Chapter 102

Main courtyard, quiet room.

Feng Xiaosheng sat opposite Elder Ruan Shu of the Tianji Pavilion.

"Elder Ruan has come in person, but what new secrets has the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion discovered?" Feng Xiaosheng's tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

The young lord of the Phoenix Clan's aloofness was obvious, but Ruan Shu seemed oblivious.

"Young Master doesn't seem to fully believe in divination and fortune-telling." Ruan Shu's gaze swept across the window, and she suddenly smiled faintly.

"Coincidentally, so am I."

Feng Xiaosheng's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, and his gaze finally fell on the person opposite him.

She wore a golden-purple patterned Taoist robe in the style of the Tianji Pavilion. She was slender and tall, with a face as elegant as green leaves. She was not stunning at first glance, but she had a comfortable temperament that brought peace of mind.

If Sheng Ningyu is the bright moon hanging in the sky, and she herself is the phoenix perched on the parasol tree, then the one before us can be considered as a still body of water.

Calm and undisturbed, with a long and rich history.

Elder of Tianji Pavilion, Ruan Shu.

Feng Xiaosheng silently repeated the name in his heart.

Although nominally an "elder," everyone tacitly agreed that Ruan Shu was very likely to be the next head of the Tianji Pavilion.

These things, without Feng Xiaosheng needing to inquire, would naturally reach her ears.

Not to mention, although Feng Xiaosheng and Ruan Shu did not meet often, they had interacted a few times.

To be honest, Feng Xiaosheng didn't have any particular impression of Ruan Shu.

Ruan Shu did indeed achieve fame at a young age, and she was indeed exceptionally talented.

Feng Xiaosheng himself is the same.

Moreover, she has a friend who is even more talented than a genius.

Under the bright moon, seeing the fireflies again, Feng Xiaosheng felt utterly bored.

After Sheng Ningyu left, Feng Xiaosheng's temper became increasingly extreme and unpredictable. Sometimes he didn't even want to see anyone, let alone investigate these rising stars.

But that's all.

But now, this renowned elder of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is sitting quietly, waiting for her to respond to that earth-shattering statement, "I don't believe it either."

Feng Xiaosheng turned her eyes away and saw pear blossoms falling softly in the rain outside the window.

If Sheng Mingyue were here, she would probably start to wonder about the reason again.

Her temper is like a cat's.

Feng Xiaosheng raised his eyes, his tone still indifferent: "Elder Ruan traveled a long way just to tell me this?"

"Of course not."

Noticing that Feng Xiaosheng's attitude had become more serious, Ruan Shu also straightened her expression: "I volunteered for this trip."

"I only have one question for you, young master: is there really a way to remove the demonic aura that permeates the city?"

Feng Xiaosheng paused in tapping his fingers on the table, then looked at Ruan Shu: "Elder Ruan doesn't believe me."

Ruan Shu sighed: "It's because the young master doesn't believe me."

Feng Xiaosheng quickly scanned the area with her spiritual sense.

And what this letter says...

Feng Xiaosheng placed the letter on the table and gently twirled the jade ring on his finger: "You and the Cold Gate Master both concluded that the demonic seed in the city was artificially bred. If the demonic energy is not eradicated, it will one day condense into a calamity again."

Ruan Shu nodded slightly. She didn't reply immediately, but simply lowered her eyelids.

Strands of pale golden light silently rose from Ruan Shu's body.

It was not a blinding light, but rather ancient inscriptions flowing rapidly, as fine as hair, flickering and shimmering, as if they were alive.

These spiritual energies swirled slowly around Ruan Shu, casting flickering light and shadow on her serene profile, as if she were immersed in a silent prophecy.

Feng Xiaosheng watched with great interest.

After a moment, the flowing golden inscriptions gradually dimmed, disappearing into her sleeves like the receding tide.

Ruan Shu slowly raised her eyes.

In an instant, a flash of gold seemed to appear in the depths of her originally dark eyes, dazzling and sharp, as if reflecting some unspeakable celestial secrets, before returning to its deep and mysterious state.

"Within five days."

Ruan Shu's voice was not loud, but every word was clear, like a verdict falling to earth.

"If the evil spirits in the city cannot be completely cleansed, a great disaster will surely occur."

“I’ve said it before, I don’t believe in the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.”

Ruan Shu quietly gazed at Feng Xiaosheng.

The young Phoenix Clan lord sat by the window, pear blossoms scattered outside, dancing in the air, one landing on the table.

Ruan Shu gently gathered them in her hands

With her eyes lowered, she slowly gathered the pear blossoms and said, "I know what Young Master wants to say."

