Chapter 182 Echoes of the Past This moment is just like that moment back then…
"Nice to meet you?" Li Changfeng walked over carrying wine, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two before settling on Shen Qi.
"How come I remember that during the Flying Flower Gathering, you followed her and that's how you made it onto the list and entered the Pilgrimage Valley? When your master saw you enter the valley, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets."
“Senior Li, this is just small talk. I haven’t forgotten…” Shen Qi’s face flushed slightly. He glanced quickly at Lin Feiran, feeling somewhat embarrassed and at a loss.
Shen Qi had originally planned to correspond with Lin Feiran more after leaving the valley, but before he could stay at the Imperial Academy for long, he was summoned back to Luoyang and placed under guard.
The messenger bird was accidentally burned to ashes, and he dared not contact it, so they ceased all contact, which he deeply regretted.
He wasn't exactly a memorable figure, and after several months apart, Lin Feiran probably couldn't even recall his name. A hasty reunion would likely only create awkwardness, which is why…
The two people in front of him were very calm, and Lin Feiran's gaze was even clear and upright. Seeing that Shen Qi was somewhat flustered and embarrassed, he directly stepped forward to ignore Li Changfeng's teasing.
"Fellow Daoist Shen, it has been several months since we parted ways at Pilgrimage Valley. How have you been?"
Shen Qi immediately bowed in return: "I'm eating and sleeping well, and there's nothing wrong with me... Fellow Daoist Wenran's demeanor is different from before, which means your cultivation level has improved again. Congratulations!"
Seeing his serious demeanor, Lin Feiran straightened his back and stopped correcting his address: "You flatter me. I see that you look radiant, fellow Daoist. It seems that your cultivation of the Wonderful Brush Dao has also made progress."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qi subconsciously tightened his grip on the old pen at his waist, his eyes slightly widening: "Observe me..."
"Alright, alright, it's just a face-to-face meeting, not a letter writing session. Why are you being so serious?"
Li Changfeng stood aside, sleeves tucked in, watching the two young men, barely out of their teens, come and go as fellow Daoists. In silence, he only felt a buzzing, noisy commotion.
"Regardless of your identities, you call him Shen Qi and she Lin Feiran. One is a human prince and the other is a demon envoy. You are here to discuss entering the palace."
He briefly explained their situation. Shen Qi already knew her identity, but Lin Feiran was somewhat surprised.
"A human prince?"
She carefully examined Shen Qi's face, then suddenly realized, "No wonder you looked familiar..."
He resembled the Emperor by about five or six points, but because his eyes were rounder, his expression was purer, and he was more easily moved to tears and shyness, those five or six points were reduced to one or two. They were similar in appearance but not in spirit.
Shen Qi smiled awkwardly, his gaze falling to the ground: "I did not mean to hide it before, but the situation in the palace is complicated, and it would be better for you not to tell me."
"I understand." Lin Feiran's voice was calm and unhurried. Apart from the fleeting surprise just now, there was no other change in his expression. "I first met Shen Qi, and I still do now."
She stopped there, leaving it at that point, and when Shen Qi saw her reaction, he was taken aback and couldn't help but smile knowingly. His eyes brightened, and his expression became much more composed than before.
"Then I will also write with the same style as when we first met."
Li Changfeng didn't pay much attention to the easing of tension between the two and began to explain to Lin Feiran.
“Last night I heard that you wanted to enter the palace, but you had no way to do so, and I immediately thought of him.”
This is a royal secret. If it weren't for your upright character and the fact that the two of you had met at the Flying Flower Gathering, I would never have told you.
These words should be empty words uttered by the Human Emperor. Although they are surprising, for cultivators, the world is full of mysteries and the infinite. The appearance of the Deep Stage is just another kind of wonderful birth.
Just as most cultivators believe, there are higher realms beyond the Returning to Truth Realm.
The Tao has no limits, and so does humanity.
It's not unacceptable that such a rare person was secretly sent out of the palace to cultivate.
"I have been friends with his master for many years and watched him grow up. This child is pure in heart and has an extraordinary status. Protecting you after you enter the palace will not be a problem."
Moreover, you helped him enter the Sacred Valley and greatly improved his cultivation in the Mystic Brush Dao. His master is already grateful to you, so the matter of entering the palace is nothing to worry about.
Last night, after I told him, he agreed without even thinking about it. Thinking about his obligation to repay the debt, he was so excited he couldn't sleep all night.
