Chapter 134 There Has Always Been a Sword (Part Two) "You're not in the room, where are you...?"
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a nearly unfamiliar figure, draped in a long robe, his body hunched over.
"Lin Feiran?"
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but Lin Feiran looked suspicious. He exchanged a glance with the sword spirit before getting out of bed, walking to the desk, and opening the window.
The sparse moonlight cast a shadow on a face that appeared slightly aged, yet remained remarkably energetic.
Lin Feiran was surprised and opened his eyes slightly. The person who came was Zhang Siwo, the swordsmith who liked to tease cats and dogs.
He was draped in a black awning, his figure partially concealed, and his eyes revealed a sharp edge. Unlike his usual carefree old man demeanor, he exuded the air of a master.
"...Senior, are you sneaking into Xingzhi Palace at night?" Lin Feiran couldn't help but ask.
Seeing her peek out, Zhang Siwo immediately flipped his palm and took out a wooden cat puppet. An array appeared on it, and a ray of spiritual light instantly emanated from it and spread outwards.
He looked around but found nothing amiss. Then he took out another awning from his bag, on which some runes and light appeared.
"This vast Xingzhi Palace is only inhabited by one nobleman, Ruxian. Apart from his treasury, what else in the palace is worth exploring?"
He gestured towards Lin Feiran with his lip.
"I've come to find you. Quickly put this on and come with me somewhere."
This is a magical artifact used to conceal one's identity.
Although Zhang Siwo only loved sword forging, he was indeed a weapon crafter, so it's not surprising that he possessed these treasures.
Lin Feiran did not take it, but looked at him and asked, "Where are you taking me, senior?"
I glanced at her expression and knew that although she was upright, she wasn't stupid. But after hearing these few nonsensical words, she wouldn't go with me.
He straightened his expression and said seriously, "I witnessed the assassination attempt during the night. The reason I'm looking for you is to take you to the Bronze Sparrow Terrace to meet the person who did it."
The Demon Capital has an underground prison, which had no name before. Later, when Ru Xian ascended the throne, he gave it an elegant name: Bronze Sparrow Terrace.
Taking her there at this juncture, it's obvious who she's going to see.
Could he also be involved with esoteric Buddhism?
Lin Feiran's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked calmly, "What are you going to Tongquetai for? Without an order, even if I were an envoy, I would not be allowed to enter."
"Naturally, we'll interrogate them about their reasons for assassinating you. Speed is of the essence in war; we need to get the answers we need to know before Ru Xian issues his orders!"
Zhang Si looked up at her, hissing. His previously anxious expression suddenly softened. He looked her up and down again and chuckled.
"I was so anxious I lost my mind. Judging from your outfit, you were planning to sneak into Tongquetai at night, weren't you?"
Lin Feiran remained noncommittal, but simply sized him up and said bluntly, "Senior, although we have some acquaintance, it's not like I'd be the reason they sneaked into the Bronze Sparrow Terrace at night. Is the reason they killed me really that important to you?"
Zhang Siwo's face immediately wrinkled, as if he had eaten a sour plum. He scratched his head for a long time, paced back and forth, and then suddenly made a vow with his hands in a mudra: "I cannot say anything more. I can only swear here that I am here today only to help you enter the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Helping you is also helping us to interrogate more about the secret sect. I have absolutely no intention of harming anyone!"
Lin Feiran lowered her eyelashes, pondering in her heart, but her hand had already touched the handle of the golden umbrella, and casually tied it to her back.
Although Zhang Siwo has been out of the public eye for a long time, he has always been quite famous and has an excellent reputation. He has just made a vow, and since I am also going to Tongquetai, there is nothing wrong with going with him.
As he said, speed is of the essence in war.
She took the awning: "I'll go with you."
Seeing her slow movements, Zhang Siwo couldn't help but feel a little impatient.
Lin Feiran tied a knot at his collar and shook his head: "I'm not an undercover agent, and I won't do anything suspicious."
