Chapter 44, the pre-departure training, has come to an end. Tomorrow we depart for...
When Shen Lixia opened her eyes, the formation had dissipated, and several people surrounded her and Qiao Yanshen, their eyes filled with concern.
However, this time, she did not immediately come to her senses. Instead, she stared intently at Qiao Yanshen, as if to confirm his presence, and raised her hand to touch his cheek.
It was warm and soft, not cold, but rather had a temperature that suggested a living person was underneath.
She then relaxed.
Qiao Yanshen met her gaze, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered, "Li Xia, I know where to find the answer."
Just as she was about to utter those two words, her lips were suddenly gently pressed against the boy's. Every movement was extremely gentle, and her eyes finally slowly revealed a look of astonishment, no longer like the embers after a fire had burned, with only a faint luster remaining.
"Is it...?" Shen Lixia asked softly, "Luo Chuan?"
Sure enough, their dreams were connected.
Qiao Yan knew there was no need to say anything more; the young man before her was surely dreaming. The power of the heavenly lightning was too strong, yet it was clearly a test, never intending to kill them, but achieving the goal of drawing out the strange things about them.
She wasn't unaware that the woman in her dream had appeared to protect them.
"I think we should not be hasty in everything we do, even though time is tight, but we must be extra careful in the future." This sentence was passed down from the past.
She took Shen Lixia's hand, and the two stood up together, brushing the dust off their clothes.
At this moment, seeing that both of them had stood up, one of them finally stepped forward and asked, "Is there anything wrong with your body?"
"Everything is as usual, Master," Qiao Yanshen smiled. "Li Xia has successfully passed the tribulation and established his foundation."
Shen Lixia coughed twice, then felt a choking, bitter taste in her throat, dry and burning. She checked her internal condition and found that the spiritual energy was flowing within her. The metal and fire attributes, due to the enlightenment she had gained from the previous physical techniques, had become less repulsive and gradually merged, meandering into a two-colored halo, gathering into a small vortex, and flowing endlessly.
Ruan Luoying leaned closer and said, "It seems like Xiao Bi is going to have a good show to watch."
Yan Xueya's expression turned serious: "Are you really going to look for Luo Chuan?"
Qiao Yanshen frowned slightly, sensing something strange.
When she spoke to her student, her tone was usually somewhat cold, but it still carried the concern of an elder. This question, however, seemed less like surprise and more like she had heard some absurd nonsense; she was probably about to say it was impossible.
"The Luo River is the legendary River of the Otherworld... Only the dead can see it, and this was true even before the two worlds were separated. Since it is the River of the Underworld that separates the two worlds, even if you go to the Upper Realm, you probably won't be able to find it."
Yan Xueya's brows furrowed, and her voice trembled slightly, as if the chill of that day had not yet dissipated.
"If this is a dead end, what will you do then? Even if you find the 'origin' you speak of, it would be a loss if you were to die without experiencing the truth. Why not give up?"
Hearing her serious tone, the woman in green standing beside her couldn't help but smooth things over, saying, "They're still a long way from reaching the Void Refinement Realm, why be so serious?"
She knew Yan Xueya didn't want her two disciples to sacrifice their lives, but ultimately, she shouldn't have directly denied their goal. There were very few people with the potential to attain immortality; only a handful in a thousand years. The sect leader was one of them, yet he was still bound by his obsession.
Unsure when war might reignite, they must, before then, maximize the strength of the entire Taihui realm to prevent humanity from falling into a disadvantageous position in the war. Therefore, since the disciples have established their Daoist beliefs, as long as it is not driven by evil intentions, they should wholeheartedly support them.
Moreover, legend has it that when the two realms separated, many living beings and things could not withstand the rupture and vanished directly in the cracks. Perhaps in the end, they will discover that Luochuan never existed, and was truly just a river of legend.
Before Shen Lixia could speak, Tang Huairou sensed that she was about to object and interrupted her, quickly saying, "The mission is over for today. The junior sisters have all worked very hard. Why don't we go get something to eat first?"
