The Words of Cherry Blossoms

Ning Yunqing had obvious dark circles under his eyes; he hadn't slept for almost three days, as the sect's affairs had been far too complicated lately.

On the open mountainside, there was still a blacksmith's forging table, a bellows for heating metal, and a forging hammer that was a little taller than the boy.

Yesterday, I heard that Ning Fan had secretly gone to learn about soul tools from Fan Yu. Now, seeing the boy's swollen arm and his small, scraped hands, Ning Yunqing's already furrowed brows furrowed even more.

Did this child collapse from exhaustion here and sleep all night?

"Um, Uncle, I..."

"Forget it, no need to explain. Just put these away. If you want to learn about soul tools, you should first do some metal forging to practice your feel for it. I'll also prepare some medicine to nourish your body later, otherwise your body won't be able to handle it. Fan Yu is a good teacher; I'll talk to him about it later."

Ning Yunqing rubbed his temples with his fingers, as if only in this way could he relieve his tense nerves.

The morning breeze ruffled the long hair of the uncle and nephew, and the strands of hair at their temples obscured Ning Yunqing's eyes. Paired with a blue robe, he looked ethereal.

But at this moment, something else had appeared in his eyes.

After subtly wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Ning Yunqing remained silent, only raising her hand to signal Ning Fan to follow her.

Ning Fan hurriedly put the forged metal equipment back into his pocket and stomped on the ground a few more times.

After confirming that there were no remaining sparks around the area, he then began to chase after his uncle.

The two walked up to the summit without exchanging a word.

Ning Fan discovered that this was the road leading to the sect's mausoleum.

The original Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School was built against a mountain, but after tens of thousands of years of vicissitudes, the mountain has also undergone significant geological changes, and there are not many buildings left on it.

Nowadays, all the disciples of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile School have moved to a more comfortable area at the foot of the mountain, turning this place into a modern burial ground.

Perhaps the only thing that hasn't changed over the years is the cherry blossom grove on the mountaintop.

Ning Fan stood atop the mountain, the rising sun so bright that he could barely open his eyes.

Looking back, the entire Kowloon Walled City can be seen from above.

The buildings, layer upon layer, are arranged in a staggered and orderly manner, with exquisite little buildings stretching all the way to the horizon, onto that magnificent city wall.

On the city walls, some newly purchased soul-guided defense devices have been installed. With these devices, any force attempting to illegally invade Nine Treasures City will be attacked immediately.

While Ning Fan was admiring the scenery, Ning Yunqing had already stepped into the gate of the cemetery.

The area is very quiet; you can't even hear a bird chirping. The cemetery is built entirely within a cherry blossom grove.

But now it is late autumn, and there is not a single flower in sight on the branches.

Beneath the bare tree canopies, rows of exquisitely carved stone tombstones stand in neat rows. The cemetery is vast, yet it doesn't feel gloomy at all.

Buried here are mostly righteous men who have shed blood and risked their lives for the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School over the years, as well as direct descendants of the school who have been worthy of being recorded in history.

Ning Yunqing was now standing in front of a tombstone.

Behind this somewhat low tombstone is a much grander mausoleum, and a towering cherry blossom tree.

"Fan'er, come here. Do you know what cherry blossoms mean?"

Tears streamed down Ning Yunqing's face. He took out a white cloth from his pocket and gently wiped the low tombstone, on which was engraved a name that no one wanted to mention.

Ning Yunle.

"This is where your father is buried. In a few decades, I should be buried next to him."

After Ning Yunqing finished speaking, he muttered something to himself, as if he were speaking specifically to the people below him.

If he had kept a closer eye on his good-for-nothing brother back then, perhaps he would have been able to see this miraculous child.

If he really saw such a boy, what kind of expression would he have?

If the old sect leader knew about these things, how would he handle this series of troublesome matters?

With a thud, Ning Yunqing pulled Ning Fan to kneel beside the low tombstone. Facing the magnificent mausoleum, she could no longer control her emotions.

"Father, did I really do something wrong?"

At this moment, the refined, easy-going, and composed uncle that Ning Fan remembered was gone. Ning Yunqing was kneeling before the tombstone of the former sect leader, tears streaming down her face, sobbing silently.

The power of soul tools could be seen from the decline of the Tang Sect.

Having been in power for three years, he attempted to implement soul tool reforms in the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School to prevent the sect from becoming like the Tang Sect, but he encountered obstacles everywhere.

In the past few days, he has dealt with one conspicuous person, Bao Gulong, but there are more than ten senior elders in the sect who oppose him like Gulong.

Not to mention the sudden change in Ning Fan's life.

"Fan'er's talent has exceeded our expectations. If you were alive, you would certainly acknowledge his abilities. But the tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind. The three great empires have already received the news, especially the Star Luo and Heavenly Soul empires, which are closest to us. News of commercial sanctions has already spread..."

"Several elders have proposed a marriage alliance with the royal family to resolve the issue, and there's also the selection of a sect heir... Father... what should I do about all this?"

Ning Yunqing was like a helpless child at this moment. The series of changes that had occurred both inside and outside the sect in recent days had caught him off guard.

Not to mention, he also had to deal with the guests who came to visit.

Under the cherry blossoms in late autumn, Ning Yunqing's tearful lament also made Ning Fan choke up.

The cherry blossoms are saying, "I want to see you."

If given the chance, Ning Yunqing really wanted to meet with the former sect leader to discuss how to overcome the current series of difficulties.

Whether it's internal divisions within the sect, suppression from external empires, or even the covetous eyes of some criminal forces, he has too much to bear.

But he couldn't do it.

Those who have passed away cannot speak with the living. We can only guess and imagine what they would say if they were still alive.

Ning Fan fell silent. He hadn't expected that his talent would become a problem for the sect and cause inconvenience to everyone.

The Star Luo Empire has imposed a commercial blockade on the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School. Their demands are simple: intermarriage, allowing those who have inherited their ancestral martial souls to join them.

However, the only direct descendants who can inherit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul are Ning Fan and Ning Tian.

Sending either of these two away would be the death of Ning Yunqing!

Kneeling beside his uncle, Ning Fan didn't cry, but he was speechless.

After a long silence, he groped for the white cloth in Ning Yunqing's hand and gently wiped his grandfather's tombstone in front of him. He didn't know what he could do.

In this situation, as a child, Ning Fan couldn't really say anything.

However, when the white cloth was gently wiped away the dust from the exquisite marble tombstone, a very short epitaph suddenly appeared, attracting the attention of the uncle and nephew.

"Forming alliances and negotiating strategies, taking things slowly, and learning from others can help us improve ourselves..."

……