Chapter 127 Night Stroll (Part 5) "Take a look at his health..."
Xun Feifei's residence is not far from Xingzhi Palace. It's just a hundred steps away from the frost-covered alley.
Even though the two remained silent the whole way, the journey did not seem long.
Upon reaching the door, Xun Feifei released the restriction and stepped aside to let her enter first.
Although he was one of Ru Xian's envoys, his food, clothing and daily necessities were not extravagant, and the furnishings in his courtyard were not as flamboyant and ostentatious as those of ordinary demons.
A courtyard with three houses on each side, a very tall ginkgo tree in the middle, and stone tables and benches set up, actually looks more like a human settlement.
As soon as Lin Feiran entered, her gaze was drawn to the clusters of golden crow flowers in the corner.
The Golden Crow Flower is a unique flower species found only in Jinlingdu, a city in Jiangnan. Its petals are fiery gold, and its stamens are jet black. It is delicate and difficult to cultivate.
Her parents had secretly planted them in Luoyang, but even though they went undetected, they could never keep alive; no matter how many they transplanted, there were always as many withered branches.
“Your flowers are very well grown. My mother once tried to grow them in Luoyang, but she never succeeded.”
Lin Feiran spoke first, breaking the silence between the two.
“My godmother loves gardening, and she taught me all of this.” Xun Feifei nodded, then invited her to sit down in the courtyard and brought her a pot of hot tea.
"Thank you." Lin Feiran took the teacup. "It seems your stepmother is very skilled."
Xun Feifei nodded: "Yes."
The two sat facing each other at the stone table, gazing at each other through the rising steam of tea. A silent atmosphere rose and gradually spread in the mist.
"..."
"..."
Xun Feifei is a taciturn and cool guy, and Lin Feiran is a quiet swordsman; neither of them are talkative.
With Xuanzhen and Biqing around on ordinary days, nothing seemed amiss, but today, with only the two of them sitting opposite each other, the silence became all the more apparent.
Lin Feiran coughed lightly, put down his teacup, and took out another portrait from his mustard seed bag.
"I was interrupted halfway and almost forgot the purpose of my trip. I have a clearer portrait, please send it to my godmother."
Xun Feifei was still pondering Wei Changzai's matter, and was naturally somewhat surprised by the relationship between the two. However, he was not a talkative person, and it was not appropriate for others to say too much about matters of the heart.
He nodded and took the portrait.
The woman on the paper is dressed in a light silk dress, her hair is half-up, and three delicate floral decorations adorn her forehead. She is dancing gracefully, her expression lively and charming.
Upon closer inspection, Lin Feiran's smile does bear a striking resemblance to hers.
Xun Feifei nodded and said, "This one is more exquisite; I'm sure my godmother won't mistake it."
Lin Feiran was also somewhat curious: "Why are you so sure?"
Xun Feifei raised an eyebrow slightly: "Although Jinlingdu is a prosperous and joyful place with many travelers, the locals rarely leave their hometown. My godmother grew up in Jinlingdu and knows almost everyone in the city."
Moreover, she was a dancer in her youth, but she found me and was unjustly implicated in the punishment of having her mouth ripped open…”
At this point, he seemed to recall something, his expression shifted slightly, and he unusually paused: "If your mother was indeed a dancer from Jinlingdu, or a native of Jinlingdu, she would surely know."
Lin Feiran nodded and said, "Thank you."
At this point, she glanced at Xun Feifei again, stood up, and said apologetically, "And tonight, I'm so sorry that my personal matters have brought you this trouble."
Xun Feifei shook his head: "No need to worry about it. Qingzhu once warned us that among the sects of the Daoist School, Daohe Palace is the most unpredictable, especially those disciples in Daohe Palace who are exceptionally talented."
The more gifted a person is, the more conflicted they become; without exception.
When you encounter them, nothing is surprising.
I was just wondering, where did these rumors about us start from?
Lin Feiran was even more confused.
Of all the envoys, Xun Feifei was the busiest. Even if it was just a rumor, it should have been about her and Biqing, or her and Xuanzhen. How could it have implicated Xun Feifei?
She shook her head, putting the matter aside and not wanting to think about it anymore.
