Chapter 133 There Has Always Been a Sword (Part 1) "Are you sleepy now?"...
The place was bustling with noise. Some people were talking about Lin Feiran, while others were calling out for the Lord. Two names that would never have crossed paths were brought together on this night, flooding in and making our eardrums ring.
Wei Changzai twirled the withered purple orchid, looked up, and met a pair of emerald eyes.
His emerald eyes and snow-white eyelashes, veiled by the shadow of the umbrella, took on a captivating darkness. Though the corners of his lips curved upwards, his eyes held a chilling coldness.
Wei Changzai's gaze fell upon Lin Feiran.
She was still dutifully distributing the purple orchids and golden daggers; everything that had just happened was nothing more than a minor ripple to her.
She has always been kind to people in an effortless way.
That's always been her type.
A few strands of her half-tied black hair fell down, blurring her vision; her lips were still stained with vibrant color, which stood out especially against her pale face.
Like a piece of broken ice in an underground river, or a tattered willow leaf.
He simply looked at Lin Feiran like that.
Lin Feiran would naturally be aware of any real gaze directed at her, but she couldn't figure out what Wei Changzai was up to.
It seems that even after descending the mountain, his figure can still be seen everywhere.
Whether it's the Flower Festival or this Night Tour Day, he always appears in unexpected places.
As if a haze were striding over, standing beside her, Lin Feiran bumped into his leg, and all she could see in her vision was a white-gold color.
"..."
The person squatting at the carriage shaft looked up, but only met his gaze for a moment before turning his head to look at the cloud carriage.
Like a hailstone, he raised his hand and flicked his finger, and a shower of clear dew suddenly bloomed in the air, drifting towards Wei Changzai.
"Don't say I'm bullying the weak. It just so happens that I can kill you or save you. I'm in a good mood today, so I can forgive your disrespect, but there won't be a next time. Leave as soon as possible after tonight."
After speaking, he turned around, but still stood by the edge of the carriage, completely obscuring the silver-red figure, leaving only a pair of hands holding flowers and a knife.
The owner of the hand also felt quite pressured. Seeing that Ru Xian was staring at him, he quickly stood up and said, "Although they are my fellow disciples, I absolutely have no intention of colluding with them. As an envoy of the demon race, I have absolutely not neglected my duties!"
Ru Xian held up an umbrella and looked at her, her eyes slightly narrowed: "Are you sleepy now?"
The question seemed to come out of nowhere. Lin Feiran paused for a moment. She had just finished a match and practiced iron flower for a long time, which was a warm-up for her. She was not sleepy at all at the moment.
She shook her head, still radiating a faint warmth: "I'm not sleepy, I'm sure I can do a good job of the parade."
Ru Xian nodded: "Since you're not sleepy, then after the parade..."
He suddenly stopped at this point.
He had intended to say that since she wasn't tired, she could come to his residence after the parade and tell him in detail about her past with Wei Changzai.
People at the time called him arrogant and self-willed, which he never denied, and even thought was quite accurate. But now, looking into her eyes, he suddenly couldn't say it.
Daohe Palace's past is a painful memory she can hardly hide.
He didn't want to reveal any more.
"After the parade, take a good shower and rest."
Lin Feiran blinked, nodded in confusion, and said, "You too, Venerable One, have a good rest today."
...
As the cloud carriage gradually disappeared into the distance, and even after passing the stone bridge in the middle, he still did not see Lin Feiran turn around.
"Wei Changzai..."
He heard someone calling him, so he turned his head and met Qiu Tong's puzzled gaze.
Why did you try to take this purple orchid just now?
The mandarin duck rings had broken, and faintly glowing spiritual threads swirled and piled up between the two.
For a fleeting moment, Wei Chang's gaze was lost in confusion before he said, "I just... want to."
Having lived two lives, Qiu Tong was no longer as naive and innocent about love as she had been in her previous life. So, she naturally had an absurd and unbelievable guess as to why Wei Changzai would fight for that purple orchid.
Why do you want it? And what do you want?
Is it just a purple orchid that brings blessings?
She dared not think any further.
Qiu Tong bit her lower lip tightly. She didn't even dare to ask any further questions, perhaps because she was afraid that her guess would come true, or perhaps because she was afraid that her words would remind Wei Changzai of something.
She was reborn so that Wei Changzai would no longer be haunted by nightmares or fall into the five signs of decay, and so that they could rekindle their love.
