Chapter 43

As night fell, the lights in Yushan Sect came on. Although the small wooden house was located in a remote area, a little light was enough to illuminate the entire house.

Chu Jinglan's hands and feet had regained their strength. Xiao Mo watched him straighten his clothes and asked, "Shall we start now?"

Chu Jinglan: “Yeah.”

Then Xiao Mo shot out several balls of spiritual light, which illuminated the open space outside the wooden house.

The moon is very bright tonight, and the stars are sparse. The round moon is too bright, covering the light of the stars. Xiao Mo's spiritual light balls have turned into stars, dotted around the open space.

The two walked outside the house. Chu Jinglan walked to the middle and stopped, then nodded to Xiao Mo.

Xiao Mo seemed to be motionless, but in the next second, pressure like a wave instantly came towards Chu Jinglan!

Chu Jinglan's face suddenly tensed up, and he groaned. All the muscles in his body stretched to the extreme, pulling out the last bit of spiritual power in his broken dantian, trying hard to resist the pressure.

At first, I couldn't move at all.

When Xiao Mo was with Chu Jinglan, who was once a genius, he was unaware of it. It was not until now that he entered the middle realm that he realized how much of an advantage his cultivation had.

As the Inner Demon at the beginning, it is inconvenient to do anything. He is a dark mass without even a human form. Not only does he have his own hatred value, but he can only stick to Chu Jinglan. If you stay near him, you cannot go far away.

But Xiao Mo's transformation was too fast.

Not only can he appear in front of people, but he can also become invisible at any time. Even a genius like Chu Jinglan had worked hard to build up his skills bit by bit. Now that his skills have been wasted, he has to start over again with pain.

Xiao Mo's initial cultivation level was on par with Chu Jinglan's, and the techniques he practiced with his inner demon body were also very smooth. Except for the fact that he couldn't hurt others on his own without a physical body, his method of cultivation was the envy of many people.

In this light, it seems reasonable to impose some restrictions on him.

Xiao Mo thought while maintaining a stable pressure, watching Chu Jinglan slowly start to move after resisting for a moment.

He took a half step and slowly raised his hands, which was the starting move he usually made when practicing swordsmanship.

It seems that he wants to practice sword skills under pressure to adapt to the pressure.

But his movements were so, so slow, moving bit by bit, slower than a snail, as if a video was in slow motion. It didn't even constitute a move. If this had happened in actual combat, it would have been enough to shock him and knock him out several times.

But since it is practice, we naturally have to start from scratch and work our way up. We cannot become rich overnight.

Xiao Mo simply floated to the roof and sat down, observing Chu Jinglan's slow movements from all angles. His lightness and Chu Jinglan's heaviness formed a sharp contrast. In the blink of an eye, Chu Jinglan was soaked in sweat, as if he had been pulled out of the water.

Xiao Mo subconsciously wanted to perform a cleansing technique, but Chu Jinglan sent him a message.

[Not yet]

All right.

Xiao Mo put down his hands, simply crossed the flute and started to play softly.

The tune he played was the one composed by Chu Jinglan. This time he did not deliberately break the voice like he did when he harassed the Yushan Sect disciples before. You could hear that although he was out of tune, his breath was steady. Although it was unpleasant to the ear, the pauses and stops actually had a sense of rhythm.

After playing only two or three passages, Xiao Mo stopped playing the flute and withdrew his pressure.

As soon as the pressure was withdrawn, the mountain of pressure on his body suddenly disappeared. Chu Jinglan's body swayed and he almost fell. He immediately used the sword as a fulcrum to support his body.

He hung his head and gasped, beads of sweat the size of beans slid down his face and fell to the ground. Xiao Mo's cleansing technique came down at this time, gently brushing away his wolfish appearance.

Under the pressure just now, Chu Jinglan only had time to slowly launch two sword strikes. At this moment, his whole body was shaking, and it seemed as if his hands and feet were not his own.

And the pressure only lasted for less than half a cup of tea. Xiao Mo controlled it very well. If it lasted a little longer, Chu Jinglan probably wouldn't be able to bear it at all.

