Upon i Mountain, the snow was a vast white expanse, and the wind bit with a piercing cold.
Lin Qianyan, clad in a simple white long dress, walked along the mountain path. She wore a veiled conical hat, its light gauze fluttering in the wind, obscuring half of her lovely face.
Three years had passed since they last parted.
After she descended from Bai i Mountain, everyone ca to ask who was number one under the heavens.
Lin Qianyan was unwilling to speak of what happened on Bai i Mountain. The place held too many humiliating mories for Brother Pei. In her eyes, it was all in the past, and that filth should be buried by the wind and forgotten.
She took the Jade Maiden Sect into seclusion, entering three years of arduous, closed-door cultivation.
During those three years, she thought of only one thing.
To vie with Brother Pei for the true title of number one under the heavens.
She was completely imrsed in her training, losing all track of ti. In the unseen depths of her ditation, she felt she had touched a mbrane. If she could just break through it, she would step into an entirely new world.
And then, she awoke. When she roused from her ditation, it was exactly three years later—the day of her pact with Brother Pei.
Lin Qianyan knew that her chance to step into a realm no one had ever reached before was today.
WHOOSH—
In the howling wind, snowflakes like grains of salt scattered down, tapping against Lin Qianyan's veiled hat with a faint rustle.
Gradually, Lin Qianyan reached the summit, and several dashes of crimson appeared in her vision.
They were red plum blossoms, the only splash of different color in this world of white snow.
A magnificent sight reserved only for those who reached the peak of i Mountain.
And there, amid the plum blossom grove, a figure in white had been waiting for a long ti.
"Qianqian, you're here."
He turned around slowly. When his gaze fell upon Lin Qianyan, it was as placid as a deep pool, yet it held a tenderness that could not be concealed.
He was as handso as he had been three years ago. Ti had not left a single wrinkle on the Exiled Immortal Young Master, making even a woman like Lin Qianyan a little envious of such beauty.
Lin Qianyan glanced at the small thatched hut beside Pei Yuhang, a flash of surprise in her eyes that quickly lted into a faint smile.
"Brother Pei, don't tell you've been living here on i Mountain ever since we parted."
Pei Yuhang broke off a sprig of red plum blossoms and offered it to Lin Qianyan.
"The snow on i Mountain is very clean. Staying here, I always feel as if my soul is being cleansed."
Lin Qianyan accepted the plum blossoms. Gazing at the tender red petals, she said softly,
"Brother Pei, could you put it on for ?"
"Alright."
He took the sprig and carefully tucked it among her dark tresses. His movents were gentle and ticulous, as if he were afraid of hurting her.
Lin Qianyan tilted her head up slightly, her gaze eting his. The tenderness in both their eyes flowed like a gentle stream.
"Brother Pei..."
"Hm?"
"Don't be so gentle with ... If this continues, Qianqian won't have the strength to draw her sword."
Lin Qianyan lightly brushed a hand over her own waist, which had gone soft, and shyly lowered her head.
Pei Yuhang nodded and slowly stepped back, creating distance between them.
"Then, Sect Leader Lin of the Jade Maiden Sect, I, Pei Yuhang, the number one Swordsman under the heavens, hereby challenge you!"
"Pei Yuhang, number one Swordsman under the heavens, I, Lin Qianyan, accept your challenge!"
The tenderness in Lin Qianyan's eyes vanished, replaced by an edge as sharp as a sword.
She drew the sword from her waist, cleaving through the biting wind.
"Co!"
"Co!!"
The next mont, Pei Yuhang and Lin Qianyan took a step forward in unison. A formidable Inner Strength erupted from them like a rising sun, instantly lting all the accumulated snow and falling flakes within a ten-ter radius.
Flashes of light and shadows of swords crisscrossed and spiraled.
Their speed reached the absolute limit as they crisscrossed the entire summit of i Mountain.
This was a speed only they could match. Even the third-ranked master under the heavens wouldn't be able to see so much as an afterimage!
The howl of the great wind was completely drowned out by a grand symphony of ringing swords.
In that mont, Pei Yuhang and Lin Qianyan cast aside all their worries and troubles.
The longing they held for each other over the past three years, their gratitude for having found a kindred spirit—all of it was spoken through the swords in their hands.
Just like three years ago, when Pei Yuhang had used his sword to beg Lin Qianyan to save him.
The ringing of their swords grew more and more exhilarating, and their auras continued to climb with it.
In this, the world's most supre duel, they were both striding toward a higher realm of martial arts—
"The final strike."
"The final strike!"
"To decide—who is number one under the heavens!!"
They both let out a low roar. Wrapped in currents of air ford by their imnse Inner Strength, they shot past each other in an instant, like two bolts of lightning.
Under the brilliant glow of the sun, Pei Yuhang and Lin Qianyan stood motionless like statues, their swords still raised.
Haaa...
Lin Qianyan let out a long, heavy breath. She watched as her blade, starting from the tip, disintegrated into iron dust all the way down to the hilt.
She dropped the ruined sword and turned to look at Pei Yuhang, who was still standing tall.
His expression was peaceful, his breathing steady... He had completely exhausted his Inner Strength and fainted on his feet.
Lin Qianyan knew that she had now truly beco number one under the heavens.
