Liuguang Sect

  After completing their work, the first place Su Nian and Bao Fang descended to investigate the remaining matter was a vast, empty market. It was half-burnt, scattered, and broken. Su Nian walked away from his horse and went to a newly burned shop, smoke still billowing above it. Bao Fang followed Su Nian, as they both spotted a body buried under the rubble.

  "Senior Disciple, we must admit that we can't save everyone," Bao Fang said, placing a hand on Su Nian's shoulder.

  But then Su Nian replied, sitting down next to the body, "I know, Bao Fang, but I'm not thinking about it."

  Su Nian stared at the body, almost examining it thoroughly.

  "Then what's the matter?"

  Just then, Su Nian lifted one of the body's shoulders. But as the body slid open, a sword appeared beneath it. As the eyes of the other disciples, Bao Fang, and Su Nian himself caught sight of the sword, they stared at it in utter disbelief. Suddenly, Su Nian stood up and stepped back, but as he did so, his foot hit a rock, and he tumbled backward. Bao Fang reached out with all his might to catch Su Nian, but Bao Fang couldn't hold him as he fell, and Su Nian fell backwards with a heavy thud. He felt a sharp sting on his back muscles. And the moment Bao Fang reached out to pick Su Nian up and help him stand upright, he noticed a rusty nail had pierced Su Nian's back during the fall. But before Bao Fang could say anything, Su Nian grabbed the reins of his horse and said in a deep, trembling, trembling voice, "We must go to Your Majesty right now. Ride back, now!"

  Su Nian said, clenching his sword tightly in his fist and, with a flat movement, mounted his horse. Bao Fang, as he once again carefully examined the sword, his eyes filled with disbelief. He had no response to the sword. Then he heard the sound of horses' footsteps; Su Nian had ordered his horse to move. Just then, a disciple called out, "Second disciple! We must leave. The first disciple has already left."

  Bao Fang said from his horse.

  Bao Fang placed his hand on his horse's neck and took one last look at the sword to confirm what he was seeing. Then he turned his face toward Su Nian, who was riding away, creating a storm of snow.

  Tao Hua Chuan Academy

  A deafening sound spread from the rooftops to the whip . The followers of Wui Guan, standing on the rooftops and corridors with their swords drawn, were all focused. Their eyes scanned every corner with a searing gaze. Every follower was on full alert as the academy's aura had changed. An unfamiliar chilling sense of dread began to permeate it.

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  Wui Guan, still wide-eyed in disbelief, staring at the fallen academy grounds, was suddenly awakened by an unearthly, unnerving energy. She looked around and saw everything was intact, even the fallen leaves were back in place. But one thing was missing: Wui Guan's sword, still suspended in midair, just a short distance from Mo Yan's chest. It was as if time itself had frozen. Wui Guan looked at Mo Yan with wide eyes.

  "This must be some cheap sorcery of yours,"

  Wui Guan said in a voice hissing like a snake.

  "But what can you expect from you, Mo Yan?... What can a devil teach you except sorcery? If you stay with him, you'll surely become like him."

  Wui Guan tried to spit out as much bitter venom as possible, so as not to add insult to injury. After staring intently at Mo Yan's calm face for a few moments, Wui Guan signaled a movement to the disciples holding whips, to move forward.

  But Mo Yan remained calm, and then the first whip struck his back with such force that a few tears from his tear-filled eyes shattered into tiny droplets, like stars. And then, at the same moment, the second whip struck his back.

  But just as the third whip touched Mo Yan's back, strong winds began to blow. Terrifying-looking dark clouds began to form in the sky, as if every cloud was gathering in one force to strike. The winds became so strong that it became difficult to stand still. Wui Guan and everyone else were being carried away by the winds. But before anyone could think, a whistling sound was heard in the strong winds, so loud and clear that even the ears could pick up the sound over the noise of the wind. Master, Mo Yan, Wui Guan, and everyone else could hear the whistle clearly.

  The sound was so loud and shrill that everyone had to cover their ears. And the winds were so strong that even the sword, frozen in the air, trembled in the fury of the wind. Just then, Wu Guan reached for her sword, grabbed it, and tried to pull it out, but it remained firmly in place, not even a single corner of it budging.

  But despite all this, Mo Yan's eyes remained void of emotion. His hair and his robes fluttered in the wind as if they could tear at any moment, but Mo Yan remained steadfast. Then, in the howling winds, some peach petals flew towards him. But strangely, even in the fierce winds, the peach petals flew towards him so gently and slowly, as if a separate wind was blowing for them. Some petals touched Mo Yan's hair, some his neck, some his waist, some his rough hands, yet like delicate feathers. And when a petal came toward Mo Yan to touch his cheek, Mo Yan saw it coming. Slowly, he watched the petal drift toward him, and his eyes filled with tears at the sight before him. The thousands of petals before him suddenly grew larger, enveloping his entire being as if a cocoon filled with petals had formed around him. Mo Yan's eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky. He gazed in wonder at the millions of peach petals surrounding him. He looked everywhere, but everywhere he saw only more petals. But then he heard a voice, a familiar voice: "Mo Yan!!"

  And instantly, Mo Yan froze. He quickly turned back, and his eyes welled up with tears as Yu Sui, dressed in delicate white, sat before him. Mo Yan simply stared at him, wide-eyed. Mo Yan opened his mouth to speak, but Yu Sui placed a warm hand on his face and came closer, so close that Mo Yan lost his composure about what he was about to say. Then Yu Sui moved forward, his lips gently touching Mo Yan's and enveloping his, as if a flower were holding an entire season within itself.