Chapter 21 The Man Under the Moon (Starting with a reverse V) The eldest sister said, you will always…
The morning light shone on the dry road, and the sun was already hanging in the sky.
The sound of intense burning filled the air, and a gust of wind made the flames on the temple burn even brighter. The old man stood before the temple, looking down at a glistening pebble in his hand.
After yesterday's fierce battle, the monster's corpse was scattered by the wind, leaving only the charred ground, which emitted a faint smell of burning.
The temple's outline gradually blurred in the fire, but the goddess had already left, so it was no longer a temple, nor a shackle binding anyone.
The old man looked up, took a deep look at the temple, and then turned and walked towards Jingzhou.
Amidst the vast wasteland and scorched earth beneath our feet, tiny yet vibrant green shoots emerge. Wildfires cannot extinguish them; the spring breeze brings them back to life.
Just like the civilization belonging to women that she saw in her dream.
In Jingzhou, the small restaurant was steaming hot, while shouts rang out from the outside.
Inside the restaurant, only one table was occupied by four people. The soup in the pot was bubbling and steaming, with white smoke rising and gathering into clouds. Two of them were engrossed in eating, their bowls piled high with food, the fresh and hot aroma staining their robes.
"Who would eat this so early in the morning?" Simmons picked up a slice of bamboo shoot with her chopsticks. "It's strange, though, that the owner actually let us sit down."
Shen Lixia mimicked Qiao Yanshen's demeanor, adopting a serene posture. After clearing her throat, she said, "One shouldn't talk while eating. Besides, didn't you say you hadn't tried the local specialties before?"
Her imitation was so lifelike that Tang Huairou couldn't help but laugh out loud. The jelly in her hand, soaked in sugar water, wobbled twice and almost spilled.
After speaking, the boy secretly glanced at Qiao Yanshen, who did not react. When he saw Shen Lixia looking over, the spoon in his hand holding the jelly paused for a moment, and a divine thought entered Shen Lixia's sea of consciousness.
"You imitated it very well."
Then she continued to savor the soft desserts in small bites.
Shen Lixia blinked, raised the corners of her lips triumphantly, and snatched the same meatball from Simmons again.
This is how you truly enjoy hot pot.
Just as the two women were engaged in a fierce battle of wits with their chopsticks, several more people came in, sat at a table not far away, ordered their food, and began to chat.
“Last night I didn’t dream of those pale ghosts anymore.”
"Me too... It seems like someone has dispelled my nightmares and told me to rest in peace."
"Speaking of which, did you see it last night? Someone in Quebec must have set off fireworks. I've never seen such bright fireworks before. They exploded in the sky, and for a moment the sky turned white. Wow! What a spectacle. Maybe the light drove away all the evil spirits."
"When can we go back?"
"Didn't Grandma tell us to run far away? Don't even think about going back."
“But,” one of the women protested, “why are we destined to give up our place and wander from place to place? They are the ones who have usurped our territory.”
Soon. You'll be able to go back very soon.
Shen Lixia lowered her eyes, her hands moving a step slower, and the meatball was taken by Simmons. She wasn't annoyed, and picked up another cooked one from the pot to eat.
“That drought demon is shameless. I made those travelers have such wonderful dreams before,” Simmons said.
Tang Huairou, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "I've spent most of my time in the sect before, but now that I've come out, I realize that the suffering people in the world endure is far greater than what I've seen in the sect."
Simmons poked the meatball and said quietly, "Fellow Daoist's concern for the mortal world far surpasses that of those who claim to be immortals with detached worldly ties. However, there are too many injustices in the world, which cannot be resolved by mere words."
She grew up in the mortal world from a backward village. She witnessed the bullying of the weak and the strong. After climbing into the Buddhist sect, she was expelled for stealing to tease an arrogant male cultivator. Although she looks like a young person, she has suffered countless hardships.
Of course, crippling that person and throwing him into the wolf's den was indeed a violation of Buddhist precepts.
