Chapter 53 Leave and Come

After leaving the tavern, Li Fuyao and Qing Huai continued to walk northward. This was the north area of Yanling, not far away from the border, so after they walked for a short time, they could reach the border and then the two who had walked for such a long distance together would part with each other. In Li Fuyao’s opinion, what had happened in the tavern was meaningful. Although he had planned to take Liang Shu as his whetstone to finish the first stage of swordsmen, he didn’t take actions and his plan was in vain. However, he didn’t feel disappointed. After all, he had seen two real scholars in the tavern, so he wouldn’t be in a bad mood. But he checked the time these days and found that there was only half a month before the late spring and it was limited, so he thought that Qing Huai wouldn’t go to the Sword Mountain with him. When they were at the border of Yanling, it must be time for them to get separated, so he had a feeling of loss.

Li Fuyao had read an essay before, in which there was a saying, “People might meet each other at any time”, but at its end, it was said that people gathering together would get parted eventually.

At that time, Li Fuyao was still young and didn’t know why the two contradictory sentences were put in the same essay but they didn’t appear all of a sudden. Later, when he grew older, he understood that it was not abrupt to put some sentences together, and it was even reasonable.

Like now, this boy wanted to meet the girl next to him again. He was afraid that after this girl reached Liangxi, she would insist on challenging that gifted Dao cultivator and checking who was more powerful. It would be fine if she won, but if she couldn’t defeat that gifted Dao cultivator– Li Fuyao thought, if– What if she died at the Daoist assembly? He was not the Sword Immortal who could cut countless stars at one blow, and he hadn’t even finished the first stage of swordsmen. If Qing Huai died then and he brought his sword to take revenge on Ye Shengge boldly, at last he might not be able to cut her to death even after he stabbed her for thousands of times while she stood and didn’t dodge.

When they were about to get parted, Li Fuyao complained about himself for the first time. Why wasn’t he a unique talent who could walk one step, several steps or even one thousand steps faster than others on the road of cultivating after he gained his sword?

While he had such thoughts because he was going to part with Qing Huai and didn’t know if he could see her again in this life.

This teenager was depressed and sad, but he didn’t tell somebody.

He had only one friend, Qing Huai, in the past more than ten years.

They walked along a great river at the border of Yanling and saw many big boats moving slowly on the surface of the river during this period, but the two seemed to think alike and didn’t choose to look for a ferry and get in one of these boats to make their trip more comfortable and more time-saving.

Perhaps neither of them wanted to go quickly.

These days, Li Fuyao packed that half of machete tightly and even intentionally covered it with cloths and made it like a long sword to let himself look like a swordsman.

But in fact, he was just a swordsman.

At night before they reached the border between Yanling and Dayu, Li Fuyao and Qing Huai spent the whole night at a deserted school. When night fell, Li Fuyao made a fire and drank a small pot of wine he had bought from the tavern. Under the firelight, Qing Huai’s face was red, and he wanted to say that she was beautiful, but even though he was drunk, he didn’t say it.

After dawn, they finally came to the border between the two empires, upstream of that great river. The river bank was not wide, and the Dayu Empire was opposite the river, while this side was Yanling’s territory.

In front of the ferry, some soldiers checked the passports of the retailers and passers-by from both sides. Dayu and Yanling were on good terms, so the two empires didn’t forbid the common people to come and go.

Li Fuyao stopped in front of a bluestone and asked with a smile, “It won’t take half a month to go to Liangxi. You won’t be late for the Daoist assembly, right?”

Qing Huai looked cold, “I will handle it with several thousand-mile rings, so I won’t be late.”

Li Fuyao nodded and didn’t know what to say.

Qing Huai suddenly stated, “Li Fuyao, I am satisfied after walking for so long these days. I will give you some thousand-mile rings. Do you want them?”

