Chapter 18 Exceptional Excellence (Part Six) If you want to play, I'll keep you company for the rest of the time...
A silent standoff, one still, one lying in wait.
Jiang Jin had been at odds with Lin Feiran for many years, so he naturally knew how sharp her sword was and how cunning she was when she fought.
He was verbally provocative, but his eyes were fixed on her, not daring to look away for even a moment.
On the day Lin Feiran fled the mountain, he was fighting monsters with Pei Yu in Wanku Mountain, so he regretfully missed it and could only find out a little from his fellow disciples.
Later, he was chosen by Ji Changying and had to go down the mountain with him to find someone. On the way, he received a letter from his master, Lingming Daoren, which contained a talisman. Thus, his resentment finally dissipated.
[The chief has ordered that Lin Feiran has stolen treasures and fled the mountain, abandoning his sect. He has already escaped to the demon capital, Lan City. You are hereby ordered to go to the Endless Coast immediately and give this talisman to the boundary guardian, Xie Kanhua. Do not say anything. He will open a mirror gate for you to the demon capital.]
Also, the Demon Capital is heavily guarded, so you must not make a big fuss. The chief has already sent a master to accompany you, and he is waiting for you in the Endless Sea.
Note: Jiang Jin, my disciple, although this is an order from our sect, since you are serving in the field, you may disobey it. I know you have always been arrogant and dislike Lin Feiran. But please be forgiving when you can, and do not let your mind be disturbed. I urge you to remember this.
Jiang Jin naturally understood his master's unspoken meaning. Why would the head disciple entrust the task of capturing Lin Feiran to him among so many direct disciples? Wasn't it because he had always been at odds with Lin Feiran?
But so what? This was exactly what he wanted to do; he hadn't drawn his sword with Lin Feiran in a long time.
The thought of this made him feel as if insects were biting his hands, causing an unbearable itch.
"Lin, you good-for-nothing, you can't escape now."
A gentle breeze blew, and the willows, unique to the demon realm, rustled softly. Their mirror-like leaves cast dappled light, which fell in patches on Lin Feiran's calm face.
Jiang Jin and the others were able to find the Demon Capital, so someone must have given them instructions. It could be Zhang Chunhe or some master from Daohe Palace. But how did they know that they had arrived in the Demon Capital?
In a short while, her thoughts raced, but she was unwilling to get entangled with Jiang Jin any longer.
He was like a mad dog baring its teeth indiscriminately, biting anyone except Pei Yu, but especially vicious and difficult to communicate with her.
As tensions rose, she immediately leaped onto the roof, preparing to run back. Jiang Jin, who had been watching her intently, chuckled, drew his sword with a fierce momentum, and his eyes were like those of a hawk.
"A net so wide that no fish can escape its tail."
Jiang Jin's master was Lingming Daoren. The Fuyou Sword, which the two of them practiced, did not have the gentleness of Daoists. Instead, it was turbulent and the sword momentum was swift. As soon as the sword was drawn, dozens of sword energies rose up, and the sound was like the cry of a phoenix.
The sword energy was densely intersecting, pressing down like a net from the sky, slicing and shaking the willow branches of the waterfall. With a whoosh, the ground was covered with shattered mirrors, and faint light shone everywhere.
Lin Feiran had no choice but to roll over and dodge, landing on the street. She looked at the two of them and no longer avoided them, forming a hand seal with her hands.
In an instant, the scattered fragments falling to the ground vibrated in unison, and the willow branches, as smooth as mirrors, rustled. As Lin Feiran pointed his finger out, they rose into the air and rushed towards the densely packed sword net. Each piece collided with the intersecting nodes, instantly breaking the sword's momentum.
Controlling objects, which is one of the most basic and simplest Taoist techniques, now seems to have the power to move mountains and fill seas in Lin Feiran's hands.
She couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "Jiang Jin, your sword is still as weak as before. To soar to the top, one needs the determination to never give up. For someone like you, what difference does it make whether you use the Soaring Sword or not?"
And why would I send you to arrest me? Don't forget, you've been no match for me for a long time.
Back then, she practiced swordsmanship diligently, silencing the gossips, and one of those photos belonged to Jiang Jin.
Jiang Jin gritted his teeth and sneered: "If you know so much, how come you're still only at the Forgetfulness Realm!"
Lin Feiran leaped out with graceful movements, but instead of getting far away, he stepped onto a shard, condensed a sword in his palm, and charged at him: "It's not that I understand, but that you haven't made any progress at all."
The sword energy condensed into mist, carrying a chill as it pierced straight at his face. Jiang Jin, however, neither dodged nor evaded, but merely smiled with utter disdain: "You talk like some kind of expert. Not to mention that I didn't use my full strength just now, didn't you see that I have an old acquaintance with me?"