He slowed down for a moment, and when he took out the bottle of medicine, he almost couldn't hold it steadily. The veins on the back of his hand were all over. He barely forced it into his mouth, and then his limbs and bones felt a little better.

Only when his breathing became steady did Xiao Mo speak: "Let's stop here today. If you continue, you will get hurt."

Chu Jinglan didn't try to be stubborn without any meaning: "Yeah."

He looked down at his hands, and his palms slowly stopped shaking. As long as he was not crushed, every adaptation would be a test, and every bit would be an experience that would make him stronger.

Chu Jinglan slowly exhaled a breath of foul air, and after he had completely recovered, he put away the sword.

Xiao Mo jumped down from the roof: "Go back to your room to read, or meditate?"

Chu Jinglan had already rested for a while in the afternoon, and it was too early for them to go to bed now. The King of Volume's life was related to cultivation every day, and Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan were used to it.

When Chu Jinglan looked up and saw Xiao Mo jumping off the roof, he also saw the moon behind him.

At this time, the moon is full, and is coated with a light warm yellow. Although the temperature in Guangdu Prefecture is as hot as midsummer, the moon is already the moon of golden autumn. The autumn moon is in tune with the mind and meditation. When the moonlight is at its best, the flow of spiritual energy will also change. Hence the saying of meditating while bathing in the moon.

Chu Jinglan said: "Let's go to the top of the mountain."

Xiao Mo followed his line of sight and looked at the full moon behind him, and understood: "Bathing in the moonlight? Sure."

Practicing cultivation anywhere is still practicing cultivation. Comprehending the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is not only beneficial for tempering the body, but also has great benefits for the mind. Xiao Mo certainly agreed.

Yushan Sect is halfway up the mountain. To go to the top of the mountain, you have to go through the back gate and climb the stairs.

This mountain originally had no name, and was named Jade Mountain after the sect. It is not very high among the famous mountains and rivers. The road below the mountainside, which is the road that Xiao Mochu used to travel to and from the village in the daytime, is very steep. After the mountainside, the road is very open and some areas are rugged, but there are no dangerous sections.

The woods are all beside the mountain paths. Walking on the wide road with the bright moon hanging high above your head, you will not feel it is dark and deep. Instead, you will feel your mind is vast and boundless. With the bright moon in your arms, you will have a sense of openness and a happy heart.

Xiao Mo's light steps deliberately stepped on the stone slabs, matching the low chirping of insects in the woods, composing a special melody in the mountains and forests.

Chu Jinglan's heart moved, and the half-finished music score seemed to loosen a little.

As he listened to Xiao Mo's footsteps, he remembered what Xiao Mo said when he carried him back.

"Xiao Mo."

Chu Jinglan called him.

Xiao Mo was admiring the moonlight in the forest. He tilted his head when he heard this: "Huh?"

"Didn't you ask me when I could carry you on my back?" Chu Jinglan said, "I can do it now."

Xiao Mo was stunned and stopped suddenly: "What?"

Chu Jinglan had no expression and repeated: "I'll carry you."

Xiao Mo: “…”

"I..." His tongue was tied a little, and he couldn't help but tighten the flute in his hand and smoothed out his words, "I just said it casually at the time."

Chu Jinglan said nothing and just looked at him quietly.

Chu Jinglan, who was in the early stage of Qi training, did not feel any pressure, but Xiao Mo suddenly felt that the pressure was particularly great.

Xiao Mo originally wanted to say that at such an old age, with no injuries or illnesses, it was really embarrassing to be carried by someone.

But I was the one who made the suggestion earlier. If I really want to give it a try, it might be possible, but I just feel a little awkward and can't get over that hurdle of shame.

Xiao Mo hesitated, and for a moment he was speechless facing Chu Lan's shocked gaze.

Chu Jinglan seemed to see his hidden hesitation and concern, and only added lightly: "There is no one else here."

...Indeed, even if someone carries me on their back, no one will see me. If I really want to give it a try, this is the right time and place.

But you don't have to try, right?

With his inner demons and inner villains pulling him back and forth, Chu Jinglan just stood in the moonlight, waiting for him quietly.

Maybe it was because the moonlight was too good tonight, or maybe it was because Chu Jinglan's eyes were as quiet as morning frost, the little people who were being pulled slowly stood in a line.

