9. Murdering one's wife (Part Six)

"Is he your enemy?"

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the entrance of the bamboo hut. Her face was indifferent, and her elegant figure stood out. However, she was not wearing a wedding robe, but a thin, silver-white satin blouse, shrouded in a thin layer of ethereal light. Her long, dark hair reached her knees and was loosely tied up with a simple bamboo-jointed hairpin. Just standing there quietly, she resembled a watercolor painting shrouded in mist.

Yuan Yao hurriedly stood up, but because her wrists were no longer bound by resentment, she was not used to it and stumbled to the ground: "Greetings, Sect Leader."

With just one sentence, her identity was confirmed.

This person was none other than Chang Nian, the head of the Xuan Shui Sect.

Without making a sound, she used a magic spell to help Yuan Yao up, her gaze instead turning to Ran Qinghe in the inner room, who hadn't yet changed out of her wedding robes. She then asked:

"You sensed my presence, didn't you?"

How did you guess my identity?

Her voice was soft and melodious, quite pleasant to the ear, and not in an interrogative tone, but simply out of curiosity about Ran Qinghe.

Ran Qinghe did not answer directly, but instead replied indirectly, "If the sect leader wants to know the answer to the question, he must first clear up my doubts." She was always like this; when she encountered something suspicious, she would get to the bottom of it and would not give up.

"Although I have roughly figured out what happened back then, there are a few questions that I still can't figure out. I wonder if I could ask the sect leader to answer them for me."

Chang Nian was quite surprised; it had been a long time since anyone had talked to her as freely as a friend.

She smiled gently and said, "Young friend Ran has done me a great favor. I will certainly tell you everything I know without reservation."

Ran Qinghe sat down on the wedding bed quite naturally, took out a few longans and tossed them to her, then took two for herself, peeling them as she asked:

"Firstly, although Bu Si is not a cultivator, he has practiced the Azure Sky Sword Technique for several years. At that time, Miss Anian was a weak woman who couldn't even kill a chicken. Under what circumstances was she able to escape unscathed from his sword?"

"Secondly, what exactly happened in the bamboo forest? Why did this vengeful spirit insist that we go into the bamboo forest before putting on our act?"

Chang Nian crushed a longan, put the pulp in her mouth, and found it very sweet. The sweetness awakened her memories from before she attained enlightenment.

She paused slightly, her face glowing with a gentle, jade-like radiance, and her brows relaxed: "In that case, let me tell you a story, young friend Ran."

*

That year, she had just come of age. On the Lantern Festival in the capital, she begged and pleaded with her father for a long time before he finally agreed to let her go to the lantern festival at night with her mother-in-law.

The imperial capital, nestled beneath the emperor's feet, naturally boasts an extraordinary lantern festival. Luxury carriages and throngs of people stroll along the three-mile-long street, the lanterns exuding a hazy, enchanting atmosphere. At the heart of this vibrant lantern market stands a magnificent lantern tower, its eaves adorned with glazed lamps, exceptionally ornate. At the very top hangs this year's festival's prize: a "Nine Dragons Chasing the Moon" lantern. Made of Xiangfei bamboo, it is covered with a layer of moonlight gauze and embroidered with dragons in gold thread. As the candlelight flickers within, the nine dragons seem poised to leap from the lamp.

Chang Nian and her mother-in-law, along with the crowd, gathered at the very bottom of the lantern tower.

After loudly promoting his restaurant, the restaurant owner, standing on the stage, said with a beaming smile, "To thank everyone for your patronage throughout the year, I specially commissioned craftsmen to spend three months crafting this Nine Dragons Chasing the Moon Lantern. As the saying goes, the Lantern Festival is a perfect time for beautiful women and talented men to meet. Today, I will also act as a matchmaker. As long as you can successfully answer the riddles on each floor of the lantern tower, you can climb all the way to the top of the tower and take home this year's prize."

Cheers erupted from below. Chang Nian, holding her mother-in-law's hand, watched as couples of beautiful women and talented men ascended the tower hand in hand, and could only remain where she was, sighing with envy.

Unexpectedly, a young man wearing a rabbit-face mask spoke up from behind: "Why is the young lady sighing? Do you want this lantern?"

Chang Nian subconsciously hummed in agreement, but then shyly added, "I don't really want it, it just looks nice."

The man laughed and said, "Someone once told me that when a girl says she doesn't want something, it means she does."

Having said that, he wrapped his arms around her waist through the handkerchief and led her up the outermost edge of the lighthouse, even faster than those climbing inside. He focused intently on solving the riddle on the glass lantern and shouted loudly, "First level, the answer is Yuanxiao (sweet rice ball)."

