Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Chapter 92: Tianshan Disciples

Apart from Changyangzi himself, probably no one knew the answer to this question.

And with his passing, Bai Zhengliu’s current doubts could not be answered by anyone.

Fortunately, he did not crave an answer. What Bai Zhengliu cared about was only one thing:

If he pulled the long sword out of the old ghost, would it make the situation even worse?

He spent a moment thinking, then realized that given the old ghost’s earlier wild laughter and claim that he had finally escaped… most likely, he hadn’t.

Right now was already the worst moment.

The only hope rested with General Yang Chunyu. Before leaving, the general had said that Bai and Mei should hold on a little longer.

Although Bai Zhengliu’s long sword was already rusted more than half, it was still a reliable weapon. On Mei Yinghan’s side, without some help, he truly might not be able to hold on.

Realizing this, Bai Zhengliu no longer hesitated. With several agile steps, he reached the old ghost’s body and grasped the long sword along its spine.

The young man pulled the sword out inch by inch.

Not far from his side, the old ghost was clearly stunned but evidently paid no mind to Bai Zhengliu’s actions.

He still had that face where skin barely clung to bone, teeth blackened and exposed as he grinned: “You think that using the sword sealed by Old Changyangzi to trap me will subdue or kill me? Naive child—”

Bai Zhengliu, annoyed, said: “You’re neither old nor young, but you’ve lived without an ounce of humanity.”

The old ghost: “……”

The old ghost was momentarily speechless, unable to respond. For a long moment, his expression darkened, filled with hatred as he glared at Bai Zhengliu.

Bai Zhengliu, however, was untroubled. After mocking the old ghost, his mindset remained unchanged. Thinking of the ghost’s previous words, he even pretended to twirl the long sword, gesturing with it a few times in his hands.

As a “spiritual weapon,” it was indeed useless.

Previously, just looking at it did not make it obvious. Now, holding it, Bai Zhengliu realized that what he held, called a “sword,” was really more like a shell made of stitched seams. The true blade had long been buried inside, unable to reveal even a hint of brilliance.

But at this critical moment, it was still more practical than human bones or wandering spirits, and far better than fighting empty-handed.

With that thought, Bai Zhengliu no longer hesitated and immediately called out: “Brother Mei.”

The sound reached Mei Yinghan’s ears. The swordsman instinctively turned around and immediately saw the object that Bai Zhengliu had tossed to him.His body was already exhausted and numb, his physical strength drained to the limit, not to mention the countless wounds covering him. Yet at this moment, facing the long sword flying toward him, Mei Yinghan’s pupils flickered slightly, and instinctively he pushed off the ground, leapt into the air, and grasped the sword—

Yes, he was truly pushed to the extreme, to the point that his judgment of position was slightly off. Fortunately, what he held in his palm was not the true sharp edge, but a special “sword sheath.” With calluses from years of training shielding him, Mei Yinghan was unharmed. He landed, swaying slightly, and rose before the wandering spirits surged, taking up a perfect starting posture of Tianshan Sword Technique.

Time lost all meaning at this moment.

He only needed to gain a little more—just a fraction of a second…

It didn’t matter if General Yang didn’t arrive.

As long as the wandering spirits circled him, it would give Brother Bai more opportunity.

Unfortunately…

Though his body moved with the instinctive swing of the sword, Mei Yinghan’s consciousness had already begun to blur.

Scenes from his past martial training gradually faded in his mind, replaced by memories of riding alongside Bai Zhengliu, the swordsman glancing back with a smile.

The moon seen from the wild temple.

The flickering firelight in the snow cave.

Feelings he had never voiced, buried atop the snowy mountains.

“Dong—!”

Someone knocked the sword from his hand.

The rusted sword hit the ground, lacking the crisp sound Zhenxing had made earlier, producing only a dull thud.

At the same time, a far sharper sword pointed toward Mei Yinghan’s throat.

It took him a moment to realize this.

Then, he slowly blinked, looking ahead in confusion.

Already at this stage, his endurance had reached its limit… why had the person in front not struck, but instead remained still?

As he moved, two unfamiliar faces came into view.

Both wore white clothing, styled like wandering martial artists. One held a long sword, the other an axe.Mei Yinghan had never seen them before.

Yet the moment he saw them, he realized: these must be the two wandering spirits who had previously disguised themselves as Yu Han and Han Shu, right?

It wasn’t that he reacted quickly. Compared to the surrounding lotus pickers, the two white-clad martial wanderers did indeed stand out a little. Standing among a group of wandering spirits, they were impossible to ignore.

Moreover, each carried a weapon with a red and a black tassel, which made them even more conspicuous.

Mei Yinghan vaguely thought: “They’ve already knocked my weapon away and aimed the sword tip at my vital points… so why haven’t they killed me yet?”

As this thought formed, his previously numb and muddled mind, dulled by continuous fighting, felt as if a cool breeze had passed through, clearing his head.

Mei Yinghan saw the struggle and hesitation in the eyes of the martial wanderers.

He stared for a moment, then suddenly spoke, addressing them: “Shishu, Shibo?”