A long sword shot out diagonally, first severing Lin Feiran's qi sword, then twisting its wrist to the side and slashing straight at her neck.
Lin Feiran glanced sideways and met a pair of snow-white eyes. As their eyes met, he pretended to make a move, but after forcing Lin Feiran back, he withdrew his hand and simply stood quietly in front of Jiang Jin without saying a word.
That was Wei Changzai's face.
Jiang Jin peeked out from behind the man and said gloatingly, "I love watching lovers confront each other. Why don't we put on a show?"
He stared intently at Lin Feiran, wanting to see her defenses crumble. He'd heard that her eyes were bloodshot the day she left the mountain; he wondered if he'd ever see her again!
After waiting a moment, Lin Feiran remained unmoved, only managing to utter two words: "Sick."
She added, "Since you enjoy watching it, why not invite a real person to act? You're so happy to find a fake, no wonder Pei Yu doesn't like you."
"You!" Jiang Jin was hit where it hurt and immediately got angry, but he gritted his teeth and suppressed it, and sneered, "Haven't seen you for a few days, and your eyes have gone blind? What nonsense are you talking about, who else could this be but Consort Wei?"
Lin Feiran didn't look at that person again, but held his sword horizontally in front of him: "Even if he really is Wei Changzai, so what?"
Jiang Jin wanted to say something more, but was stopped by the person in front of him.
"Yeah."
The sword-wielding "Wei Changzai" suddenly relaxed his shoulders, pulled out a bronze mirror from somewhere and looked at himself, looking somewhat out of place: "Jiang Jin, didn't you say that if she changed to this face, she would be heartbroken and defenseless, and at our mercy?"
"That's because you were recognized!" Jiang Jin said angrily.
The man fiddled with his hair, but the muscles on his face moved strangely under his skin, as if a clay figure was being reshaped, making a cracking sound. When he looked at her again, she had already returned to her original appearance, with a handsome face and long, narrow eyebrows and eyes.
He glanced at her somewhat casually: "They look exactly the same, how did you recognize them? Tell me, and I'll change it next time."
The man suddenly realized: "It's easy to draw the bones but hard to draw the spirit. This technique still needs improvement. As for who I am, since you're being so honest, I won't hide it. I am Mu Qian, a star lord under the Jade Balance Star in the Can Star Domain. I have come to assist Daohe Palace in capturing the traitor and retrieving the treasure."
"Reclaim the treasure?" Lin Feiran frowned, no longer willing to explain, and said only, "I never knew that a mere disciple like me could trouble the Star Lord to come in person."
The Star Domain welcomes nameless cultivators from all over the world, led by Ding Yi, to serve the Human Emperor and protect the people of the world.
Ding Yi has seven Star Lords under him, each with their own duties: Talisman, Array, Medicine, Magic, Weapon, Divination, and Control. Under each Star Lord is a Star Sovereign, though their realms and specialties differ, they are all experts among cultivators.
Back then, before Lin Feiran went up the mountain with Tai Hui Qingyu, a star lord had invited her to join the star domain.
Mu Qian shrugged: "Your Daohe Palace specifically requested that the Star Lord accompany you. Since the Jade Balance Star Lord has already agreed, we must follow orders. Sorry."
After he finished speaking, a strangely patterned iron chain appeared out of thin air behind him, like a scorpion's tail raised high, and struck Lin Feiran heavily in the next moment.
She spun around to avoid it, but the man laughed and chased after her: "This is called the Panshan Lock. It is also a spiritual artifact that flowed out of the Pilgrimage Valley. Once it passes through your body, you will never be able to struggle again."
The mountain lock is heavy yet light, with the short dagger at its end held high, like a viper eyeing its prey, ready to bite at any moment during the struggle.
Lin Feiran focused intently, her sword of energy shifting between her left and right hands to deflect the shifting chain daggers. She also had to dodge the chains to avoid being completely entangled.
"Little girl, what use is your movement technique if you're only at the stage of forgetting yourself?" He spoke with ease and confidence, forcing Lin Feiran to retreat step by step.
"You can use martial arts to make up for the gap between you and Fellow Daoist Jiang because he is not strong enough, but between you and me, there is an insurmountable chasm."
As soon as he finished speaking, runes lit up on the dark chains. Lin Feiran felt her breath catch in her throat, her mind went blank, and her speed slowed down several times. No matter how she tried to use her spiritual energy, she could not resist the pressure. Her feet felt like they were weighed down by a thousand pounds, and she could not move with ease.
The dagger slowed down, like a cat teasing a mouse, and the next moment it pierced straight through her shoulder.
