# Chapter 2621: Old Friend, Qin Music
"It's not clear yet. Although they have shown themselves, they have never fought anyone. Danqing, have you considered it? Will you come with me to the Heavenly Court? Before coming here, I already went to find Xian Feizi and Qing Mo. Now I'm just waiting for your reply." Wan Canglan said.
Nalan Danqing let out a faint, ethereal sigh: "How many cultivators from Kunlun Realm have awakened from the Middle Ages? Each one possesses unparalleled talent, and among them, some must have stepped into the ranks of the strong. Could it be that they truly don't even have the power to protect themselves?"
Wan Canglan could tell that she seemed unwilling to emerge into the world, and therefore, did not want to force her. She was about to take her leave.
Nalan Danqing's beautiful eyes suddenly fixed on the bamboo grove behind Wan Canglan, revealing a hint of doubt. She said, "Sister, have you been followed?"
"Boom!"
Wan Canglan's eyes sharpened, and the might of a Great Saint erupted from her body.
Accompanied by a phoenix cry, a phantom of a flame phoenix rushed out from within her, hovering in midair. Its wings were crimson like blood, and the flames burned so fiercely that space itself twisted.
Back in the Ancestral Spirit Realm, the inheritance of the Ice Fire Phoenix had been split between Wan Canglan and Mu Lingxi, each receiving half.
The old woman responsible for guarding North Cliff had white hair flowing with electric threads as she released her spiritual power to probe in all directions.
North Cliff possessed ancestral inscriptions left by the Second Confucian Ancestor. Unless someone followed directly behind them, outsiders would find it impossible to break into this place.
After a moment, Wan Canglan frowned. "I have already released my Fire Phoenix Dao Domain. Why haven't I sensed the aura of any other cultivator?"
"It seems there is no fourth person," the old woman said.
Nalan Danqing's expression remained calm as she fixed her gaze on a patch of blooming redbud flowers at the base of the bamboo grove. She said, "Your Excellency's spiritual power is very high, and your aura-concealing technique is extremely mysterious, almost completely merging with heaven and earth. However, I have lived on this North Cliff for several hundred years. I know every blade of grass, every tree, every flower, and every stone here like the back of my hand."
"You do not harmonize with the nature here. You do not merge with the rules of heaven and earth here."
"Clang!"
A sacred flame war sword on Wan Canglan's back flew out on its own, merging with countless sacred dao rules. It dragged a blinding trail of flames and sword qi as it slashed forward in one strike.
This sword strike contained infinite destructive power, causing even the ancestral inscriptions on North Cliff to emerge.
But strangely, the war sword burning with fierce sacred flames stopped above the redbud flower cluster, held in place by an invisible force.
Wan Canglan's pretty face changed. She mobilized all her power.
Yet the war sword could neither cut down nor be withdrawn.
"Swoosh!"
A blurry figure materialized beside the redbud flower cluster, one hand behind its back, the other gripping the hilt of the trembling sacred flame war sword. It walked forward with leisurely, unhurried steps.
Wan Canglan's long, slender, beautiful legs erupted with powerful force. She kicked off the ground, transforming into a brilliant and beautiful fiery shadow, striking toward the figure with a palm.
The blurry figure's form twisted slightly.
Wan Canglan's punch struck empty air, leaving a trail of flame patterns on the ground. She nearly lost control of her speed and crashed into the bamboo grove. Steadying herself, she turned back to look at the blurry figure holding the war sword, her expression extremely complex.
Just now, when she launched her attack, she had already released her Dao Domain.
Yet the other party could move through her Dao Domain with leisurely steps and easily evade her attack.
Just how high must such cultivation be?
The blurry figure said, "Not bad, you know. Having inherited the Ice Fire Phoenix and the Nine Radiance Divine Lord's legacy, Martial Saint Wan's cultivation has actually reached such a height."
It was clearly a compliment, but compared to the exchange just now, Wan Canglan found it grating, feeling as if the other party was mocking her.
The Nine Radiance Divine Lord was the master of the Tianquan Great World, the fifth-ranked great world in the Western Universe from a hundred thousand years ago. He had fallen in a divine war, leaving behind only nine divine tears that flew down to Kunlun Realm.
The nine divine tears contained the essence of the Nine Radiance Divine Lord's divine power and cultivation inheritance. Each of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maidens had refined and absorbed one.
With such an opportunity and having cultivated for a thousand years, she couldn't even touch the other party's shadow.
Now the other party was praising her instead. How could Wan Canglan be happy?
"Since Your Excellency is so provocative, how could I not oblige?" Wan Canglan had never known fear. An even more powerful destructive force erupted from within her body. The temperature of the flames was so high it seemed ready to refine everything in the world.
Nalan Danqing said, "Your Excellency, do you know that this North Cliff is a forbidden ground of the Book Sect? Intruders are to be killed without mercy."
As she spoke these words, she pressed two jade-white, slender fingers together and raised them above her head. Instantly, heaven and earth became square and round. Countless ancestral inscriptions floated above her head like stars filling the sky.
So-called ancestral inscriptions were similar to divine patterns.
However, the power of divine patterns also had its hierarchy.
For example, divine patterns left by a God Venerable would make even deities cautious.
The ancestral inscriptions on North Cliff were even more terrifying than divine patterns left by a God Venerable. They had been left by the Third Confucian Ancestor, one of the Twenty Heavens. Now, under Nalan Danqing's command, the sacred qi of heaven and earth from the entire Book Mountain converged toward her.
