Chapter 213 A Quarter of an Hour "Just like the Venerable Lord."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Everyone looked up, but dared not look closely. Rumors of Xian's eccentric temperament had been around for a long time, and even though he hadn't entered for a while, no one wanted to risk being caught up in the misfortune.
So one was inside and the other was outside, and they stood there quietly for a full quarter of an hour.
Some people speculated that he might just be stalling and didn't actually want to hand over the spiritual vein, hoping to use this strange phenomenon to cancel today's meeting.
But the next moment, Ru Xian moved slightly and sat down on the jade platform, crossed his legs and lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall without uttering a word.
He lightly clenched his right hand, and the small bamboo cage hung in his palm, with a golden, translucent spiritual vein swirling within it, and pure spiritual energy overflowing instantly.
"Have you reached a conclusion?" His tone was flat, and he seemed perfectly normal.
A man stepped forward from the hall, placed his hand on his chest, bowed his head, and said, "Your Majesty, this is a contract signed by the various tribes. After discussion, it has been decided that my Giant Bear tribe will take back the spiritual vein of heaven and earth. With the spiritual power of this treasure, we will break through the snow clouds of the sea and restore peace to the demon realm!"
But if this treasure cannot be destroyed, that human..."
"Lin Feiran has already offered a treasure to the demon realm. If the treasure is useless, then we should find another way, instead of blaming such a natural disaster on a human who is only nineteen years old."
She is the messenger appointed by the deity himself. If the progenitor is angry, he may punish me.
Since none of you have any objections, you may take this item.
Ru Xian interrupted him, flipped her hand, and pushed the bamboo cage into the crowd.
"..." The people in the hall remained silent, knowing that further words would be of no use, and they offered no more advice.
The elder of the Giant Bear Clan raised his hand to accept the bamboo cage, bowed with his hand on his chest, and then, together with the other tribal elders, dripped blood to open the vein, wanting to extract the spiritual vein for examination.
Ru Xian rested his chin on his right hand and looked down, seemingly sizing up the people in the hall, but if someone observed carefully, they would find that his gaze was not focused on any particular place.
He was clearly distracted.
It was a state of mind composed of frustration, slight anger, reflection, and anxiety.
He couldn't help but think that she had finally seen this embarrassing side of him, so much so that she was speechless with surprise and immediately stopped all contact with him.
Such an aggressive manner is not what she envisioned; does it lack elegance? Will it displease her?
He knew Lin Feiran wasn't that timid, but he was still somewhat uneasy.
He would almost never have such a vague idea in the past.
When he was young, he traveled to the human world and treated people. He also saw many lovers who were worried about gains and losses and even developed heart problems because of it. At that time, he only thought it was ridiculous and absurd, so he often spoke out against it.
To be captivated by someone and feel anxious is, in his opinion, a very tasteless thing.
The harsh words spoken in the past have now returned to him, yet he cannot muster even the slightest smile.
He thought that perhaps he could wait a while. The sudden silence must mean she had something to do. He would give her another fifteen minutes, and she would explain to him.
He didn't reach out to her first, simply because he felt she needed time to do her own things, not because he was afraid of hearing her hesitant or dismissive tone...
He didn't keep track of time; he just looked around aimlessly until the people in the hall verified the authenticity of the spiritual vein using some unknown method, and then bowed to him to take their leave. Only then did he slowly focus his gaze on one spot.
"Is the spiritual vein real or fake?"
“It is true, of course.” The elder of the giant bear clan responded. “We have no doubts. As the sages of the human race said, ‘First be a gentleman, then a villain.’ If it is verified now, it will have nothing to do with the Lord in the future.”
Whether on ordinary days or now, Ru Xian had no interest in interacting with them, nor did she want to say much. She accepted the contract signed between the various tribes, stamped it with her seal, and the matter of the spiritual vein was thus settled.
The crowd receded like the tide, and even the guards left. He never liked others serving him closely, so only one person remained in the huge hall.
The snowflakes remained still, and a cold sunlight shone outside the palace. Occasionally, a winter wind blew in, causing the slender branches to sway gently.
He thought, "A quarter of an hour is a long time."
...
"It's so long!" Lin Feiran exclaimed in surprise as she looked at the scroll before her.
This scroll appears ordinary, only a foot long, but when unfolded, it is several meters long. It is covered with many characters, nothing special, but the ink paintings can seem to leap off the paper, appearing on top as if they were real objects.
