Chapter 21 The Wildfire (Part Two) A small hilltop is too small, but the world is vast...

Every year, Daohe Palace holds a fasting ceremony. In addition to the usual sacrifices and invocation of the saints, disciples will also have a competition after the worship. The ordinary disciples will then be divided into four levels, A, B, C, and D, based on the results of the competition that year.

Daohe Palace is the head of the four major sects, but it focuses more on sword skills. Since three years ago, Lin Feiran has always been ranked first, but because his cultivation level is not high, he has only been rated as the last among the first-class disciples.

For the various sects of the Gan Dao, the world above the mountain and the world below the mountain are completely different. One is called transcending the world, and the other is called engaging with the world. If a disciple wants to go down the mountain to walk in the world, it means that he is determined to engage with the world. Once engaged with the world, one can never return.

Before a disciple descends the mountain, he will sit down with his master to discuss the Dao and clarify his Daoist heart. Then, the sect will give him a Five Sacred Mountains True Form Talisman made of lightning-struck wood. After that, he will descend the mountain and sever all ties with the sect.

For many years, no disciple has ever been able to sit down and discuss the Dao with Zhang Chunhe, or to present him with a talisman and descend the mountain.

"Kneeling criticism? Changzai did mention it before. You are also an arrogant and unwilling child at heart. But most young people are like that, always full of inexhaustible passion."

Zhang Chunhe smiled faintly at her: "Child, what you just said about becoming a saint from being a thief does have some merit. If you want to go down the mountain, why bother discussing the Dao with martial arts? Do you know what realm I am at?"

Lin Feiran's gaze remained fixed: "The renowned Venerable Minchun entered the Divine Travel realm in his early years, almost reaching the Selfless Realm. It's just a pity that he hasn't been able to take that half step for decades."

"You are just a puppet."

Lin Fei then took a half step back, holding his sword horizontally in front of him: "Besides, you want to borrow my spirit bone to fulfill your ambitions? Chief Zhang, even ants try to survive. It would be foolish to just stand still and wait to die."

Zhang Chunhe sighed and shook his head, revealing the puppet piece pieced together from his neck: "The puppet that has been infused with my heart's blood is not one you can defeat. You were able to escape that day because you had a magical artifact to protect you, so why be so stubborn? This mirror is not a confinement, it just doesn't want you to fall into a nightmare."

Lin Feiran: "No need for further explanation."

With a sharp clang, she raised her sword and moved forward. Sparks gradually ignited on the sword, burning across her eyes and drawing a dazzling light in the dark mirror world.

Zhang Chunhe did not move. His whisk flashed slightly and transformed into a simple longsword. He did not take Lin Feiran seriously, but he wanted to test the power of the sword himself. Otherwise, how could he guide Changzai in the future?

Daohe Palace is the foremost among all sword styles in the world, but not everyone practices swordsmanship. For example, Zhang Chunhe usually uses a Cangyin Bow that is half a person's height, rather than a spirit sword.

The two sides clashed, their long swords clanging, the sounds of their weapons even reaching beyond the mirror, making one's teeth ache and ears ring.

Although it was a puppet, its movements were not sluggish at all. As its sleeves rose and fell, one could see the runes on its arms flowing with spiritual energy.

She stared intently at the runes, which were formed from bolts of lightning, dark yet imposing and powerful.

As he spun around, several wind blades slashed towards him. Lin Feiran dodged them, and they attacked straight behind him. The densely packed eye immediately closed upon seeing this, but it was still cut in half. Suddenly, the sound of a child crying rang out in the mirror.

One cried out, and the rest of their eyes blinked in response, making a sticky sound as they looked in that direction, bewildered and eerie.

Lin Feiran was momentarily stunned by the sight, only regaining his senses when Zhang Chunhe's sword slashed diagonally towards him.

If it were two spirit swords, the sword in Zhang Chunhe's hand would surely break, but she was using a qi sword.

