Chapter 20 The Wildfire (Part 1) Why descend the mountain? Why never descend the mountain! ...
Jiang Jin was thrown to the ground by Lin Feiran, her fingers gripping his hair. He felt dizzy, his chest tight, and he wanted to vomit. The lingering anger in his heart burned even more intensely, but he was held captive by her hand. As he struggled, the veins on the back of his hand bulged out.
Everyone treats her like this!
"So what if your name is Lin Feiran? If you were truly good enough, and I called you a cripple, which fellow disciple would agree?! If I called Wei Changzai and Senior Sister Pei trash, who would acknowledge it, who would believe it!"
His scalp tightened further, and before his vision could clear, he suddenly felt a chilling killing intent.
So what!
Jiang Jin was unable to turn over, and the veins on his neck kept bulging, but he still had to shout.
"Lin Feiran, what makes you so arrogant now! You seriously injured your master, stole spiritual treasures and went down the mountain, and even hid in the demon realm, colluding with the demon race. You have broken every single rule of the sect. You are the one who has broken the rules. What face do you have to hit me!"
"I've wanted to curse you for a long time! You lost your father at a young age and have no relatives. If it weren't for Elder Taihui bringing you up the mountain, you would have died long ago from the intrigues and backstabbing of officialdom. How could you have come down the mountain so arrogantly that day?!"
"Everyone has witnessed how Elder Qingyu treated you, yet you severed her cultivation artifact on the spot, causing her grief to this day. Many disciples on the mountain were also injured by your 'Snowstorm Sword' and were bedridden for days. Don't you feel even the slightest remorse?!"
"Lin Feiran, isn't it you who looks down on everyone because you rely on the elders' favor? Isn't it you who interfered between Senior Sister Pei and Wei Changzai because of that marriage contract that was obtained through coercion? Isn't it you who looks down on people all the time because of your short-lived talent?"
No wonder that after only a few days, Consort Wei was inseparable from Qiu Tong, completely forgetting about your existence. You deserve it!
The questions were relentless and the sentences were deafening.
"Why do you all question me about my right?" This was true in the past when I was at Sanqing Mountain, it was true on the day I came down the mountain, and it is true today.
"What do I have to rely on?"
Lin Feiran lowered her head, her right hand tightening its grip, trembling slightly.
The heavy snow of that day, the words spoken during the bone-removal ceremony, Taihui's sudden irritability and impatience, and all the past events gradually filled her vision again.
So that's how they all saw her. The bully is unaware of his own actions, yet he thinks he's eliminating evil!
On what grounds?
She wanted to ask everyone why they treated her this way, and what she had done wrong!
The rain of arrows, fire, and wind around her burned in her eyes, turning everything crimson. Jiang Jin's angry face and hoarse accusations suddenly seemed both near and far, as if they were right next to her, yet also as if they came from beyond the clouds.
"What an arrogant, intrusive, and disdainful person! I reflected on it every day, showed leniency in everything I did, and examined myself in every matter, but in the end, it all became my fault..."
"If you feel it's unfair that Taihui Qingyu is good to me, why don't you dare to question them? If you think I used the Emperor's favor towards my Lin family to force Zhang Chunhe to agree to my marriage with Wei Changzai, why don't you dare to vent your anger on Zhang Chunhe?!"
"Just because there are more people doesn't mean we're right. You are far too weak."
Because they dared not, they turned their anger on her; because of fear, they could only vent their jealousy and resentment on her.
Because she is a good person, because she cannot resist.
If the strong only dare to point their blades at the weak, then why bother cultivating the Tao?
In a daze, she returned to the snow-covered Sanqing Mountain. In the cold wind and snow, she, still small, was led to a remote pine forest by her fellow disciples with different faces.
"Why do you always follow Wei Changzai? Do you want him to take you into the country?"
Several senior brothers and sisters stood in the pine forest, surrounding her completely. They were not tall, but when they stood together, they seemed to block out the sky. When Lin Feiran looked up, she could only catch a glimpse of small white clouds.
"How ridiculous! Do you even know who Junior Brother Wei is? In terms of seniority, he's a direct disciple, and everyone has to call him Senior Brother. In terms of talent, he's a future Dao Child, and none of us dare to even dream of him. How dare you, a useless cripple who can't even advance, get close to him?"
