The sword is ruthless, but the person who holds the sword is affectionate.

Xie Xiaofeng has never been a ruthless swordsman, on the contrary, Xie Xiaofeng was a gentle person from the beginning.

He has been accompanied by the sword since he was born, and when he was invincible, there was a bloody wind around him all the time, and countless lives died under his sword, but even so, he never became hard-hearted, cold-blooded and ruthless.

That's why Xie Xiaofeng chose to stay away, try to stay away from Shenjian Villa, try to stay away from the rivers and lakes, and try to ...... Think about something alone.

Although he has not been able to fully understand it until now, when Ah Miao and Gillian, as well as those children, are threatened with their lives, he cannot be indifferent no matter what.

Aji held the sword and became Xie Xiaofeng again!

What Aji can't do, Xie Xiaofeng can do, because he is the emperor of the sword, and he is the third young master!

It's just that from the moment he held the sword, the "responsibility" that he put behind him and wanted to stay away from also returned to him with this identity.

Konoha Xiaoxiao, the sunset is full of sky.

Standing at the gate of the city, watching Gillian Miao and those children who left this land of right and wrong in a carriage to find a new life, Xie Xiaofeng suddenly spoke.

"Sorry to disappoint you."

Although Xie Xiaofeng only had fallen corpses around him, and there were no living people standing, when the other party spoke, Huai Zhi'an clearly realized that the other party was talking to him alive.

"You know I'm coming?" Huaizhi Anqi said.

Xie Xiaofeng put the sword into the sheath, his clothes were red, I don't know if it was blood, or the sunset like blood: "Although I can't see it, I can clearly perceive your sword intent that belongs to sword cultivation alone." ”

After that, Xie Xiaofeng smiled: "The world is really full of wonders. ”

An "existence" like the other party, even Xie Xiaofeng, who is standing at the top of the rivers and lakes, is unheard of.

But he didn't care so much, the other party's sword intent was very peculiar, but there was no malicious intent.

"Although I have experienced more than before, I have also understood more......" Xie Xiaofeng looked up at the sky, his eyes were stunned. But that's not enough! ”

"So, please come back later, I believe that when we meet next time, you and I will be able to drink tea and discuss swords, and maybe, I can see your true face."

When the sunset set on the mountain, the last bit of light in the world was completely withdrawn, and a large area of darkness pushed Huai Zhi'an outward.

Huai Zhi'an looked back and saw that Xie Xiaofeng's back was like a kite in the distance, getting smaller and smaller.

The wind was howling, and the figures in the wind were standstill, quiet and sad.

In an instant, Huai Zhi'an's vision was completely darkened.

"Wait, isn't that the end of it?" Huai Zhi'an looked around in surprise.

It took so much effort to enter Xiaojian again, it can't end so easily, right?

Fortunately, Huai Zhi'an didn't wait too long, only to hear a melodious sword chant in his ears resounding in this darkness, and then turned into a shocking aftersound that continued to echo.

At the same time, the fire of the first human spirit appeared out of thin air.

A ray of light, tearing apart the eternal darkness!

The darkness faded, and Huai Zhi'an's vision became clearer and clearer, until it was completely engulfed by the light.

Huai Zhi'an originally thought that when he saw Xie Xiaofeng again, it would be in that fateful battle, which was the fateful battle between Xie Xiaofeng and Yan Shisan, and it was also the battle that Huai Zhi'an was most looking forward to, just like Ximen Fuxue and Ye Gucheng at the beginning.

But when the darkness disappeared, what appeared in his sight was a picturesque landscape.

Cuiyun Peak is still green, and the green water lake is still sparkling, but it is calmer than before.

"Huh?"

Huai Zhi'an looked around, a little puzzled.

This is indeed Cuiyun Peak, but it seems to be different from the last time I saw it?

Following the route in his memory, Huai Zhi'an walked forward, walked more than hundreds of steps, and walked to a seemingly magnificent stone wall, he stretched out his hand to pull open the dense green vine and green leaves, and vaguely saw a few big characters engraved on the stone wall.

The words engraved on it have experienced many baptisms of wind and rain, and the once bright golden handwriting has long been darkened, and the awe-inspiring sword intent contained in its words has long been extinguished.

It's just that even so, Huai Zhi'an can vaguely recognize the words of these model lakes -

Excalibur Villa!

Huai Zhi'an crossed the threshold that was so dilapidated that it was almost impossible to see its original face, and looked back.

The once magnificent Shenjian Mountain Villa is now gone, replaced by a collapsed roof, green vines lingering, wild grass growing, covering the bluestone steps that once flowed blood, burying the mountain villa that countless cultivators once longed for.

There was also a decrepit figure, some hunchbacked, some old, one with the desolation of the scene......

"Xie Xiaofeng..."Huai Zhi'an said softly.

The figure paused slightly, as if he heard it, and slowly turned around.