"Once the portrait is delivered, I will head back. Regardless of whether my godmother has any leads or not, once this matter is settled, I will visit her to express my gratitude and bid her farewell."
As they reached the door, Lin Feiran turned back to look at him, her gaze clear and bright: "If Wei Changzai comes to harass you again, and you have any concerns about Daohe Palace, just come to me. I will personally expel him from the Demon Capital."
Xun Feifei straightened the silver mask, sighed inwardly, and simply said, "Alright."
From what he had overheard in the alley, he pieced together the whole story.
He had heard stories of young lovers falling in love and then changing their affections when things came to an end. He had heard them since he was a child in the theaters of Jinlingdu. But no matter how many times he had heard them, he still couldn't help but sigh when he saw them with his own eyes.
Young people, if they go astray, one wrong step, and when they look back, there is no turning back.
On the way back, Lin Feiran passed by that dark alley. The alley was still shimmering with raindrops, but the person was no longer there.
She returned to her residence, stood by the wall, turned around and looked at the autumn moon in the sky. Her heart was calm, but a little indescribable feeling still arose in her heart.
In the desolate late autumn, countless withered leaves fell. She took one, looked down at it, and saw that the leaf was withered and broken, and would break at the slightest touch.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally raised her hand, letting it spin in mid-air, and leaped into the room without looking back.
...
Lin Feiran sat down at the table, spread out the drawing paper, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and stopped thinking about anything else.
A faint light appeared on the golden umbrella beside him, and the sword spirit stepped out from it. Looking at the paper, Lin Feiran drew the woman's updo with just a few strokes.
She looked at her quietly for a moment, then asked, "Is this the woman you're looking for? Is she your mother?"
"Yes." Lin Feiran's brushstrokes were extremely steady, and the lines flowed smoothly, clearly indicating that he had drawn it many times.
The Golden Wave Sword Spirit then asked, "You draw very skillfully; do you paint often?"
Lin Feiran paused slightly, then shook his head: "My past memories are damaged, perhaps because of the long time that has passed, or perhaps because of the effects of the seal. When I was cultivating at Daohe Palace, their faces were actually somewhat blurry."
But after seeing them in other people's memories, my recollections became much clearer, and in order not to forget them, I picked up my pen and drew them.
The sword spirit nodded, its long veil fluttering slightly: "You look remarkably like your mother, especially your eyes, they are exactly the same."
Lin Feiran smiled slightly, raised his hand and picked up his brush, and the woman's expression was already depicted in the painting.
She laughs more than I do.
The sword spirit turned to face her, its face framed by a round, moon-like shape. Its leather armor shimmered in the light, and the shawl draped over its arm floated gently, brushing against Lin Feiran's hand holding a pen, giving it a serene and peaceful appearance.
She said, "You should smile more; you look prettier than your mother when you smile."
Lin Feiran shook her head and smiled, saying, "I think she's the prettiest."
The Golden Wave Sword Spirit lowered her head slightly and remained silent. She turned to the painting, looked at the woman in the painting who already had a figure, then raised her hand and made a hand seal. The ink stick on the inkstone began to grind slowly.
As the two were painting, a slight noise suddenly came from the dressing case. Lin Feiran glanced at it, then stepped forward, opened the box, and saw the jade token that could transmit sound.
She raised an eyebrow, picked up the jade token, and after deciphering the array within, red marks crisscrossed on the jade token, revealing characters.
Perhaps because there had been no response for a long time, a second secret message soon arrived.
The sword spirit, watching from the side, couldn't help but ask, "Who is the messenger?"
"This jade token was part of Princess Mingyue's dowry, and the person opposite is probably from the palace."
Lin Feiran was puzzled, but she didn't pay much attention to the last sentence. Instead, she thought of the two characters "wood" from before.
Two trees make a forest. Could this person be implying that she is referring to her surname?
Since you have doubts, why not send someone to investigate instead of asking directly through the jade token?
The Golden Wave Sword Spirit's tone turned slightly somber: "Who wants to kill you?"
Lin Feiran shook his head: "They've been very direct, so we don't need to beat around the bush."
She immediately replied on the jade token: "What do you mean by that?"
In the inn outside Xingzhi Palace, Qiu Tong was looking at the spirit thread on the mandarin duck ring, thinking about Wei Changzai's empty eyes just now, and hesitated whether to go and find him.