"How could you all forget that when Junior Sister Lin first entered the sect, she was also exceptionally talented, entering the Heart-Mind Sect in just one month. Even my master often mentioned her... Heh, back then, I was often openly and secretly disliked by my master!"
"When I asked you for the introductory exam questions for the Star Domain, you glanced at me without saying a word. What did that glance mean? Did you look down on me?!"
"You're not a direct disciple, so why do you get the elders' favor? Why do you get to eat at their dinner table every day? Are you special? What sword techniques did they teach you that allowed you to beat me in the Heroes' Tournament? Show us how you do it!"
"What are you staring at us for? What, you want to make a move?"
That was the first time Lin Feiran had drawn her sword to fight back. Against many opponents, the result was naturally bad. Her sword became dull, and she was knocked down in the snow, but she didn't feel cold. When she squinted at the bright sun in the sky, she smiled instead.
The men were clearly careful; they beat her badly enough, but without any obvious injuries. When Wei Changzai came to the pine forest to find her, she seemed to have just collapsed from exhaustion due to overexertion in sword practice.
"I heard from my fellow disciples that you came to the pine forest to practice swordsmanship."
The young man stood tall and straight, with a face as beautiful as jade. He tilted his head to look at her and brushed away the stray hairs from her forehead: "Why are you sleeping here? Are you tired from training?"
The bright sun was behind him, appearing and disappearing as he moved. Lin Feiran couldn't see his face clearly, but could vaguely make out the faint smile on his lips.
He took the longsword that Lin Feiran was gripping tightly and saw that the blade was bent quite a bit and had several more nicks. He said helplessly, "You always use a horizontal thrusting motion, and you're very strong. Even the best sword can't withstand that kind of use."
Lin Feiran took the sword and stared at it for a long time, so long that even Wei Changzai was a little puzzled. Then she suddenly spoke, her voice slightly hoarse.
"Wei Changzai, I will become stronger, strong enough that even if my spiritual power level is inferior, I can still suppress them with sword skills."
Wei Chang paused for a moment, a ripple appearing in his dark eyes: "Them? Who are they... You've made new friends?"
Lin Feiran sat up, his light blue Taoist robe stained with fine white dust, and snowflakes clinging to his black hair. His fingers, stiff and red from the cold, gripped the snow sword.
She said, "They are the ones who drew their swords against me. One day, with just one strike, I will silence them forever!"
At that time, she stubbornly wanted to change other people's opinions, but other people's opinions are the hardest and least necessary things to change.
She was initially willing to follow Taihui and the other two back to Sanqing Mountain, not to make a name for herself, not to win the favor of her fellow disciples, and certainly not for Wei Changzai!
It was for...it was for...
Lin Feiran's breathing suddenly quickened, and her eyes burned even more intensely, turning crimson, just like the day she confessed her feelings to Wei Changzai by the Peach Stream, just like the time she fought with her fellow disciples, when blood stained the small pine forest, just like the moment in the dojo when Qingyu used the Little Heavy Mountain to pierce her ribs, and red plum blossoms bloomed in the snow.
Why does everyone hate her so much...? She has been working very hard to practice her swordsmanship. She has never tarnished Taihui Qingyu's reputation. She just likes Wei Changzai. She has never hurt anyone.
But no one cared; it was as if her mere existence was enough to make many people unhappy.
Because he didn't care, Zhang Chunhe was willing to send people to the demon realm to take her sword bone. Because he disliked her, he would even draw his sword against a Taoist boy he didn't know. His killing intent was undisguised, and he only wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible.
She just wanted to live, so she fled down the mountain.
But why, at this moment, when she looked around, did she find herself still trapped in Sanqing Mountain, still trapped in that dense pine forest? When she looked up, she could only see gray clouds, not the warm sun and blue sky.
Down the mountain, down the mountain, why down the mountain? I've never actually gone down the mountain!
"Jiang Jin, run! She's possessed!" Mu Qian shouted.
At this moment, Jiang Jin's forehead veins bulged, and his breathing became intermittent. Lin Feiran's hand gripped his neck, preventing him from answering. His vision finally cleared, and he vaguely saw that her eyes were bloodshot, and he was no longer in her sight.
"Hehe..."