The sword was shrouded in spiritual energy and was extremely sharp, but it was still inferior to a real spiritual sword. The aura sword had dissipated, but the spiritual sword in his hand remained unharmed.

Without hesitation, Zhang Chunhe thrust his spirit sword straight at her. Just as the cold light was about to hit her chest, the spirit sword suddenly turned halfway, and the finely crafted iron hilt, imbued with spiritual power, struck her chest heavily. Lin Feiran froze for a moment, then spat out half a mouthful of blood and staggered back several steps before regaining her balance.

"What use is taking the miraculous medicine? Your pulse is too weak to withstand the influx of spiritual energy. It will all be blocked at the point of entry. With just one strike, it will burst forth and injure yourself."

Zhang Chunhe casually sheathed his sword and laughed, "Besides, the Broken Sword move works on Changzai, but it won't work on me. Although Changzai is my personal disciple, I didn't teach him swordsmanship. What, didn't he tell you that?"

Lin Feiran wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her voice slightly hoarse: "There are too many things he didn't tell me, there's no need to be so suspicious."

“Is that so? I thought you two could talk about anything except for Jian Gu.” Zhang Chunhe looked at her thoughtfully. “He often kept many things from me as well.”

Lin Feiran secretly adjusted her breathing and remained silent.

Zhang Chunhe said, "There's no need to test the sword; these few moves are enough. Now, I actually have something more I'm curious about."

After speaking, he nodded.

A burst of innocent yet sorrowful weeping immediately filled the air. She looked around in surprise and saw that the eyes that had been cut were actually holding back tears. After receiving permission from Zhang Chunhe, they could no longer hold back and began to wail loudly.

The sounds were deafening and resonated deep within their hearts. Though they could not speak, their cries seemed to be a distorted scream of "It hurts so much!"

Lin Feiran felt a sense of relief as the sword energy dissipated. She staggered back two steps, her eyes even redder, her hands trembling slightly. The cries of the infant and the screams of pain echoed in her mind, and she felt as if she were experiencing the pain herself.

Zhang Chunhe sheathed his sword.

"Everything has its yin and yang. This mirror world can refresh the mind, so naturally there must be its opposite. I'm very curious to know how you resisted the nightmare and how you regained consciousness."

He didn't explain why, nor did he offer any further explanation. He just looked at her quietly, lost in thought.

...

The flames in Lin Feiran's heart collided with the chilling howl, causing her unbearable pain. She gritted her teeth, and even though her arms trembled violently, she still managed to condense a sword of energy in her hand once again.

She refused to admit defeat; she insisted on using martial arts to discuss the principles of martial arts and to settle scores with martial arts!

Lin Feiran managed to stand up, and his hand struck out with another sword. Zhang Chunhe dodged to the side, and the wailing around them intensified, the sounds overlapping each other.

As the sword energy dissipated, she gripped her robe tightly with both hands, her face flushed, her pupils trembling. She involuntarily knelt on the ground, cold sweat beading on her forehead. Her lips parted involuntarily as she gasped for breath, rapid and intermittent, like a drowning person, only able to exhale but not inhale.

A pair of eyes flashed before her eyes—jealous, resentful, and sticky—as if countless hands were reaching out from the darkness, each grasping at her and dragging her into depravity.

She reached out a hand in a daze.

Suddenly, a faint, cool fragrance drifted by, sharp and vibrant; just smelling it brought a moment of clarity.

The cold fragrance stopped beside her, leaned down, placed one hand on the back of her outstretched hand, and covered her lips with the other hand through the soft brocade, forcibly cutting off her breath. The warmth of her palm came through the silk and was slightly cold, while her smooth hair fell to the side of her face, even colder.

Lin Feiran gripped his clothes tightly and guided his spiritual energy as instructed. He immediately felt even more pain all over his body, as if he were being boiled in oil. In addition to those strange eyes, a golden-white color forcefully entered his vision.

She knelt on the ground, her hands trembling, her hot breath making her gaze watery, her dark eyes even more like they had been washed.