Bi Qing chuckled, closed the scroll, and explained, "Of course, this person cultivates the Dao of the Wonderful Brush, so his skills are naturally extraordinary!"
Lin Feiran was somewhat surprised: "Are there cultivators in the demon realm who practice the Dao of the Mystic Brush?"
Xuanzhen squatted to the side and watched for a while, then couldn't help but play with the porcelain cup: "No, the Magic Brush Dao is unique to humans. Those in the demon realm who can cultivate it have long since entered the Imperial Academy."
This looks like the work of a painter. What do you want with him?
Lin Feiran took the scroll and said, "I have a few books here that I want to spread to the human world, but I don't understand the intricacies of it and don't know how to truly distribute them widely. So I'd like to ask someone for advice."
When Xun Feifei found out, she said she could introduce me to a bookseller who travels between the human and demon realms, but that person is always busy and only had time to come to the demon capital in the last couple of days.
At this point, Lin Feiran also felt somewhat troubled.
Lin Feiran wasn't really sure either, since she had never seen Ru Xian angry before; she was just making a general assumption.
Biqing was beside her at the time, and she didn't know how to reply, so she hurriedly cut off her thoughts.
On the way to the inn, she subtly inquired with Xuanzhen and the other person about the signs that Ruxian was angry. By comparing the two, she finally confirmed it.
He was indeed a little angry.
"It's almost noon, why hasn't Danqing arrived yet?" Xuanzhen lay on the table, her stomach rumbling intermittently.
Biqing looked out the window and sighed, "We were almost there, but who would have thought that so many tribal elders would come today? The city is under lockdown, and he's still stuck at the pass. We'll have to wait. Let's eat some dried fruit to tide us over. Lin Feiran hasn't complained of being hungry!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than another sound came from behind.
The two paused, then turned to look at the person whose stomach was growling loudly, who was still holding the scroll in a daze, seemingly pondering some difficult problem, his brows almost furrowed, clicking his tongue and sighing.
Xuanzhen poked her with a finger: "Are you trying to starve yourself to death?"
Lin Feiran snapped out of her reverie and met two pairs of clear eyes. She hadn't even noticed her hunger. She put the scroll aside and leaned closer, saying, "I have a question that I can't figure out."
Bi Qing looked her over suspiciously: "What?"
Bi Qing and Xuan Zhen exchanged a glance, remaining silent, but quietly moved closer together, counting on their fingers who Lin Feiran's friends were, and then waited for her to continue.
“She upset the person she likes, but she didn’t do it on purpose.” Lin Feiran said seriously, looking troubled. “They argued about a problem that hasn’t been resolved yet. How can I appease the other person before it’s resolved?”
Upon hearing this, the two immediately separated, looking visibly nervous.
Lin Feiran doesn't have many friends. They originally thought this person was herself, but when they heard that it was someone she liked, they realized that it really was her friend.
Biqing poured herself a cup of tea, moistening her lips, which had been dry from nervousness: "What kind of temperament does her sweetheart have?"
Lin Feiran's ears turned slightly red, and her lips parted slightly. She first raised her hand to touch the back of her neck, then shifted her body uncomfortably. She got up to pour tea for Xuanzhen, then glanced at the pedestrians under the window. After being busy for a while, she pretended to be casual and said.
"Just like the Venerable One."
Biqing almost choked and coughed, and Xuanzhen's eyes widened. Both of them looked shocked and curious.
Lin Feiran was silent for a moment: "W-what's wrong?"
“Someone like the Lord…” Biqing hesitated, “I simply cannot imagine how someone like the Lord could like someone, how could he think that anyone is worthy of him?”
Xuanzhen pondered, "If the Venerable One has such a temperament, your friend must be very powerful."
Lin Feiran was too embarrassed to boast, so she chose a compromise answer: "It's alright... If the Lord is angry, how do you usually appease him?"
“The Lord doesn’t often take people to heart, and he rarely gets angry. This is the only way he will look at you.” Biqing looked at her and made a half-smile. “He personally handles the things that really make him angry.”
Lin Feiran: "..."
Xuan Zhen stretched out two fingers and smoothed away Lin Feiran's furrowed brows: "Don't worry so much. Your friend's sweetheart isn't the Lord, so why are you so scared? Just apologize and send a gift."
Upon hearing the word "gift," Biqing seemed to suddenly remember something and said to Lin Feiran, "By the way, didn't you say earlier that you wanted to give a painting as a return gift and asked me to introduce you to a painter?"