The air grew thinner, and breathing became labored. Jiang Jin felt a wave of panic and helplessness. At that moment, he suddenly wondered if Lin Feiran had felt the same helplessness when facing criticism from others.
A crisp sound came from his neck, and Jiang Jin's pupils suddenly contracted. His throat bone seemed to be half cracked, and he could feel some small fragments as he swallowed.
"Forest……"
The sound of shattering did not reach Lin Feiran's ears.
Being possessed by a nightmare is extremely dangerous for any cultivator. If one is not careful, the person possessed by the nightmare may fall into an illusion, gradually lose their five senses, and be unable to wake up.
The Panlong Lock came at him, but Lin Feiran grabbed it. Mu Qian immediately took the opportunity to temporarily restrain her and rescued the unconscious Jiang Jin from her grasp.
Bi Qing's heart pounded. Without hesitation, she shook the white jade bell at her waist, praying, "Lord, Lord, please come quickly! Such a good human, please don't let him be bewitched..."
The bell was shaken so fast that it left afterimages, showing how anxious she was.
Lin Feiran had already consumed a whole bottle of Spring-Awakening Pills, which greatly boosted his spiritual power. Now, with the added blessing of the Nightmare, his body shone with light, and his spiritual power surged even more, which was terrifying.
She stood up, broke free of the coiled dragon lock, and condensed a sword of qi in her hand, exuding great power, heading straight towards the end of the river.
Mu Qian gasped, clutching her wound: "Her surging spiritual power doesn't seem like that of a cultivator in the Meditation Realm."
Of the few people present, only he had some understanding of the Nightmare Incarnation. He dismissed the others, took out a bronze mirror, and made a hand gesture, smearing some blood from his shoulder and dripping it into the bronze mirror in his hand. The mirror surface immediately rippled.
This was given to him by Venerable Minchun. Fortunately, he had said that Lin Feiran had shown signs of being possessed by a nightmare before. If there were any changes, she should be trapped in this mirror first, and she should not be allowed to be completely possessed by a nightmare.
This mirror was crafted from the clear light in the eyes of one hundred children. It is said that a bright mirror hanging high is most effective in suppressing nightmares.
A faint light swirled from the mirror, instantly enveloping the rioters, and in the blink of an eye, she was inside the mirror.
This place was no longer safe to stay. Mu Qian hoisted Jiang Jin onto his shoulder and, while Bi Qing and the others went to retrieve the bronze mirror, turned and ran back, shouting as he ran, "Senior Xie, open the door quickly! Something terrible has happened!"
On the other side, Biqing nervously took the bronze mirror, only able to glimpse a figure in it. Xuanzhen stood up abruptly: "Go straight back to Xingzhi Palace and find the Venerable Master. There's still hope!"
Biqing nodded, and just as she was about to go with him, a faint fragrance of cold plum blossoms wafted by, stopping the two of them in their tracks.
"You're making such a racket that it hurts my ears. If you shake it like that again, you'll have to swallow this bell whole."
Bi Qing and the other two finally showed a hint of joy. They turned around and saw that the newcomers were not only Ru Xian, but also Xun Feifei and Qing Zhu, who had returned at some point.
Mu Qian, who was fleeing not far away, was startled and subconsciously looked back. He saw three people on the roof looking at him with calm but extremely imposing gazes.
Especially the one in the middle, tall and slender, wearing a white and gold robe, with lotus bracelets on her wrists and wide sleeves hanging down her elbows, she was as graceful as an immortal. Coupled with her long, snow-white hair, it was obvious who this person was. A chilling sense of dread immediately swept through his heart.
The man raised his hand, and a scattered, cold arrow suddenly appeared in mid-air, hurtling towards the two of them like a falling star. There was nowhere to dodge, no way to avoid it. The silver arrow pierced straight through, impaling him and Jiang Jin together.
Just when he thought he was going to die today, a mirror door finally appeared, and he fell into the door and back into the human world.
Ru Xian gazed at that spot, her slightly cool gaze falling on Xun Feifei. Xun Feifei immediately cupped her hands in greeting: "Immediately send someone to repair the boundary gate; there will be no more loopholes!"
“No need. The realm gate is vast. I will personally go and investigate.” He turned back to look at the bronze mirror in Bi Qing’s hand, with a hint of helplessness. “The real problem lies here.”
*
Snap.
