Moonlight over Distant Mountains
The setting sun still lingers over Qingnuo Mountain.
In the southern sky, the glow of the sunset and the Bright Yang mingled, layer upon layer, like a great fire burning through half the sky.
Between the rosy clouds and the twilight, wisps of Purple Qi appeared and disappeared, like wisps of smoke floating above flames, neither dissipating nor extinguishing, adding a touch of serene and ethereal beauty to the magnificent sky.
Looking out from the Qingnuo Mountain, one sees a magnificent scene of heaven and earth melting into gold, and purple smoke drifting across the twilight.
Yang Xiu, dressed in golden robes, stood atop the mountain, facing the boundless magnificent scenery, yet he had no intention of appreciating the view. As the wind passed, his golden robes fluttered, the golden bells at his waist jingled softly, and the Profound Qi mark between his brows flickered, mirroring his chaotic thoughts and sorrowful expression.
He sighed, very softly, yet the sound was still carried away by the mountain wind.
Not far behind him, Xu Mo stood quietly, having watched him for who knows how long.
He looked at Yang Xiu, his once spirited junior brother, who was still as upright as ever, but the aura around him was no longer just that familiar gray-purple Profound Qi.
Another layer of moon-white True Qi flowed slowly from Yang Xiu's body, like moonlight covering him, pure and noble yet cold and lonely, completely different from the ethereal and otherworldly Ancient True Qi, exuding an indescribable Divine Dao and noble aura; but beneath this noble aura, there was also a sinister and chilling aura, like a sword hidden in a cold pool.
It is the image of the completed "Mysterious Heaven True Martial Divine Sha Dharma Body".
Xu Mo remained silent.
He simply stared at Yang Xiu's retreating figure, his eyes filled with complex emotions, like the last glimmer of light refusing to fade in the twilight.
After a long while, he called out softly:
"Junior brother."
Yang Xiu didn't turn around, he just hummed in response.
A mountain breeze rose again, causing his golden robes to flutter wildly. The setting sun seemed to sink even deeper at this moment, the Purple Qi on the horizon gradually disappeared, and twilight, like a tide, slowly crept up the Qingnuo Mountain.
After an unknown amount of time, the Heart Moon, its clear light like water, enveloping the entire Qingnuo Mountain in a cold white glow.
The mountain breeze had long since ceased, and the surrounding area was so quiet that only the faint, almost imperceptible sound of the pine trees could be heard.
Yang Xiu still stood atop the mountain, his golden robes shimmering in the moonlight, which, combined with his moon-white True Qi, made him appear as if covered in a thin layer of frost.
He never turned around, his back to Xu Mo, his gaze passing over the outline of the Nanzhao land, landing on the southern direction swallowed by the night.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice somewhat cold:
"Senior brother, guess what the scene is like on Golden Ao Mountain right now?"
His tone was unenthusiastic, as if he knew the answer already.
Xu Mo remained silent upon hearing this.
He simply stood there, watching Yang Xiu's retreating figure. His lips moved, but he ultimately didn't utter a single word. He simply lowered his head slowly.
Yang Xiu did not receive a reply.
He tilted his head back, letting the moonlight fall directly on his brow. His golden robes fluttered without wind, and the golden bells at his waist jingled softly.
After a long while, he spoke again in a low voice, even softer than before, as if he were speaking only to the moonlit mountains and the person behind him:
"Does Senior Brother know whether Zilin has succeeded?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Mo finally looked up at Yang Xiu's retreating figure, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke:
"She is a descendant of the Heavenly Purple Nourishing Nature True Lord. The True Lord was a disciple of the Qingxu Heavenly Venerable. Before the Heavenly Venerable departed, he did not establish a lineage, but instead moved the mountain gate to Kunlun. Later, the True Lord was ordered by the Heavenly Venerable of Primordial Beginning and Tongzi to take many treasures bestowed upon the Qingxu Heavenly Venerable by the Jade Void Dao Ancestor and go to Mount Lao to establish the Purple Yang Temple. Since then, the position of abbot of the Purple Yang Temple in Mount Lao has been held by the True Lord's descendants, and many True Lord and Immortals of the Purple Qi Dao have emerged from it."
