Chapter 216 Jinling Cannot Cross (Part Two) The first thing you made after refining a weapon...
Their eyes met; one was stunned, while the other rested his chin on his hands, smiling as he looked at her. They stared at each other silently for a long time.
Lin Feiran closed her eyes and lay down, then sat up again.
She might have been too tired from her spiritual practice and was experiencing hallucinations.
When she opened her eyes again, "Ru Xian" was still sitting by the bed, her peach blossom eyes half-open. Seeing that she seemed to be awake, she couldn't wait to come closer and then pointed to the window.
She turned her head and saw the sword spirit standing in the courtyard.
The sword spirit's face was covered by a veil, so her expression could not be seen, but from her slightly clenched fist, one could still sense that she had something difficult to say.
It seems that something happened between the two of them before, which is why "Ru Xian" came to her to complain.
Unfortunately, she naturally sided with the sword spirit.
Lin Feiran got up and got out of bed, carefully examining the person in front of him. He was still squatting to the side, only raising his eyes to look up, revealing two extremely smooth and beautiful upper eyelids.
But this could never be the expression Ru Xian would show.
Even when he was in a lower position, he could still cast a condescending glance at people.
Moreover, although this person's eyes were open, a strange, inhuman feeling inexplicably arose from him.
"Hot goods?"
She hesitated before speaking.
"Ru Xian" blinked immediately, did not answer, but nodded, and quickly pointed out the window, insisting that she go and uphold justice.
Lin Feiran was extremely shocked. She immediately squatted down and examined the thing in front of her from head to toe, and couldn't help but exclaim, "This is so unlike anything I've ever seen before!"
As Ru Xian had previously mentioned, during his absence, a substitute would be stationed in the Demon Capital. She had considered that it might be a puppet or some other magical artifact, but she never expected it to be a clown.
If the truth or falsehood can be seen at a glance, how can anyone be convinced?
Seeing her hesitant expression, the idiot became quite impatient. Taking advantage of his current ability to move freely, he grabbed Lin Feiran's sleeve in the blink of an eye, pushed her out of the room, and left her to face the silent Golden Wave Sword Spirit alone.
Caught between the two sides, Lin Feiran had no choice but to step forward and ask, "Senior, what just happened?"
The sword spirit moved swiftly, arriving beside Lin Feiran in an instant. It then raised the Golden Wave Umbrella in its hand and pointed to one of the spots.
Who knew that after only a few moments of shelter, he bit down on the umbrella. I couldn't tolerate that, so I immediately fought back. Before we could even exchange a few blows, he went to complain to you.
Lin Feiran stared at the golden speckles on the umbrella, speechless for a moment.
What's so special about such a small amount of gold?
She turned to look at the idiot, then explained to the sword spirit, "Senior, actually this person isn't..."
Lin Feiran hadn't finished speaking when the rest of her words got stuck in her throat.
The person was standing behind them with their arms crossed, their brows slightly furrowed, their emerald eyes half-closed, and even the slight downward curve of their lips, a half-smile, was exactly the same.
The inhumanity that had been displayed before her completely vanished, leaving only a hail of snowflakes.
Even she could hardly tell the difference.
However, for the sake of Ru Xian's reputation, Lin Feiran still explained the matter of the substitute, so the Golden Wave Sword Spirit remained silent for even longer.
After a long pause, she said quietly, "So it was a stand-in. I thought it was really Ru Xian. If he has this side to him, I would advise you to be careful about your relationship with him."
Lin Feiran suddenly realized something and asked, "Senior, you said you exchanged a few blows with him just now?"
Sword Spirit retracted the Golden Ripple Umbrella and glanced at the bulky thing again: "That's right, its moves are no different from the 'Snowflakes.' Although its power is insufficient, it still has seven or eight parts of its might, otherwise I wouldn't have mistaken it."
Lin Feiran was surprised and looked back again. "Ru Xian" was still standing behind them with her arms crossed. She even seemed to be chatting with the two of them and was still making a dissatisfied sound.
"..."
It's so realistic that it's hard to tell the difference. No wonder they've kept this popular item here; it looks like this isn't the first time.
Seeing that people were staring at him, the idiot walked forward slowly, seemingly always mindful of his identity, but he quickly buried his head in Lin Feiran's slightly raised arm and made some strange noises.
It's even complaining.
The inability to speak is probably the only flaw in this disguise.
Jinlan Sword Spirit's hand tightened again and again, unable to bear to look, and unable to stand "Ru Xian" with such an expression, so he hurriedly said goodbye and fled back to the world within the umbrella.
