12 Past Events (Part 1)

He absolutely cannot accept her feelings.

But no matter what, he could never accept her feelings.

He cultivated the ruthless sword path, he cultivated the ruthless sword path, he cultivated the ruthless sword path. He repeated this to himself three times before speaking it aloud to Ran Qinghe.

Ran Qinghe's expression was already bad, and his inexplicable remark only made her more confused.

She stormed off in a huff.

But in Lou Tinglan's eyes at this moment, it seemed as if he was heartbroken after being rejected and couldn't bear to leave.

He unconsciously drew his sword and looked down at his brow, as if sulking at someone, wondering why the Dao Heart Tribulation Mark hadn't appeared yet. He felt a tightness in his chest, unsure if it was from the injury to his heart or something else.

On the return journey, the atmosphere on the celestial ship was completely different from that on the way there. Without Yuan Yao trying to lighten the mood, the ship was extremely quiet, with only the whistling wind as the ship parted the clouds.

Ran Qinghe closed her eyes and leaned against the soft cushion to regulate her breathing, adopting an attitude of "out of sight, out of mind" towards the "others" in the boat.

Lou Tinglan, however, could not be as at ease as when he first arrived at Tianhai Valley. He could not calm his mind, and naturally, every half hour, he would draw his Tranquility Sword.

Ran Qinghe was annoyed by the sound of the sword being drawn. No cultivator could remain unmoved upon hearing someone draw their sword, so she reflexively opened her eyes almost every time Lou Tinglan drew his sword.

Lou Tinglan, using the reflection of her sword, tilted her head slightly to look at it, her brows furrowed as if she were dissatisfied with something.

Finally, when Lou Tinglan drew her sword again, she couldn't help but grit her teeth and say sarcastically, "I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Lou to care so much about his appearance. Don't worry, even with injuries, Fellow Daoist Lou is still one of the most handsome men in the world."

Lou Tinglan wasn't looking at his own appearance, but rather at whether the Dao Heart Tribulation Mark on his forehead had been restored. This Dao Heart Tribulation Mark was something he had had since he could remember. Although he didn't know who had planted it in him, it perfectly matched the path he cultivated. Having the Dao Heart Tribulation Mark did indeed help him discard distracting thoughts and focus on the Great Dao, so he simply let it remain.

However, upon returning from this mission, the Dao Heart Tribulation Seal mysteriously disappeared. If his uncle were to see it again, he would inevitably be filled with concern once more.

He didn't catch the sarcasm in Ran Qinghe's words; he only heard her praise his good looks. In his view, physical appearance was unimportant to cultivators. But he still thought of the female disciple in the hall who had confessed her feelings to him, who had also first praised his good looks before shyly expressing her own feelings.

Lou Tinglan's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Ran Qinghe hadn't understood his previous rejection and was now trying to express her feelings again by being alone with him?

So, he carefully chose his words and replied in the most distant possible manner, "Thank you."

But these words seemed a bit abrupt, and were clearly inappropriate to say to someone who had just restored his life. After hesitating for a few moments, he added, "You too."

Ran Qinghe choked instantly. What did you mean she was also sick?

The satire was so subtle; this person truly is a black sesame dumpling with a white face and a black heart.

Ran Qinghe gripped the long whip at his waist again, hesitated for a moment, then put it down. Oh well, no matter what, once this mission was completed, he and she would never have any further contact. Whatever.

Thinking about it this way is so refreshing; she had almost forgotten what it felt like to cultivate Taoism freely and unrestrained.

With the day of escaping the Discipline Hall fast approaching, a hint of pleasure crept into her eyes as she thought of this, and she reminded him once again: "Your Discipline Hall promised that once I complete this mission, the previous matters can be wiped clean."

Lou Tinglan hummed in agreement.

What does this mean? So cold, are you trying to renege on your promise? She sat up straight, looked at him steadily, and repeated, "I am not affiliated with any of the Five Sects now, so if anything happens in the future, it is naturally not your Discipline Hall's place to meddle."

“Lord Lou, there is a saying in our mortal world: ‘You go your way and I will go mine.’ From now on, we will not interfere with each other.”

Back in Tianhai Valley, she had considered countless insidious ways to get revenge on Lou Tinglan, but in the end, she also pierced his heart, causing him serious injury. Therefore, they were now even.

Lou Tinglan felt a sudden, dull ache in his heart. Should they leave each other alone? That would be best, he thought.

Ran Qinghe had said everything she needed to say, then closed her eyes and said no more.

Lou Tinglan drew the sword again, preparing to examine her forehead one last time, only to find that the red mole on her forehead, amidst the white light of the sword, now looked as vibrant as if it had been splattered with fresh blood.

*

Discipline Hall.

"Reporting to the Hall Master, Tinglan successfully supervised the prisoner Ran Qinghe and completed the task assigned by the Xuan Shui Sect. Ran Qinghe has broken through the grudge and has successfully exterminated the vengeful spirit in Tianhai Valley." Lou Tinglan stood below the hall, calmly recounting the events that had occurred in the valley.

