Chapter 84 The True Can Be False: Such Insidious Intent Makes Even the Great Dao Difficult to Bear! ...

Inside a private residence in Kunming, Ru Xian sat listlessly on a pear tree, gazing at the unchanging full moon, lost in thought.

A slanting breeze blew by, and the yellowed pear leaves drifted down, scattering all over the ground. The falling of a single leaf tells of the approaching autumn. He picked up a leaf casually, and with a sigh of regret, he heard a soft knock coming from the door of the house under the tree. Someone came out of the house, their steps stiff but very quick.

Without even looking, he threw down the pear leaf in his hand. In an instant, the leaf swelled several times larger, like a small boat capsizing, carrying all the people who had run into the courtyard into the boat and sending them back to the house.

He braced himself against the wooden branch, spun around and leaped down, his white and gold robes fluttering like butterflies in the night before silently landing in front of the house.

Inside the gate, on a pear-leaf boat, were eight people, both men and women, all staring blankly out the gate, using their hands and feet to flip themselves off the boat, trying to leave the mansion and return to where they belonged.

These are all flower farmers that Lin Feiran brought back.

Although they couldn't help but want to return to the flower shop, they moved very slowly, presumably because they understood Lin Feiran's intentions and knew that it was safe here, and were trying their best to control their bodies so that they wouldn't wander off.

Ru Xian stood in front of the door, counted the number of people, then closed the door and turned to look at the rooftop not far away.

There, a person leaped forward, his shadow like a flying hawk, several orchid swords at his waist opening and closing, still shimmering with light.

The person who arrived was extremely fast. Almost the instant she saw her, she was already in the courtyard, accompanied by four young children she was carrying.

Three of them were still clapping and chanting, their expressions slightly stiff. Another one, holding the long sword beside Lin Feiran, stared blankly at Ru Xian after landing.

Ru Xian raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes, then looked at Lin Feiran: "How many places were saved?"

Lin Feiran put the person down and replied, "Ninth Division."

"There are still eighteen places left. With only a quarter of an hour, can we save them all?" Several children stumbled over and ran around him.

In the past, Lin Feiran would probably have said "maybe," "possibly," or "I'll try my best," but now, she looked straight at Ru Xian, her lips curled up, her eyes sparkling, and said with high spirits, "Of course."

Ru Xian was slightly taken aback when she saw her raise an eyebrow at her, then look away somewhat embarrassedly. She raised her hand to press down on the hilt of her sword, and leaped onto the wall: "I'm leaving."

The dark figure once again vanished into the night.

A few breaths later, Ru Xian suddenly laughed, picked up several children by the back of their necks and put them into the house, then turned around and landed among the trees, where a few moon-white leaves drifted under the sparse pear leaves.

...

At first, no one understood what Wenran meant by "no flowers to pick". It wasn't until she took the flower farmer away in full view of everyone that everyone suddenly realized that this was not a matter of no flowers to pick, but that she was clearly going to uproot the Flying Flower Society!

"Senior Sister Pei, what should we do now? Our people have searched all over Spring City, but we haven't found their hiding place!" The rogue cultivator was sweating profusely with anxiety. "Moreover, many people have blocked our way... There are quite a few people in the city who are biased towards her!"

How could there be someone like Wen Ran in this world? Instead of trying to find a way to deal with it, she directly overturned the plan! What benefit does she gain from doing this? And what about those cultivators who helped her? Don't they also want to take the flowers?

If the flower growers leave, won't everyone lose the chance to enjoy the flowers and be trapped in this spring city forever?

Overnight, Wenran's reputation took a dramatic turn. One moment people were praising her, the next they thought she was despicable and outrageous!

Pei Yu stood atop the clock tower where Lin Feiran had previously been and said in a deep voice, "Protect the remaining flower farmers. Ignore those who have defected. I will personally search for her hiding place!"

"Yes!" The rogue cultivator rubbed his hands together and sneered, "As long as we protect the remaining flower farmers, she can't possibly turn the tables. We'll get to it right away!"

Pei Yu waved his hand casually, his mind no longer on the matter.

She had already formed an idea while observing, so she jumped down from the bell tower and headed north. Halfway there, a figure suddenly appeared beside her and blocked her way. She was about to draw her sword, but after seeing who it was, she smiled and stopped, asking a question she already knew the answer to.