After saying that, she glanced at Chi Yueying, who was silent beside her, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
Damn it, Junior Sister Li Xia's tribulation was too exaggerated, even more terrifying than the previous one. It directly broke through the Nine Branches True Monarch's great formation and burned this place to the ground.
This is why Chi Yueying noticed the anomaly in the formation and summoned Yan Xueya again.
Of course, she was completely unaware of this before the formation shattered, so she didn't know that it was actually cleaved by that light sword, nor did she see the surging silver-blue spiritual power on "Qiao Yanshen" transforming into all sorts of mysterious waves when he drew his sword.
Yan Xueya narrowed her eyes slightly, finally sighed, and said calmly, "Yan Shen is about to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and can begin abstaining from grains. Li Xia has also reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so why not start earlier and go with Yan Shen?"
Shen Lixia heard the desperate howl—if one's appetite is to be cut off in this life, how can she reward herself?
The two stopped mentioning Luo Chuan, and the atmosphere finally eased. Relieved, Ruan Luoying turned and grabbed Chi Yueying's arm, shaking it.
"Little Chi, Little Chi, don't be angry. Xueya and I will make it up to you."
Chi Yueying froze, and after being shaken for a while, she coldly pulled her hand away, said "Whatever," and walked towards the main hall.
Ruan Luoying followed her away, her soft silver hair fluttering gently as she walked, like the fine down of a snow deer.
"Jinyu, you come too."
Understanding the meaning behind her words, Tang Huairou still couldn't help but scan the two people supporting each other with her spiritual power, and only withdrew it after confirming that they were unharmed.
"Junior sisters, remember to come to Guyu Peak for training tomorrow!"
After saying that, she quickly followed Ruan Luoying and they went to the main hall together.
Only three people remained in the burned ruins, standing silently amidst the vast expanse of charred ash. The two men's gazes fell upon the woman in white before them, and for some reason, they sensed an aura of old age in her expression, as if her body were merely a cage, locking away unspeakable secrets that made even breathing difficult, or as if she were enduring a long, recurring torment.
The scattered silver hair stood out starkly against the backdrop of black and gray, as if woven from unmelting snow, interspersed with specks of cold luster.
However, she ultimately dispelled that aura with a wave of her hand, and it vanished in an instant. In the blink of an eye, Yan Xueya returned to her previous calm and composed demeanor.
Why go looking for Luo Chuan?
Qiao Yanshen's eyes were full of determination as he replied, "There are old friends waiting for us, so we have no choice but to go. Master, I know everything is suspicious, but Li Xia and I will not do anything to harm the sect or our people. Please believe us."
It's so familiar. On ordinary days, they seem to have no desires or wants, or that they don't care about anything and act as they please. But once they've made up their minds about something, they become so stubborn that they can't be moved an inch.
She couldn't stop them that day, and she can't interfere today either. As their master, all she can do is guide them so that they can be safe and sound after leaving her.
Yan Xueya barely suppressed the sense of powerlessness rising in her heart and sighed, "I understand. Of course, you are not people with evil intentions. But the last record of Luochuan is in the Upper Realm. If you want to go, then hone your skills well—the situation in the Upper Realm is dangerous. Don't have the chance to ascend but not the chance to find it."
After that, Shen Lixia and Qiao Yanshen came to Guyu Peak every day to train their bodies.
"The first year, on May 3rd, the weather was fine."
It's been almost half a month since I arrived here, and I've experienced many things. Perhaps I should pick up a pen and write them down. The quest for immortality, the escape under the guise of a mission in the middle of the night, and the incident in Kuizhou—if these were to become a storybook, they might be quite exciting.
I'll add it when the time is right. As my cultivation progresses, my memory becomes exceptionally good, so I don't have to worry about forgetting things.
