Chapter 38 Leaving Yanshan

Ji Yichuan coughed, his face pale. Seeing his son's worried expression, he couldn't help but smile. "Because I used multiple forbidden arts earlier, my Zifu has been shrinking, and just now it completely collapsed, so my body has suddenly weakened."

"Multiple forbidden arts?" Ji Ning was startled. "Father, then you..."

"Hahaha..." Ji Yichuan laughed heartily, stroking Ji Ning's head. "This battle was my last. After it, I would have become a cripple anyway, so I might as well use a few more forbidden arts."

Ji Ning's face changed.

Forbidden arts all cause great harm to the body, using the body and even lifespan as the price to unleash strength far beyond normal.

"Yichuan, your body?" Ji Jiuhuo's face also changed.

"I should still be able to live for another month," Ji Yichuan said.

"A month!" Ji Ning's face instantly turned deathly pale, without a trace of blood.

How...

How could this be? Clearly, clearly he had rushed back in time, so why did it still have to be like this?

"Ji Ning." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "You've seen much of life and death; can't you see through it? For me, living long as a cripple would be torture. I would rather die brilliantly after my strongest battle... that is my归宿."

Ji Ning's body trembled faintly.

"Besides, your mother has been waiting for me too long. I should go keep her company." Ji Yichuan looked at his son, studying him carefully. "After your mother died, the only thing I worried about was you. But now you no longer need my protection; you can truly soar through the heavens and earth."

"No, Father." Ji Ning looked at his father, his eyes moist.

...

Having survived the calamity should have brought ecstasy, but Ji Ning could not feel joy at all.

Time passed.

Ji Ning accompanied his father every day. Each day, father and son would practice swords together. Though they only sparred in sword techniques, both were immersed in it. Beside them often stood a large snow-white dog, or the youth Qingshi, or the steward Qiuye watching.

Finally, that day arrived.

Ji Yichuan lay in a chair. Whitewater Lake had returned to his original form and leaned beside him, gently touching Ji Yichuan with his head.

"Xiaobai." Ji Yichuan gently stroked the fur on Whitewater Lake's head. "In this life, having you as a brother, I die without regret."

Whitewater Lake lowered his head, tears streaming down.

"Ji Ning." Ji Yichuan looked at Ji Ning standing beside him. "I originally wanted to set Xiaobai free, but as a Zifu-level divine beast, once freed, he would likely be captured by other cultivators. Besides, Xiaobai has watched you grow up and is very close to you. I want him to follow you. This is my wish, and also Xiaobai's."

Ji Ning nodded gently: "Okay."

"Xiaobai." Ji Yichuan looked at his sworn brother. "Take good care of Ji Ning for me. When I'm gone, you are Ji Ning's elder. Also remind him, don't let him go astray."

Whitewater Lake nodded gently.

Then Ji Yichuan took out a piece of animal hide from his bosom and handed it to Ji Ning: "I know you've always wanted to know who killed your uncle and caused your mother and me such pain. This has the names and some information about them. Originally I was going to have your grandfather give it to you, but since I came back alive from Oxhorn Mountain, I'll give it to you myself."

"I swear." Ji Ning took the animal hide, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I, Ji Ning, will definitely kill them and avenge this!")

Ji Yichuan nodded: "I won't stop you from seeking revenge, but remember, in your mother's and my hearts, your life is far more precious than theirs."

"I understand." Ji Ning nodded.

"Mm." Ji Yichuan could clearly feel his life force ebbing away, his breath weakening. He smiled. "Remember, after I die, cremate me. And scatter my ashes over Serpentwing Lake. I promised your mother that after death, I would be with her."

Ji Ning held back his tears.

"In this life, I was carefree as a child, diligent as a youth, and with this sword in hand, I made my name known in Yanshan." Ji Yichuan gazed into the void, his eyes distant. "I once vowed to make my name known across the endless lands of the Grand Xia Dynasty with this sword! Unfortunately... I couldn't do it. But my son will."

Ji Yichuan looked at Ji Ning, his eyes filled with boundless longing: "Ji Ning, you will do it!"

Ji Ning's heart ached.

He still clearly remembered the scene of his father teaching him swordsmanship hand by hand.

"From today on, I will teach you swordsmanship." At that time, he was just a young child, and his father seemed tall and sturdy.

Starting from the basic thirteen sword forms, step by step he taught him...

...