Taoist Magic - Falling Force
"The object manipulation you used just now, and the downward force I'm using now, are both very basic techniques. It's not like I'm bullying you, is it?" He stepped forward, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed.
The moment the dagger pierced his shoulder, Lin Feiran felt his spiritual meridians tighten, as if every strand of spiritual power was locked in place, unable to be used, leaving him completely at the mercy of others.
She knelt on the ground, the black iron chains coiling around her shoulders like vipers, tightening inch by inch, as if trying to drain all her spiritual power.
Mu Qian walked up to her, leaned down and carefully examined her, but said very humbly, "I'm sorry, whenever I see a stranger, I can't help but scrutinize his face carefully, so that there won't be any flaws in my transformation later."
He looked around for a while: "Face is easy to imitate, but eyes are a bit difficult... Little girl, I really like your eyes, but why are you called 'useless person'? Is it because your parents hate you?"
Upon hearing the words "parents," Lin Feiran's pupils suddenly contracted.
A gentle breeze suddenly stirred at his cheek, and Mu Qian was momentarily stunned. He felt a slight coolness on his cheek, and when he raised his hand to wipe it, he saw a bloody mark. He couldn't help but click his tongue and say, "No wonder they said Fellow Daoist Jiang couldn't do it alone and needed me to come along."
Despite his low cultivation level and the constriction of his spiritual veins, he was still able to spare some spiritual energy.
Mu Qian was about to speak when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He immediately retreated. After he left, a long, azure arrow pierced through the stone brick where he had been standing, cracking like a spider web and scattering rubble as it fell.
Jiang Jin immediately looked back with his sword drawn, and saw a blue figure standing on a tall building by the street. She held a longbow, its body gleaming with silver, the arrows sparkling, and the string taut like a full moon, pointing directly at the two of them.
"In Lan City, the Demon Capital, fighting and disorder are strictly prohibited. Those who disobey will be expelled!"
A gust of wind and thunder swept by, and Mu Qian felt his grip loosen slightly. When he looked up again, Lin Feiran had been brought to the rooftop. The tightly bound dragon lock was untied by the chestnut-haired boy beside her. He stood up, looked down, and threw the long lock down.
"Add another one: chains, such inhumane things, are prohibited in the Demon Capital."
The newcomers, with white jade bells hanging from their waists, were one of the five envoys under Ru Xian's command. The girl was named Bi Qing, and the boy was named Xuan Zhen. Lin Feiran recognized them; they were the two "golden boy and jade girl" who had protected Ru Xian at the grand banquet.
Jiang Jin frowned and asked in a low voice, "Mu Qian, didn't you come to the demon realm before? Do demons have such rules? Who are these two strange people?"
"Whether it's proper or not, I don't know, but I know these two people." Mu Qian gradually straightened up, a serious look appearing between his brows.
"The Demon Lord doesn't like to get involved in affairs and rarely leaves the Demon Capital. So he took in five envoys to act on his behalf. Two of them, one named Biqing and the other Xuanzhen, are in charge of the fighting and chaos within the Demon Capital. It must have been the commotion that was too great that attracted them here... However, judging from this situation, this little girl knows them?"
Jiang Jin glanced across the rooftop and saw the young man named Xuan Zhen feeding Lin Feiran a pill. Unsure of their relationship, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure?"
"Of the five envoys from the demon realm, these two are the weakest. You and I have a 60% chance of winning against them." Mu Qian took out a bronze mirror and tidied his hair. "However, they are very good at calling in reinforcements. Did you see the white jade bell at their waists?"
He peeked out from behind the mirror, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "Once that bell rings, the other three envoys will arrive. Once they come, it won't be something you or I can handle. If we're unlucky enough to summon the Demon Lord, we'll be ready to risk our lives."
Jiang Jin's eyes widened suddenly: "Demon Lord? You and I are worth his attention?"
Mu Qian said meaningfully, "When you crush an ant, do you feel like you're doing something?"
Jiang Jin was silent for a moment, then frowned and said, "Why is your Panlong Lock lying on the ground without moving? Use it again, let's break through first and finish this quickly!"
Jiang Jin was shocked: "What do you mean by 'commemorative edition'?"
Mu Qian didn't look to the side: "It's a 90% replica."
"What?!"
Mu Qian couldn't bear to see Jiang Jin's incredulous look. He spread his hands and said, "She's just a disciple of the Forgetfulness Realm. Do you think I, a Star Lord, should be treated like a major enemy and bring along magical treasures? Besides, how would I know she would be involved with the envoy?"
Alright, I have a secret weapon too. Don't worry, my missions rarely fail.
As the two whispered, the three people on the roof were also whispering.
