After rebirth, the eldest sister voluntarily abdicated and gave way to the wise.

Chapter 655 I miss them so much...

The barrier at the cave entrance shifted slightly, and the next moment, a woman dressed entirely in white mourning clothes emerged from the dark cave.

Her face was haggard, her figure lonely, and her dim eyes seemed to hold only confusion and bewilderment. After months of silence and stillness, the dust on her clothes fell in a flurry with each step she took, drifting and floating in the light and shadow.

When Ji Huaiche saw her, he couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat. He quickly turned his head away and composed himself.

He coughed lightly, smiled, and strode over: "You've finally decided to come out. Shall we set off now?"

Xueyi Shaying paused, then remained silent.

Ji Huaiche sighed inwardly. Instead of using his sword, he threw out the immortal boat, and the two of them boarded the boat together.

Jiang Liqian remained silent throughout the journey, sometimes standing blankly at the bow of the boat gazing at the distant clouds and mist, and sometimes sitting listlessly by the tea table, staring blankly at the porcelain cup with floating tea leaves in her hand.

Ji Huaiche tried several times to talk to her and discuss her inner struggles, but couldn't find a suitable opportunity.

With a few days left until the anniversary of Shui Lian'er and Qin Beiyao's deaths, he decided to stop the boat and take Jiang Liqian to stay overnight in the city below.

Jiang Liqian remained silent, neither objecting nor agreeing.

Since the outbreak of the war between immortals and demons, the cities inhabited by human cultivators have been desolate, with only the areas near the major sects and aristocratic families remaining somewhat lively. However, the place they needed to reach was very close to a city occupied by the demons, and this small city appeared extremely deserted. On the main streets, only a few scattered cultivators and groups of sect disciples hurried by.

Ji Huaiche took her to an inn that was still open, asked for two rooms, and ordered a lot of delicious food from the waiter.

"Try it. Cultivators abstain from grains, but I remember you don't care about these things. It's been a long time since you've eaten this. It's a rare opportunity, so don't refuse me."

Jiang Liqian finally looked up at him for a while, then slowly picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of braised pork.

Seeing that she finally had some popularity, Ji Huaiche felt relieved and quickly ordered the waiter to bring out many more delicacies.

Jiang Liqian's eyes remained fixed as she ate slowly, from noon until the sun was almost setting.

Ji Huaiche's initially excited and happy face gradually froze, then he frowned, and finally, in a fit of rage, he snatched the chopsticks from her hand and slammed them to the ground.

"How much longer are you going to eat? Aren't you afraid of stuffing yourself to death?!"

Jiang Li withdrew her hand holding the chopsticks without expression, her eyelashes lowered, and the room fell silent.

Ji Huaiche was furious, but looking at Jiang Liqian's appearance, he felt helpless.

He paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, finally unable to contain himself any longer. In a fit of rage, he overturned the table in front of her, scattering the delicacies all over the floor.

"Jiang Liqian, don't forget who you are now!"

"Are you going to see Junior Sister Lian'er and Junior Brother Bei Yao like this? Do you want them to see you like this? Don't forget, their deaths were for your sake!"

It felt as if some icicle had pierced Jiang Liqian's body. She suddenly trembled violently, her eyes turned bloodshot, and tears streamed down her face.

Seeing her like this, Ji Huaiche regretted his harsh words. He shouldn't have said that to her; she was already in so much pain.

"Li Qian, please...please don't..."

He sighed, waved his hand to clean up the mess on the ground, and then asked the waiter for a pot of tea, which he poured for her.

The steam from the tea rose gently, and the window lattice swayed slightly.

The two sat quietly without saying a word.

Only when the setting sun had completely sunk into the desolate earth and the cool moonlight enveloped everything did Ji Huaiche tentatively say to Jiang Liqian, "Liqian, go to sleep for a while. I'll stay at the door and watch over you."

"You should take a rest."

Jiang Liqian did not refuse.

When it was completely dark, Ji Huaiche heard sounds coming from inside the house while standing by the door.

"Senior Brother Ji, I miss them so much..."

Ji Huaiche felt a sharp pain in his heart, and almost burst into tears.

Who wouldn't want that? He wanted it too. Since the outbreak of the great war, how many of his fellow disciples had already perished in it? With the end of this great war seemingly far off, how many young lives had been swept away in the killing field…

Catastrophe struck, leaving devastation everywhere, and no one was spared.

Sorrowful songs fill the land; who can smile?

All night long, Ji Huaiche kept a close eye on the sounds coming from inside the room, but apart from that one sentence, Jiang Liqian didn't say another word.

However, when he knocked on the door early the next morning, there was no response. At first, he thought that Jiang Liqian was still fast asleep and hadn't heard him, so he knocked twice more.

Still no one responded.

His heart skipped a beat. He scanned the room with his divine sense and found it empty. The blankets were neatly made, and there was only a pot of cold tea left on the table.

"Jiang Liqian!" Ji Huaiche barged in.

Meanwhile, Jiang Liqian, who was being searched for by Ji Huaiche, was walking on the desolate street outside.

Fallen leaves scatter, dust rises.

Her snow-white skirt swept across the ground without leaving a single speck of dust.

Jiang Liqian stared blankly at the city, which could almost be described as a ghost town, her lips pressed tighter and tighter.

Occasionally, passersby would cast a puzzled and surprised look at her before hurrying away.

Jiang Liqian walked around the alleys of the city. As dawn was about to break, she thought that her senior brother Ji was probably already anxiously looking for her, so she decided to go back.

Before she could even turn around, a little girl, barely clothed, bumped into her arm. Behind her, a burly, drunken man emerged from the winding, dark alley, brandishing a large knife and shouting menacingly, "You little brat, stop right there! You think I won't cut off your legs, throw you into the monster pit, and tear you to pieces?!"

The little girl was trembling with fear, her voice hoarse from crying. Seeing Jiang Liqian suddenly appear, she felt like she had found her only lifeline and shakily burrowed into her arms.

Jiang Liqian never expected that in such a "ghost town," where people didn't help and support each other, such a terrible thing would still happen. She immediately slapped it angrily.

The burly man flew up and slammed into the alley wall with all his might. He immediately coughed up blood and fell to the ground along with the shattered stone.

"Pah, ptooey!" Spitting out the blood in his mouth, the burly man cursed at Jiang Liqian in a vicious voice, "Where did this filthy wench come from, daring to ruin my business? You're tired of living, aren't you!"

Jiang Li frowned slightly, her eyes growing colder and colder: "Now is the time when humanity is in peril, a time for us to stand together through thick and thin, and unite as one. How can you still be here, bullying a little girl like an animal?!"

She simply couldn't understand it!

Even the most heinous criminals, facing life and death at this moment, should unite as one to defeat the enemy, right?

Upon hearing Jiang Liqian's words, the burly man stared at her with a strange laugh for several moments.