Chapter 217 Jinling is Uncrossable (Part 3) I really want to jump off the building with her...

This was Lin Feiran's first time visiting Jinlingdu.

She lifted the light veil covering the fence and looked closely. Although she had never been before, she felt a mixture of trepidation and curiosity.

The dragon flag fluttered in the sky, shouts echoed, and a layer of misty rain, like blue smoke, enveloped the surroundings. Passengers who had come by boat hurried away, leaving a wisp of mist swirling around her.

For a time, pedestrians thronged the area, and in the nearby dockside market, people thronged, some holding umbrellas, some using veils, and against the backdrop of black tiles and white eaves, it was like a light ink painting.

This was a completely different scene from Luoyang City; everyone spoke with a local accent, and it looked quite lively.

As people around him hurriedly left the dock, Lin Feiran, not wanting to stand out, mingled with them, carrying his sword, and headed towards the market to wait for Zhang Siwo's help.

As she was moving downstream, a woman carrying a child was jostled by the crowd ahead. Just as she was about to fall, she moved swiftly to catch her and also caught the bundle that had been thrown to the ground.

Be careful.

She spoke, then handed the bundle back. The woman thanked her timidly, and quickly left with the swaddled baby in her arms.

Lin Feiran didn't mind this little incident. She walked into the market and, while curiously looking around, stopped in front of one of the stalls and picked up the pine cones that were arranged messily on the table to examine them closely.

She has recently been learning weapon crafting, so she inevitably pays more attention to carving. After observing, she was surprised to find that the pine cone carving was actually quite good, so she looked up.

The stall owner was a middle-aged woman who wasn't very old.

She was dressed simply, her hair was neatly styled in a bun, and she wore a pine hairpin. She looked no different from an ordinary old woman, but she had a cloak made of many scraps of cloth tied around her shoulder, which was already worn and frayed. There was a wooden sword for children at her feet.

At first glance, he looks like a seasoned and vigorous wandering knight.

But she set up a stall here to sell pine cones.

Even when guests arrive, she still doesn't look up.

In places like Jinlingdu, which are located at the border of southeastern China, pine cones are indeed rare, but few people like them.

In the human world during winter, people still prefer flowers that bloom in the cold, so this stall seemed quite deserted compared to the others, with only her as a customer.

Lin Feiran didn't want to attract attention, but since no one was visiting this place and the carving skills were quite good, she decided to buy a few.

"Auntie, how much are these pine cones?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the old woman paused, looked up, and her previously calm eyes lit up the moment she saw her.

"It's you! It's you!"

She threw the carving knife in her hand, grabbed the wooden sword with one hand, and seized Lin Feiran's wrist with the other. She laughed loudly, and the tattered cloth cloak behind her fluttered lightly in the rain and mist.

Pedestrians and nearby vendors turned to look, their eyes filled with either curiosity or amusement.

The tall young man wore a veil and carried a long sword. Although his expression was not clear, one could see that he was slightly startled by the two sentences and subconsciously turned his head to look around.

But those around them merely observed with interest, offering no assistance.

Lin Feiran was completely bewildered, not knowing what the old woman was talking about. She tried to pull her hand away, but was afraid of using too much force and knocking the woman over. If she hadn't been certain that the woman was a mortal, she would have almost thought that she was a cultivator sent by the Tantric sect.

A nearby vendor couldn't help but say, "Young lady, you're about to be harassed by this crazy woman. You'd better get rid of her quickly!"

Crazy woman?

Lin Feiran looked closely through the veil and indeed found that the old woman's expression was enthusiastic, with an innocence that did not match her age. She even raised the wooden sword, waved it in the air, and made some strange shouts.

Unfortunately, the vendor spoke too late, and by now the old woman is already close.

She pulled Lin Feiran along, brandishing a wooden sword, and led her to sit on a wooden bench, as if riding a dragon, while muttering incantations.

"You old fool, how dare you invade my Jinling Ferry! I, Wang Po, will surely cut you down! Just you wait, I have found a worthy man to capture you. Today is your death day!"

The wooden bench creaked on the ground, a light drizzle swirled around it, and Granny Wang gazed high at the sky, pointing her wooden sword as if the thing she was about to cut was right there.

As the ride continued, more and more people gathered around, and the heavy rain gradually intensified. Lin Feiran sat in the back, the stool supporting her lower back. She couldn't concentrate on the old woman and was about to break free when she saw someone slowly walk over and step on the end of the stool.

