After asking this question, Fu Changling's heart beat rapidly.
He hadn't thought about it at the time, but now, pausing to review what had happened, he couldn't help but wonder. Qin Yan's sword strike had been both perfectly timed and inopportune. Why had he used that move at that precise moment, the one that had made him realize that Yan Ming was his Yijian Chunsheng?
When something starts to show signs, it's hard not to overthink it. Even though he and Qin Yan hadn't come into contact during this time in his previous life, thinking about it carefully, even though Qin Yan was a genius, at only seventeen, his fighting style was far too smooth. After all, cultivation can be cultivated behind closed doors, but true combat skills must be honed in life-or-death battle after life-or-death battle. Most cultivators at seventeen are still protected by their elders within the sect, and when they venture out for training, they're led by seniors, never having faced true life-or-death situations. But Qin Yan's swordsmanship, however, seemed to have already weathered a sea of blood and a mountain of swords.
All these clues made him come up with an absurd guess. If he could be reborn, then Qin Yan...
"Since you know about Yijian Chunsheng," Qin Yan asked, reaching for the brewed teacup in front of him, his voice flat, "you should know that it has the effect of clearing the mind and concentrating the spirit."
Fu Changling was stunned when he heard this. Qin Yan looked calm as he took a sip of tea and said, "You were trapped by your inner demon at that time, and I wanted to exorcise it for you."
"Is that so?"
Fu Changling twirled the fan in his hand as he pondered, then spoke slowly, "Since you knew Yan Ming wasn't the real Yan Ming, why didn't you tell me in advance?"
"I won't speak about anything I'm not sure about."
Fu Changling nodded. This was indeed Qin Yan's style. He only reminded Yan Ming of his problems if he thought they were his faults. He told him that Yan Ming was possessed by a demon, and he wouldn't tell him everything if he didn't speculate too much.
"You don't speak of things you're uncertain about. Fellow Daoist Qin must be a cautious person. So," Fu Changling looked up at him, observing his expression, "Fellow Daoist Qin said he came here on the orders of Young Master Su. He rescued me at the Shangguan residence and killed me in the Xuanji Secret Realm. Finally, he accurately pointed out that there was a problem with the seal of the Xuanji Secret Realm. Deductions of destiny, if you can calculate a rough estimate, are good enough. How could Young Master Su be able to calculate to such a detailed level? And Fellow Daoist Qin didn't have a single doubt in all this?"
As he spoke, Fu Changling emphasized his voice: "Killing me is, after all, a human life."
Fu Changling had long suspected this, but he hadn't thought deeply about it before. Now that he had that absurd guess, everything suddenly seemed to make sense.
If Qin Yan was reborn like him, then all of Qin Yan's actions would have reasons.
The reason why Qin Yan came to Shangguan Villa to save himself was because he knew that he would be in danger in the Shangguan family, and then fall into the Xuanji Secret Realm, and then open the seal of the Karma Prison in the Xuanji Secret Realm. In order to stop all this, he came to Shangguan Villa in advance, wholeheartedly protecting him, and trying to take him away from Shangguan Villa. Everything he did in Shangguan Villa was to prevent him from entering the Xuanji Secret Realm.
But in the end, they still entered the Xuanji Secret Realm. This incident, perhaps causing Qin Yan, who was determined to change his fate, to feel that fate could not be defied, made him resolve to kill him. However, due to the obstruction of the Heart-Sharing Curse and other reasons, perhaps due to his inner sense of justice, or perhaps because he still retained the friendship from his previous life, he ultimately chose to cooperate with him and made him promise not to open the Xuanji Secret Realm.
But if he really was reborn...
Fu Changling's heart was moved again. Considering Qin Yan's resolute attitude in his previous life, how could he be so open-minded to save him and get along with him so peacefully?
After all, he humiliated and tortured him like that back then...
