In front of the cave where Rong Ying, the master of the back mountain of Yingzhen Mountain, retreats.
The stone wall of the cave door is covered with moss, the cave wall is mottled, and countless spiders have made webs. It seems that no one has entered or exited the cave for several years.
Nie Zi has been at the entrance of the cave these past few days, feeling the faint fluctuations of vitality inside the cave. His hope is getting deeper and deeper, knowing that his third sister Rong Ying will be released from seclusion within these two days.
Today, Nie Zi was meditating in the hut. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the entrance of the cave where Rong Ying was practicing in disbelief.
After carefully confirming that it was correct, Nie Zi disappeared outside the cave.
After passing through the dark long cave, things suddenly became clear to the eyes. Shining rocks were placed in all directions in the cave, making the cave as bright as day.
There is a lotus jade platform where you look, and sitting on the platform is a woman dressed as a Taoist nun with a face in her thirties and forties.
The woman had a slender figure, a fair complexion, and bright black eyes. She was looking at Nie Zi who came into the cave.
She suddenly stood up, unable to believe the person she was looking at, who seemed to be nostalgic and possessed by demons, she shook her head and said in a dream.
"Impossible, impossible, how could he be here?" There was a trace of longing and self-mockery on his face.
Just when she thought that she had been in seclusion for many years and that the demons in her heart were slowly emerging before she could see the image of the person in her heart, Nie Zi was so excited that she couldn't speak.
Go.
I was afraid that he would make too much noise at this time and disturb the beloved woman in front of him.
"Huh?"
Rong Ying looked at the figure of the man who still hadn't disappeared in front of her, but was getting closer and closer to her. In her ears, she could clearly hear the man's feet stepping on the dead branches on the ground, making a faint squeaking sound, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
He asked in a shrill voice.
"Brother, is it really you?"
Nie Zi finally walked up to Rong Ying, unable to control the tears in his eyes, and nodded tremblingly.
"It's me... Third sister, I am your eldest brother Nie Zhen."
Nie Zi has been speaking Donghuang dialect for more than sixty years since he was around Wang Gang. Now that he saw his third sister, he still felt a little uncomfortable when he changed his dialect.
Rong Ying seemed unable to believe it, and opened her arms to hug Nie Zi with all her strength.
After hugging the visitor, I realized that I was not dreaming, and everything was unspoken.
The two hugged each other for a long time, Rong Ying still hugged Nie Zi's body tightly, fearing that if she relaxed for a moment, Nie Zi would disappear in front of her eyes.
The two of them cried for a while, and Nie Zi saw that he couldn't break free from Rong Ying's arm, so he stretched out his right hand and gently stroked Rong Ying's hair, and said.
"It's my fault these years, I shouldn't have been like that..."
Before Nie Zi could finish speaking, Rong Ying reached out and sealed Nie Zi's lips.
"Don't mention what happened back then. There was something wrong with both of you and me. Now that we are reunited, I am already grateful to God for his kindness."
The two hugged each other and talked a lot. Before they knew it, an hour or two had passed, and in the blink of an eye it was already noon.
The words gradually opened up, and the scene between the two of them weeping with joy was very warm. Only then did Rong Ying let go of Nie Zi's arm, but she found that Nie Zi's left hand was empty except for the sleeve, and her face changed.
"Is this the indelible grudge left between you and him?"
Nie Zi smiled, looked at Rong Ying touching his left sleeve, and comforted him.
"This can be regarded as the price of fratricide."
"You did all this for me. If I hadn't been so stubborn and unwilling to listen to your excuses, this wouldn't have happened."
"I can't blame you for this. My second brother has been infected by wealth and power in the world and cannot look back. This is inevitable. Besides..."
Nie Zi slowly released the vitality channel in his body.
"I have now reached the peak of Ningxu. It is only a matter of time before I become a great monk. By then, I can reshape my body and restore it to its original state."
Rong Ying suddenly remembered what Nie Zi had just mentioned to her and said.
"We need to leave early and go back to the Nanshan City you mentioned to meet your benefactor. Thank him for saving your life and allowing you and me to reunite at this time."
While he was talking, an inappropriate and surprising sound sounded in the cave.
"Master, you are finally awake!"
Qu Min was responsible for coming to the back mountain to deliver food to Nie Zi every day.
At noon today, she came to the back mountain as usual, but found that there was no figure of Nie Zi in the thatched hut, and saw no one in the empty mountains around. Thinking of something, she walked to the door of the cave where her master Rong Ying was retreating.