But to this day, she has never heard him say the word "like".
In their past lives, even though they hadn't yet broken through that veil, they were already in perfect harmony...
Her flowing skirt was suddenly gripped tightly. She blinked and said, "Are you still going to continue the parade? I have some things to do right now, so I might not be able to come along."
Wei Changzai shook his head: "If you have something to do, you don't need to worry about me."
Why didn't he say he'd stay with her?
Qiu Tong only realized at this moment that Wei Changzai would only accompany her if she made a specific request; otherwise, he would go alone, not knowing where he was going.
Qiu Tong was in a state of confusion, but she had no time to think about it.
When the group attacked Lin Feiran just now, the eldest sister was the first to be eliminated. She used a trick to lure her away. At this moment, the cloud chariot went far away, and Xun Feifei and the others also left. She must take this opportunity to find her.
She took a few steps, then looked back at Wei Changzai one last time before finally leaving.
The night tour was very lively. Although most people went with the cloud chariot, a few people were blessed and stayed in place, strolling around the market.
Standing in the sparse crowd, Wei Changzai picked up the half-broken purple orchid. With a slight movement of his fingertips, a layer of fine frost climbed up from the stem and condensed at the tip of the petals.
He took Qiu Tong's words to heart.
He was also thinking about what he wanted.
"That's amazing Frostbite!"
A gasp came from beside him. Wei Changzai looked up and met a pair of bright eyes.
The person carrying the flower basket had many bouquets of rare and exotic flowers, clearly indicating that they loved flowers.
Wei Changzai recognized her easily. He looked behind her and, sure enough, saw a tall male figure.
The man met his gaze and nodded slightly.
A mortal and a cultivator, yet they were always inseparable.
Orange Blossom waved her hand in front of him and chuckled, "Since we didn't hold it against you for secretly following me all afternoon yesterday, tell me what kind of Frost Condensation Technique this is, that it can fit the flower shape so perfectly, keeping it fresh without damaging its core!"
Wei Changzai's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he was not surprised. With Qi Chen's cultivation level, it was not difficult for him to discover him, and he did not try to hide it at the time.
He lowered his eyes to look at his hand and said softly, "This is a wisp of frost that escaped from my sword realm, and it is not a magic technique."
Although Cheng Hua was a mortal, she had been exposed to cultivators for many years and had a good understanding of them: "You are so young, yet you have already opened up the Sword Realm?"
Wei Chang shook his head, quite frankly: "It's just a superficial appearance, not the true sword realm."
Orange Blossom looked regretful and could only turn to Qi Chen: "You also have the Sword Realm, can't you bear the frost like this?"
Qi Chen stepped forward, a smile on his handsome face. He sighed and said, "Everyone is different, which is why their sword realms are different. This fellow Daoist has frost and snow in his heart and icy slabs under his feet, hence this frost. My sword realm is full of flowers and warm sunshine. It would be really difficult for me to be like that."
Wei Changzai watched them quietly without interrupting.
Orange Blossom turned to look at him again, her eyes gleaming mischievously as she scanned him.
"I saw everything clearly when you snatched the flower. Do you like Lin Feiran?"
Qi Chen suddenly stepped forward, covered her mouth, and with a slight movement of his eyes, he actually erected a barrier, enclosing the sound of their conversation.
Orange Blossom looked at her, puzzled: "What are you doing?"
Qi Chen put a finger to his lips, glanced at Wei Changzai, and then whispered in his ear, "I'm just afraid that the walls are overheard."
Orange Blossom sighed, "Your old habit of being suspicious is fine, that's just you."
During the conversation, she turned her head, not wanting to miss this hard-won juicy gossip, but as soon as she turned her head, she met Wei Chang's slightly stunned expression.
"What’s wrong with you?"
She reached out and waved her hand again.
They had crossed paths before in the Valley of the Pilgrims, and she had long heard of Wei Changda's reputation, but she never expected that this prodigy would be so engrossed in a single sentence that he would be lost in thought twice.
“That’s not liking.” He finally spoke.
Orange Blossom looked surprised: "Your eyes are practically glued to her. I feel like even if you turned into a ghost, you'd still be hovering around her. Is that what you call liking someone?"
Qi Chen coughed lightly: "Cheng Hua, watch your words."
Wei Chang's heart stirred slightly, but then he suddenly remembered Xun Feifei's matter: "You said before that Lin Feiran and Xun Feifei were a perfect match and had a good relationship, but that's not true at all. Your words are not credible."
