Chapter 35

Xiao Mozai ate his spiritual food carefully, and after the others had finished eating, Chu Jinglan asked for some dry food. The lecture at Lin'an Academy would last for ten days, and bringing some dry food could reduce the consumption of fasting pills.

They packed their things, left the city, and headed towards the Lin'an Academy.

The road after leaving the city was still bustling as always, as if it was not in the suburbs. As the ceremony approached, most of the people who were in a hurry to get there were independent practitioners and people from small sects. Xiao Mo and his friends chose the right time so that they would not be completely without seats when they got there.

As for places that were too close to the teachers of the academy, they might not be able to keep their seats securely even with the academy's guarantee, so they never thought about grabbing the front row.

The big sects have too many tricks up their sleeves, there's no need for them to cause trouble for themselves.

Some people wanted to take advantage of the sermon to show off in front of the teacher because they could not get admission into the Lin'an Academy, but Chu Jinglan had a backup plan.

This is one of the reasons why he chose three children.

Lin'an Academy will accept students after the sermon, but the students must meet the following conditions:

Under ten years old, the cultivation level is at least Qi training;

From the age of eleven to twenty, one’s cultivation should at least be at the foundation-building stage.

Mu Jian had previously said that Dai Zisheng could enter the academy to study only after he had formed his elixir. This was because he was exactly twenty years old, and if he entered after forming his elixir, his cultivation would at least be at least among the lowest among his peers.

The academy is willing to accept disciples from various sects and families to practice. It is inevitable that there will be conflicts between some sects. Dai Zisheng has a higher level of cultivation, so he can stand firm no matter what troubles he encounters.

In Chu Jinglan's hands, only Mo Zhi currently meets the entry requirements.

The rest of the people were hurrying, but the normal speed of the Du'e Gate became a breath of fresh air among them, attracting people's attention frequently. Someone even kindly reminded: "Fellow Daoist, there are already many people outside the academy. We are late. If we don't hurry up, we won't even be able to see the academy gate!"

He was a nice guy, but Xiao Mo and the others were not in a hurry. Xiao Mo smiled at him and said, "Thank you for your reminder, fellow Taoist."

Seeing that he didn't listen, the other party sighed and shook his head. After a rest, he took out the flying sword and flew forward.

When Xiao Mo and his companions arrived near the academy, they realized that what he said was true.

The main gate of Lin'an Academy is located halfway up the mountain. The sky is open and from the gate down, there is a stone path a thousand steps long and dozens of feet wide, built of ancient jade. When the clouds and mists surround the mountainside, it looks like a fairy palace in the sky, majestic and ethereal, so that one cannot see its true appearance.

When mortals stand at the foot of a mountain, they will inevitably feel the urge to pay homage and worship the mountains.

This is the Lin'an Academy in the middle realm, and it has such a style. I dare not even imagine how magnificent the academy in the upper realm would be.

And now, the extremely wide stone steps and the edge of the woods are filled with densely packed heads of people.

Xiao Mo sighed at first when he looked at the magnificent scenery of Lin'an Academy, and then he admired it carefully. After being in the cultivation world for so long, he finally saw the might of the big sects. Right, this is called cultivating immortals!

Chu Jinglan knew that Xiao Mo liked to watch these things. He had guessed it as early as when the black mist ball jumped around like that at the selection meeting for the secret realm of the lower world family. Now that Xiao Mo has a human form, even if half of his face is covered by a mask, it can't hide his look of surprise.

Looking at the three kids next to them, they are even more shocked and look dumbfounded.

But Xiao Mo was different from the three children. After appreciating the scenery, he said to the system: "There are so many people. It looks like a scenic spot on a golden holiday."

There were so many people here that I didn’t know whether they were here to see the scenery or to see the people.

System: "Do you still like traveling?"

Xiao Mo: "What nonsense are you talking about? How can I be involved in such a trivial matter as traveling? I went to the scenic spot to work."

Below the gate of the academy, the whole area, including the forest, was already full of people. Xiao Mo and his friends went to the academy disciples and spent a low-grade spirit stone to buy a "territory protection sign", registered five people, took the sign, found a spot leaning against a tree outside the academy, and circled an area with the sign.

The place is neither too big nor too small, a space where five people can feel comfortable but not too spacious. It is surrounded by a light golden protective cover. Once you choose a position, the sign will float in the air about one meter and will no longer move.

Next to them, two fellow cultivators propped up the barrier and sat on the ground, sighing, "We set out a month ago, but we still didn't make it early."

"Yes, this forum only happens once every ten years. We don't have a chance to let you gentlemen know us this time. Let's come earlier next time!"

