Chapter 167 Seven Days (Supplement, Two-in-One) "Is that right, little Manman..."
Lin Zhengqing?
As Xian had traveled through the human world, he had naturally heard of this name, and a hint of surprise couldn't help but cross his mind.
The Star Domain has always acted with integrity, and Lin Zhengqing is by no means a petty person. How could he possibly hold a grudge against a child?
Unless... she stumbled upon something terrible.
"What secret have you discovered?" he asked bluntly.
The child in front of her just squatted to the side, pursed his lips for a moment, and then leaned closer and whispered, "I can't say it out loud, otherwise, it will implicate you too."
Ru Xian chuckled meaninglessly, it was unclear whether she found her cautious demeanor amusing or the word "involvement" laughable.
He thought, if I don't want to say it, then I won't say it; I don't care anyway.
He was by nature indifferent, and he couldn't really care about what others thought. Moreover, with life and death at stake, even the most shocking secret couldn't arouse his curiosity in the slightest.
Ru Xian glanced at her with slightly narrowed eyes, then looked down at her and spoke slowly and deliberately.
Last night, when asked your name, you said that everyone in the village called you Little Hero. When asked who chased you, you also said that you did not know who the pursuer was.
How do you know it's Lin Zhengqing now?
"..."
Xiao Lin Feiran squatted down beside him, hugging her knees, watching him quietly. Her face was expressionless, but her ears turned red in an instant: "...Immortal Master, didn't you call me a little liar last night?"
Ru Xian raised an eyebrow: "You're not calling me Fairy anymore?"
"Didn't you tell me not to call you that?"
Xiao Lin Fei Ran buried her head even deeper, only her eyes showing as she looked at him. After a moment of eye contact, she moved forward, lifted the warm water and poured it out, her voice barely audible: "Look, it's finally dawn."
Ru Xian would never argue with a six or seven-year-old child, especially since she was clearly not the kind of rigid and timid person she was.
Being quick-witted, one naturally finds it difficult to speak the truth to a stranger like him, and a few jokes are enough.
Hearing her say that, he also looked up and looked outside.
Through the low opening, one could see half an inch of the sky. The twilight purple of dawn and dusk had faded, and the clouds were billowing, casting a brilliant sunlight. But a few breaths later, snowflakes began to fall again, and shimmering light from an unknown source swept in, making the cave brighter.
It was indeed dawn.
He looked around quietly, then suddenly said, "I've been in this cave for a long time, and most of the time I've encountered light snow and overcast skies, with few sunny days. This is the first time I've seen such a bright sunny day."
Amidst the blinding sunlight, the two suddenly heard a bell toll, and then a layer of earthy yellow, like the color of glass, appeared on the clear blue sky, overflowing with brilliant light.
Xiao Lin Fei Ran frowned slightly. Although she could see the strange phenomenon, she didn't understand it. She turned her head and asked, "Fairy, Immortal Master, what is this?"
As the turmoil around Ru Xian subsided, her spiritual power temporarily diminished, making it impossible to determine the cause. After concentrating for a moment, she said, "One of the magic treasures of the Star Domain, the Formless Bell..."
He glanced at Xiaolin Feiran and realized that such a young child might not understand, so he changed his words.
"They put the whole mountain inside a bell. If an outsider comes in, you can't get out. You can only stay where you are until they capture you."
Xiao Lin Fei Ran raised an eyebrow and immediately asked, "If I call for help from here, will they not be able to receive the message?"
Ru Xian looked down at her, nodded slightly, and said thoughtfully, "It seems they are very wary of the person behind you, afraid that you will contact them. Is it your father or your mother?"
At this point, Xiao Lin Fei Ran naturally couldn't beat around the bush with him anymore: "It should be my mother. Apart from her, I don't know any other cultivators."
A chill ran through her, and she couldn't help but look at Ru Xian. This immortal was also in a precarious position. If he didn't want to be implicated and insisted on expelling her from the cave...
She quietly clenched the hem of her clothes, her heart pounding like a drum, but then she suddenly remembered the pebble she had thrown out during her escape the night before, when she was torn between choices.
