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  Ancient Fragment #28

  "How a single corner of the world birthed so many prodigies remains a mystery" Written in Heavenly History

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  After a few hours Long Tianyu took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Mist formed in the air from his breath.

  ''Qingqing,'' he said softly, ''I think once we are strong enough we should visit Xincheng again..'' he sighed, ''after all, it has been years since we went home.''

  Hua Qingqing stopped cultivating and nodded ''I think so too, maybe once this obsession of Nine Tribulations is removed..'' she clenched her fist slightly.

  ''What do you think Nine Tribulations is? Actually isn't it stupid that whatever made this for us, didn't tell us what it is?!'' he asked her and continued, ''maybe it is an amazing sword!'' his eyes lit up and he laughed.

  ''Maybe it is an artifact that contains nine tribulation lightning? So you should be careful, there is a saying that lightning will hit scoundrels. Especially ones that call someone their wife when they aren't'' she scoffed.

  ''Okay, okay'' Long Tianyu waved his hand dismissively. He leaned back and smirked, looking like a rogue. ''Do I need to remind you who kidnapped this poor defenseless man in the middle of their night?''

  ''Aiyaa... I wonder what father and mother will think of you when they know... If anything the tribulations should strike you, you man-kidnapper!'' he shook his head and laughed loudly.

  ''Y... you!'' her face flushed red. He wasn't wrong either so she couldn't think of anything to say back.

  Hua Qingqing turned her head away, huffing lightly. After a moment, her voice softened. “…You always talk nonsense.”

  Long Tianyu chuckled, then slowly sat upright. The laughter faded from his eyes, replaced by something quieter.

  “But really,” he said, gazing into the drifting mist, “Xincheng… I wonder if it’s still the same.”

  Her movements stilled.

  ''I really miss them... I wonder how they are now, are they okay? Are they strong? Haha, maybe they are even stronger than us by now.''

  Hua Qingqing sighed ''Me too, it's been so long.. I have a feeling that they are doing just fine. Maybe in the future they will have to save us, their Eldest Sister and Eldest Brother.''

  Long Tianyu smiled, ''Right, I really want to see how they are now. Chen Jie with his greatsword, Zang Liu's paintings and talismans, Nong Xuanfeng's forging.. Xiao Chi's annoying tone and spear techniques probably goes hand in hand in the battlefield. Can you imagine? He must be taunting his enemies all day.'' He laughed loudly.

  Hua Qingqing smiled sweetly ''.. That's true.. especially the two of you never stopped.''

  Long Tianyu shrugged, ''It wasn't my fault he refused to be the youngest brother.''

  ''I wonder what ever happened to Song Xue now.. She was always quiet, but do you remember the sect member's reaction? He even dropped his cup once he saw her eyes.''

  ''Mmm, I remember that, the sect selections..'' he murmured.

  ''And maybe Lin Yue has stopped worrying about being fat.''

  ''Or maybe she found a medicine to lose weight?''

  Long Tianyu smirked as he remembered Lin Yue asking her mother about medicine to lose weight. She was so silly... He shook his head slightly at the thought of the woman that most likely still obsessed about beauty.

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  ''At least soon we will meet Wang Mei, she helped us so much when we were younger.''

  Hua Qingqing’s eyes softened at the mention of the name.

  “…Do you remember when she hid us in her house?” she said quietly.

  Long Tianyu let out a small laugh of nostalgia. “How could I forget?'' He grabbed a small rock and threw it across the ice. ''We were chased across half the village after breaking Uncle Zhao’s cart. If she hadn’t pulled us inside, we would’ve been beaten until we couldn’t sit for days.”

  ''It will be good to see them again.'' Hua Qingqing sighed softly, her hair drooping down across her face.

  ''Heh, I just hope they haven't forgotten us. They are such unfilial brother and sisters, they didn't come visit us once. Not even saving us before we had to jump into The Godslaying Abyss.'' Long Tianyu scoffed as he grabbed another rock and threw it across the ice, sliding to the other end.

  ''Oh, that reminds me, do you remember how angry Xiao Chi was from the rankings? Wasn't it something like this once we started it?''