To everyone's surprise, Tang Huairou did not rush to refute Simmons's words. Instead, he gave a wry smile and said, "I know this is no easy task, after all, it involves changing the appearance of those cramped worlds. Fellow Daoist, I dare not speak recklessly, but I will certainly do what I can."
Shen Lixia waved away the white mist covering the shop, her eyebrows curving upwards, her smile deepening: "The seeds have been planted, the fire has been lit, and we just need to wait for them to sprout."
They are part of it too.
The group chatted casually as they ate, occasionally bursting into laughter, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere in the restaurant.
Considering their tireless efforts over the past few days, they all tacitly agreed not to mention returning to their ancestral home. Instead, they found an inn and planned to rest for the day before discussing it further.
In the evening, Shen Lixia, carrying an oil lamp, knocked on the door in front of him. It was late, and the moon's shadow hung in the sky, casting a bright arc of light on the boy's muscular body.
The door was pulled open a crack, and behind it were Simmons' sleepy eyes, which suddenly widened upon seeing the person who entered.
For some reason, ever since Shen Lixia was able to cultivate, she always felt that there was a cold, murderous aura in her eyes, which had changed color, and her temperament had also changed. For a moment, she had an impulse to kill her to silence her.
Thinking it over carefully, she didn't have any leverage over the other party. Did she really think that the fact that she was holding Qiao Yanshen while she was asleep would be exposed?
"Please come in." Shen Lixia strode into the room after seeing her open the door, and then smelled a faint scent of sandalwood.
“I don’t really have much to say,” the boy said, sitting cross-legged. “Let’s make a deal.”
Simmons sensed something was amiss: "A transaction... Do I have anything you need, fellow Daoist?"
"I want your Great Dream Array," Shen Lixia said.
These words immediately triggered alarm bells in Simmons's mind. The Great Dream Array is an illusion that is difficult for anyone with a conscious mind to resist. It is effective at getting people who are fast asleep and can't keep their mouths shut, but in reality, cultivators with high levels of cultivation have protective spiritual energy, and even if they lose consciousness, they are not so easy to kill.
Perhaps sensing the malevolent aura emanating from her, Simmons asked directly, "What are you going to do with this? Kill someone?"
“Yes, Fellow Daoist Xi is very clever,” Shen Lixia leaned back casually. “I didn’t intend to hide it from you. I have someone I want to kill, but he is in a high position and has many ways to protect himself. I’m afraid he won’t let me catch him easily. The Great Dream Formation is special, and I want to take a gamble with it.”
"You're quite direct."
Simmons watched as the boy's eyes gradually darkened as he spoke, but she wasn't intimidated. Instead, she shook her head and laughed.
She reached into her storage bag, pulled out yellow paper and ink, and with a flick of the brush, quickly began to draw on the paper. Shen Lixia leaned over, resting her chin on her hand, watching her draw, and vaguely discerned some clues from the ink.
After finishing the drawing, Simmons threw a stack of yellow paper to Shen Lixia. Shen Lixia took it and put it away. Without getting up, she also took out a brush, ink, and yellow paper from her storage bag and started drawing in the same way.
Simmons raised an eyebrow and saw the young man concentrate on writing quickly and swiftly, his wrists moving flexibly and his forearms exerting force, completing the task in one go. He then picked up the yellow paper, turned it over, and presented it to her.
She stared intently, and her mouth blurted out before she could even think: "Eek!"
Shen Lixia almost replied, but then remembered that it sounded like an interjection, so she swallowed it back with difficulty, feeling completely confused: "What, am I that bad at drawing?"
The other party was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath, his eyes revealing an unusual tremor. He raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder, saying seriously, "Fellow Daoist Li Xia, if you have been possessed, could you blink your left eye with a trace of your consciousness?"