"Wang Po, a heavy rain is coming; you should go home."

The person's voice was calm and sounded very familiar. Lin Feiran didn't dare to look at him, but then she heard him apologize to her. She could only lower her head, get up, and shake her head.

Granny Wang turned to look at him, frowned and muttered a few words, but the two were obviously very familiar with each other. She quickly moved the wooden stool to the back of the stall, picked up the messy pine cones, and was still muttering to herself.

"I'm sorry, Granny Wang is old and frail, and her mind is not clear. I've caused you trouble."

He combined the vegetables and fish he was carrying in one hand, and with his other hand he took out his purse and handed it to her.

"This is an apology; please accept it."

Lin Feiran slightly raised her head and met Xun Feifei's calm gaze through the veil. Thinking of Xuan Zhen's advice, she did not speak or refuse. She quickly took the money bag and was about to turn around.

"Wait, chivalrous hero!" Granny Wang leaped forward, and Lin Feiran subconsciously withdrew his hands, only to have half of his veil suddenly lifted.

"I'll remember your face, so we can ride dragons together to slay demons next time!"

Lin Feiran: "..."

Xun Feifei: "..."

Even in the human realm, he still wore that silver mask, which was now covered with raindrops that were sliding down and dripping.

He tapped the door with his finger, dispelling the rain and mist, then calmly retrieved his money pouch and put it in his pocket: "I didn't receive any news that you were coming here. Are you alone? Do you have a place to stay?"

Lin Feiran was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.

Just then, a clap of thunder rolled across the sky, and the raindrops grew larger, pattering loudly. The pedestrians on the street stopped watching the commotion and hurried back, leaving an even thicker, damp feeling in the air. Xun Feifei didn't wait for her reply. He took the paper umbrella from his waist and handed it to Lin Feiran, then raised his chin and pointed at Granny Wang.

"You and she share an umbrella, follow behind me, and go to my house to take shelter from the rain."

After saying that, he didn't give Lin Feiran a chance to speak again. He bent down, picked up the rest of the items, and, carrying Wang Po's pine cones, walked ahead to clear the way.

Wang Po seemed determined to follow her. Now that the rain was getting heavier, Lin Feiran naturally couldn't leave her alone there, so she sighed and followed behind with her umbrella.

With few pedestrians on the street, the full view of Jinling Ferry is revealed.

The town is paved with bluestone, arranged in neat rows. The houses around it are all black-tiled and white-walled. Rain chains hang down from the eaves, and water flows down to irrigate the wildflowers in the cracks of the stones.

Among the people running on the street or taking shelter from the rain under the eaves, everyone had a paper umbrella about the length of an arm tucked behind their waist, as if everyone carried one.

Lin Feiran, with one arm around the muttering Wang Po and the other holding an oil-paper umbrella, braved the growing wind and rain as they made their way forward, occasionally catching glimpses of several figures huddled in corners along the way.

They were the common people who had disembarked with her. They were now huddled together under the narrow eaves, their vision blank, not knowing where to go, and could only keep warm and shelter from the rain.

Along the way, we encountered quite a few people like them.

...

Lin Feiran withdrew his gaze and looked ahead. Xun Feifei walked in the rain, occasionally turning back to check if the two had followed, and occasionally exchanging pleasantries with the people on the street, politely declining their invitations to take shelter from the rain.

He is very familiar with this place.

They arrived at Xun Feifei's house in less than fifteen minutes, just before the rain turned into a downpour. However, Granny Wang did not go in with them. Instead, she looked at Lin Feiran, picked up the wooden sword, and turned to walk into the small courtyard next door.

Lin Feiran was somewhat taken aback. She had thought it was just a coincidence that Granny Wang happened to be her godmother.

Xun Feifei pushed open the door, turned around to look at her, and asked in confusion, "What are you looking at? Come in quickly."

Lin Feiran had no choice but to follow them inside. It was a small, square courtyard with several pear trees planted in it. Smoke was rising from the kitchen on the east side, and someone was walking out of the main house.

"You're back?"

Lin Feiran turned her head and saw an elderly woman dressed in red and green, looking somewhat sickly, but with very sharp eyes.

Even as the years have passed, her beauty still retains a touch of radiance, enough to reveal the splendor of her youth.

The only flaw was the deep, long scar on her left cheek that stretched from the corner of her lip to her ear, a truly horrifying sight.