It's a small thing I haven't experienced before, and there's no harm in it. Now that we've come to this, what's the harm in giving it a try?

Xiao Mo finally walked over, still not feeling very natural: "Well...then can you recite a passage for me?"

Chu Jinglan nodded and squatted on the mountain path.

Xiao Mo pursed his lips, hesitated for a second or two, then made up his mind, bent down, and slowly put his hand on it.

Chu Jinglan carried the person up steadily.

Spirits are originally weightless, but in order to pretend to be a human, Xiao Mo used his spiritual power to add some weight to them. Otherwise, it would look unnatural if it floated so lightly. But overall, it was still very light, and Chu Jinglan had no difficulty carrying him on his back.

When Chu Jinglan stood up in surprise, Xiao Mo's hand on his shoulder tightened subconsciously and moved against his back.

The other hand still held the flute and refused to let go.

My hands felt wrong wherever I placed them, and my vision also changed. It was a strange height, with my feet hanging in the air and not very stable. Yet, my legs were being held firmly, so it felt very stable.

Feeling down-to-earth yet not fully secure, contradictory and strange.

This is probably because when people walk they rely on themselves, but once they are carried by someone else, they have to rely on others for most of the time and are no longer completely in control of themselves.

Even Xiao Mo could feel it, so how could someone as meticulous and vigilant as Chu Jinglan not feel it?

When asked before how he felt about being carried on someone's back, he said it was nothing. Xiao Mo snorted and laughed. Is he being stubborn again?

After chuckling, he completely relaxed, his hands loosely placed on Chu Jinglan's shoulders, not afraid of being dropped.

Chu Jinglan walked very steadily, so steadily that Xiao Mo couldn't help but try to let go of his hand completely and hand over the initiative to him. Then he held the flute across and began to play softly.

He blew very softly. Some birds that wanted to go to bed early in the woods chirped and chirped a few times, then folded their feathers and went back to sleep. The song he played was not Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but the song by Chu Jinglan.

The tune continued intermittently, moving forward little by little and upstream, just like the two of them, slowly walking up the mountain together.

When they reached the top of the mountain, there were no more trees blocking the view. All they could see were endless distant mountains and the night sky. The high autumn moon cast endless soft light, and Xiao Mo recalled a line of poetry in the melody.

I wish the moonlight would shine upon you.

When he thought of this line of poetry, half of the song had already been played, but two flute notes unconsciously flowed from Xiao Mo's lips.

Chu Jinglan's heart was moved.

The mountains are high and the horizons are far, the mind is clear and open, Xiao Mo patted him lightly on the shoulder: "Put me down."

Chu Jinglan put him down, and his back felt empty, as if a light feather had been let go, leaving only a faint touch.

There was actually a small pavilion on the top of the mountain, but they did not go into the pavilion. Instead, they walked to the top of the mountain and sat down on a big rock.

About ten steps ahead is the cliff. The wind on the top of the mountain was very cool at night. Xiao Mo also put spiritual power on Chu Jinglan to protect his body. Chu Jinglan closed his eyes and meditated, hoping to use the moonlight and spiritual energy to flush his meridians. Xiao Mo looked into the distance from the deep cliff and let his mind wander.

The bright moon rises over Tianshan Mountain. The universe is so vast, and the red dust is so insignificant. People stand between heaven and earth. They can build a building a hundred feet high, but it is just a drop in the ocean. Even if you have lofty ambitions, you are just a floating boat.

Floating and swaying, with no one to hold on to and nowhere to go, Xiao Mo's eyes moved slightly. Having once lived a homeless life, he understood this point very early on.

Now, something seems to have changed.

Xiao Mo's mind slowly retracted from the mountains, rivers and the bright moon. The vast world gradually shrank and then fell on him and Chu Jinglan.

There is an invisible thread between the inner demon and the true self, and the inner demon can always sense it clearly.

Xiao Mo was a witness as well as a fellow traveler. At least on the journey together, no matter where Chu Jinglan was, he would always go to Chu Jinglan's side. In other words, even if he was wandering around, he was not homeless.