At this time, a man in the cover in front of them came back and said to his companions: "I just went to the front to take a look. There are only people reserving seats for famous families. Occasionally, there are a few independent cultivators with high cultivation and two or three disciples. However, those famous families are not the leading sects in the twenty-four prefectures. The real big sects will not compete with us for seats."

"The leaders of the school did not come to listen to the sermon, but to give the school a face. I heard that they would come to congratulate the school one day before the opening ceremony, and then leave after singing the sermon. But the scene was quite impressive, and we happened to see it."

Xiao Mo was also very interested when he heard that there was a big scene to watch. He turned around to talk to Chu Jinglan, but found that Chu Jinglan had already asked the three children to spread out their books and study.

The King of Rolls not only wants to roll himself, but also wants to roll others.

Xiao Mo thought he should set a good example, so he took out his flute.

However, just as he took out the flute, Mo Zhiwa cried out and, regardless of his status, boldly hugged one of Xiao Mo's arms; Yan Chun immediately followed and hugged his other arm, while Chu Xia, with tears in her eyes, grabbed hold of Chu Jinglan's sleeve and asked for help from the most reliable adult.

Xiao Mo: “…”

"Well," he said sinisterly, "you do have some opinions about my flute."

The three little ones didn't dare to say a word: Brother is good at everything, but if he didn't play the flute, he would be the best in the world!

"No." Chu Jinglan gently pulled his sleeve back from Chu Xia's hand, "But I'm afraid people around me might not be used to hearing it."

There are too many people here. Xiao Mo: "I can create a soundproof barrier."

When he was the inner demon spirit, he couldn't hurt anyone, but he had already reached the level of a Yuanying, so it was no problem for him to create a soundproof barrier.

Chu Jinglan was very easy to talk to: "Well, then you blow it."

The three children almost burst into tears.

Xiao Mo couldn't help but hit them on the head with his flute. After hitting them, he hummed, "Alright, I'll wrap a barrier around myself so that you can't hear me, okay?"

Yanchun and Chuxia immediately said, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Only Mo Zhi scratched his head: "Ah? Brother, you can soundproof it, then why didn't you use it before? If you use it, we won't have to hear it on the road."

Xiao Mo raised his hand and held up the flute, pretending to hit him again, but Chu Jinglan said calmly: "It can temper your character along the way."

...Is that so?

That was indeed a way to temper one's character, and the three children suddenly realized.

Xiao Mo: ...No, that’s not what I meant.

Xiao Mo angrily began to pinch the rules, Chu Jinglan sat next to him: "I don't need to be separated."

Xiao Mo paused and tilted his head to look at him through the mask.

Chu Jinglan's tone was flat, just like the water in an ancient pond, without any ripples. It didn't seem like running water, but more like the calmest lake in a Zen temple in the distant mountains.

"You have made progress in music theory. I know it very well."

From the initial hellish sounds of ghosts howling and wolves howling, to the later hoarse and mocking cries of bloodshed, to the roaring of wild beasts, and now to the stumbling and barely formed song, Chu Jinglan has listened to them all and has the most say.

Even when the system had blocked the receiver function, Chu Jinglan did not miss a single song.

Xiao Mo stroked the flute and tilted his head: "Does it sound good?"

Chu Jinglan: "It sounds bad."

Xiao Mo gritted his teeth: "Isn't this your warning of a quarrel?"

"It's an improvement, but it's still unpleasant and not conflicting."

Xiao Mo choked, but Chu Jinglan raised his hand and said, "Lend me the flute."

Xiao Mo choked, but still put the flute on the table with great determination. He wanted to see what Chu Jinglan was going to do.

Chu Jinglan took the flute. When his eyes touched the blowing hole, he paused for a moment, then he slowly raised his hand and placed the flute across his lips.

The breath passed through the bamboo flute, transformed into melodious music, and flew high into the sky.

Xiao Mo widened his eyes slightly.

Just then a little rain began to fall, which was blocked by the protective cover, slightly wetting the surrounding soil, and only a slight breeze blew in.

The rain from the apricot blossoms is wet on my clothes, while the wind from the poplars and willows is not cold on my face.

The sound of flute is faint, the terrace is shrouded in mist and rain, my thoughts are deep and I am like a butterfly in my dream.

The three children raised their heads from their books, their eyes widened unconsciously, and then gradually became immersed in the reading. The people around them also stopped talking and listened to the bamboo flute in the drizzle.

There is no tragic sadness, but it makes people sad for no reason; there seems to be no stunning skills, but it makes people linger.

