Chapter 474: Returning to the Qi Pool and Seeing Lingxiang

Trapped in boundless darkness, Long Qi did not even know if his eyes were open or closed; he had no sensation at all, as if he himself were this stretch of darkness.

The last trace of memory was a series of roars following a shattering sound; he was being torn apart by a group of monsters, and then there was no then.

He had even somewhat forgotten who he was, did not remember why he was here, and knew even less what he should do next.

Just like this, he sank aimlessly, not knowing the way forward, not knowing the path home.

An inexplicable sense of irritability arose; Long Qi did not know where this emotion came from, nor did he know how to vent it, so he could only sulk to himself.

He seemed to have forgotten something, yet he could not recall what it was he had forgotten.

What exactly he was irritable about, Long Qi himself could not say clearly, which made him extremely vexed.

A sudden chill touched the tip of his nose; Long Qi instinctively reached out to touch it, feeling only a damp stickiness, which made Long Qi even more irritable.

Long Qi desperately wanted to struggle, but he was as if fallen into an abyss, unable to move, which left him in utter despair.

Unable to do anything, he could only sink like this.

Just as Long Qi was at a loss, a faint light flashed before his eyes, but before he could see it clearly, he was plunged back into endless darkness.

That was... what...

Long Qi did not know what had happened, but that momentary glimmer gave him hope; he looked forward to it, yearned for it, and waited for that light to appear again.

True to Long Qi's hope, before long, that faint light appeared again, coming from his own chest.

It was as if someone had pierced an opening in Long Qi's chest, and the light leaked out from this opening, just as if this light had originated from within his own body.

This time, the light did not disappear but kept spilling out from the crack in his chest; in the endless darkness, it was particularly heart-wrenching.

Long Qi carefully cupped his hands over his chest, wanting to protect this light firmly, fearing it would be swallowed by the darkness.

Yet the light still leaked out from between his fingers.

And it was precisely because of this light that his whole body actually began to feel warm.

Long Qi gently released his clasped fingers; the light in his chest seemed to have become much brighter, no longer looking as pitiful as it had just a moment ago.

A flower bud sprouted from the crack in his chest, a blue flower broke through the bud, slowly unfurling from the bud, and finally, the flower bloomed completely.

It was a green lotus.

Long Qi reached out to stroke the green lotus; the moment he touched it, the petals of the green lotus immediately scattered, flying and swirling around Long Qi incessantly.

The radiance of the petals grew increasingly intense, constantly dispelling the surrounding darkness until it became so blinding that Long Qi had to cover his eyes.

After a burst of strong light, everything returned to calm once more.

A sudden sense of reluctance arose in Long Qi's heart; he could not help but look through his fingers, only to see a vast blue sky.

Was that just a dream?

Or, is this a dream now?

A gentle breeze blew past, rustling, sounding very pleasant.

Long Qi let out a long sigh; he did not want to delve into it further, only wanting to close his eyes and have a good rest.

A white petal landed on Long Qi's nose; he raised his hand to brush it away, rubbed his nose, and continued to keep his eyes closed, paying it no mind.

"Creak... creak..."

Such a familiar sound, coming with a very rhythmic cadence; Long Qi turned his head to look and saw a woman sitting on a hammock, dressed in white, with lively eyes—truly beautiful.

It is Lingxiang!

Long Qi sat up abruptly and looked around.

The familiar herb field, the familiar water vat; it was indeed the small courtyard of Youran Abode.

Long Qi remembered; this was his Qi Pool, and then the Lingxiang before him...

"It's you..."

Long Qi was greatly disappointed and lay back down, ignoring her.

"Wait! Didn't I die?"

Long Qi opened his eyes wide, staring at the sky; he truly could not understand the current situation and was momentarily bewildered.

"What silly things are you saying." Lingxiang jumped off the hammock and walked toward Long Qi.

The sound of footsteps drew closer, but Long Qi had no reaction at all until he smelled a scent of herbs, which brought him back to his senses.

Lingxiang's bright, smiling face broke into Long Qi's line of sight just like that; she squatted down and poked Long Qi's face: "Have you slept yourself silly?"