Orange Blossom choked, and mumbled, "That's just because I think we're a good match. How can you be so sure that what I said is completely wrong?"
Wei Changzai did not shy away from the question: "Because I personally confirmed it."
Orange Blossom wasn't one to back down easily; having been rebuffed by him, how could she not retaliate?
"If you don't like them, why bother to confirm it? What business is it of yours whether they are a good match or not? Listening to your words, I can only smell a strong sourness! You are clearly jealous of Left Envoy Xun!"
Wei Changzai's long eyelashes drooped, trembling slightly as if he couldn't bear it. He didn't know why he was talking about such boring things with Chenghua here.
"Jealousy? I don't have that feeling."
In his practice of achieving harmony between humanity and nature, the first thing he needed to discard was jealousy, hatred, and aversion.
He had never felt this way before, so it was impossible for him to reject it, but he had seen many such feelings.
If others have something that I don't, I will feel jealous.
Accompanying this is the intent to kill.
He did indeed harbor murderous intent towards Xun Feifei at that time, but it wasn't because he felt that Xun Feifei had something that Xun Feifei didn't.
Slowly, she fell in love with him; since she hadn't transferred her affections, how could she claim that he had what she didn't?
Is that really the case?
...
Wei Changzai slowly closed his eyes.
He asked softly, "But when I see her, I don't feel happy. Why is that?"
Orange Blossom asked in confusion, "How could that be?"
She wanted to ask more questions, but then she saw Wei Changzai suddenly open her eyes and look at the two of them.
“One of you is a mortal, and the other is a cultivator. If you are content with being husband and wife and do not seek the Great Dao, your time together will not last more than a hundred years. Is this what you want?”
Qi Chen's eyes turned slightly cold, but he still said calmly, "Fellow Daoist, please be careful with your words."
Chenghua, holding her flower basket, glanced at Qi Chen. Although she looked somewhat downcast, she didn't seem to feel any regret: "I have no spiritual veins and suffer from a cold ailment. There's no way I can embark on the path of cultivation."
But the future is uncertain. If we're always thinking about what's to come and getting caught up in this and that, we'll only neglect the hundred years we can spend together right now. Wouldn't that be a loss?
Wei Changzai's eyelashes fluttered slightly. He gazed at the orange blossoms for a long time before saying, "But this is not lasting."
Chenghua looked at him, puzzled: "I've heard you say before that marriages don't last forever. I was too embarrassed to ask you then, how long do you consider long?"
"...like the rising and setting of the sun and moon, like the ebb and flow of the tide, like the changing of the four seasons."
"Are you trying to live as long as heaven and earth?!"
Orange Blossom was incredibly surprised.
"Perhaps in the eyes of cultivators, we mortals are insignificant, like mayflies and ants. But looking at the universe, are cultivators not insignificant, not like ants? Cultivators cannot live forever. Your so-called eternity, placed in the universe, is it not no different from a hundred years?"
Rather than yearning for eternity, we prefer to focus on the present!
Orange Blossom snorted: "Besides, the so-called ten thousand years is not something that can be built up one day at a time. If we can't even cross a hundred years, how can we talk about ten thousand years?"
Eternal and everlasting, yet also present and fleeting.
A glimmer of light gradually gathered in Wei Changzai's eyes. He looked at Chenghua again and, without any hesitation, performed a Daoist salute.
"Thank you for your guidance."
"I can give advice to people too?" Orange Blossom looked at Qi Chen with a completely bewildered expression.
She's just a mortal, and she hasn't even attended a private school for many years. How could she possibly guide this prodigy cultivator?
Qi Chen looked at Wei Changzai thoughtfully, then at Chenghua, seemingly pondering something. Suddenly, he stepped forward and spoke to him.
"Chenghua is still young and does not understand the Dao. What she said just now was merely a spontaneous expression of her feelings and could not be considered guidance at all. It is just that you are exceptionally intelligent and have gleaned some clarity from her unintentional words. It has nothing to do with her."
Wei Changzai watched him quietly, already understanding the unspoken meaning behind the man's words. He wanted to pluck the orange blossoms and attribute all the insights to himself.
He didn't understand the reason, but guessed that this person might not want Orange Blossom to have too much involvement with outsiders.
He understood that feeling.
"That is my own understanding."
