Chapter 111 Cloud Soul and Rain Spirit (10) "It's not good-looking."...
"Shhh."
Ru Xian reminded him almost in a whisper; if it weren't for the slight movement of two strands of snowy hair by his lips, she might have thought she was hallucinating.
Lin Feiran nodded blankly, suppressing the gasp that was about to escape her lips.
She bent down and stepped into the car, her surprise clearly visible on her face. Her usually calm eyes couldn't help but dart around, looking at the shifting light around her.
How can I describe what I see before my eyes?
The spacious and dark interior of the car was only dimly lit by a faint light, which made the golden light that was moving around all seem particularly bright.
They brushed past the carriage window, past the jade table, and fluttered his robes like hailstones, as if the wind were blowing. They playfully slipped through his wrists and legs. The gold rings, which had grown several times larger at some point, were now floating in mid-air, letting the magical light pass through them as if in a chaotic frenzy.
Ancient and strange black patterns spread out from under his clothes, slowly climbing up his fingertips, up his long neck, and up his usually aloof face.
On the side of the neck and the exposed wrist, the veins swelled and twisted, throbbing slightly.
Ru Xian knelt on one knee, half-covering his face with his hand, his pair of bright green eyes meeting hers, and then he spoke softly.
He seemed unable to tolerate the bizarre appearance.
Lin Feiran subconsciously closed her eyes, but in fact, that deep look just now had already imprinted everything into her mind.
Then, a voice that sounded almost like a sigh rang out: "It's not good-looking."
She paused for a moment and said softly, "Your Majesty, you don't need to worry too much... When a person is beautiful enough, some harmless patterns will not only not be detrimental, but will become another kind of embellishment."
Lin Feiran was not talking nonsense, nor was she trying to comfort him.
These hailstones, though possessing a strange sense of coldness and oppression, are not at all frightening in appearance; instead, they have a strange eeriness and mystery.
The car remained silent. Lin Feiran licked her lips and added, "Of course, it's also possible that you haven't completely changed, Lord. If your eyes are crooked and your mouth is crooked, then you certainly won't look very good..."
A moment later, a soft laugh reached my ears, but it was slightly low and hoarse, as if someone had been suppressing their emotions for a long time and their throat was finally able to relax.
"You only talk a lot at times like this."
"Come closer, but don't open your eyes."
Lin Feiran, who was half-squatting in front, took two steps forward, supporting herself with the velvet blanket.
"Come here, stand in front of me."
Lin Feiran groped her way forward, crossed the jade table, and took two more steps before encountering a slightly cool sensation, at which point she stopped.
With eyes closed and unable to see, even the slightest rustling sound became extremely loud.
His voice suddenly rang in his ear, his breath very close, carrying a faint coolness. Lin Fei felt a slight numbness in his neck, as if he was not used to such close distance. He subconsciously turned his head to the side, but his left shoulder was pressed down, preventing him from turning his head completely.
"To avoid arousing suspicion, I will remain silent. Find a reason to coax them away, and then take me back to my room."
He was probably truly unable to speak; even these few words were reduced to mere breaths in the end.
"Lin Feiran, is the Lord alright?" Bi Qing's worried voice came from outside the car.
The pressure on her shoulder suddenly increased, and even someone as resilient as her felt a sharp pain.
Suddenly, it became quiet outside the car.
A moment later, Xun Feifei coughed lightly, breaking the deathly silence.
"I see. Then I'll trouble you to take the Lord back to his room. Let's postpone our meeting until tomorrow. We'll go find Ping An first to discuss the Pilgrimage Valley."
Xuanzhen and Biqing seemed to want to say something more, but they were covered and taken away.
The ginseng children waiting outside the carriage blushed and quickly scattered, leaving only the two people and the phoenix in the courtyard for a moment.
Lin Feiran rubbed his left shoulder, puzzled, but then heard Ru Xian speak.
Why are you bringing up the period?
Her voice was truly cool and elegant.
Lin Feiran readily agreed, saying, "Because this is the least suspicious reason."
