Chapter 37 Sleepless Tonight (Part Two) "Framed!"...

On a stormy night, with a crescent moon and fine snow, Lin Feiran reappeared on the snowfield of Daohe Palace, like an everlasting sword shadow.

"What did you say?!"

Taihui's eyes widened, and he started pacing around anxiously for a few steps before slowing down: "Are you sure you saw Lin Feiran?"

Although there was a precedent of Xun Fang, he knew the truth in his heart. She could not have met Lin Feiran that day, otherwise she would not have locked herself in the main hall for three days.

Based on his years of understanding of Lin Feiran, he knew that if she returned, she would not only steal a bottle of Golden Fire Pills.

Several disciples covered their faces, grimacing as they said, "Master, it's definitely her! Although she was wearing a veil, we saw her very clearly and we can't be mistaken. Look at our faces, they're all the result of her cruel actions!"

Taihui paid no heed to the swollen face that had come so close. A sense of surprise flashed through his mind, followed by a wave of fear. He let out a long breath and sat down with a solemn expression.

The surprise was for Lin Feiran, who had managed to evade the mountain-protecting formation and infiltrate the Immortal Gathering, but the greater fear came from himself.

This year's Flying Flower Festival and the Pilgrimage Ceremony have undergone major changes, and the rules are unclear. Zhang Chunhe is currently preparing for these changes and has no interest in the Little Immortal Tour Festival. Therefore, all affairs have been entrusted to him. If there are any mistakes, he will be the first to suffer.

Similarly, with so many True Immortals and Venerables present this time, it is a great opportunity for him to make a name for himself, so how could he let it all be ruined by Lin Feiran!

He glanced at the group and said coldly, "You all go and treat your injuries first. I have my own plans for Lin Feiran's matter."

"Yes, but Master, you must be careful. Lin Feiran seems to have practiced some kind of evil technique. He appears and disappears, almost like an incarnation technique that only a saint could use!"

"A sage?" Taihui calmed down and wasn't surprised by the words, but he was slightly annoyed. "Do I not know what her spiritual veins are like? She's only at the Silent Meditation Realm in this life, so it's probably just some low-level tricks. Alright, step back. Watch your mouths, and don't let the other sects know, lest they laugh at you!"

"yes!"

After the others took their leave, Taihui summoned dozens of his most trusted and capable disciples, his usually kind face now clouded with gloom.

"The number of patrolling disciples has been increased to twelve teams. They are not allowed to say much. Just tell them that a True Person's treasure has been lost. They are to search every piece of land carefully. As for you, call some more people and secretly patrol every palace. You must find the person."

Especially the residences of Ning Heju and Ji Changying; she committed a crime tonight and will certainly not return. However, in broad daylight, when there is no way to conceal her actions, she will inevitably enter their homes. Therefore, you should go again during the day and search three times a day.”

Having instructed his disciples and believing he was fully prepared, Taihui straightened his Taoist robes and returned to the banquet.

Surprised, he quickly composed himself. Lin Feiran was alone; he couldn't possibly cause any trouble. However, he couldn't enter a meditative state for a long time and didn't sleep all night.

...

The following day, the Immortal Tour officially began, with elders and disciples from various sects sitting around the Golden Platform to watch the competition.

There weren't many disciples qualified to participate in the Immortal Tournament this time. The four major sects, the eight great families, and one star region combined totaled only about fifty people, all of whom were young talents. Therefore, the competition was extremely exciting and worthy of applause.

Among them, the most eye-catching was Pei Yu, a disciple of Daohe Palace. His swordsmanship was exquisite and his understanding of Daoist principles was profound, making him stand out among the younger generation. Although the competition was quite swift and ruthless, that's how competitions are among young people. As long as the point is reached, the competition ends there, and no one says much.

The scene was peaceful and lively, which pleased Taihui greatly. He nodded his approval to Pei Yu during a break, then had someone bring out the spiritual dew and loudly proclaim another, even more exciting piece of news.

"Gentlemen, the Immortal Tournament has always regarded discussing the Dao and battling magic as an elegant activity. Now that the battles have taken place, the discussion of the Dao will naturally follow. As the leader of all sects, my Daohe Palace, to demonstrate our determination to discuss the Dao, has decided to open the Sword Realm tomorrow, allowing the top three winners to enter and discuss the Dao with our Grandmaster's Holy Soul!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

As we all know, in the beginning, there were very few cultivators in the world. They were spiritually aware but did not understand the laws, so their cultivation methods were incomplete and lacked a system. Almost everyone was a rogue cultivator, and the path of cultivation was extremely difficult.

In this chaotic time, the founder of Daohe Palace created a cultivation method to unite people's hearts and minds. He established his sect with his own strength, and regardless of what path his disciples practiced, as long as they were willing, they could enter the sect. It was a true case of teaching without discrimination.

The Daohe Palace is named after the harmony of the world, which is said to be found in one palace.