Shen Lixia threw down the yellow paper and punched him. Xi Mengsi dodged, no longer joking, and shouted, "Fellow Daoist, you're not learning array techniques like you're a complete novice, you're acting like a thousand-year-old monster! Even your senior sister would have to call you 'Master Aunt' here!"
That means it's drawn quite well.
Shen Lixia smiled smugly, her eyes gleaming with an air of arrogance as the firelight flickered. She grabbed Xi Mengsi's wrist and pulled her closer.
What do you want?
Simmons shrugged, his gaze sweeping over Shen Lixia. She seemed born to be associated with warm colors; light and shadow danced around her, illuminating her eyes like flowing gold. Listening closer, besides the flickering light in the oil lamp, there seemed to be another fire burning within Shen Lixia—a soft, crackling sound that conveyed a vibrant, surging life force.
However, Shen Lixia was still very young. Although her body was strong, she didn't seem capable of bearing the flames that had been used by her before and were now contained within her. A few strands of her hair stood up unruly, and her eyebrows and eyes were full of youthful arrogance and sharpness, as if she would be burned away by the overly brilliant flames sooner or later.
However, what she really cared about was the storage bag on the other person's waist.
Looking away, Simmons sighed and teased Shen Lixia, "You're penniless, what can you give me?"
Shen Lixia was speechless for a moment. She scanned her storage bag with her divine sense and looked embarrassed.
"Could it be..." Simmons was deliberately teasing her, "that exquisite little wooden carving, which clearly took days and nights to carve?"
"That won't do!" Shen Lixia quickly refused, "This..."
"Is it meant for your senior sister surnamed Qiao?" The woman pulled her dark blue robe tighter around herself, her eyes narrowing into slits, the upturned corners of her eyes revealing a cunning glint.
Unexpectedly, the boy didn't refute her, as if his guess had been confirmed, and silently lowered his head. Simmons's gaze moved upward and saw that the tips of her ears were already flushed with a faint blush that couldn't be covered by her stray hairs.
She suddenly regretted making the joke, and breaking the sudden silence, she said aggressively, "Get out! Get out! You're disturbing my rest!"
It's so cringeworthy, absolutely cringeworthy! She's not offering any help in understanding your own feelings.
"I have already written down the other things that need attention. Fellow Daoist, you should go where you should go and see who you should see!"
Shen Lixia was thrown out in a daze, still caught up in the shock of that moment.
That's strange.
It's like the moment the other person is mentioned, the heart suddenly softens—melts like a hot flame, turns into a shapeless pool of water, and is stirred by a trace of affection, rippling gently.
But when she was secretly carving the wood earlier, she hadn't noticed anything amiss. Now, the thought of her meticulously crafted outlines and polished lines under the lamplight being scrutinized by Qiao Yanshen's deep, calm eyes, and the repeatedly polished surface being gently caressed by his hands covered in calluses from sword practice...
What she was really giving away wasn't the wood carving, but her heart, which was trembling and beating intensely at that moment.
A cool breeze swept by, but instead of lowering the temperature of Shen Lixia's ear tips, her face even felt hot.
She paced back and forth in the corridor, finally unable to bear the rapid, pounding of her heart, and decided to go for a walk outside. The inn connected to a spacious backyard, and since it was late at night, no one would be out, which suited her perfectly.
But as soon as she reached the corridor connecting the courtyard, she stopped, her breathing and heartbeat halting for a moment.
In the courtyard, a woman in white who had arrived even earlier was bathed in moonlight, picking up a withered leaf with her sword.
The moonlight flowed gently, casting a warm glow on Qiao Yanshen's brows and eyes, making his deep blue eyes shine like stars for a fleeting moment. The withered leaf was very light; she lifted it into the air, and it slowly swirled down. Halfway down, Qiao Yanshen frowned, closed his eyes, and a silver light flashed around him, brighter than the moonlight. The silver light intertwined and formed beams, like a strong wind sweeping towards the leaf, with the faint sound of flowing water audible.
In the blink of an eye, the withered leaves shattered into several pieces and scattered on the ground.