Seeing this, the thug was about to chase after it, but Lin Feiran quickly grabbed it by the back of its collar, caught the golden umbrella with one hand, and stopped the man with the other.
"Wait!" She pulled out the few gold ingots she had left. "Why are you chasing her? I have some more here."
The chubby creature turned to look at her, shook its head, and then rolled up its sleeves to touch the long bruises on its arm, as if trying to make a sorrowful and indignant expression. Unfortunately, Ru Xian had never done so before, and it could not either. At this moment, it looked more like it was glaring angrily.
She must have suffered some losses during the competition, but she knew that the mortal had no sense of touch and did not feel pain, so she handed over the gold while asking.
"Are you afraid that when Ru Xian comes back and sees this, she'll blame you for not handling things well and ignore you?"
The idiot nodded vigorously, but with such a face, it was inexplicably incongruous, and Lin Feiran couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Although it looks out of place, it is still very endearing.
Lin Feiran decisively took out all the gold on his body, but the idiot reluctantly pushed it back and pointed to the tea on the stone table in the courtyard.
She became interested and, after a moment's thought, asked, "Now you can only eat and drink tea like a normal person?"
The disheveled creature nodded dejectedly, looking like it had been craving it for a long time; no wonder it took a bite of that speckled gold.
Lin Feiran smiled and led him to sit down at the table, handing him the gold ingot in her hand: "While no one's around now, I'll keep watch for you so you can sneak some?"
In Hanhuo's eyes, if Ruxian was the number one person whose words had to be obeyed, then Lin Feiran was the number two.
This is the command given by Ru Xian.
Now that he's not present, and Lin Feiran has spoken like this, it has no choice but to obey...
Three gold ingots, and in the blink of an eye, only two remained.
Just as the two were plotting together, a yin-yang fish leaped out of Lin Feiran's eyes. Soon, Lin Feiran heard the whistling wind coming from the other side, along with a faint clear sound mixed in with it.
"What are you doing?"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, the dog immediately stopped moving, burying its head in Lin Feiran's arm and remaining motionless. If it still had a tail, it would probably have curled itself up in a ball.
Lin Feiran patted its head, then stood up, picked up his sword, and moved his shoulder to keep his distance so that the sound of him stealing food could reach him.
She replied, "Preparing to practice swordsmanship. Have you arrived in Beiyuan yet?"
Ru Xian was somewhat surprised: "You arrived last night, why are you only practicing your sword now?"
"I was cultivating all night, so I went to bed a little late," Lin Feiran explained. Hearing this, he paused slightly and then asked, "Where in Beiyuan did you go? Did you venture deep into the heartland and encounter any members of the Tantric sect?"
The howling sound was still there, very clear, and you could even hear the faint sound of ice shards colliding in the wind.
Ru Xian replied, "The secret realm is not in the heartland. According to my calculations, it should be located in the southwest of the Northern Plains, near the edge of the Snow Abyss. What, is your matter related to the followers in the heartland?"
Before Lin Feiran could answer, he continued, "I'm coming from the south, and I'll also need to pass through the heartland. I'll go and investigate the situation then and let you know."
"Very well." Lin Feiran twirled the longsword in his hand, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "When you traveled in the human realm before, did you ever go to the Northern Plains? Compared to now, have you noticed any changes?"
The sound of the wind came from time to time, sometimes strong, sometimes weak, but just listening to it was enough to send chills down one's spine.
Ru Xian's voice remained unchanged: "I've been there before. If there's any change, it's that there are fewer living things here than before. Not only people, but even monsters like snow wolves have almost disappeared."
He looked at the scene before him, his heart sinking slightly. Before him was a vast, boundless snowfield, and even the tall pine trees that had once stood there in large numbers were mostly withered, with only a few scattered ones remaining.
Lin Feiran was very curious about the Northern Plains. Thinking of Murong Qiudi who had left Luoyang, she asked, "Did you see any generals guarding the northern border along the way?"
Like a sleet brushing away the fine snow on her shoulders, she replied, "I haven't seen a single person along the way."
He suddenly realized something and raised an eyebrow.
"You let that idiot swallow your gold?"
Lin Feiran paused, and the idiot squatted to the side watching her, not daring to speak. With such an expression on his face, it was really hard for her to refuse.
"No one can see it now, and I have to leave in a couple of days anyway. Eating some shouldn't be a problem, otherwise it would be really pitiful."