Lin Feiran suddenly remembered that she had heard Bi Qing say that Xun Feifei's clan had suffered a disaster and he had been subjected to the punishment of being ripped open. He had escaped to the human world when he was young and was adopted by the human race.

However, because of his protection, his adoptive mother was also implicated and suffered the same hardships. He initially worked for Ru Xian in order to obtain medicine.

The woman's gaze fell upon her, sharp yet without any probing intent. She simply nodded to her and said, "Come in, it's raining heavily outside."

Upon entering the main room, the woman had already poured a cup of tea. She coughed a few times, covered her mouth, and invited her to sit down, looking her over and saying, "You're quite a nimble child. Do you also work in the demon realm with Feifei?"

"Working together?" Lin Feiran took off her hat, thought about it and it made sense, so she nodded, "Yes, we're kind of coworkers..."

The woman understood her expression and smiled, "Just call me Ru Niang, or like Bi Qing and the others, call me Godmother, and I won't refuse."

Lin Feiran called softly, "Ru Niang, just call me... just call me Wenran."

Her wanted poster was still on the bulletin board at Jinling Ferry, so it was naturally inappropriate for her to reveal her name.

Ru Niang nodded in agreement: "It is a good name. Is there something in the demon realm that Fei Fei needs to go back to handle? I caught a cold recently, and he insisted on staying here to take care of me. If there is something important, it is good for him to go back."

Lin Feiran shook her head, about to deny it, when she heard a few crisp sounds of pebbles falling from the roof. She looked up.

Ru Niang paused, then smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. It must be Granny Wang throwing stones next door again. She throws them into the air whenever she has free time, and we neighbors are used to it."

Lin Feiran understood, and continued, "I'm not here to ask him to go back to work. I'm here to... to find someone."

She changed the subject halfway through her sentence, because she suddenly remembered that Xun Feifei had said that his adoptive mother knew a lot about the dancers in Jinling Ferry, and perhaps she had met her mother.

Ru Niang was indeed somewhat interested: "I've lived here for forty or fifty years. I wouldn't dare say I know everyone, but I do know most of them. Who are you looking for?"

"She was a dancer."

As Lin Feiran finished speaking, the sounds coming from the roof suddenly intensified, like dozens of stones falling at once, making a loud clatter that was unsettling. Two bricks even tilted, and a piece of gravel flew into them.

Ru Niang's lips twitched. She looked up and, no longer caring about Lin Feiran, lifted her skirt and rushed out of the inner room. Standing in the courtyard, she pointed at Wang Po on the roof and launched into a tirade of insults in her local accent, a stark contrast to her gentle demeanor just moments before.

Lin Feiran: "..."

“That’s the kind of person my godmother is.”

Xun Feifei carried the tray back into the house and placed the dishes she had prepared earlier on the table, bringing a little warmth to this damp and cold rainy day.

"She used to be a dancer at the Wei Rui Lou. She trained for ten years and was about to go on stage when she saved me. Her face was disfigured and her reputation was ruined. She could only do odd jobs in the brothel to make a living and raise me."

Over time, in order to avoid being bullied, they developed this sharp temperament, which remains unchanged to this day.

He arranged the dishes, turned around and walked to the door, saying only, "Mother, save your energy."

Ru Niang then went back into the house with her hands on her hips, caught her breath, and smiled slightly at Lin Feiran, showing no trace of her previous shrewishness.

She said, "As usual, I'll send a portion of this dish to that crazy woman."

Xun Feifei nodded, set out the bowls and chopsticks, took off the silver mask, and then ate quietly. For a moment, only her and Lin Feiran's voices could be heard at the table.

"How old is the dancer you're looking for? When did she arrive at Jinling Ferry?"

"She grew up in Jinling Ferry, her age is unknown, but her name is Jinlan." Lin Feiran looked at her expectantly, "Does Ru Niang remember you?"

She had asked the question hoping for the best, but Ru Niang raised an eyebrow, immediately put down her chopsticks, and her gentle expression turned indignant.

"So it was her!"

"Did one of your elders die from her influence, which is why you came here to seek revenge?"

Ru Niang spoke with certainty, and her gaze toward Lin Feiran was tinged with heartache.

Xun Feifei knew the inside story, but it was inconvenient for her to say it, so she coughed lightly, but no one at the table paid any attention.