Fu Changling thought of the figure in the flames, his breath choking. He hurriedly lowered his head to grab a teacup, trying to hide his emotions. Qin Yan sat opposite him, seemingly ignorant, and said calmly, "I don't understand the art of deduction. You can ask Ji." Since Ji deduced it, Qin Yan met his gaze without flinching, "I believe it."
"What if he's wrong?"
"If he is wrong, I will kill you and I will pay for your life."
Hearing this, Fu Changling suddenly lost interest in asking further questions.
He was probably too suspicious. Rebirth was so strange. It would have been fine if he had started over again alone, but Qin Yan also started over again. How could there be such a coincidence?
He didn't want to ask any more questions and remained silent for a long time. Seeing that he was speechless, Qin Yan urged him, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"
"Nothing much, just quite astonished," Fu Changling asked his last question, his enthusiasm waning. "You are only seventeen years old, but your swordsmanship is comparable to that of a great master. You seem to have experienced many life-and-death battles. I wonder how you, the first disciple of Hongmeng Tiangong, can possess such swordsmanship?" Fu Changling looked up at him. "How did you acquire such swordsmanship?"
This time Qin Yan did not answer. He looked at him with wariness in his eyes.
Fu Changling finally realized that directly questioning others' cultivation methods was extremely rude among cultivators.
He smiled and lowered his head, saying, "Sorry, I lost my manners due to curiosity. I hope you can forgive me."
The two of them fell silent, with only the sound of water trickling as Fu Changling brewed tea ringing in their ears.
The surroundings were shrouded in mist, and the flying boat seemed to be flying through the clouds. After a brief silence, Qin Yan finally answered Fu Changling: "My master's training requires that one comprehend the sword through actual combat. I once followed my master to challenge hundreds of sects with his sword."
The sword challenges hundreds of sects.
Jiang Yebai became famous at a young age. Now, at only 34 years old, he is already one of the four great tribulation-crossing masters in the world of cultivation. It is not surprising that Qin Yan can have such sword intent under his guidance.
After hearing this explanation, Fu Changling finally let it go completely.
He couldn't describe the feeling. He was both relieved and bitter. There were all kinds of feelings in his heart, and a cup of bitter tea could suppress them all.
He poured tea for Qin Yan, not wanting to ask any more questions, and changed the subject: "Fellow Daoist Qin, what did you want to ask me just now?"
"The seal in the secret realm, your last..."
"I resealed it."
Fu Changling knew what he was going to ask and opened his mouth immediately. Qin Yan nodded and said, "Excellent work."
"But it's useless." Fu Changling turned his head to look at the clouds outside the window, his voice flat, "My magic power is weak, and the seal I set is not strong. There is a master behind this matter, and it will take him a few months to break the formation."
"Master?"
Qin Yan frowned, and Fu Changling nodded. He picked up the small fan, stroking the handle engraved with runes, sorting out his thoughts: "Do you remember the runes we saw on Shangguan Yuemin's back at Shangguan's house?"
Qin Yan listened to Fu Changling's words and thought about it carefully: "I have some impression."
"I saw it again when I was trying to decipher the Xuanji Secret Realm formation." Fu Changling's mind flashed through the Xuanji Secret Realm formation once again. He felt the smooth, cool feel of the small fan and continued, "If I'm not mistaken, judging by the form of the two runes, they shouldn't be runes, but the core of a formation. And this formation is a summoning formation."
As he spoke, Fu Changling looked up at Qin Yan and said, "The Shangguan family is the child formation, and the Xuanji Secret Realm is the mother formation. Shangguan Yuemin didn't die at the hands of Wushi Luo, she died as a sacrifice to activate the mother formation. After the mother formation is activated, it will summon those in the child formation to enter the mother formation. But a secret realm cannot accommodate so many people, so their original plan may have been to use Wushi Luo to kill everyone else in Shangguan Villa."
"If Wushi Luo was originally controlled by them, then it makes sense that she would still want to kill us after Shangguan Hong was already killed by you."