It brought itself here and gained a chance to survive for one night, which is already a stroke of luck. What happens next depends entirely on itself.
“Immortal Master, although I do not know what the Formless Bell is, I am certain that if I can contact my mother, she will be able to break through the bell and enter. You only need to allow me to stay here, and then… um!”
Ru Xian raised her hand and pinched her mouth shut, glanced at her, then quickly looked out of the cave and whispered, "Someone else is coming."
After saying that, he placed his hand on Lin Feiran's shoulder, trying to use it to stand up. She first swayed, and when she realized that he was about to get up, she immediately grabbed the large rock next to her and subconsciously assumed a horse stance.
"My Lady, please use me. I can support you!"
In her nervousness, she forgot to correct herself.
Ru Xian didn't have time to pay attention to the way she addressed him. After getting up, he moved his hand on her shoulder slightly, raised two fingers, gently patted her cheek, lifted his chin, and pointed towards the cave entrance.
Xiao Linfei immediately understood and spontaneously became his crutch, supporting him as he walked towards the cave entrance.
The closer you get, the brighter the sun shines outside the cave.
As if supporting the person under her with one hand and placing the other hand on the rubble beside her, Ru Xian slowly squatted down at the cave entrance, looking out.
Under the sky shrouded by the Wuxiang Bell, several dark figures flashed by at great speed. Almost as soon as the two reached the cave entrance, they rushed up as if they had discovered that someone was there!
Xiao Lin Fei Ran's pupils constricted, and she subconsciously took a half step back, but immediately raised her hand to cover her mouth, blocking all sounds from her throat.
They were three cultivators, two men and one woman, each with a distinct appearance. They were imposing and far from ordinary. They held compasses in their hands, the pointers spinning erratically, only occasionally pointing in the direction of the cave.
They were clearly puzzled as well, and stood at the cave entrance for a long time.
"Strange, didn't Senior Brother Lin say that the lost child was in these mountains? He even borrowed the Myriad Manifestations Compass, so how come he can't find him?"
"Where is this pointer heading? We can't afford to lose it, or we'll have to pay for it."
"The child's parents have arrived, but they can't find her anywhere. They are extremely anxious and don't know if she is alive or dead."
"Is it really a lost child? Could there be some hidden story behind this?"
"Her mother said that the child has always been clever and was afraid that she would hide somewhere and not dare to see us, so she asked us to take this jade talisman with us so that we could recognize each other."
A palm-sized jade talisman swayed at the man's waist. Xiao Lin Feiran's eyes flickered slightly when he saw it, but he did not speak. Instead, he looked at Ru Xian first.
He simply leaned against the stone wall, a faint smile playing on his lips, before turning to look at Lin Feiran, his gaze more like scrutinizing her, waiting to see how she would react.
She pursed her lips, lost in thought, but remained silent.
The three people stood outside the cave and chatted for about fifteen minutes before falling into an eerie silence.
Then one of them spoke in a low voice: "I've been talking until my mouth is dry, but there's still no sign of her. Will this really lower her guard and lure her out?"
"Keep your voice down! Don't you know who her mother is? A highly skilled weapon refiner! This child possesses numerous magical treasures, which might be hidden somewhere. Otherwise, they wouldn't have used the Formless Bell to seal the mountain..."
"Look at this compass, the needle is swinging like that, how could a child do that?"
"But there are only rocks around here, not even a cave. She's not a cultivator, so how could she possibly hide among the rocks?"
"The pointer keeps pointing this way, so she must be in this direction, just not nearby. This really is her mother's keepsake. I don't believe any child wouldn't come out after seeing it. Let's search elsewhere."
The three lingered for a moment before flying away.
As Xian leaned against the cave entrance, she remarked with admiration, "I have never seen a child as composed as you."
Lin Feiran was also startled.
If she were truly a naive six-year-old child, if she didn't know that the snow mountain was shrouded by the Formless Bell, she might have rushed out upon seeing the jade talisman and overhearing their conversation, only to be captured and brought before Lin Zhengqing.