She had heard Biqing say that the demon race had the power of bloodline inheritance, which was both good and bad.
On the positive side, they are born with spiritual veins, and each race has its own secret techniques. For example, Xuanzhen was born with the ability to travel like thunder and wind, while Biqing was born with a body of copper and iron, making her impervious to swords and spears.
The only downside is the courtship period.
However, not all demons experience this period of intimacy. Jade beings like Biqing are free from this predicament.
But in the end, Lin Feiran had only heard about it; she actually knew nothing about what the love period was like or what it meant.
However, since Ru Xian had been in the car for a long time, her voice was somewhat weak when she called out to her. If she didn't want anyone to notice, using the excuse of her love affair would be the most appropriate.
Ru Xian clearly understood her meaning, and knowing that she was human and did not understand the concept of love, she did not pursue the matter further.
"Alright, let's go out first."
He raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder. Lin Feiran did not resist. She took his arm with her right hand, hesitated for a moment with her left hand, and felt that it was not appropriate to put it anywhere.
"If you want to go ahead and do it, then go ahead and do it. I didn't say it was not allowed, which means it's okay."
Lin Feiran then groped and placed his left hand behind his waist, but only loosely. Then he stood up and helped the man up.
“My Lord, the way you were just now was more like the great figures described in storybooks, the kind of people who are sinister, dark, and ruthless.”
Dark and ruthless?
Ru Xian immediately recalled the image of the previous demon king sitting in the dark palace, his hair disheveled, with a crooked, wicked smile.
He glanced sideways and asked in a cool voice, "Do you think that looks good? It's tasteless. I want to enjoy the warmest and brightest things, like the golden rays of the rising sun."
Lin Feiran nodded, opened his eyes, looked straight ahead, and didn't glance at the person next to him. He supported him as he slowly walked to the carriage shaft and then helped him down to the ground.
"That's true."
The two landed, and Ru Xian patted the phoenix's wings to call it away before following Lin Feiran into the room.
Halfway there, he suddenly spoke up: "Do you think I'm a ruthless person?"
Lin Feiran was focused on looking at the ground. Hearing this, he paused and explained, "It's just a metaphor, nothing more."
Ru Xian glanced at her, then looked away, her words laced with a hint of sarcasm, a slight upturn at the corner of her lips: "No need for metaphors, I am indeed a ruthless person. Why don't you hold on tighter? Otherwise, this ruthless person of mine will make you regret it."
Lin Feiran: "..."
Ru Xian's residence was located on the second floor of a pavilion, requiring her to climb more than ten wooden steps, and she could only get help from Lin Feiran.
She had to hold him close to his waist to help him up to the second floor.
When they reached the door, she felt a strange movement coming from the veins in his waist, so she subconsciously glanced at him.
When Ru Xian saw her gaze shift slightly, she stopped, raised her hand and pulled out a two-finger-wide piece of white gauze to cover her eyes, then took the golden ribbon off her back and placed it outside the door before saying, "Open the door."
Lin Feiran did as she was told. As soon as she pushed the door open, the candles and pearls in the room lit up, making it as bright as day. Although she wore a light veil over her eyes, she could see things without difficulty in such light, though they were a little blurry.
She understood what Ru Xian meant; it meant she could see everything else, but not the strange markings on his face.
The two entered together, stepped over the soft carpet, and Lin Feiran helped him to the bed.
In her vision, Ruxie's face became hazy and blurry. Through the white veil, she could see him looking at her, and she could see the floating golden ring. Everything else was hidden under that pure white.
Ru Xian sat on the edge of the bed looking at her, raised her hand, and Lin Feiran half-squatted down: "What's wrong?"
She was very obedient. Whether it was helping him out of the carriage and escorting him to the door, or being wrapped in this white veil, she did not object at all and let him do whatever he wanted. She did not even ask a single question about this strange situation.
"Tonight, I need your help."
Lin Feiran was not surprised and nodded, asking, "What do you need me to do?"
His snow-white eyelashes drooped, as if he were thinking and deliberating.