Today, Senior Sister Tang was dragged into our special training again. However, her breathing technique was excellent; she didn't even pant after twenty runs, only sweating slightly. Li Xia started slacking off; after fifteen runs, she hid in the woods and even took me to see her. This makes me wonder if she did this the first time.
Afterwards, as was my habit, I wanted to go to the small town to find food, but Senior Sister Tang strictly stopped me. So the jar of maltose suffered, and the three of us shared it, only finding satisfaction when our teeth started to ache a little.
Last night I dreamt of complete darkness. I don't know if what she said that day was true, or if I... will never see her again.
She—perhaps shouldn't be so distant. This diary, which will not be shown to anyone, is it not also written for me...and for you?
......
The first year, May 7th, torrential rain.
Li Xia cultivated too hastily and suffered a qi deviation. Fortunately, her master came to supervise today and sealed her spiritual power in time. He also had me help her regulate her breathing, which finally resolved the situation.
So that afternoon, Li Xia was punished by her master to copy the Heart-Cleansing Mantra one hundred times. She asked me to help her copy it, but just as I was about to start writing, she overturned the table, dragged me to the town, and said, "She can't possibly kill me, can she?"
I knew that although she remained silent on the surface, she was also anxious to improve her cultivation as soon as possible and find Luo Chuan. But did she truly know, like me, that she was someone's reincarnation? Or was she simply eager to find the truth and return quickly? I had never heard her mention much about herself, such as whether she was fostered by others during her childhood, or what happened that led to her separation from her family. I also hadn't had a chance to speak about her earlier ramblings in her dream.
At this distance, it seems we are ultimately bound together by bad luck, unable to get any closer to each other's hearts.
But I felt it wasn't enough. Especially when I thought of the way you looked into those memories that day, I could clearly see all the tenderness within shattered, a sorrow so intense it brought tears to my eyes.
Once regret is sown, it will inevitably take root and sprout, eventually bearing bitter fruit at the end of the branch of fate.
So, I know my own heart... I want to understand her better.
These past few days, your dreams have been very peaceful. Even when you were cultivating with Li Xia, the aura of divine fire did not disturb you.
Are you still watching? I think the person I'm closest to right now is you, ever since I learned that you've been watching me since I was a child.
I also want to ask, what exactly do you mean by loving yourself?
......
The first year, May 15th, sunny.
I had a thrilling physical fight with Senior Sister Tang. Although I lost, I gained a lot.
The master piled up all the instances of slacking off and ordered Li Xia to fight her with swords.
Today, I finally saw what it means to be 'utterly crushed'. Li Xia used all her strength, but she was powerless to fight back.
It seems we still have a long way to go.
However, she was so disheartened by the scolding that she actually leaned on me and cried that night, which was quite rare for her. For some reason, I found it... very cute.
I couldn't help but offer a few more words of comfort, persuaded her to get into bed, wrapped her up in a blanket, stuffed a piece of candy inside, and gently patted her for a while.
I blame myself for being too soft-hearted and always letting her slack off. But every time I look into her eyes, I feel they are so bright, and I can't bring myself to refuse.
It's better to be a little cold-hearted.
The special training has now concluded. We will depart tomorrow to explore the First Domain, Shen Yuan Secret Realm.
This time, and perhaps even in the future, you may not be able to save me anymore.
But I will still write, I will still think, perhaps if I find Luochuan, everything will end, you will reappear, and the regret will be resolved.
Qiao Yanshen withdrew his gaze, closed the notebook, and put it into his storage bag.
In another room, Shen Lixia changed her clothes, grabbed her long sword, and trotted out. Her clear voice seemed to echo the birdsong outside as it reached her ears: "Ready to go, Senior Sister!"
"Okay." She nodded with a smile, took Shen Lixia's hand, and walked outside with her.
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Author's Note: This is a transitional chapter with a little bit of the senior sister's notes! A new dungeon has opened, so the two of them are about to embark on a new journey.
I'll spend the next couple of days organizing the outline!
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