Yun Xian had a bump on his head that didn't go away for a long time.
The stone statue had long since lost its light; it was just an ordinary stone. She rubbed her head, grimacing, "You can't take a joke, can you? You can't take a joke, can you? This is too much. Even my mother has never hit me..."
Su Chi pulled her out and said helplessly, "Stop it. Why do you have to be so... naughty?"
The three words "pi xia yi" sounded unfamiliar; I wondered if he'd learned them from Qiao Lingshan or Feng Ye. It seemed that although the eldest brother didn't usually talk much, he listened a lot.
"She called me an idiot!" Yun Xian said in disbelief, "Didn't you see that, Brother? Okay, I admit it. At first, I didn't seem very smart. But the brain is a thing that becomes useless if you don't use it. Didn't you hear my reasoning just now? It was absolutely brilliant!"
Su Chi said bluntly: "I don't understand."
"It's alright." Yun Xian was too lazy to explain the storyline or the fiery nature of it. She said, "As long as the Sword God understands, that's all."
If we delve further into why the Sword God and the Heavenly Dao are on the same side, and how this relates to the ascension a thousand years ago, these are all unknown points. However, the current situation is dire, and these well-known matters can be analyzed later.
"The weather's about to change." Yun Xian looked up at the sky. It had been gloomy for the past few days. Early spring had passed, and the rainy season might be approaching. She looked at the shivering grass by the roadside and suddenly asked, "Big Brother, when the Second and Third Sect Leaders argued in the hall that day, who did you think was right?"
Su Chi said, "Different philosophies, there's no right or wrong."
"Me too. I'm a fence-sitter. Whatever the Second Sect Leader says, I think it makes sense. Then, whatever the Third Sect Leader says, I think it makes sense again. But there's no such thing as a perfect option. You'll regret whatever you do anyway." Yun Xian pondered, "But, this sentence..."
Heaven and earth have their permanence, but man has his impermanence.
The literal meaning is very simple. There are laws to follow between heaven and earth, but there are no laws for humans.
Yun Xian murmured, "Who could it be?"
“…”
"The universe has its own laws, the sun and the moon have their own brightness..."
The sound of reading aloud came from the only private school at the entrance of the village. Qinghe came back sweating profusely. He first scooped some boiled water for himself, drank it, and swallowed it.
The bloody smell in her throat rose up, making her feel uncomfortable.
Mother's voice came from the room: "Qinghe? What's wrong?"
"It's okay!" Qinghe put down his sleeves, lowered his head, and carefully checked his knees to see if there were any marks. After confirming that everything was normal, he hurried into the house, "Mom, I'm back after practice."
The woman half leaned against the bed, looking at the child with a hint of worry: "What's wrong? What happened outside?"
Qing He was startled: "No... nothing happened."
"Do you think you can hide this from Mother?" the woman asked. "Whenever you came home, the first thing you did was come to see Mother. No matter how thirsty you were, you would never run to drink water first. Did the private school teacher chase you away again?"
The teacher at the private school at the entrance of the village was a sharp-tongued old man who wanted to charge for every word he uttered. He didn't even put enough effort into teaching the students. After a few words, he would rush out and angrily chase everyone away: "You don't understand the teachings of the sages! Go away!"
Qing He truly didn't understand, and at twelve, she was already well past that age. She simply listened because it sounded easy to read, not because she intended to eavesdrop. Although young, she had her own pride, and after being shooed away once, she avoided him whenever she passed by.
This time it's not because of that.
Qing He shook her head. She took care of her hands and legs, but had no time to look after her head. It was covered in dust, as if it had rolled on the ground. There was a clear shoe print on her back.
Xiaotian had been picking on her lately. She understood that, having become stronger, he felt he had redeemed himself and could finally hold his head high in front of his friends, so he'd been bullying her. But Qinghe didn't really care about these minor injuries; she cared about the other person's cultivation level.
