Chapter 48 A childlike heart is as simple as breathing.

"Them?" Lin Feiran stood up and walked to the lakeside, staring straight into those eyes. "Who are they?"

Upon hearing this, the tranquil lake surface suddenly boiled. The grandmaster's enormous body rose from the center of the lake, shaking off several blue fish. He had no intention of disturbing the scene in his dream, so he walked much more carefully, only lightly stepping onto the lake shore and sitting down while leaning against the mountain.

“They are who they are.” He looked down at Lin Feiran. “Everyone else is someone else, so how can I tell you that?”

The grandmaster's eyes were very clear, like the gentle ripples on a lake, but Lin Feiran's eyes, which met his, were even brighter, like shimmering gold fragments floating on the river in midsummer, dazzling and eye-catching, impossible to ignore.

She clearly did not accept such a typical perfunctory answer, but she did not retort, only saying, "I do not understand what you mean, Master. If you always have to speak in riddles, then I will pretend that I have never heard it."

The grandmaster was taken aback, then laughed: "I should have seen it sooner. A child like you must have some stubbornness in him."

He sat on the hilltop, his expression carrying a kindness and generosity that seemed out of place with his youthful appearance: “It’s not that I don’t want to say it, it’s that I can’t say it. Just like the blooming of flowers, the setting of the moon, and the rising of the sun, these cannot be changed by my words, but require you to see them. When you see them, flowers will bloom; when you see them, fish will swim in the lake.”

Lin Feiran composed himself upon hearing this.

Spring City is about to open, and people from all over the world will flock there. The sage said that the winners of this Flying Flower Gathering and Pilgrimage Ceremony can enter the Pilgrimage Valley to seek opportunities, find divine weapons, and meet the Holy Spirit. Only disciples of the Illuminating Sea Realm and the Inquiry of the Heart Realm can participate, but he did not mention that others are not allowed to enter Spring City.

Such a grand event would surely attract the attention of all races, regardless of whether they were demons or humans, regardless of their cultivation level, status, or purpose.

With more people around, things would get complicated. Even if her master hadn't mentioned it, she had already thought of this. She had only asked the question earlier to try and uncover some more hidden information.

Thinking of this, she replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Grandmaster. I will disguise myself and go in at that time."

Seeing her expression, the Grandmaster couldn't help but laugh: "It seems that even if I don't say much, you already have a plan. Do you also feel that the Iron Khitan Scripture is too hot to handle? Do you have any regrets?"

The most precious treasure in the world is naturally coveted by everyone. Moreover, the existence of the Iron Khitan Scripture is not a secret. Many people know that it is within the Sword Realm of Daohe Palace. However, for so many years, apart from the main disciples of Daohe Palace, no one has come to it.

Even with the protection of Daohe Palace, what treasure in the world can be obtained without taking risks? The reason they didn't come was simply because the Iron Khitan Scripture was too precious; there was only one copy in the world. If they took it, they would face pursuit from all over the world, and they were afraid.

He had always thought that Lin Feiran dared to accept the task because he was young and impetuous, unaware of the fear in his heart, or perhaps he was young and enthusiastic, unaware of the dangers of people's hearts. In short, he accepted the task out of sheer passion, and would gradually regret it.

He turned around and saw Lin Feiran with a calm expression, showing no sign of distress. He said slowly, "In my eyes, I do not dwell on the past, nor do I worry about the future. I can only accept the present. Once I have made a choice, I will not regret it. My master has seen many things in life and has spent a hundred years in the Sword Realm. In the end, he chose me to take on this alchemy book. So I can only accept it gladly. Why should I be afraid?"

The grandmaster gazed at her silently, his eyes as deep and distant as the starry sky. After a long while, he sighed.

"People cultivate the Tao to cultivate a pure and fervent childlike heart. Everyone seeks it, yet everyone fears it. They always yearn for it, but when they actually possess it, this childlike heart becomes a burden, and they can't bear to throw it away."

In this mortal world, whether mortal or cultivator, the pure heart of others is always the most delicious thing to savor… Judging from your movements, you are a disciple of the Daohe Palace, so why did you end up in the Demon Realm? Were you forced to leave the mountain, or did you go there on your own?

Lin Feiran lowered her eyes, not mentioning the past much: "I was forced to go down the mountain."