Chu Jinglan's sea of ​​consciousness, the person Chu Jinglan, is the residence of the inner demon.

Xiao Mo, who was in deep thought, was suddenly stunned.

…He seemed to realize only at this moment that the connection between him and Chu Jinglan was far deeper than he had imagined.

The profound thought he had just realized turned into a bubble and was gently popped. Xiao Mo realized that his mind was moving in a strange way. He quickly withdrew his mind and ended his meditation.

It seemed like there were gains, but it also seemed like there was no change in his spiritual altar. Xiao Mo was experiencing the results of this spiritual practice, but he was rarely quite sure.

It's a bit strange, but it doesn't seem to be a bad thing, at least the altar didn't move.

If that's the case, then just go with the flow. Anyway, you can't always get an opportunity to realize something.

Xiao Mo finished his part, bent one leg, rested his chin on his knee, and looked gently towards Chu Jinglan.

My trance was interrupted when I thought of Chu Jinglan just now.

But there is nothing special that can be understood between him and Chu Jinglan, so it is strange that his thoughts were directed to him.

However, meditation is inherently mysterious, and sometimes if you try to rack your brains to think about it afterwards, you'll end up getting stuck in a dead end.

Chu Jinglan closed his eyes and slowly absorbed the moonlight's spiritual energy.

His Dantian could not contain spiritual energy, but his meridians and spiritual roots could still benefit from the cultivation. The meridians that were originally severed and then reconnected were almost painless now. A lot of the stagnation was forcefully washed away by him day after day, and now there was only a slight itching sensation, which was the last hidden injury in the meridians.

Yuehua's breath was gentle and suitable for healing. When it passed through Dantian, Dantian didn't feel any pain.

It was not until the moon slowly set in the sky and its brightness had passed its peak that Chu Jinglan slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were clear, and he could sense Xiao Mo's gaze on him without turning his head. He turned around and looked into Xiao Mo's eyes.

"I've thought of a way to pull off a shocking move," Xiao Mo said, "I'll go find him and try it out tomorrow."

Thinking about solving problems while sitting idly is good, it's a sign of being a top student.

Chu Jinglan asked in shock: "What is it?"

The method was very simple, but when the words came to his lips, Xiao Mo suddenly wanted to keep it a secret and blinked: "It may not work. You will know tomorrow."

Chu Jinglan didn't expect this to be the answer. He widened his eyes slightly with a flash of surprise.

But he quickly calmed down and said, "Okay."

Since Xiao Mo didn't say anything, he didn't ask any further questions.

When they were going down the mountain, Chu Jinglan asked him if he wanted to be carried down the mountain again.

Xiao Mo waved his hand: "I carried you on my back twice, but I don't mean you have to carry me back the same number of times. No, there won't be much moonlight to see when we get down the mountain. Let's hurry back."

If he goes back now, Chu Jinglan can still get some sleep.

Chu Jinglan nodded, but after returning, he did not rest immediately. Instead, he took out a piece of paper with half a song written on it.

Xiao Mo walked over and saw him picking up the pen and adding two more paragraphs.

But it’s still not finished.

Xiao Mo hummed along with the two newly added sections, his eyes lit up: "It sounds good."

A good song is worth waiting for, and he is really looking forward to the day when Chu Jinglan finishes writing this song.

*

On the second day, although they did not have to go to the office to get tasks, the two still got up early. After practicing for a while, they went to the outside of Jing Lei's yard at 9:00 p.m.

They knocked on the door and said in surprise, "Come in."

The two men entered the courtyard and saluted Jing Lei first.

Jing Lei nodded and summoned his heavy sword. Chu Jinglan was about to step forward, but Xiao Mo took a step forward and said to Jing Lei first, "Senior, I wonder if I can challenge you, too?"

Chu Jinglan was suddenly stunned.

It turns out that this is the method that Xiao Mo talked about.

Xiao Mo noticed Chu Lan's shocked expression and couldn't help but sigh in his heart:

Just like solving the problem of how to resist coercion, they thought for a while before they thought of Xiao Mo. And from the results, it was ultimately just a private matter between Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan, and Xiao Mo did not confront anyone else.