"Alright, take off the white veil. You've already seen how you look, so what difference does it make whether you cover yourself up or not?"
Lin Feiran paused slightly, then raised her hand to remove the white veil, casually wrapped it around her wrist, and looked at him with a calm and peaceful gaze.
Her gaze shifted downwards, landing on the three gold rings.
Two mirrors hung from his wrists, and one from his thigh. The original size of the mirrors had expanded to the size of round mirrors, making them look somewhat empty.
The fact that the golden ring was out of control meant that his spiritual power was malfunctioning, and it's understandable that he didn't want anyone to know.
She looked up and asked, "How do I put it back in its place?"
Ru Xian stared intently at her until she saw that sincerity and composure, then her brows relaxed slightly.
Knowing how to control these golden rings is no small matter; he must be extremely careful.
He thought that Lin Feiran could be trusted.
"I'll teach you hand seals."
Even as he was forming hand seals, his gaze remained fixed on Lin Feiran's face.
He thought it best not to betray his trust.
He withdrew his hands and placed them at his sides, then asked, "Do you want me to do it again?"
This was a very complex hand seal, which Lin Feiran observed intently. Upon hearing this, he shook his head and said, "No need."
She stood up and formed hand seals in the same order as he had done before. Spiritual energy slowly surged out, and the three golden rings responded. With the last movement, they suddenly began to spin, expanding and shrinking, before finally tightening back together.
Because it was so tight, not only were my wrists constricted, but my legs were also left with dents.
Ru Xian let out a barely perceptible gasp, then looked up at her: "Too tight, loosen it a little."
"good."
Lin Feiran's first attempt at controlling it wasn't very smooth, so he formed the hand seals again, keeping his eyes fixed on the leg ring, wanting it to loosen a little more, and loosen it even more.
The leg rings expanded at an almost agonizing pace, gradually loosening the skin and flesh they tightly bound, and smoothing out the folds of the pressed silk trousers.
"That's fine."
Ru Xian spoke up to stop her, and then raised her hand to press on her forehead to prevent someone who was too focused from getting any closer.
Upon hearing this, Lin Feiran withdrew her hand and let out a long sigh of relief. However, before she could look away, she suddenly said, "Your meridians..."
After being gathered by the golden ring, those abnormal meridians were all pressed back to their original positions. Although they did not disappear, they no longer wandered around causing trouble.
Ru Xian was not surprised at all, and just looked at her: "Aren't you curious about what disease I have? This is one of the symptoms. Without the golden ring to suppress it, the spiritual power and meridians in my body will all go out of control, making people restless."
Lin Feiran suddenly remembered that when he removed the curse from himself earlier, the golden ring seemed to have also moved strangely, expanding instantly and then immediately retracting.
She thought it was her imagination, but now she realizes it must be true.
So, when he was removing the curse from himself, was the spiritual energy within his body also surging?
With his meridians suppressed, Ru Xue felt much better. He leaned against the bed railing and looked up at the wall cabinet on his right, which was filled with porcelain vases.
"In the cabinet at the third row and fourth column, there are three vases with intertwined branches. Take them all at once; I need to take my medicine."
Lin Feiran got up and walked to the cabinet, took out three porcelain bottles, paused when she passed the table, poured him a cup of tea, and then walked to the bedside.
She didn't ask about the illness, and he didn't say anything either.
As the two had agreed beforehand, they had to exchange secrets for secrets. If she wanted to know, she would have to exchange an equal amount of secrets.
Based on what I've seen today, I doubt she has such a big secret.
After taking the medicine, the strange markings on Ruxian's body did not disappear immediately, but instead lingered on the back of her hands, neck, and face.
Like black jade scattered on white snow, coupled with the red mark pressed down on her left eye, it was extremely gorgeous, yet inexplicably alluring.
Lin Feiran never judges people by their appearance; she treats everyone equally, regardless of whether they are beautiful or ugly.
But I was indeed a little dazed at that moment.
This is not the first time.