Zhang Si chuckled: "So you're going to sneak out again tonight?"
Lin Feiran: "..."
The two donned black awnings, leaped out of the courtyard, and traveled by divine speed to the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.
When they arrived, besides a guard, there were only two tamed sea-devouring beasts in front of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.
Lin Feiran had never been here before. He was currently lying on the roof, observing the entrance, and couldn't help but say, "Compared to the prisons in the human world, the guards here don't seem to be very strict."
“It only looks like it.” Zhang Si lowered his voice and pointed to the black hole surrounded by guards. “It’s not hard to avoid their line of sight; the hard part is how to get in.”
"The Bronze Sparrow Terrace is an underground prison, shaped like an inverted tower. The entrance at the bottom of the tower is on the ground, and the inside is completely hollow, with countless poisonous threads, making it extremely difficult to enter. Normally, they go down on sea-devouring beasts, so we can only rely on ourselves."
As Zhang Siwo spoke, he took out two wooden puppets from his mustard seed bag.
One body is that of a puppy, and the other is that of a human.
Without hesitation, he threw the human body away: "If cats and dogs can't handle this kind of suicide, then let humans do it!"
He chuckled and turned to look at her: "Young lady, look at this! This is what equality for all is! Such a state of mind is beyond my reach!"
If we can hate everyone equally, we can truly achieve equality for all.
Lin Feiran suddenly realized, "Senior's insights are truly unique."
The moment the body landed, it became indistinguishable from a real person. It did not make any unusual movements, but instead staggered to the vicinity of the street and got into a fight with several drunkards passing by, shouting and cursing, with flashes of spiritual light flying everywhere.
The night out had just ended, and drunken brawls were not uncommon. The guards happened to be nearby, so they immediately went to drive them away.
The two immediately descended, their magical seals activated on the black awning, and their figures vanished instantly.
Lin Feiran glanced down and asked, "Senior, this magical artifact is so powerful, why not just sneak in directly instead of having them transferred away?"
She couldn't see Zhang Siwo's face, but she could hear his voice: "Because we need to temporarily paralyze the sea-devouring beasts and obtain their opening tokens, if the guards are present, they will naturally notice something is wrong when they see the giant beasts inexplicably collapse."
Lin Feiran understood: "It was my oversight."
Upon reaching the vicinity of the Sea Devouring Beast, Lin Feiran remained silent, merely glancing warily behind him, waiting for Zhang Siwo to make her move.
...
After a few breaths, the two sea-swallowing beasts were still full of energy. One of them even lay down, stuck out its tongue, and raised its paws, looking very spirited.
"..."
Lin Feiran's mind stirred, and thinking of Zhang Siwo's character, she silently exhaled.
"Senior, important business is more important, stop petting the fluffy thing."
Zhang Siwo coughed lightly twice, and before long, the two sea-swallowing beasts suddenly collapsed to the ground, raising a lot of dust.
A faint light flashed before their eyes, and Zhang Siwo appeared. He dragged the Devouring Sea Beast's forepaw and pressed it into the groove at the bottom of the tower, saying quickly, "The effect of this medicine is extremely short-lived, only five breaths. We must go down immediately!"
Lin Feiran nodded, and the two immediately went to the entrance behind the Sea Devouring Beast and looked inside.
Indeed, it resembled an inverted pagoda, with walls resembling prison cells glowing red, connected by countless fine threads that changed with every breath, making it look extremely troublesome.
After a moment's thought, she decisively said, "Fly down on the sword and use it to gain leverage."
Zhang Siwo nodded: "I had the same idea... but this requires extremely good footwork and sword control. Neither the person nor the sword can get caught on any fine threads. Can you do it?"
Lin Feiran drew the Golden Wave Sword: "I'm quite good at both of these."
Just then, the sea-devouring beast shook its head and woke up, and the guards who had gone to deal with it could be heard returning. Without further hesitation, the two threw their swords and leaped in.
