Chapter 136 There Has Never Been a Sword (Part 4) "So easily softened?"...

Even in the early hours of the morning, there were still many people visiting the Yaodu Market.

Qiu Tong, however, had no interest in this. Carrying the Tai'a sword, she looked anxious and bumped into several people along the way before finally entering a tavern and seeing the figure sitting silently by the window.

"Big sister!"

Qiu Tong walked over quickly, first scanning around, and only after finding that Qing Yao had no obvious injuries did she slowly exhale.

"It's a good thing you listened to me and ran away first, otherwise you would be the one locked up in the Bronze Sparrow Terrace right now!"

Although Qingyao and Qiutong are biological sisters, their personalities are completely different. She is more upright and solemn, unlike the cunning of ordinary foxes.

Upon hearing this, she could only manage a wry smile.

"To flee midway through a battle—what difference is there between that and a deserter? If not..."

If it weren't for the fox clan, she wouldn't have gotten up and fled when she received Qiu Tong's telepathic message.

Qingyao's eyes narrowed slightly: "If Chiya hadn't been so arrogant, rushing into action without testing us first, and choosing such a day, we wouldn't be in such a sorry state."

Hearing her still sharp words, Qiu Tong couldn't help but purse her lips and slowly sit down beside her.

"Big sister, Lin Feiran... hasn't done anything wrong, and has no grudge against our fox clan. Besides, she's not easy to deal with. Taking action against her will only bring harm and no benefit."

Even if my father joined the esoteric sect and obeyed orders, what does that have to do with us?

I think we should take this opportunity to get him out of the esoteric sect.

Qingyao lowered her eyes and turned to look at Qiutong.

This youngest sister has always been smiling and innocent, but after only a few months apart, one can see a hint of maturity and confusion in her eyes.

Qingyao sighed helplessly and said in a soft tone, "He is our father. He has orders and difficulties. Can we just ignore him?"

"If it's wrong, should we condone it?" Qiu Tong gripped the Tai'a sword, somewhat agitated. "A father is a father, and a son is a son. He himself said that as long as we're happy, that's all that matters, and he would never force us. But now? For his ambition, he actually made you carry out this assassination!"

"Elder sister, you are the eldest princess of the fox clan. When have you ever done such a disgraceful thing?"

Qingyao's eyes flickered slightly, as if she was also recalling the past and feeling quite nostalgic, but soon she remembered something else and looked at Qiutong in surprise.

"Have you forgotten? We've been doing this kind of thing for the past seven years, but you and your sixth brother were too young to do it until now. But you should know that."

Qiu Tong's expression froze for a moment, then she repeated, "Were you doing this before?"

She subconsciously recalled her rebirth.

In his previous life, Lin Feiran had his sword bones removed by the Daohe Palace disciples, leaving him crippled and hopeless. He died at the Three Bridges. When Wei Changzai learned of this, he was greatly shocked, his Dao heart collapsed, and he fell into a nightmare, plunging into the state of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man.

She was devastated and couldn't sleep for several days. Finally, unable to hold on any longer, she fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up, she found herself back in the past, able to live a second life.

At that time, she was filled with both sorrow and joy, and was only concerned with going to the human world to resolve the matter between Wei Changzai and Lin Feiran. She had no time to recall the past.

Moreover, she has two sets of past memories at this time, and recalling past trivial matters is like finding a needle in a haystack.

But she remained certain that her father had never done such a thing before.

Qiu Tong looked at Qing Yao and had to admit, "I really don't remember... Apart from me and Sixth Brother, you guys have been working for Father for a long time?"

Qingyao nodded: "Perhaps it's because my father is getting old and has become suspicious. He only trusts us to carry out important assassinations like today. I've done it many times myself... but only now do I realize that it wasn't for the fox clan, but for the secret sect."

Qiu Tong still didn't understand and sat aside sulking.

Qingyao closed her eyes slightly and rubbed her temples: "If I hadn't run away just now, it would have inevitably implicated the fox clan. But now that I've run away, the Secret Sect will surely blame my father for his incompetence in sending out a deserter like me."

Isn't this a dilemma of being caught between a rock and a hard place?