But what goes up must come down, and what unites for a long time must eventually divide. The patriarch passed away many years ago, and the head of the palace has changed several times. From some unknown time, an elder left Daohe Palace in anger, taking his disciples with him to establish a new sect, which became the second sect in the world.

In the past, people were used to calling it the Second Sect, but at some point, it acquired a more resounding name, which people at the time called the Taiji Immortal Sect.

As more and more people left Daohe Palace, sects sprang up like mushrooms after rain, gradually forming the current situation.

Daohe Palace was indeed the head of all sects, because all the sects that have made some progress today originated from it. However, due to the passage of time and the succession of sects, coupled with the gradual decline of Daohe Palace, it now exists only in name and has become one of the four major sects.

The people did not have faith in Daohe Palace, but the Sword Realm was different.

It is a legacy left by the master. Even after thousands of years, the pure energy that guides people to the Dao has not been erased. Every disciple of Daohe Palace comprehends the Dao by meditating in the Sword Realm at the beginning of their journey. On every stone tablet in the Sword Realm, there is a sword mark, left by swordsmen from all sides over thousands of years.

In addition, there is a scroll of Iron Khitan Book at the deepest part of the Sword Realm. To this day, no one knows what is written on it. All that is known is that a trace of the ancestor's divine consciousness remains on the scroll.

Why he left behind his consciousness, and what he was waiting for, remains unknown.

Since the Daohe Palace disintegrated, the sects that separated from it have had no chance to enter the Sword Realm or even try their luck at the Dan Shu.

Who hasn't dreamed of being the chosen one? Who hasn't thought that they might be the one they've been waiting for?

Even if there are no spiritual treasures or cultivation techniques involved, just a wisp of the master's divine sense is enough. To receive guidance from the master and have a smooth path ahead is an enviable fortune!

Upon hearing this, the other disciples from various sects who had never entered the Sword Realm were naturally extremely excited, and even Mu Chun'e, who was usually carefree, subconsciously straightened her back.

"Pao Tang, perhaps your time has come. I feel that you have been destined for the sword realm since you were a child. If you can meet your grandmaster, you must curse the current Daohe Palace in front of him!"

"Master, the matter is not yet settled."

The girl holding the sword felt a surge of emotion, but she didn't show it. She wouldn't speculate about anything before anything actually happened.

"How do we determine who qualifies as being in the top three?" Murong from Nanpingzhou asked loudly.

Taihui took in the excited expressions of everyone and felt a mix of joy and pride. Daohe Palace truly was the number one sect in the world!

"Please don't be impatient, everyone. I'm sure you've all drawn sword shadows. We'll use the three names on the sword shadows as the standard. The one who wins against three people in a row can enter the next round. Then, two people will compete against each other, and the last three winners can enter the Sword Realm to find the Elixir Book."

"Uncle-Master, what if only one person remains?"

A question suddenly came from the room, and everyone turned to look. The person who asked the question was Pei Yu.

Taihui was also caught off guard. He looked up and felt a surge of annoyance. He thought to himself that Pei Yu was being inconsiderate, but he still dutifully asked, "How come there's only one person left?"

Pei Yu glanced at the disciples present, her slightly long phoenix eyes drooping slightly. She then sheathed her sword on her back, the double hairpins in her hair swaying gently, and the purple-gold bracelets on her wrists jingling softly. She smiled and said, "A competition must have winners and losers, especially when the token of victory is such a treasure as the Iron Khitan Book. If, after a fierce battle, the second and third place winners can both enter, wouldn't that be unfair to the first-place winner?"

"this……"

Taihui was speechless for a moment. Even someone like him felt that Pei Yu's words were too domineering and were actually fallacious.

The Iron Khitan Book was only proposed to make a show of things and to create a lucky draw. No one has had this opportunity in thousands of years. Do you think we can win the lottery just by opening it today?

Seeing that the crowd was quite critical, he immediately spoke up to smooth things over: "You child are talking nonsense. Once the rules are set, they are set. How can they be changed? If it weren't for the rules of the Sword Realm that limit the number of people allowed in, we would have let all of you young talents in together long ago. Why would we be so stingy as to only let three people in?"

Alright, it's getting late, let's hurry up and finish the competition so we can reach the Sword Realm as soon as possible!

Taihui dared not let Pei Yu say another word. He looked up and saw that Pei Yu was not displeased. Instead, he leisurely sat back down and watched the competition with great interest.

He sighed inwardly. She must have planned this all along to dare to ask such a question. It seemed he would have to have a talk with her tonight!

Taihui had a terrible headache. When everyone was back to the competition, he quickly walked to the eaves and whispered to his disciple Bingming who had returned.

"Any news?"

Taihui looked at him curiously: "Why did you stop? And then what?"

The disciple hesitated, a hint of fear still lingering in his memory: "Then I saw Senior Brother Wei come out of the side room, wearing..."