"I'll endure the pain."

Lin Feiran shook her head slightly. She raised her hand and grasped the gold ring on his wrist. She exerted force as if to pull him away, but accidentally pulled his sleeve, which was bound by the gold ring, out of the ring. Instantly, a cold fragrance wafted over, and his robe sleeves spread out like the wings of a white crane, covering the entire field of vision.

The feeling of drowning subsided, the four gates of magic were opened, and the turbulent spiritual energy within his body poured out and gradually calmed down.

Seeing that her breathing was steady, Ru Xian immediately withdrew her hand.

"You should be glad your brain isn't completely broken; you grabbed the golden ring and the sleeve, not my hand."

"I'm sorry, I acted in a moment of panic." Lin Feiran lowered her head and breathed heavily, her voice hoarse. "I originally wanted to tell you that you didn't need to hold me down, that I could bear it, no matter how much it hurt."

Ru Xian gave a soft, ambiguous hum, but did not speak. Instead, she straightened up and took out a piece of brocade to carefully wipe her hands.

He looked down at her, but did not help her up. He only glanced at the puppet standing quietly in the distance and said, "So you are a disciple of Daohe Palace."

"It's not anymore."

Lin Feiran slowly stood up, supporting himself on his knees. When he looked up again, his eyes were clear and calm, with no trace of the madness he had experienced during his nightmare.

As Ru Xian looked at her, she raised her eyebrows slightly, surprised but not showing it on her face. Zhang Chunhe, however, could not hide it and couldn't help but control the puppet to take half a step forward. After seeing it clearly, he clapped his hands and laughed, both surprised and delighted.

"Child, you should thank yourself. What I have gained today is enough to spare your life. Not only did I break the nightmare in such a short time, but even your sword bone has stopped dissipating."

Zhang Chunhe seemed oblivious to Ru Xian's presence, focusing only on Lin Feiran, and continued to ask, "What were you thinking about just now?"

Lin Feiran glanced at the slightly glowing eyes around him and said softly, "I just remembered when we were having morning classes on the mountain, our teachers told us what the state of forgetting oneself was, and I suddenly felt that I was worrying myself unnecessarily."

Sitting in oblivion, sitting in oblivion, one forgets oneself and the Tao, unaware of spring and autumn, cold and heat, unaware of the vastness of heaven and earth, like an ant or a mayfly, born in the morning and dying at dusk, forgetting the way one came and seeing the way one returns.

Lin Feiran's gaze fell again, landing on the person opposite him: "You say you want to see the Dao and achieve harmony, but there are three thousand great Daos in the world, how can they be in harmony? Why bother with harmony at all?"

"The Way of Heaven is formless and without spirit, and the Great Way is endless and indestructible. We who seek the Way are like drawing in a dark room, constantly confused, unaware that there is no ink on the brush, unaware that the five colors cannot be applied. We can only raise our hands and draw, and as long as the brush does not stop, the path will not end!"

Zhang Chunhe's smile remained undiminished: "No need for further words. As you said, I also have my own path. If you are speaking to Changzai, I can relay these words to him on your behalf."

"No, I'm saying this to myself."

Lin Feiran raised her hand, about to condense her sword energy again, when a gust of wind rose behind her. She caught it and found a green longsword, surrounded by purple lightning and blue light, exuding great power.

She turned her head and saw that a budding mirror tree had appeared behind her at some point. Ru Xue sat on it, wearing a white robe embroidered with gold, looking down at her and Zhang Chunhe with indifferent eyes.

"To you, I am an outsider and will not favor either side. Both sides have swords now, so it is perfectly fair. You fight, and I am currently in a good mood to witness this."

Lin Feiran turned around, gripped the sword in her hand, and pointed it at all the "eyes" that were staring intently at her.

The reason this puppet can wield a sword so smoothly is not only due to the runes on its body, but more so because of the spiritual power provided by this magic array.