"Then let him bear it alone!" Qiu Tong said indignantly.

Qingyao looked at Qiutong and said, "No matter what the consequences are, I don't regret deserting today. At least I didn't drag the fox clan into it. Are you very familiar with that human envoy?"

This time, Qiu Tong did not refute, but lowered her head in acquiescence.

"It seems you warned her beforehand, otherwise she wouldn't have gone easy on me. I won't forget this kindness." Qingyao stood up, looked at the lights outside the window, her expression indifferent.

"As for what Mother said about Father's strange behavior, although your trip to the Sacred Valley provided answers, they are not convincing. We cannot continue to speculate and waste our energy. After returning to Qingqiu, I will ask the Sage to come out of the mountains to determine the truth and clarify the matter."

Qiu Tong suddenly stood up: "But...but what the sage said, he is indeed my father. If the sage also comes to the same conclusion, then you..."

Qingyao turned around and interrupted her: "In any case, I will take full responsibility for this matter. It was my own willful act, and none of you knew about it. Do you understand?"

Qiu Tong bit her lip and remained silent.

Just then, a paper fox, barely visible, peeked in through the window and landed on Qingyao's fingertips.

In the noisy tavern, amidst the sounds of clinking glasses and shouting, the voice coming from the paper fox was clearly audible, pressing heavily into their ears.

"Qingyao, my child, Chiya and the others have been rescued. I heard that you abandoned your post halfway, but I don't know where you went. Are you alright now? Are you able to return to Qingqiu?"

Qingyao closed her eyes and said slowly, "Father, I am safe and sound. We shall set off now."

With a loud crash, a drunk man fell off his stool, dazed and seeing stars. Many people rushed to help him up, and the small tavern became bustling.

"I will handle this matter. Until then, do not return to Qingqiu. Stay in the human realm." Qingyao burned the paper between her fingers, walked through the noisy crowd, and left alone.

As Qiu Tong watched her retreating figure, for some reason, her nose suddenly felt sore.

She always saw one figure after another supporting her, allowing her to play carefree. She never imagined that they were not as strong as she thought, and that their upright figures would one day crumble.

Perhaps, she should stand up too.

Qiu Tong returned to the inn with her sword in her arms, looking utterly lost. When she passed by Wei Changzai's door, she no longer had the heart to question him.

She didn't want to ask him why he took the flower, nor did she want to ask him why he was willing to stay with her.

She simply returned to her room and silently processed the helplessness and exhaustion in her heart.

As she buried her head in her pillow, she took out the jade token that allowed her to transmit sound, released the seal, and silently wrote the words "Thank you."

She pursed her lips and added, "The fireworks tonight were beautiful; they're the most beautiful I've ever seen."

She held the jade pendant, picking it up and putting it down repeatedly, still hesitant, until she looked at the Tai'a sword by her bedside and finally made up her mind.

Lin Feiran, can you teach me swordsmanship?

...

"Lin Feiran, did you see her on your trip to the Demon Capital?"

Zhang Chunping's calm voice came from within the magic circle, as if it were just a casual remark with no other intention.

Wei Changzai sat cross-legged on the couch, wearing only a jade-colored inner robe. Beside her lay half a frost-covered purple orchid and a plum blossom hairpin, so her unbound black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. There were no lamps in the room, only a faint spiritual light reflecting on her face.

This glimmer of light emanated from the magic array.

"She is an envoy from this realm, so naturally we have met."

He hadn't recovered from that palm strike, and having just taken a Three Yuan Emperor Pill, his voice was slightly hoarse, which immediately alerted Zhang Chunhe to something amiss.

"Are you injured?"

There was no urgency in his words.

Wei Changzai nodded: "When I first arrived in the Demon Capital, I was injured in a battle with someone, but the injury was not serious and I will be fine in a few days."

“You have excellent health; even the most serious injuries can heal quickly. I have never worried about you.” Zhang Chunhe stroked the whisk in his hand, his expression calm.

Wei Changzai has a protective magic weapon given to him by him, which can block a fatal blow. Since the magic weapon is not acting strangely, it means that it is not a big deal.

How are things going with what I asked you to do before?

He was referring to the inscription.