She turned to look at Ru Xian, immediately raised her hands, and made a crooked Taoist salute.
"Please enlighten me, Immortal Master, how can I help you heal your injuries and restore your health?"
Her expression was sincere, and although she had the appearance of a child, the solemnity in her words was not to be underestimated.
Eyes droop like hailstones, gaze unsteady.
He was not one to easily seek death; otherwise, he would not have traveled the human realm in search of a cure for his chronic illness.
The previous battle with those three had aggravated his old ailment, causing his spiritual energy to become chaotic and putting him in danger of dying at any moment.
He was naturally looking for other ways and waiting for other opportunities, but it was precisely this unarmed child who, by such a twist of fate, stumbled into the cave and brought a glimmer of hope...
He looked up and saw a person with two messy buns in his hair, dressed in brightly colored clothes, looking like a child. Was he really going to entrust his life to such a person?
After a moment, he suddenly spoke: "If you want to help me heal, first, I need to bask in the sunlight for a full day to temporarily alleviate the chaotic power of the spiritual veins. But we are both in the cave; as soon as we step out, the Myriad Manifestations Compass will immediately find us..."
If you can help me, I will protect you from harm.
Having received his promise, she pondered for a moment, then immediately stood up and said, "I can!"
Ru Xian stared at her intently: "Not in the cave, but in the sunlight."
Kobayashi Hirano returned the gaze with the same look: "I can. But we have to wait until tomorrow; we must leave the cave before sunrise."
Ru Xian's gaze narrowed slightly, then he put his arm around her shoulder and leaned closer, saying, "Little hero of the village, you're so young, don't talk big."
Kobayashi Feiran did not back down, but instead his eyes were burning: "If we want to escape, I alone cannot defeat them, but if I can help you hide for a day and soak up the sunlight, I can do that."
"What do you want to do?" Ru Xian asked, somewhat surprised herself that he actually believed her.
Xiao Linfei pursed his lips, then said, "There is a stone pool outside the cave..."
She spoke her thoughts fluently, and Ru Xian listened quietly. At the end, her gaze shifted slightly, and she looked at Ru Xian again for a moment.
"Who taught you this method?"
She paused, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said with a hint of melancholy, “I used to sneak sweets with my father to avoid my mother. I figured it out myself, and later my mother helped me correct it…”
"Master, how shall we agree to help each other escape this predicament? Shall we make a pinky promise?"
Seeing her outstretched hand, Ru Xian couldn't help but chuckle. He raised his hand and pressed it down: "Cultivators have their own rules for making agreements, but I've lost all my spiritual power and can't establish a contract. Wait until I've sunbathed for a full day..."
“Even mortals have their own rules of agreement.” Xiao Lin Fei Ran interrupted him, extending his little finger again. “This is the agreement I made with you. I will take you to bask in the sun.”
Ru Xian was taken aback, as if she hadn't expected her to say that.
Xiao Linfei brought her hand closer again. He looked down for a moment, and finally reached out his hand to touch hers.
Looking at their hands clasped together, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.
It is true that when a person is about to die, their spirit becomes confused.
How absurd it was that he had become an ally of a six-year-old child. Thinking this, his previously cold heart gradually began to stir.
He thought, what if?
...
On the second day after hiding in the snowy mountains, Lin Feiran and Ru Xian remained in the cave.
After making a pinky promise, the two did get closer. Ru Xian was no longer as indifferent to her as before, and would occasionally blurt out a comment.
"The stone is too hard, let's drag some grass to cushion it."
"The fire is too strong, it's too hot."
"That little hero over there, his bandage has come loose again."
Children always have inexhaustible energy and different hopes for tomorrow. Thinking about what to do tomorrow, Lin Feiran has a strong sense of purpose and doesn't feel tired even when busy.
After she finished doing his work, she wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead, took out a brocade bag the size of a copper basin from her mustard seed bag, opened the mouth, and then ran around the cave with it in the air.
The brocade pouch was filled with the flowing wind, swelling into a circle. The air currents around her knocked away the flowing light in the cave, scattering it in all directions.