Just as she was about to set off, Yu Ling finally sent a message. She had read the message on the jade tablet, and with such a calm tone, she was immediately certain that this person was not Princess Mingyue.
Since it wasn't her, it could only be Lin Feiran.
Qiu Tong's eyes flickered slightly. After pondering for a while, she wrote the character "fox" on the jade tablet.
Less than two breaths later, two words appeared again on the jade token: "Qiu Tong?" Qiu Tong bit her lower lip and slowly swayed her crossed legs.
She did reveal her identity to Lin Feiran, but she didn't expect her to be so perceptive as to connect the dots so quickly.
"The fox clan has sent people to hunt you down. Be careful in everything you do, and don't show off. Don't be a showy tree in the forest."
Lin Feiran frowned slightly as he read the sentence.
Although the other party did not admit it, only vaguely mentioning a fox clan, they did not deny it either. Moreover, besides Qiu Tong, there was no other person who could know so much about the fox clan's movements and was willing to tell her.
But why did this communication jade token end up in her hands?
Lin Feiran suppressed the rest of her questions and only asked, "Why is the fox clan hunting me down?"
But after waiting for a long time, there was still no reply from the other side.
Lin Feiran held the jade token and remained silent for a moment.
Suddenly, an unusual phenomenon appeared on the jade plaque. The peony pattern carved on the plaque suddenly bloomed, as if the tenon and mortise joints had been disassembled. The spiritual light sealed within it escaped and converged into a blurry figure in mid-air.
"Mingyue, you've finally picked up this jade token. Your father has been waiting for you for a long time. How have you been lately?"
Lin Feiran's pupils contracted, his hand holding the jade token trembled slightly, and a storm surged in his heart.
That figure was none other than the Human Emperor!
Seeing her expression, the Golden Wave Sword Spirit immediately stepped forward to support her back, then made a hand seal with her fingers together, making the figure even more blurred.
Surprised, Lin Feiran glanced at her sideways, then composed himself and suppressed his emotions.
She couldn't give herself away and reveal that Mingyue was no longer in the Demon Capital, so she could only take advantage of the fact that their figures were not clear to cover up her true identity.
She exhaled softly and, mimicking the voice of the moon, called out, "Father, I have no worries these days."
The incident happened so suddenly that we had no choice but to take this slow and methodical approach.
The Emperor remained silent for a moment, seemingly unsure whether he believed it, but then he spoke again: "Do you remember what I told you before we went to the Demon Realm?"
Lin Feiran's eyes flickered slightly, and in a flash, he immediately recalled his previous conversation with Mingyue and extracted the answer from those words.
"...Father Emperor did not say anything to me."
The Emperor suddenly smiled, and a chill ran down Lin Feiran's spine. He laughed and said, "What, are you still blaming me for sending you to the Demon Realm for a political marriage?"
His tone was much more relaxed.
Lin Feiran's heartstrings relaxed instantly, and she didn't answer that question.
Silence is tantamount to acquiescence. The Human Emperor simply smiled and quickly dismissed the question: "I sent you to the Demon Realm for a marriage alliance. Besides the purpose of forming a bond, there are other reasons, but you are too young to know them."
Lin Feiran still did not answer. Given Mingyue's stubborn yet docile nature, she would not speak at this moment.
To the emperor, this was merely a daughter's emotional outburst. He offered a few words of comfort before finally getting to the point.
Have you seen the Demon Lord recently?
Lin Feiran's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Your subject has been staying in the side hall and has not seen him for a long time."
"Is that so?"
The Emperor seemed unsurprised. His blurry figure, suspended in mid-air, moved slightly, as if he were pacing.
"In a few days, I will have someone send you a precious pearl. You can use this as an excuse to see the Demon Lord, present the pearl to him, and then take a good look at him to see if he has any unusual behavior."
Lin Feiran tightened her grip on the jade pendant slightly, but her voice remained as gentle and melodious as the bright moon.
"Father, what is the strangeness?"
The Emperor chuckled softly, and a moment of silence followed from the jade tablet. Then he said, "Take a look and see how his health is."
...
The figure in the jade token disappeared, but Lin Feiran still stood in the same place, pondering what the Human Emperor had just said, feeling deeply confused.