Ru Xian sighed softly.
Looking at the swirling snow, he suddenly drawled, "It's so cold, Lin Feiran."
He could have directly conveyed his thoughts, but he wanted her to hear the howling snow wind and know his current situation.
Lin Feiran almost laughed, but she held it in. She raised her hand to cover her lips and replied, "Didn't you take the return gift I gave you? You can open it and take a look now."
Ru Xian paused, then took out the small velvet bag, untied the carefully tied strap, and poured out a little bit of the contents.
A few small, moist, translucent, and luminous red beads rolled into my palm. They were shaped like cherries, with a touch of emerald green at the opening and a cluster of flames burning inside. They looked quite exquisite and lovely.
"Flame Tempering Beads?" He was somewhat surprised. "So many of them, where did you buy them?"
While wiping his sword, Lin Feiran said, "Quenching Flame Pearls are not easy to buy. When I was investigating in Luoyang City, I happened to encounter a group of merchants who set up a competition. It cost five taels of gold to participate once, and the winner could take ten pearls. It wasn't too difficult. I went there every night for those few days."
Ru Shan raised an eyebrow, weighed the object in her hand, and smiled: "Winning so many times?"
Lin Feiran just smiled, feeling a little embarrassed to boast, and said only, "This bead was specially made. Try crushing it."
As Xue did as he was told, as a cherry split open, the flames inside were squeezed out and burst open like fireworks. The crimson flames quickly burned around him and did not go out for a long time, scorching a warm feeling.
He caught a spark that had just broken off and said knowingly, "How could you have foreseen the gift-giving? I suppose this bead was originally intended for something else, and was later specially made for me as a return gift?"
Lin Feiran readily agreed: "Yes, I previously learned weapon crafting from the sword spirit and guessed that you might be going to the Northern Plains Secret Realm, so I made this myself."
The Flame Tempering Pearl is a spiritual treasure extracted from jade from the Earth's core. The flames within it are inextinguishable, but due to the difficulty in mining and the complexity of its refining process, it is not commonly found on the market.
But even the rarest treasures are nothing to Ru Xian. His treasure trove is too abundant to lack such a thing, so Lin Feiran never thought of giving it to him.
When she passed by this caravan, the reason she took a liking to the Flame Tempering Pearl at first glance was because of the flame inside.
According to her master, to truly unlock the Iron Khitan Book, one thing needed is a rootless fire. The flame in this pearl and jade is born without roots, which is a perfect match, and she won many matches in the competition.
Unfortunately, her master said it wasn't the right thing, so she had no choice but to throw it back into the mustard seed bag.
Coincidentally, during that time, the sword spirit suddenly brought up the matter of weapon crafting, saying that his mother's weapon crafting skills had no successor and many of her insights could not be passed on, so he wanted to teach them to her.
However, too many things happened along the way, and Lin Feiran only learned some basic skills intermittently. Later, he deduced that Ru Xian was going to Beiyuan, so he simply created these things.
She added, "I'm still a beginner in weapon crafting. These aren't really finished products; they're quite rough. They're just for practice. There's really no need to treat them as a return gift."
As Ru Xian stood amidst the vast expanse of snow, gazing at the vibrant crimson before her, a smile graced her lips.
"You mean, you gave me the first thing you made when you forged a weapon?"
Lin Feiran was taken aback, and hesitated before asking, "You could say that? Do you like it?"
She had initially thought these beads weren't very good, but after Ru Xian said that, they suddenly seemed quite meaningful and not crude at all.
"Of course, I'll like whatever you give me."
His eyes curved like a hailstone. He crushed one grain and put it away. To him, this bit of chill was nothing. He had only meant to say those words to Lin Feiran.
"For the sake of these beads, the matter of swallowing gold will be forgiven, but after she leaves, she must not eat any more."
The following words were clearly not directed at Lin Feiran. The simpleton squatted to the side with his knees drawn up, let out a soft whimper, and looked aggrieved.
But given her delicate face, he simply lowered his eyes, pursed his lips, and stared straight at her, yet with a cold and aloof air about him.
Lin Feiran couldn't help but chuckle, put down his sword, and took out all the gold he had on him: "Eat more."
Ru Xian asked curiously, "What are you laughing at?"
Lin Feiran drew his sword and said only, "It's nothing, it's just that I seem to have developed a bit of a fondness for everything related to the house."
He paused for a moment, but quickly realized what she was saying: "You really are..."
He would be the first to disagree if anyone said that Lin Feiran was clumsy with words.
