Chapter 107 Visiting Appointment, Heart-to-heart Talk under the Moon
The shock and purge of Xuanyun Sect's leadership spread like a boulder dropped into a lake, sending ripples emanating outward. Zhan Kuangfeng was placed under the full control of the Discipline Hall, and True Man Lieyang was ordered to reflect on his mistakes. Several elders and disciples closely associated with Situ Kuang were taken in for investigation. Suddenly, the once arrogant Zhan Kuangfeng became a scene of panic, and everyone felt insecure.
In stark contrast, Yundan Peak was bustling with activity. Lay Buddhist Muyun had been entrusted with the important task of handling follow-up negotiations with the Bishui Pavilion and internal sect compensation and rewards. Every day, a constant stream of elders and true disciples from various peaks came to visit and seek instructions. Yeli, as the newly promoted core true disciple, was the center of attention, with numerous disciples coming to offer congratulations, test their skills, and even to offer their support.
However, Ye Li declined most of the visits, citing her injuries as a pretext for retreat and a need for quiet cultivation. She lived in seclusion, rarely going out. Her newly acquired, independent cave was located beside a tranquil spiritual spring in the back mountains of Yundan Peak. The sect's formation master personally arranged a spirit gathering array and a protective formation, creating an abundant spiritual energy and a tranquil environment.
Inside the cave, Ye Li sat cross-legged on a jade couch, not rushing to cultivate, but quietly reviewing recent events. Situ Kuang's downfall was predictable, but his gravely injured and comatose ending held a certain mystery. Sect Leader Xuan Chengzi seized the opportunity to purge Zhan Kuangfeng, employing sophisticated tactics that revealed his years of forbearance and ambition. He had surrendered a portion of his earnings in exchange for core disciple status and resources; this move was a wise one, greatly facilitating Youge's development and its own operations.
But in her heart, all these internal turmoil in the sect were nothing compared to her concern for that cold figure.
Qin Yixuan was being recuperated at Shuiyunjian, the exclusive welcoming peak of the Bishui Pavilion, located on the Xuanyun Sect's exclusive guest-receiving peak. Ye Li had considered visiting her, but considering her serious injuries and the need for absolute rest, and considering Elder Yun of the Bishui Pavilion would undoubtedly be on guard, she temporarily suppressed her thoughts. She simply secretly monitored the news of Shuiyunjian through Lin Feng every day, sending her some of her carefully prepared spiritual fluids to help warm the meridians and nourish the soul.
One day, dusk fell and the moon began to rise. Ye Li was in the small courtyard outside her cave, practicing her newly mastered "Frost Condensation Finger" from the "Ice Emperor Sealing Heaven Art." Wherever her finger passed, fine ice crystals condensed in the air, imbued with a powerful sealing force. Suddenly, she felt a sense of something. Looking up, she saw a familiar, slightly slender figure, slowly walking along the mountain path in the moonlight.
The person who arrived wore a pale blue dress, topped with a moon-white gauze gown. Her long, cascading black hair was held up with a simple jade hairpin. Her face, still pale from her injuries, looked even more charming in the cold moonlight. It was Qin Yixuan. Her steps were slow, but she no longer needed support, though her breathing was still a little weak.
Ye Li was slightly startled, and then a subtle surprise flashed in his eyes. He quickly stopped practicing and went forward to greet her: "Senior Sister Qin? Why are you here? Your injury..."
Qin Yixuan came closer, her cold eyes seemed particularly bright in the moonlight. She looked at Ye Li, and a very faint but real arc appeared on the corner of her mouth: "I've been lying down for a long time, and my bones are almost stiff. I heard that Junior Sister Ye opened a new cave, so I wanted to come for a walk, and by the way... thank you in person." Her voice was much softer than usual, with a hint of weakness after the injury, but it added a bit of pitiful charm.
"Senior Sister, you are too polite. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't..." Before Ye Li could finish her words, Qin Yixiuan interrupted her gently.
"There's no need to talk about the past." Qin Yixuan shook her head, her eyes sweeping across the quiet environment around Yeli Cave Mansion. "Your place is quite elegant and peaceful."
"If you don't mind, you can take a look." Ye Li stepped aside. The two of them strolled slowly in the moonlit courtyard.
The evening breeze blew by, bringing with it the moist scent of the spiritual spring and the delicate fragrance of flowers and plants. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Only the sound of footsteps and the rustling of leaves in the breeze filled the air. However, the atmosphere was not awkward, but rather a rare sense of tranquility and peace.
After walking for a while, they stopped beneath an ancient laurel tree. Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled spots of light. Qin Yixuan looked up at the bright moon in the sky and sighed softly, "Although I narrowly escaped death from this serious injury, it also made me understand many things."
Ye Li looked at her quietly, waiting for what to say next.
"In the past, everyone in the Bishui Pavilion praised me for my exceptional talent and said I was the sect's future hope. I always used this as a self-motivation, diligently cultivating and never slacking off." Qin Yixuan's voice was vague and ethereal. "I always felt like I was carrying a heavy burden on my shoulders, as if an invisible pair of eyes were constantly watching me, urging me to become stronger and fulfill some...unknown mission."