"You're here."

The years have left too many traces on the other party's face, the only thing that remains unchanged is the pair of bright star-like eyes, the corners of the eyes with thick crow's feet moved, and Xie Xiaofeng had a surging smile in his eyes.

This time, he no longer just could "feel", but really saw the master of the sword intent that had appeared in his life several times.

Huai Zhi'an was a little silent.

He has seen Xie Xiaofeng's sword and the glory of the fourteen states; I have seen each other living in the streets and alleys, mixed with the downfall of the Qinglou; And what made Huai Zhi'an a little sad the most was the scene in front of him.

In the twilight of the swordsman, the once amazing and brilliant teenager finally inevitably went to the graveyard of time.

When he first saw Xie Xiaofeng, Huai Zhi'an remembered the sadness between Xie Xiaofeng's eyebrows after every killing, even if he was in the bright smoke and rain in the south of the Yangtze River, he couldn't erase the sadness.

It is sorrow, but also tenderness for life.

And now between the eyebrows of the old man in front of him, the sadness is no longer there, but the gentleness is like fine wine, more and more pure.

Huai Zhi'an originally thought that he would see the fateful battle of those two peerless swordsmen, but now it seems that the time has come directly to a later time, late to ...... He may almost never see each other.

Facing Huai Zhi'an who suddenly appeared, even if he had never met, the elderly Xie Xiaofeng was like treating an old friend who had been absent for many years, and asked Huai Zhi'an to sit down.

"There's nothing to entertain, the tea I grow myself is not bad, let's try it."

Tick –

When making tea, Xie Xiaofeng's hand shook slightly, and some of the hot tea spilled out.

Huai Zhi'an's gaze stayed on Xie Xiaofeng's hands, where the thumbs were gone.

Without a swordsman with a thumb, how much more difficult is it to hold a sword?

But who can cut off the thumb of Xie Xiaofeng, who is almost close to God with a sword that frightens Kyushu?

Answer: Yes, it's just him!

"It's really surprising, I thought that the person with that kind of sword intent would be a bad old man like me now." Xie Xiaofeng held the teacup and trembled a little, but he didn't realize it, he just smiled to himself.

"Your hand ......"

"This, it's okay, I cut it off with my own sword." Xie Xiaofeng seems to have not spoken to anyone for a long time, or rather, at his age, most of the people he knows have long since left him.

For example, a mediocre mound in the villa is just a mound of a few flowers swaying in the wind.

The one buried inside is Xie Xiaofeng's wife.

So to meet an old friend from a young age, Xie Xiaofeng is naturally happy.

"Yan Thirteen?" Huai Zhi'an said softly.

"Hey, you know? You weren't there at that time. Xie Xiaofeng was a little surprised, but then he didn't pursue it anymore, after all, Huai Zhi'an was already full of mystery.

"Yes, he's right."

Xie Xiaofeng held the teacup in his hand, his eyes fell on the distant mountains, the light and shadow of the sky reflected on his face, and the other party's gaze was a little inscrutable and nostalgic.

"One river and lake can't accommodate two peerless sword cultivators, and Yan Shisan's fanatical pursuit of sword dao has long surpassed everything, so he and I are destined to have a fight."

Speaking of Yan Shisan, Xie Xiaofeng's eyes lit up slightly, and he even smiled a little.

Obviously, it was a battle of life and death, but in Xie Xiaofeng's opinion, Yan Shisan may be one of the few people in this world who can sympathize with him.

They are enemies and friends.

"Later, there was a demon sect attacking the Central Plains, and I had no choice but to go out of the mountain and defeat the demon sect leader, and then I retreated in the Tibetan Sword House to understand the sword for a period of time, and I discussed the sword with a friend who used a knife, and now there is no opponent in the rivers and lakes." Xie Xiaofeng's tone was a little proud, and there was a hint of loneliness.

Huai Zhian knew that Xie Xiaofeng was not bragging, because no one knew better than him what state Xie Xiaofeng was in at this time-

The realm of immortals and Buddhas!

After Xie Xiaofeng was trapped in the Tibetan Sword House, he was like the face wall of Buddhism and the Taoist sitting, they were thinking, getting rid of a shackle, once they were enlightened, they stood out and went to a new realm, another kind of return to the basics, from the splendid to the realm of peace.

That kind of sword is the sword, I am me, the sword is not the sword, I am not my realm, it is the realm of the immortal Buddha.

Not to mention the "friend with a knife" in the other party's mouth, but the magic knife Ding Peng, the ruthless man among the ruthless.

After a sword debate with Ding Peng, Xie Xiaofeng's kendo attainments have been perfected!

It is no exaggeration to say that if it were not for the restrictions of the world, Xie Xiaofeng would have already embarked on the road of "detachment" in another world.