...
Three days is not a long time, and Lin Feiran did not have any free time during these days.
During the day, she would spend half a day practicing breathing techniques, and the other half of the day patrolling the city accompanied by Biqing and Xuanzhen.
The reason was simple: Lin Feiran was about to leave for Jinlingdu, which meant they would have to part ways. In addition, there was the matter between her and Ruxian, and the two of them were in a state of shock and grief, so they needed comforting. He even took her to three farewell banquets in a row.
As for the night, Lin Feiran would stay up late studying introductory books on weapon crafting with the help of the sword spirit.
"In the art of weapon crafting, there is no single most crucial element, only those that are equally important. Only by doing your best in every step can you craft a true spiritual treasure."
Jinlan Sword Spirit sat beside Lin Feiran, their shoulders touching. She pointed to the books on the table and turned slightly to face Lin Feiran.
"The only way to fuse and refine things in the world is through fire."
In the art of weapon crafting, fire is graded, but it differs from alchemy.
Alchemists divide fire into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. The grade of a batch of pills produced is determined by these grades. This is because alchemists only use fire for burning, while weapon crafting is different. We need to use fire to temper and refine the ingredients. Therefore, in addition to Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, we also need to use the Five Elements to classify the materials.
Metal fire, wood fire, water fire, earth fire, and blazing fire.
Different treasures correspond to different grades..."
As Lin Feiran listened to her instructions, she flipped through the book in her hand with a serious expression. She always learned things quickly, and the explanation was finished in about fifteen minutes.
She pondered, "Senior, so if something needs the help of fire to be activated, then it's actually a kind of tempering, rather than breaking the seal?"
The sword spirit nodded: "That's right. If it's not a natural object but needs to be put into fire, then this thing itself is a spiritual treasure that has been refined to the point of being halfway through, or that needs to be further refined."
Was the Iron Khitan Book not originally a sealed book or a paper medium, but a magical treasure?
She then asked, "Is this book about all kinds of fire? Is there any kind that can be considered rootless fire?"
"A fire without roots?"
The sword spirit turned his head to face her, his veil fluttering slightly in the night breeze, as if he were sizing her up, his tone tinged with surprise.
"Nowadays, few of the younger generation know about the Rootless Fire."
This book records what your mother knew; though I dare not presume to say it contains all of fire, there is certainly no more complete record in the world.”
Sword Spirit rested his chin on his hand, tapping his fingertips on the page. After a moment's thought, he asked in return, "What do you think Rootless Fire is?"
Lin Feiran tried to answer: "The books I've read in the past don't have a clear explanation, but I can infer from the text that the rootless fire is fire without a source, appearing out of thin air?"
Sword Spirit shook his head: "This is indeed a universal saying, but it actually comes from alchemists. Their fire is different from that of weapon refiners. In the art of weapon refinement, the so-called 'rootless' fire is a fire that is not within the five elements."
Lin Feiran pondered for a moment and said, "For example, the flames produced by lightning-struck wood?"
"For alchemy, that is the lowest grade of rootless fire, but for weapon forging, it is wood fire."
Blade Spirit thought for a moment and gave an example.
"Have you ever heard of thunderclouds colliding? When spiritual energy surges and the wind rages, thunderclouds rub against each other, causing spiritual violence to arise. Occasionally, a light or fire will appear between heaven and earth. This is the Rootless Fire."
Long ago, some people seized this opportunity to brave the thunderstorms, tempering themselves in the flames, thus transcending the Returning to Truth Realm and reaching a higher level.
Lin Feiran had heard of it.
Cultivation has no end. Beyond returning to the true self, there are even higher peaks. However, the present is not as good as the past. Saints who return to the true self cannot use heaven and earth to temper themselves. The spiritual energy they can exhale is ultimately limited. Therefore, they cannot break through to the next level and can only sit and pass away.
The sword spirit continued, "Nowadays, spiritual energy is not as strong as it was in ancient times, so there are no such phenomena anymore, and no weapon refiners mention the Rootless Fire. Over time, they all cite the explanations from alchemy practitioners."
Does such a rootless fire no longer exist in the world?
Based on what his master said, it was clear that the Iron Khitan Book needed to be tempered, and only this kind of rootless fire could do it. If there really wasn't any, why would he have made such a condition?
Lin Feiran almost wanted to drag her grandmaster out and interrogate him, but knowing that he wouldn't tell her, she had no choice but to give up.