At that moment, Ji Ning understood that his father, who had already lost his path to immortality, had placed his longing for the sword onto him.

"I will do it." Ji Ning looked at his father and promised, "Father, I will do it, I will definitely do it. I will make my name known across the endless lands of the Grand Xia Dynasty."

Ji Yichuan reached out and gently touched Ji Ning's face.

His hand trembled.

"Remember, live well, live brilliantly." Ji Yichuan's voice had grown faint, but his smile grew even brighter. "Live happily, live freely, live at ease..."

Suddenly, his father's hand fell, and his eyes closed.

Thud.

Ji Ning knelt down, head bowed, teeth clenched.

"Ah!" Ji Ning looked up and let out a anguished howl.

Whitewater Lake also gently touched Ji Yichuan's body with his head, over and over, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.

...

No one knew that Ji Yichuan died quietly, with only Ji Ning and Whitewater Lake accompanying him. The other servants on Brightheart Island were unaware.

"Whoosh."

"Whoosh."

A small boat drifted on Serpentwing Lake. Ji Ning was on the boat, holding an urn of ashes, scattering handfuls of ashes into the lake water, letting them drift with the wind and merge into the water.

In the afterglow of the setting sun.

A young boy and a huge snow-white dog drifted slowly on a small boat.

…

Ji Ning did not leave the Swallow Mountain area immediately. Instead, he continued to stay on Brightheart Island of Serpentwing Lake. During this time, he also made a trip to the underwater estate and passed the second floor of the War God Hall! The second floor posed no danger to Ji Ning as he was now. Afterwards, Ji Ning also selected a Mortal-ranked treasure.

In the blink of an eye, autumn passed and winter arrived. Outside, heavy snow was falling like goose feathers. Ji Ning was in his study, practicing sword techniques with his fingers, then wrote on a piece of beast hide.

“Qiuye.” Ji Ning called out.

“Young master.” Soon, Qiuye pushed the door open and entered.

“Arrange for someone to notify the Wan Sword City and the West Prefecture City,” Ji Ning said. “Tell them that I am leaving.”

“Leaving?”

Qiuye was stunned, looking at Ji Ning. “Young master, you are leaving Swallow Mountain?” Qiuye had long known that this day would come. Her young master was a genius of extraordinary talent and would eventually leave Swallow Mountain. But when the day finally arrived, Qiuye still felt heartache and reluctance.

“Silly girl.” Ji Ning walked up and reached out to wipe away Qiuye’s tears. “I need to go out and explore. The world is vast, and there are many powerful experts. I cannot just hole up in one place and be arrogant.”

“I understand, Qiuye understands.” Qiuye quickly said.

“Qiuye.” Ji Ning took out a storage crystal and handed it to Qiuye. “Inside this storage crystal are some treasures, prepared for you and for Qingshi. Chuncao is dead, and although I am leaving, Qingshi must be taken care of. There is a book inside the storage crystal that details the usage of the various treasures.”

“Among them is a Marrow Cleansing Pill, obtained from that Wanxiang Adept. After taking it, it can improve one’s aptitude, greatly increasing the likelihood of you becoming a Xiantian lifeform.” Ji Ning said.

“This, this is too precious.” Qiuye was startled and quickly refused.

Ji Ning looked at Qiuye: “The path of immortality is long. I don’t want to see you die too soon, Qiuye. If you become a Xiantian lifeform, you can live much longer. Don’t refuse… In a place like Swallow Mountain, a Marrow Cleansing Pill might be precious, but to powerful figures like Wanxiang Adepts, it’s nothing much.”

“Live longer.” Qiuye nodded gently and no longer refused. She looked at Ji Ning. “Will the young master return?”

“I will return. I will definitely return.” Ji Ning sighed. “There are many things here at Serpentwing Lake that I cannot bear to part with. When my cultivation achieves some success, I will return and settle here at Serpentwing Lake.”

“I will wait for you, young master.” Qiuye looked at Ji Ning.

Ji Ning smiled. “Don’t wait foolishly. If you find someone you like, just marry him.”

Qiuye shook her head. “I am the young master’s maidservant, and I will be the young master’s maidservant for life.”

Ji Ning said no more.

…

The next day.

Outside, everything was covered in silver, with thick snow. Ji Youyang, Ji Honghua, Ji Jiuhuo, Ji Liuzhen, and others all arrived.