"Why is the elder here instead of searching for flowers?"

Xunfang emerged from the night, a fake smile appearing on her dignified face: "My nephew is incredibly resourceful and has already taken control of the remaining flower farmers. Now that the thieves are in charge, it is only natural for me, as their uncle, to lend a helping hand."

His tone was gentle, as if the two had never had any unpleasantness before.

After speaking, she completely ignored Xun Fang's pale face and continued walking away with her sword.

Xunfang watched her retreating figure and spat out a curse. Although she felt anger, it wasn't entirely because of Pei Yu; rather, she felt an overwhelming sense of bitterness that she couldn't refute.

Lin Feiran... Lin Feiran!

She clenched her fists, put aside her thoughts, and silently followed Pei Yu northward.

She had a premonition that Pei Yu must know Lin Feiran's whereabouts. As long as she found her, as long as she seized this opportunity...

The two left one after the other. Suddenly, another figure appeared in the quiet, dark alley. He waited quietly for a moment, then silently followed.

...

All the wandering Holy Spirits in the city went to one place, and Xie Kanhua on the Heavenly Pillar also stopped, sitting quietly on the high platform, no longer moving. In an instant, the thin mist gradually dissipated and then condensed into frost, covering every wild grass in the corner of the wall.

As the fog obscured the path, Lin Feiran crouched among the trees, feeling somewhat troubled.

To be fair, she was able to quietly abduct several flower farmers thanks to the cover of the fog. She didn't want to expose herself too early, but there were too many cultivators gathered around those children, and the situation was too urgent, so she had no choice but to expose herself.

Since then, many people have been on guard. Even though she moved quickly, there were still ten people she had not been able to intercept. Many rogue cultivators were holding peony flower tokens and surrounding her, making it difficult for her to get close.

A quarter of an hour was extremely tight, and she didn't want to see anyone else die before her eyes. However, there was no way to break the Peony Flower Order here. Under such strict guard, she had no way to rescue the flower farmer. Moreover, she couldn't delay for too long. If her hiding place was discovered first, all her efforts would be in vain!

Just as she was pondering this, she saw the two men sneaking around in the dark alley. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she immediately leaped in front of them, startling them.

The leader clutched his chest, initially wary, but upon seeing her, he immediately relaxed, stood up, and exclaimed in a low voice, "Wenran! You're here!"

The newcomers were Shen Qi and Pao Tang. Lin Feiran had no time to exchange pleasantries with them and quickly said to Shen Qi, "I remember you cultivate the Mystic Brush Dao. Is there a way for you to use your technique in the Twelve Flower Orders?"

Although Shen Qi was puzzled, he didn't ask any further questions. He simply nodded and said, "Yes, you can attach a Peach Blossom Token, but there are some restrictions. You can only draw small things. If it's a duel, you're not really able to do it..."

“No need for a duel.” Lin Feiran said, looking around. “Draw me a few vigorous old plum branches, the more realistic the better. Can you draw them?”

The art of the master brush has a technique called "leaping onto the paper." As the name suggests, when an old brush touches the paper, whatever it depicts, it can instantly leap off the paper as if it were real, except that it will disintegrate when it comes into contact with water.

Shen Qi nodded: "That's no problem."

Paotang opened her eyes wide in surprise: "Could it be that painted replicas can also be used as flower arrangements?"

Lin Feiran shook his head: "No, they are currently controlling the flower farmers and are very vigilant, so I cannot infiltrate them. But I suddenly thought of a way, and I hope you two can lend me a hand."

Shen Qi nodded immediately, afraid that being slow would make him seem insincere: "Wenran, the two of us have been looking for you, just wanting to do our bit of help. Please tell us!"

Lin Feiran nodded and succinctly explained his method. Shen Qi listened with a sudden realization, and Pao Tang nodded repeatedly.

After agreeing on their plans, the three of them climbed over into a deserted courtyard. Several beams of light appeared in the courtyard, which were the radiance of the Flower Token. However, they disappeared into darkness in an instant. Although the light was fleeting, it was quite eye-catching in the night. A few breaths later, some cultivators came after seeing the light.

