palpitations

The guesthouses in Lotus Pier are built by the water. Opening the window reveals lotus leaves reaching to the sky, and a gentle breeze carries the fragrance of lotus, slightly dispelling the oppressive atmosphere of the main hall.

Jiang Yanli meticulously arranged everything for Xie Linyang, apologetic smile on her face: "Miss Xie, my mother... she's a bit impatient, and what she says might not be pleasant to hear. Please don't take it to heart."

Xie Linyang grasped her hand and smiled gently, "Sister Yanli, don't worry, I understand." She paused, then continued, "The most urgent matter is the resentment within Jiang Cheng. Although I have suppressed it with my spiritual power, eradicating it is not easy and requires a gradual approach. I wonder if there is a place in Lotus Pier similar to the Cold Spring in Cloud Recesses, where the spiritual energy is pure and refreshing, which can help cleanse the evil energy?"

Jiang Yanli thought for a moment, her eyes brightening slightly: "Yes! There's a cold pool behind Lotus Pier. Although it's not as famous as the Lan Clan's Cold Spring, the water is extremely cold and contains spiritual energy, which might be useful. It's just a bit remote..."

"It's alright, peace and quiet are just right." Xie Linyang nodded. "I'll trouble you to lead the way later. I'll first give Young Master Jiang acupuncture to release his pent-up resentment."

As evening fell, Xie Linyang, accompanied by Jiang Yanli, arrived at Jiang Cheng's residence. Jiang Cheng had clearly just vented his anger; a trace of chaotic spiritual energy still lingered in the room. He sat at the table, his face gloomy. When he saw Xie Linyang enter, he merely raised his eyes and asked in a harsh tone, "What is it?"

Xie Linyang didn't take it seriously and took out the needle pouch he always carried with him: "I'll help you release your resentment. The process might be a little uncomfortable, so please bear with it."

Jiang Cheng pursed his lips, offering no objection. He was well aware of his physical condition; the chilling resentment gnawed at his meridians like a bone-deep sore, constantly reminding him of his "incompetence" at Biling Lake.

Xie Linyang's technique was extremely fast. The silver needles, imbued with a faint aura of life-giving spiritual energy, precisely pierced several of his major acupoints. As the spiritual energy entered his body, it clashed once more with the lingering resentment, bringing with it a strange sensation of burning pain intertwined with icy chill.

Jiang Cheng groaned, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Seeing his pained expression, Xie Linyang sighed inwardly. As she performed acupuncture, she spoke casually, her voice calm: "The Water Abyss is formed from the resentment of all living beings, and it is extremely unpredictable. Even experienced cultivators are not immune to its effects. The fact that you were able to withstand its full power until I arrived, without losing your soul, shows that your willpower is beyond that of ordinary people."

Jiang Cheng stiffened slightly, but did not respond.

Xie Lin Yang continued, "The path of cultivation is long, and occasional setbacks are not necessarily a bad thing. The key is whether you wallow in self-blame for failure and the harsh criticism of others, or whether you transform them into whetstones to temper your character." She released a wisp of black energy from her fingertips, "Some people, who seem to be harsh on you, may simply be frustrated by your lack of progress and are using the wrong methods. And some people..." She paused, not finishing her sentence, but Jiang Cheng understood who she was referring to.

He closed his eyes, and his father's silent face, his mother's sharp words, and Wei Wuxian's constant joking around, yet seemingly always getting more attention from his father, flashed through his mind... A complex and indescribable emotion surged within him.

After the acupuncture was completed, Jiang Cheng felt that the chill in his body had indeed lessened considerably. Although the resentment had not been completely eradicated, his meridians were much smoother. He moved his wrists and whispered, "...Thank you."

"It's my duty." Xie Linyang put away his needle pouch. "I'll come again at this time tomorrow. Also, Sister Ali said that the cold pool in the back mountain helps to dispel evil spirits. If you have time, you can soak in it often. With the help of your own spiritual power, the effect will be even better."

Leaving Jiang Cheng's residence, Xie Linyang encountered Wei Wuxian, who was leaning against a pillar alone in the corridor, gazing at the night sky. The young man had shed his daytime exuberance, and his silhouette in the moonlight appeared somewhat lonely.

"Brother Wei," Xie Linyang called softly.

Wei Wuxian turned around, his nonchalant smile returning to his face: "Lin Yang, how is Jiang Cheng?"

"He's alright for now, he just needs time to recover." Xie Linyang walked to his side, also looking up at the cold moon. "Brother Wei seems to have something on his mind?"

Wei Wuxian chuckled and scratched his head: "What could be on my mind? I just think... the weather is nice today, and the moon is quite round."

Xie Linyang didn't expose him, but simply said, "Sometimes, an overly bright smile makes it easier for people to see the shadows behind it."