「…」
Pei Yuhang slowly opened his eyes to a warm caress.
The first thing he saw was Lin Qianyan, wiping his cheek with a warm, damp cloth.
The crackling of burning firewood reached his ears. Everything was so peaceful.
"You won, Qianqian. Congratulations on becoming number one under the heavens."
Hearing this, Lin Qianyan's pretty face showed no joy. Instead, she spoke with a particular shyness and annoyance,
"That's not what I want to hear."
"Do you still rember our promise from three years ago?"
As Lin Qianyan spoke, her beautiful eyes revealed a mix of anticipation and panic. She seed even more nervous now than when they had been dueling for the title of number one.
Pei Yuhang smiled faintly, got up, and retrieved a Golden Rattan Wooden Box from his thatched hut.
He opened the box, revealing two Silver Rings inside. One was engraved with the character "Pei," the other with "Lin."
"Qianqian, let's get married."
Pei Yuhang took Lin Qianyan's hand and slowly slid the Silver Ring engraved with "Pei" onto her finger.
"Qianqian, are you willing to be my, Pei Yuhang's, wife?"
Watching this scene unfold, Lin Qianyan felt a strange sense of familiarity. Sadness and joy blood in her heart at once, and her eyes began to turn red.
"I... I am willing..."
Lin Qianyan and Pei Yuhang intertwined their fingers, their hands now adorned with wedding rings.
Then, the two embraced and kissed.
That night was a night of pure love.
「…」
After becoming number one under the heavens, Lin Qianyan and Pei Yuhang vanished from the public eye together.
So said they were seen on Celestial Mountain, dancing with their swords and singing songs.
Others said they traveled the world, holding a grand wedding in every place they visited.
Still others said they had retired to a small, scenic fishing village.
Regardless, the love story of the first and second-ranked masters under the heavens had beco a beloved tale.
「…」
「Many years later.」
"Mother, I have to go to Chang'an today! Father already said I'm a first-rate master. At my age, he had already made a na for himself in the Jianghu, but you always keep cooped up at ho!
I'm going by myself! I'm going to take my sword and venture out into the world on my own!"
A charming young girl grabbed the Silent Sword and her luggage, and with those words, she quickly ran out.
"Pei Yumo, you get back here! The Jianghu isn't as simple as you think!"
A beautiful young woman with a gentle and elegant face called out urgently after Pei Yumo.
Seeing her daughter ignore her and mount a fine horse, ready to ride off, the woman's delicate brows furrowed. She looked back at her husband, who was lying on a chair basking in the sun, and said with a hint of reproach, "Pei Yuhang! Aren't you going to do anything about your daughter?!"
Hearing this, Pei Yuhang slowly put down his book, a lazy smile playing on his lips.
He stretched languidly and smiled at his wife, Lin Qianyan.
"We have you for that, don't we, my dear? Besides, though Yumo is young, her martial arts are far superior to ours at her age. Just let her go, she'll be fine.
And I think... rather than worrying about sothing happening to Yumo, you should be more worried about whether Yumo will be bullying others~"
His laughter was hearty and cheerful, filled with pride for his daughter's mischievousness and strength.
Hearing this, Lin Qianyan couldn't help but glare at him, her cheeks flushing slightly with a mix of shyness and annoyance.
"You two, father and daughter, honestly..."
"Sigh, now that Yumo's left, she might not be back for five or ten years..."
Lin Qianyan shook her head helplessly. Seeing that his teacup was empty, she turned to pour him so more.
As she watched the tea gradually fill the Liuli cup,
the joy in Lin Qianyan's beautiful eyes slowly faded, replaced by a flicker of inner conflict.
Finally, she made up her mind and said softly, "Brother Pei..."
"Hm?"
Pei Yuhang tilted his head slightly, his gentle gaze resting on her, a hint of confusion and concern in his eyes.
"We... Yumo is grown up now. She doesn't need us to take care of her anymore... Now, shouldn't we be heading back too?"
Pei Yuhang froze for a mont. Then, his eyes slowly lowered, his gaze becoming deep and complex.
"Qianqian, when did you realize that I had rembered everything...?"
"The other day, when I was cleaning your study, I saw a drawing tucked inside one of your books... You had drawn a portrait of Sister Liyuan.
From that mont, I knew that you had rembered too, Brother Pei."
"This place... is just an Illusion Realm created by the Mirage Dragon. I'm sorry, Brother Pei... I rembered everything from the mont we got married, but I selfishly kept it from you.
Because in this world, it's just you and ... I wanted to have you all to myself, to watch our daughter grow up..."
Lin Qianyan's voice grew softer and softer, almost a whisper, laced with helplessness and bitterness.
Her thin lips trembled as she fought to suppress the guilt in her heart.
Lin Qianyan spoke with a sense of loss. Just then, Pei Yuhang gently took her hand. His palm was warm and strong, as if to envelop all her vulnerability and unease.
"Qianqian... no matter what, you have done nothing wrong. I will always support your choice.
If we go out, I will tell Liyuan everything frankly. I'm prepared for it."
Tears welled up in Lin Qianyan's beautiful eyes. She leaned into Pei Yuhang's embrace and said, her voice choked with sobs,
"Brother Pei... I... I'm so lucky to have fallen in love with you."
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