Loyal Heart Roaming the Skies

Book 2: Chapter 2: Farewell on the clouds

The Yun Kingdom is located in the northeast of the Zhuang Kingdom, and it is mostly mountainous.

As the capital of the Yun Kingdom, Yun City is located on the highest peak in the region, Mount Baoyue.

When Yun City was first established, the environment at the foot of the mountain was harsh. The former Lingxiao Pavilion Master carved the mountain into a platform and built the city on the high mountain.

Since then, whenever a new main city is built in the Yun Kingdom, it follows this example.

Because the cities are generally built on high mountains, they are situated high above the ground, as if they are in the clouds. Therefore, the Yun Kingdom is known as the "Country Above the Clouds."

There are two paths to ascend to Yun City. One is a cable car that connects to other main cities, and the other is a giant stone staircase built from the foot of the mountain, known as the "Stairway to the Clouds."

The Yun Kingdom is wealthy and hired the Mo Family's master craftsmen to design the cable cars.

Most of the main cities in the Yun Kingdom are connected by cable cars.

The cable cars are made from the tendons of powerful demonic beasts, soaked in tung oil, and are said to be extremely sturdy and resistant to decay for a hundred years. In reality, they are replaced every hundred years without any natural breakage occurring.

The people of the Yun Kingdom travel between cities by riding the cable cars at regular intervals.

Due to the straight-line distance in the high sky, the speed is extremely fast, and the cities in the Yun Kingdom have more frequent exchanges with other countries. This is perhaps one of the reasons for the prosperous business in the Yun Kingdom.

The most magnificent spectacle of Mount Baoyue is the Rainbow Bridge that connects Yun City to the nearest four main cities.

It is said to have been forged by the founder of the Lingxiao Pavilion, gathering clouds as a path and rainbows as a bridge. These four cities have become the central cities second only to Yun City.

Since then, as the Yun Kingdom grew, no other city has been able to achieve this honor.

Ignoring the expensive materials of the stone staircase and the inscribed formations on the stone slabs, the Stairway to the Clouds itself is nothing special.

After years of wind and sun, with people coming and going, the Stairway to the Clouds remains spotless.

Jiang Wang carried An An and climbed the last step without any redness or breathlessness. He looked up at the towering archway of Yun City and went straight into the city.

Although the two siblings were dusty and An An was wrapped in animal skins, there were no incidents of looking down on them.

The prosperous business in the Yun Kingdom attracts visitors from all directions, but the entrance tax is higher.

For Jiang Wang, a little gold and silver was not difficult. He easily earned enough money to cover his expenses by doing something along the way.

After asking the city guards, Jiang Wang learned that the Lingxiao Pavilion was not in Yun City but above it.

However, they did not know how to enter the Lingxiao Pavilion.

Fortunately, Jiang An An had a Yun Crane with her. Under Jiang Wang's command, she carefully wrote a few words and then released the little Yun Crane.

The Yun Crane flew into the air, seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then flapped its wings and disappeared into the clouds.

Jiang Wang didn't know when Ye Qingyu would be able to see the message, so he took Jiang An An to explore Yun City first, mainly trying out some local specialty snacks.

For example, the Yun Berry, which is said to grow in the clouds. When the fruit skin is bitten, the juice can be directly consumed. There are five different colors of this fruit, each with a different taste.

Another example is the Rainbow Candy, which is as colorful as a rainbow. When you take a bite, there are seven different levels of sweetness.

Jiang Wang did not restrict Jiang An An from eating sweets today and let her enjoy herself, resulting in a round little belly.

It was when Jiang An An was eating the Rainbow Candy that she saw Ye Qingyu.

The whole street suddenly became quiet.

The originally bright sky was suddenly "torn apart," and the sky was not the sky, but a painting.

After the painting was torn apart, behind the mouth, there were pavilions, towers, exquisite craftsmanship, and a grand atmosphere.

It turned out that the Lingxiao Pavilion was here, behind the "sky."

Amidst the ethereal fairy qi, clouds and mist formed steps.

A woman from the painting walked down the stairs and came to Jiang An An and Jiang Wang.

She was not wearing a veil today. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly curved like autumn shadows, and her bright eyes were as clear as ripples. Her nose was straight, and her lips were lightly pursed. Her face was so radiant that the whole street lost its color.

Not to mention her tall and graceful figure, just standing there was already a sight to behold.

Jiang An An's big eyes lit up, and she waved her hand vigorously, saying, "Sister Qingyu!"

