There were 7 shimmering dark blue portals in front of them. Once a group had been formed, they would be free to make their choices.
Many of the cultivators were already hastily making their choices and forming their groups as they bade the White Sword Monarch good tidings.
This included Zhan Wuji.
As for Ji Yuan, he was laughing with Mo Bei and Xiao Muhan as he was interested to know what had happened since they had last parted.
Xiao Muhan said miserably, "You know what has happened to me. So do you think need to ask?"
Mo Bei was asking Ji Yuan, "You have really went to the Bliss City and have met three beautiful maidens there?"
He was casting a look at the Smiling Divine Maiden Chu Lixue, Zhi Jiugong and the Lovely Empress Lu Jiangsu.
Ji Yuan did not deny this.
Mo Bei pulled Ji Yuan to him and whispered a word of cautious to him, "Are you sure that they are clean? You ought to be careful of the maidens that are in the Bliss City."
Ji Yuan: …
He protested immediately, "Of course they are!"
Qin Shuang who was with Mo Bei was smiling, "I am sure that Hero Ji Yuan did not mind. What is the point of bring up the past?"
When Mo Bei had heard her, he was laughing. "That is right. That is right."
Ji Yuan laughed jovially too, "I am so glad that we have all met in this place. Haha, it must be destiny that we have met in this place."
Just as he was about to look for Lu Qingyun and introduced his friends to him, Lu Qingyun seemed to be turning his attention to the entrance of the valley.
As he did so, Fan Yuqing was also looking in that direction.
Feng Minyue was gasping as she walked together with Fan Yuqing, "It is her?"
Ji Yuan was curious as he thought: Who is she?
He was immediately when he saw that it was Ye Jing the Great Heroine that had suddenly appeared at the back.
When Ji Yuan had broken down the sealed barrier, it would remain open for a while so that other cultivators may yet enter into the Valley of the Darkness.
And Ye Jing had found the unhindered entrance to this trial.
She was gasping when she saw Lu Qingyun, Fan Yuqing and Feng Minyue.
At the same time, the Lovely Empress had a look of guilt when she saw that it was Ye Jing.
The Smiling Divine Maiden and Zhi Jiugong were no less guilty too.
Ji Yuan was about to step forward to greet Ye Jing when she was suddenly crying and in the next instant, she was in Lu Qingyun's embrace.
Lu Qingyun looked a little awkward as he said gently, "It is alright. You are safe now with us. We have finally found you at long last…"
Feng Minyue, Fan Yuqing and Leng Qiuyue were all comforting Ye Jing as well.
Ji Yuan awkwardly decided not to interrupt their precious moments but he was glad for them even though he still harbored a little shred of a dream for the Great Heroine Ye Jing.
He turned to look at Mo Bei, the short old man which was the White Sword Monarch, Xiao Muhan, Yu Chi and the rest of the maidens. "I guess that the next step that we are going to do is to form a team, am I right?"
Mo Bei grinned and said, "I guess that Maiden Feng Minyue may not be joining us this time round. As the other group is short of a few cultivators, Xiao Muhan, Maiden Qin Shuang and I can join them over there."
Ji Yuan nodded slowly, "Then they will have 8 in a team. This will probably do. We can now form 2 groups to venture into the Valley of the Darkness."
But his countenance was still full of ponder and this caused Mo Bei to ask him curiously, "Junior, haste is a necessary. Let's talk about our experiences later. I am sure that you want to talk over this over a drink for two. Maybe even for 3 days and 3 nights."
Ji Yuan laughed weakly, "That is so true. Let's wait until they have finished their reunion and then we will tell them our plans. But before that, we need to consider the riddle that is in this place first."
Xiao Muhan frowned, "What riddle?"
Shui Xisi giggled softly, "We can certainly ignore it."
Ji Yuan frowned as he looked at Xiao Muhan and the puzzled looks that were on the maidens' faces and he began to say solemnly, "There is a riddle in the black stele that we have not deciphered. Am I right?"
Many of the maidens including Mo Bei and the White Sword Monarch were nodding lightly.
Ling Feiyue smiled alluringly as she took in a quick breath, "That may be so but it does not look the least helpful. We are cultivators so we can think of that later when we are inside the trial."
Ji Yuan said righteousness, "Well, I've happened to decipher the message now."
When he had said that, everyone was startled and began to look at Ji Yuan with an earnest look.
"What is it?" Shui Xisi giggled. "Stop beating about the bush and tell us what you know."
"Yes, what is this?" The Lovely Empress had quickly said too, because she had virtually treated Shui Xisi as her rival.
Ji Yuan laughed with some pride; he had always felt a sense of awesomeness whenever he could get Shui Xisi to be hooked to his tales. And even the Lovely Empress sounded impressed by him.
The same however could not be said for the rest of the maidens, especially Yun Chi, Bai Qianfeng and Little Princess who only knew him too well.
Ji Yuan explained as he raised his voice, as though he was afraid that Lu Qingyun's group could not be able to hear him. "I am actually a father. I have a son with my Yuluo, Sword Saintess Yuluo. The riddle says that in the Valley of the Darkness, cultivators are not going to teach their sons no more, and sons will be cowards. The sons will search for something without knowing what they search for, insecurity and doubt will torture them for the answers that their father cultivators have already known."
"So?" Xiao Muhan asked with a frown.
Ji Yuan laughed, "I seem to have fitted this bill. I have actually never taught my son anything."
The short old man aka the White Sword Monarch covered his face before he said weakly, "There are plenty of irresponsible fathers like us here."
When he had said that, Yang Mi and the Smiling Divine Maiden were both smiling weakly.
Ji Yuan protested immediately, "Hear the next line of the riddle. Women will be like men, and men will be like women. If you are the courageous, you may enter this trial and be the beacon of light in the Valley of the Darkness."
He quickly added, "Men will be like women. I have lost my beard. So I am thinking that this fits me…"
"I am thinking that we should quickly enter the trial first." Yun Chi interrupted Ji Yuan with a resigned look.
Even Ling Feiyue was muttering weakly, "No one other than you are thinking about the riddle in that black stele…."
"I can't believe that you are actually thinking about that riddle till now." Bai Qianfeng was sighing softly.
Ji Yuan: …
He muttered a weak protest, "Maybe it is important. You know…"
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Author Note:
1. This chapter is sort of a happy ending for Leng Qiuyue and Ye Jing for The-Good-Nothing Cultivator.
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