Lin Feiran turned to look at Shen Qi, her expression slightly surprised, and she couldn't help but feel a little moved.
I never expected him to value this friendship so much.
“Chen Qi, don’t worry about the trip to the Sacred Valley. The old ink you gave me later was also of great benefit to me, so we’re even. I will never forget your kindness in helping me enter the palace today.”
Shen Qi's face was almost turning liver red; if the courtyard hadn't been so open, he might have suffocated there.
He looked at Li Changfeng, then at Lin Feiran, unsure how to explain, and even more so, he mumbled a few words before hurriedly inviting the two into the house and serving them two cups of fragrant tea.
However, Li Changfeng had other important matters to attend to. After giving Lin Feiran a few instructions, he swished away with his wine, leaving the two of them staring at each other in disbelief.
How did you end up being locked up in this place?
What brings you to the palace today?
The two spoke at the same time, paused for a moment, and then smiled at each other.
Shen Qi said, "It's not exactly imprisonment. My movements are not restricted, and I have all the food and drink I need. It's just that I have to stay in Luoyang City to fulfill my filial duty to my father and cannot go out."
Lin Feiran nodded without asking further questions. He wasn't the only prince who had returned to Luoyang. She knew better than anyone why they were staying in the city.
"I want to see someone in the palace. You are more familiar with palace affairs than I am. I wonder if that person will be present at today's banquet?"
After brewing the tea, Chen Qi held it up and savored it, asking, "Who is it?"
"Your Majesty the Holy Palace".
"Cough cough!"
Shen Qi couldn't catch his breath and didn't dare to spray the two of them in the face, so he simply pursed his lips and swallowed. He choked and coughed for a long time before calming down, his eyes filled with tears.
“…I would rather you say you’re going to see my father,” he said in a hoarse voice.
“Seeing him is easy.” Lin Feiran took out the palace map he had drawn a few days ago and spread it out. “This is a map I drew while keeping watch these past few days. Although I have been to the palace, I have only been to the banquet hall and the back garden, so I can only guess where she lives, which is probably in this location.”
I just don't know what the magic array there is like, or how many layers of restrictions there are. If possible, it's best to keep this trip as secret as possible.
Shen Qi looked at the drawing paper and then glanced at her carefully: "This is really risky... You will eventually have to see her. If she summons someone, you will be trapped like a turtle in a jar."
Ah, I didn't mean that! You're definitely not a turtle!
"..." Lin Feiran couldn't help but smile, but quickly focused her attention on the painting, almost certain, "She can't call anyone."
Shen Qi pondered the "no way" in her words, and seeing her resolute expression, and recalling her actions during the Flying Flower Gathering, he remained silent for a moment and then stopped trying to persuade her.
Shen Qi stood up, and with a flick of his fingers, the old brush at his waist appeared. He looked at the tea-scented table, the light in his eyes gradually fading, and he exhaled a thin mist from his lips. Then he picked up the brush and wrote, and the swirling mist gathered together, forming a long, thin scroll of landscape painting.
The scroll was empty; he lightly dipped his brush in the ink, and when it was full, he wrote with graceful strokes, his expression focused.
In less than a quarter of an hour, several magnificent palaces were depicted in the long scroll made of mist, clearly in the layout of an imperial palace. There were even flowers and plants around them, and the paths that meandered through them were also drawn, all very lifelike.
After picking up his brush, he took out an inkstone, dipped it in the old ink, and with just a light touch, the black and white palace on the paper stood up vividly, with bright colors, and could be viewed from all angles. Except for its smaller size, it was no different from the real palace.
This is the technique of the Wonderful Brush Way, which makes every stroke of the brush a masterpiece.
This technique doesn't require a very high level of skill, but it relies heavily on mental strength. Being able to reach the level of deep concentration is enough to show how strong one's will is.
Shen Qi put the pen back, and with a swift movement of his hands, the palace space transformed into the size of a table.
"I owe the painting to you for bringing me to the Pilgrimage Valley and obtaining the Meishan Old Ink. Now it is being used by you, so it is a fitting use for the material."
Your guess was correct; this beautifully landscaped place is called Fangheng Residence, and it is indeed where she resides.
Lin Feiran looked at the small palace before her, noting down the details of the terrain as she asked, "Are you familiar with the Holy Palace Consort?"