Ru Xian finally couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"
Lin Feiran turned around and looked back, her face flushed from jumping around, and her whole body radiating heat.
She said in a clear voice, "Fairy, didn't you say that these scattered points of light are your flesh and blood? If we are leaving, of course we should take them with us."
"..." Ru Xian fell silent for a moment. "It's not anything important. They're everywhere. How many can you take?"
"How can our bodies and hair not be important? We should take as much as we can."
She answered in this way, then raised her hand and waved it lightly, chasing the slivers of light escaping from the bag's opening back in.
Ru Xian withdrew her gaze, looked at the cave ceiling, and closed her eyes after a long while.
He thought, "What a strange child."
After a long while, he heard a faint breathing sound near his ear, accompanied by a hot breath. He opened his eyes and turned to look. Lin Feiran was walking towards him with a smile.
She used some unknown method to make the once brightly lit cave mostly dark, while the brocade pouch in her hand shone like a lantern.
Seeing him looking at her, she raised the corners of her lips and waved the object in her hand: "Fairy, look, we've recovered quite a lot! Since you are cultivators, can you merge these things back into your own bodies?"
“No.” Ru Xian said without hesitation, her eyes crinkling as she said, “If you like it so much, just accept it. Consider it a gift from me.”
Lin Feiran was speechless for a moment, but did not insist. He simply put the items into his storage bag and said, "I'll keep them for you for now and return them to you after we get out of this predicament together."
Ru Xian stopped speaking and simply sat quietly beside him.
He thought, finally, it's quiet.
Not long after, another strange sound came from the cave. He opened his eyes again and looked to the side.
Are you hungry?
Lin Feiran nodded frankly and said, "I'm still growing, but I can bear it. It's okay for a child to go hungry for a few days."
"..."
Ru Xian turned sideways and stared at her for a few moments, tapping her fingers absently. After a few breaths of eye contact, he looked out of the cave and parted his lips slightly.
The language that came out of his mouth was not like any language she was familiar with; it was more like the tone he used when he called her a little liar before—gentle and soothing, echoing throughout the cave, with an indescribable ethereal quality.
Lin Feiran felt lightheaded and drowsy, but was quickly awakened by the rustling noises at the cave entrance.
She looked up and saw four or five silver-tailed tits quietly fly into the cave entrance. They carried several strings of red berries in their beaks, put the berries into the snowdrift, and then quickly flew away, leaving almost no trace.
A moment later, two more night owls flew in silently. They tilted their heads to meet Lin Feiran's gaze, let out a low cry, dropped a few fist-sized fruits, and then nimbly flew away.
Lin Feiran was amazed. She exclaimed in surprise and ran to the cave entrance to squat down and take a closer look.
Before long, several long-tailed squirrels came leaping over, dropped a small pile of peanuts and pine needles, and hurriedly left. Before leaving, they kicked the pile of things into their hole with their front and back legs.
"..."
Lin Feiran held the pile of things and looked back in disbelief.
Ru Xian leaned against the stone couch, his jade-like face facing her, his eyes lightly closed, red smoke flying above his eyes, half of his snow-white hair falling down, his white and gold robe and sash hanging down together... completely unlike a real person.
She was suddenly in a daze, muttering to herself, "Are you a cultivator who tames beasts? Or is all of this just a dream? Indeed, both the secret I discovered and what I'm seeing are too unbelievable. Perhaps I've read too many strange and fantastical stories..."
Ru Xian, who had been pretending to be asleep, opened her eyes and said, "Tsk."
...
On the third day after being trapped in the snowy mountains, it was still a sunny day.
Having eaten and drunk his fill the night before, Xiao Lin Feiran woke up early and prepared everything before dawn. He then woke Ru Xian and used the few remaining talismans to quickly carry the two out and roll them into a pool that had not yet frozen not far from the cave entrance.
This is a natural pool of water, which originally had the effect of flowing water and concealing traces.
After falling into the water, she quickly got ashore and, shivering, buried the spirit jade in the snow pile beside the pool according to the directions. However, it was so cold that her movements were inevitably stiff and slow.