The Grandmaster looked at her with compassion for a long time, then gently stroked her head with his broad palm. He stood up with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering: "It is rare to have a pure heart, but it is always necessary to encounter some indifferent things to cool it down. Such a heart is too bitter. I have never wanted my disciples to experience this, but if I really do, I can't help but feel happy, happy that there are still such people in the world."

Even if one becomes a saint, one cannot relieve the suffering of the world, nor can one save all people from suffering.

Lin Feiran walked to his side and asked, "Grandmaster, now that the Dao is no more and has fallen apart, you saw it when you left the mountain that day. Do you feel regret and pity now?"

The grandmaster looked up at the bright moon, leaned back and laughed, “I wouldn’t call it regret, just a little sad. They just walked the path they were meant to walk. Whether cultivator or mortal, with a heart comes desire, without a heart there is no difference from grass and trees. This is natural and cannot be forced. But I am very much like you, I will never look back, my eyes will only look towards the blade.”

The sage turned to look at her under the moonlight, his eyes filled with a smile.

"Lin Feiran, I wish you a successful trip to Chuncheng and that all your wishes come true. When you get back, open the 'Immortal True Man's Scripture'. In the seventeenth chapter, there is an ink stain. Rub it and you can make an ink ball. Use it to draw your eyebrows and bones, and you will have a completely different appearance that even immortals cannot tell the difference."

Lin Feiran looked at him quietly, performed a proper Taoist salute, and then gradually faded away from the dream.

As the dreamer left, everything in the dream came to a standstill. The grandmaster turned to look at the two people by the lake, squatted down to look at them, and compared to his figure, the two people looked as small as three-inch puppets, as if watching a puppet show.

The woman was exquisitely beautiful, with a smile in her eyes, and her arms were half-outstretched. The man opposite her was also handsome and dashing, and he laughed heartily as he accepted the gesture. However, the two were unable to embrace each other and remained separated by half an arm's length.

After observing for a moment, the grandmaster carefully brought the two of them together with two fingers, their arms touching: "True lovers are meant to be together."

...

Emerging from the dream, Lin Feiran found it was still late at night. He got up, lit a lamp, took out the "Immortal True Man Scripture," and turned to the seventeenth chapter. Sure enough, he saw a drop of thick ink in the lower right corner of the page, as if it had been accidentally dripped while writing.

Such thin paper, won't it get torn?

Even though she knew that her master's scriptures must be extraordinary, Lin Feiran was still afraid of the worst. She moved the book closer to the fire and carefully ground it with her fingertips. The pages did not rustle and the ink did not wrinkle. Gradually, she actually managed to grind out an ink pellet.

The eggs are about the size of quail eggs, perfectly round and smooth, exuding a faint fragrance of ink that calms the mind and soothes the spirit.

"This is truly a treasure."

She couldn't help but sigh, then took out another brocade box, put the ink pill inside, and after doing all that, she turned around and lay down on the bed, but she couldn't fall asleep.

She hadn't dreamt of her parents for a long time, and today, after such a long separation, she realized that their faces were not as clear as they used to be. She didn't know if it was because of the passage of time that they had gradually forgotten, or because her memory had deteriorated and she could no longer recall them clearly.

Having just seen my parents, I was so moved that I forgot to ask my grandmaster about my memories. I don't know when I will see him again.

Who exactly are the "them" that the Grandmaster was referring to? She's just an unknown nobody, with a low cultivation level and no reputation. Even if she obtains the scriptures, who could possibly stand in her way? And who could possibly be afraid of her?

Furthermore, regarding the three jade talismans drawn by Xian, hers and the Jade Token that circulated from the palace were made by the same person. Was it made by her mother herself, or was it passed down by a master?

She only remembered that her mother was a cultivator who liked to dance, but she had no idea which path she cultivated or which sect she belonged to. Could she be a weapon refiner? A very powerful weapon refiner?

Lin Feiran rolled over and lay face down on the pillow, holding her head in her hands, finally piecing together some details from those fragmented memories.

When she first arrived in this world, she thought she had been reincarnated as a young lady of a general's mansion. Her activities were limited to her parents' side room, and she was served by ordinary people. She thought so until she was three years old.

Back then, everyone close to her called her Manman, which was her mother's nickname. She hoped that Lin Feiran wouldn't be like her father, who had a short temper.