Even though Xiao Mo fabricated a fake human identity, Chu Jinglan did not subconsciously push Xiao Mo out to the outside world alone, so Chu Jinglan did not even think of such a simple thing as letting Xiao Mo challenge Jing Lei and helping him to develop a set of moves.

First, Chu Jinglan was used to dealing with things on his own, and second, he seemed to be used to keeping Xiao Mo in a safe zone.

No matter if it was the inner demon dumpling in the past or the young man now, Chu Jinglan didn't think that Xiao Mo should stand in front of him to face any danger.

Just like when Jing Lei suddenly attacked in front of the mountain gate, Chu Jinglan instinctively pushed Xiao Mo away, protected him, and took the responsibility himself.

As for Xiao Mo, after being a demon for a long time, he seems to be regaining his human feeling.

Xiao Mo thought, it seems that we haven't adapted to our new way of getting along with each other.

Chu Jinglan's lips moved slightly, and Xiao Mo said, "Don't worry, I won't really fight him."

Jing Lei looked at Xiao Mo after hearing this and said, "You are only in the initial stage of foundation building. How many moves can you withstand against 10% of my spiritual power? And I heard from Song Xuan that you practiced the path of mercy that can't hurt people. Can you really attack me?"

Xiao Mo also revealed his plan to him: "So please give me some leeway and allow me to use a high-level magic weapon that can speed up under your pressure. I won't attack, I'll just dodge, and you can only use ten moves each time."

This clearly states "We want to destroy your plan" on their faces.

The so-called magic weapon is fake, but Xiao Mo cannot let others suspect him, so he can only use the magic weapon as a cover.

Xiao Mo faced the surprise calmly: "You are too powerful. We can only think of all kinds of methods. I come to challenge you because I really want to see your moves. I wonder if you agree?"

Jing Lei looked at him, then looked at Chu Jinglan, and said, "You two have a good relationship."

He opened the wine bottle and took a sip, wiped his mouth, and snorted: "Even if you can understand my moves, it doesn't matter. With such a huge gap in realm, Chu Jinglan won't be able to survive more than ten moves from me."

Xiao Mo: "Senior, do you agree to this?"

"Come on." Jing Lei raised his sword and pointed it at Xiao Mo, "Use your magic weapon to escape as much as you can."

Xiao Mo nodded to Chu Jinglan, signaling him to go first. Chu Jinglan stood by and carefully observed Jinglei's moves and body movements.

Xiao Mo didn't care how much time and effort Chu Jinglan spent to overcome the difficulty of Jing Lei in the original novel, but now that he was here, he naturally had to do what he could.

Chu Jinglan straightened the corners of his lips, a hint of confusion flashed across his eyes, and then turned into obscure complexity.

Although Xiao Mo's cultivation level meant that he could easily dodge Jing Lei's attack, which only used 10% of his spiritual power, what if Xiao Mo attacked out of reflex...

Xiao Mo cannot attack in spirit form because he will be counterattacked, and Chu Jinglan actually still remembers that on the day Wanyu died at the Chu family, when he stumbled into the yard, Xiao Mo was lying on the ground, and then quickly returned to his consciousness.

Chu Jinglan was unable to see clearly at that time, and Wanyu's death had dealt him too heavy a blow, causing his mind and memory to become confused, making many details blurry.

Every time he thought about it later, some details gradually became clear. When Chu Jiao died, Chu Jinglan recalled the day when the blood feud was forged. This time the scene was clearer. He thought that Xiao Mo's expression at that time must have been painful.

How could he, a spirit, feel pain, unless Xiao Mo had fought with the Chu family for Wan Yu that day.

Perhaps it was after this incident that Xiao Mo realized that if he attacked in spirit form, he would be retaliated against.

Chu Jinglan couldn't help but press his finger bones.

Knowing that a person will be fine, but still not wanting to let him go...it turns out that people really do feel this way.

The author has something to say:

Mini-theater:

Xiao Xiao and Xiao Chu were partners in doing exams. Xiao Chu thought Xiao Xiao had never been to an exam room. Suddenly one day, Xiao Xiao said to him: "I'm going to take an exam!"

Xiao Chu:!

Xiao Chu: #More nervous than taking my own exam.jpg#