That was sword intent.
No need to wield a sword; with a thought, anything can become a sharp blade.
Qiao Yanshen opened his eyes and looked up at a certain spot in the courtyard, where a corridor connecting the interior of the inn was shrouded in darkness, avoiding the moonlight.
Just now, there seemed to be a panicked commotion over there.
Were some birds scared away?
She sheathed her sword and walked back, gently stroking her clothes as she shooed a small insect off her shoulder.
Upon returning to the second floor, Qiao Yanshen stopped in front of his own room, then suddenly turned around and walked into another room.
Inside the room, Shen Lixia held the wooden carving, examining it closely. The object in her hands didn't feel like wood; it felt like a slippery snake, leaving her unsure whether to put it down or hold it, only able to hold it loosely in her hands. The patterns she had hastily carved in her spare time were beautiful and lifelike. The entire carving was in the shape of a titmouse, with a round body and a small, upturned tail, looking as majestic as a king of the forest.
Her gaze lingered on it for a long time, oblivious to the blurring of her vision, lost in thought about the essence of that subtle touch. It wasn't anger at being caught out, nor was it shyness, but simply…
Anticipation, or perhaps... unease.
Will she like it?
It seemed that she felt extremely nervous whenever she was about to have her senior sister's approval. Not long after the spiritual veins were restored, she had become more impulsive and impulsive than before, and she herself was aware of it.
The only one whose feelings she had for Qiao Yanshen remained unchanged.
Being by her side makes me feel at ease; I don't want to be rejected by her, and I want to maintain my best appearance in her sight.
This vague sense of unease felt like a burn to Shen Lixia, making her shrink back slightly.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Qiao Yanshen's voice came through:
"Li Xia, are you asleep?"
She knocked lightly and softly, loud enough for those awake to hear but not enough to disturb those sleeping. Shen Lixia hesitated for a moment, unable to move her foot, until she heard the footsteps of the person outside who was about to leave when no one answered.
After stuffing the wooden carving into her storage bag, Shen Lixia hurriedly stood up, took two steps at a time, rushed to the door, and opened the bolt.
Outside the door, Qiao Yanshen was still dressed in white, the dark patterns on his clothes shimmering. Shen Lixia invited her in, and with another snap of her fingers, a beam of red light flashed across the surface of the teapot on the table, warming the cold tea and causing wisps of steam to rise.
She poured tea and handed it to Qiao Yanshen. The two sat facing each other. Shen Lixia, who had been troubled by intense emotions, calmed down upon seeing Qiao Yanshen and blinked, waiting for him to speak.
"Is there anything else unusual about this incident?" Qiao Yanshen looked down at his tea. "I feel that many things are rather... strange."
"Did you see something, Senior Sister?" Shen Lixia pondered for a moment. "I do have something to say. When the statue was being burned earlier, I saw a phantom of Ba, perhaps a remnant soul... When she saw me, she looked very surprised and called out to me..."
Lord Lingguang.
This title touched a crack in Qiao Yanshen's heart, bringing with it an unexpected thought.
Not only in the Heavenly Realm, but also in the Upper Realm, some things have happened.
But how can we verify this? Why does this name sound so familiar...?
So familiar that it almost slipped out of my mouth, a call made without thinking, tinged with a hint of teasing.
This feeling had occurred too many times along the way, forcing Qiao Yanshen to pay special attention to it, and even suppress it.
"I don't know why she would call you that... I think the world is probably heading towards chaos. Then, I want to ask you something, and you must answer truthfully without hiding anything."
Qiao Yanshen stared into Shen Lixia's eyes and saw her pupils shrink back into sharp shapes, which made him tense up.
"When you used that fire, did you experience any unusual symptoms?"
Shen Lixia rolled her eyes, and her fingers, which had been crossed on her knees, began to tangle: "It's probably...it's probably just a little sore."