This was already the last year, and if she failed, there would be no chance again. Originally, Qing He was confident that she could definitely enter the Miaoshou Sect, but in recent days, she was no longer so sure.
No matter how hard Qing He practiced day and night, he couldn't catch up with him. If he couldn't catch up, when the entrance examination came...
The more Qinghe thought about it, the colder she felt all over and the more frightened she became.
Although the woman was seriously ill, she had a pair of sharp eyes and noticed at a glance that Qinghe was looking different. In an instant, she thought about something, and the words "Did you get bullied outside" were on the tip of her tongue, but she suppressed them.
Even if it was the case now, what could he do? She was half-disabled, barely even able to get out of bed. She couldn't do anything, so why bother explaining it so clearly? Asking would only make things worse.
The mother and daughter were silent for a while, tacitly understanding each other.
The wind seeped in through the doors and windows that were not closed tightly, making people shiver uncontrollably.
Qing He said, "Just wait until the entrance examination."
"Well. Wait a little longer." The woman also comforted him: "Once you enter the Miaoshou Gate, everything will be fine."
The two of them said this face to face, as if they were comforting each other, but also as if they were comforting themselves.
Outside the door, it was still quiet and peaceful, with the occasional sound of old people talking and chatting about their daily lives.
This was the northernmost part of South City, and the poorest of the North Villages. It was so out of place that it was forgotten all day long. Any major events in the city center would be reported six or seven days later. Before, with children roaming around, news was more accessible. But now, perhaps because of the approaching exams, everyone was confined to their homes, and we hadn't seen each other for a long time.
What's more, Qinghe has been busy practicing medicine recently, and Qinghe's mother's condition has worsened these days, so she can't go out.
Whatever happens, Qinghe thought, as long as it doesn't affect the entrance exam, it's fine. No matter what! Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, don't cancel it. This is her and her mother's only chance.
My mother called me softly from behind, "Qinghe, tomorrow is your twelfth birthday."
She struggled to get up with the rustling of her clothes and took something out of a small box hidden under the bed. "Last month, when I was selling handmade items in the city, I heard people say this is a tonic, a fashionable item, suitable for families with children. It can strengthen the foundation and strengthen the body... and maybe something else. I don't quite understand it, but I know you're tired."
Qinghe saw the warm jade bottle in her mother's palm, emitting bursts of tempting fragrance.
"Ever since that longevity lock, mother hasn't given you anything." The woman started coughing, unable to calm down for a moment, but with a simple pride shining in her eyes, she said, "What other children have, I, Qinghe, must have too."
She hadn't done anything for her daughter in a long time. This made her feel guilty and unable to sleep. Now, seeing Qinghe's happy expression, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Qing He reached out and took the jade bottle. She smiled and looked up and said, "Thank you, mother!"
On the day of the eruption, the continuous rain gradually stopped and it became a sunny day with excellent weather.
In front of the several clinics guarded by the Miaoshou Sect were photo stones, which were still repeating tirelessly:
"Be sure to stay away from those who use dispersion! Strengthen the formation and strengthen the defense..."
The expressions of the people passing by were different.
Some people seemed to be thinking about something, with their brows slightly furrowed, as if they had listened carefully, while others even spat as they passed by.
"How many days has it been broadcasting? Are you annoying?"
Recently, the reputation of the Miaoshou Sect has plummeted. Not only have they banned businesses and doctors, but they've also stubbornly refused to loosen up access to waterways, even going so far as to block them entirely. In other words, only those who haven't used the San are allowed to leave the city.
The Huayuan Pill at the Doudeng Festival disappeared, replaced by a stone wall. Just a drop of blood could be used to identify whether Chengxian Powder had been used. This method left no room for maneuver and caused people to complain.
I only used it once and then stopped using it, so why can't I leave?!
It’s just a sect, why do they do this?
But whoever has the bigger fist has the final say, not to mention that Yang Rushang and others have disappeared abnormally, and no one dares to help them argue for their rights.