"Why are they going to so much trouble?" Qin Yan was puzzled. "If they just want you and me to enter the Xuanji Secret Realm, can't they just set up a summoning formation under our feet?"
Qin Yan said this seriously, which made Fu Changling laugh. He sat opposite Qin Yan, one leg crossed under his body, the other leg slightly bent, the hand holding the folding fan lightly resting on his knee, and the fan hanging casually in the air.
He couldn't help but stand up slightly, leaned forward, got in front of Qin Yan, and whispered: "Qin Yan, are you stupid?"
Qin Yan looked up at him, his expression normal. The two were very close, and the moment Qin Yan raised his eyes, Fu Changling could feel their auras blending. Fu Changling was stunned. Qin Yan's pair of icy eyes just looked at him quietly. Fu Changling couldn't help but freeze, and his gaze shifted slightly, then fell on the slight redness at the corner of Qin Yan's eyes.
The skin around his eyes seemed naturally thinner and fairer, so the contrast was paler, and when viewed up close, it appeared slightly red. That red, like a brilliant rosy cloud, would have been even more vibrant if it weren't obscured by the icy snow surrounding Qin Yan. Fu Changling was stunned by what he saw, and then he heard Qin Yan's cold voice ask, "What are you looking at?"
Fu Changling snapped back to his senses. He forced himself to look away unnoticeably, then slowly pulled away with a smile, fanning himself with his fan and continuing, "You went through so much trouble, naturally hoping we wouldn't find out. If you hadn't stopped me from opening the seal of the Xuanji Secret Realm ahead of time, and if I hadn't seen through the two summoning arrays in the end, perhaps for us, we would have accidentally entered the Xuanji Secret Realm at the Shangguan residence, and then I opened the seal of the Xuanji Secret Realm to save Yan Ming. We wouldn't even be able to see what was beneath the seal before leaving the Xuanji Secret Realm. We wouldn't even know what we did."
Just like in the previous life.
From the beginning to the end, he had no idea what opening the Xuanji Secret Realm meant. If he had known earlier, at least at the last moment, he could have made amends, as he did now. Meanwhile, the Yunze leadership would have known about the existence of the Karma Prison earlier, allowing them to fully prepare for the impending enemy.
Today, Yunze knows almost nothing about the existence of Karma Prison. Everyone has forgotten the distant war between immortals and demons and is still living in the beautiful dream of the prosperous era of cultivation.
Qin Yan listened to Fu Changling's words, digested them for a moment, and concluded: "So this matter was planned by someone behind the scenes. Back then, Shangguan Hong used Shangguan Yuemin to build a formation to absorb spiritual power to help him continue to advance. However, this formation was broken by a woman in purple two years ago. Then someone gave Shangguan Hong a technique to absorb other people's spiritual power. In exchange, or perhaps for other reasons, the Shangguan family became a sub-formation of the summoning formation, and Wu Shi Luo was controlled by the person behind the scenes to attack us. We fell into the Xuanji Secret Realm. Wu Sisi and Yan Ming both wanted to use us to open the seal of the Xuanji Secret Realm. So," Qin Yan looked at him, "what is under the seal of the Xuanji Secret Realm? Why did they designate us two to enter the Xuanji Secret Realm?"
Fu Changling said nothing, he opened and closed his small fan.
He naturally knew what was under the seal of the Xuanji Secret Realm, but if he told Qin Yan, he would have to explain to Qin Yan how he knew all this.
He hesitated for a long time, and finally said: "That is the prison of karma."
"Karma Prison?"
Qin Yan repeated in a low voice, his eyes lowered as he stared at his teacup. Fu Changling twirled his fan and explained, "The existence of Karma Prison is the reason Su Wenji told you that if I entered the secret realm, it would cause great suffering to the people of Yunze."
Qin Yan remained silent, seemingly digesting Fu Changling's words. Fu Changling reached for his teacup and took a sip. "During the Great War between Immortals and Demons, Sword Master Ye Lan expelled the demon cultivators to a desolate land and then sealed them away. That place where the demon cultivators were imprisoned is the Karma Prison."