"Originally, I was going to go out for a walk, to the East China Sea, to the desert, to the mountains and forests, to see if there are any people as tall and strange as you, but suddenly I felt that it seemed that it was time to meet you, so I postponed my departure for a few days."

Xie Xiaofeng took a sip of the teacup gently, his eyes slowly closed, the afternoon sun was extremely gentle, which made people sleepy, Xie Xiaofeng was as quiet and peaceful as if he was asleep.

Huai Zhi'an also took a sip, and then frowned slightly.

It's bitter!

This tea is more bitter than any kind of tea Huai Zhi'an has ever drunk, and it is even bitter and difficult to swallow.

It's hard to believe that Xie Xiaofeng looked like he was sweet when he drank tea.

Huai Zhi'an quietly put down the teaglass: "I remember, you used to like to drink, why do you like to drink tea now?" ”

"Wine, I haven't drunk it for a long time."

Xie Xiaofeng opened his eyes, his gaze a little reminiscing.

At his age, many things really only exist in memories.

"When I first started drinking, I was still young, and I said that the rivers and lakes couldn't do without wine, and I was young and frivolous, so I tasted it, and I felt that it tasted spicy and didn't like it; Later, when I escaped from Excalibur Villa, I fell in love with drinking again, because it helped me to forget a lot of things, empty my head, and leave all my troubles behind, and I was very happy; Now in the twilight of my life, the years are urging people to grow old, and the things I once wanted to forget and escape are no longer there, and those memories that I attach great importance to and even regard as life, such as friends, such as lovers, such as agreements with you, so in order to keep these memories, I no longer touch wine, just drink tea. ”

Xie Xiaofeng looked around, there was no one else in this mountain villa before Huai Zhi'an came.

This manor seems to be empty suddenly, the holy place of kendo that everyone yearns for all over the world seems to be just a dream of his, there is nothing here, only a bad old man who likes to drink tea and stares at the distant mountains in a daze.

He drank tea, and what came to his ears was the sound of the sword when the disciples practiced the sword when the Sword Villa was once glorious, and the warm whispers of him and his wife were here.

Xie Xiaofeng couldn't tell whether this was a dream or reality, if it was a dream, then he thought that his dream was too long.

Obviously he once regarded the Excalibur Villa as a cage, but now that he looks at it, it seems to have reconciled with him after the years, so that he is full of nostalgia for the past.

Huai Zhi'an was silent, listening to the sound of insects chirping from the corner of the Broken Mountain Villa, and suddenly remembered a poem.

The young man listened to the rain song upstairs, and the red candles were dim.

In the prime of life, listening to the rain in the passenger boat, the river is wide and the clouds are low, and the broken geese are called the west wind.

Now listening to the rain monk's house, the temples have stars.

The joys and sorrows are always ruthless, one step ahead, bit by bit until dawn.

The same "listening to the rain", but with a different state of mind.

The same "drinking" has a different taste due to the passage of time.

The sorrows, joys, sorrows and cries of a lifetime permeate and merge into it.

"The first two times we met, I was not qualified to teach you anything at that time, and it is only now that I can fulfill my agreement with you."

Xie Xiaofeng raised his head, squinted at the sky, then drank the tea, and then got up and walked to the mound where his lover was buried.

Next to the mound, there is actually a small mound of earth.

Although he was old and had broken his fingers, Xie Xiaofeng looked at the mound in front of him and dug it directly with his bare hands.

In a short time, the mound was torn open, and there was a sword lying inside, a scabbard and hilt had long been rotten and broken, and only a three-foot long sword with the blade still intact.

The three-foot Qingfeng lay quietly under the wet and cold soil after autumn, the fragrance and coldness of the soil wrapped around the sword body, and even the slightest wisps of sword qi could be seen.

Deep to the point that the pitch-black earth lined with the clear blade of the sword, the two fierce colors subtly blended together, reminiscent of the snowy mountain forest in the middle of winter at Cuiyun Peak, or the corpses buried under the snowy mountain forest.

The three-foot long sword, which made the entire rivers and lakes fear and worship, was buried together with the past and memories of its owner.

This sword is not a divine weapon, nor is it from the hands of some famous forge, but this sword will always be at the top of the artifact spectrum of the rivers and lakes!

Because, this is Xie Xiaofeng's saber!

Looking at the saber that was buried by his own hands after his wife's death, Xie Xiaofeng was a little stunned, but then picked up the long sword, and then turned around and entered the house.

I only heard a dinging sound, and when Xie Xiaofeng pushed the door open and appeared in front of Huai Zhi'an again, the long sword in his hand had already radiated new vitality!

"Come on."

Xie Xiaofeng raised his sword to Huai Zhi'an.

Just as Aji became Xie Xiaofeng when he held the sword, now the old man holds the sword, and suddenly, the emperor of the sword in the rivers and lakes was re-crowned as the king!

The sword light is shining, slashing towards Huai Zhi'an!