Orange Blossom was taken away by Qi Chen without her understanding, but before leaving, she was still certain: "Although I don't know why you didn't feel happy when you saw her, there is more than one way to express affection. Otherwise, why would you risk your life to get that purple orchid!"
Wei Changzai looked down and suddenly, a blue light appeared, and an ordinary flower seed fell into his palm.
This is what he took out of the fishing jar.
With a slight twitch of the fingertips, several thorns sprouted from among the flower seeds, binding the frost-covered purple orchid within them.
...
Night Tour Day was Lin Feiran's first festival in the demon realm, and also her first time acting as such a prominent protector. She took it very seriously, even suppressing the assassination attempt in her heart for the time being.
This is a celebration that belongs solely to Ru Xian, a time for everyone to rejoice, and it should not be ruined because of her.
Until the end of the night tour, she quietly watched Xun Feifei and the others take the man into prison before turning her gaze away. Then, at Ru Xian's signal, she silently returned to her residence, preparing to rest as soon as possible.
But even when she lay down on the bed, she was still full of energy, her eyes wide open as she stared at the top of the tent.
"If you don't sleep now, you won't grow tall."
A soft sigh came from her side; it was from the sword spirit that had been with her for so long.
She sat on the edge of the bed, silently watching Lin Feiran's sleeping face.
Lin Feiran wasn't worried: "Based on my parents' height, I'll only reach this height at most, which is enough."
The sword spirit chuckled silently: "Alright, the child who insisted on taking the flower today is the Kunwu Sword Master, but I don't know his name yet. Are you very familiar with him?"
Lin Feiran nodded: "I used to cultivate at Daohe Palace. He and I were childhood sweethearts and had a marriage agreement, but it was dissolved later, and we have no relationship now."
"A marriage engagement?" The sword spirit was somewhat surprised. "Him? He is indeed handsome, but his personality is not suitable for you. Why are you engaged to him? Do you like him very much?"
Jinlan Sword Spirit asked a lot of questions in one breath, but did not receive any answers. So she turned to look at Lin Feiran. As soon as she looked, she saw that Lin Feiran was buried in the quilt, with only her clear eyes showing as she looked at her.
She remained silent for a moment, then the curtain covering her face stirred slightly: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Lin Feiran suddenly spoke up: "I don't think I've asked yet, which saint was the former sword master?"
The spirit of the Golden Wave Sword said, "The Sword Master is very low-key, and few people in the Dao know him. You might not know him even if I told you."
Lin Feiran did not give up: "I didn't know before, but now that you're telling me, I know, right?"
The spirit of the Golden Wave Sword chuckled and readily agreed, "Actually, it's quite easy to guess. Why do you think I'm called the Golden Wave Sword?"
Lin Feiran sat up and looked at the red umbrella, its surface sprinkled with gold: "I thought it was because of the golden ripples on it... Could it be because this saint is named Jinlan?"
The sword spirit nodded slightly.
Lin Feiran lay back on the bed and pondered deeply.
Back when she was at Daohe Palace, she loved reading. Later, when she came to the Demon Realm, the towers like snowflakes housed countless books, and she borrowed many classics, but she had never heard of Jinlan.
“I have indeed never heard of this saint.”
The sword spirit wasn't surprised: "You're still young, and the former sword master didn't like seeing people, so it's normal that you don't know. More than that, aren't you curious why this person tried to kill you today?"
Lin Feiran sat up again. She couldn't sleep, so she decided to meditate.
While meditating, he said, "Of course I'm curious, and I've also made some guesses about his identity. So far, there have been quite a few people who want to kill me and have made moves against me, but only the Tantric sects are as disrespectful and reckless as they are in showing up so brazenly."
Upon hearing that many people wanted to kill her, the sword spirit turned to her and asked, "Why would they want to kill you?"
Lin Feiran shook his head: "Actually, I want to go to the prison tonight. Others don't know about my connection with the cult. They just think this person came for Ru Xian and wanted to disrupt the Night Tour... I want to conduct an interrogation before that."
The sword spirit stood up and said lightly, "Do what you want to do, don't hesitate, I'll be with you."
"Okay." Lin Feiran wasn't one to hesitate, so she immediately got out of bed, changed into her black clothes, and was about to go out.
A very light sound came from outside the courtyard, like the rustling of ordinary leaves. The two exchanged a glance, and Lin Feiran immediately returned to bed and stopped talking.
A moment later, someone knocked on the windowsill.
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