"The 'Fragment of Destiny' once prophesied, 'A hundred years will pass in the blink of an eye, and the bright moon will rise. All ages will bow down, and all evil deeds will be punished.' Yet the Bright Moon Sword Master was hidden in the coffin for no more than sixty years."

In just sixty years.

Feng Xiaosheng closed his eyes and told himself over and over that all of that was in the past. The most important thing now was to get Sheng Ningyu out of the city lord's mansion that was sealed by the blood array.

But when someone actually said that to her, Feng Xiaosheng still unconsciously clenched her fists.

Sixty years...

How does someone as boisterous as Sheng Mingyue manage to get by?

Feng Xiaosheng closed her eyes and calmed herself down.

Ruan Shu sensed the sudden oppressive aura emanating from the person opposite her, her whole body tensed up, and she was quite surprised. It took her a few more seconds before she finally turned the tables.

"What if there isn't one?"

Feng Xiaosheng suddenly opened his eyes: "What does this mean?"

A century has passed in the blink of an eye, and the bright moon is about to rise.

Feng Xiaosheng finally managed to force out those words.

She had already suspected it, and hearing it from Ruan Shu's mouth now confirmed it.

But Ruan Shu...

Feng Xiaosheng watched as Ruan Shu carefully placed the gathered pear blossoms into the Star River Pouch, his eyebrows twitching slightly as he asked, "Elder Ruan, do you also like pear blossoms?"

She remembered that there was someone who also liked pear blossoms.

Ruan Shu paused, as if she had remembered something, and a faint smile unconsciously spread across her face.

She spoke somewhat incoherently: "In the past, there was a big pear tree in our yard, and my parents gave me a nickname, 'Little Pear'."

Born into the mortal world.

Feng Xiaosheng turned his head to look out the window, then suddenly smiled: "Elder Ruan, do you know Mingyue?"

Bright moon?

Upon hearing this, Ruan Shu was taken aback for a rare moment.

Her eyelids drooped slightly, and after a moment, she simply shook her head.

Ruan Shu recalled the fleeting glimpse she had once seen at Qingyi Academy. Unconsciously, she squeezed the Star River Pouch in her hand and spoke in a soft, gentle voice, like the juice flowing from a pear.

"Sword Master, you may not remember me."

Her tone remained calm, revealing little trace of melancholy, but a subtle emptiness lingered at the end of her words, like a feather gently falling to the ground.

She could only be called "Sword Master".

Feng Xiaosheng's pent-up frustration suddenly dissipated, and he found Ruan Shu even more pleasing to the eye: "Elder Ruan, please don't overthink it. After all, Mingyue's path of cultivation... she has always been like this."

Ruan Shu smiled and, following Feng Xiaosheng's words, said softly, "Young Master is right."

The bright moon is the bright moon for many people.

Ruan Shu was not greedy, because she had already possessed the best moment.

[Your name is "Little Pear"? What a coincidence, I also love pear blossoms.]

"Little Pear, guess how many sword strikes it will take me to take them down?"

At that time, Ruan Shu huddled in the corner, her eyes filled with blurry tears, not daring to look up at all.

Those people outside are very powerful; they all know magic.

They had killed many people in the village and then bought her from her uncle.

They would always whip her, and occasionally they would mutter incantations around her. Whenever this happened, Ruan Shu would feel great pain.

It hurts terribly.

Even now, Ruan Shu, curled up on the ground, is still trembling from the pain.

She was afraid of harming her sister, so she stubbornly shook her head and remained silent.

But her sister didn't leave; instead, she moved even closer to her.

As she got closer, Ruan Shu could see clearly that the simply dressed woman in front of her, wearing a straw hat, looked exactly like the deity who had once saved their village!

“Twenty…” Ruan Shu whispered.

"Um?"

The fairy sister turned her head: "What did Little Pear say?"

"...Twenty swords."

In Ruan Shu's mind at that time, "twenty" was a particularly large number.

After her parents died, her uncle sold her for twenty taels of silver.

Then, Ruan Shu remembered that the fairy sister turned her head, looked at her, and smiled brightly.

"You guessed right! Little Pear is so smart."

That day, Sheng Ningyu used twenty sword strikes.

Later, Ruan Shu learned that Sheng Ningyu only needed one sword to deal with those petty villains back then.

But for her sake, she insisted on adding nineteen more sword strikes.

Sparse shadows slant across the pear blossoms, which rustle softly, with occasional petals fluttering in on the breeze.

It quietly entered my mind.

Ruan Shu thought that she was probably the most powerful person in the world, as she could actually make the Bright Moon Sword Master expend nineteen sword strikes for her.

"In that case, I feel at ease entrusting this place to you."

Feng Xiaosheng stood up and said calmly, "I want to enter the Blood Array to take a look."