“These are some secret manuals I obtained by chance.” Ji Ning directly handed them to the clan leader, Ji Jiuhuo. “Most are on par with the ‘Wan Sword Melody’ and the ‘Dripping Water Sutra’.”

“This scroll records the formation insights of a loose immortal, the ‘Nine Volumes of Formations’.” Ji Ning also handed it to the clan leader, Ji Jiuhuo. “It is profound and unfathomable, but studying formations requires talent and a great deal of time. In the future, I hope the clan will teach according to each person’s aptitude.”

Ji Jiuhuo, Ji Liuzhen, and the others were all astonished.

Formation insights of a loose immortal?

“And this one is called the ‘Supplement to the Thunderfire Sword’.” Ji Ning took out a beast-hide book. “Based on my deductions from the ‘Incomplete Thunderfire Sword’ and my own insights into the sword, I added four more sword techniques, finally writing this ‘Supplement to the Thunderfire Sword’, which contains seven major sword moves.”

“This one is the culmination of almost all my efforts over the past half year.” Ji Ning took out another beast-hide book, on which were the three characters ‘Rainwater Sutra’. “It is a set of sword techniques I created, which I named the ‘Rainwater Sutra’. In the future, if our Ji clan members can master the ‘Dripping Water Sutra’, they can then study and comprehend this ‘Rainwater Sutra’.”

Ji Ning looked at the book in his hand with emotion. Over the past half year, he had constantly pondered, summarizing his insights. He had written down all his realizations on the ‘Way of Rainwater’ into this ‘Rainwater Sutra’. This process of summarizing and writing a book had also greatly advanced Ji Ning’s understanding of the Way of Rainwater.

As one who had comprehended the ‘Rainwater Sword Domain’, the ‘Rainwater Sutra’ he wrote contained hundreds of layers of Dao intent, and even the strokes of the characters were imbued with sword intent.

“This…” As soon as Ji Jiuhuo and the others saw the three large characters on the cover of the ‘Rainwater Sutra’, they felt a sword intent rushing toward them.

Their expressions all changed.

As experts, they could all sense the extraordinary nature of the ‘Rainwater Sutra’. Even they felt oppressed, no wonder Ji Ning required that one must master the ‘Dripping Water Sutra’ before studying it.

“From today on, the ‘Rainwater Sutra’ shall be the clan’s ultimate treasure.” Ji Jiuhuo said excitedly, and the other clan members were also thrilled. Having a genius appear in the clan was a matter of luck, but leaving behind this book could cultivate even more geniuses. This ‘Rainwater Sutra’ clearly surpassed other secret manuals like the ‘Wan Sword Melody’.

…

Ji Ning did not want anyone to see him off. He had Ji Jiuhuo and the others return. He waited until late at night.

In the dead of night, all was quiet.

Ji Ning, alone with the Whitewater Hound, came to the lakeshore. He knelt directly on the snow and kowtowed three times toward the endless Serpentwing Lake, saying solemnly, “Father, mother, I, Ji Ning, will definitely slay the enemies of the Snowdragon Mountain and avenge you. I will also make my name known throughout the entire Grand Xia Dynasty and the boundless earth.”

“Please forgive your son for this temporary departure.” Ji Ning rose and looked at the Whitewater Hound beside him. “Uncle White, let’s go.”

“That little girl.” The Whitewater Hound transmitted to Ji Ning.

Ji Ning glanced into the distance. In the darkness stood Qiuye, who had known Ji Ning was leaving and had not slept, silently waiting. When she saw Ji Ning look over, she couldn’t help but cry.

Ji Ning smiled.

“Let’s go.” Ji Ning walked directly onto a boat that had appeared out of nowhere. The Whitewater Hound also stepped on.

Whoosh!

The boat quickly rose into the air, breaking through the sky and charging into the night.

“Young master.” Qiuye rushed out a few steps, looking up into the distance. “I will definitely wait for you to return, young master. Definitely.”

…

In the night sky.

The boat was amidst the clouds. Ji Ning looked down at the vast land below, and also at the vast lake, Serpentwing Lake, with Brightheart Island at its center.

Ji Ning took a deep look. There were too many things here he could not bear to part with.

“Go!” Ji Ning turned his head to look at the endless night sky ahead. Beyond Swallow Mountain lay an even vaster and more exciting world.

Whoosh!

On the boat, only a young boy and a huge snow-white dog quickly disappeared at the edge of the sky.