She ignored Zhang Chunhe, only slightly bent back and took a step, and with a sword strike, the tip of her sword flashed with lightning. She leaped up like a rabbit and slashed at one of her eyes.

The sword energy, carrying the force of lightning, surged forward. Even though Zhang Chunhe's puppet was incredibly fast, it couldn't catch up. It could only watch helplessly as the sword energy pierced into the trembling pupil, eliciting a sharp cry.

Lin Feiran did not stop. She took advantage of the situation to turn around and fight the puppet. In the short time that the runes on his arm were flowing, just like before, the sword flew around his arm with great power. Then she spun around and slashed down, and the arm made of lightning-struck wood was severed at the root and fell to the ground with a clatter.

She raised her eyes: "Who said this trick won't work on you? I'll use the same trick to make up for any loss I suffer with. Didn't Wei Chang tell you that when he was tattling on you?"

Zhang Chunhe was not angry. He simply bent down and picked up the sword from the ground with his intact left hand, and sighed, "Not at all."

He suddenly looked up and finally looked her in the eye: "Why did you come down the mountain?"

"I always went up the mountain in order to come down. I am trapped in the quagmire. The world is vast, but I can only see a few feet of the mountain gate. What I want to do is to travel the world after I have completed my studies and see the vast world. It is so simple, but it has been so difficult."

Ten years of trials and tribulations, ten years of reluctance to let go, a tumultuous journey difficult to reconcile with the past, yet my heart has been torn for so long, I will still choose to be myself!

As soon as she finished speaking, a gust of wind suddenly rose beside her, brushing aside her hair and the hem of her robe, and brushing past her resolute brows and eyes.

Streams of spiritual light entered her brow, and the sword bone pearl floated lightly in the air, its soft halo falling on her, as if it were about to fight alongside her one last time. Everything quieted down, yet everything was so vibrant, and she felt a long-lost sense of fullness.

Once the Dao heart is damaged, it is extremely difficult to reverse. There are indeed precedents in history of people who have been enlightened and able to turn things around, but they are few and far between. Today, Lin Feiran is in such a state!

She closed her eyes, listening to the blinking of the "eyes" around her, and suddenly remembered the words she had recalled after being struck by lightning earlier that day.

She opened her eyes, her sword intent blazing forth. Before her was no longer the world in the mirror, but an endless wilderness. A gentle breeze stirred, yet wildfires raged, and undying wild grasses sprouted from them, helping her soar to the heavens!

"I have a jug of wine, which I will pour across the entire land. One cup will nourish ten thousand mountains and marshes, another will nourish the sun and moon. I look up and down at heaven and earth, why should I care about the path to immortality? With a thousand cups in my hand, I will simply walk the carefree road!"

Zhang Chunhe then spoke: "Li Changfeng's 'Floating Life Sword'?"

Lin Feiran rode the wind away, his figure as light as a feather and as floating as a cloud. When the sword in his hand fell, it was like Mount Tai collapsing and being cooked by raging fire. With a single stroke, he completely severed the long sword in Zhang Chunhe's hand.

Then, she looked around.

This mirror was made from the clear light from the eyes of one hundred children.

The so-called clear light is something that everyone is born with, which is used to see the world clearly and to see one's own heart. However, most children will no longer retain this light after they grow up, and their vision will gradually become blurred.

Therefore, Zhang Chunhe did not find anything unusual when he was making this mirror. In any case, the clear light would dissipate sooner or later, so keeping it here was a way of preserving it.

Despite the constant crying around her, Lin Feiran remained completely unaffected. Her eyes were as clear and peaceful as ever. As she rose and drew her sword, she whispered, "Close your eyes."

The terrified "eyes" that stared at her paused for a moment, then unconsciously closed gently. A sword passed by, as gentle as a willow breeze, as warm as a fire in the snow, without the slightest pain. They finally disappeared from the mirror, as peaceful as returning to a mother's embrace.

She said softly, "You should go down the mountain too."

Author's Note: I'm getting some restrictions, so the next chapter update will be moved to around 11 PM.

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