Taihui wasn't particularly surprised. Seclusion for enlightenment was a form of deep contemplation, and when one couldn't figure things out, how could one have the mind to groom oneself? "What did he ask?"

"You said it?!" Taihui asked anxiously.

"No! I was saying that a disciple at the Immortal Tour Gathering was causing trouble everywhere, and I was afraid someone would sneak into Ninghe Residence, so I..."

Upon hearing this, Taihui sighed: "Such a clumsy excuse. Fortunately, he doesn't like to meddle in other people's business. Even if he doesn't believe it, he won't investigate further. What about Ji Changying?"

The disciple shook his head as well: "Our senior brother is kind. He let us search the house inside and out, and even treated us to roasted meat and mushrooms before we left... There was no one in his house, and the magic artifact you gave us didn't work."

Taihui exhaled a breath of foul air, for every single matter was a headache.

If the goal is to search for people, activating the mountain patrol formation would be the simplest solution, but that would inevitably alert Zhang Chunhe, so how could he dare to do that?

In terms of ability, Taihui was not the most outstanding among the elders of Daohe Palace, but he was good at being obedient and smooth. However, since the person who was giving orders was not around, he seemed to be at a loss and had difficulty dealing with the situation.

"Alright, keep investigating! This Fiery Eye is a treasure I obtained after years of cultivating the 'Eye of Wisdom'. It can see into the invisible. Take it and search again. Don't miss a single blade of grass, a single tree, a single tile!"

Taihui's heart finally tightened. He watched the competition absentmindedly, his gaze wandering around, afraid that Lin Feiran would suddenly appear from some corner and cause trouble.

This feeling of dread, like a knife hanging over his heart, haunted him for a day and a night; in total, he hadn't slept for two nights.

On the morning of the third day, the disciples still hadn't found Lin Feiran, but fortunately, there was no news of her either. No news was good news, and the anger that had been weighing on his heart finally eased a little.

He summoned Pei Yu, intending to discuss the matter of entering the Sword Realm with her, when he saw a young girl carrying a sword walk over with a solemn expression and pursed lips. Behind her were several disciples with bruised and swollen faces, suffering minor injuries.

Taihui's eyelids twitched, and he hurriedly went to greet them, asking, "Isn't this Master Yinhai's beloved disciple? And what brings you all here?"

"Junior Pao Tang greets True Master Taihui." Pao Tang bowed with his sword in hand, but his voice was slightly cold. "These are disciples from my Taiji Immortal Sect who accompanied us on this trip. Although their cultivation levels are not high, they are still quite talented. Yet last night, they were inexplicably surrounded and chased by your sect's disciples. What is the reason for this?!"

Taihui frowned slightly. Now, with so many things piling up and one after another exploding, he was dizzy and overwhelmed. How could he have the energy to deal with the miscellaneous matters among his disciples?

However, since it concerned other sects, Mu Chun'e did not come forward herself, but only sent a disciple, which was already a courtesy. He could not dismiss her with a few words, so he had to patiently ask her questions.

"Don't rush, tell me who did it?"

The beaten disciple said bitterly, "It was too dark at night to see clearly. I only saw that this person was wearing black clothes and using the Daohe Palace's techniques. She said that we were not qualified to enter the Sword Realm, so she beat us up!"

As they spoke, the group kept glancing at Pei Yu, who was sitting behind them, their suspicions obvious.

Pei Yu ignored him. After a moment of thought, she couldn't help but look at Tai Hui. She saw him suddenly realize something, clench his fists and pound his palms, muttering "traitor" under his breath, his face contorted with rage. Suddenly, a name flashed through her mind.

Then her expression became strange.

Pao Tang said coldly, "If the elder has someone to choose, why not hand them over? How many more of these cowardly rats does your sect have? Why not let me deal with them all!"

His words clearly implied that he was criticizing Daohe and the palace for having many corrupt officials!

Taihui wanted to refute it, but dared not bring it up. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he was speechless!

Just then, another group of people rushed into the small banquet hall and surrounded the group.

The newcomers were disciples of the Langhuan Sect and the Imperial Academy. They were all furious, especially the Confucian scholars from the Imperial Academy. Although they had no injuries, they were red with anger.

Without a doubt, they, like the Taiji Immortal Sect, came to seek justice for unfounded accusations!

Lin Feiran, Lin Feiran!

Taihui nearly bit his teeth to pieces.

After this battle, the three major sects have all been offended. How will the True Immortals view themselves? And what will become of the reputation of Daohe Palace?

Taihui was both anxious and angry. Coupled with the anxiety and hard work of the past few days, a surge of bitterness and grievance welled up in his heart. He felt speechless and could not defend himself. Before anyone could speak, he could not help but shout loudly.

"This is intentional! This is clearly a deliberate frame-up!"

Author's Note: The Fake Nemesis: Lin Feiran - Jiang Jin

True arch-enemy (one-sided): Pei Yu - Lin Feiran

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Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-08-03 21:21:59 and 2024-08-04 22:05:01!

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