She also said that less is more, slow is fast, great generosity has no limits, great sound is silent, and thus great achievements are made slowly.

As for her formal name, it was chosen when she was five years old. It went through many different names, including Lin Moumou, before finally settling on Lin Feiran.

At that time, she hadn't realized what was happening; she was only surprised that it was the same as her original name.

Later, her father often carried her on his shoulders, calling it riding a horse, so that she would get used to the bumpy ride and then riding a horse would be a piece of cake.

Xiao Lin Feiran thought he was just saying it, after all, she was still young. But after riding horses for less than half a month, he actually took her to the horse farm, and even chose a spirited horse, holding her and whipping it to go.

The chestnut horse neighed and galloped away. Xiao Linfei gripped the saddle tightly, wanting to speak, but the wind rushed into his mouth, causing him to burp several times.

As the horse galloped with great enthusiasm, it leaped over the railing, its hooves flying high. Lin Lang paused, and Xiao Lin Feiran was sent flying.

Just as she exclaimed in surprise, thinking she was about to start her life all over again, a figure suddenly galloped over from the other side of the racecourse.

It was indeed a gallop; her mother's feet hadn't even touched the ground. In almost two breaths, she was behind her, caught her steadily, spun around, and pulled hard on the reins, bringing the horse to a complete stop.

Her beautiful face contorted with fury as she shouted, "Lin Lang!"

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Before Lin Lang could even rein in his horse, the woman pulled him off.

God knows, when he saw Lin Feiran fly out, his heart almost jumped out of his chest. After dismounting, he immediately checked on his daughter and breathed a long sigh of relief when he found that she was alright. His eyes reddened and welled up with tears when he looked at the woman.

"Qingqing, I grew up on the frontier. I could ride horses with adults when I was three or four years old, so I wanted to take her with me. In the future, father and daughter could ride across the plains... It was my mistake. Manman, Father is sorry!"

The two looked at Lin Feiran, but she was always calm and had already recovered. She simply patted his head and turned to look at her mother.

"Mother, can you fly?"

It was only then that Lin Feiran realized she was in a world of cultivation. Later, when Taihui and Qingyu mentioned Daohe Palace and Wei Changzai, she suddenly realized that she had transmigrated into a book, but her memory had been damaged, causing her to forget about it.

In her limited memory, her mother was not a skilled craftswoman; she preferred to be a hands-on mortal rather than a monk.

She cooked for her family herself, almost blowing up the kitchen and startling a group of servants who rushed over. She sewed a small dress for Lin Feiran, the neckline so tight it was choking her. Lin Feiran had been holding it in all day, but everyone still thought she looked radiant, like a New Year's picture doll with rosy cheeks.

The clothes made for Lin Lang were always of different lengths, but every time he wore them, he would go for a walk around the camp and boast to everyone he met: "How did you know Qingqing made me new clothes!"

The mother would readily agree, ignoring the mocking looks from others, and continue sewing.

Even though fellow practitioners may have different temperaments and different paths, they will always have one or two commonalities.

Just like sword cultivators, regardless of their personality, they always have a sharp edge inside. Weapon refiners are known for their decisiveness and stubbornness. For example, Zhang Siwo, without this decisiveness and perseverance, would never be able to forge an excellent sword.

Her mother preferred to lie with them in the sunlight, like a lazy cat occasionally wagging its tail. Lin Feiran found it hard to associate such a person with weapon crafting.

Even if the Jade Token truly came from her, why would it be used by the royal family? In her memory, her mother disliked the Shen Tu clan of the Human Emperor very much, and would turn cold whenever it was mentioned. She also disliked staying in Luoyang and wanted to go to the Northwest Desert to see her father's hometown.

For this reason, her father repeatedly requested to resign, but to no avail. She never saw the desert plains she longed for until she died of a serious illness.

The father and daughter followed her last wish, burned her body, and went to the northwest to bury her bones in the yellow sands of the world. At that time, they sat in the desert for a long time. The father's face was solemn. He said that when he died, he wanted Lin Feiran to bury him here as well.

Thinking of this, Lin Feiran, who was buried in her pillow, let out a long sigh, feeling a deep sense of unease.

Suddenly, two soft sounds came from the bedside table. Lin Feiran reached out and took out the original jade token that had been used to transmit sound. Thinking of the past, she had mixed feelings about the jade token.