Wei Wuxian's smile froze for a moment, then crumbled. He sighed, a rare look of confusion and dejection befitting his age appearing on his face: "Lin Yang, tell me... do I really always cause trouble for the Jiang family? If it weren't for me, would Madam Yu have been so angry? Would Uncle Jiang and A-Cheng... have been able to..."

"So that's enough for harmony?" Xie Linyang interrupted him, her eyes clear. "Young Master Wei, you're placing too much blame on yourself for the inherent conflicts within a family. A three-foot layer of ice doesn't form in a day. Your existence may be a trigger, but it's certainly not the root cause." She looked at Wei Wuxian. "You are the son of Jiang Sect Leader's old friend. His kindness towards you stems from his loyalty and integrity—these are his virtues. But you, Wei Wuxian, your value should never be based on comparisons with others or on whether you can please everyone."

Wei Wuxian stared at her blankly. Her words were like a pebble thrown into a lake, rippling through his heart. He was used to joking around, used to silently enduring Madam Yu's scolding, used to telling himself that he didn't care, but no one had ever told him so directly that it wasn't his fault.

“But…” he opened his mouth.

"No buts." Xie Linyang said firmly, "Just be yourself, protect the people and things you should protect, and have a clear conscience. As for the rest... time will tell."

After she finished speaking, she nodded slightly to Wei Wuxian, then turned and left, her green robes tracing a graceful arc in the moonlight.

Wei Wuxian stood there, watching her departing figure, then looked up at the moon in the sky. After a long while, he let out a soft sigh. Although the road ahead was still shrouded in mist, Xie Linyang's words were like a ray of light, temporarily dispelling some of the gloom in his heart.

In the following days, Lotus Dock appeared calm on the surface, but inside it was like a taut bowstring.

Although Madam Yu did not publicly attack him again, her cold gaze and subtle scrutiny continued to haunt Xie Linyang. She did not deliberately avoid him, and every day she performed acupuncture to soothe Jiang Cheng's resentment. Her demeanor was composed, and her attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, leaving no room for criticism.

Jiang Cheng cooperated with the treatment, but the melancholy between his brows did not dissipate. His mother's accusations were like a nightmare, constantly gnawing at his confidence. He cultivated more diligently than before, even to the point of being harsh on himself, as if trying to prove something and wash away the so-called "shame" in this way. Xie Linyang saw this and would occasionally offer a word of advice, but only briefly, without interfering further. She understood that inner knots needed to be healed by the heart, and that external forces could not force them.

Wei Wuxian seemed to have regained his former carefree nature, spending his days frolicking and hunting birds with his fellow disciples, laughing and joking as if the confusion and dejection he felt under the corridor that day had never existed. But Xie Linyang keenly noticed the fleeting caution and sadness in the depths of Wei Wuxian's eyes when he looked towards Madam Yu's courtyard.

That day, after Xie Linyang performed acupuncture on Jiang Cheng, he suggested, "The weather is alright today, why don't we try going to the cold pool in the back mountain? Relying solely on acupuncture will eventually be too slow to dispel the resentment; we need external assistance."

Jiang Cheng remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

The cold pool behind Lotus Pier, with its dark green water exuding a bone-chilling cold, even seemed to freeze the surrounding air.

Jiang Cheng removed his outer robe and stepped into the icy pool as instructed. The biting cold instantly enveloped his entire body, causing his muscles to tense and him to gasp. He immediately circulated his spiritual energy to resist, his brows furrowing with his usual stubbornness and forbearance.

Xie Linyang stood quietly by the pool, looking at his tense profile and tightly pursed lips, and spoke slowly: "Contain your spiritual power, do not forcefully fight against the cold energy. Try to accept it, guide it, like dredging a silted river. The resentment in your body is cold and stubborn, and you need to use the coldness of this pool water to fight poison with poison, so that it can be gradually eliminated."

Jiang Cheng tried to do as instructed, but the process was extremely painful. The cold and resentment clashed in his meridians, like ice picks piercing his bones, or like raging fire burning him. Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, his jaw clenched, and a suppressed groan escaped his throat.

Seeing his pained expression, Xie Linyang's voice softened, like a gentle breeze: "The path of cultivation is not always about forging ahead. Sometimes, temporary retreats, detours, and even endurance are all for the purpose of better accumulating strength. Too much rigidity leads to breakage, and the highest good is like water. The resilience of water can sometimes penetrate the hardest rock."

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes, sweat dripping down his sharply defined jawline into the pool. After a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice, with a hint of self-mockery that was barely perceptible: "Easy for you to say... If you're not strong enough, you can only be slaughtered by others, unable to even protect those around you." These words seemed to be addressed to Xie Lin Yang, but they also sounded like self-criticism, clearly indicating that he had not yet recovered from the defeat at Bi Ling Lake and his mother's accusations.

Xie Linyang approached the edge of the pool, squatted down, and calmly looked at him: "Strength and weakness are not absolute. In Biling Lake, the Water Abyss is the accumulation of resentment over a hundred years. Its power is overwhelming and cannot be caused by one person alone. The fact that you were able to hold your spiritual platform under the influence of resentment and not be completely devoured shows that your will is far beyond that of ordinary people. This is your 'strength'."