Shen Qi glanced at her, not surprised at all, and answered almost without reservation: "I have seen her. The children in the palace all grew up under her care, but not everyone can stay there for long."
Only those who are quick-witted, intelligent, and clear-minded need not leave.
"Hmm... I am not very talented. The chief eunuch said I was dull-witted and didn't know how to amuse or entertain. After less than half a year, I was sent back to the palace. Since then, I have only seen her a few times at family banquets."
He stepped forward and made a hand gesture, and the palace, the size of a table, was transformed into the size of a palm, which he gently embraced.
"That was a scaling technique. You should be able to learn it once you've seen it. I'll give you this. There are many magic arrays in the palace, and I've drawn the ones I know, but there are many more..."
Lin Feiran reached out and took it, then thanked him.
It was already beyond her expectations that Shen Qi was willing to help her this much, so naturally she couldn't ask for more.
"However, you have drawn quite a few formations. They should be very well hidden. How did you know so much about them?"
Shen Qi looked away, his expression unnatural: "These magic arrays are actually very tight and are not easily triggered, but I'm just unlucky. I can run into them no matter how many steps I take, and I've suffered a lot because of it. So my father simply built this mansion and sent me out of the palace."
Lin Feiran chuckled: "No need to look so downcast. I've encountered similar things when I attended palace banquets as a child. Everyone has their bad days."
She suddenly remembered that she had been in the same situation when she was a child. Back then, she was doing good deeds and saving people, but she was accidentally swallowed by a magic array and inexplicably ended up in that secret room, where she glimpsed the secrets of the Human Emperor.
She sighed, "There's another one as unlucky as us..."
That's the child she saved.
At this point, Lin Feiran paused abruptly, her expression slightly somber. As if realizing something, she looked at Shen Qi with a strange, probing gaze.
She still remembers that she set up a magic array with the help of the spirit jade. Originally, nothing happened. If the child next to her hadn't accidentally kicked the spirit jade, they would never have been pulled into the secret room.
She wasn't blaming anyone, but the feeling of bad luck felt very familiar.
Upon seeing her gaze, Shen Qi instantly felt as if he had been burned by fire, his ears and cheeks flushed red, his doe-like eyes darting around, and he dared not meet Lin Feiran's eyes again. He hurriedly got up and rushed towards the door.
"The time is approaching, we should set off. You should change into your palace servant's attire first, I'll wait for you in the carriage."
He was clearly some distance from the door frame, but he still bumped into it with a loud thud when he went out.
Amidst the loud noise, he clutched his shoulder, glanced back at Lin Feiran, his face as red as a boiled shrimp, filled with both shame and anger. He whispered that everything was alright, then hurriedly left, almost as if fleeing in disarray.
"..."
Such a reaction is bound to raise suspicions.
*
The victory celebration banquet will begin at noon today. Considering the time for inspection upon entering the palace, now is the perfect time to set off.
Lin Feiran changed into a silver-based purple gauze dress for entering the palace and accompanied them. Apart from the skirt-pressing knife, she had no other sharp weapons on her.
She walked to the side without looking to the side and stood with the protective monks.
After Shen Qi explained, the palace servants only regarded her as someone recommended by Li Changfeng. After looking her over a few more times, they didn't say much, only gave her a few instructions, and then let her accompany them.
During the journey, Lin Feiran and Shen Qi were separated only by a carved window. Shen Qi sat cross-legged inside, his face no longer as flushed as before, but his lips were tightly pursed. Lin Feiran walked outside the carriage with the other cultivators, and for a moment it was quiet.
"Was that you?" Lin Feiran broke the silence first.
Shen Qi pursed her lips and remained silent, but she did not urge him. She simply asked the question and then looked around.
These words seemed to come out of nowhere, and with Lin Feiran's gaze shifting, the other cultivators, after watching for a moment, assumed she was asking the people around her, and so they followed her gaze.
Apart from the honor guard, there were almost no pedestrians in the streets. The people of the city just gathered at the nearby alley entrances to watch from a distance. From here, their faces were blurred and indistinct, as if they had all blended into one place.
The cultivators glanced at it a few times, but seeing nothing unusual, they quickly looked away.
No one would be distracted to discern the appearance of a mortal.
At the same time, two trains were stuck on the wide main street, making it difficult to pass.
At grand banquets in the palace, regardless of whether they were from major or minor sects, or famous Taoist factions, almost everyone had to ride ordinary horses in order to cross the city's protective bridge and then be checked and stamped at the city gate before they could enter at will.