Li Fuyao shook his head and didn’t plan to say anything, but as soon as he had this thought, he frowned. He didn’t want Qing Huai to misunderstand him, so he responded, “This stuff is too expensive, and you keep them by yourself. After walking to the Sword Mountain, I will have nothing to do, so I don’t need them.”

Qing Huai didn’t talk much. Since Li Fuyao said that, she didn’t say more.

The two looked at each other for a while, and then Li Fuyao expressed all of a sudden, “Qing Huai, although I don’t know why you insist on challenging Ye Shengge, I know that it’s useless no matter how famous you are. It’s better to stay alive. It sounds terrible that you are honorable even if you are defeated, but it is better than being honorable after dying.”

Qing Huai pursed her lips and didn’t reply.

Li Fuyao smiled, “Qing Huai, don’t think that my words are rubbish. These years, Ye Shengge is the top one among the young people in the human world, but she might not be the top one forever. You must know more people who are successful after getting older. You can know who is better after thinking it over. I can’t explain to you clearly, but I hope you will stay alive.”

Qing Huai frowned, “Li Fuyao, why are you like my mother?”

“I am as wordy as her?” Li Fuyao said the words that Qing Huai didn’t finish.

Qing Huai snorted and didn’t give a response.

Li Fuyao took a deep breath and added with a smile, “Qing Huai, I have said what I want to say. Do you want to say anything?”

Qing Huai shook her head, “No.”

Li Fuyao felt disappointed.

Qing Huai pretended not to have heard that and wanted to turn around at last, but she didn’t move. She spoke to Li Fuyao, “Give me your hand.”

Li Fuyao reached out his hand in doubt.

Qing Huai took out several thousand-mile rings from her pocket and put them in Li Fuyao’s hand, saying impatiently, “Li Fuyao, I said that I have many of these things, but I lied to you. I used a lot in the past, and these are all that left. I will give all of them to you, in case you, a cultivator at a low stage are killed by another cultivator for no reason and don’t struggle a bit before death. Moreover, I gave you a demon core in the past. If you are cornered, you can give it to the enemy. In fact, this stuff is quite useful to most of the cultivators in this human world, and maybe you can save your life.”

“By the way, you can practice swordsmanship, but never try to learn those stupid swordsmen and go to the demonic land when you are capable. If I know then, I will beat you up. Anyway, if you are capable, I must be more capable than you.”

Li Fuyao nodded with a smile.

Qing Huai sighed, “You are kind of my only friend in this human world, but if you are bullied, it will be useless after you mention my name.”

Li Fuyao whispered, “It doesn’t matter. I will try my best so that it will be useful someday after you mention my name if you are bullied here.”

This was the third goal of this boy except for climbing the Sword Mountain and returning to Luoyang City.

Qing Huai snorted, “You are daydreaming.”

Li Fuyao didn’t retort, nor did he want to.

Qing Huai expressed seriously, “Li Fuyao, promise me. When I see you next time, you must have a nice sword and a presentable capability.”

Li Fuyao asked with a frown, “What’s a presentable capability?”

Qing Huai asked, “The Sword Immortal?”

Li Fuyao held his head. This was just presentable?

Qing Huai waved her hand while saying, “I am off.”

Then she really left.

Li Fuyao couldn’t even reply.

When there was nobody in front of him, Li Fuyao stated in a low voice, “Qing Huai, remember to stay alive.”

After speaking, Li Fuyao waved his hand as if there was somebody across from him.

He went to the ferry alone and stepped into a boat. Soon he came to the other side of the river and entered Dayu’s territory.

This boy stood by the river for a long time and then turned around, going to Dayu.

After he left, Qing Huai showed up again next to the bluestone.

This genius girl from the demonic land who liked wearing black clothes laughed peacefully, “I forget to tell you. If you mention my name on the demonic land, I am sure that nobody dares to bully you.”

Afterward, this girl somebody always thought about went to the south alone. When she turned around, she shook off the sad emotion, full of high spirits. Facing Liangxi, the girl clenched her fists.

“Ye Shengge, I am coming!”