Chapter 113 Hundred Blessings Brocade (Supplement) "...He is nobody..."
The messenger bird is created using origami. It may be flat or have a head and wings. Depending on the person performing the ritual, the appearance may vary.
Three messenger birds are lined up in a row, each stacked in a different way.
Ji Changying's was a vivid titmouse, with a round head and blunter wings and tail feathers. He once said that it was modeled after her.
It must be said that it does indeed possess some charm.
The one from the Shenqi period is smaller and flatter, and the folding method is extremely regular. It also has a few long feathers drawn on it and a pair of bean-sized black eyes, making it quite simple and honest.
It was flat and neatly folded, without a single pattern drawn on it. It seemed unremarkable, but the paper bird did not have wings folded on its sides. The moment it landed, several beams of light immediately escaped from the side, condensed into feathers, and then quickly dissipated.
Even without a single word being spoken, Lin Feiran recognized whose it was at a glance.
Apart from Wei Changzai, no one in the world would fold a wingless bird like this.
When Lin Feiran first met him, she was surprised and asked him why.
Looking at the paper bird, Wei Changzai said only one sentence: "The paper bird is just like a puppet, controlled by spiritual power. Whether it has wings or not is irrelevant."
He looked up at her: "Do you find it strange?"
If it were someone else, they would probably find it strange, but Lin Feiran took the messenger bird, formed a hand seal, and used spiritual power to condense a pair of wings that were about to dissipate.
"It's not surprising. Perhaps some wings are invisible and intangible, but they reside in the heart."
Wei Changzai held the messenger bird and looked at it for a long time. From then on, all the messages he received were like this.
The carrier bird needs to be connected by a carrier seal.
Wei Changzai had lost contact with her, but they had met under false identities at the Flying Flower Gathering and that's how they set up a new seal.
What was the reason for his silence at this moment?
Lin Feiran put down the messenger bird and opened the mustard seed bag that Ji Changying had sent. Inside the bag were many wrapped bits of food, a stack of drawn talismans, a dozen or so rare wild mushrooms, and a piece of green stone the size of a goose egg.
Like agate, it ripples with blue and green hues, feels cool to the touch, and has a flowing light inside.
She looked at it over and over for a while, but couldn't figure it out. Just as she was about to ask her grandmaster, she heard a knock at the door.
"Lin Feiran!"
It was the sound of a jade chime. After striking it about three times, the group entered with practiced ease. The iron Khitan book on the table transformed into a stream of light and flowed into the mustard seed pouch at her waist.
Lin Feiran looked out the window and saw Bi Qing, Xuan Zhen, Xun Feifei, and even Qing Zhu and Ping An, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. The five of them were gathered in the small courtyard, which suddenly felt cramped.
She was puzzled, so she asked, "Why is everyone here so soon today?"
The group walked to the corridor, stood by the window, and looked at Lin Feiran across a desk, each with a different expression.
Ping An couldn't hide his excitement and asked directly, "I heard that the Lord's period ended last night. Was it you who sent him back to his room?"
Green bamboo, standing to the side, unfolded a gold-flecked fan, concealing half of her face, and looked on with a smile.
Lin Feiran choked for a moment. She had been practicing swordsmanship all night and had completely forgotten about the love affair.
"I sent it back because I am human and am not affected by the seasons."
But seeing this situation, she also felt a little apprehensive.
"Would my actions damage his reputation?"
"No," Qingzhu laughed. "Most demons have mating seasons, which is quite common. It's just that strange things always happen during mating seasons. Our Lord always avoids us during this time, so we've never seen it. We're just a little curious."
Ping An leaned against the window frame, looking curious: "When Xun Feifei is in heat, she keeps looking for things to build a nest, and at midnight she even plucks things randomly in my bamboo forest. Since you are also a member of the Feather Clan, does Your Excellency have the same habit?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the others silently looked at Xun Feifei, who clicked his tongue in disbelief.
He looked at Biqing, Xuanzhen, and Qingzhu one by one, his tone completely calm: "You clearly knew all along, so why pretend to be surprised now? You should be looking at her."
He raised his hand and pointed at Lin Feiran, then all eyes turned back to him.
Lin Feiran had no idea about any unusual phenomena during her period, but faced with so many people and the need to fabricate a story, she stammered, "I don't know... Your Majesty doesn't seem to be acting strangely, I haven't seen much..."
After she finished speaking, she blushed a little.
It wasn't because I remembered the leg ring, but because I felt a little embarrassed about talking nonsense like that.