Today, with all the officials entering, the streets will surely be congested.
Lin Feiran originally wanted to use this opportunity to sneak in, but now there's no need for that.
Shen Qi's carriages were of a special design, and after a brief blockage, the Imperial Guards quickly arrived to clear a path for him, allowing them to escape from the congested road on the side.
As the carriages and horses approached the bridge, the moat flowed gently below, where peonies were in full bloom. They struggled to emerge from the crevices of the banks, a few scattered patches of red and pink, not many, but still quite surprising.
There is a prohibition in Luoyang that only peonies are allowed to be planted in the city. Any other flowers must be uprooted if they are seen. In the past, even though peonies were everywhere in the city, they were only planted in everyone's courtyard and hung on the eaves of every house. They would never grow in such a muddy riverbank.
Lin Feiran pursed her lips and looked away, then looked ahead. At this moment, the carriages and horses were only a ten-meter-long bridge away from the city gate.
To be honest, she was a little uneasy, but not entirely panicked. As long as she entered the palace discreetly, it wouldn't be difficult to slip out among hundreds of people.
Upon reaching the gate, Shen Qi had to get out of the car for inspection. He lifted the curtain and stepped out. When his eyes met Lin Feiran's, his gaze trembled, and he answered in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"...It's me."
After saying that, he stopped looking at her, paused slightly, and continued walking forward only after Lin Feiran caught up.
With Shen Qi, there were almost no strict checks. They checked the accompanying cultivators for any weapons, stamped their hands with a golden seal, and then quickly let them pass.
Perhaps because there was a palace banquet today, there was a guard every five steps along the main road and alley entrance. They were all Yuwei soldiers in armor, with black iron masks on their faces, looking solemn and dignified.
The group took a carriage from the palace gate, entered through the bend, got off the carriage, and walked for a quarter of an hour before arriving at the entrance of the flower hall.
It's this familiar place again, and the layout is almost exactly the same as when I was a child.
The flower hall was filled with disciples from various sects who had arrived early, as well as several princes of similar age to Shen Qi. They were chatting and laughing together, full of vigor, completely different from the silent Shen Qi at this moment.
Lin Feiran had no interest in paying attention to others at the moment. Once the two of them arrived here, they were no longer as conspicuous as before. In addition, the guards here were obviously much more relaxed, so they walked to a corner and pretended to admire the flowers.
"So it was you."
Lin Feiran's words contained surprise, but even more so, solemnity.
Shen Qi gave a bitter smile and stopped trying to escape as before.
"Actually, I recognized you as soon as I learned who you were in the Valley of Pilgrimage."
But when you clearly saw the Emperor and the Holy Palace Consort, you showed no reaction, as if you were seeing unfamiliar strangers. I thought you wanted to bury this matter in your heart forever, since it could bring you death at any time.
I thought you wouldn't return to Luoyang.
Shen Qi didn't know how to describe his feelings on the day Lin Feiran dropped her pretense.
At that moment, the ink gradually faded from her face, restoring her original appearance, but in his eyes, it was a gradual re-creation, depicting a face that he should not have known.
That was Lin Feiran's appearance, but it gradually overlapped with that of the little girl who was half-squatting by the railing, looking down from above.
How are you feeling?
His mind was stirred by a mixture of emotions: panic, anticipation, and surprise. He couldn't put his feelings into words. It was as if he heard an echo from the past, shattering everything within it and finally turning it into nothingness.
He could only watch silently as she revealed her final expression.
Suddenly, it seemed as if that familiar phrase echoed in my ears again.
"My name is Lin Feiran."
"Don't be afraid, I will take you out."
This moment is just like that moment back then.
Author's Note: If the fact that Lin Feiran already has someone she likes were to become public, three homeless, heartbroken people would appear in the world (X).
P.S.: Some readers have been asking about the ending. Ahhh, the author wants to end it even more than everyone else, but I don't dare to rush it. The ending is very important. This was originally just a practice piece for the author's plot. I've already written so many words, and I don't want to end it hastily. I at least want to ensure its completeness.
This is already the penultimate volume; the next one will be the final volume. Because this volume features many characters, needs to cover both overt and covert storylines, and includes various emotional shifts, it will be quite long. Also, I've definitely had some writer's block, often having to scrap most of what I've written. The final volume won't be as long TT
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