Fu Changling said this and turned to look out the window.
"In order to completely seal the Karma Prison, Ye Jianzun chose a special sealing method. It sealed the four meridians connecting the Karma Prison to Yunze. These meridians are where the spiritual energy of the two worlds flows. After being sealed, Yunze's spiritual energy will not flow into the Karma Prison. The Karma Prison is originally a barren land. Without spiritual energy, these demonic cultivators will die out over time. These four seals not only curb the development of the Karma Prison, but also strengthen the seal of the Karma Prison gate. In other words,"
Fu Changling turned to look at Qin Yan. "If you want to open the gate to the Karma Prison, you must first open the four Qi channel seals. I guess the seal in the Xuanji Secret Realm is actually one of the four Qi channel seals. Now that they have opened this Qi channel seal, Yunze's spiritual energy can flow into the Karma Prison. The Karma Prison has grown stronger with the help of Yunze's spiritual energy. It's only a matter of time before they open the main seal of the Karma Prison gate."
Qin Yan listened quietly, without a trace of surprise on his face. It was unclear whether he had known about it for a long time or he was used to it, making it impossible to see any of his emotions.
"If that's the case," Qin Yan's gaze fell on the long sword in front of him, "what will happen to Yunze?"
"It started with a decline in spiritual energy."
Fu Changling sighed, thinking back to Yunze back then: "Later, some Karma Hell Demon Cultivators will appear in Yunze. They will use the spiritual energy and lives of Yunze cultivators as nourishment, rapidly growing stronger. And many cultivators in Yunze will also, with their spiritual energy depleted and unable to follow the righteous path, turn to the demonic path."
"When their numbers grow, it will be a battle between immortals and demons. Maybe we will win, maybe we will lose, but no matter what, it will be the same."
"Why do you say that?"
Qin Yan suddenly spoke, and he asked this question very quickly, and there was even a hint of urgency in it that did not belong to him.
Fu Changling was reminiscing about his past life and didn't notice this unusual moment. After a long while, he said, "Win or lose, it can't change Yunze's fate of spiritual energy exhaustion. Yunze's great calamity is not in the prison of karma, but in the way of heaven."
"So," Qin Yan clenched his hands under the table into fists, "no matter how many sacrifices and struggles I have to make, even if I am willing to go through mountains of swords and seas of fire, and even grind my bones to ashes..."
"You don't have to!"
When he heard the words "crush bones and scatter ashes", Fu Changling raised his voice suddenly. This loud shout seemed to startle Qin Yan. He looked at Fu Changling quietly. Fu Changling turned his head away with a look of embarrassment on his face.
He lowered his head, clenched his fan tightly, and restrained himself from recalling the scene in his previous life when Qin Yan was burned to ashes in the fire of karma. He stood up from the main seat and vomited a mouthful of blood in front of the long table.
But he couldn't control it.
At that time, Qin Yan had a golden body that had passed the tribulation, so the karma fire burned for three full days.
During those three days, the number of spectators decreased, and he was the only one who sat in the main seat and watched the entire execution from beginning to end.
In the long years that followed, he could clearly recall every fragment as soon as he closed his eyes. But back then, he didn't dare admit his friendship with Qin Yan. He could still comfort himself by thinking that this was a memory of his enemy. But now, when he truly accepted his inner feelings, every knife he had cut into Qin Yan's body was cut into his heart, and every flame that burned in Qin Yan's body was burned in his heart.
He couldn't bear to hear Qin Yan talking about life and death, so his hand holding the fan trembled slightly. He raised his head and stared at Qin Yan: "Remember this."
"In this life, no matter what, whether it's for the common people or Yunze, for kindness or for love, you don't have to risk your life."
"You will live well."
"In this life," he looked at the man with a surprised expression, trying to hide his emotions with a smile, but his words still choked with sobs as he spoke, "You will be the pride of Yunze for life, Qin Yan."
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