Bi Qing drew her bow, pursed her lips, her indigo dress billowing in the wind, the leather armor on her arms gleaming, looking imposing. In reality, her lips parted, and she was about to speak calmly: "Xuan Zhen! How about this rascal? Can you fight him?"
Xuan Zhen helped Lin Feiran up and slowly moved her numb wrists: "It's hard to say, that face-changing monster is at least at the Free Realm."
When he was untying the dragon lock, half of his arm was numb from the shock, and the pain made him forcefully hold back his tears.
Bi Qing's throat tightened slightly: "He's at least a whole realm higher than us. I'll intimidate him first... Did you ring the bell just now?"
“It was shaken, it was shaken all the way through.”
How so?
"Xun Feifei said he'll be there soon!"
"Good!" Bi Qing felt confident, and the long silver arrow in her hand left the bowstring, ringing out like the sound of gongs.
Mu Qian reacted extremely quickly. He tossed a cloth bag to the side, and instantly, thick fog rose up, with eerie white swamp smoke curling upwards, making people feel dizzy from the smell.
“You heal her first, I’ll stop him. You dare to show off your meager skills in front of me with such a charade?”
Biqing calmed her mind, closed her eyes, and suddenly tightened the longbow in her hand. A cluster of sparks gradually ignited from the arrowhead, bringing with it a thick mist.
The arrow, once released from the bow, spontaneously combusted at its tip. It grazed the thick white smoke, burning ever brighter, and hurtled straight towards the shadowy figure hidden within, turning his face a fiery red before piercing through him without hesitation.
One person was scattered, his figure vanishing like smoke, but a moment later, dozens of men with identical appearances split off, and they all laughed at the same time.
"Oh, what excellent archery! It's a pity you missed."
Biqing stood on the rooftop, the raging fire illuminating a clear sky. She met the man's gaze, and in an instant, the arrow that had been launched suddenly turned around and shot towards her from afar. One of the phantom figures neither dodged nor avoided the attack, but instead drew a dagger to meet the attack, splitting the sharp silver arrow in two.
Bi Qing was somewhat surprised at this moment, but she didn't pause for long. She immediately drew her bow, nocked an arrow, and fired four silver arrows at once: "If you miss, then fire a few more!"
Mu Qian smiled, and the surrounding fog condensed again, his figure gradually disappearing: "Cultivation is difficult for the demon race. I am at least one realm higher than you. How could you see through me?"
The four arrows still pierced through him, but scattered several afterimages.
The deception and the truth are intertwined, making it difficult to harm them in the slightest.
Bi Qing remained unmoved, simply closing her eyes as the bowstring slowly tightened, and the tip of the bow ignited once more.
On the other side, Xuanzhen's eyes searched through the thick fog. Suddenly, his ears twitched, and a bolt of lightning shot out from under his feet, instantly reaching the fog. He raised his leg and kicked out, but still hit a phantom, causing no pain or itch.
While the two were unaware, Mu Qian quietly climbed onto the roof, grabbed Lin Feiran, smiled slightly at the startled Bi Qing, and then fell backward, disappearing into the mist. Xuan Zhen chased after him, but was still a step too late, and in the blink of an eye, he could no longer be found.
Mu Qian's voice rang out from all around. He laughed and said, "Human hearts are complicated. How could you two demon children see through such 'illusory' things? I have no intention of fighting with you. Let's leave it at that."
In the thick fog, he looked at the person in his hand: "Come with us. It's better to go back sooner. You've been punished. Just beg for leniency, and they'll let you go. After a few months, when you've recovered from your injuries, you can go to the pilgrimage ceremony. If you're lucky, you might find half a treasure. Isn't that better than what you stole?"
"Steal?" Lin Feiran laughed, swallowed the pill in his mouth, coughed a few times, and asked, "What did I steal?"
Mu Qian shrugged: "That's a question for you to answer. Coming out to arrest you this time has delayed a lot of my business."
"It's all a lie, you can't see through it." Mu Qian asked curiously, "What good thing did you eat? In no time, even your shoulder injury has fully recovered."
Lin Feiran stood in the thick fog, like a dim jade color, but the large hole in her shoulder was clearly visible, with blood seeping down her clothes. The piercing wound had completely healed, leaving only a pale pink scar. Her compressed spiritual veins also suddenly swelled up.
"Just a whole bottle of aphrodisiac pills."
She tossed aside the porcelain bottle in her hand, wiped away the fine blood from the corner of her lips, raised her hand and caught a silver arrow that was hurtling straight at her. The arrow's wind had not yet died down, and it was blowing her clothes and hair. She used the arrow as a sword, spinning it between her fingers. In a flash of silver light, she looked up at the person in front of her.
"What nonsense! It's just a ghost-catching game. If you want to play, I'll keep you company."
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