These four simple words made the wrists of the white-clad martial wanderers tremble violently.

Mei Yinghan saw it and felt as if a heavy stone in his chest had dropped to the ground. He did not know whether he should feel relieved or disappointed. But the situation was already clear: these two martial wanderers were truly disciples under the Patriarch’s tutelage.

That was why they were so familiar with Tianshan.

That was why they could speak so naturally about Lingyunzi, and the various affairs and objects of the sect.

But, but—

Although Mei Yinghan was at a disadvantage, his gaze gradually grew colder.

He said: “I don’t believe that when the Patriarch was still alive, he taught you to act this way.”

As the words fell, a sharp pain shot through his neck.

It was the sword tip of one of the white-clad martial wanderers, piercing the skin at the side of Mei Yinghan’s neck.

He felt warm blood trickle down. Compared to his other injuries, this was minor. Yet the vivid sight of flowing blood clearly provoked the other wandering spirits. They erupted in a chorus of excited shouts. One even called out: “You two, what are you standing there for? If you don’t want to act, hehe, I don’t mind chopping this junior up myself, making a plate of minced meat to share with the brothers!”

His words were vivid, and Mei Yinghan heard them clearly, yet there was not a trace of fear in his eyes.

Only disappointment at the two wandering spirits before him.

“If you were only controlled by the old ghost, forced to commit your previous misdeeds against your will, then that would be one thing.

“But now, it’s clear—you can hear and understand what I’m saying! Even if this act is partly coerced, at least three parts of it come from the true intentions of Shishu and Shibo.”“The Patriarch would be disappointed to know that his disciples turned out like this.

“Uncle Lingyunzi would also be saddened to know that his fellow disciples acted this way.”

Hearing this, the wandering spirits clearly gritted their teeth.

Mei Yinghan’s neck throbbed with pain, blood flowing more freely. Yet he knew that the more this happened, the more it showed that these two Tianshan wandering spirits still had conscience. That was why they wavered at his words.

This made Mei Yinghan sigh inwardly, though his expression remained steady as he continued: “Over the years, uncles, senior uncles, and even juniors and junior sisters have left Tianshan. My master always said this was fulfilling the Patriarch’s wishes. As martial wanderers, one cannot stay in the mountains forever. We must go into the world, experience the mortal realm.

“I know this is true. Otherwise, they would not constantly urge me to leave the mountain. But I also know that their care for us is genuine, and after everyone leaves, their sorrow and nostalgia are also real.”

The wandering spirits remained silent. Mei Yinghan’s gaze shifted from the two ghosts, and he continued speaking.

“Since you two uncles know about Uncle Lingyunzi’s tassel, you must have been close to him. Let me think… Uncle always mentioned a senior I’ve never met… someone who traveled with both men and women, and there was also someone skilled in cooking. Ah, I remember.

“It wasn’t just Uncle Lingyunzi. My master and Senior Uncle Lingxiao also mentioned it. Long ago in the sect, there was an Uncle Lingshuang. Back then, whenever others commissioned them to go down the mountain, they always scrambled to accompany Uncle Lingshuang, all for that one meal. No matter where they were—in the mountains or towns—Uncle Lingshuang could take the game or ingredients they brought and make the simplest, most delicious dishes.

“As for this senior,” after confirming the wandering spirit with many pouches at the waist who had previously taken various seasonings, Mei Yinghan turned to the other ghost, “this must naturally be Uncle Lingkong, close to Uncle Lingshuang.

“When Uncle Lingyunzi spoke of the two of you, he said you had been friends since childhood. By the campfire in the suburbs, without a word from Uncle Lingshuang, Uncle Lingkong would already have what she needed ready. They joked back then, saying that Uncle Lingkong chose an axe as his weapon—was it just to assist Uncle Lingshuang? And they said that one day, you two would surely marry. When that happens, the entire sect would toast at the wedding.

“But one day you went down the mountain, and then there was no news. Uncle Lingyunzi, when telling this, would sigh, wondering if you hadn’t found a messenger; otherwise, how could there be no news for so long? …After the recent misfortunes, they finally thought to account for disciples outside. Perhaps some were not living incognito or leaving the sect voluntarily, but had already been killed.”

At this point, Mei Yinghan fell silent, speaking no more.

His gaze, however, remained fixed on the two wandering spirits before him. He saw blood tears gradually appear in their eyes, their forms trembling, even their hands holding weapons shaking.

Finally, a sword and an axe fell to the ground.

The other wandering spirits were startled and uncertain, and Mei Yinghan was far less calm than he appeared.

His gaze locked tightly on the wandering spirits of Lingshuang and Lingkong. Unexpectedly, the two spirits’ forms began to lighten and fade.

Mei Yinghan’s mind was puzzled: is it really so? I only said a few words… Yet thinking carefully, Lingshuang and Lingkong had shown concern for the sect’s details from the very beginning.

As his thoughts reached this point, another change occurred.

The two wandering spirits before him did not dissipate like Lady Liu had previously, but instead transformed into streams of light, flowing into the rusted sword that had been knocked to the ground.”

Author’s Note:Little Mei’s golden ability is brewing.

See you tomorrow!