Lin Feiran was embarrassed: "Did such a thing really happen?"

Ru Niang clicked her tongue in amazement, put her hands on her hips, and poured out her grievances: "That's just too much!"

"When I met her, she looked only sixteen or seventeen, but since she was a cultivator, her exact age was hard to say."

Her spiritual veins were sealed at that time, rendering her like an ordinary mortal. She said she had nowhere to go. I must have been out of my mind to feel sorry for her and take her into the building!

"That Jin Lan, she messes with everyone!"

Despite her own spiritual veins being sealed and her being in a very sorry state, whenever she saw a passing cultivator, regardless of their cultivation level, she would rush up to provoke them if they displeased her, resorting to all sorts of underhanded tricks!

But every time I get angry, she comes to coax me. I've never met such a sweet-talking person in my life!

She stayed in that building for three years. During that time, I didn't have a single peaceful day. Many nights I was filled with remorse and wanted to take her with me and jump off the building to end it all!

Xun Feifei paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over Lin Feiran, and she exclaimed in realization, "So it's her."

Lin Feiran only caught a hint of liveliness and humor in her mother's voice and found her mother adorable.

She then asked, "Was she already a cultivator when she went to the Wei Rui Tower?"

Ru Niang nodded: "It already is. Although we are all mortals, we all think that every cultivator is powerful. But Jin Lan is different. I think she should be among the top cultivators."

She recuperated there for three years. After three years, she left all her money behind, bid farewell to everyone, and left without looking back. She was never heard from again.

If you're looking for her, you're likely to find yourself empty-handed.

Lin Feiran pondered to himself that his mother wouldn't have returned here to recuperate and waste three years of her life for no reason; she must have done something here.

Ru Niang picked up her bamboo chopsticks, scrutinized her appearance, and couldn't help but ask, "What is your relationship with her?"

Lin Feiran smiled and said, "An old friend, I am just an old friend who admires her very much."

Ru Niang gazed at her intently for a long time before saying, "I see. I think you do resemble her somewhat. Despite her personality, she has quite a few admirers."

Lin Feiran met her gaze, but did not continue, only saying, "Then I must be the one I admire the most."

Ru Niang's gaze towards her also changed, becoming gentler and kinder than before. She picked up a piece of sweet and sour fish with her chopsticks and put it into Lin Feiran's bowl: "She used to love this the most, and she always had more sugar than others. You should try it."

Lin Feiran accepted the thanks, then couldn't help but ask, "Did she do anything while she was recuperating at Jinling Ferry?"

The atmosphere shifted, and Ru Niang was eager to say more. She recalled for a long time before saying, "Her whereabouts have always been difficult to trace. I don't know what she has done, but I once heard her say that she was looking for a place."

Lin Feiran paused: "Where?"

“What’s it called… the ends of the earth, the corners of the sea?” Ru Niang shook her head. “She is a cultivator, yet she made me guess where she is. How would I know? I was so angry with her back then that I made her search blindly. Now that I think about it, I was too lenient.”

Xun Feifei: "..."

Lin Feiran had dinner with the two of them, but Ru Niang insisted that she stay at home to rest. However, she was too weak and went to bed early.

Xun Feifei silently tidied the guest room, when Lin Feiran suddenly said, "Ru Niang shouldn't have just caught a common cold, but rather a cold-related illness, right?"

"Yes." He readily agreed, bending down to tidy the bed. The silver mask, hanging at his waist, jingled softly along with the white jade bell.

Lin Feiran was at a loss for words, but he had already finished tidying up and turned to her, saying, "Don't worry too much. It's a pleasant surprise that you came here today to chat with her. I can tell she's very happy, and that's enough."

"Just go about your own business, I'll be with her."

He gave a faint smile, his slightly pale lips reflecting the bright light in the room. As usual, the light was calm, without much warmth, and his figure appeared even more slender. Yet, he left with a touch of desolation.

The rain stopped outside, but instead of going back to his room, he sat in the courtyard, whittling a few bamboo strips.

Lin Feiran felt a mix of emotions. She heard a few noises outside the window, so she opened the window and met Li Changfeng's silent gaze.

It must have been his first time knocking on the window at night. He seemed a little clumsy, and withdrew his hand somewhat awkwardly before getting straight to the point.

"Let's go to the main temple of the esoteric sect."

Author's Note: Ru Niang accuses: Jin Lan blah blah blah

Lin Feiran: Cow