Chapter 198 Silent "This is mine."
198
Lan City, the capital of the demon realm, is the most peaceful and stable place in the entire demon world. It is rich and prosperous with a large population. Every morning when Lin Feiran practices his sword, he can see demons leaping over the roof tiles outside the palace.
This has nothing to do with diligence; when there are enough people, there will always be someone awake at any moment.
But at this time, the city of Yaodu appeared somewhat deserted. Only a few shops along the Jade Belt Stream were open to welcome customers, and there were only a handful of people in the shops.
Is it because winter is approaching and it's getting colder, so people are reluctant to go out?
Lin Feiran frowned slightly, puzzled. She originally wanted to find Zhang Siwo, but instead turned around and went to one of the steamed bun shops she was most familiar with to ask for the reason.
As soon as she reached the door, she saw the owner sitting behind the steamer, looking worried. So she called out, "Boss, ten, please."
The boss immediately raised his eyebrows and looked over. His puzzled expression paused when he saw Lin Feiran, but he quickly concealed it and stepped forward to reply, "So it's the envoy. You walk like a cat, without making a sound. You startled me."
"The same as always?" He lifted the lid of the steamer, and hot steam billowed out, blurring the features of the two men.
Lin Feiran responded, but his eyes remained fixed on the scene, catching a fleeting glimpse of furrowed brows and melancholy behind the thin mist.
She took a half step back and looked around again: "Why are there only two or three shops open on the street today?"
"you do not know?"
The boss spoke instinctively, his tone surprised. He seemed to realize something, but quickly took over the conversation himself.
“You’re human, so it’s normal that you don’t know. The weather in the demon realm is extremely changeable. There will be blizzards in winter. Although the demon capital is not affected, it’s hard to say what will happen in other places. Some people in the city have returned to their tribes, while others are cultivating at home and are not willing to come out and be exposed to the cold wind.”
The excuse was perfectly timed; if Lin Feiran hadn't noticed the change in his expression, she might have been fooled as well.
It seems we won't get any answers here.
Lin Feiran took the steamed bun and decided to ask Biqing and the others when she got back.
As she was leaving, the shopkeeper called out to her, "Your Excellency, there aren't many people in the city lately, so it's not interesting to go anywhere. What are you planning to do?"
Lin Feiran glanced back at him, pondered for a moment, and replied, "I'm going to visit a friend on East Street."
The shop owner, holding the steamer basket, hesitated before finally speaking: "Then let's cross the bridge. Although there aren't as many people as before, the other road is still crowded."
Lin Feiran's mind stirred slightly. After thanking him, he turned and headed east.
The street she was on was called Vermilion Bird Road, which was built in front of Xingzhi Palace. It was the main street of the Demon Capital, and there was almost no one else on the street except her.
Ironically, the further she got from the main street on her way to East Street, the more people she saw.
They huddled together in small groups, their whispers like a buzzing sound, but the moment Lin Feiran appeared, all those whispers vanished, replaced by furtive glances.
The little street fell silent instantly, with only the tinkling of the white jade bell hanging from Lin Feiran's waist.
She looked up, and the blindfold disappeared instantly. In a short while, the crowd dispersed, some leaving and some staying behind, but the silence was chilling.
If it were the Lin Feiran of the past, she would probably be filled with fear, feeling that she had misled others, and would have walked away silently with her eyes down. But now she is much more composed and dares to face those subtle malices.
She calmly swallowed the last bite of the bun, and with a strange movement, she appeared on the rooftop the next moment, pressing down on one of the people's shoulders.
"Floating creatures, what horrifying thing have I done recently that makes you all run away at the sight of me?"
This male cultivator named Fuyou was a habitual offender in the Demon Capital City. He was unruly and always liked to do outrageous things that angered people, but he was never expelled from the city, which made Biqing and the others grit their teeth in anger. However, he eventually became obedient under Lin Feiran's command.
The reason was simple: no matter how much trouble he caused, Lin Feiran never got angry or embarrassed, nor did she send him to prison to reflect on his actions. Instead, she followed him around all day, and no matter how much trouble he tried to cause, she could stop him completely. As time went on, he even began to feel a sense of despair that he was powerless to turn the tide.