He led her up to the second floor of the lighthouse again. "The answer to the second floor is green bamboo." Then, layer after layer, Chang Nian's heart began to pound, but the young man calmly deciphered each riddle and gave the answer.

Finally, the two reached the top of the tower. He looked into her eyes and shouted down, "Seventh floor, the answer is the word 'love'!"

The moment the shopkeeper rang the auspicious bell, he took down the Nine Dragons Chasing the Moon Lantern hanging from the top of the tower and handed it to her. She could hear her own heart pounding like a drum, its sound drowning out the commotion and cheers of the crowd below and his voice. She vaguely heard him say that he didn't know what his name was.

She carried the colorful lantern home and spent several days in a daze, staring blankly at the lantern hanging at the door, and suddenly regretted that she was too ashamed to ask him his name.

One day, she overheard a maid saying that a new guest had arrived at the manor named Bu Si. Upon hearing this familiar name, she immediately ran to the guest hall and peeked through the screen.

Bu Si was wearing a white robe with green bamboo patterns, exactly the same as the man's, and was sitting and discussing philosophy with her father. After several pretend encounters, she gradually became familiar with him as well.

Later, when she asked about the Nine Dragons Chasing the Moon Lantern hanging from the eaves, Bu Si just smiled gently, looked at her intently, and said, "I think that although this lantern is beautiful, it is not even one ten-thousandth as beautiful as Miss Chang's."

She thought he was alluding to the Lantern Festival gift, that night the man handed him the lantern and said, "The bright moon shines on the talented scholar, and the beautiful lantern is meant to be given to the beautiful woman."

Therefore, even though Bu Si's family was poor and her father was extremely against it, she, who had lost her mother at a young age, let herself fall into the cage called love.

One day, he suddenly found her and said that he had accidentally obtained the Azure Sky Sword Manual given to him by an immortal, and learned that there was a cultivation world above the mortal world. He said that he wanted to master the Azure Sky Sword Manual, comprehend the Dao and cultivate immortality, and told her that he would come to find her again when he had achieved enlightenment.

Chang Nian was naturally unwilling. At that moment, the two were deeply in love. She made up her mind, left a letter, and bid farewell to her father.

Who would have thought that the immortal would directly lead Bu Si into the cultivation world? Within this world, demons and monsters are everywhere, and dangers abound. Following the immortal's directions, she and Bu Si arrived at Tianhai Valley, a place rich in spiritual energy, the perfect place for cultivation.

The two of them cut bamboo to build a house, brewed wine and tea, and lived a life that could be considered like that of immortals. However, Bu Si was obsessed with the Azure Sky Sword Technique every day and neglected her. During this time, she wanted to give up countless times, but when she touched the water ripple pendant she carried in her bosom, she persevered.

This jade pendant was taken from his waist that night when she couldn't stop him. She originally wanted to return it to Bu Si, but out of girlish shyness, she just silently put it away.

The warmth of the jade pendant always reminded her of the gentle ripples in her heart when he gave her the lamp that night.

But then, one day, Bu Si suddenly became preoccupied. Sometimes, even when she tried to comfort him gently, he would suddenly lash out, overturn the table, and leave. Afterwards, however, he would gently comfort her and take care of her in every way.

She was in unbearable pain. One day, as if possessed, she followed Bu Si to the bamboo forest. There, she heard the immortal say to Bu Si:

"Enlightenment is difficult to achieve. You should return to the mortal realm sooner rather than later. The cultivation world is not suitable for you. You have practiced the Azure Sky Sword Technique for three whole years, but you have still not been able to grasp the Dao within it. You should cut your losses in time."

“Your wife is more talented than you. Perhaps you could give this sword manual to her to try practicing.”

Bu Si replied awkwardly, "A Nian is delicate, and I don't want her to practice swordsmanship so hard every day. I wonder if the immortal master has any other methods to help me comprehend the Dao."

The immortal said, "Yes, there is, but I'm afraid you won't agree. Never mind."

Bu Si asked with delight, "Is what you say true, Immortal Master? What is the method?"

The immortal sighed and said, "The path to enlightenment lies in the changes of one's state of mind, and the greatest fluctuations in one's state of mind occur when one loses a loved one, such as one's parents or one's wife."

A-Nian broke out in a cold sweat instantly. She could almost feel the immortal's gaze falling on her, though it seemed indistinct.

Bu Si, however, refused righteously and firmly, saying, "Although Anian is not my wife, she is the one I love. I would never use her life as a stepping stone on my path to enlightenment."

Anian breathed a sigh of relief and quietly returned to the bamboo hut. For the next three months, Bu Si treated her as usual, and she gradually lowered her guard.