In the darkness, Lin Feiran heard a blinking sound, extremely soft, slow, and subtle, like the tug-of-war sound of an eyelid slowly opening.
Then the frequency gradually increased, and the overlapping sounds were like the flapping of an old insect's wings, making people's spines tingle.
A chilling aura surged into her heart, finally making her mind feel a little colder. She rubbed her forehead and opened her eyes. The sticky sound suddenly disappeared. With a gurgling sound, a certain bead fell to the ground. She looked closely and saw that it was the fragrant bead formed from the scattered sword bone.
The surroundings were dark, except for the faint glow emanating from this bead.
She bent down to pick it up, then looked up and suddenly met a room full of eyes, her heart skipped a beat.
It turned out that this place was not a dark room. Eyes were everywhere, like stars, one after another, with strangely large pupils, black and white clearly defined, just like the eyes of a child. They blinked incessantly, and the sticky eyelids made a constant sound as they opened and closed.
"Lin Feiran, do you admit your mistake?" A child's voice rang out, innocent and naive.
Looking into those eyes, Lin Feiran felt dizzy and mesmerized, yet still, amidst the shock, she asked, "What wrong have I done?"
The "eyes" laughed loudly, like children playing, one after another, buzzing and deafening, their laughter causing one's ears to ring and heart to pound: "Those who enter this realm are all cultivators on the verge of entering the Nightmare. To cultivate the Dao yet enter the Nightmare is a sin, and you shall be punished!"
A golden bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking Lin Feiran directly and causing her to kneel on one knee, blood gushing from her mouth.
In the midst of her mental turmoil, something suddenly flashed before her eyes.
A figure emerged from the darkness, with white hair and a crane-patterned robe, a whisk draped over his arm, eyes filled with a gentle breeze, and light steps, like an immortal descending to earth. As soon as he appeared, all eyes around him fell silent, only shifting their gazes to look around.
Who else could this person be but Zhang Chunhe?
He walked up to Lin Feiran, sat down cross-legged, and said in a gentle voice, "I'm sorry, child. This 'Mirror of Brightness' contains pure and righteous energy. Although it can help those who are under the spell to stay awake, it still needs the power of golden lightning to deter them. It was never meant to be used against you, so don't worry about it."
Lin Feiran seemed not to have heard him. After a long while, she woke up from the lightning and slowly moved her body.
She didn't look at Zhang Chunhe, but with a strange expression, she murmured, "It seems that something is really missing in my mind. I should find someone to take a look."
Just now, a bolt of golden lightning struck down, and in the shockwave, she suddenly remembered something from the past, something she had never recalled before.
For example, she knew about her transmigration into the book when she was a child.
Lin Feiran coughed twice, her throat itchy, and coughed up some bloody froth. She collected her thoughts and turned to Zhang Chunhe: "Did you set off this lightning bolt?"
She suddenly wondered if she could improve the technique a little and chop it a few more times, would she remember more?
Zhang Chunhe didn't mind her rudeness, and said, "This lightning bolt is harmless to you. The reason you vomited blood is because you were under a spell. Ordinary people need to go through at least ten spells to clear their minds, but you don't even need one, which is good."
Lin Feiran looked at him: "You were in the mirror the whole time? You saw everything that happened outside the mirror just now?"
"Yes." He readily admitted, the Bodhi seed on his wrist glowing. "I gave this precious mirror out just in case, but who knew it would actually come in handy."
“You are quite frank.” Lin Feiran did not sit down, but stood up and looked down at him. “I wonder if you were also this hypocritical when you accused me of stealing spiritual treasures.”
“I’m not slandering you; this is the explanation given by Taihui and his disciples, but I won’t deny it.” Zhang Chunhe didn’t seem to care. He smiled and said, “I rarely have the opportunity to sit down and discuss the Dao with my disciples, and today is a perfect opportunity.”
"With your talent, this sword bone is not only useless, but may even be a hindrance to you. Why keep it?"
Lin Feiran laughed, but the laughter was rather cold: "Whether it's useless or not should be decided by me, its master. Who do you think you are, daring to make such a judgment? If the spirit bone were on your body, would you be willing to have it removed?"
Zhang Chunhe looked at her without flinching or dodging, his eyes filled with a sense of peace and tranquility: "Why not? If I had sword bones, which could help Changzai embark on the path of unity with heaven and man, what harm would it do to cut three inches below the bone? But I don't."