The news of Yang Rushang and his group's disappearance was also strictly blocked. Some people speculated that they had escaped.
When did he escape, and why? This news cast a shadow over his anxious mood. During the bustling months of March and April, South City was shrouded in a restless atmosphere.
Inside the Miaoshou Sect, Jiangshan's hair grew twice.
"Jiangshan." Yun Xian thought to himself. He had tricked Jiangshan into coming here, promising him a large garden and an unlimited supply of bamboo, but in the end, there was nothing. He was left with nothing but shit. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "Will you be too bored staying here? Do you want to go out for a walk?"
Miaoshou Sect is now a sect that only allows people to enter but not exit. The formation has been reinforced layer by layer, and the elders scattered across the sect have been recalled. Many disciples are also worried and have brought back their family members who are outside the sect. It can be seen at this time that its financial resources are unimaginable.
"No." Jiang Shan bit his toes angrily, "It's too dangerous outside."
Xue Lingxiu felt uncomfortable watching it and pushed its head away: "Can you please stop biting it? Isn't it disgusting?"
"No way!" Yun Xian defended, "She's obviously very cute!"
Everyone: “…” What’s so cute about it?!
Su Chi stood aside with an incomprehensible expression.
Qi Zhiye looked out the window and suddenly asked, "How long has it been since you last saw Jimo Shu?"
"I haven't seen it since the last time." Yun Xian used a wire ball to rub Taiping, and said absentmindedly: "Wait and see what happens, and don't do anything..."
What is the cult's back-up plan?
No one spoke. It felt as if some invisible wave was approaching, but on this peaceful afternoon, a bright light streamed through the window, and Jiang Shan suddenly said, "It's about to begin."
With a sound, Chengxiansan was like a dazzling firework, rising quickly and disappearing even faster.
It wasn't that everything was without warning, but no one paid attention to the initial signs. The people in the city were already panicked and angry, and with the increasing heat, more monks were engaging in inexplicable brawls.
But if it was just a lot, it wouldn't be surprising. But it would be quite strange if it had to end with bloodshed and serious injuries every time.
People who don't know what's going on see people fighting on the street, their eyes turn bloodshot, their expressions become frantic, and they hit the other person very hard, wishing they could beat the other person to death on the spot - but the reason is simply that the other person accidentally bumped into his shoulder.
The evil energy accumulated and finally a bloody incident occurred.
Someone went crazy for no reason and overturned a table in a restaurant, killing all his friends who were celebrating his victory in winning the first place in the Dou Lantern Contest. The wine glasses were stained with blood, and when the people downstairs looked up, the dirty blood seeping from above fell on their faces.
Rivers of blood!
Everyone captured him, but he no longer had the calm and composure he had had at the Lantern Festival a few days ago. Instead, he was panting heavily, with veins bulging on his face, and he wouldn't listen to anything they said. They couldn't capture him alive, so they had no choice but to kill him. In full view of everyone, he twitched twice, spontaneously combusted, and turned into a handful of black powder that disappeared in the wind.
The bones are ground into dust and the ashes are scattered, leaving no remains.
But, from that moment on, no one had time to ponder questions like, "Was his first place obtained improperly?" or "What would happen in the Doudeng?" It was too late; none of this mattered anymore.
From then on, the poison of Chengxian Powder completely broke out in the city!
Such unpredictable and unexpected sequelae, which are spreading in such a densely populated and prosperous small area, can only be described as horrific.
No sooner had one thing settled than another came over there. Just as one thing was resolved, another came over here! Even if a righteous warrior had three heads and six arms, he couldn't hold his own. How could a few, or even a few dozen, possibly contain this erupting situation? Furthermore, no one knew when, looking back, the people fighting alongside him would also go berserk and suddenly try to stab him.
In just a few days, the usually peaceful South City was filled with the sounds of blood, fire, and battle. The streets were filled with flowing blood and an eerie aroma. Every household stayed indoors, afraid to light a lamp at night, trembling with fear. Everyone was alienated, uneasy, and suspicious of each other.