Ping An completely misunderstood. Seeing her flushed face, he assumed she had seen something she shouldn't have, so he coughed lightly, his gaze wandering, and stopped asking questions.
Upon seeing this, Biqing asked, "So, during the Venerable Lord's romantic encounter yesterday, you weren't thrown out by him?"
Lin Feiran nodded: "...No."
She could imagine what it looked like to trample people underfoot, because she had seen it, but she couldn't imagine how he threw people out.
Biqing laughed twice, her bright face full of smugness. She stretched her hand out in front of Xuanzhen's eyes: "Give me the money! I told you the Lord wouldn't throw her away!"
Xuanzhen let out a sob and sadly took out two handfuls of jade coins. Biqing excitedly grabbed one handful and put it into her mustard seed bag, then grabbed the other handful and stuffed it into Lin Feiran's hand.
She blinked and said, "I'll bet you, and everyone who sees this gets a share!"
Lin Feiran couldn't help but chuckle.
Like Lin Feiran, Biqing and Xuanzhen always regarded Ruxian as aloof and divine, and would never think of her in such an absurd way.
Xun Feifei, Qingzhu, and Ping An each had their own thoughts, but none of them voiced them, keeping their guesses to themselves and quietly turning the page.
Biqing was in a great mood after making some money. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the jade stone and her eyes widened in surprise.
"What a huge piece of lightning-struck rock!"
Everyone's gaze immediately shifted to Lin Feiran, who held the stone out the windowsill and brought it close to Bi Qing's eyes, saying, "Lightning-struck stone? That sounds familiar."
Biqing raised her hand to take it and tapped it with her fingers.
"Lightning-struck stone is what our jade family calls it. According to you, it is a naturally formed polishing stone."
This is hard-won. When it was extracted from the marrow of our Jade Mountain, it was a bluish-gray like rock and soil. It had to be sent to the Thunder Mountain of the Merfolk tribe to be struck by blue lightning for ten years to remove the impurities and become this bluish-green stone, through which the light of blue lightning flowed.
When used to sharpen a sword, lightning flashes, as if it were being forged a second time, and it only becomes sharper with each sharpening.
Such a rare treasure, and you have such a large piece!
Lin Feiran's eyelids twitched. She had never expected her senior brother to give her such a generous gift. She said, "This is a gift from an old friend."
Biqing put the whetstone back and clicked her tongue, saying, "This person must have a very deep friendship with you. Even our Jade Clan rarely gives such a generous gift."
Lin Feiran held the whetstone, and for a moment felt it was a little too hot to handle: "This gift is really precious."
"Hearing that you have obtained the spirit sword, I would like to give you a whetstone, which is quite appropriate." Qingzhu put down her folding fan and examined the whetstone. "Since it is a kind gesture from an old friend, why not accept it without worry? You can choose something else to give in return."
"Too."
Lin Feiran nodded. Qingzhu's words made sense. She should find the items her senior brother needed and send them back.
After looking at the whetstone, the group naturally noticed the three distinct messenger birds on the table.
Qingzhu asked curiously, "Who sent these three messenger birds?"
Xun Feifei couldn't help but glance at him sideways, wondering when Qingzhu had developed such curiosity.
I was just about to refuse.
She was referring to the wingless bird that Wei Changzai had given her.
She picked up the messenger bird, formed a hand seal, and was about to return it when she saw the bird shake and make a rustling sound. Another array appeared on it, as if sensing her spiritual power. The array then dissolved, and a square piece of cloth fell out and landed on the table.
The cloth wasn't small, about three inches square, and it was pieced together from various scraps of fabric, with a jumble of colors, yet it carried a faint orchid fragrance.
Lin Feiran looked slightly taken aback.
Looking at the brocade cloth, Qingzhu's expression turned serious, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
Biqing asked in confusion, "What is this? A handkerchief? Why is it all wrinkled?"
Xun Feifei slapped her hand away: "Don't touch it. This is the Hundred Blessings Brocade of the human realm. If their children suffer any misfortune, their parents will find scraps of cloth from a blessed person and piece them together to ward off disaster and bring good fortune."
Ping An gasped, "Doesn't that mean we have to ask a hundred people for cloth?"
Xuanzhen couldn't help but sigh, "So many people, who sent you here? Which elder, or which friend?"
Lin Feiran pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment: "He is neither my elder nor my friend, he is neither."