Wei Changzai said, "It has been completed, but the demon capital is celebrating a festival recently, and there are many people coming and going. I cannot guarantee whether anyone has noticed."

Zhang Chunhe said calmly, "It's fine once it's carved. It's just me repaying a favor. There's no need to worry about it too much. Now that you've met Lin Feiran, do you know why she's been able to advance in her cultivation level?"

The matter of the human envoy has already spread to the human realm.

What might be a joke to others is of great importance to him.

This means that Lin Feiran has broken through the spiritual vein restriction and successfully advanced.

Wei Changzai lowered his eyes and looked to his side: "Master, she is already a disciple who has descended the mountain, and is no longer a fellow disciple of mine. I do not care about her current situation. Why do you pay so much attention to her?"

Zhang Chunhe smiled calmly and slowly opened his eyes: "Of course I have to pay attention. She has done too many unexpected things, so I have to take notice of her."

Wei Changzai said calmly, "Is it because she became an envoy to the demon realm?"

"Not only that, do you remember when the Sword Realm in the palace was wide open during the Little Immortal Tour, and someone took away the Iron Khitan Book? Now we can be certain that the person was Lin Feiran."

The snow was falling heavily outside the window, but it was not as cold as Zhang Chunhe's gaze.

“When you were young, I took you into the Sword Realm many times, but unfortunately you were not destined to find it. You neither found the Immortal True Man Scripture nor inherited the Iron Khitan Book.”

I had resigned myself to my fate, but who would have thought that she would be the one to take the book?

If it weren't for his master's intervention that day, he would have arrested her long ago, and wouldn't have let her roam freely outside like this!

Unfortunately, my master also vanished on that day.

"The Iron Khitan Book is in her hands. It was chosen by our master. As her descendants, we have no right to criticize it, nor do we need to take it away. But we must find the Immortal True Man Scripture. It contains the true meaning of our master's Dao. How can it be left to others to see?"

Wei Changzai asked, "Does Master mean that I should retrieve the Immortal True Man Scripture?"

"No, I've already entrusted this matter to Chang Ying. The two of them have always been close, so retrieving the scriptures shouldn't be difficult. As for you, what you need to do now is break the mirror. When I've been observing your heart lately, I've noticed subtle movements. Have you gained any insights?"

Daohe Palace has a magical treasure called Lantai Treasure Basin. If you extract a wisp of your soul and put it into it, you will get a pool of pure water. When your mind is moved, the pure water will also ripple.

Different feelings lead to different emotions.

Originally made by the Grandmaster for amusement to observe people's hearts, it was discovered by Zhang Chunhe to have another wonderful use: it can be used to observe signs of breaking through realms.

When Wei Chang was young, a wisp of his soul was extracted and placed into the basin. Whenever he broke through to a higher realm, ripples would appear in the basin. Zhang Chunhe was very familiar with these ripples, and he had seen them several times recently, which meant that Wei Chang was about to break through to a higher realm.

Knowing that he could not hide the matter, Wei Changzai replied, "Yes, I have indeed gained some insights."

Zhang Chunhe finally smiled faintly. He was in a great mood and said, "So what if Lin Feiran jumped to the top of the Azure Cloud Ranking? This is only for disciples below the Questioning Heart Realm. You will soon be able to leave it and jump into the Riding Wind Ranking."

Wei Changzai remained unmoved. More concerning was something else: "Since Senior Brother has arrived in the Demon Capital, why hasn't he contacted me? Could it be that he has already made contact with... Lin Feiran?"

He wasn't used to calling Lin Feiran by her first name, but he had to do so in front of Zhang Chunhe.

"He did send me a message, and it is true. You two have different things to do, so it's best if you each stay well and don't get too close. Also, since there's progress on your advancement, you should stay with Qiu Tong for a while longer. You can return after you break through the barrier."

But don't linger; the demons won't be at peace for long.

Zhang Chunhe continued to give many admonitions, but Wei Changzai was already distracted.

He picked up the plum blossom hairpin and remained silent for a long time.

...

As the moon rose high in the sky, most of the demon city's guards rushed toward the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Although the demons in the streets were puzzled, they dared not crowd around or disturb them.