He wanted to escape, but he was controlled by the Miaoshou Sect from all directions. No matter what, the same inhumane rule still existed:
"Those who have never left can leave, but the rest are not allowed to leave!"
Yes. Miao Shou Men!
It was at this time that everyone finally remembered Miaoshoumen and what Miaoshoumen had said a month ago.
"I told you, how could the Miaoshou Sect deceive us..."
"Why is there no one in the clinic? Weren't there people there before? Where did they go? Are they just going to leave it like that?"
"Most of them are closed... In the current situation, do crazy people care whether the other person is a medical practitioner or not? Even if they are open, they have long been banned and only treat those who have not used the powder..."
"No. I can't just stand by and watch him go crazy, right?? I want to take him to Miao Shou Men. They can't just ignore us!!"
Countless panicked people from South City began to rush towards Miaoshou Sect. When they arrived, they found that the formation inside the sect was filled with Miaoshou Sect disciples with different expressions standing high above. The formation was shimmering with spiritual waves and seemed indestructible, as if they had already anticipated that this situation would happen today.
Some people even had a look of sarcasm on their faces.
"Open the door!"
"Let us in!!"
"The people behind are chasing us again..."
But no matter how noisy or shouting there was, this extremely luxurious sect door remained motionless, with no sign of opening at all.
As people gathered, the atmosphere became more vibrant. The mad demon also slowly followed. Without even a moment's peace, a chaotic fight broke out again, with swords flashing and blood raining. Finally, someone couldn't help but roar in anger:
"You're just going to watch like this? You're just going to leave it alone?!!"
Xue Lingxiu was standing on the eastern watchtower, holding a fan. He was stunned for a moment when he heard the words.
The four directions need to be guarded by three masters, namely the north, west and south. Grandma Li is so old that she can't really be asked to go into battle, so Li Jianye placed her in the east.
Xue Lingxiu didn't say anything, but Lin Xi snorted coldly, "How dare you say that! Now you want us to intervene?!"
She was straightforward, and when she said this, although the other members of the Miaoshou Sect did not agree out loud, they all showed a hint of agreement on their faces.
They wanted to intervene before, and they refused to listen to my advice countless times. Their good intentions were ignored, and now that something has happened, they are blaming them for not doing anything? How can this be justified?
Yun Xian held his sword and looked down, saying solemnly, "There are more people than I imagined."
The view from above was even more terrifying. The dense crowds of people gathered together, like a surging black mass of ants, mixed in, no one could tell who was who, and the fight was a complete chaos.
Qi Zhiye's purple gold bowl was already emitting a faint glow, waiting for action.
After Lin Xi finished speaking, seeing Xue Lingxiu remained silent, he asked, "Master Xue?"
Xue Lingxiu looked down, a little absent-minded, but thinking about other things.
Honestly, he didn't feel any comfort. Even if he grabbed someone by the collar and asked them a hundred times, "Are you wrong?", and they cried and replied, "I was wrong," there was no way things could get back to a better state.
He was thinking about what Li Pei said last night.
"A Xiu." Li Pei sat in front of him and asked softly, "Back then in the hall, who do you think was right and who was wrong, me or my second sister?"
Xue Lingxiu was silent for a moment.
He said, "Don't think about it. The leader has already made the decision. It's useless to think about it."
"I'm asking this not for myself." Li Pei looked at him, "but for you."
Xue Lingxiu was puzzled: "For me?"
"That day, I looked at the expressions on everyone's faces and realized that what Second Sister said was the general trend. I didn't think Second Sister was wrong. She was right, and I really couldn't think of a better solution."
Li Pei said, "The current plan, to seal off the water and roads, is tantamount to leaving all those in Nancheng who are still outside the sect to fend for themselves. Since we can't stop the Chengxian Powder and persuade everyone, we can wait until all those who have used the powder are dead, and the matter will be resolved. This is the safest method under the premise that Chiyou cannot be resolved. If we are indecisive and let this thing go outside Nancheng, the casualties will be even more disastrous."