The scent of herbs wafted over; Long Qi looked at Lingxiang's face, so intoxicated that he even forgot to breathe.

The breeze blew incessantly, the rustling did not stop, the dawn light was faint, and the herbal scent was intoxicating.

This scene was so familiar, as if it had happened just yesterday.

It is Lingxiang!

It really is Lingxiang!

Long Qi looked at Lingxiang in disbelief, her smile charming and unforgettable; he was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and sat up abruptly, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and he reached out his hand in disbelief, only to shrink it back like a startled deer.

Lingxiang's smile spread gently as she leaned forward, resting her face against Long Qi's trembling palm.

A cool yet delicate sensation came through; Long Qi's eyes immediately turned red, and he could no longer restrain himself, leaning forward to pull Lingxiang tightly into his embrace.

Lingxiang also wrapped her arms around Long Qi's back, responding to him in silence, until she heard a sob, at which point she said with a sigh:

"This journey, you've worked hard..."

Long Qi's voice carried a weeping tone, like a child who had suffered a great grievance: "Hard, it was truly hard enough to kill me..."

Lingxiang patted Long Qi's back gently, soothing him just as if she were coaxing a child. After Long Qi calmed down, he realized it was improper, hurriedly released Lingxiang, and blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm not a child, why must I be coaxed like this..."

Lingxiang smiled: "Didn't you used to say you wanted me to be your mother? Why are you shy now?"

"When did I ever say that!" Long Qi stiffened his neck, looking righteous and self-confident.

Seeing Long Qi like this, Lingxiang only smiled and said nothing.

Thinking back on it now, what Long Qi said in his drunken stupor back then was likely not "Mother," but who could blame him when he was drunk?

Even if Lingxiang was not in the right, she was certainly full of confidence!

But this time, Lingxiang did not insist on her twisted logic as she usually did; she merely tugged at Long Qi's sleeve, tilted her head with a smile, and watched him intently.

"Alright, alright, don't be angry anymore."

Long Qi turned his head and saw Lingxiang's bright smile, instantly forgetting the awkwardness from just a moment ago.

"Mm..."

Long Qi gave a docile reply, then lowered his head, his fingers drawing circles on the ground, looking both at a loss and full of anticipation.

"Now is not the time to rest," Lingxiang said, pointing a finger, "Longyuan is waiting for you."

Looking in the direction Lingxiang was pointing, there was indeed a sword leaning against the pear tree, but this sword was vastly different from the Longyuan that Long Qi knew.

"That is Longyuan?"

Even if he were truly muddled, he was not stupid.

Longyuan was a heavy sword; although the sword under the tree was not as slender as an ordinary longsword, it was still much thinner than Longyuan, so how could it be Longyuan?

Long Qi looked at Lingxiang, his face full of doubt, but she only smiled and urged him to go, saying nothing more; confused, Long Qi had no choice but to step forward to examine it.

The moment he picked it up, he was shocked to find it was so heavy, actually on par with Longyuan, and when he turned it over, he saw the Seven-Star Pattern on it.

Wasn't this Seven-Star Pattern the engraving on the Longyuan Sword? How could this sword have it too?

"Is this really Longyuan?"

Long Qi still could not accept it; how could his Longyuan have turned into this appearance?

Although the blade was much brighter, as if it had been polished, and no longer mottled and uneven as before, it also lacked a bit of its overbearing aura.

With the previous Longyuan, he could swing it with such force that it whistled with the wind, and it was incredibly imposing, but this...

"Mm..." Lingxiang responded: "Who knows?"

Long Qi scrutinized the sword in his hand, feeling that it was indeed somewhat familiar.

"How could Longyuan have become like this?"

But there was no response from behind him, only the ceaseless sound of flowing water.

Flowing water?

Long Qi was puzzled, and just as he was about to turn his head, a strong wind suddenly blew, the swirling pear blossom petals blurring his eyes; he struggled to keep them open, but a seven-colored stream of light crashed into his chest at that moment.

The seven-colored light flashed, and the small courtyard vanished within it; when Long Qi opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in Lingxiang's arms.

And Lingxiang...

Her face was pale, her lips the color of paper, as if she were about to disappear the next second...