Lin Feiran saw Xun Feifei and Qingzhu rushing away from afar. She watched them for a moment, then turned and left.

On the way back, my thoughts were never at peace.

In just a few days, too many unexpected things have happened. Now that she finally has a chance to catch her breath, she must sort things out one by one.

The first issue is breaking the seal in the mind.

Previously in Luoyu City, the Jade Clan Chief Qi Yu claimed that he would find a way to break the spell for her, but when she talked to him, she was always nine parts truth and one part falsehood, so it was still unknown whether she was really willing to spend her time to break the spell for him.

But she couldn't just wait around and place all her hopes on others; she had to take the initiative.

It was previously deduced that the disciple of the Saint of Gengan, "Xiaobai," was still alive and even still in contact with Saitama. Through the map and letter paper placed in Saitama's room, it was known that the person to receive the letter was near Jihai.

To unravel this complex magic array, one must travel to the Boundless Sea, find the person who received the message, and make a request.

However, Jihai is not small, and it is located in the south, where the forces are chaotic. She doesn't know how far away the Secret Sect is. Going there rashly would be like a lamb entering a wolf's den. She needs to come up with a more secretive and safe method.

Meanwhile, before finding that "newbie," she needs to find a reason that the other party cannot refuse to solve the formation.

There was also the matter of assassination by the cult.

Lin Feiran stood on the courtyard wall, looking at the light in the corner of her room, but her gaze was not focused. She just paced silently along the wall, lost in thought.

The first time they turned against themselves was at a grand banquet.

At that time, the wolf clan started the banquet in the name of presenting the Qingfeng Sword. From beginning to end, no one paid attention to them until their actions failed. When Ru Xian was preparing to search the soul to find out the reason, the Taoist boy suddenly appeared and stopped them.

Now she knows that the Taoist boy's name is Fuyin.

He appeared at the banquet not to save the boy, nor to help the wolf clan; he simply wanted to interrupt Ru Xian's soul-searching and prevent him from discovering the secret sect's assistance, thus avoiding further trouble.

But upon seeing himself, he suddenly changed his mind, shouted, and drew his sword directly at himself.

The esoteric sect had not approached the demon capital for many years, clearly because they were wary of Ru Xian and did not want to cause trouble. However, at that time, killing himself was more important to Fu Yin than cleaning up the mess.

Did they harbor murderous intent towards me back then?

Lin Feiran pursed her lips, stroking the hilt of her sword, her gaze sharp, and in an instant, she rejected the conjecture in her mind.

If the esoteric sect wanted to get rid of her long ago, then when she was cultivating at Daohe Palace, she often went down the mountain alone to exorcise demons. They had countless opportunities to take action. Why didn't they do it before? Why did they only suddenly realize this when she came to the demon realm?

Furthermore, after the grand banquet, Fu Yin died, and in the days that followed, apart from Jiang Jin and a few others, no one else came. Since killing her was so important, why was there no news of her afterward?

If they had harbored murderous intent earlier, then none of this makes sense.

If we must speculate, we can only conclude that the first time they wanted to kill me was at the grand banquet, after they suddenly saw me.

Why would I react this way upon seeing myself?

Or perhaps they don't actually know themselves, but just notice something unusual about her?

When she retrieved the sword earlier, the sword spirit said that its aura was extremely weak, only a thin wisp. Could it be that it attacked her with that aura?

Lin Feiran stopped and denied the speculation again.

During the Flying Flower Gathering, the two met and even confronted each other for a long time. However, Fu Yin looked at her as if she were a stranger, and did not even recognize her figure or swordsmanship. This was completely unlike their first meeting, where they were at odds.

This clearly shows that Fuyin knew her.

He was even quite familiar with her.

Even at a grand banquet, with her face heavily made up, he still recognized her immediately with just a glance among the crowd.

It's worth noting that even Ru Xian, whom I met many years ago, took a long time to confirm that it was her.

She was certain that she had never met Fuyin, let alone been exposed to esoteric Buddhism.

If Fuyin knows himself so well, does it mean that people in the esoteric sect are just as familiar with him?

But why?

And then there's Zhang Siwo, who suddenly made his move today.