In the past, she would probably have despised herself, but now she has a kind of open-mindedness that seems to have given up on everything.
There will be a next time anyway, so why be so harsh?
Therefore, upon realizing that she had lost her focus again, she simply sighed softly, then looked away and gazed at the full moon outside the window.
Ru Xian placed the porcelain bottle aside, got up, stepped over the bed, and sat on the windowsill as usual. She looked back at her and said, "After taking the medicine, it will take about four or five hours for the symptoms to completely subside."
Until then, you must stay here and keep the Golden Ring under my control.
So, come here.
Lin Feiran hesitated for a moment, but still sat down.
The windows inside the lattice room are extremely large, with an octagonal shape, and there is more than enough room for two people to sit.
Outside the window, there was an endless night sky, with a bright moon shining softly, and a few branches of weeping crabapple blossoms hanging from the eaves, trembling slightly in the wind.
Ru Xian glanced at her sideways and suddenly said, "Do you remember what I mentioned about giving gifts before?"
Lin Feiran nodded, then, as if realizing something, immediately added, "I'm not ready to return the favor yet."
“Is that so?” Ru Shan raised her eyebrows slightly, turned to look at the full moon, and said in a somewhat ethereal voice, “But I seem to be unable to wait to give it to you.”
He raised his right hand, formed a mudra with one hand, then leaned against the windowsill. Looking to the side, he still looked somewhat tired, but his smile was even brighter.
He said, "Let's give it a try and see what happens."
Lin Feiran naturally memorized the hand seal gesture, but couldn't help feeling a little strange. The first two movements of the hand seal seemed to be the common starting posture of sword techniques.
She glanced at him, formed a hand seal, and the next moment, a buzzing sound was heard.
That was her disciple's sword.
It was a disciple's sword that had accompanied her throughout her youth, silently by her side, but it was later shattered in the Spring City Secret Realm.
She thought she would never find it again.
Lin Feiran's eyes flickered slightly, and a mix of emotions surged in his chest, including the joy of regaining what he had lost and the sadness of seeing his old friend again.
With a flick of her wrist, the disciple's sword flew into her hand like a streak of light.
She ran her fingers over the sword, which had been shattered before, and now it was completely undamaged. She looked at Ru Xian and asked, "How did you do that?"
Ru Xian leaned against the window frame, looked down at her, and said in a clear voice, "Do you still remember what happened at the fishing altar in the Flying Flower Gathering? I obtained a piece of marrow from the stone used for forging swords from the altar. It was useless, but it would be perfect to use it to restore your disciple's sword."
Lin Feiran stroked the sword and whispered, "Is that so?"
Ru Xian laughed and said, "Yes, but no."
He didn't actually want anything, because whatever he wanted, he would take it himself and wouldn't place his hopes on these illusory jars.
Therefore, when he was fishing, his fishing rod remained motionless for a long time.
While feeling utterly bored, he gazed at the stream rippled with peach petals and inexplicably thought of Lin Feiran, and of his trip to Chuncheng, where she was going to retrieve the sword.
There are always unexpected events. If they hadn't been able to enter the Pilgrimage Valley, or if they hadn't been able to retrieve the spirit sword from Sword Mountain, how much regret would she have felt, and what kind of expression would she have on her face?
Her face appeared in my mind, her expression changing, finally settling on a profile looking into the distance.
She won't be acting strangely.
At least no one will notice the slightest hint of regret.
His thoughts drifted away, his mind no longer on the fishing jar, but suddenly the fishing rod in his hand moved, hooking out a porcelain jar the size of two fists.
He was indeed somewhat surprised when he held the small jar, but after seeing what was inside, he couldn't help but smile, whether out of helplessness or emotion.
It was a stone marrow, considered a treasure of the world, used specifically for forging swords.
He thought he was just having a fleeting thought, but little did he know that this was what he wanted most right now.
He thought that if Lin Feiran did not obtain the spirit sword, he would have Zhang Siwo forge one for her using the marrow from this stone; if she did obtain it, he would use it to make a scabbard.