Even Ruan Shu was stunned for a moment.

“Young Master…” Her eyes widened in surprise, and after a moment of hesitation, she still spoke frankly, “Young Master and my dear friend, Master Han, can’t be considered close, can they?”

People of the Phoenix Clan are mostly aloof and proud, and usually do not associate with ordinary people.

It's not that I look down on people, it's just my nature.

The reason Feng Xiaosheng made an exception was simply because of Sheng Ningyu.

Because they were people close to Sheng Ningyu, Feng Xiaosheng was willing to treat them well.

"Young Master, did you really believe that?"

Ruan Shu frowned in confusion: "Just because I mentioned the Sword Master?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Xiaosheng laughed loudly, his laughter clear and melodious, carrying a touch of uninhibited carefree spirit.

"Does Elder Ruan think that I, the young lord of the Phoenix Clan, am an incompetent person who can only get things done by relying on others?"

Feng Xiaosheng turned her head away and stopped laughing.

She slightly raised her chin, and the light from the window illuminated his sharply defined profile, revealing an innate nobility and arrogance that belonged to a phoenix: "Back then, Pavilion Master Han dared to betray the Nine Heavens Pavilion alone, and now... how many people in the world can match his unwavering will and resolute courage?"

She paused, then her tone shifted to one of clear appreciation.

The Phoenix Clan has never been wrong in these matters.

...

The fact that Feng Xiaosheng was going to enter the formation could not be kept from Yuan Bushu and Rong Que.

Feng Xiaosheng said to Yuan Bushu, "With Palace Master Yuan outside, keeping others calm, I can rest assured."

Yuan Bushu knew that his emotions were in turmoil at the moment, and that if he were to enter the battle, it might only cause more chaos. Therefore, he did not ask to go with them and nodded in agreement.

Feng Xiaosheng had already sent a letter to the Phoenix Clan and explained everything in detail.

Especially now that Jin Xianyao is still unconscious, he must be carefully cared for.

Upon hearing the end, Rong Que smiled gently.

Feng Xiaosheng glanced at Rong Que: "Does the Acting Pavilion Master have something to say?"

Rong Que shook his head, his demeanor as gentle as ever: "No. I just didn't expect that the young lord would entrust me with such an important matter."

Feng Xiaosheng said bluntly, "I don't believe you."

Although this person always smiled gently and had an impeccable appearance, Feng Xiaosheng still dared not presume to see through him.

“However, I know how you treated Sheng Ningyu in the past.” She paused slightly, her eyes clear. “If you stay outside the formation and something unexpected happens… you will always protect her.”

Feng Xiaosheng did not believe Rong Que.

But she did not doubt Rong Que's love and sincerity for Sheng Ningyu.

Rong Que's gaze paused almost imperceptibly.

However, in front of outsiders, he was still the upright and noble young master. In an instant, a gentle smile appeared on his face, and he calmly said, "I will do as you say, young lord."

Yuan Bushu, standing to the side, looked at him, but suddenly remembered their conversation on the rooftop earlier.

"If Mingyue had made a mistake, would Rong Wuque still be able to openly utter the words 'upholding justice'?"

The wind blew across my face, and the fog was thick.

The gentle smile on Rong Que's lips vanished completely.

He stood silently in the wind on the high steps, his robes billowing backward, and remained silent for a long time.

As dusk settled in the distant sky and the setting sun began to wane, the elegant profile of the handsome young man became somewhat blurred.

After a long silence, Rong Que finally spoke.

"She won't."

Yuan Bushu was taken aback by this answer and paused for a moment: "What does Wuque mean by this?"

“Mingyue, she…”

Rong Que paused, seemingly considering his words: "She might make a slight mistake on a whim, or she might make a mistake in judgment due to momentary blindness."

“But with me here, she won’t… won’t deviate from her predetermined path.”

Rong Que turned his head and looked at Yuan Bushu again. As night fell, there seemed to be light and shadow flowing in the depths of his eyes.

"So, I probably will never have to face the kind of choice you're talking about."

Yuan Bushu looked at Rong Que for a long time but didn't quite understand what he meant.

On the contrary, after listening to his conversation with the young lord of the Phoenix Clan, Yuan Bushu suddenly let out a soft "ah," as if he understood something.

The playful curve at the corner of his lips gradually faded, transforming into a deeper, almost sighing, understanding.

Does he really know what he wants?

If Mingyue "goes astray", does Rong Que really think that he alone can "bring people back on track"?

Yuan Bushu sighed silently.

Rong Wuque, oh Rong Wuque.

Can you really get what you want?

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Author's note: Yay!! [Sunglasses]

Feng Xiaohong has been holding back for a long time, hahaha

The next chapter will finally resolve the illusion!