Besides practicing with a wooden sword, Kobayashi Hiran also plays hand-to-hand combat with his mother in his spare time.
The game also uses chess pieces, but the chessboard is made up of various magic arrays. Whoever can escape from it first is the winner.
Although she didn't understand magic, she had gained some understanding of the magic array after playing with it for a long time. She then spent several months modifying one of the arrays, just so that she and her father could sneak food without any restraint.
After her mother deciphered the formation, she greatly praised her, but felt that the formation was a bit immature, so she made a few changes to make it more precise and exquisite.
Lin Feiran is now using the modified magic array, which uses spirit jade to form the array and is supplemented by the Gen Water Flowing Wind formation. Even if the person who sets up the array is a mortal who has not yet entered the Dao, its power should not be underestimated.
Because her mother was the one who set up the array, she was absolutely certain that people like Lin Zhengqing would not be able to decipher it within a day.
With such favorable timing, location, and human factors, the magic array was successfully completed.
A faint, hidden light flashed by, and all the spiritual power within the jade flowed out, instantly decaying into ordinary rocks that scattered inconspicuously among the snowdrifts and weeds.
Just as the formation was completed, a faint movement came from the air. Xiao Linfei didn't have time to get away and was about to be discovered when someone grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him into the pool.
She couldn't swim, and the pool kept drawing away her body heat, causing her to shiver with cold. Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed the source of warmth behind her, burying herself in it, and tightly pursed her lips to keep herself from making a sound.
She knew perfectly well that she was nestled in the immortal's arms, her cheek pressed against his neck, absorbing his warmth.
Although the spiritual energy was chaotic and scattered, it was still the body of a cultivator, so it wouldn't lose its temperature in such ordinary pool water.
His body temperature was never hot, but to the child at this moment, it was like a piece of delicate, warm jade, something one could hold and cherish.
On the shore of the pool, another group of unfamiliar people landed. They searched around for a long time but still found nothing. They stopped and cursed a few times before hurriedly leaving.
Ru Xian tapped the person in her arms with her fingers and said in a cool voice, "You spoke so confidently, but you can't swim at all. You still dared to sink into the pool like this. I don't know whether to say you are brave or arrogant."
Xiao Lin Fei Ran wanted to speak, but because it was too cold, she shivered and could only tighten her hands.
As if carrying the person in his arms, he looked up at the sky. The sunlight shone on this place without reservation, and the pool was also covered with specks of gold. For him, the pain all over his body was indeed relieved a lot.
He lay on his back in the pool, having sunbathed all morning, and his strength had mostly recovered. Lin Feiran, who entered the pool with him, was not so lucky. Although it wasn't cold, he was still a novice and became a little dizzy after soaking for a while.
It was his fingertips.
Then came that light, cool fragrance, which had lingered around the nose before, but now surged on the tip of the tongue, even with a hint of indescribable sweetness.
What's this?
In her drowsy state, she opened her eyes and, in the blinding sunlight, could only vaguely make out the immortal's chin. After swallowing subconsciously, her body quickly warmed up, and even the hunger in her stomach vanished.
Before he could even ask a question, he quickly turned over and went back to sleep.
On the third night, she woke up in the immortal's arms, but was no longer in the pool.
"Awake?" The immortal looked down at her. "How are you feeling now?"
Xiao Lin Fei Ran looked down and saw that they were sitting on an extremely tall cedar tree. The immortal was sitting cross-legged on a branch, and she was sitting on his lap, feeling weak all over.
"What's wrong with me?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
"You're sick, you caught a cold. You were running around a lot the other day, and it was winter, so you caught a chill early on. You also rolled around in the pond just now, and now you have multiple symptoms all at once, with a persistent fever."
He straightened up and gently tapped her back with his fingertips.
"Okay, then sit down. I don't like being close to people."
Xiao Linfei silently looked down; the height was terrifying. She moved aside as instructed, her hand tightly gripping the hem of his clothes.
Ru Xian glanced at her, then slowly extended her left hand, a tiny fluorescent light hovering at her fingertips.
Her face lit up with joy: "Your spiritual power has recovered? Can you contact my mother?"
