40: We are going to say goodbye, take care of each other

Lin Mu looked at this scene with a sense of helplessness.

He hadn't expected that a casual strike from the heavenly dao sword would take Wang Changhe's life.

The power of the heavenly dao sword was indeed extraordinary.

At this moment, Xu Liying knelt on the ground, holding Wang Changhe's body, her cries having turned hoarse.

She tightly clasped Wang Changhe's still warm hands, as if this could bring him back to life.

Suddenly, a memory not her own flooded into her mind.

On a vast, white plain, a small boy, shivering from the cold, lay curled up on the roadside.

His lips were purple, his face pale, and he was on the verge of freezing to death in the merciless winter.

Perhaps it wasn't his time to die, for a woman in a light purple dress rescued him and brought him into her carriage.

The woman pulled him back from the brink of death.

He opened his eyes and saw the woman's gentle smile.

"Since you've survived, live well from now on. What's your name?"

"I don't have a name."

"Then you shall take my surname, Wang. Hmm... let's call you Changhe, to live like the endlessly flowing river."

He nodded.

The woman taught him to read and write, and trained him to become a martial artist.

Wang Changhe was very talented, and with the woman's recommendation, he joined Luocheng City Sect.

Not long after.

The woman married into the imperial palace, becoming one of many concubines.

One day, Wang Changhe's master returned gravely injured and passed away after only a few words.

He buried his master in the peach blossom forest behind the sect, because he remembered his master liked peach blossoms.

With his master's passing, the sect gradually declined. Even though he was a prodigy, he couldn't save the sect from its decline.

A hundred years swiftly passed, and news came from the imperial palace from the woman.

She said she wanted to see Wang Changhe.

Their last meeting was also on a snowy winter day.

The woman lay in bed, wrinkles already etched on her forehead.

She held Wang Changhe's hand, sincerely asking him to take care of her son.

Wang Changhe agreed.

This care lasted for three hundred years.

Time flew by.

The young man from back then had now become the influential Third Prince of Yanshan Kingdom.

The Third Prince said that once this matter was done, Wang Changhe would owe no one anything.

Suddenly, the scene shifted again.

Wang Changhe looked at the little girl by the roadside and asked.

"Little sister, what's your name?"

"My name is Xu Liying."

"Big Brother will take you to eat something, okay?"

The little girl nodded.

Wang Changhe held the little girl, and against the setting sun, the scene slowly faded.

It was a long while before Xu Liying regained her senses.

So this was her Senior Brother's life.

Perhaps it was after seeing her Senior Brother's memories.

Xu Liying was no longer as sad. This was perhaps the path her Senior Brother had chosen.

Lin Mu saw that Xu Liying was no longer sobbing, and slowly stepped forward: "Regarding your Senior Brother's matter..."

Xu Liying interrupted Lin Mu: "I don't blame you. This was the path Senior Brother chose himself, it's just... it's just."

What she couldn't say was: "It's just that I can never call you Big Brother Lin again."

Lin Mu saw her hesitate to speak and didn't press further, instead saying softly: "What are your plans from now on?"

Xu Liying glanced at her Senior Brother in her arms, and said with some sadness: "I want to take Senior Brother home and guard that peach blossom forest with him."

"The journey is long, do you need me to escort you back?"

Xu Liying gently shook her head: "When we came, Senior Brother carried me; when we leave, I must carry him home."

Although she was just a woman, she was also a Spirit Roaming Realm martial artist.

With a slight exertion of her hands, she lifted Wang Changhe into her arms.

Feeling her Senior Brother's weight, she frowned slightly: "I never thought that the Senior Brother who supported a whole sky for me would have such a frail body."

Xu Liying looked at Lin Mu one last time, then turned and left.

That resentful gaze was heartbreaking to witness.

The moment she turned, she spoke softly: "After this parting, the mountains are high and the waters are distant; let us both cherish ourselves."

Lin Mu knew she was telling him that they would never meet again.

Watching Xu Liying slowly walk away, lost in thought, Lin Mu also became distracted.

"If I hadn't brought her to Qingyang Sect back then, she wouldn't be in such a difficult position today. At the very least, she would have someone to hate."

Yun Feiyang, who had been silent, hesitated before stepping forward and asking: "Should we send someone to protect her? Wang Changhe had quite a few enemies."

Lin Mu nodded slightly: "You go personally, but don't stay too far away."

...Three days later.

Lin Mu paced back and forth in his room, holding a letter that he hadn't opened for a long time.

The letter had been given to him by Yun Feiyang upon his return.

After much thought, Lin Mu finally tore open the envelope and took out the paper inside, which carried a faint scent of peach blossoms.

There was only one line of text on the letter: "Merely three inches of snow on the eaves, how can it keep a fleeting guest in the human world?"

After reading this line, Lin Mu etched it deeply into his mind.

The little girl who used to chatter around him every day would never be seen again.

Lin Mu carefully placed the letter in his embrace and said towards the door: "Pass on my order: All Flying Heaven Realm cultivators are to gather in the Council Hall."

The spacious Council Hall, after Lin Mu's command, was filled with numerous Flying Heaven Realm powerhouses in just half an hour.

Lin Mu sat at the head of the hall, gazing intently at the newly arrived crowd, and suddenly declared with a resounding voice:

"From today onwards, the annexation plan will be implemented. Send word to all forces with Flying Heaven Realm martial artists."

"They are given one month to declare their allegiance to the Heavenly Dao Sect. After one month, any force that has not submitted will be executed without mercy."

Originally, the plan was for a year, but now he couldn't wait.

Firstly, he needed to rush to the imperial capital immediately; anyone coveting the heavenly dao stone had to die.

Secondly, he was also worried about Xu Liying; all of Wang Changhe's enemies must either be eliminated or forced to submit.

Yun Feiyang, hearing Lin Mu's words, also spoke with some surprise: "How should we decide regarding the families of the sect's disciples?"

Lin Mu pondered for a moment: "Any family of a sect disciple that submits will enjoy equal sect treatment. No tribute is required, only obedience to orders."

Many Flying Heaven Realm cultivators below breathed a sigh of relief.

Most of their families had intricate connections.

This way, there would be no loss of practical interests, only nominal obedience, which was acceptable.

To alleviate everyone's concerns, Lin Mu continued:

"In the annexation plan a month from now, all Venerable Realm cultivators who refuse to submit will be dealt with and killed by someone."

Everyone had unwavering faith in Lin Mu's words.

They couldn't help but think of Lao Mo.

He had, after all, obliterated the Grand Elder's soul with a single palm strike.

"For this plan, Vice Sect Master Yun Feiyang will be in full command."

After Lin Mu finished his last sentence, he flashed out of the hall.

Lao Mo had been idle recently, always sitting under the willow tree meditating.

Sensing Lin Mu's arrival, he slowly opened his eyes, stood up, and said: "Master, this old servant has also heard about the little girl's matter. Alas, what a pity."

Lin Mu didn't know what Lao Mo meant by 'pity.'

But he didn't pay it any mind.

"I need to go to the imperial capital to deal with some petty clowns. Yun Feiyang will handle matters within the sect, and you will assist him."

Lao Mo said with some concern: "Why don't I go with you?"

"There's no need. I now possess four heavenly dao stones and have the heavenly dao sword in hand. Some petty individuals are not worth mentioning."