39 A sweet melody. (1/2)
Jing Yimu flew above the ground, using his Qi to propel himself and Li Yang forward at high speed. At the same time, he used his Qi to protect Li Yang and Jinwu from the strong wind that came from their high speed, otherwise, they would be torn apart and die a gruesome death.
After flying for about 15 seconds, a gray mist rose up from the vast plain, surrounding them and making it nearly impossible to see. Jing Yimu knew that this meant that the guardian of this trial had spotted him, so he increased his speed even further, a loud booming sound ringing out as he passed the speed of sound.
The gray mist quickly started coiling around them, but just as it was about to grab hold of Li Yang, Jing Yimu managed to enter the second trial. The gray mist and Li Yang vanished, taken away by the array that controlled the trial. All Jing Yimu could do now was hope that Li Yang would make sure to remember the jade wings, and proceed carefully.
When Jing Yimu vanished, Li Yang found himself surrounded by a gray mist that made it impossible for him to see what was around him. He made sure that Jinwu was still perched on his shoulders, and then swept his eyes over the surroundings, checking if he could spot anything. Noticing that he truly could not see anything around him, nor hear anything, a slight smile appeared on his face as he spoke out.
”It is good to see you again, Mengxiang.”
After his voice sounded out, the gray mist in front of him started squirming, gathering together as it turned into a Demonic beast. The gray mist turned into a two-meter tall fox that was a mixture of gray and blue in color. Swaying rhythmically behind the fox were nine fluffy tails, letting everyone who saw it that this was a mythical beast on the same level as a Dragon, a Nine-Tailed Fox. The fox, Mengxiang looked at Li Yang with an incredulous look in its eyes as it spoke, its voice soft and alluring as if it was trying to lull you to sleep.
”Thunder Monarch? Is it really you? Did you not die so long ago?”
Mengxiang could not help but blink her eyes several times as she inspected Li Yang, uncertain if it was she who was seeing an illusion. Li Yang let out a chuckle and shook his head, briefly explaining the circumstances behind his rebirth. He also glanced at the nine tails behind Mengxiang, a smile appearing on his face.
”No, I did truly die that day, but I and Fang Ying were allowed to be reborn. Despite so many years passing, you have barely changed Mengxiang. Well, you grew three new tails, so I guess that is something, congratulations.”
If at first Mengxiang was a bit suspicious about whether or not it really was Li Yang, once she heard his last sentence she completely believed it was the real him. There were only six people who knew how many tails she had at the time Li Yang died, and that was the six people of Li Yang's group. A bright smile appeared on Mengxiang's face as she spoke out in an excited voice.
”It truly is you! Have you met Mistress? She said that they would try to send themselves into reincarnation, but I have yet to hear anything from them.”
Li Yang could only shake his head sadly in response to Mengxiang's question. Chen Huo had also mentioned that Zhao Feng and the others tried sending themselves into reincarnation, but he had to learn whether or not they had succeeded in their attempt.
”No, I haven't met her yet. But I truly hope that they managed to succeed. I truly wish to journey alongside those fools once more. But let's put that aside, for now, Mengxiang, what must I do to complete this trial?”
Mengxiang's head and her nine tails drooped slightly after hearing that Li Yang had no news, but she had already somewhat expected this outcome. She quickly raised her head and started explaining to Li Yang what he had to do to pass the trial she was in charge of.
”First you must break past the illusion that you will be shown, the illusion is based on your deepest desires. After that, you must keep your mind intact while you experience the endless march of time. Succeeding in that will mean that you have completed the trial.”
Li Yang nodded his head, the information was basically the same as the information Jing Yimu had given him. Li Yang stretched out his hand and pat Mengxiang on her head, enjoying the smooth sensation of her fur for a bit before walking past her and speaking out.
”I see, thank you for the information. I will be going now Mengxiang, we can take our time and chat after I have killed Jing Yimu during Bai Yawen's trial.”
Hearing that Li Yang was planning on killing Jing Yimu during the trial set up by Bai Yawen, Mengxiang felt incomparably excited. She lowered her head slightly as she saw off Li Yang, her voice drifting after him as he vanished into the gray mist.