The blurry figure said, "Talented Woman, do you still remember that old friend from the Fallen God Tomb Forest and the Endless Abyss?"
Nalan Danqing frowned, sinking into distant memories. Suddenly, she thought of something and stared at the blurry figure opposite her with an expression of disbelief.
"Impossible. How could you be him? He clearly already..."
Unconsciously, she had dispersed her spiritual power. All the ancestral inscriptions receded like a tidal wave, disappearing into North Cliff.
The blurry figure said, "I still remember that year when we rode the Heaven-Ascent Boat, drifting on the Corpse River, hiding from pursuit. I also remember picking up bloodstained chess pieces one by one in the Endless Abyss."
All doubt in Nalan Danqing's heart vanished, because these two matters were known only to the two of them.
Her eyes stared unblinkingly, fixed on him. She still felt it was too unreal, as if the inner demon in her heart had burst forth again, trying to devour her into an illusion.
The setting sun had completely fallen.
A full moon rose in the sky, bright and pure like a jade disc.
Beneath the moon, Nalan Danqing appeared even more pure and holy, like an orchid by the cliff, untouched by worldly fireworks (yanhuo).
Wan Canglan looked doubtfully at the two figures by the cliff, unable to guess who had come. He seemed to have a very deep friendship with Danqing. If she weren't standing nearby, the two might have embraced.
Could it be that all these years, Danqing had found someone in her heart?
Wan Canglan let out a heavy, cold snort. What man in the world was worthy of Danqing?
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power domain, then revealed his true face. He looked at Nalan Danqing, who stood by the cliff with her back to the bright moon, and smiled. "A thousand years have passed, and we've grown distant."
Nalan Danqing's heart lake returned to calm. She smiled sweetly. "Yes, we've grown distant. For a thousand years, I haven't even received a single letter. This is far more than just growing distant—it's become like strangers."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I never expected that a bizarre experience would cost me a thousand years of time."
"Then after a thousand years, how many people has Danqing been the one you've seen?" Nalan Danqing asked.
This question was like hitting Zhang Ruochen's weak spot.
Zhang Ruochen thought carefully and said, "Tonight is the Lantern Festival. The full moon is at its zenith. With such a beautiful scene and an old friend visiting, are we going to stand here in the cold wind? How about we go to your thatched cottage, drink a pot of clear tea, and talk about the interesting things that have happened over the past thousand years? Wouldn't that be a pleasant thing?"
"You came secretly to the Book Sect just to tell me about your interesting experiences over these years?"
"I could also listen to your interesting experiences."
Nalan Danqing shook her head. "You've changed."
Zhang Ruochen touched his face, feeling a sense of loss. "A person who has died twice can hardly return to their original self."
"That's not what I meant by your appearance."
"Then what?"
"In the past, if I asked you how many people Danqing was the one you had seen, you would have answered truthfully and then explained the various reasons. But just now, you deliberately mentioned the Lantern Festival, trying to remind me that you came to see me on such a wonderful festival, showing how much you value me as a friend. If I say you're calculating, am I wronging you?" Nalan Danqing said.
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh. "In front of you, can I really not use any tricks at all? You see through me so thoroughly. How can we continue talking..."
"But I like it." Suddenly, Nalan Danqing said.
Zhang Ruochen was surprised. "Like what?"
"I like that you came to see me on the Lantern Festival. I like that you answered my question in a way I prefer. In short, I like everything. I'm happier than I've been on all the Lantern Festivals of the past thousand years combined."
They didn't go to the thatched cottage. Instead, they stood by the cliff, gazing at the bright moon, looking out over the boundless sea of learning, talking about various matters of the past, present, and future.
From time to time, laughter and cheerful voices rang out.
Now, Nalan Danqing was no longer the Shengshu Cainü by Empress Chi Yao's side, and Zhang Ruochen was no longer the remnant of the former dynasty wanted by the imperial court. Both could set aside their respective identities and interact with unprecedented ease.
The old woman guarding North Cliff had long since left.
But Wan Canglan still stood by the bamboo grove, staring at the two by the cliff. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear their conversation, nor could she see the man's figure clearly.
Zhang Ruochen and Nalan Danqing each took out an ancient qin, sat facing each other, completely forgetting that Wan Canglan was still there as a third party, and began to play.
They played several pieces in succession.
Zhang Ruochen pressed his ten fingers down on the qin strings, stopping. He asked, "I've only recently picked up music again. How were my pieces? Not bad, right?"
"Of course they were wonderful. For a spiritual power master like you, mastering music is an easy task. Unfortunately, compared to a true qin dao master, you're still far behind."
"I can't even be called a qin dao master?"
Nalan Danqing shook her head.
"Then who can?"
Nalan Danqing blinked, hinting at him.
Zhang Ruochen put away his ancient qin, not wanting to play duets with this qin dao master anymore. He had been quite confident in his musical skill these past few days, but in front of the Shengshu Cainü, he had been crushed.
"Ten years for the flute, a hundred for the xiao, a thousand for the pipa, ten thousand for the qin. Young Master Ruochen has only been practicing for how long, and he wants to be called a qin dao master? You're not going to be petty about this, are you?" Nalan Danqing said.
"I'm done playing. Sealing the qin. I came to see an old friend, only to be torn apart."
"I can teach you. Just become my disciple."
"Let's just catch up on old times?"
"There are no old times to catch up on. In your eyes, is Danqing just an old person? Once you have new people, shouldn't old people be forgotten?"
"I can't argue with you. I lose. How about teaching me to play the qin? Master above, accept your disciple's bow."