After the song ended, the people around were still immersed in the music, unable to extricate themselves, until Chu Jinglan handed the flute to Xiao Mo, and then some people came back to their senses and cheered.

“Great song!”

"I think your piece is better than the music from the heavenly realm!"

The praise from others never made Chu Jinglan feel excited. Xiao Mo took the flute from him and said, "I feel like the song isn't over yet?"

Chu Jinglan said: "Well, it's not finished yet."

"You wrote it yourself?" Xiao Mo asked, "What's its name?"

"No name."

"What a pity."

Xiao Mo stroked the flute and looked at him with a smile: "Write it, and give it a title after you finish it, so I can learn from it."

For someone who hasn't even managed to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star smoothly, his ambitions are quite ambitious.

Chu Jinglan didn't say whether it was good or bad: "Are the tunes you play on weekdays also written by yourself?"

Now it can be heard that Xiao Mo's flute sound is not just random playing, but obviously there is a music score. But I don't know if it is because Xiao Mo is completely out of tune or for some other reason, Chu Jinglan still can't tell what song it is.

Xiao Mo didn't even pretend: "I didn't write it, but I know it."

"The name is 'Little Star', isn't it cute?"

Chu Jinglan couldn't help but think of the first night in Weicheng. He was suppressing his blood and tears in the dark room, while Xiao Mo was sitting on the steps outside the house, drowning out his hatred and pain with the sound of the flute.

When he opened the window, the stars in the sky were reflected in his eyes. The night sky was clear and the Milky Way was vast and magnificent. Xiao Mo turned his back to the starry sky and knocked on his window.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...very appropriate.

[Ding, mental attack successful, points +50! ]

Xiao Mo:?

Are you sure you're right?

Just now he was attracted by Chu Jinglan's flute playing. How could Chu Jinglan's playing a tune be considered as his emotions being affected by his inner demons?

Could it be that since it was Xiao Mo who lent the flute, he deserves credit for it? Then this points system is too favorable to him, but why didn't he get so many extra points before?

Xiao Mo couldn't help but ask the system for confirmation.

The system swore: "It is absolutely impossible to make mistakes. Our system is professional!"

Xiao Mo: "Okay."

Anyway, the points benefit him, so he might as well take them.

Xiao Mo stroked the flute, and finally couldn't help but turn his head to complain to Chu Jinglan: "Damn, you play too well."

The masks covered their faces, but in the remaining light, Xiao Mo seemed to catch a hint of a smile in his eyes.

It flashed by, like a drizzle that just came along with the clouds and drifted away with the clouds, leaving no heavy trace, only a little moist water vapor in the air.

【Points +10! 】

Xiao Mo felt that he would soon become rich.

After listening to the song Chu Jinglan just played, he was not discouraged at all. Instead, he was in high spirits. He used a soundproof barrier to frame himself and Chu Jinglan, and wanted to play a song for Chu Jinglan to enjoy.

However, when the flute was about to touch his lips, Xiao Mo suddenly stopped.

Wait, wait, it just seemed like... No, it wasn't like, it was just that Chu Jinglan just played his flute!

When his lips were still two or three inches away from the flute, Xiao Mo became completely stiff. He finally realized that the blowing hole of the flute had just been touched by someone.

Actually, this is not the first time. When I used Chu Jinglan's body before, I also picked up the flute and started playing.

But at that time, both consciousnesses were in one body, and Xiao Mo was completely unaware of it. It was not until today, when the two of them sat side by side, each clearly separated, that Xiao Mo finally noticed what he had overlooked.

The flute was almost at his lips, but Xiao Mo was stuck there, unable to move it up or down, and his hands were completely unable to move.

Chu Jinglan was surprised to find that the person next to him stopped moving for a long while for no apparent reason, and turned his head to look at him.

Their eyes met through the masks, and the boundless tacit understanding made Chu Jinglan stunned for a moment, and then his gaze uncontrollably fell on the flute.

Chu Jinglan was shocked: "..."

Xiao Mo: “…”

Xiao Mo felt that tacit understanding was not necessary all the time. For example, right now, he really didn't want to understand Chu Jinglan's thoughts immediately.

Especially the new system prompt that popped up in his ears.

[Ding, mental attack successful, points +150! ]

Xiao Mo... Xiao Mo seemed to know how he got those jingling points in the black forest.

It wasn't that Chu Jinglan was surprised that he could control the monster's mind, but because Xiao Mo used his body to play the flute at that time.

Isn't it indirect...Bah, stop it, what are you thinking about!

It must be because Chu Jinglan is not used to it and has a bit of a germaphobia!

I think I have a little bit of that, too.