She looked carefully for a while, and finally she found signs that someone had entered the dark cave, and the cobwebs were broken and broken.
So she walked in quietly relying on the appearance of the cave in her memory, and encountered a cordial scene between her master and Master Nie.
Rong Ying saw her second disciple coming in rashly, her fair skin flushed, and she pretended to be angry.
"You are such an adult, how can you make such a fuss like a child?"
Qu Min knew that her master was not angry, so she came over and took Rong Ying's hand.
"Master, don't be surprised. The disciples are so happy to see you coming out of seclusion, so they are like this. And this head Nie is not an outsider."
After saying this, Rong Ying's face became even redder and she said something.
"You go and tell your senior sister first, we will be there soon."
"Disciple, obey!"
Qu Min said something and ran out in a hurry.
Rong Ying looked at Qu Min's leaving figure and said to Nie Zi.
"As my disciple, it's my fault that I'm usually too pampered and do things irritably."
Nie Zi said.
"Qu Min is innocent and good at following his nature, just like you back then."
Qu Min ran all the way back to the main hall where Wang Dalu and the others were. He was covered in sweat and shouted as he ran.
"The master has come out of seclusion. The master has come out of seclusion..."
Except for Nie Zi and Rong Ying who were rushing here, everyone else was chatting in the hall.
Since Ma Mou agreed to Wang Dalu's invitation to go to Nanshan to take charge of the affairs a few days ago, he has often appeared in the hall to talk with Wang Dalu about what he saw and heard.
He and Wang Dalu chatted happily and began to treat each other like brothers.
Qu Min's voice sounded outside the hall. After hearing the words clearly, everyone's faces were filled with joy and excitement, and they all looked outside the hall.
Ma Mou's right hand holding the tea cup trembled slightly. Fortunately, everyone was looking at the outside of the hall, and no one noticed his lapse.
Qu Min ran in alone.
Qiong Li hurriedly asked her where her master was.
Qu Min pointed behind him with his finger, took a sip of the tea on Qiong Li's seat, and then said.
"Master and Head Nie will be here shortly, let me tell you first."
Wang Dalu and others came out of the main hall and waited.
Not long after, two rainbow lights, one green and one purple, lit up on the back mountain, landing directly a few feet in front of everyone.
Wang Dalu saw Nie Zi with a smile on his face and a beautiful woman who looked like a Taoist nun beside him, and knew that this was Rong Ying, the leader of the Yingzhen Sect.
When Qiong Li saw her master finally coming out of seclusion, she knelt down in front of her master with tears in her eyes and said.
"Disciple Qiong Li failed to protect all the junior brothers and sisters, and I ask the master to punish me."
Rong Ying had already clearly understood the whole story of the three factions' siege through Nie Zi's mouth, and helped Qiong Lidao.
"It's really hard for you, silly boy. You did a good job, the master is very pleased."
Nie Zi then introduced Wang Dalu to Rong Ying.
Rong Ying bowed to Wang Dalu.
"Thank you so much for your care and life-saving grace for Nie Zhen over the years, Mr. Wang!"
Wang Dalu said with a busy smile.
"Master Rong, you're welcome. Butler Nie's family is my family. From now on, I will call you Aunt Rong. Do you like that?"
Rong Ying said.
"Of course, like Brother Nie, I respectfully call you Young Master."
Nie Zi introduced Li Shishi, Sun Er, Jiang Hongyu to Rong Ying, and finally to Xiang Guangdao.
"Disciple came to meet your master's wife."
Xiang Guang had been waiting aside for a long time. After hearing this, he knelt down and kowtowed.
Rong Ying helped Xiang Guang up and saw that Xiang Guang's left sleeve was also empty, so she couldn't help but say something.
"You two masters and apprentices are really alike."
At this time Qu Min came out, took Rong Ying's hand and said softly.
"Master, our master and apprentice are similar."
Everyone laughed.
Rong Ying said strangely when she saw Qu Min was sweating all over.
"You kid, I asked you to come back and tell everyone why you were running around like crazy instead of flying with your sword."
After Rong Ying's reminder, Qu Min suddenly woke up.
She was so excited to see her master come out of seclusion just now that she forgot about her Taoist practice for a moment and was embarrassed where she was.
Xiang Guang on the side spoke.
"I think it was because Junior Sister Qu Min was so excited that she acted like this."