Ru Xian shook his head: "Although it has recovered somewhat, it is not yet possible to break through the Formless Bell. We must not act rashly."
"Then what is this?"
What should I do?
As if a smile played on his lips, he flipped his hand and gently touched her brow with his fingertips, leaving a red mark in the soft moonlight.
Xiao Linfei touched her forehead. Although there was no unusual sensation, she could feel a warm sensation between her eyebrows.
She pursed her lips, looked up, and extended her little finger again: "Then I'll also promise to help you restore your spiritual power. Is that an honor?"
"..."
Ru Xian raised her hand and pinched her cheek: "Don't you dare mimic me."
...
On the morning of the fourth day after being trapped in the Great Snow Mountain, Lin Feiran woke up early and guarded the pills she was refining to heal her injuries. She kept setting up formations nearby to avoid being noticed. However, the spirit jade she had left would not last long, and the Formless Bell that enveloped the Great Snow Mountain was gradually closing in.
At noon on the fourth day, the pill was successfully refined, and all the spirit jade was exhausted. The patrolling cultivators discovered the two's whereabouts, but before they could inform others, they were stopped by a hail of snowflakes and their lives ended on the snowy cliff.
On the fourth day at sunset, Lin Zhengqing arrived, following the trail. He wore a bronze mask, making his features unrecognizable. Behind him followed many cultivators dressed in flowing cloud robes.
Neither side uttered a word, yet an offensive was about to erupt.
Ru Xian had been seriously injured and was not yet fully recovered, but she was not at a disadvantage in fighting these cultivators, and could even be considered to be in a very good position.
That was the first time Lin Feiran had seen someone wielding a spear. The person was not clumsy at all, but rather very graceful, like a flower's shadow reflected in water, or a wild goose's shadow fluttering. The person moved like a dragon and remained still like the moon after a storm.
She thought she might never forget this scene.
On the fourth night, Lin Zhengqing and his group suffered a great defeat and fled, but the Wuxiang Bell still shrouded the surroundings and could not be broken for the time being. Ru Xian also did not escape unscathed and found a safe place with Xiao Lin Feiran to refine pills.
On the morning of the fifth day, another group of people appeared in the Great Snow Mountain. According to Ru Xian, they were the three cultivators who had been chasing him. As the four of them were fighting again, Lin Zhengqing appeared behind Lin Feiran.
"The Demon Lord can't worry about you right now," he said in a deep voice. "On the night of the banquet, you should have stayed by your father's side instead of wandering around aimlessly, stumbling upon things you shouldn't have seen, and bringing disaster upon yourself."
Xiao Linfei stood in the snow, his fists clenched, holding the last talisman in his palm, his thoughts racing.
The banquet at night... the banquet at night...
The excruciating pain in my head intensified, and it seemed as if something was desperately trying to obscure my memories. The scene before me suddenly distorted and surged forward like a torrent.
On the sixth day, Ru Xue won a great victory. On the seventh day, the two broke the Wuxiang Bell and escaped from the Great Snow Mountain. After he sent her to Luoyang City, he said something to her and then turned and left.
Having survived a near-death experience, she felt a great sense of relief. She then ran through the bustling, blurry street lined with lanterns, smelling the intoxicating scents of peonies. While running, she accidentally bumped into passersby, and stumbled her way back to the Lin residence.
In front of the mansion gate, a tall, thin old servant stood under the eaves, looking anxious and helpless. When he saw her, he immediately came forward, but his words were incoherent, and his hands were pushing her away.
Behind the mansion gate was an extremely spacious courtyard, filled with various flowers, far more than just peonies.
A man sat quietly among them, leisurely picking a rose that was out of season, seemingly admiring it carefully. When he saw her appear, he turned around and looked her up and down for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"Is that right, little Manman?"
The moment she saw him, her deepest, most buried memories resurfaced, and she finally remembered why she had been sealed away and why she had been cursed...
Author's Note: The reason why our Fei Ran's memories were inexplicably sealed is finally about to be revealed, but (covers mouth to let out a spoiler)
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