Ran Qinghe stood quietly to the side, her face expressionless, which was unusual for her.

Lou Yi pressed him with every question, his tone revealing undisguised concern: "Tinglan, tell me the truth, why were you so badly injured during this mission? With your cultivation level, that vengeful spirit would have difficulty even getting close to you, so how could it have injured you like this?"

His gaze fell again on Ran Qinghe below the hall: "Was it this Ran Qinghe who secretly injured you?"

This time, Fei Yan, who was sent out by the Discipline Hall to supervise the disciples' execution of the mission, did not return to the hall for some unknown reason. Lou Yi was unable to glean the full details of the mission from Fei Yan's perspective. Therefore, Lou Yi knew nothing about the mission's progress.

But Lou Tinglan wouldn't lie; even without Feiyan, it wouldn't be a big deal, and Lou Yi was also very certain of this.

Lou Tinglan replied, "Tinglan was unfortunately possessed by a vengeful spirit in the valley. In the end, Ran Qinghe killed the vengeful spirit and restored my spirit to heal my wounds."

Lou Yi was so astonished he could hardly believe his ears, and asked repeatedly:

"It was her... who killed the vengeful spirit possessing you?"

"Was it her... who healed your wounds?"

How is that possible? How could someone who has no respect for elders, no regard for the law, and no respect for sects actually complete the task obediently and even expend spiritual energy to save people?

Lou Tinglan answered affirmatively, "Yes."

Lou Yi thought to himself, Ting Lan has always been upright; if it's something he affirms, then it must be true. His Discipline Hall has indeed made a great contribution, transforming a lawless criminal into what he is today. Therefore, he gave the order:

"Lou Qiong, this mission has ten points."

Lou Qiong responded.

Ran Qinghe remained silent and did not inquire about the meaning of the mark.

Lou Yi coughed lightly and cleared his throat, saying, "Tinglan, your injuries this time are not to be underestimated. You should go back to your cave to recuperate and heal properly. I will entrust the supervision to Qi Feng. It just so happens that he should be returning to the hall to report on his mission today."

Lou Tinglan stood still, puzzled, and asked, "What do you mean by the next supervision?"

Lou Yi said, "Naturally, it's to supervise the prisoner Ran Qinghe in carrying out sect missions and to make amends for the sins she committed before."

Lou Tinglan argued, "But the Hall Master previously said that Ran Qinghe would carry out this Tianhai Valley mission to make amends for her mistakes. If another mission is added, wouldn't that be going back on her word?"

Even when faced with Lou Tinglan's questioning, Lou Yi did not get angry. He understood Tinglan and knew that he was upright. He patiently explained, "I did say that I would let Ran Qinghe make up for her mistakes, but in this mission, the merits do not outweigh the demerits."

"She damaged a spiritual vein in Qingxiao, which translates to a thousand sin points, while the mission was successfully completed, but the merit points are only ten. How can that offset the sin points?"

“Tinglan, this is your first time supervising prisoners to carry out a mission, so you are not familiar with the rules for offsetting merits and demerits within the hall. The crimes committed by cultivators are measured in sin points, while the missions they perform are counted as merit points. Only when the two are offset can the crimes be offset.”

These words were both an explanation to him and a veiled warning to Ran Qinghe.

Lou Yi was prepared for Ran Qinghe to cause a scene in the Enforcement Hall and even point her finger at him and start cursing, but Ran Qinghe was unusually silent today, and did not even react to his explanation. She was as quiet as a mannequin.

Wait a minute, a mannequin?!

Lou Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he realized something was wrong. He unleashed a scorching fire spell, aiming straight for Ran Qinghe's face.

Lou Tinglan instinctively gripped Jingxin and drew it to parry, but unexpectedly, Ran Qinghe was scorched by the flames of the spiritual fire. Her entire body instantly turned into a yellow paper talisman on the spot, and was then burned clean by the spiritual fire. The ashes scattered, leaving only a few wisps of black smoke, drifting away leisurely, much like a silent irony.

Lou Yi was furious and said, "Outrageous! Outrageous!" In the Discipline Hall, they dared to use a puppet talisman to fool him. He was focused on Lou Tinglan, who was seriously injured, but Ran Qinghe took advantage of the situation. She had long anticipated that his attention would not be on her, so she dared to use such a childish spell to tease him.

He remembered that Ran Qinghe was clearly from Qingxiao. Qingxiao cultivated swordsmanship, so it was one thing for her to not cultivate swordsmanship but instead learn whip techniques, but she also caused him all sorts of trouble. Where did she learn the talisman techniques of the Buddha Hand Sect from?

As he watched "Ran Qinghe" turn into a yellow talisman and vanish before his eyes, he suddenly remembered that when they left the immortal ship, Ran Qinghe had momentarily lost her balance and stumbled towards him. At the time, he mistakenly thought she was trying to get close to him like the female disciples of the Discipline Hall, and he was about to dodge when she deliberately pulled on his sleeve and touched his chest, pressing so hard that the wound that had already stopped bleeding started to bleed again.