Now that she had stopped him, that lingering despair washed over him once more.
"You haven't shown up lately, what could you be up to? It's just that the weather's getting colder, and we want to go home."
Lin Feiran stared at him: "Really?"
"Is that really so!" Fuyou felt a chill run down his spine and asked the same question again, "Your Excellency, it seems you're not on duty today. Where are you planning to go?"
Lin Feiran's gaze shifted and slowly fell on him.
If she wanted to get to East Street, there were only two routes she had to take: one was to cross the Jade Belt Creek and go east, and the other was to pass through the city gate. In the past, she would always take the second route, regardless of how far away it was, but she always couldn't help but patrol a few more places.
The steamed bun shop owner's words seemed to indicate that he didn't want her to take the latter route.
So she said, "I'm on duty the day after tomorrow, and I plan to go to the city gate today to scout it out."
Fuyou was shocked: "Why did you insist on going to the city gate!"
Realizing he had overreacted, he chuckled twice and said, "You're just too diligent. A lot of people aren't even up yet..."
Lin Feiran's heart sank, almost certain of her guess. She stopped beating around the bush and immediately leaped toward the city gate, completely ignoring the shouts behind her.
Near the city gate, a row of willows cascaded down, their branches gleaming in the sunlight, while the Jade Belt Stream meandered through them, its waters rustling and cool.
The cold wind ruffled her hair as Lin Feiran hurried across the nearby rooftops, wanting to see if there was anything unusual at the city gate. As she got closer, she caught a glimpse of something, and her heart skipped a beat. She stopped and stared at it in silence.
At this moment, the crimson city gates were wide open, and a dark shadow was swaying on the gray brick wall.
He was an old man with wrinkled skin and white hair.
Two long, white eyebrows hung down from his forehead to his neck, making him look quite old and with considerable cultivation. He wore a long blue robe, and his wrists and waist were adorned with valuable magical treasures, clearly indicating that he was an elder of some tribe.
But beneath such elaborate decorations lies a ferocious appearance with bloodshot eyes and a look of utter rage.
A long bronze spear was nailed to his neck.
It swiftly pierced his throat, pinning him to the city wall.
The speed seemed too fast; in the blink of an eye, the fear, anger, and cowardice were all permanently etched on his face with that one strike, never to be forgotten.
The blood that had soaked through the blue robe had turned inky black and dried in the wind. The magic weapon was also splattered with tiny specks of blood, and after being soaked in the filthy blood, it no longer had its former luster.
Lin Feiran recovered from her astonishment; she could almost immediately tell that it was a hail of bullets.
The last time he did this, it was to kill the demon king and intimidate everyone. So what is the purpose of this intimidation today?
Lin Feiran stood alone in a secluded corner, composed herself, and looked down again.
The bustling crowd mostly gathered near the city gate, but they rarely spoke, only silently gazing at the person on the wall or looking out of the city.
Lin Feiran glanced at the growing crowd out of the corner of her eye, and a slight thought crossed her mind.
It seems that there is no one in the city, but rather no one at the palace gate.
She quietly changed her position, concealed herself, and followed everyone's gaze to look outside.
Outside the city, amidst a flurry of sand, sat a hundred or so cultivators. They were of different appearances and dressed differently, seemingly from various tribes, yet they gathered together in perfect harmony.
The buildings are crisscrossed and arranged in an orderly manner.
Just then, the leader suddenly opened his eyes and looked straight at where Lin Feiran was hiding.
She did not back down.
With the floating corpse in the middle as the boundary, the two sides, one inside the city and one outside, faced each other but remained still.
The first thing that flashed through Lin Feiran's mind was the word "siege," but the people outside the city had no intention of killing. They were just sitting in front of him, not taking a step closer, and it seemed that they did not intend to attack the city.
Was this what Ru Xian was busy with before?
Is the Demon Capital in trouble?
But then she thought of the two people from before. They had both hesitated and stammered when they spoke to her. If it were really a difficult situation for the demons, why couldn't they say it?
Unless, of course, this matter is related to her.