Since he was able to mention the grand banquet, he must have been paying attention to Tantric Buddhism and her for a long time.

There was a rumor back then that he suddenly rushed out of the door while he was forging iron one day, crying and laughing, shouting to the sky, "I saw it!" He then disappeared from Qinghua Town and was never heard from again.

Did he see the same thing as his master? How many people like them are there in the world?

There are many masters in the esoteric sects, and time is of the essence. How will she protect herself?

Lin Feiran suddenly remembered that when he first met Ru Xian, Ru Xian diagnosed him and said that there was a line in the curse that said "death will come at twenty". Calculating it, the time seemed to be not far off.

This incantation was created by the Human Emperor. Now that I think about it, it was clearly an act of silencing her, only allowing her to live for another twenty years.

Why did he do that?

Lin Feiran squatted on the wall, let out a long sigh, and stared blankly at the bright moon in the night sky.

With numerous hurdles looming and everything pressing, she had no time to rest.

Fortunately, there is still a way to remove the curse. After discussing the matter with Ru Xian today, we can go to Ji Hai as soon as possible to break the seal.

As for Tantric Buddhism, the best course of action is to avoid direct confrontation until a way to protect itself is found.

Also, she needs to go find Zhang Siwo again and ask about Fu Yin's whereabouts. Fu Yin is now in the Free Realm, and she won't be at a disadvantage in a fight against him. If she can quietly drag him into the Demon Capital and find out...

"Lin Feiran."

A cold breath suddenly came from the back of her neck. Lin Feiran was startled and slipped, almost falling off the wall. Fortunately, the person behind her reached out and grabbed her by the back of her collar, helping her to steady herself.

She turned around and saw Ru Xian standing on the wall, her long hair and the hem of her robe still fluttering, with the bright moon behind her like a hook.

He looked down at her, crossed his arms, and said, "You've been here for almost half an hour. What have you figured out?"

Lin Feiran sighed, "It's truly a miracle that I was born to survive."

"You humans say that good people don't live long, but evil people live for a thousand years. Why don't you be even more wicked and wreak havoc on the area? Then you might not be able to get rid of them even if you want to."

As usual, he spoke in a cool voice and casually tossed something aside.

“This is something in your room that keeps making noise, making it impossible for me to read. When I look up, I see you wandering around on the wall like a ghost.”

"I'm just thinking about where I look like a wandering soul."

Lin Feiran muttered to himself as he took it, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was the Jade Token that allowed him to communicate with others.

Having already guessed that the person holding the token was Qiu Tong, she glanced at Ru Xian, squatted on the wall, and untied the token, revealing the words "Thank you" stroke by stroke.

As if a wisp of smoke were raised slightly, he crouched down beside her, propped his chin on his hand, and glanced at her: "Who is this?"

The next moment, a message appeared: "The fireworks will be beautiful tonight."

"..."

"..."

The two squatted on the wall, exchanged a glance, and Lin Feiran replied, "This is a fellow disciple of Daohe Palace. She is also in Yaodu tonight."

Ru Xian spoke again: "Wei Changzai?"

This is the second time he has brought it up.

Lin Feiran shook her head: "It wasn't him."

"Lin Feiran, can you teach me swordsmanship?" Ru Xian asked, turning to look at Lin Feiran, only to see a look of surprise on his face.

She held the jade token, letting the autumn wind blow for a long time before slowly replying with two words.

【Can】

Ru Xian looked at her, resting her chin on her hand, and said in a cool voice, "So easily softened?"

The autumn wind rose and blew her snow-white hair onto the back of her hand. He casually tucked the hair behind his ear, stood up, lowered his eyes to meet hers, and began to speak in the same manner as Yu Ling.

Thank you.

"The fireworks tonight were beautiful, I really liked them."

"Lin Feiran, can you tell me what exactly happened to you in Daohe Palace?"

Author's Note: Detective Fei Ran: It's so itchy, I need to develop my brain (X She's always been very smart).

Some people couldn't help but ask, wanting to know as much as possible.

P.S.: I didn't update enough last week, so I'll try to make up for it this week. There will be an update tomorrow, Monday.