He pursed his lips, rummaged in his pocket, and unsurprisingly pulled out a yellow talisman. Judging from the design of the talisman on the yellow paper, it should be a communication talisman. He couldn't understand why she would leave a communication talisman to communicate with him if she had run away. He had never understood matters of love, only occasionally overhearing the disciples in the hall talking about how liking someone meant wanting to see them all the time, and if you couldn't see them, hearing their voice was good enough.

Did she also... have such thoughts?

The cinnabar talisman on the communication talisman was flickering faintly. Lou Tinglan's mind raced; clearly, the communication talisman had been activated.

Lou Yi also noticed Lou Tinglan's actions. Seeing him take out a communication talisman, he immediately guessed that this was another trick by Ran Qinghe. Ran Qinghe on the other end of the talisman was probably eavesdropping on their conversation. He immediately stood up and said to the talisman:

"Ran Qinghe! Do you know that if you escape this time, all the merit points you accumulated in Tianhai Valley will be wiped out?"

Inside the talisman, Ran Qinghe's voice indeed came. She said lazily, "Old man Lou, do you think your threat will work on me? I guessed it long ago. You bunch of untrustworthy people in the Discipline Hall, how could you let me go just because of a vengeful spirit? Old man, you can try and see if you can still find me. Hehe, I'm waiting for you."

Her provocative words echoed in the center of the main hall, making Lou Yi's blood boil and his head throb with anger.

"You brat! I'll dig this entire cultivation world up to the bone to find her!"

Lou Tinglan felt a strange, inexplicable bitterness welling up inside her, a feeling that a disciple of the Discipline Hall should not have in this situation.

He said, “Uncle, although she acts arrogantly, it is also reasonable. Uncle said before that she should carry out this mission to make up for her mistakes, without mentioning the rules of the Discipline Hall that make up for her mistakes. Even Tinglan mistakenly thought that she would be freed after this mission.”

Lou Tinglan rarely called him uncle; most of the time, he respectfully addressed him as Hall Master. But now, he was pleading for Ran Qinghe, bringing up their uncle-nephew relationship. He glanced at Lou Tinglan's brow and asked solemnly, "Tinglan, did your Dao Heart Tribulation Seal show any abnormalities during this mission?"

Although Lou Yi didn't notice anything unusual from the outside, his instincts as a hall master for many years allowed him to catch a clue.

Lou Tinglan answered without hesitation, "Nothing unusual." So what if it disappeared briefly? Maybe it really was because his spiritual power was exhausted. At least for now, it is still firmly sealed on his spiritual platform.

Lou Yi breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, he thought Lou Tinglan had really developed feelings for Ran Qinghe. Oh well, he was just blinded by anger at Ran Qinghe, making such an absurd guess. He thought to himself, it's probably because Ran Qinghe had helped him during the mission, and Tinglan is a kind-hearted person, so she's just returning the favor.

Lou Yi replied, “Tinglan, you are kind-hearted, but many things are not so simple. Ran Qinghe damaged the Qingxiao spiritual vein. If I let her go because of a sect mission, how can I explain to the Thousandth Sect Leader of Qingxiao, and how can the Discipline Hall explain to Qingxiao?”

"If this matter is handled lightly, wouldn't everyone be able to blow up Qingxiao's spiritual veins? What would be the point of the Discipline Hall then?"

Seeing that Lou Tinglan was about to speak up to defend her, Lou Yi raised his hand to stop her. It seemed that he couldn't let Tinglan get involved with her anymore.

He said, "I will leave the matter of capturing Ran Qinghe to someone else. You should go back and heal your wounds first. There's no need to say anything else."

Lou Tinglan lowered her eyes and agreed. As she was leaving, she happened to run into the apricot-colored boy who was coming in through the door.

The newcomer was none other than Qi Feng, a disciple of the Discipline Hall. Perhaps due to the special nature of the mission, he was not wearing the hall's platinum-colored disciple robes, but rather a dark apricot-colored outfit. Although the fabric was very ordinary cotton and linen, his tall and slender figure gave him an air of unconventional elegance. His dark hair was tied into a high ponytail with a ribbon, with a few stray strands falling across his forehead, making his eyes appear even more expressive and his demeanor sharp and charismatic.

The two exchanged a slight nod, and Qi Feng greeted him leisurely, "Senior Brother Lou, you were doing so well as the Imperial Preceptor in the mortal realm, why did you suddenly come to the upper realm?"

Lou Tinglan stopped in her tracks. "The Imperial Advisor?"

Qi Feng smiled and said, "Wasn't Senior Brother Lou on a mission in the mortal realm before?" He had briefly met him during his investigation but did not approach him.

Lou Tinglan frowned and replied seriously, "I just returned from the Xuan Shui Sect's Tianhai Valley and have never been to the mortal realm."

Qi Feng exclaimed in surprise, "How could that be? The Grand Preceptor of the Ming Dynasty in the mortal realm looks exactly like you."