Lin Feiran said, "It's precisely because there isn't one that I feel it's pointless."
Zhang Chunhe stood up, shook his head, and said in a long, drawn-out voice, "Child, you grew up in the mountains and don't know that among all living beings, some have lives as high as Mount Tai, while others are as lowly as a feather. You don't know that people are born different."
Lin Feiran said coldly, "Which category do you think you are?"
“Me?” Zhang Chunhe looked at her and laughed, “I am naturally also a person of lowly status. Whether it is you, me, or anyone in Daohe Palace, except for a few exceptional talents, we are all the same.”
After saying this, he saw Lin Feiran's increasingly cold gaze, but he didn't feel offended.
"Of the three thousand paths, some soar straight to the heavens, while others stop at their feet; this is the difference. Of the myriad aspects of human life, some possess precious treasures, while others freeze to death at their doorstep; this is the difference. Of all living things, some stand proudly atop the peaks, while others end up in someone's belly; this is also the difference."
Ultimately, it all boils down to the rules of heaven and earth, the natural way. You are simply too young to understand, therefore you don't accept it, and therefore you are angry.
Lin Feiran looked at him and remembered Zhang Chunhe's Taoist name for the first time in a long time.
Zhang Chunhe, also known as the Compassionate Spring Immortal.
Spring ends and winter comes, all flowers bloom sadly, but if one sacrifices oneself to bring harmony to spring, all things will follow the same path, and even immortals will return to their hearts.
"So, in your eyes, I was destined to offer up my sword bone." A chill ran through her. "What was the purpose of your struggle for him, your help in ascending to the heavens and attaining humanity?"
Zhang Chunhe looked at her, his whisk fluttering slightly, and uttered only two words: "Daohe".
"Truly awe-inspiring and righteous."
It's as if she's the villain.
Lin Feiran's eyes were still bloodshot, but her expression calmed down. She held the fragrant pearl in her hand and asked, "You're so eager for my sword bone, isn't it because it's about to be formed, right?"
Zhang Chunhe carefully observed her expression and couldn't help but sigh, "You are the first young person I have ever seen who can remain conscious after being on the verge of a nightmare. If it weren't for your weak pulse, which is incurable... well, that would have been the case."
He sighed.
"The excuse I used was indeed meant for them. I'm in a hurry because your Dao heart is clouded and your mind is impure, causing your spiritual bones to dissipate. If you don't hurry, your sword bones will be gone."
Just as I expected, just as I expected!
Lin Feiran remained silent, and the previously quiet eyes around her became lively. They blinked rustlingly, full of curiosity, their terrifyingly large pupils twisting as they tried to see her expression.
Zhang Chunhe remained silent. He simply watched her lower her head, watched her condense a sword of energy in her palm, and watched her raise her eyes, which were still crimson, as if burning with fire.
She still did not agree with what he said.
The spiritual pressure rose as wind, blowing the girl's black hair. She stood there, her eyes bloodshot, but her expression was unusually calm.
She glanced around at the dense array of eyes, seemingly lost in thought: "Chief Zhang, have you ever been angry?"
"A living, breathing person is not born to be someone else's stepping stone."
People are indeed different, but not in the sense of a swan or a mountain as you described. Rather, it is the difference between those who abandon the starving on the road and those who devote all their strength to hoping that "all the poor scholars of the world will be happy." The former are thieves, while the latter become saints.
Perhaps my anger right now seems to you nothing more than a defeat in a dog-eat-dog world, insignificant. Well then, let's see just how far this rage can burn!
Holding the sword of energy and the lustrous pearl, she pointed it directly at the kind-faced Taoist priest, and a sudden gust of spiritual wind arose.
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-07-13 20:51:41 and 2024-07-15 00:43:19!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Amnesiac and Coffee Fish (1 each);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Wu of Kou Tian Wu (35 bottles); Sanganlly and Guan Guan (23 bottles); Qiu Xin Ren A (20 bottles); Bu Xiang Lian Ai Xiang 666 and You Wu Shi Xiang Gao (10 bottles); Marry Me, It's Sure; Xiao Ze You Mu Feng (5 bottles); An Ran (4 bottles); Shi Li and Bu Chi Ju Zi (3 bottles); Sen Bao Mama, Aa ...
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