Chapter 78 (1/2)

An hour later, on the top of the Xiao family’s mountain, the north wind was cold. Xiao Chen slowly walked to an ancestral temple with an ancient look, and the true patriarch of the Xiao family, Xiao Ning, was enshrined and worshipped in there.

In vague, he could see the portrait of Xiao Ning behind the shrine. The portrait was lifelike with knife-shaped eyebrows and star-shaped eyes. Xiao Chen walked in slowly, wiped off the dust on the table, and gazed at the portrait on the wall.

The wind blew in, hitting the walls as if it was sobbing to the man in the portrait about the slaughter down the mountain a few days ago.

The portrait rattled in the wind. Xiao Chen sighed and was about to turn and leave when he glanced at a thin line of words at the lower right corner of the portrait. He was shocked because the words were not written in modern language but the ancient characters thousands of years ago. Although the forms of the words were different, he recognized them.

“I’ll be waiting for you at the Heartless Temple…”

At the moment he read out the words in a low voice, a row of light suddenly dashed to the place between his eyebrows.

Xiao Chen’s mind immediately came up with a fragmentary picture. It was a decadent palace, in where a woman in white leaned against a stone pillar. She was obviously injured. Although the picture was fuzzy, he was sure that this woman was definitely not ordinary people.

The woman seemed to whisper something, “Brother Ning… You went to answer the duel-call of Gu Feng. Don’t go back, because the five major sects and the Xiao family have regarded you as a traitor… I… I will not go back to the Su family either. Let’s go to grassland and pasture sheep there. And we won’t let the matters from this world trouble us again…”

The picture gradually faded away, and Xiao Chen felt a shock in his heart. This was a divine thought from a thousand years ago. Through the incomplete information in the divine thought, he vaguely deduced something.

Both Xiao family and Su family were ancient families in Violet Manor, and they might not share a good history. A thousand years ago, Xiao Ning met a woman from the Su family who was the owner of this divine thought. They loved each other on first sight and made a decision to grow old together. Naturally, they were strongly opposed at that time.

With time being, Xiao Ning went to fight Gu Feng, who was the great demon being kept in current Xiao family’s tomb, and then the five major sects might have ambushed Gu Feng. This divine thought could not give the answer of how Gu Feng was sealed or where had Xiao Ning been to. But one thing for sure, Xiao Ning didn’t go back to the Heartless Temple to find this woman.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through Xiao Chen’s mind. Maybe after Xiao Ning sealed Gu Feng, he wanted to find this woman in the Su family but ended up being set up by someone and was killed by the five sects and various families. So, he was not able to find that woman in the end…

“I’m waiting for you in the Heartless Temple…” Xiao Chen repeated these words. This portrait of Xiao Ning in front of him might be drawn by this woman. However, he found out this secret a thousand years later. A thousand years had passed, and things had already changed. Was that woman still waiting in the Heartless Temple?

The five major sects and those ancient families… That great demon, Gu Feng, said that it was Xiao Ning who let the five sects ambush him. But the truth was obviously not like this. What on earth had happened a thousand years ago? Why Xiao Ning had the Samsara Jade? Xiao Chen felt that there might be some connections to his rebirth. Xiao Ning must not be dead! He must be in somewhere!

The moon fell to the west. Xiao Chen still could not understand it. Maybe he could figure out all these riddles after he went to the Violet Manor! He then left the ancestral temple. When he passed by the guest house down the mountain, he saw Li Muxue still standing in the courtyard and gazing at the half moon.

“Muxue, why are you not sleeping?”

Li Muxue turned around and smiled gently. “Brother Xiao, is uncle better?”

“Yes, he’s fine now. You’ve consumed too much True Energy before. Go to rest in the room. Tomorrow morning, I’ll let men send you to Chuyun City.”

Li Muxue did not speak. She looked at a flowering tree in the courtyard. The flowers were pale white, just like the light snow in winter. She smiled gently, saying, “Brother Xiao, actually, snowflakes have a beautiful name called Yet-ending Flowers…”

Yet-ending Flowers… Yet ending…

Xiao Chen’s body gently quivered. He only felt incredible pain in the brain. From the deep memory, that glimpse of a figure seemed to appear again. That figure was clad in a snow-white dress and slowly walked to him. But the brilliance disappeared in an instant.

Who on earth was that person? Why did his heart feel so painful!? It was as if a piece of his memory was wiped off forcibly.

“In fact, I really want to watch the snow falling with Brother Xiao again…” Li Muxue said quietly, with a hint of inaudible sadness in her words.

Xiao Chen finally came to his senses. He smiled and said, “It’s okay. We have plenty of time in the future. After I went to Violet Manor, I’ll manage to let all you go there.”

The next morning, Xiao Chen asked two guards of the Xiao family to escort Li Muxue home. He then went to the hall to discuss the following matters with all the people. Xiao Wan’er had sent a spiritual message to the Three Pure Sect for help. The sect should have received the message by now.

When people were discussing, a sky-shaking roar rose from outside. Everybody trembled and hurried outside. But when they saw an old man in a teal robe with a white beard, they were frightened. It was Tiangu Zi!

“Where is the one who killed my junior brother?” Tiangu Zi thundered and then landed in the Fly Cloud Court. Obviously, he had noticed that Gongye Zi died last night.

Xiao Chen cursed inwardly and then said to Xiao Han, “You take the people to retreat!”

“No one can escape!” Tiangu Zi thundered and ran his energy when the hearts and meridians of three or four Xiao family martial artists were broken.

Xiao Chen’s eyes turned red. “You sent men to slaughter my family days ago and even killed them in my face. I’ll kill you to comfort the dead even if it would cost my life!

With a sudden gust of wind, Xiao Chen sent out the Heavenly Sky Palm. Tiangu Zi ran his energy as thunders rumbled and the sky changed. A large number of tiles under both people’s feet were turned into dust.

Tiangu Zi stood straight on the ground, while Xiao Chen was bounced back for a few steps. He was shocked and thought this man was stronger than before. He said to Xiao Han in a deep voice, “You take people away! Now!”

As his voice fell, he unleashed the Dragon’s Wrath. Instantly, black clouds appeared above him as a huge dragon head emerged at the end of the clouds.

As the dark clouds were gathering at low altitude, all Xiao family members were scared. Xiao Yifan also heard the noise and rushed here. Upon seeing this, he shouted “Chen’er” and then rushed over.

Xiao Chen shouted, “Don’t come here!” The dragon head in the clouds roared and then charged downward. Tiangu Zi squinted and uttered, “Hum?” He then kept moving his fingers to cast spells. When he uttered “break”, a huge radiance ascended and immediately cleared the clouds. The huge dragon in the air also dispersed.

Xiao Chen’s chest felt stuffy as he spat out a mouthful of blood. Xiao Yifan hurriedly held him, but he shook his head, pushed his father away, and glazed at Tiangu Zi.

Tiangu Zi squinted and said, “How did my junior brother die? Tell me!”