"..." Xue Lingxiu said with difficulty: "Second sister, since you understand this principle, why..."
Li Pei looked at him with those gentle eyes and said, "It's not that I don't understand, it's that you don't understand."
Xue Lingxiu seemed to be seen through by her.
He wasn't as nonchalant as he appeared. If his hand was injured, he could easily get it back with a beating, but if something else was injured, it wouldn't be repaired so quickly.
The two looked at each other in silence.
"You haven't been out of the sect for long, so you don't understand many things. But that's not a bad thing. Every medical practitioner, even your second sister, has gone through this period. The Miaoshou Sect's ancestral teachings require an oath upon initiation and another upon departure, but I've never seen a disciple truly understand the true meaning of these teachings at the time of taking them." Li Pei said, "The first sentence is important, and the last sentence is also important. But I still feel that the most important sentence is to understand your own incompetence."
"The one who hurts you the most is never the one who bared his teeth and threw stones at you. It's the one who had expectations of you and you were powerless to do anything about it...that's the most painful moment."
“…”
"Brother Xue." Yun Xian was gently nudged at the waist by the hilt of the sword, and said in a voice transmission: "Don't be in a daze, everyone is waiting for you to speak."
Xue Lingxiu woke up with a start. Before him was the still densely packed crowd, everyone's gaze fixed on his face.
The ordinary cultivators below him were already at a disadvantage, their screams continuing. Xue Lingxiu's brows furrowed, and he unfolded his folding fan, saying, "Attack!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the disciples of the Miaoshou Sect immediately unleashed a fan array. The fan bones were like gold, the tips like iron, and they were extremely sharp. With a fierce gust of wind, they chopped off a demon's head in an instant.
Blood, spontaneous combustion, and ashes.
"This formation is called 'Flying Flower Order.'" Xue Lingxiu stood on a high point and said to the crowd below, "If you want to come in, you can! Drop your blood on that stone wall. Those who don't see a red glow, come in!"
Yun Xian and his companions unleashed their weapons, following the demonic energy to slay the enemy. The light of the purple-gold bowl gently yet steadily swirled around the world. Sword energy surged, the sound of the zither shone fiercely, and Jiang Shan's massive body obscured the sky, tearing and biting relentlessly.
"..." Yun Xian couldn't say this was cute in a clear conscience, "Don't eat corpses casually!!"
The pressure off the court was suddenly relieved a lot.
However, humans are endless, and no matter how much they are killed, there seems to be no end.
As the side door opened, countless people rushed in, but were repelled one by one by the formation. Lin Xi stood by the door and shouted, "Test first, then enter!!! I've said it so many times, test first, then enter!!!"
"It's too late!! Can you let me in first?!"
"Can't you see I'm already hurt?! I'm hurt so badly!!"
"Get out of the way! Let me go first, let me go in first, don't block the way! Get out of the way!!"
Xue Lingxiu pursed her lips tightly, and the palm of her hand was warm from the iron folding fan. In her peripheral vision, she saw a man with a bleeding head, and his features were completely invisible. Seeing that his life was in danger, he moved in step by step with difficulty and was about to step into the side door.
Yi seemed to be aware of Xue Lingxiu's scrutinizing gaze. She raised her eyes, and there were pleading tears in them, which flashed for only a moment before disappearing without a trace.
Xue Lingxiu felt as if his heart was struck by a heavy hammer. He didn't even realize that his hand controlling the array eye had relaxed for a moment.
At this moment, a whistling sound of wind came from behind, and Li Batu hit the man mercilessly with a palm, pushing him ten feet away.
Xue Lingxiu: "Second sister, you?!"
He fell silent before he could finish his words.
The man's blood splattered and landed on the stone wall. The red light was strong, even brighter than the blood splashed on it.
...This person is actually a terminally ill and hopeless addict!
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