Qiao Yan sighed inwardly. It wasn't just a little bit; her furrowed brows, the profuse sweat, and the sudden tightening of her hands made it seem as if she wanted to pull back but was forcing herself to continue drawing the bow and shooting.
It's like enduring excruciating pain in an instant, but without tears, or even before tears can flow.
She reached out and gently placed her hand on the back of Shen Lixia's hand, soothing her knotted fingers so they would no longer twist and turn awkwardly.
Qiao Yanshen's gaze gradually darkened and became firm.
"Therefore, this fire should not be used unless absolutely necessary."
Upon hearing this, Shen Lixia wilted like a frost-bitten leaf. Although she cultivated quickly, she also felt that this flame was very useful, seemingly containing some kind of irresistible power, so much so that all kinds of evil spirits were annihilated by it.
However, the flames did indeed come at a price for her. When she drew her bow and released the arrow, the intense pain nearly destroyed Shen Lixia once again, making her almost believe that she was engulfed in flames.
She thought she had hidden it well, but her senior sister still saw it. This interference wasn't annoying. Shen Lixia gently rubbed the spot on her fingertips where there was still a wound. An annoying warmth surged up her back, making her extremely restless.
Qiao Yanshen used her spiritual power to probe her storage bag, taking out a green bamboo stalk and holding it up in front of Shen Lixia. She examined its lush green color, then ran her hand over its surface, noticing its slight bend—it wasn't as sturdy as a magical artifact. She wondered if there was a better one. She had found it in the forest that evening while flying on her sword; it lay alone on the ground, looking quite robust. If her junior sister wasn't satisfied, she would look for more.
There are few skilled archers in the world. If all else fails, you can just ask a craftsman to make one with some materials.
"How about this one? Would it be suitable for making a bow?" Qiao Yanshen asked tentatively.
Shen Lixia looked closer and saw that besides Qiao Yan's deep blue spiritual power, there was a faint, shimmering light on the bamboo, which disappeared when she approached. She had a guess in her mind and secretly used her spiritual power to probe into the bamboo. Sure enough, she heard something burning and thrashing about.
Like the previous tree spirit, it was still in a state of primordial chaos and would require some time to mature. Shen Lixia had overheard while doing odd jobs that when cultivators were drawing in their Qi, the spiritual energy around them was so abundant that even their living environment would be affected, becoming more vibrant, and the same was true for spirit pets and spirit herbs.
As the saying goes, "When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."
“Perfect,” Shen Lixia said twice, stroking the surface of the green bamboo with great affection. “Senior Sister has such good taste, to be able to find such a special bamboo.”
Qiao Yanshen smiled, handed the green bamboo to her, and seeing that the moonlight was gradually brightening and the darkness was heavy, he nodded and told her to rest early.
"Our cultivation level at the Qi Refining stage is insufficient to return by sword. We still have half a day's journey ahead of us tomorrow, so let's get some rest. I wonder what awaits us when we get back to the sect."
Shen Lixia snorted and said disdainfully, "Senior Sister has reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Even if that piece of trash has extraordinary abilities, he can't make a ripple here."
Besides, he'll be dead soon.
Qiao Yanshen remained silent. She never made definitive judgments. After all, although the other party appeared weak, he might have infiltrated the inner sect, so he was probably from a wealthy family.
She turned to leave, unaware that the person behind her was twisting their fingers again, as if they disliked each other.
As the bolt was released, the boy's hesitant voice rang out:
"Senior sister, have I changed?"
It doesn't matter where it is. The lines of the eyes and cheeks, or even the temperament. Shen Lixia felt uneasy, as if ants were crawling all over her body, hoping for an answer from the other party, yet not knowing exactly what they wanted.
Qiao Yanshen stopped in his tracks, shook his head slightly, and said gently:
"It has never changed."
She has always been her lively and quirky junior sister.
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The author says: Wildfire cannot burn it all; the spring breeze brings it back to life. —Quoted from Bai Juyi's "Ode to the Ancient Grassland at Parting"
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