-open door of the main hall.
Li Yun stood next to her, also silent. She was wearing a dress that she had not yet had time to change out of when she went on a mission. There were a few dark brown stains on the hem of her clothes. Her hands were hanging by her sides, and there were still remnants of frost spiritual power that had not been completely cleaned up on her fingertips, which reflected the cold light slightly under the lights in the corridor.
Qin Tiexin walked up to Nangong Yao and did not ask in a hurry. He first took a look in the direction of the main hall. Through the crack in the door, you could see the bright lights inside and several figures moving busily. Occasionally, there was the crisp sound of metal equipment colliding, and the smell of medicine became stronger.
"How's it going?" he asked.
Nangong Yao did not answer immediately. She was silent for a while, and her voice was much lower than usual. "The abdomen was torn open, and the internal organs were severely injured. Demon General had Sha Qi on its claws, and the wounds were eroding spiritual power. It took Alchemist to deal with it for more than an hour before he forced Sha Qi out."
She paused. "My life can be saved, but I will have to live with it for at least half a year."
Half a year. For a monk, half a year's recovery period is not a short period, but at least the person is still there. Qin Tiexin asked again, "Where are those two people?"
Nangong Yao did not answer.
She lowered her head and stared at the bluestone floor under her feet. After a long time, she shook her head slightly.
Li Yun next to him took over, his voice was also very soft, but he tried to keep it calm. "The senior brother of the main peak Formation Hall, Foundation Establishment Early Stage, was the first target to break through the defense line. Then The charging speed of several high-level Demon Generals was very fast. The Tu Xing defensive formation only lasted for less than ten breaths before it shattered. He had no time to retreat to the second line of defense and was hit from the front..." She did not continue, and paused for a moment before continuing.
"Sword Hall, Foundation Establishment Middle Stage's senior brother, was their captain. After the formation was broken through, he did not retreat. He used self-destruction Law Artifact to buy time, giving the remaining people a chance to withdraw from the encirclement." At this point, she paused again, "He and the other Demon General died together."
Qin Tiexin thought of the senior brother who spoke with an accent and smiled brightly - Qin Tiexin didn't even know that person's name. He only remembered that he came to the weapon refining room once, took out a repaired long sword, patted him on the shoulder, said "Thank you, junior brother", and then turned around and left.
That was the last time they met in Wind and Snow Pass.
Qin Tiexin stood in the corridor and did not ask any more questions. He listened silently to the low voices in the courtyard and heard some people say "ambush", some said "three-headed high-level Demon General", and some said "the retreat is blocked". He put these pieces together and gradually pieced together the general outline of the battle.
Sixth Squad was performing a reconnaissance mission deep in Devil Domain Forest. About forty miles away from the city wall, he encountered more than ten Devil Soldiers led by three high-level Demon General 's ambush. The opponent did not encounter it by chance, but was well prepared, blocked the retreat, and chose a location with unfavorable terrain. There was a time lag that left Sixth Squad with no time to call for help or to set up defenses.
Qin Tiexin's knuckles turned white from exerting force.
He remembered that before coming to Wind and Snow Pass, when he was studying the white jade tablet recording Devil Race information on the flying boat, he saw a passage: Devil Race Although Devil Race is not good at precise formations and strategies, Deduction But in small-scale ambush and hunting, they have extremely sharp instincts. They will choose the terrain, choose the opportunity, and take advantage of the opponent's psychological blind spots. Some high-level Demon General can even lay traps in advance by observing the opponent's marching route and patrol patterns.
When he read this, he just thought "just know it". But now, this sentence has become a real cost.
He loosened his clenched hand and slowly tightened it.
A few days later, Flowing Cloud Sect held a farewell ceremony for two disciples who died in battle at Heroic Spirit Shrine.
There was no snow on Wind and Snow Pass that day. The sky was gray and the clouds were low, as if the dome was very low. In front of Heroic Spirit Shrine's stone temple, almost all of the Flowing Cloud Sect's disciples who had stayed in the pass had arrived. There were no hard requirements, and no one informed them that they must be present, but people who came spontaneously filled the open space in front of the ancestral hall.
Qin Tiexin wore a pure black robe.
The ceremony was presided over by Elder Hong from the Fifth Peak. Elder Hong is the oldest of the five accompanying elders Golden Core. His beard and hair are gray, and his face is pale. He doesn't talk much on weekdays and doesn't communicate much with his disciples. He is strict about guarding the city wall and handling sect affairs. He is a typical taciturn elder.
But today, he stood in front of Heroic Spirit Shrine's altar, and his voice was trembling when he read the memorial inscription.
The bodies of the two disciples have been cremated. According to the rules of Wind and Snow Pass, the ashes of the war dead were put into jade boxes, affixed with sealing talismans, and stored in Heroic Spirit Shrine. After the three-year period, they were brought back to the sect for burial.
On the altar table, two newly carved tablets were placed side by side. The handwriting on the tablets was very new, and glowed with a moist light under the candlelight.
Flowing Cloud Sect disciples took turns to salute the tablet.
Qin Tiexin was lined up in the queue. When it was his turn, he stepped forward, bowed and saluted, then stood up and glanced at the names engraved on the two tablets.
He didn't even know him.
One is Formation Hall, who started a few years earlier than him, and he has never spoken to him. The other is Sword Hall, and he only knows that he practiced swordsmanship with him once.
But at this moment, their tablets are placed in Heroic Spirit Shrine, displayed side by side with those that have been sleeping here for decades or centuries.
Qin Tiexin stood in front of the tablet for a few breaths, then turned and left.
After the ceremony, most people dispersed one after another. Quietness returned in front of Heroic Spirit Shrine, with only a few ever-burning lamps swaying in the breeze, casting shadows of shadow.
Qin Tiexin is not leaving.
He stood alone at the foot of the steps outside Heroic Spirit Shrine, looking at the open stone door. In the ancestral hall, the new tablets were lined up with the other tablets. The candlelight danced on the altar table, illuminating the newly engraved writings on the tablets, and also illuminated the earlier, old and blackened writings next to them. The layers were piled on top of each other, and it was impossible to see the end at a glance.
The sound of footsteps came from behind, very softly.
Nangong Yao walked to him and stood still, not looking at him. Her eyes also fell on the layers of tablets in the ancestral hall. She also changed into plain clothes today, without wearing any jewelry. She even took off the jade bell that she usually tied around her waist. She stood there quietly with her hands down, as if she was a different person.
The two stood side by side for a long time. No one spoke.
Finally, it was Nangong Yao who spoke first. But she did not turn her head, and still looked in the direction of the ancestral hall. Her voice was carried by the night wind and seemed a little erratic:
"Junior brother, this is Wind and Snow Pass."
She paused, as if she was considering her next words, and as if leaving a little buffer time for herself:
"In the future... there may be more."
Qin Tiexin did not answer.
He stood there, looking at the tablets illuminated by candlelight in the ancestral hall, and was silent for a long time.
Then he nodded.
"I know."
He didn't say anything more, turned around and walked back.
The night wind blew from the direction of the city wall, picking up the snow and ice chips on the ground and hitting the hem of his black robe, making a tiny crackling sound.
The reason to become stronger is never just for yourself.
Such news will not be the last.