Jiang Cheng suddenly opened his eyes, meeting her clear and resolute gaze. There was no pity, no perfunctory attitude in that gaze, only a calm statement. His heart skipped a beat; something hard and self-enclosed seemed to have been pried open a crack.

“...Is that so?” he asked in a low voice.

"Yes." Xie Linyang's tone was certain. "True strength lies not in never failing, but in being able to get up after every fall, and be more clear-headed than before. Jiang Wanyin, you are not a weak person. Why deny all your efforts and perseverance because of someone else's words?"

Her words flowed like a gentle stream, nourishing silently. Jiang Cheng stared at her, the moonlight bathing her serene profile, as if gilding it with a soft glow. The pent-up frustration that had been building up in his heart for the past few days seemed to loosen somewhat in response to her calm yet powerful words.

He closed his eyes again, no longer fighting the pain head-on, but trying to feel and guide the icy power flowing through his meridians. Although it was still painful, the change in mindset made the process less unbearable.

Time flowed silently, with only the gentle ripples of the cold pool below.

After a long while, Jiang Cheng slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling that the cold and stagnant sensation in his body had indeed lessened somewhat. He opened his eyes, looked at Xie Linyang who was still guarding the pool, and whispered, "...Thank you."

This thank you, compared to the previous stiffness, was more sincere.

Xie Linyang smiled slightly and handed over a clean, plain handkerchief: "Wipe yourself. It takes more than a day to dispel resentment; just proceed step by step."

Jiang Cheng took the handkerchief, his fingertips accidentally touching hers. The cool and soft touch made him pause almost imperceptibly. He quickly wiped the water droplets from his cheeks and neck, trying to hide the momentary unease.

“You…” He paused, as if he wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to start. “Why did you help me?” He wasn’t an ungrateful person, but he was used to viewing outsiders with suspicion.

Xie Linyang stood up, straightened her clothes, and looked at the tranquil lotus pond in the distance. Her tone was indifferent: "I was ordered by my master to go down the mountain and become a guest elder in Suzhou and Yunmeng. It is my duty to save you. Besides..." She withdrew her gaze and looked at him again, with a hint of understanding, "I just can't stand seeing a pearl covered in dust and a rough jade abandoned."

A pearl is covered in dust, a rough gem is abandoned...

Jiang Cheng's heart felt as if it had been gently bumped. He had never heard anyone describe him like this before. In his mother's eyes, he was never good enough; in the eyes of others, he was the high and mighty young master of the Jiang family; compared to Wei Wuxian, he always seemed to be that rigid, boring junior brother who needed to be taken care of.

Xie Linyang, however, saw his inner struggle and unwillingness, and affirmed his will and perseverance.

He gripped the plain handkerchief in his hand, which seemed to still retain a faint, refreshing fragrance. Gazing at her slender yet upright figure in the moonlight, an indescribable emotion, a mixture of gratitude, emotion, and a subtle flutter of excitement, quietly welled up within him.

Just then, a soft footstep sound came from behind.

Xie Linyang turned around alertly, only to see Wei Wuxian carrying a food box, peeking over with his usual grin on his face: "Oh, I was wondering where I could find you, so you were hiding here! How's it going, Jiang Cheng? Isn't soaking in this cold pool water particularly 'refreshing'?" As he spoke, he placed the food box on a nearby rock, "Shijie asked me to bring you some food, in case you starve to death in this desolate wilderness."

Jiang Cheng raised his head from the cold pool and glared at him irritably: "Shut up, you're so noisy." But when his gaze swept over the food box, his expression softened slightly.

Wei Wuxian didn't mind. He went to the edge of the pool, watched Jiang Cheng soaking in the cold water, and clicked his tongue twice. "By the way, I heard something. It seems that the Qishan Wen Clan is going to hold a discussion meeting. It's said to be quite large, and each clan will send people. Do you think Lotus Pier will go too?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng stood up from the icy pool, water droplets rolling down his soaked clothes. He frowned slightly: "A discussion meeting? Father hasn't mentioned it yet."

“Maybe it’s an opportunity?” Wei Wuxian’s eyes darted around. “Going out for a walk is better than being cooped up in Lotus Pier.” As he said this, there was a hint of barely perceptible anticipation in his tone, as if he was eager to escape some kind of invisible pressure.

Xie Linyang's heart stirred slightly. The discussion meeting, bringing together various sects of immortality, was indeed an opportunity to understand the current situation.

"If you have the chance, it would be good to go out and see the world," she whispered in agreement.

Jiang Cheng didn't immediately express his opinion. He silently used his internal energy to dry his clothes, his gaze fixed on the direction of the main hall of Lotus Pier, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He knew that the decision of whether or not to go was never in his hands, nor even entirely in his father's.