Li XiaLou returned to his residence, pushing open the slightly faded carved wooden door.
U Zhuimian glanced briefly, and this courtyard was clearly not where the little sister used to live. It exuded a sense of desolation everywhere.
To the east, by the window, stood an old purple sandalwood desk, with ink, brush, paper, and inkstone on it. At the corner of the desk was a bronze incense burner, inside which the incense ash was cold and desolate, obviously not having been used for a long time; to the north was a row of precious objects cabinets, but nothing was placed inside them, giving an impression of emptiness; to the south, against the wall was a plain wooden bed with faded curtains and no embroidery.
However, a particularly beautiful and delicate wind chime was hanging over the bedside. The bell body was like shattered jade, the bell tongue like dewdrops, and a few warm-colored jade beads were inlaid along the outer edge. Below it hung a thin silk ribbon and a small jade pendant, on which were written the two characters "Anquan" (peaceful).
U Zhuimian's gaze fell on the wind chime, and his eyes were filled with gentle smile.
She remembered this; it was a gift given by her little senior brother on the Lantern Festival of a year ago, with each person receiving a string. He was very talented in the art of repairing artifacts. This wind chime was an artifact he had himself refined for protection, and it also had the effect of calming the mind and promoting sleep.
At this moment, Li Xiaolou, who had just washed her face, regained her spirit. She walked back to her room and unconsciously touched the wind chime with her hand, making it vibrate with tiny, jade-like notes. The clear, cooling sound was like raindrops hitting the eaves.
She smiled and began to inventory everything in the room, stuffing all usable items into her Xiaozi (small world) bag.
Li Xiaolou intends to find a way to leave here and return to her sect.
When she first came back, she was just an ordinary person without spiritual power. Plus, her personal matters were not handled well, and her parents and brother limited her actions. She had no way to leave the Wuji Sect and travel from Xilingzhuo to Dongxuanzhuo. It was impossible even to think about it.
She couldn't get in touch with her sister and brothers, and had also discreetly asked around, but her parents and brothers were unwilling to speak, and others either had a very poor relationship with her or were distant. It was impossible for them to have a calm conversation with her.
Li Xiaolou had always been unable to let go of the fact that her body had been possessed, and she harbored a grudge about it. However, her father's words last night made her see things differently. If they wanted a daughter who was always compliant and obedient, then she would consider it as repaying their kindness to life.
Now, after working hard for a few months, although her spiritual root was very poor and the results were minimal, she at least had some spiritual power to rely on, allowing her to prepare for a possible escape.
Moreover, what Bailei Zhi had just said aroused Li Xiaolou's suspicions.
She had an uneasy premonition that something might have happened to the others in her sect.
A hundred years ago, the chaos of the Nightmare Demon Rebellion came without warning. The barrier of the Nailuo world cracked like a turtle's shell, and the sky gradually revealed patches of dimly blackened holes. Under the manipulation of the Nightmare Demon, countless terrifying and violent Nightmare Demons attacked the human world.
The main sects led their disciples to the front line to resist the Nightmare Demons. Li Xiaolou also followed her master and elder siblings, confronting the apocalyptic scene of heaven falling and rivers of blood.
Under the scorching sun, the relentless Nightmare Demons were like a dark abyss, blocking out all light.
As the sky wall collapsed, both ordinary people and creatures, as well as cultivators, were reduced to insects at this moment. They screamed, ran for their lives, and fell apart in chaos.
In the confusion, she saw her little sister's figure disappearing into the endless howling Nightmare Demons, her purple wisteria-colored dress stained with blood, and her hair wrapped with a hair ribbon of the same color fluttering in the wind.
A majestic blade aura shot up from her body, and with a swing of her sword, a formidable blade Qi crossed over a hundred rivers, slicing through the night stained with blood and rain. Bright sunlight shimmered from the depths behind.
That was Li Xiaolou's last sight of her little sister.
When the news of her little sister's death reached the entire sect, everyone was stunned, except for their master who stared fixedly at the thousands of Nightmare Demons that had turned into ashes, with a terrifying expression on his face.
Everyone was injured severely, yet they still ran without hesitation towards the front lines, only to see the repaired barrier and the broken remnants of a divine sword.
Everyone continued to race towards Qingxing mountain without stopping, only to see their little sister's extinguished lifepath lamp. The wick still retained a trace of residual heat, but it was no longer able to be lit. There were only a few wisps of smoke slowly rising in the air and quietly dissipating.
The lamp went out, and it seemed as though the entire world fell silent along with it, leaving only endless darkness silently spreading among the few remaining individuals.
Li Xiaolou wasn't very clear about what happened later.
First, Second Sister returned to the Demon Race. She believed that Little Sister could be resurrected and planned to search for forbidden techniques within the tribe.
Then came the Little Brother in a hurry, having returned from traveling. His last meeting with Little Sister was during a fight, after which he left in anger. Afterwards, he traveled north and south for half a year without any contact.