She turned her head and looked at Ye Li, with a hint of confusion and inquiry in her eyes: "Ye Li, tell me, why do we practice so hard and pursue powerful strength? Is it just to surpass others and stand at the top of all living beings? Or... is there a deeper meaning?"
This question touched upon the very essence of the Dao Heart. Ye Li was silent for a moment, as memories of her past and present lives flashed through her mind. The obsession with revenge, the desire to protect, the pursuit of the truth, the control over her own destiny...
"Perhaps, everyone has their own answer." Ye Li's voice was exceptionally calm in the moonlight. "For me, power is a means, not an end. I need power to protect those I want to protect, to clarify the fog of the past, to sever the shackles that bind me, and to possess... the right to say no."
She paused and looked at Qin Yixuan. "As for the mission... since you have sensed it, then face it. Whether it's a blessing or a curse, a fate or a calamity, only by moving on can we know. But no matter what, we should not let the so-called 'mission' completely consume us. Senior Sister is Senior Sister, Qin Yixuan, not any other shadow."
These words reflected both Ye Li's own insights and her own understanding of Qin Yixuan's confusion. She pointed out that Qin Yixuan might be burdened with fate, but emphasized the importance of maintaining her true heart.
Qin Yixuan listened in a daze, Ye Li's words flowing through her bewildered heart like a spring. Yes, she was Qin Yixuan. No matter what power lay dormant within her, no matter what mission she shouldered, she had to be herself first. This realization made her feel as if the huge stone that had been weighing on her heart had loosened a little.
"Protect those you want to protect... Have the right to say no..." Qin Yixuan repeated softly, her gaze fixed on Ye Li's profile, outlined by the moonlight. The subtle throbbing in her heart resurfaced. This girl before her, seemingly cold and hard, possessed such a resolute and warm strength within. She couldn't help but think of Ye Li healing her wounds, regardless of her own personal injury, and her back as she stood before her, confronting a powerful enemy...
"Ye Li," Qin Yixuan suddenly asked, her tone tinged with curiosity. "You seem to have experienced a lot more than most people your age. Sometimes, I feel that your eyes don't look like those of a teenage girl, but rather like... someone who has seen through the vicissitudes of life."
Ye Li's heart trembled slightly, knowing that it was her occasional revelation of her past life that caught the other person's attention. Naturally, she couldn't openly mention her rebirth, so she said vaguely, "Perhaps it's just nature, or perhaps... some unspoken past that has forced me to mature prematurely."
She didn't elaborate, and Qin Yixuan considerately didn't ask any further questions. Everyone has their own secrets, just like the divine essence within her.
The two discussed their cultivation experiences. Qin Yixuan shared with Ye Li some insights from the first half of the "Nine Heavens Mysterious Water Scripture" regarding the flexibility of water and its nourishment of life, which helped Ye Li gain a more seamless understanding of the control of ice power. Ye Li, in turn, shared insights from the "Ice Emperor Sealing Heaven Art" regarding the principles of extreme cold and the prohibitions, which also gave Qin Yixuan a new understanding of the fierceness of the Way of Water. This exchange, unrelated to the sect's interests, was purely a mutual confirmation of their paths, and both felt deeply benefited.
The moonlight grows darker and the coolness grows stronger.
Qin Yixuan coughed lightly twice, her face turning even paler. Seeing this, Ye Li frowned slightly, "Senior Sister, your injuries haven't healed yet. You shouldn't be exposed to the night wind for too long. Let me take you back."
Qin Yixuan nodded, not refusing. The two walked slowly side by side along the way they had come.
When they were almost at Shuiyunjian, Qin Yixuan stopped and turned to look at Ye Li. Under the cold moonlight, her eyes seemed to sparkle. "Ye Li, thank you. Not only for healing, but also for what you said tonight."
Ye Li looked into her eyes. Beneath the coldness, she saw a subtle hint of dependence and warmth. Her heart moved slightly, and she whispered, "You're welcome, Senior Sister. Take care of yourself. If you need anything, you can always come find me."
"Hmm." Qin Yixuan responded softly, a beautiful curve at the corner of her lips. "You too, take good care of yourself. The sect... may seem calm, but undercurrents are actually surging. You are currently in the limelight, so you need to be more careful."
This was a kind reminder. Ye Li nodded: "I understand."
Qin Yixuan turned around and walked towards the attic in Shuiyunjian, which was shrouded in misty water vapor. Her figure gradually disappeared in the moonlight.
Ye Li stood there, looking in the direction she left, not moving for a long time. The evening breeze blew her hair, bringing with it a faint, cold fragrance that belonged to Qin Yixuan.
This moonlit conversation was the first time the two men had so candidly touched upon their deepest feelings of confusion and perseverance. The distance between them had been silently bridged. A feeling that transcended friendship, bordering on close confidants, quietly grew like a vine beneath the moon.
Ye Li withdrew her gaze and turned back toward her own cave. Her steps seemed even more resolute than when she had come. In this turbulent world, if she could find a close friend to walk side by side with, perhaps the road ahead would not be so lonely and cold.
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