When Xunfang was killed, Wei Changzai was right beside her. He saw everything and understood her feelings. He knew her regret and helplessness.
This piece of brocade was for her to use to wipe her sword.
With the blessing of a hundred people, wipe away the blood on the sword, wipe away the blood before your eyes, wipe away the blood in your heart.
The magic array on the messenger bird was still operating. Lin Feiran stared at the pieced-together shredded cloth, speechless for a long time.
As the autumn wind suddenly rose, the brocade quilt with the hundred blessings was blown away. Biqing hurriedly said, "Xun Feifei, quickly retrieve this quilt!"
Just as Xun Feifei was about to get up, Lin Feiran pressed her shoulder down. She looked at the brocade cloth with a hundred blessings that had disappeared into the distance, and a slight light flickered in her calm eyes.
She suddenly said, "The Hundred Blessings Cloth is given to those who are destined to receive it, but that destined person will not be me. Let it be."
Xun Feifei was taken aback: "Really don't want it? Although it is made of scraps of cloth, the color is bright and not dull, and it has a faint fragrance of orchid. The person who gave it to you must be an ordinary person with good fortune. When I was a child, my godmother could not get this."
Lin Feiran turned to look at him: "Your godmother wants it?"
When it came to her adoptive mother, Xun Feifei didn't mince words: "She suffered the punishment of being ripped open because of me, and she is only a mortal. If she has such a blessed treasure to protect her, she will surely sleep better at night."
Lin Feiran did not hesitate: "It seems that your godmother is the destined person. This Hundred Blessings Brocade is already unclaimed, so you may take it."
"His godmother has always been very warm-hearted; it seems the two of you are destined for each other..."
Ping An spoke loudly, then patted Lin Feiran's arm, gesturing for her to look at Xun Feifei. However, she was always heavy-handed, and Lin Feiran was caught off guard, releasing the wingless messenger bird from her hand.
"...Once she receives the Hundred Blessings Brocade, she will surely want to recognize you as her goddaughter."
Xun Feifei retrieved the Hundred Blessings Brocade and, unusually, sighed, "My godmother has a deep connection with everyone."
Ping An didn't reply to him. She looked at the bird that flew away. Although it had no wings, it moved extremely fast and was already in mid-air in the blink of an eye.
She scratched her head and chuckled sheepishly, "Sorry, I used too much force just now and shook your carrier bird away."
Lin Feiran simply said, "I was going to refuse anyway. What difference does it make whether I let you go sooner or later? Don't worry about it."
She changed the subject, looking at Biqing and the others, her brows relaxed: "You all came to see me not just to ask about the timing of our love affair, right?"
Xuanzhen immediately spoke up: "You promised to treat us, you can't go back on your word!"
Lin Feiran feigned a sigh: "Why break my promise? I just received a windfall of jade coins and was worried about where to spend them."
The others chuckled upon hearing this.
Xuan Zhen shouted, "Lin Feiran, I've noticed you've gone bad. You've become like the company you keep!"
Lin Feiran smiled without saying a word. After placing the other two messenger birds in a certain place, he followed the group to the restaurant outside the palace, making a lot of noise along the way, not caring where the wingless birds were flying.
...
In the desolate snow-capped mountains, two people were practicing asceticism at Ninghe Residence, one meditating and the other practicing swordsmanship.
Wei Changzai was meditating.
The one practicing swordsmanship was naturally Qiu Tong.
Ever since obtaining the Tai'a Sword, the sword spirit has been indignant for some unknown reason, determined to push her into becoming a master swordsman.
Qiu Tong had been pampered since childhood, and even after living two lives, she had never practiced swordsmanship so diligently, so she naturally did not understand the true meaning behind it.
However, the Tai'a Sword Spirit's skill was far superior to hers. No matter how much she shared her insights, Qiu Tong could only grasp a superficial understanding and was unable to achieve perfect harmony between mind and hand.
Just when she was feeling frustrated, she happened to meet Ji Changying. After receiving a few words of guidance from him, she suddenly understood and couldn't help but flatter him.
"Senior Brother Ji, no wonder all the disciples in the entire palace respect you. You are truly the senior brother among senior brothers!"
Ji Changying smiled and shook his head, saying to her, "I just started learning a little earlier. Junior Sister Qiutong, if you want to talk about swordsmanship, why don't you ask Junior Brother? He has a deep understanding of this art, which I can't compare to at all."
She lowered her eyes and said, "Senior brother, won't this disturb his cultivation? I heard that he recently wanted to break through to the Mind-Questioning Realm."