They turned the corner and approached quietly. With suspicion on their faces, they walked to the courtyard gate. Just as they were about to peek inside, they heard a loud bang. The wooden door was suddenly kicked open, and the cultivator who had come forward was knocked to the ground.

A tall, slender female cultivator in black robes rushed out, clutching something in her arms, and hurriedly ran outside.

As the three were still in shock, two more cultivators ran out, their faces covered in a thin layer of sweat. They pointed ahead and gasped, "That was Wen Ran just now! She... she actually found a bunch of plum blossoms!"

Having said that, they stopped and continued their pursuit.

The three cultivators were shocked and filled with doubt when the man who had been hit suddenly gasped and stammered, "You...you guys look! What is this?!"

The other two turned to look and saw that a bright red stain was hanging on the lapel where he had bumped into Wenran.

Those are the winter plum blossoms that one cannot find even in the spring city of Xunbian.

He picked it up and examined it twice, turning it over and over in surprise. He jumped up from the ground: "These are plum blossom petals! I can't be mistaken! Wenran really found plum blossoms!"

"I knew she wouldn't rise to second place for no reason, and she really did find Hanmei!"

"She just carried a whole bunch; if we hurry over, we might be able to get a few branches!"

Without another word, the three immediately gave chase in the direction they had come from. For the sake of Hanmei, they had almost given their all, even using the Summer Lotus Flower Token with great pain, before finally catching up with Shen Qi and the other two.

Ahead of them, the figure in black was still fleeing.

The person who was hit looked at Shen Qi and couldn't help but ask, "Fellow Daoist, wasn't Wen Ran going to declare war on us and preparing to hide the flower farmers? Why would he be secretly looking for flowers?"

Shen Qi's face darkened, and he snorted coldly. Pao Tang, who was standing next to him, said, "What 'hiding the flower farmer'? It's just a gimmick. She clearly knew how to find the plum blossoms all along. Her previous remarks were just to lure everyone to the flower farmer so that she could take the plum blossoms. How cunning!"

The three cultivators suddenly realized what had happened and were quite annoyed: "I knew it! Could there really be anyone in the world who cares about the life or death of a flower grower? She was clearly only looking out for herself! This fiend has been playing us like puppets. It's a pity I was fooled by her and missed so many opportunities to find flowers!"

"Such treacherous thoughts have made the path of righteousness unbearable!"

The group chased after him relentlessly, attracting the attention of many surrounding cultivators. Shen Qi and Pao Tang didn't say much, but the three cultivators talked non-stop, describing Wen Ran as someone with a mind more cunning than a sieve and methods more ruthless than a poisonous snake.

The others, though indignant, were not so carried away; their minds were filled with the plum branch that Wenran had found.

Halfway through the chase, someone couldn't contain himself any longer. He took out the Summer Lotus Flower Token and instantly appeared in front of Wen Ran, blocking her path.

She suddenly stopped, looked up at the crowd with a wary gaze, and immediately raised her hand to cover what was in her arms. But no matter how tightly she covered it, a few broken red plum petals still fell to the ground, like specks of blood.

Everyone was even more alarmed, and the atmosphere instantly became tense, not because of Wen Ran standing in the middle, but because of the jackals around them who wanted to share the plum branches with them!

Standing outside the crowd, Paotang had already grasped a summer lotus. Just as everyone was about to make a move, lotus patterns suddenly appeared beneath Wenran's feet, and a delicate golden lotus bloomed. The next moment, she appeared in a dark alley ten feet away, and then turned and left without looking back.

"Chase!"

The group followed.

The long-sought-after winter plum blossoms appeared for the first time, right before their eyes. Who could resist such temptation? They didn't really consider themselves generals under Pei Yu and the others; they came here to find the flowers.

After a moment's hesitation, the group acted on their whims, taking off in pursuit, no longer caring about what happened behind them.

The brightly lit courtyard suddenly became deserted, with only a middle-aged woman sitting there. No sooner had the group left than someone sneaked in.

The newcomer was dressed in black robes and had five orchid swords hanging at his waist. Who else could it be but Lin Feiran?

She dared not linger for a moment. As soon as she entered the hospital, she immediately carried the woman on her back and leaped toward the hidden courtyard.

...