This bookseller is not only a skilled calligrapher, but his paintings are also exceptional. As long as you pay enough, he'll definitely paint something that satisfies you!
When the matter was brought up, Lin Feiran looked somewhat conflicted, but still nodded: "Let me think about it."
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a man wearing a turban and a long hairpin at his waist pushed the door open and entered. He first greeted the group with a smile, and then put down the wooden box he was carrying.
"I apologize for being late!"
Judging from his appearance and demeanor, it was clear that he was a student of the Imperial Academy.
“Not too late, not too late. Things happened so suddenly today, it’s no wonder.” Biqing stepped forward and exchanged a few pleasantries with him, then introduced him to Lin Feiran. “This is the great bookseller who travels between the two realms. He is a descendant of the Feather Clan, from the Wen Niao branch. Just call him Danqing.”
Danqing dared not presume, and after making a few polite refusals, he stepped forward to examine Lin Feiran, his eyes lighting up: "I have long admired Miss Lin's name, and to meet you today is truly remarkable!"
Lin Feiran was no longer as shy as before. With important matters at hand, she immediately composed herself, returned the greeting generously, and without much small talk, invited him to sit down and got straight to the point.
Danqing nodded: "I've heard Feifei mention this before. To spread the book widely, it depends on the type of book; different books require different channels. However, with the current minor unrest in the human realm, ordinary books are hard to find."
Lin Feiran said, "They are several volumes of cultivation techniques, compiled by the disciples of a sage."
Danqing couldn't help but ask in confusion, "A cultivation technique? There are mostly ordinary people in the world, but they can't cultivate it. Why spread it so widely?"
Lin Feiran took out one of the transcribed volumes of "The Great Sound is Silent" and said, "If this kind of technique is so powerful, can ordinary people also use it?"
Danqing paused, then looked surprised. He didn't even bother to wipe the sweat from his forehead before carefully taking the scroll from her hand and murmured, "Now that chaos is about to break out, monsters are appearing frequently, and people are having trouble sleeping day and night. If this book could be widely distributed throughout the world, that would be... an extraordinary act of merit."
...
Danqing felt that this matter was too important and that he needed to go back and plan carefully in order to spread the books as quickly as possible. He hoped to give Lin Feiran an answer tomorrow. So after the group finished eating, he carried the bamboo box back to his room to think deeply, leaving Lin Feiran and the other two looking at each other in bewilderment.
Biqing and Xuanzhen were always busy, so they immediately took Lin Feiran out to patrol the city for a day, only returning home in the evening after having a great time.
But Lin Feiran did not return to her room. She went to Ruxian's residence, where the courtyard was brightly lit. Several ginseng children were sweeping up the fallen leaves, but they couldn't help but steal glances, wondering why she was being so well-behaved today, just wandering around the courtyard and not climbing in through the window.
A little boy couldn't help but mutter, "What's going on?"
The other shook his head: "I don't know... Your Excellency, the Lord is not here at the moment."
Lin Feiran paused, then looked at the brightly lit pavilion: "Where did he go?"
The boy replied, "The Lord went to the northwest corner to tease that mortal dog. He said he would be back in a quarter of an hour, but by now, many quarters of an hour have passed and he is still there. It seems he has no intention of coming back to rest."
The children were already used to Xue not returning home at night, after all, a long time ago, he didn't even sleep at night.
Lin Feiran responded softly, glanced at the pavilion again, and turned to head towards the northwest corner. Before she even got close, she could see lights lit up there, much brighter than usual.
The sleet was indeed there.
He simply sat casually on the table, tossed a grass ball in his hand, which was then retrieved by the white dog, a smile on his lips, looking quite happy.
Seeing him like this, Lin Feiran paused slightly, remembering that she had upset him. Not wanting to spoil his good mood, she squatted on the wall and watched for a long time before sighing slightly and turning to leave.
The rustling sounds faded into the distance. As the snowflakes lowered their gaze, the smile in their eyes vanished. They reached out and stroked the white dog's fluffy head, whispering, "I'll give you another quarter of an hour."
The author says: Both of them have good tempers (like the limited edition), and they've never seen each other angry before, so they're unsure of each other's bottom line. They're afraid that if they rush up to ask if the other is angry, it will only make things worse >_< Also, both of them are afraid of being exposed, and they cherish this relationship, so they're prone to anxiety and hope that the other will be the first to express that they don't mind. This is also a good opportunity to get to know each other better (X)
P.S.: We're about to part ways to Jinlingdu, and I'm a little sad. I couldn't help but write a little more before we separate...
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