Lin Feiran glanced outside again. The situation was currently stable and not urgent. She still planned to go find Zhang Siwo and then ask Ru Xian for details.
She turned to leave, and just before she did, she suddenly felt a cold sensation on the back of her hand.
That was a drop of blood that had cooled down but had not yet completely dried.
She looked up and saw that the drop of blood had slid off the bronze spear. Under the sunlight, it gleamed with a chilling aura, but in her eyes it shone like a jewel.
Lin Feiran stared at it for a long time before turning and leaving.
...
On Mount Sanqing, Ninghe resides in the center.
After several days of seclusion, Wei Changzai finally pushed open the door and came out. Despite the snow falling outside, he was still wearing a light Taoist robe, his black hair was loose, and a slightly old plum blossom hairpin was used to hold a few strands of hair around his ear. His face showed a rare relaxation and languor.
But the look in his eyes was more genuine than ever before.
He held in his hand a device wrapped in silver threads, which looked like a palace lantern but was only a skeleton. Eight threads were woven together and intertwined to form a shape the size of two fists, with a spirit jade embedded in the center.
He looked down and glanced around, as if he hadn't seen the figure in the courtyard.
"Junior brother, what scary thing have you come up with this time?" A clear male voice came from behind.
Wei Chang stopped and turned to look. Ji Changying was sitting by the lotus pond, on a straw mat, wearing a bamboo hat, holding a fishing rod in his hand, as if he wanted to catch the fish in the pond, but the bait was half a black mushroom.
Despite the snow falling in the sky, he was as carefree as if it were the height of summer, and even had the leisure to come here to fish.
Wei Changzai said, "Senior brother, there are no fish in my warm pond."
"Oh? Who said that?"
Ji Changying looked up at him, a smile on her lips. The sunlight was divided into patches by her bamboo hat, falling on his eyebrows and eyes.
"Back then, my junior sister put three koi in your pond, saying it would add some life, but she didn't tell you. She wanted you to discover it yourself. But you rarely pay attention to things in the pond, so how would you know there were fish?"
Ji Changying patted the porcelain jar beside her, and two red and white koi, each about the size of a palm, leaped out.
"Oh dear, while you were in seclusion, I already caught two, and I'll gladly accept this last one as well."
Wei Changzai's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately stepped forward, looking at the water.
This warm pool has running water, so there's no way there would be any fish in it. Even if you released them, they would quickly leave.
The two stared at the water for about fifteen minutes. Suddenly, the lotus in the pond stirred slightly, and the third koi appeared, only to disappear without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Wei Chang was momentarily stunned.
Ji Changying spotted the spot and immediately cast her line, but the line was stopped halfway. Wei Changzai flicked the line with his fingertips, and the line snapped.
He didn't look at the person opposite him, but slowly squatted down by the pool, his eyes fixed on the warm pool. He lightly touched the water with his fingertips, as if afraid of disturbing the water, and quickly withdrew his hand, clenching it slightly.
He began to speak.
"This is mine."
Ji Changying was still smiling, but her gaze had turned colder: "If I had known that the two of you would end up like this, then from the very beginning..."
In the beginning, he would not choose to stand by and watch, nor would he choose to give up.
With a quick glance, Ji Changying's expression returned to normal, and she stopped talking about the previous topic, instead stroking the porcelain jar beside her.
“Junior brother, I have come to see you today because I want to ask you about the Guanlan Terrace.”
Wei Changzai paused, and his dark eyes finally lifted briefly to look at the person on the other side of the pond.
Ji Changying smiled and said, "I want to know, whose face was reflected in the Guanlan Terrace back then?"
Wei Changzai lowered his eyes and remained silent, focusing intently on the water. Strands of his loose, dark hair slid down, their reflections intertwining in the water, like a dark, impenetrable cage.
Finally, at a certain moment, the red and white koi carp showed a bright color and suddenly rushed into it.
Wei Changzai immediately made a move, and the koi fish, which was submerged in the water, slowly floated up and finally hovered in his palm.
He finally revealed a faint smile.
"Senior brother, who do you think I'll see?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
