# 1829
Chapter 1829: Will Not Show Mercy
In the gaze of Zhou Ping, Shen Qingzhu, and Lin Qiye, An Qingyu held that position for several seconds before slowly withdrawing his hand.
He placed the chopsticks on the meal box, his expression returning to its usual calm:
"Then let's begin."
Silence.
The howling cold wind of the Vast Desert swept past the Sword Hut like a roaring beast, wild and rolling through the darkness.
By the swaying brazier, four figures stood like clay sculptures, wordless.
Zhou Ping looked at An Qingyu beside him, and on the latter's face, he couldn't see the slightest waver, as if he had already accepted his fate.
Lin Qiye and Shen Qingzhu sat in their places, feeling somewhat lost, angry, and confused... but in this Sword Hut, An Qingyu's life or death was not for them to decide.
Here, the only one who could decide An Qingyu's fate was Zhou Ping.
Sword out, An Qingyu dies; sword sheathed, An Qingyu lives... everything depended solely on Zhou Ping's true intention.
Zhou Ping stared into An Qingyu's eyes, and in those pure as spring water pupils, an unprecedented disappointment surfaced... at this moment, even the Sword Immortal Zhou Ping who could erase even the Supreme Gods with a single sword, suddenly seemed much more haggard.
He silently picked up two broken wooden chopsticks of different lengths, shoved two bites of rice into his mouth, chewing on one side while an uncontrollable redness spread around his eyes.
After an unknown period of time, he spoke with his voice slurred:
"...Eat."
The sword intent lingering at An Qingyu's neck gradually dissipated.
At this point, An Qingyu's back had been soaked with cold sweat, and his tense body finally relaxed.
He picked up the chopsticks and empty meal box in front of him, his fingertips still trembling slightly. Just as he was about to stand and get rice from the rice cooker on the other side of the brazier, a hand reached out before him.
"Let me help you." Lin Qiye slowly spoke.
An Qingyu hesitated, but still handed over the meal box. Shortly after, a bowl of steaming white rice was returned to his hand.
"...Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Qingzhu, did you buy wine?" Zhou Ping suddenly asked.
"Yes... but teacher, can your body handle it?"
"Can I not withstand even the Supreme Laws? You think I can't handle some wine?" Zhou Ping took the baijiu bottle and directly filled the small cup before him, then raised it and drained it in one gulp!
"*cough* *cough* *hack*"... The fiery liquor flowed down his esophagus into his stomach, choking Zhou Ping who had never tasted wine, causing him to furrow his brow and cough continuously.
"Slow down... that's not how you drink."
"Teacher, we'll drink with you..."
"Qingyu, pass me your cup."
"..."
The night deepened, and in the howling cold wind, the brazier's glow painted the four men's faces crimson.
Cups clinked against cups, making a tinkling sound. The four men didn't chat, just faced each other in silence, drinking cup after cup... Their cups held not just liquor, but pungency and bitterness, along with those memories that could only forever remain in memory.
That night, the Red Dust Sword Immortal got drunk in the Sword Hut.
The flames in the brazier burned out,
The originally heated atmosphere gradually fell into cold and darkness.
By the brazier where warmth still lingered, Lin Qiye slowly stood up... He gazed at An Qingyu and calmly said:
"It's time to go."
An Qingyu silently stood up from the ground and followed behind Lin Qiye.
Except for Zhou Ping, neither Lin Qiye, An Qingyu, nor Shen Qingzhu were drunk... Or rather, they didn't let themselves get drunk.
An Qingyu had no多余的动作, nor did he try to run. He simply followed behind Lin Qiye, opened the door of the Sword Hut, and walked out.
Just then, Zhou Ping's drunk voice rang out from inside the Sword Hut:
"An Qingyu..."
An Qingyu froze mid-step.
"You were once my student... today... I won't kill you... but next time... my sword will not show mercy..." Zhou Ping hung his head, sitting alone in the center of the Sword Hut. Under the dim starlight, his expression was invisible.
An Qingyu turned back and glanced at him deeply, offered no answer, and with a turn, followed Lin Qiye's figure, gradually vanishing without a trace.
...
Great Xia.
Under the silent night sky, a peak nestled within a deserted mountain range suddenly quivered!
The earth roared, flocks of birds took flight,
BOOM——!!
A thunderous explosion suddenly shattered the clouds.
The peak visibly cracked open from its center, radiant流光 lighting up half the sky, as figure after figure erupted from within the mountain!
"HAHAHAHA!! We're out! Finally out!!"
"Seventeen years!! Seventeen whole years! I couldn't stand that cave for another day!"
"Sky! Earth! Pineapple buns! I'm back!!"
"Seventeen years of closed-door cultivation, from entering the 'Cup' realm to the Half-Step Human Apex... We must be invincible in the world now, right?"
"Where's Brother Fang Mo? I couldn't beat him before, but now I think I'm ready again!"
"..."
These figures cried and laughed as they descended from the air, excitedly embracing each other.
They all appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, tall and powerfully built, their bright eyes shining like stars, messy long hair tangled and knotted together, resembling a group of wild men emerging from the wilderness.
There were precisely eleven of these figures.
"Don't all get excited! Listen to me!" One voice among them spoke, instantly suppressing all the others. Judging by appearance, he was the eldest among them.
"Did you all forget what the Heavenly Lord said twelve years ago? We were told to diligently cultivate ourselves and improve our strength as quickly as possible... If I had to guess, something rather serious must have happened in the outside world, forcing the Heavenly Lord to extend our exit deadline, because only this way could we have the ability to preserve ourselves, and then go find Lord Qiye.
Seventeen years passed in the mountain, which is equivalent to over five years in the outside world. Five years... a lot can happen.
Now we don't know the situation outside, so we mustn't act rashly, understood?"
The crowd exchanged glances and nodded:
"Second Brother, what should we do?"
Luan Lie沉思片刻 in place, then spoke: "Here's the plan. Fourth Brother, Seventh Brother, Eighth Brother, you three carry the souls of Jingwei, Qingniao, and Bifang, the most agile. Fly out of these mountains first and scout the cities and villages at the edge. Everyone else, hold position."
"Understood!"
Among the group, three figures stepped forward. With a sway of their bodies, they transformed into three differently shaped divine birds, galloping away in different directions.
"Second Brother, I'm so hungry..." A round fatty squeezed next to Luan Lie, pitifully said.
"Fifth Brother, hold on a bit longer... When we find Lord Qiye or Brother Fang Mo, they will definitely treat us to a meal." Luan Lie正经道。
"Really? Can I eat my fill?"
"..." Luan Lie's mouth twitched, "Fifth Brother, by the time you're full, probably the entire Great Xia will run out of food..."
"Fine then."
Luan Lie was about to say more when his peripheral vision suddenly caught the sky. He froze on the spot.
"What's wrong, Second Brother?"
"Dammit... Did I stay in the mountain too long, are my eyes playing tricks on me?" Luan Lie stared at the starry sky above, mumbling to himself, "Where's the moon???"