  Long Tianyu grabbed a stick and wrote it down in the dirt.

  Eldest Brother: Long Tianyu – 9 years old

  Second Brother: Nong Xuanfeng – 12 years old

  Third Brother: Chen Jie – 12 years old

  Fourth Brother: Zang Liu – 12 years old

  Fifth / Little Brother: Xiao Chi – 10 years old

  Eldest Sister: Hua Qingqing – 9 years old

  Second Sister: Song Xue – 11 years old

  Third Sister: Lin Yue – 10 years old

  Fourth Sister: Wang Mei – 10 years old

  Hua Qingqing never forgot. Their rankings really didn't make much sense, since it was who started cultivating first and not according to their age.

  They went silent and looked at it fondly. Long Tianyu and Hua Qingqing were both 19 years old now, years ago they had carved their names into the rock atop Shadowjade Mountain.

  Long Tianyu's mind drifted to his past, far away when they nearly reached the top of the mountain.

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  When the the summit was just a few hundred meters away, he had stopped and shouted.

  "You all know, once we reach the top… there's no going back to who we were before. We'll be different, not just as cultivators, but as humans. We'll have crossed the line between what the village thinks is possible and what we know is possible."

  Long Tianyu's gaze softened, and a grin tugged at his lips. "So," he said, cracking his knuckles, "as your Eldest Brother, I think—"

  But before he could finish, Hua Qingqing suddenly dashed forward, her laughter echoing down the cliffs.

  "IT IS MY HONOR AS THE ELDEST BROTHER!" Long Tianyu shouted in despair.

  ''Nooo, it is my honor as the Eldest Sister~'' Hua Qingqing shouted back playfully

  "Wait, HEY! QINGQING!" Long Tianyu screamed while sprinting after her.

  She looked back mid-sprint, her smile radiant. "Hahaha! Brother Tianyu, you really can't catch up to me! You need to practice more!"

  Behind them, the others followed, some cheering, others sprinting as best they could.

  Long Tianyu finally saw Hua Qingqing disappearing toward to the summit. Despair overcame him.

  When Hua Qingqing finally reached the top, the first thing she noticed wasn't the view, it was the sun.

  After walking through the cold shadow of the mountain, the sudden light was blinding. The golden rays burst across her vision, forcing her to raise a hand to shield her eyes. For a brief moment, she felt as though she had stepped into another world.

  Long Tianyu arrived a few moments later. When he saw her standing there, sunlight glowing around her body like a halo, he froze. The wind brushed her hair across her cheek, and the rays painted her body in soft gold. A goddess. For that heartbeat, Long Tianyu forgot the air, the climb, even the world around him. He simply stared, his thoughts blank, his heart thudding louder than the wind.

  The others arrived shortly after. They also covered their eyes against the light, blinking rapidly until the brightness softened and the world around them came into view.

  And then, one by one, their breath caught for an entirely different reason.

  Below them stretched a world they had never imagined. A sprawling range of mountains stood endlessly at the end of the horizon, each one unique, some crowned with stones and gravel, others carpeted in lush green forests. Veins of rivers glistened like gold under the sun, cutting through valleys that shimmered with mist. Some peaks stood into the clouds like spears of stone.

  Even the air felt different, clearer, purer, humming faintly with the rhythm of qi itself.

  "This…" Hua Qingqing whispered. "It's beautiful."

  They all stood in silence, their eyes wide. None of them had ever seen beyond their valley village. To see the world spread before them like this, it was overwhelming, humbling, and inspiring all at once.

  Long Tianyu was the first to laugh. His voice rang out, clear and powerful, echoing off the cliffs. "Hahahaha! Yes! This, this is what cultivating should be! Getting stronger, exploring, seeing new horizons!"

  His laughter was contagious. Soon, the others were grinning too, Chen Jie with his loud bark of a laugh, Lin Yue covering her mouth as she giggled, Nong Xuanfeng chuckling quietly with pride. Even Song Xue smiled faintly.

  For a while, they just stood there, letting the sun warm their skin, the wind whip through their clothes, the vastness of the world soak into their hearts.

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  End of chapter 28 - Distant Memories