Zhang Qiling soon returned home.
The air in the depths of the snow mountain was still as cold as ever, with spring's arrival doing little to raise the temperature.
Because of this, when Zhang Qiling saw Baima, her face was still perfectly preserved. Apart from her complexion, which was as pale as ice and snow, everything seemed unchanged.
It was as if his mother, lying on the ground now, could smile and stand up at any moment, singing a lullaby with a beaming smile.
Nuobu's soul had been sealed for too long, so much so that when Zhang Qiling awoke, he couldn't even recall his mother's appearance clearly. Only her exceedingly gentle voice had accompanied him in his heart, never leaving.
Now, it was the first time he could clearly see his mother's face, the first time he could deeply engrave her visage in his memory.
As he hesitated and tried to hold his mother's hand, he discovered that those hands were already ice-cold, like a hard stone, devoid of any warmth.
Then, he seemed to realize that he had knelt beside his mother at some unknown time, his blood seeping into the ground.
Baima was smiling.
In her final moments, she must have seen something beautiful, revealing a genuinely joyful expression.
A dazzling glint flashed; beside Baima lay a snow-white long saber.
The saber had soft lines, and every curve appeared gentle. Sunlight struck its blade, making it as bright as Baima herself.
Zhang Qiling remembered his past wish.
The corners of his mouth trembled, unable to utter a word. He didn't know what to do now, as immense pain mixed with confusion struck him.
Then, he slowly lowered his body and embraced Baima.
"Ama..."
With a broken voice, Baima's Nuobu learned to shed tears.
—
Zhang Qiling buried Baima properly in a spot deep within the snow mountain that often received sunlight.
He meticulously tied the snow-white saber to his back, as if carrying an extremely heavy mountain. The system clearly observed that at that moment, Zhang Qiling's usually straight, sword-like spine trembled slightly, a sight as shocking as a broken blade.
But he was not broken in the end.
【The attacking Zhang family members have died at the Bronze Gate】
The system was, after all, a creation that transcended imagination. Its true temporal existence was difficult to ascertain. Perhaps because its future self had merged with that power within the Bronze Gate, it could now faintly sense the situation inside.
Its language sounded exceptionally cold at this moment.
【The host's process of reshaping the destiny line requires the maintenance of a predetermined future】
【Before the first encounter with Wu Tianzhen in the future, the host's presence is zero】
【Therefore, during this period, the host cannot leave too many traces of himself, nor can he interfere with the destiny lines of other carbon-based life forms】
Zhang Qiling remained silent.
He leaned against Baima's tombstone, the saber on his back, as if he had returned to being a stone.
For some reason, the snow-white saber felt no coldness of a sharp weapon; instead, it was warm.
When he closed his eyes, Zhang Qiling sometimes even felt Baima's warmth emanating from this warmth.
After his soul awakened, he spent seventeen days motionless in this small valley, nestled against the tombstone.
He could have stayed there to accompany his mother through the long years, but perhaps his fluctuating power caused instability in the Bronze Gate. The power seeping from the gate clearly increased.
After Zhang Qiling broke the neck of a strange bird with his bare hands in this otherwise peaceful valley, he realized his existence had begun to affect the normal operation of the world line.
... He couldn't stay here forever.
So, on a bright day, he quietly and carefully wiped away a thin layer of snow from the tombstone.
He bid farewell to his mother.
—
Surviving without a presence was not too difficult for Zhang Qiling.
To curb the dissipation of the Bronze Gate's power, he carried his saber and walked repeatedly through deep mountains, vast valleys, and turbulent rapids.
The external forces of oppression and the raging wars sometimes intensified and sometimes subsided. Zhang Qiling, carrying a lamp, traversed the darkness, but could only manage to offer a little medicinal herb to a little girl who had fallen while fleeing.
【Warning! The host is attempting to interfere with another's destiny line】
Thus, Zhang Qiling stopped entering crowds.
Through the long passage of time, he wandered through dark and decaying Forbidden Lands, pursuing the power of the Bronze Gate. He gradually became accustomed to silently killing one strange entity after another that should not have appeared. The gushing blood splattered on the ground, indistinguishable as to whose it was.
For some reason, he had always refused to use the snow-white blade.
The Faqiu Finger and pure physical strength ultimately could not effectively block every attack. Zhang Qiling quietly hid in places unseen by others to bandage his wounds. The warm saber behind him faintly trembled as if in a mournful cry.
... Perhaps it was sorrowful that its sharpness was unused, its noble blade gathering dust.
Zhang Qiling unstrapped it, hugged the saber, and leaned against the bleak cliff face. The full moon hung high in the sky, seemingly marking a reunion night.
He slowly began to recall the short year he had known Wu Tianzhen and Fatty.
A year was not long, but many things had happened. Zhang Qiling had been awake for sixty-two years, and those events had gradually become blurry and indistinct, like segments of videotape cut into pieces, with only fragmented scenes occasionally surfacing in his mind.
But even just a few fragments were enough for him to recall and pass through each long night.
In his exploration of the Forbidden Lands, he inevitably encountered Hei Yanjing, who was always wandering about. At this time, Hei Yanjing's sharpness was still evident. Compared to when they first met, he was less smooth and dissolute, appearing more like a young man still filled with passion.
But the curse was already present. Hei Yanjing covered his eyes with a thin black cloth, and pain and struggle surrounded him like shackles.
He was no match for Zhang Qiling at this point, but Zhang Qiling did not interact with him extensively.
They were like strangers who met by chance in the Forbidden Lands, only cooperating briefly in moments of crisis before parting ways, without any lingering attachment.
Over several decades, they encountered each other three or four times, but there was never any verbal exchange.
Then, Zhang Qiling found the second Ghost Seal in a Forbidden Land.
The Ghost Seal was already chipped at this time, but it could still barely open the Bronze Gate. Under the power of this incomplete Ghost Seal, he repeatedly entered the Bronze Gate to suppress the overflowing power, yet his memory was cleared by the power within the gate due to the lack of the Ghost Seal's strength.
This was a path he had to walk. The system did not intervene; its only action was to retrieve the Qilin Cold Iron Saber pendant stored in the warehouse.
With its sharp tip, Zhang Qiling slowly, over and over, carved the names Baima, Wu Tianzhen, and Fatty onto the inside of his arm.
This was all he could do. After exiting the Bronze Gate, his already faded memories became even more fragmented, like shattered glass that could never be pieced back together.