NFBE Chapter 62 Cloud and Mist Bamboo Realm
Chapter 62 Cloud and Mist Bamboo Realm
Today, Qingzhu Peak seemed unusually deserted. Dragging his weak body, Shen Xu moved slowly and laboriously step by step on the road leading to Qingzhu Residence.
With each step he took, waves of excruciating pain surged through his entire body.
Fortunately, Qingzhu Peak was unusually deserted today. He didn't encounter a single pedestrian on the road. If he were recognized in his current state, it would probably cause a lot of trouble.
The reason he went to Qingzhu Residence first was that before going to the Law Enforcement Hall, he buried all his important belongings in a hidden place in his courtyard for fear of any accidents, including the two swords that were of great significance to him. The sword he brought to the Law Enforcement Hall was the Hundred-Forged Sword that he had just received.
Looking back now, his actions were quite prescient; otherwise, he would definitely have had a sword left in the Hall of Law Enforcement.
Moreover, if the man surnamed Jiang had drawn the Cold Moon, things would have become very complicated. It's a top-grade magic weapon, and even if Song Qi came, he would probably be tempted. With his current strength, he definitely wouldn't be able to protect the Cold Moon.
The journey from the library to his small courtyard was not short, and it took him almost all his strength.
Moreover, he felt that his injuries seemed to have worsened. But strangely, at the same time, the pain seemed to have lessened somewhat, causing him to fall into a state of confusion and bewilderment.
Only the deep-seated pain remained, constantly tormenting his already fragile nerves.
After sweeping away the fallen leaves, they unearthed two swords buried in the ground and a porcelain bottle filled with Nourishing Essence Pills. This was all of Shen Xu's current assets.
Securely fastening the two swords to his waist and tucking the porcelain bottle into his robes, Shen Xu looked toward the direction of the Cloud and Mist Bamboo Realm.
Meanwhile, the Cloud and Mist Bamboo Realm was bustling with activity. Crowds gathered around the entrance, mostly inner disciples who had come to join the fun, but there were also quite a few elders present.
The crowd discussed, argued, and debated, but their discussions all revolved around only one name—Shen Xu.
"It's the last day. Do you think Shen Xu will still come?"
"He'd be dead even if he came here severely injured; it would be better for him to be imprisoned for three years!"
"I think he will definitely come. How could someone who dared to do that in the Hall of Law Enforcement be afraid of death?"
"It's such a pity about Shen Xu. He should have been the number one in the outer sect and had a bright future, but he encountered this kind of thing as soon as he entered the inner sect."
"Be careful what you say. Do you want to repeat Shen Xu's mistakes?" The disciple gestured in a certain direction with his eyes.
“Jiang Mingqi, aren’t you going to become the target of everyone’s criticism by coming here?” Wang Ya, the woman in red, said to the young man beside her.
"I've come to see what the person who injured my brother like that looks like. I may never see him again," Jiang Mingqi said expressionlessly.
"Wang Ya, why did you come?" Jiang Mingqi asked in return.
"My master said he had some impression of this Shen Xu and asked me to tell him the final result, so I had no choice but to come and see," Wang Ya said with some helplessness.
"The Grand Elder?" Jiang Mingqi murmured.
"How is Mingcheng's injury?"
"It's stabilized, but Father and the others don't seem to want to investigate further, which is a bit strange." Jiang Mingqi frowned.
"Guangjian, do you think he can come out of there alive?" Jiang Mingqi asked Shen Guangjian beside him.
"Senior Brother Jiang, it seems no one has ever come out of the Cloud Mist Bamboo Realm yet," Shen Guangjian replied respectfully.
“Even if he manages to come out alive, I won’t let him go,” Jiang Mingqi said with a light laugh.
"What happened to Junior Brother Shen? Qingqing, has Hall Master Chen returned?" Wang Bu couldn't help but ask.
“Master hasn’t returned since that day, so I don’t know where Junior Brother Shen is now,” Lu Qingqing replied with a frown.
“I do hope he doesn’t come, so at least I can survive, but I also know that living like that is worse than killing him,” Yan Qingxue sighed.
……
At this moment, Shen Xu was moving towards the Cloud and Mist Bamboo Realm with extremely slow and difficult steps. He felt that every step he took was a silent struggle against his collapsing body.
He felt as if his body no longer belonged to him; his flesh and blood were no longer flesh and blood, and his bones seemed to have lost their supporting strength, as if the two had merged together. This caused him to experience the pain of his bones poking into his soft flesh with every step he took.
The pain was not limited to one part of his body, but swept over his entire body like a tidal wave.
"Look! Isn't that Shen Xu!" someone pointed to a dark figure in the distance.
"It looks like Junior Brother Shen, but why is he walking so slowly? Could it be that his injury is too serious?" Lu Qingqing's tone was full of worry.
"Should we go and help Junior Brother Shen?" Yan Qingxue suggested.
“No, Junior Brother Shen is now taking the blame for someone else’s crime. We can’t help him. He has to walk this path by himself!” Wang Bu’s eyes were fixed on Shen Xu, who was slowly moving toward them.
As Shen Xu drew closer, everyone's hearts were on edge. Although most people didn't think Shen Xu could make it through the Cloud Mist Bamboo Realm, how many of those who came here to see him didn't admire him from the bottom of their hearts?
All the onlookers saw was Shen Xu, dressed in a tattered blue robe, with two long swords slung across his waist. His steps were unsteady, his figure swaying precariously, pausing occasionally as if he might collapse at any moment. Yet, despite this, he resolutely and slowly approached the group.
Finally, when Shen Xu appeared in full view of everyone, they realized that the person in front of them seemed to be completely different from the spirited young man they had imagined.
At this moment, his face was pale and bloodless, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes revealed exhaustion and pain, as if he might collapse at any moment.
Everyone fell silent upon seeing this, for they all knew that the young man before them was about to die in the misty bamboo realm ahead.
"Master, you are the sect leader, can't you make him not go?" A tearful girl in green pleaded with Song Qi on a distant hillside.
"Silly girl! This is his own choice, just like the last time." Song Qi wiped away the tears on the girl's face.
Looking at the silent crowd around him, Shen Xu gave a pale smile, then walked straight to the entrance of the Cloud and Mist Bamboo Realm, letting the thick white mist completely engulf his figure, and he disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Senior Brother Wang, do you think Junior Brother Shen can come back?" Tears seemed to glisten in Lu Qingqing's eyes as well.
"Of course I can! Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain this to Wu Qi when I get back?" Wang Bu replied firmly.
Upon seeing Shen Xu's pale face, Yan Qingxue left the crowd and disappeared without a trace.
As Shen Xu's solitary figure slowly entered the Cloud and Mist Bamboo Realm, the crowd dispersed in silence.
They all knew that the life of the boy who dared to defy his unjust fate would end today. His appearance was like a fleeting moment, brilliant and magnificent when he bloomed, but so short and ephemeral.
Two days is enough to forge a hero, and a short journey can also cause faith to crumble.
The lush green bamboo forest, shrouded in thick white mist, seemed like the entrance to another world.
The misty clouds appear and disappear intermittently, and the green bamboo sways gently in the wind, casting dappled and hazy shadows. The rustling sound of the breeze seems to whisper some unknown secret, or as if some miracle could happen at any moment.