He paused, looked at the bright moon, and continued:
"Zilin is the seventeenth-generation descendant of the previous True Lord of Purple Qi Attainment Rank, and also the eldest brother of the current Purple Yang Temple, whose bloodline is second only to the current Abbot of Purple Yang Temple in the last ten generations."
At this point, Xu Mo's tone softened slightly, as if he were mentally comparing each of the conditions:
"She broke through to the Purple Mansion in Golden Ao, and Abbot Su also broke through in Golden Ao; Abbot Su is probably currently in seclusion cultivating the Ancient True Qi method; True Qi is relative, one is the immortal form, the other is the immortal intent; in addition, Purple Qi and Rainbow Clouds Qi are inherently similar due to the friendship between the two Heavenly Venerable Venerables in Qingxu Yunzhong, and they resonate with each other. Considering all this, it seems... she has succeeded almost certainly."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu nodded first, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke again:
"I wonder if Brother Su has emerged from seclusion yet?"
It was as if it were asking Xu Mo, or perhaps asking the vast night sky atop the mountain, or maybe asking itself.
After a moment, he suddenly smiled.
He gazed in the direction of Golden Ao Mountain in the distance, his tone unconsciously softening:
"Back then, before we achieved the Purple Mansion, Fellow Zilin had feelings for Brother Su. Unfortunately, the goddess was in love, but the king was not. Brother Su was also so aloof, never revealing his feelings openly. Some things, if he didn't say, others could only pretend not to know."
As he spoke, he seemed to recall something, a hint of reminiscence appearing in his eyes, and his voice lowered.
"But before I went into seclusion to cultivate the ' Mysterious Heaven True Martial Divine Sha Dharma Body,' I met Brother Su. I didn't ask, and he didn't say anything, but I could tell that Brother Su had feelings for Fellow Zilin. It's just..."
He paused abruptly at this point, and did not continue.
Xu Mo had been listening silently, not paying much attention to these matters of children, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but feel a bit curious and subconsciously asked:
"But how?"
Yang Xiu did not respond immediately. He gazed at the dark, surging land of Nanzhao below the mountain peak, and the Profound Qi mark between his brows suddenly lit up.
After a moment, he shook his head and sighed softly:
"It's just that Brother Su's temperament is sometimes too quiet, too quiet to the point of being excessive. Many things he wants to say, he swallows back."
He paused, then continued:
"As for Fellow Zilin, although she is ultimately a woman and has always harbored those feelings, she has always been strong-willed and prioritizes the Great Dao above all else. Both of them are first-rate individuals; if either of them were willing to soften their stance even slightly, this matter would have been resolved long ago. But they simply refuse to. One refuses to speak, and the other refuses to ask. Not counting the years we have been in seclusion, even considering the more than ten years we spent together at Golden Ao Mountain, there should have been a result by now. But who knew that it would drag on until now."
The soft tinkling of a golden bell added a faint sigh to the words.
Then Yang Xiu smiled again, a smile tinged with helplessness, yet also with the knowing wisdom of someone who had experienced it firsthand, and continued:
"Actually, regardless of who speaks first," he gazed into the distance, his voice as gentle as a night breeze, "Even if that day truly comes, if either of them takes even half a step, the other will simply pretend not to hear, or change the subject."
He paused, his fingers unconsciously tracing the golden bell at his waist; the bell was slightly cool, but it did not ring.
"Fellow Zilin is avoiding the word 'personal affection,' fearing that once he agrees, his Dao heart will no longer be pure; Brother Su is avoiding the word 'entanglement,' fearing that once he acknowledges it, he will never be able to come and go without any attachments."