80. Foreign Invasion
Looking into Yun Ling's earnest eyes, Jingwei opened her mouth, but found herself with a lump in her throat, unable to say anything.
This was the first time she had ever been confessed to, and by her own apprentice no less...
But at this moment, she felt no joy, because she had no choice but to refuse.
"Alright, Master, I've said what I wanted to say. You should get some rest, too." Yun Ling bowed slightly and then left Jingwei's room.
Knowing there's no future, why still choose to love?
That's great...
If I had a choice...
Feel sorry.
Tonight, neither of them sleeps, admiring the same crescent moon, each carrying their own sorrows, separated only by a wall, yet seemingly worlds apart.
Immortals are revered, admired, and worshipped by people.
Has she ever been loved by anyone?
Several years have passed in the blink of an eye, but the relationship between master and apprentice remains that of master and apprentice.
Jingwei gradually became immune to Yun Ling's displays of affection and learned to respond with silence and indifference.
She believed that one day, Yun Ling would give up.
But she clearly underestimated Yun Ling's persistence.
Before they knew it, Yun Ling and Lin Chaoyu were both over thirty years old, but they were still unmarried.
Over the years, Jingwei has taken in two more disciples, Ma Yanqing and Qin Suyi.
Ma Yanqing has a somewhat arrogant personality and likes to stick close to Su Mei.
Qin Suying has a gentle personality and loves to stick close to Jingwei.
Qin Suying had lost all her previous memories, so she was exceptionally cautious in some ways.
Everyone showed her great care and hoped she could recover soon.
There are now nine people on Mount Taixu, and it's no longer as deserted as before.
Yun Ling spends his days either lying in the sun or teaching his younger brothers and sisters to practice swordsmanship.
Lin Chaoyu was responsible for taking care of everyone's daily life.
Su Mei has good talent and occasionally goes down the mountain with Jingwei to eliminate demons.
Cheng Lingshuang is remarkable; at only twelve years old, her sword heart has already entered the 'Great Void' realm.
She quickly became the strongest disciple besides Yun Ling.
Half of her hair had turned completely white, and although the reason was unknown, she was in good health.
Since she hasn't had a chance to go down the mountain yet, she usually cultivates on Mount Taixu, and she gets quite close to Yun Ling.
Aside from the insurmountable mental and spiritual aspects, Yun Ling's mastery of form, soul, and spirit has completely surpassed that of Jingwei.
To improve herself, Cheng Lingshuang would often spar with him whenever she had free time, and he happened to be relatively free, so they gradually became quite close.
Cheng Lingshuang is naturally indifferent and rarely shows her emotions, but she cares a lot about the people around her, which is similar to Jingwei.
"Foreign enemies have invaded, and the Ming Empire is unable to resist. We beseech the immortals to descend from the mountain and protect the Ming Empire!"
A voice suddenly echoed through the mountains.
"?" Upon hearing this, Yun Ling felt suspicious.
Then, with a somersault, he dismounted from the rock and flew down the mountain on his sword.
"You are... General Youlan's daughter?"
With blond hair and a face somewhat similar to General Youlan, she held a lance and rode a black steed, exuding heroic spirit.
"Could it be...Your Highness, the Crown Prince?! This humble general, Durandal, greets Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"
Durandal quickly dismounted and bowed.
"No need for formalities. You just mentioned foreign invasion... what's going on?" Yun Ling stepped forward and helped Durandal up.
Jingwei had obviously heard the sound as well and followed.
"This is my master, also known as the Immortal Jingwei," Yun Ling introduced.
"Greetings, immortal!" Durandal bowed slightly to Jingwei again.
"A large army from beyond the Great Wall has arrived at the Kipchak Grasslands in the west of Shenzhou. They are well-equipped and incredibly powerful. Their leader possesses a weapon unlike any seen before, whose chains can accurately target enemies from dozens of miles away. Many generals have been captured on the spot, and the Ming Empire's army is being driven back in disarray!"
"Describe the appearance of that weapon in detail," Jingwei said to Durandal, not in a hurry.
"It's roughly a cross-shaped object that can be opened in the middle. Inside are thirteen golden spears, with chains tied to the ends of the spears. Anyone bound by these chains cannot use their true energy..." Durandal carefully told her everything she knew.
"I think I know what's going on. Yun Ling, come with me."
"Yes, Master." Yun Ling nodded. Even if Jingwei hadn't asked him to, he would have volunteered to go.
After all, he was the crown prince of the Ming Empire. Although he had entered the realm of immortals, it did not mean that he had detached himself from worldly affairs.
As the guardians of Shenzhou, Jingwei would certainly not ignore the invasion of foreign enemies.
"Thank you, Immortal Jingwei! Thank you, Your Highness!" A look of joy appeared on Durandal's face.
If an Immortal being intervenes, nothing should go wrong.
Yun Ling made a sword incantation with his hands, and a giant sword appeared beneath the three people and the horse.
This sword is made of pure sword energy and has already achieved the ability to solidify the ethereal.
"This way we can get there faster."
The next second, the giant sword soared into the air and flew towards the Kipchak Steppe.
Durandal's legs were trembling a little from being at such a height for the first time, but her good physique allowed her to adapt quickly.
She glanced sideways, carefully observing the legendary Crown Prince before her.
A once-in-a-millennium prodigy, but unfortunately, fate was cruel to him, and he was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
In order to prolong his life, he left the palace at the age of six and went to Mount Taixu to become a disciple of the immortals.
Although he did not remain in the palace, Emperor Ming reserved his position as crown prince for him for more than thirty years.
Even now, there is still no intention to change it.
Emperor Ming's favoritism towards him had reached an extreme. To put it bluntly, as long as he returned to the Ming Empire, he could immediately ascend the throne!
Durandal didn't understand why Emperor Ming was so persistent, and she was even more curious about the crown prince, who rarely appeared in the palace.
"How is General Youlan now?" Yun Ling asked casually.
"Ah? My father passed away the year before last," Durandal replied upon hearing Yun Ling's question.
"Is that so... I'm sorry."
"It's alright. My father spent his whole life on the battlefield. It's a blessing that he can live out his remaining years like this."
Durandal shook her head, accepting the fact with complete equanimity.
The speed of flying on swords was very fast, and the three of them arrived at the Kipchak Grassland in less than an hour.
"General Durandal, why are you back so soon? I wonder... could these two be...!"
A commander walked over, and just as he was about to ask a question, he noticed the two people behind her.
"This is the Immortal Jingwei, and this is His Highness the Crown Prince," Durandal explained.
Yun Ling looked at Durandal with some surprise, not expecting that she would inherit her father's will and become the current Grand General...
"The Immortal Jingwei! And...His Highness the Crown Prince?!"
The commander's eyes flashed with disbelief, followed by ecstatic joy.
...