The two of them had been pen pals for a long time and had seen each other in many photos, but this was their first meeting in person.

Ye Qingyu walked over, smiled, and touched Jiang An An's little head, then looked at Jiang Wang with a complex gaze. "Jiang Dao You, are you okay?"

The Yun Kingdom is considered a neighboring country to the Zhuang Kingdom, and Fenglin City is the border city in the northeast of the Zhuang Kingdom.

The entire city fell into the netherworld due to the sacrifice of the cult. Ye Qingyu could not be unaware of such a major event.

She has a sincere sense of gratitude towards Jiang Wang and a pure affection for Jiang An An. Through their exchange of letters, they have formed a certain bond.

After receiving the news, she felt uneasy for a long time.

If it weren't for receiving Jiang An An's letter today, she would have thought that these two friends from a foreign land had already met with misfortune.

When she learned that Jiang Wang and his sister had come to Yun City, she was pleasantly surprised.

So she disregarded the world's astonishment and directly "tore apart the sky" to enter Yun City.

With his youthful appearance and dusty appearance, Jiang Wang couldn't be described as good in any way.

"Not very good." Jiang Wang smiled bitterly.

He had made up his mind outside of Fenglin City, so he didn't hesitate now and said directly, "Back in Sanshan City, Ye Dao You gave me a Yunzhong Token. Although it has been lost in the Fenglin City area, I still want to ask, is it still valid?"

"Of course." Ye Qingyu replied earnestly, "Although the Yunzhong Token has been lost, Ye Qingyu's promise has not been lost. If Jiang Dao You has any requests, feel free to speak."

Jiang Wang tightened his grip on Jiang An An's hand and then let go.

As if realizing something, An An reached out and grabbed Jiang Wang's hand.

"Can you please take care of An An on behalf of Ye Dao You and let her cultivate in the Lingxiao Pavilion?" Jiang Wang forced himself not to look at his sister and looked directly into Ye Qingyu's eyes. "I have to go to a very dangerous place and can't take care of her."

"Sure." Ye Qingyu readily agreed."Brother..." Jiang Anan's big eyes suddenly filled with tears: "Don't you want Anan anymore?"

Jiang Wang felt as if his heart was being crushed.

He squatted down halfway, gently hugged his sister: "Anan, your brother will never abandon you. It's just that right now, I have to do something very important, and I can't protect you, so I sent you here to stay for a while. It's just temporary. I will definitely come back to pick you up, okay?"

"No..." Jiang Anan pouted, looking at Jiang Wang with teary eyes: "Can I say no, brother?"

"I'm sorry." Jiang Wang ruffled Jiang Anan's hair, steeled his heart, picked her up, and placed her in Ye Qingyu's arms.

"I have nothing now, but I promise you in the name of Jiang Wang. All the resources Lingxiao Pavilion invests in Anan, I will definitely repay in the future."

"From today on, Jiang Anan is a member of my Lingxiao Pavilion. Lingxiao Pavilion will definitely do its best to cultivate her, take care of her, and protect her. Please rest assured, Daoist Jiang." Ye Qingyu solemnly promised.

The city of Fenglin was destroyed, and the surviving young man always wanted to do something.

She didn't ask where Jiang Wang was going or what he was going to do. She just did her duty as a friend, trying to make him worry-free.

She had thought about stopping Jiang Wang and keeping him in Lingxiao Pavilion for cultivation. Indeed, breaking the rules like this would cause a lot of dissatisfaction, but her father could bear her willfulness to this extent.

But she noticed the look in the young man's eyes.

Wrapped in endless pain and torment was a kind of calmness.

He must have thought deeply, he must have been in painful hesitation. Only then did he make his own calm decision.

This kind of calmness often represents an irreversible persistence.

Jiang Wang solemnly bowed to Ye Qingyu, then abruptly turned around.

Jiang Anan was crying like rain in Ye Qingyu's arms, but she didn't let herself cry out loud.

Because she knew that her brother would be very sad if he heard it.

The little girl watched her brother's lonely figure getting farther and farther away.

The crowd was bustling, and the sky was bright.

The sunlight of the entire Yun City seemed to be divided into two paths.

One hit the stairs formed by the clouds, Ye Qingyu held Jiang Anan, who was staring blankly at the foot of the mountain, and slowly walked up to the sky.

The other hit the winding steps of the Baoxue Mountain, the white-haired young man left only a back view to Yun City, and walked down the mountain alone.