”I wish you luck, Thunder Monarch.”
When Li Yang stepped into the gray mist, he felt his surroundings spin and twist, his vision turning blurry for a short moment before it turned completely black. After he regained his vision, he found himself standing in a garden covered in snow, a small cottage located not far to his left The sky was bright, with soft snow slowly falling down on the world and turning it a pure white.
Li Yang raised his head to observe the falling snow when he suddenly heard the sound of music from nearby, a familiar melody reaching his ears. Despite hearing the familiar melody, he did not turn towards the music. He instead closed his eyes, silently enjoying the melody until a soft and familiar voice called out to him.
”Why are you just standing there? Trying to catch a cold?”
Li Yang opened his eyes and slowly lowered his head, turning it to the side. Standing not far from his right was a white pavilion large enough for three people to sit in it. Sitting inside the pavilion was a graceful and delicate woman clad in an azure robe, her silvery white hair hung down her back and spread out over the bench she was sitting on. Her emerald green eyes looked at Li Yang with a loving expression, a small zither resting on her lap, her beautiful fingers plucking at the strings. A bright smile spread on Li Yang's face as he spoke out.
”Nope, just enjoying the pleasant music.”
After hearing Li Yang's reply, the woman, Fang Ying, stopped plucking at the strings of the zither, using her hand to beckon him over and point at the spot next to her, a sweet smile on her face.
”You can enjoy the music from inside here as well, no need to stand over there.”
Li Yang let out a laughter, nodding his head a few times as he spoke, slowly walking over and taking a seat next to Fang Ying, deeply breathing in the familiar fragrance that she released.
”True, true. That fact completely slipped my mind.”
Fang Ying resumed plucking at the strings of the zither, a soft and comforting melody spreading through the surroundings. Li Yang sat next to her, looking at the falling snow as he enjoyed the melody she played. After listening to the song for a short while, he turned his head to look at Fang Ying, a smile spreading on his face as he spoke out.
”Ying'er, I want to comb your hair.”
Fang Ying tilted her head slightly as she looked at Li Yang. Seeing the smile on his face, a smile involuntarily spread on her own as she shook her head. She was close to finishing the song, so he would just have to wait.
”Now? At least let me finish my song first.”
But little did she expect that Li Yang would just let out a chuckle and shake his head. He stood up from the seat and took up position behind Fang Ying, swiping his interspatial ring and taking out a familiar wooden comb, a comb he should not have right now.
”No need, you can keep playing while I comb.”
He used his left hand to softly hold onto her silky hair, while the right hand held the comb and started slowly combing Fang Ying's hair. Fang Ying felt that Li Yang was slightly different from how he usually was, so she asked out in a slightly curious voice as she started to pluck the zither again.
”What's the matter?”
Li Yang let out a smile, assuring Fang Ying that nothing was wrong. Right now, he simply wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as he could.
”Nothing, I just felt like it has been a while since I last combed your hair or heard your music, so I didn't want to choose one over the other.”
Li Yang continued to silently comb Fang Ying's hair, while Fang Ying continued to pluck the zither, the two of them entering a tranquil world that belonged to just the two of them. But this tranquil world was quickly broken when the loud shout of a young girl sounded out.
”Ah, I found Papa and Mama! You were hiding over here!”
The loud shout was followed by the sound of someone running through the snow, heading towards them. Li Yang heard the sound of someone jumping coming from behind him, followed by the sensation of something crashing into his back and grabbing onto his neck. A bright smile spread on Li Yang's face as he calmly stored away the comb and then gave his body a slight twist, causing the person who had grabbed onto his neck to spin around to his front as he spoke.
”We weren't hiding, Xue'er, you are just terrible at finding us.”
Li Yang used his arms to support the young girl in his arms. She looked like she was only around eight years old, had smooth azure hair that reached down to a little above her buttocks, bright green eyes, and two small dimples at the sides of her mouth from her constant smiling. The eyes of the girl, Fang Xue'er, landed on Jinwu, who had been forced to take off from Li Yang's shoulders when she jumped at him.