According to Mingyue, she was merely sent to the demon realm for a marriage alliance to establish a pact between the two realms. The palace rules were strict, and in the month or two before her marriage, she had not even seen the human emperor, let alone known anything else.
In retrospect, this is probably the real reason why they insisted on the marriage alliance.
They sent the bright moon to the demon capital, entirely for the sake of the hailstones.
Lin Feiran then realized that she hadn't asked Ru Xian about the contract in detail yet.
Furthermore, this communication jade token has been in the Demon Capital for a long time, so why is it only being used to contact her today?
Should this token be delivered directly to Mingyue to avoid being exposed later?
Overwhelmed with thoughts, Lin Feiran gripped the jade token tightly and paced back and forth in the room.
As he turned around, he was blocked by the spirit of the Golden Wave Sword.
She stood in front of Lin Feiran, her veil swaying slightly. Her voice was as solemn as ever, but her tone was not cold or harsh.
"It's very late, you should go to sleep."
Lin Feiran pursed her lips and said, "But what happened just now..."
“I heard everything that just happened, but this is not an urgent matter. In fact, you are the key to this. Whether it is urgent or not is up to you. For now, you can put it aside and make a decision when the so-called treasure arrives.”
The shawl floating on the sword spirit's arm swirled behind Lin Feiran, leading her to the bed.
“From the day you brought me out of the Valley of Pilgrimage, you have been working day and night. Now, you should sleep.”
Lin Feiran never expected that one day she would be persuaded to go to sleep.
She couldn't help but think that since Ruxie was asleep during the day and only became awake at night, if she wanted to tell him about this as soon as possible, wouldn't she have to wait until tomorrow night?
But the Golden Wave Sword Spirit wouldn't budge an inch, and Lin Feiran couldn't resist for a moment, so she had to wash up and go to bed, falling asleep with a heavy heart.
The next morning, as soon as it was light, she left the courtyard and headed towards Ru Xian's residence. It was the transition between day and night, and he had not yet fallen asleep, so going to find him would not be a disturbance.
But halfway there, she heard someone calling her name from afar.
Lin Feiran stopped at the edge of the wall and looked down. Only then did she see several ginseng boys with their hair tied in a topknot and their cheeks painted red running towards her.
"Your Excellency, what a coincidence..."
They looked at Lin Feiran, panting, and said haltingly, "We are here on the orders of our Lord to find you and take you to his palace. Whatever urgent matter you may have, please put it aside!"
Lin Feiran was somewhat surprised and hesitated before asking, "I was just about to go find him... What does Your Excellency want with me?"
He spoke at length in one breath, then suddenly stopped to catch his breath, which made Lin Feiran's heart leap into her throat.
She recalled Ru Xian's ambiguous smile, reached out and picked up one of the ginseng children, leaped onto the roof with him, and hurried over. Before long, they arrived at his lodging for the day.
Lin Feiran was moving extremely fast and was now slightly out of breath. She put down the ginseng and asked hesitantly, "What will happen if we're late?"
The wind had turned his little face pale. He rubbed it and said earnestly, "It's late, so the Venerable One is asleep!"
Lin Feiran: "..."
She felt that her breathing was somewhat unnecessary at that moment.
After bidding farewell to the ginseng boy, she went up to the pavilion and looked at the figure inside the door.
It is rare to see people reclining on long couches, sitting on high chairs, or leaning against windowsills.
He was standing in front of a pile of objects, seemingly selecting them. Hearing her footsteps, he turned around and saw her loose, snow-white hair, which was tucked behind her ears, slip down her shoulders, and the stray hairs that fell on her eyelashes trembled slightly.
He sized up the newcomer, his gaze lingering on the thin layer of sweat on her forehead and her slightly parted lips.
She clearly rushed over; was she in such a hurry to see him?
Thinking this to himself, he couldn't help but smile. He crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Every time you come, you just stand in front of the door. Is there some kind of monster in my house?"
Lin Feiran then came to her senses and went into the room.
Ru Xian turned to look at what was behind her, raised her eyebrows and said, "Choose one you like."
Only when he got closer did Lin Feiran see what was behind him and gasped.
Author's Note: [Heart emoji]
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