The two studied until midnight again. Lin Feiran needed to forge a dagger, so the sword spirit went out to wait for her and wrote down Jin Lan's forging insights for her.
An hour later, the sword spirit returned to the room and found Lin Feiran asleep against the edge of the table, the dagger loosely held in his hand.
Just as the dagger was about to hit the ground, she immediately dodged away, catching the sharpened blade with one hand and preventing Lin Feiran's forehead from hitting the table with the other.
After a few moments of silence, she placed the dagger on the table, still supporting her with her hand. Then she carefully sat down beside her, tidied her hair, and softly said "Thank you for your hard work" before carrying her back to the bed.
When Lin Feiran was fast asleep, if no one was around, she would stay by her side, and tonight was no exception.
She looked at Lin Feiran and sighed softly, "Don't blame me for being too impatient, but time is running out."
...
The following day, Lin Feiran, Xuanzhen, and Biqing enjoyed their tenth farewell feast in the past few days, and were thoroughly satisfied.
Bi Qing wiped her hands and couldn't help but say, "Jinling Ferry is Xun Feifei's hometown. If you don't want to live with him there, remember not to let him see you."
Lin Feiran asked in confusion, "Why?"
Xuanzhen explained: "Because he is such a good person. Don't be fooled by his quiet nature. He is very protective of people. If you have no relatives or anyone to take care of you in Jinlingdu, he would even kidnap you and take you to his home to look after you."
"It's not that bad."
Lin Feiran just thought the two of them were exaggerating.
She had never met such a person before, and as far as she knew, Xun Feifei would not disregard the wishes of others. She only wanted to rest, so why would she create trouble for herself?
Lin Feiran didn't take it to heart. If she ran into Xun Feifei, she could just make excuses.
After breakfast, the three said goodbye to each other, hugged and spun around for a long time, and then Lin Feiran stepped onto the sword, took the food they had prepared, and was about to set off.
"Wait!" Biqing raised her hand to stop her. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to that person?"
Lin Feiran didn't react for a moment: "Which person?"
Xuan Zhen took a breath, as if afraid of being overheard, and whispered, "Lord!"
Lin Feiran understood, then waved his hand: "No need, I'm leaving now. It's probably too heartbroken for it, so it's best not to see me."
Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to resist taking out gold to feed them.
Lin Feiran flew away on her sword, her figure quickly disappearing without anyone noticing her departure.
Bi Qing was still reeling from the shock of what she had just heard, and couldn't help but ask, "Is this still the Lord I know? Is this still the kind-hearted Lin Feiran I know?"
Before she finished speaking, Lin Feiran reappeared. Her face was hesitant, and she held a few gold ingots in her hand, which she handed to Biqing: "Please pass this on to Biqing and tell it that this is all I have and I can't find any more."
Xuanzhen watched her figure disappear, stroking his chin and sighing, "The Lord may not know, but what about her!"
Lin Feiran, who was being questioned, was still on his way. He put on the robes that Zhang Siwo had given him to conceal his figure. He then crossed the boundary gate that had been temporarily repaired by Ru Xian and spent another half day to arrive near Jinling Ferry in the afternoon.
Jinling Ferry is located at the junction of Nanpingzhou and Dongyuzhou, where the river flows horizontally, and she could see the water mist surrounding her from afar.
Lin Feiran did not go directly into the city, but went to a nearby town. Wearing a veil, he mingled with the rogue cultivators and took a boat with them to Jinling Ferry.
The river was shrouded in mist and waves. Apart from the cultivators, most of the ordinary mortals on the boat looked listless and haggard. They only talked to their families and occasionally ate some dry food. Otherwise, they hardly uttered a word.
The ship, though not large, reeked of decay caused by disease, and the smell was far from pleasant.
Lin Feiran had already put the Golden Wave Umbrella into his mustard seed bag, and was only holding a Golden Wave Sword wrapped in white cloth in his arms, making him look like a wandering swordsman.
She didn't care about the glances cast at her from inside the boat, and simply observed everyone through the veil.
She could tell that the situation in the human realm was not good, but she didn't know how Jinling Ferry was.
There was almost no conversation inside the cabin, and only the sound of waves outside. After about two hours, some faint hawking sounds finally emerged.
With a hoarse "Anchor down," she stepped onto the deck. The river wind howled past, and the smoke from the dock drifted over, dampening her face.
On the dock, a blue fish flag with white stripes fluttered in the wind, with three powerful characters written on it.
Jinling Ferry.
Author's Note: [Heart emoji] [Heart emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