He had originally made this plan in his heart and had also made a promise to return the favor with her, but just before the mirror was about to be broken, he changed his mind.
At that moment, torrential rain poured down in the secret realm, and the floodwaters surged. Just as he was protecting the flower farmer she had rescued, he saw her slowly returning.
His eyes were bloodshot, his mind was in a daze, and he held a disciple's sword that was broken in half in his hand, looking lost and forlorn.
Later, the disciple's sword shattered completely and scattered throughout the secret realm.
He thought again that perhaps she wanted back the ordinary sword that had been with her for many years.
Therefore, before leaving the secret realm, he carried the unconscious Lin Feiran back to the ruins and mud, and together with Hanhuo, they retrieved the disciple's sword piece by piece.
Forging a sword from stone marrow requires melting and casting, but when repairing a broken sword, only spiritual energy is needed.
On that day, her disciple's sword was restored once again.
Of course, the main point was to pick out his own subtle feelings, focus on the matter of finding the sword with the hot goods, and tell her about it word by word.
He would speak out about what he had done; he would never compromise himself.
"In order to find the sword, I covered an area of dozens of miles, and my spiritual power was greatly dispersed. I transformed into mudfish, groundhogs, and pangolins, and retrieved the fragments piece by piece... I have never done anything like this before."
Lin Feiran looked at the long sword in his hand, a faint light in his eyes. When he looked at Ru Xian again, he didn't know what to say.
No one knew what the disciple's sword meant to her.
For the past ten years, through wind and snow, it has always been her companion. To her, the disciple's sword is more like a remembrance, an old friend, and a past that she does not have to let go of.
After a long silence, she finally spoke: "This gift is of paramount importance to me. I don't know how I can repay it."
“Is that so?” Ru Xian leaned against the window frame, her eyes curving into a smile. “Then someone will have to think about this day and night, tossing and turning in bed.”
It was meant as a joke, but Lin Feiran suddenly stood up and stood on the windowsill. Holding her disciple's sword, she bowed solemnly to him and said earnestly.
"I'll definitely come up with a return gift that will please you!"
Ru Xian was startled, then looked away and chuckled softly, this time for a long time.
Lin Feiran carefully sheathed the disciple's sword, then sat down on the windowsill, looking at the smile that had not yet faded from his face, and suddenly said.
Do you want to know what happened to me at the Flying Flower Gathering?
He had noticed her eyes were red earlier and asked her why, but she only said that she had met an old friend and learned about her mother's death, and then she didn't say anything more.
Later, the two tested each other about the secret, but in the end, nothing came of it.
Ru Xian clearly remembered this matter, and glanced at me sideways, her smile still lingering: "You're not going to use this as a return gift, are you?"
Lin Feiran shook his head: "If you want to know, I will tell you."
He asked with some curiosity, "Why are you suddenly willing to tell me?"
She lowered her head in silence, and after a moment said, "Secrets for secrets. You summoned me into the imperial carriage today to reveal some secrets to me. Now that I know them, I can exchange them with secrets."
Ru Xian looked at her, her gaze subtle: "Is that all? I want to hear something else."
Lin Feiran turned to look at him, a slight ripple in her calm gaze. She said, "Alright, I wanted to tell you myself. There's no other reason."
"..."
The smile in Ru Xian's eyes vanished completely, only to be replaced by a different kind of radiance.
He leaned against the window frame, supporting his weak body, and leaned towards Lin Feiran. The strange patterns spreading across his body revealed an indescribable allure under the moonlight.
He called her that name again, raised his hand and touched the corner of her eye, then quickly withdrew it before she could react.
"On the day you broke through to the next realm, you returned looking dazed, and there was blood on my sword. Why?"
Lin Feiran was in a state of confusion and did not pay attention to his actions. She only looked at the full moon and recalled that rain.
After a long silence, she finally spoke: "Back then in the secret realm, I killed an old friend. With a single swing of my sword, I severed her head completely. Blood splattered all over my body, hot and cold at the same time."
She turned to look at him: "This is the first time I've killed someone."