Wenran, who was ahead, ran slower and slower. She was probably very tired. She even dropped two strong old plum branches. The flowers on the branches had been trampled in her arms many times and had become soft, damp. From a distance, they looked like crushed flower mud.

Even two sprigs of mud were enough to make some of the cultivators behind them stop and draw their swords to fight over them, while the remaining cultivators simply bypassed them and continued to chase after them.

By running and dropping things like this, she had already left many cultivators behind. Everyone knew what trick she was playing; she was just trying to scatter them. But so what? More and more cultivators came after hearing the news. She had only a limited number of plum branches and couldn't shake off so many people.

She ran straight to the South City of Chuncheng before finally stopping, turning around to look at the crowd with a cold expression.

As if she could no longer bear it, she shouted angrily, "There were so many left on the road, now there's only one left. Don't you leave me even one!"

The cultivator, who had been chasing her all the way, was equally exhausted, and his gaze towards her was no longer kind: "Tell us, where did you get these plum blossoms from!"

Someone else muttered under their breath, "What a cunning woman! She used the flower farmer's affair to divert attention while she secretly went to find flowers herself. Her scheming is so deep, I spit on her!"

Amidst the accusations, her expression grew colder. Suddenly, she threw the plum blossom in her hand to the ground, scattering petals everywhere: "To be fair, if you had news of the Plum Blossom Order, would you have spread it far and wide?"

The leading cultivator sneered, "Stop stalling! Is your stance such that you're unwilling to speak?"

While the group was still arguing, Shen Qi and Pao Tang stood at a distance, seemingly detached, carefully observing the crowd.

Pao Tang asked, "When we ran past the guarded flower farmer's courtyard just now, were all the cultivators inside lured out?"

Shen Qi nodded: "I counted them one by one. As soon as they heard that the plum blossoms had appeared, they all rushed out without hesitation."

“They weren’t really doing anything for the people; they were just temporarily taking sides. Naturally, they’ll go wherever there’s profit to be made.” Pao Tang said a few words, then looked at the crowd. “She was quick; she should have intercepted them all by now.”

Looking out into the crowd, Chen Wang couldn't help but sigh, "A genius comes up with a quick wit; who would have thought that she would come up with this idea the moment she saw me?"

Enraged, some people drew their swords and attacked the woman in black. Surprisingly, she showed no intention of fighting back. The sword light passed by her side, and with a muffled thud, the woman's arm was severed and fell to the ground.

There was a moment of silence; even the cultivator who had made the move hadn't expected to succeed.

"Look!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise, and everyone immediately turned to look. They saw that the long arm that had fallen to the ground was not bleeding; it was simply lying there cleanly.

The sword-wielding cultivator immediately retreated several steps, looking over in surprise and doubt. After a moment of confusion, some of them came to their senses.

"This isn't Wenran at all, this is... a clone she created using the Golden Silver Platform!"

"What! Have we been scammed again?!"

"Are those plum blossoms real or fake?"

The plum blossoms still lay on the ground. Everyone wanted to go up and take a look, but no one wanted to let others get close. In the ensuing argument, someone was pushed to the ground, just half an inch away from the plum blossoms.

"It's real! The floral foam is all over the ground, the flowers are real!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of people started scrambling for the food.

Shen Qi and Pao Tang quietly turned and left, secretly chuckling to themselves, exclaiming how wonderful it was.

From the very beginning, the one who burst through the door carrying the plum branch was her clone. While everyone was scrambling for it, she had probably already hidden him away on her own.

Paotang then said, "This method is indeed ingenious, but is it true that Wenran said earlier that there is no Plum Blossom Order here?"

Shen Qi replied without hesitation, "It's true. She wouldn't lie, and she has no reason to lie."

“But if it weren’t for Mei Ling, when would the Flying Flowers Festival ever end? Would the Sage do such a thing…” Pao Tang hesitated, then whispered, “Would he do such a despicable thing?”

Shen Qi shook his head: "If she says that, she must have already searched. If she's not here, where else could she be?"

...

In the quiet courtyard, Lin Feiran carried the last person back, but she did not seem happy. She was still gazing at the sky, as if deep in thought.