After returning, he stood under the plum tree in front of Little Sister's door for three days and three nights. He waited until the Milky Way faded and the snow cleared, without speaking to anyone, and left alone in the dead of night.
Soon, others also left one by one, leaving only Li Xiaolou and her Little Brother to guard Qingxing mountain.
Li Xiaolou didn't know how many seasons had passed since she last thought of her little sister. It seemed as if everything had become quiet and calm again.
But on a chilly spring night, she suddenly had a dream.
In the dream, it was a bright sunny day. She was sitting inside counting the money she had saved over the years. At that time, she was just starting to cultivate her body and broke many expensive materials while practicing on the snow-piercing bamboo stakes, which became progressively more difficult to use as she improved.
Although the eldest brother never spoke directly in front of her, seeing him worried made her feel very guilty. After all, the sect was already very poor, and replacing the snow-piercing bamboo stakes for her had been quite an expensive expenditure.
Suddenly, there was a prolonged voice from outside, "Little sister, come out quickly! Come out quickly! Look at what I've brought for you."
Li Xiaolou's eyes brightened, and she ran three or two steps to the window, seeing her little sister standing in the courtyard.
She was obviously rushing back from a long journey, with bits of dust and flower juice stains on her entwined flower skirt, thin and soft sleeves hanging loosely at her elbows, revealing a slender wrist and forearm, with several obvious scrapes on the left hand.
Yet she paid no attention to it. Her smile was brighter than the sunlight, proud and sly as she displayed the Golden Flame Stone in her hand, "Look, this is the Golden Flame Stone. I won it in the secret realm of Xuanhai. Little Brother said it's just right for making those plum stakes."
Li Xiaolou couldn't help but laugh.
However, in the next second, Little Sister's figure began to melt into the sun, leaving behind only a blurred yet unwavering back.
Li Xiaolou suddenly opened her eyes and found herself tears streaming down her face.
The next morning, she packed her belongings and said goodbye to her Little Brother. Little Sister was so powerful; maybe she had really not died?
This search lasted for decades.
Until seven years ago, her body was mysteriously possessed by a pretender.
*
Just as Li Xiaolou was busily tidying up, she suddenly heard an unusual sound from the side of the zither made of the ancient purple sandalwood. Her eyes narrowed, and she immediately assumed a defensive stance, her voice sharp as she demanded: "Who is it?"
She turned her head to see a pen hovering in the air, dipping into the ink, and finally writing something on the paper.
Li Xiaolou: ?
She paused for a moment, seeing that the other party seemed to have no hostile intent. Only then did she cautiously approach slowly, muttering to herself, "The guest of honor arrives at night. I'm just an ordinary disciple, so I'm afraid…"
Li Xiaolou's gaze fell on the paper, and after reading the words written on it, she paused for a moment, then her eyes widened suddenly.
"Little sister, the ice-pearl tofu you owe me, does it still count?"
Ice-pearl tofu is one of the most famous specialties in Tianshui City. Wu Zhumian first tasted it and fell in love with it. From then on, every time he visited Tianshui City, he would eat several bowls.
When the chaos of the Nightmare Demon broke out, everyone in the sect was discussing where to spend that year's New Year's Day celebration. Just then, the spiritual stream secret realm in Zechuan City was about to open, so their master decided to go and join the excitement.
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhumian raised her hands, indicating that wherever they went, she hoped they could drop by and have a bowl of ice-pearl tofu.
The master glanced at her and waved a single finger without any mercy: "Tianshui City is in the west of the Ling State, while Zechuan City is in the south of the Xian State. They are completely out of our way."
U Zhumian was deeply upset and flopped onto the chair like a complacent fish, protesting, "Master, if I can't have some ice-pearl tofu, I might not have the strength to attend the spiritual stream secret realm."
Seeing this, Li Xiaolou secretly moved closer, making gestures with her fingers: "Little Sister, I know there's a shortcut to Tianshui City. Let's sneak off together when we get there, and I'll treat you to three bowls!"
The master snorted lightly, pretending not to hear.
U Zhumian's eyes lit up, and she flapped to sit up, holding Li Xiaolou's hand with great emotion, "See? I knew you, Little Sister, were the best!"
Regretfully, they never got to enjoy that bowl of ice-pearl tofu again.
The words on the paper kept increasing.
"This time, I want five bowls!"
The shadows of the light cast on the paper looked like old scars that had never healed, unforgettable memories that brought back old times, causing a dense array of pain and an incredible excitement.
"…Little sister?"
In a daze, Li Xiaolou heard her own voice, trembling and barely suppressing sobs. More distinctly, she heard the thunderous sound of her own blood flowing in her ears, one beat after another, like tender sprouts breaking through frozen soil.
She tasted the hot and salty tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't dare to blink, still staring fixedly at the pen in the air. Only to see it pause for a moment before slowly landing on the paper.
"Hmm, it's me. I'm back."