She can still recall that feeling—a sharp cut that barely met any resistance before being swiftly unleashed.
Ru Xian lowered her eyes and looked at him: "Are you scared?"
Lin Feiran shook his head: "I did nothing wrong, so why should I be afraid? At that time, I was in a clear-headed state of mind and had no confusion. I was just a little emotional. My second enlightenment came from killing someone."
But I don't think this will be the last time.
I think I'm not a very good person.
Ru Xian chuckled lightly and nodded in agreement: "Yes, who would believe it if word got out that someone who aspires to be a little hero is so vindictive?"
Lin Feiran chuckled upon hearing this, a helpless expression on his face.
Ru Xian added, "But so what? Must one be perfect? Must one be thorough in everything and tolerant in all matters to be considered a mature person? Must one's hands be clean to be worthy of the name of a hero?"
He raised his hand to stroke her cheek, tucking the hair behind her ear.
"You know the answers to these questions in your heart."
Lin Feiran, growing up is a painful thing, especially for someone like you. Life is full of hardships and people's hearts are unpredictable. So, I'm giving you this bronze mirror.
Whenever you feel disheartened, try looking at yourself in the mirror.
Lin Feiran took the bronze mirror, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at his reflection.
The person in the mirror also looked at her, with a clear gaze and a hint of bewilderment in their expression.
Ru Xian raised her eyebrows and said, "Look in the mirror. There are still people like Lin Feiran in the world. There must be more than one person like her, although none of them are you."
Do you think it's good or bad if there are more 'Lin Feirans' in the world?
Lin Feiran's brows relaxed slightly, and he said, "Okay."
She looked at Ru Xian with some curiosity: "Is this why you always carry a mirror with you?"
Ru Xian laughed and said, "I'm not a kind-hearted person. If everyone in the world were like me, we would be finished long ago. I just like to look at beautiful things that are pleasing to the eye, and my face just happens to fit the bill."
At this point, he suddenly remembered his current appearance, immediately withdrew his hand, and his expression turned sour.
Lin Feiran held up the bronze mirror in her hand and placed it in front of him, asking as he had done before, "Do you think the person in the mirror is good or bad?"
Ru Xian didn't even glance at her, and said in a cool voice, "I won't say things against my conscience."
“I think it’s good,” Lin Feiran said to herself, then added as he turned his gaze, “I won’t say anything against my conscience.”
Ru Xian couldn't help but laugh and said, "With your personality, no matter what's in the mirror, you'll think it's good."
However, he would never have let her take off her white veil if he didn't know she genuinely thought it looked good.
Lin Feiran wanted to refute him, but felt that what he said made perfect sense, so she couldn't say anything.
Seeing his listless expression, she pondered for a moment, then stood up again and drew her disciple's sword: "The night is long. Rather than sitting idly again, I'd rather dance with my sword under the moon."
Ru Xian grabbed her wrist and immediately asked, "Is this your return gift?"
Lin Feiran was taken aback, then lowered his eyes and stroked the sword, saying softly, "This is a return gift from the disciple's sword."
After speaking, she leaped into the courtyard, looked back at the window on the second floor, pursed her lips slightly, and began to wield her sword.
It's not quite a dance; she doesn't know any of those techniques. It's more like ordinary sword practice, but it's more graceful, nimble, and austere than the average person.
A cold glint flashed, and the white snow fell; the wind rustled through the pines.
She and her disciple Jian had spent many years together and had developed a special understanding.
Such nights of chaotic spiritual energy, imbalanced meridians, and excruciating pain have happened many times, but none have been as easy as this one.
He couldn't help but wonder, what could he do to keep her by his side for a long time?
He leaned against the window frame, his eyes slightly narrowed, looking at the mysterious figure dancing with a sword for him in the courtyard. A drooping crabapple blossom fell from a branch and landed between his fingers, which he held and caressed for a long time.
Author's Note: Ru Xian: Do you think I'm a ruthless person?
Lin Feiran: Mm, you're really hot (X)
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