As Ru Xian sat among the trees, looking down at her figure, she couldn't help but say, "The flower farmers have all been brought back, and this secret place will remain undiscovered for the time being. Now that everything is settled, what are you thinking about?"

Lin Feiran paused for a moment before replying, "I was thinking, where is the Plum Blossom Order?"

"Any clues?" Ru Xian asked, fiddling with the yellow leaf between her fingers.

She shook her head, but after a moment, she nodded.

Ru Xian chuckled: "Does it exist or not?"

Lin Feiran finally nodded: "There is some, but I'm not sure. The sages have no reason to lie to us. The Plum Blossom Token must exist, but it may not be here. I just suddenly thought that they might be hiding the Plum Blossom Token in another small world within Spring City, just like I have."

The reason why so many cultivators searched the entire Spring City without finding them was not because they were well hidden. There are only so many houses in the city, and there is absolutely no small, secluded place that can accommodate so many flower farmers.

Considering this, Lin Feiran selected a wild chrysanthemum from the "Compendium of Flowers" and used its floral symbolism to create a small "world" of residences on the side of the street.

Because they did not have her permission, when others entered, they only saw a dark and empty house, never imagining that there was actually another world inside.

Ru Xian disagreed: "Only a few people can come up with such ingenious ideas and take such unconventional approaches as you. In my opinion, since it is in Spring City and the existence of this Plum Blossom Token is certain, then it may be like other Flower Tokens, which require breaking through barriers to obtain. It's just that we haven't found the entrance yet."

Lin Feiran's eyes suddenly lit up, and she turned to look at him: "Your Excellency, your words have truly awakened me from my dream!"

As if a wisp of smoke raised an eyebrow, she immediately leaped up the tree, squatted beside him, and changed her words, saying, "Ru Xian, your words have truly awakened me from my dream!"

Ru Xie: "..."

His thin lips parted and closed again. He thought, "Never mind," and then reached out to push aside the fragrant orchid sword at her waist.

"Why climb a tree just to repeat a sentence?"

Lin Feiran stood up and brushed aside the branches and leaves in front of him: "Looking out from this high place, I'm pondering where I might find a way to break through the barrier."

That's what she said, but Lin Feiran was actually thinking of the scene from before, when her grandmaster was far away in Taipei City. When she declared war on everyone, she raised her hand and pointed upwards.

She immediately wondered if this was some kind of hint.

But when she looked up, she found nothing unusual.

After a moment of silence, she composed herself and said, "Someone's here. I'll go see."

Lin Feiran leaped down from the pear tree, walked out of the courtyard, and escaped from this small world. Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed towards her, but fortunately she was prepared. She immediately ducked to avoid it, and with a kick of her long leg, she forced the blade away.

"You did indeed use some inexplicable concealment method." Pei Yu looked at her, his gaze cold, yet with a fleeting hint of smugness. She had indeed found him!

Behind Pei Yu, the courtyard and high walls were densely packed with figures, their eyes like lightning, shooting straight at Lin Feiran.

Lin Feiran remained silent, looking at everyone one by one. Seeing this, a rogue cultivator beside Pei Yu guessed that she was taciturn and did not know how to use words, so he immediately stepped forward to fan the flames.

"Wenran, how does it feel to manipulate everyone like dogs? Isn't it incredibly satisfying!"

“Indeed.” Unexpectedly, Lin Feiran spoke up. She looked at everyone, placed her hand on the hilt of her sword at her waist, and her eyes were calm and unwavering. “Teasing dogs is extremely interesting, but after walking you around for so long, not a single one of you has responded with a ‘master’. It’s really disappointing.”

The rogue cultivator was speechless. Many cultivators present turned pale and looked at her with great displeasure, but because they had not yet made any progress on the Plum Blossom Token matter, they had to hold back for the time being.

Her deep, calm gaze swept over them, finally settling on the rogue cultivator. She said, "You brought them here. Since none of them are speaking, why don't you do it for them?"

The rogue cultivator was taken aback: "What do you mean...?"

"What do you mean? A dog that's been walked doesn't have an owner."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Feiran moved with lightning speed, his clothes billowing as he spun around and instantly grabbed the back of the man's neck between his fingers.

She said slowly, "Call me."

Author's Note: Back to work after the holiday, so today's update time is a bit unpredictable...