Seeing that, Mo Qiu flung his arm out in time to stop Luo Jianqing from falling, and meanwhile cracked his whip.
The blood-red whip penetrated Mo Qing’s body. Mo Qiu shouted, “If you have any evil intents, I will kill you!”
However, Mo Qing just gazed at him with a smile, and then shifted his eyes to Luo Jianqing. This was a long gaze without any words. The air around seemed to be frozen. Mo Qiu’s serious face was in deep contrast with Mo Qing’s beam.
When Mo Qing’s figure got more faded, he finally sighed and asked, “If you are not coming out, you don’t have to give out your breath.”
Then, a white figure came out from Luo Jianqing’s Interspatial Ring, which shocked Mo Qiu.
That figure was clearer and bolder than Mo Qing. The former turned to Mo Qiu and gave him a glimpse. As the man narrowed his eyes, Mo Qiu felt a headache. Before he fainted, he bore grudges of these two men and swore to revenge in the future.
In this narrow cave, the man in green was standing beside a skeleton. He raised his head slightly and looked at the man in white with a smile.
After a long eye contact, the man in white said, “Mo Qing, do you resent me? I betrayed all of you, and I am not that Jiu Lian I used to be. As you see, I am now just a consciousness attached to Nine-Petaled Lotus Heavenly Seizure Record. I was sunk in sleep all day long, and I wouldn’t have woken up if I hadn’t sensed you. Do you resent… the real me?”
Mo Qing said with a beam, “You are still alive. It’s enough to comfort me.”
Jiu Qing furrowed his eyebrows. His handsome face was full of nervousness and panic. He thought, pondered and hesitated for a long time. Finally, Jiu Lian asked with a hoarse voice, “You really… don’t resent me? Among all the eighty-one human cultivators and sixty-four demon exalts, only I survived ultimately. You really… really don’t hate me?”
Mo Qing raised his hand and gently tapped Jiu Lian’s sword pattern on his glabella. He said helplessly, “I am about to vanish into nothingness, so you really should say something happy now. I really miss our days thirty thousand years ago when you disguised as an ordinary knight to help the weak, and I pretended to be a young scholar accompanying you.”
Jiu Lian was suddenly struck dumb by the words “vanish into nothingness”.
However, Mo Qing said, “I feel lucky enough to meet you here. Before I vanish, do you have anything to tell me?”
Jiu Lian raised his head. He was not that all-powerful Supreme Master thirty thousand years ago, nor was he the superior Chief Master of Yu Xiao Peak. From his face, you could read countless memories and endless thoughts. Jiu Lian asked, “Does the Mo Qing Flower in Qin State really bloom in winter and wither in spring?”
Hearing that, the graceful man was a little baffled. After a long silence, he laughed out, “It will bloom whenever you want. If you are Heaven, the rules of Heaven will be written at your will; If you are the rule itself, then the rule will govern the whole Heaven. Supreme Master Jiu Lian, you must have that grandeur that dwarfs everything, as you are the only Heaven in this world!”
Thirty thousand years ago, they first met in Mo’s family at Qin State.
-You are the legendary Supreme Master Jiu Lian? I’ve heard that you know everything, from Earth to Heaven; you master every skill, from making pills to making instruments. Then let me quiz you, do you know when the Mo Qing Flower in our Qin State blooms and withers?
-Of course it blooms in spring and withers in autumn.
-They say you are the most brilliant talent in the world, but it seems that your knowledge hasn’t covered everything after all. The Mo Qing Flower always blooms in winter and withers in spring. It never contends in beauty with other flowers or begs for the caress of spring breeze.
-Hahaha, such an insignificant thing. Why must I bother to remember when a flower blooms and withers. If I become Heaven, the rules of Heaven will be written at my will; If I become the rule itself, then the rule will govern the whole Heaven. I, the Supreme Master Jiu Lian, am the only Heaven in this world!
-What an arrogant man, but I think you are interesting.
-Me too, may I ask your name?
-You can call me Mo Qing. I’m the seventh descendant in Mo’s family.
Thirty thousand years ago, they hadn’t experienced any difficulties. One was arrogant and impulsive, and the other was unrestrained and spirited.
However, when Mo Qing began to vanish gradually, he just smiled and asked, “Will you become that Heaven?” His tone was relaxing, not affected by his vanishing body, and he didn’t feel any pain either.
Jiu Lian fixed his eyes on Mo Qing as if he wanted the scene to be imprinted on his memory.
“I have failed. Maybe no one can replace Heaven in this world.”
Mo Qing beamed, “Or maybe your descendant can fulfill our unfinished dream.”
Jiu Lian knew clearly who he referred to, but he didn’t turn to Luo Jianqing who was lying on the ground. Instead, he just gazed at his friend who was about to vanish. In this moment, any words would be redundant. Mo Qing started to turn into tiny specks of light, flying into sky. His smile was still gentle, and his eyes were sill comforting.
Suddenly, Jiu Lian stepped forward and grasped Mo Qing’s vanishing hands.
Mo Qing was a little baffled. Jiu Lian asked, “Are we… just friends?”
Mo Qing smiled without any hesitation, “Maybe we should have been more than that…”
As he finished the last word, a brilliant light shined out. When Jiu Lian opened his eyes again, that gentle, beaming man had gone. Now, any regrets or bonds had gone with his consciousness. His soul had vanished between Earth and Heaven. There was no reincarnation, no rebirth. The world lost Mo Qing forever.
Jiu Lian looked at his hands blankly, not recovering from what had happened. A drop of tear fell into his palm and spread. He could still feel the warmth of Mo Qing’s hands, yet he could do nothing for him now.
Time passed quickly.
When Luo Jianqing woke up, everything had gone back to normal. Mo Qiu was sitting against the cave wall with closed eyes. It seemed that he hadn’t awakened.
Luo Jianqing looked around but couldn’t find Mo Qing. He didn’t think too much, yet when he turned back, the skeleton had disappeared from the center without a trace!
“Sir?” Luo Jianqing called with a hoarse voice.
No one replied him except the echoes of the wall.
“Sir?”
He tried several times but got nothing, but Mo Qiu was awakened by him. Frowning, Mo Qiu wore an unpleasant face and said, “Why does a consciousness hide in your Interspatial Ring? It’s not weak. A mere consciousness should make me faint.”
Luo Jianqing got stiffened and suddenly recalled that “Nine-Petaled Lotus Heavenly Seizure Record”.
But it was not a good time to dive into that. Luo Jianqing bowed towards the center to pay his respect and turned to Mo Qiu, “Since your ancestor is not here anymore, we need to leave this place now and join the major team.”