But I had used Chu Jinglan's body to play the flute before. If I use the cleaning technique to wipe the flute now, wouldn't it seem too deliberate?

Awkward silence spread between the two people like the calm sea surface pressing down on the dark whirlpool underneath.

Before the whirlpool hit him, Chu Jinglan was the first to look away as if nothing had happened.

Xiao Mo held the flute in his hand, made up his mind, closed his eyes, touched the blowhole, and blew it with a beeping sound.

Just when he said that he had made progress recently, he broke into a loud voice, as if he had returned to the time before liberation. Chu Jinglan, who was used to his tune, was shocked and recalled the tragic days at the beginning.

But he didn't turn around to look at Xiao Mo, because he knew why Xiao Mo broke the note.

Xiao Mo was also startled by the harsh sound. He pulled his lips away and coughed dryly: "It's a mistake. Let's try again."

Anyway, it has happened, Xiao Mo told himself, don’t think too much, as long as I don’t care, nothing can embarrass me.

And in the future, there will probably be many situations where you will use your body to play the flute, so you need to get used to it.

As Xiao Mo was thinking this, he blew on the flute and another broken note came out.

[Ding, points +20! ]

Xiao Mo: “…”

He put down the flute, removed the soundproofing barrier, and sat calmly: "I thought about it, today is not suitable for practicing the flute, I'd better focus on the mental method."

Chu Jinglan: “Yeah.”

At this time, tacit understanding has its advantages. Both of them quietly turn over the page. As long as no one mentions it, it will be easy to move on.

You are all good at acting, worthy of your praise.

*

Xiao Mo continued to practice his mental skills and other techniques. On the second to last day before the lecture, a large force from the Illusion Sword Sect arrived.

They rode on a flying boat, passed the crowd at the foot of the mountain, and went straight forward. There were many flying boats from various sects in the past two days, so everyone was used to it. However, when they found out it was the flying boat of the Illusion Sword Sect, Xiao Mo took a closer look.

His spiritual awareness covers a wide range and he can see everything.

There was no space below to dock the flying boat, so the disciples flew down with swords, and Su Baimo followed Dai Zisheng.

Xiao Mo just took a quick look and looked away. After a while, a group of three disciples from the Huanjian Sect came down the mountain. They were probably going down the mountain to do something temporarily.

When they passed in front of Xiao Mo and others, Chu Jinglan's body suddenly tensed up.

Outsiders did not notice anything, but Xiao Mo sensed the murderous intent that flashed across Chu Jinglan's eyes, as well as the veins on the back of his hand that bulged as he tried to suppress it.

Xiao Mo asked him in a voice transmission: "Chu Jinglan?"

Chu Jinglan tried hard not to follow someone's back. He lowered his head and stared at the ground. He only said three words: "Chu family."

There are people from the Chu family working in the Huanjian Sect, helping the sect and getting resources for the Chu family, but there are not many of them, only three in total.

There was only one of them among the disciples of the Illusion Sword Sect who just passed by.

"Chu Jiao." Chu Jinglan said coldly, "He is good at talismans and formations. It was also him who improved the restrictions on my mother."

Xiao Mo heard this and turned his head to look at the three people's receding backs. His tone was very light, but mysterious: "Kill?"

Although no one knows which one is Chu Jiao, the highest among the three is only at the Golden Core level.

Chu Jinglan shifted his gaze from the soil to the back of his hand with bulging veins, and covered it with his sleeve: "There are too many powerful people here, it is inconvenient to take action."

The cultivators in the lower realm can only reach the peak of Yuanying, so Yuanying is the last resort of every family and they will not take action easily. However, the middle realm is different. The spiritual energy and resources are dozens of times that of the lower realm, and the highest cultivation level is the peak of Fenshen.

There are Yuanying soldiers stationed at every gate of the academy for those who come to listen to lectures. Among the fifty people from Huanjian Sect, there are five Yuanying soldiers, not to mention that there are also cultivators in the Spirit Severing stage in the academy.

If I were to be exposed here because of a momentary impulse, I would lose more than I gain.

He couldn't lose the opportunity to take revenge on the entire Chu family just because of the life of one member of the Chu family.

There is more than one person who has harmed his mother and him.

But Xiao Mo spoke.

"I have a new technique that I learned in the past two days. It is very unlikely to be discovered." His tone was still his usual one, but it seemed to be naturally alluring. The inner demon asked him, "Do you want to listen?"

Chu Jinglan raised his eyes in shock.

"hear."

Chu Jinglan did not hesitate. He could endure when he should, but why not kill when he could?

Since there is a way, he certainly won't refuse.

Hatred will never disappear, but it can be expressed with blood.