Ji Changying laughed and said, "How could that be? If you learn swordsmanship from him, you are discussing swordsmanship, which is beneficial to your cultivation. He will not refuse."
Qiu Tong naturally knew this as well, but she seemed to be very familiar with Wei Changzai, yet also not so familiar. She was conflicted and did not rush to find him.
Finally, after returning to Daohe Palace and being reprimanded by the Tai'a Sword Spirit for the umpteenth time, she entered Ninghe Residence and explained her purpose.
Wei Changzai did not refuse; on the contrary, he actually taught her swordsmanship.
Although the two often remained silent, Qiu Tong saw it as a different kind of tranquility, peaceful and not lonely.
Just as Qiu Tong was practicing her swordsmanship, she suddenly felt the jade token in her mustard seed bag move slightly; it was her mother contacting her.
She immediately sheathed her sword, turned around and looked at the person meditating by the warm pool, and said, "Wei Changzai, I've been practicing all morning and I'm a little tired. I'm going to get some water."
He spent his days meditating and cultivating himself to gain enlightenment. Therefore, he only offered a few words of guidance when she had questions about sword practice. His words were few, but extremely helpful.
Wei Changzai opened his eyes, his dark eyes as clear as ink, silent and cold. He nodded slightly: "Okay."
Qiu Tong left with the Tai'a Sword, and Ning He was soon left alone in the residence.
Despite the raging wind and snow, the misty vapor above the warm pond remained unbroken. As the delicate flowers in the pond stirred slightly, he suddenly opened his eyes, looked out into the snow and wind, and then stood up.
A wingless messenger bird flew steadily in and landed in his outstretched palm.
The messenger bird he sent out no longer needed to retrieve paper to reply; it could transmit the message back simply by activating the magic array.
The magic circle lit up, and the voices of many people could be heard from it.
What is this...? Don't touch it...? Hundred Blessings Brocade...? Who gave it to you?
After a period of noise, the voice he knew best came through.
"A hundred-blessing cloth is given to those who are destined to receive it, but that destined person will not be me, so let it be."
Wei Changzai stared at his palm, hearing an extremely slow heartbeat in his ear, one beat followed by a long pause before the next one began.
It seemed as if something had been struck by this heavy hammer, churning out sour juice, but it was no longer clear whether it was its own or the lifeless carrier bird.
It lay in his palm, still bald. Lin Feiran did not give it wings, and it immediately revealed this strange and ugly appearance.
It turns out that he is no longer even a stranger to her.
The snowflakes, brushed away, melted, wetting the messenger birds and making the muddy, unpleasant scene even more disturbing.
He stood still, looking at his palm, his five fingers slightly clenched, the cold, wet snow water still flowing out from between his fingers, leaving streaks of water, and dripping down the back of his hand to his feet, splashing out a few drops of clear liquid.
He raised his hand to his chest, his brows furrowing slightly. For some reason, he felt a faint, bittersweet sensation spreading throughout his body.
"Slowly...why not?"
Only when her name is spoken can one have a moment to catch one's breath.
The calls from the messenger birds continued, followed by the occasional taunting voices of others.
She has made many friends over there, so she no longer needs a cold and boring Consort Wei.
"Xun Feifei...this brocade cloth with the hundred blessings is unclaimed...you may take it."
She sounded completely unmoved.
He was not good with words, and she clearly knew how rare and hard to find the Hundred Blessings Brocade, but she didn't care at all and could give it away in a heartbeat.
A bright voice came from the carrier bird: "It seems that you two are destined to be together!"
Wei Changzai's eyes flickered slightly, the magic array suddenly dissipated, and his five fingers swiftly closed, clenching the messenger bird and snow water in his palm, as if he could grasp her answer in his hand.
But ultimately, no sound came.
He subconsciously stopped thinking about how she would answer.
She was destined to be apart from him, but had a close relationship with Xun Feifei.
If one wants to embark on the Great Path, one must have few ties with one's relatives and friends; how can one be so entangled with others?
His dark, jade-like eyes slowly closed, and a faint, even fleeting, pleasure appeared on his cool face.
His confusion, his hesitation, and the predicament he found finally found a way out.
He summoned another paper bird, an ordinary one with a head and wings. He caught it without even looking at it, and his thin lips parted slightly.
"Junior Brother Changqing, could you please investigate what realm the demon envoy Xun Feifei is?"
Author's Note: [Heart emoji]
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