One day, Bu Si returned excitedly from practicing swordsmanship and told her that he had made some progress in his enlightenment and asked her if she would be willing to marry him.

She hesitated for a moment, but still agreed. For some reason, she thought of the water ripple pendant she had treasured.

On her wedding day, she changed into her wedding robes, tucked the jade pendant into her bosom, and prepared to tell him everything about the feelings she had developed on the Lantern Festival. However, she was unexpectedly stabbed by Bu Si with a sword.

The sharp blade tore through her robes, and she heard Bu Si shout madly, "I'm finally about to attain enlightenment! I'm finally about to attain enlightenment!"

With a deathly pale face, she pulled out the jade pendant from her heart. Dramatically, at that moment, the spiritual energy of Tianhai Valley began to surge wildly into her body, and she actually succeeded in comprehending the Dao before Bu Si.

Witnessing this scene, Bu Si, consumed by jealousy, felt his heart race and his head throb with rage, and began to sing incoherently, "I am the immortal! I am the immortal!"

Chang Nian sighed, then smiled gently: "Young friend Ran, my story is finished. I wonder if it has answered your questions."

Ran Qinghe hit the nail on the head: "So, you didn't kill him simply because he was pretending to be crazy?"

Chang Nian did not answer the question directly, but said, "For some reason, at the moment of enlightenment, Bu Si suddenly became as light as a feather in my heart. So, for me, whether he lives or dies is not important. I have just abandoned this bamboo hut that has trapped me."

Ran Qinghe said, "But Bu Si is still dead." Not only is he dead, but he also stubbornly turned into a vengeful spirit, disturbing the peace of Tianhai Valley.

Who ultimately killed him? The answer is self-evident.

The boy wearing a rabbit-face mask at the Lantern Festival and the immortal who tempted Bu Si to learn swordsmanship and enlightenment should be the same person.

However, perhaps he also knew that the Dao that Chang Nian finally comprehended was both the Dao of the all-encompassing vessel and the Dao of the heartless, which is both compassionate and heartless.

While Ran Qinghe was deep in thought, Chang Nian said again, "Young friend Ran, now it's your turn to answer my question."

"Firstly, how did you become aware of my presence?"

Secondly, how did you guess my identity?

Ran Qinghe said, "As for the first question, I cannot answer directly. I can only answer with four words: spiritual energy fluctuations."

Chang Nian's expression hardened, and she became inexplicably serious. The reason was simple: Ran Qinghe had told her a secret. Being able to sense the spiritual energy fluctuations of others was commonplace for cultivators. However, for her, who had already reached the Refining Void Realm, to still be able to sense her own spiritual energy fluctuations was something only someone with a naturally occurring spiritual body could possess.

Those born with a spiritual body do not need to painstakingly cultivate; their bodies can freely absorb spiritual energy and use it for their own benefit.

However, just as everything in the world has its advantages and disadvantages, if a naturally born spiritual body is not careful in absorbing energy, it may inhale turbid energy or resentment. Turbid energy is one thing, but resentment is another. It can affect a cultivator's consciousness, and in severe cases, it can even lead to demonic possession. For example, Lou Yunya, the former head of the Discipline Hall who died a hundred years ago, was like that.

Chang Nian said solemnly, "Thank you... for your trust, young friend Ran."

Ran Qinghe waved her hand, looking indifferent, and then replied, "The answer to the second question came from Yuan Yao."

Yuan Yao was covering her ears, trying to avoid hearing the sect leader's secrets, when she was suddenly called out: "Me???"

Ran Qinghe said, "It's already strange that a mere vengeful spirit from a secluded valley would prompt the sect leader's disciple to personally invite someone to kill it. But this disciple isn't even an examiner for the sect's trials. Isn't that clearly telling everyone that this vengeful spirit is related to the sect leader?"

Combining this with the information she had previously extracted from Yuan Yao, wasn't it all incredibly simple to deduce?

Chang Nian's expression seemed to melt away like an iceberg, and he chuckled to himself: "Hehe, I rarely see someone as clear-headed, intelligent, and interesting as you, young friend Ran. This time, I owe you a favor. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, you can ask someone to bring me this bamboo leaf token, and I will definitely do my best to help you."

She handed Ran Qinghe a small, smooth jade pendant, shaped like a bamboo leaf, with the character "常" (chang) engraved on it. After Ran Qinghe accepted it, she took her leave.

"The affairs of the sect are complicated, and I have already been delayed for too long. It is not advisable for me to stay any longer. However, there is one thing I am curious about before I leave."

"Why did you let that man bleed to death without caring about him, young friend Ran? Is he your enemy?"