"...The white dew is deep and clear, and my heart is filled with longing."

After the incantation was recited, a faint light appeared on the jade token, and several characters appeared in a crisscross pattern. Unlike the previous slow and deliberate transmission of the order, this one was obviously much more urgent.

Lin Feiran was puzzled. Hadn't the envoy already asked the question before? Why was he asking it again now?

She put the jade token aside, as she was feeling depressed and didn't want to pay attention. However, the person on the other end kept sending messages like a harbinger of death, making her restless. After pondering for a moment, she replied in Mingyue's tone.

"I am still a princess of the human race, and you don't even acknowledge that? How dare you speak so arrogantly!"

Princess? Arrogance?

Qiu Tong frowned. Her father only said she was a spy, but he didn't say she was a human princess. But so what? She was still a fox princess!

She had previously received a secret letter mentioning the envoy and instructing her to contact her spies to confirm whether the new envoy was Lin Feiran and whether he was the disciple who escaped from Daohe Palace.

The moment Qiu Tong saw the letter, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning. No wonder she had caused such a ruckus back in the mountains before; it turned out she had made a name for herself and had a powerful backer!

So she couldn't wait a moment longer and hurriedly used the communication jade token to contact him. She wanted to know more about Lin Feiran than the person in the letter, but she was rejected.

Thinking of this, Qiu Tong tapped the jade token and muttered, "I'll accept you as my princess for now!"

After sending this message, Qiu Tong got up and paced around the room, her mind in turmoil. Ever since Lin Feiran saved her last time, she could no longer reconcile this person with the vicious face from her previous life.

Her initial discomfort had long since faded, and her feelings towards Lin Feiran were now a mix of emotions—dislike, gratitude, and now, upon suddenly hearing of her identity, an indescribable anxiety surged within her.

It's as if everyone else has successfully broken through to a higher level, while you're still stuck in the same place.

It is definitely her.

Upon seeing this reply, Qiu Tong's expression shifted dramatically, eventually settling on disbelief.

Why? On what grounds?

Upon seeing this reply, Lin Feiran sat up in bed. Tonight, her resentment towards the royal family had surged, and she couldn't help but retort.

[Just because she's Lin Feiran, do I need any other reason? I can go look for one.]

[Hurry and find her. There must be another reason. In the demon realm, the position of envoy is second only to the emperor. She's human, how could she be appointed? Did she save the demon lord's life?]

There's no reason needed; falling for Lin Feiran is as simple as breathing.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tong was stunned, and Lin Feiran also stopped what she was doing. A moment later, her face flushed red, unable to believe that she had said those words.

She even began to wonder if it was because she was getting too close to Ru Xian; she would never have made such frivolous remarks before.

The other end sent a series of defiant words, mixed with a hint of inexplicable guilt, which Lin Feiran replied to.

She couldn't help but think that being a princess like Mingyue was truly difficult. The people around her were all hypocritical, calling her "princess" but not really caring. The previous person was like that, and so was this one.

Feeling aggrieved, Lin Feiran argued with the other party back and forth all night, finally stopping at sunrise. The reason was simple: she was going to Jingchuan to practice magic with Ping An.

Qiu Tong was exhausted after a day of confrontation and fell asleep at night, but unexpectedly, she dreamed of Lin Feiran again.

She became an envoy and came to inspect the fox clan. Everyone had to serve her tea and treat her with courtesy. However, Qiu Tong was not angry at all. Instead, she took the initiative to find a lot of good tea cakes for Lin Feiran.

Waking up in the middle of the night, Qiu Tong hurriedly got out of bed, raised her hand to open the letter, and wrote a letter to the "executor" according to the method her father had taught her.

"Hurry to the Demon Capital, contact the human princess, find out her true intentions, and then secretly track down the new envoy. Draw a few pictures of her madness and bullying and send them to her, the more infuriating the better."

She desperately needs these pictures to clear her head.

Author's Note: Lin Feiran: I feel I didn't do well enough, there's still room for improvement, I need to do more...

Like sleet: You are very good.

Lin Feiran: But my swordsmanship isn't fast enough, nor is it humorous enough; sometimes I'm a bit slow...

Like sleet: You are very good.

Lin Feiran: ...

Like a wisp of smoke: You are indeed very good; I rarely praise people.

Lin Feiran: ...I do seem to be quite capable.