The paralysis lasted too short a time, barely even a nap. The sea-devouring beast shook its head, unaware of the situation. The guards slowly walked back, still discussing the matter of the night tour.
In the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, the fine threads are like a net covering the sky and the earth, but for Lin Feiran, it is not actually that difficult.
Using the Golden Wave Sword as her foothold, she spun and flipped, her body supple and flexible, each time narrowly missing the fine threads, descending methodically.
In contrast, Zhang Siwo, though focused on weapon crafting and sword forging, possessed unexpectedly good agility. Even in such a perilous place, he moved with ease as if walking on flat ground.
As Lin Feiran descended, he looked around, trying to find the assassin, but he didn't see him; there were only a few strangers scattered around.
The city of Yao is very safe. There are very few troublemakers on weekdays, let alone people going to jail. Most of the people imprisoned here are the most vicious criminals.
Before those people even noticed them, Zhang Siwo had already thrown out several golden needles, paralyzing them on the spot.
He explained, "If they discover someone trespassing, they will immediately notify the guards, which can reduce the sentence."
Lin Feiran felt somewhat fortunate, as the passageway leading inside was almost the only way to go. If she hadn't been with Zhang Siwo, she probably would have tripped and fallen.
When we reached the very bottom, Zhang Si took the wooden cat out of his pocket, put it on the ground, and then took out a dagger and let it sniff it.
The kitten searched around, then chose a spot and leaped away, with Lin Feiran and the other person immediately following.
During her search, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Your craftsmanship is superb. Whether it's the puppet body from before or this puppet cat, they are all incredibly lifelike and exquisite, looking almost exactly like the real thing."
Zhang Siwo was particularly proud: "That's natural. In our art of crafting, the most important thing is the material. For puppets like these, we must use high-grade Xiangfei bamboo, which has a thick center. However, this kind of bamboo is priceless and hard to find. The dozen or so stalks I got were all given to me by Qingzhu."
He has quite a few good things in his possession.
However, if we're talking about the best material for puppets, it has to be the bodies of the Spirit Bamboo clan.
Lin Feiran asked in surprise, "Using a human body to create a puppet?"
Zhang Siwo waved his hand: "No, no, although I don't like people, I'm not that heartless. That's how the Spirit Bamboo Clan is. As long as a bamboo heart grows, it can quickly grow back, no matter if it's a severed hand or leg."
The broken bamboo stalks possess a unique spiritual essence, making them the object of covetous eyes of many weapon refiners.
Lin Feiran thought of Bi Qing. After reaching adulthood, the Jade Clan also had skin of copper and bones of iron, unlike ordinary people. But before that, the Jade Clan members were like porcelain dolls and had to be carefully protected.
"You mean, their bamboo shoots are formed later in life?"
Zhang Siwo nodded: "That's right. The Lingzhu clan has always been cold-blooded and ruthless because they are born without hearts. They are like talking and moving puppets. Don't be fooled by Qingzhu's good temperament into thinking that his clansmen are the same. If you see them, remember to take a detour."
Lin Feiran learned something new and thought to himself, "The demon race is truly full of wonders."
Zhang Si glanced at her, chuckled, and leaned closer to whisper, "For the sake of being human, I'll tell you quietly: among the Lingzhu clan, men can also reproduce, just like bamboo flowers and produces bamboo rice."
"Ah!" Lin Feiran was rarely so surprised.
Zhang Siwo covered her mouth and chuckled: "I was just as surprised as you when I first heard it, but the requirements are not low; only those who have cultivated to the Divine Travel Realm can do it."
Just as Lin Feiran was surprised, a cool voice reached her ears again.
"Why aren't you in your room? Where did you go?"
Lin Feiran: "Huh?"
How long has she been out?!
Author's Note: The little hero is in a state of chaos due to a system crash...
Qingzhu/Ji Changying: I don't have a Divine Travel Realm [heart emoji]
P.S.: Here's a short chapter. I'll try to write more this weekend!
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