Chapter 78: I am the intruder

Li Qingying spat out a mouthful of black blood, her body swaying; I rushed over to support her, seeing her face instantly turn pale, a surge of unnamed anger rose in me, I lifted my eyes to argue with Thus line: Xiaoye, but Li Qingying grabbed me.

She silently shook her head at me.

Thus line: Xiaoye stood there like a pine on a cliff, gazing at the Sea Surface, motionless.

The sea wind lifted his robe's hem; in that expanse of night, his whole back appeared desolate and forlorn.

I helped Li Qingying slowly away from this shore, heavy with thoughts all the way.

Thus line: Xiaoye's remark, "Tonight isn't the fifteenth, is it?" made me think of many things.

Since I met Li Qingying, for the fifteenth of each of the past two months, she has had to go out for three days.

Even when accompanying me in Gui Shi until after three a. m.

Before, she refused to tell me what she was doing; now it's obvious she must have gone to that cliff.

But that place is the Linghai Dragon Clan's forbidden land—why would she intrude there?

What is hidden beneath the seabed below that cliff?

Why can the power beneath the sea force Feng Wu to appear?

No, I think I got it wrong—the one linked to the power beneath the sea is not Feng Wu, but the Golden Scale inlaid on Feng Wu's bow!

"Ugh……"

Li Qingying suddenly bent sideways and vomited two clots of blood in succession.

The two blood clots, once vomited, quickly turned into a blood mist that dissipated in the air.

Li Qingying found it extremely unpleasant to vomit, but after she finished, she took a long breath and seemed to ease.

I also noticed Li Qingying's complexion had improved greatly; more importantly, the red mole on her nose tip was no longer bleeding!

…So that palm Thus line: Xiaoye just struck Li Qingying with was not only a punishment for her trespassing the forbidden land, but also helped her expel the yin‑sha poison?

This man turns out not to be as cold‑hearted as he seemed.

I accompanied Li Qingying as she squatted by the roadside for a while; when she stood up again, her steps were steady and firm.

We walked all the way to Dang Pu, and for a long time no one spoke first.

But I had something on my mind, and I kept unconsciously glancing at Li Qingying.

As we neared Xijiekou, Li Qingying suddenly said, "Xiao Jiu, ask whatever you want—this will eventually come out anyway."

I immediately asked, "What lies beneath that sea surface is Liu Junyan's natal magic artifact, right?"

The Golden Scale was originally inlaid on Liu Junyan's sword; it should have some resonance with that sword.

Li Qingying grunted, "Xiao Jiu, you're very smart."

"So what about you?" I asked. "Every fifteenth, you leave for three days to fetch the sword?"

I recalled that when Li Qingying first returned, the wound on her shoulder was clearly from a sword cut.

"It won't happen again," Li Qingying said sadly. "Before, maybe I was lucky, or perhaps Thus line: Xiaoye turned a blind eye, letting me slip through; from tonight on, I might never be able to enter the forbidden land again."

I was a bit confused: "Why could he pretend not to see before, but not after tonight?"

Li Qingying didn't answer my question.

Yet I got the answer from her silence.

Li Qingying comes from the Linghai Red Carp Clan; she is inherently a member of Linghai, but I am not.

Moreover, my appearance tonight caused turbulence in that sea area.

So if Thus line: Xiaoye truly wants to guard against something, it's not Li Qingying he should guard against—it's me.

I am the intruder.

"I actually should have given up long ago," Li Qingying said, sniffing. "I've always overestimated myself, unable to budge the Sword Formation in the slightest; Thus line: Xiaoye probably just sees me as a joke, but Xiao Jiu, you're different—your appearance has already affected the Sword Formation."

I wondered, "Sword Formation?"

Li Qingying nodded: "Yes, beneath that sea lies a Sword Tomb; countless swords form a formation that traps Seventh Lord's sword. From the fifteenth to the eighteenth each month, the water below ripples, allowing me to sneak into the Sword Tomb.

But the funny thing is, over these years I have never truly entered the Sword Tomb's interior."

"Qingying Sister, have you ever wondered why Liu Junyan's natal magic artifact is trapped by the Sword Formation in the Linghai Dragon Clan's forbidden land?" I asked.

Li Qingying blinked.

I continued, "You want to retrieve Liu Junyan's natal magic artifact for him—perhaps you're not just fighting a Sword Tomb, but taking on the whole Linghai Dragon Palace; can you beat them?"

The answer goes without saying.

After a brief stunned pause, Li Qingying suddenly laughed.

It was a laugh of relief.

It was her letting go of a hundred‑year obsession.

When she laughed, I felt reassured.

Only by truly letting go of this obsession can the blood mist's influence on her be completely eradicated.

Just around the corner we could see Dang Pu's gate, but as our gaze swept over, I and Li Qingying both halted our steps, staring in unison at the phantom beneath the Six‑Angled Palace Lamp, not daring to breathe.

Now the entire Six‑Angled Palace Lamp is shrouded in the golden light of Merit; within that light stands an extremely faint phantom, transparent, as if a breeze could blow her away.

Yet even as a phantom, I recognized her at a glance.

Who else could it be but Fu Wan!

Fu Wan's soul sacrifice at the Six‑Angled Palace Lamp should have scattered her soul and spirit.

But for some unknown reason, her essence turned into a speck of firefly light, lingering within the Six‑Angled Palace Lamp.

During this period, the Merit within the Six‑Angled Palace Lamp surged, actually re‑condensing Fu Wan's essence?

…This is simply too unbelievable.

Does this foretell that after a while, once Fu Wan's essence has absorbed enough Merit, she could be resurrected in this world?

To speak frankly, for a moment I didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

No need for the soul to fly away and scatter; to re‑condense the essence and spirit—this is a good thing.

But if one day Fu Wan could truly awaken, regain her self‑awareness, would her obsession still compel her to repeat her past actions?

What if one day she sees Zhao Zixun again?

Or even without seeing Zhao Zixun, that blood letter, the silver ring, and the stamp would each take half of Fu Wan's life, wouldn't they?

Just as I was pondering, a breeze blew by, and that phantom vanished instantly.

Within the hexagonal palace lamp, amid the merit that was about to exceed half, that speck of light flickered in and out.

I exchanged a glance with Li Qingying, and we both silently let out a breath at the same time.

Yes, that speck of firefly light is too faint; even with a continuous influx of merit, how could it so easily return to its original state?

After a night of turmoil, Li Qingying and I each returned to our rooms to rest.

I was indeed quite tired, and as soon as I lay down I fell asleep.

But just as I fell asleep, I felt my whole body suddenly lurch downward; opening my eyes, I saw water everywhere.

My body kept falling down.

I grew up living by the Pearl Ripple River; my swimming is decent.

No matter how I flailed my arms and legs, it was useless; beneath the water it felt as if an invisible force were pulling me, dragging me down endlessly.

I held my breath until my lungs felt like they would burst.

Just as I felt I could barely hold on, a flash of sword light swept before my eyes, and I instinctively narrowed them.

Opening my eyes again, I saw an ancient bronze longsword plunged into the water below, its hilt entwined with a white dragon.

The white dragon was silvery white all over, yet upon its spine were seven bloody holes…