Chapter 233 Though Dead, Still Alive (Dreaming) Most peaches are sour and astringent, so let's replace them with…
What's going on? A fight broke out.
Wei Changzai and Ru Xian?
Upon hearing his master's words, Lin Feiran not only did not lie back down on the bed, but instead tried to speed up, fastened his outer robe, and dragged his aching body outside.
The two were not familiar with each other, and each had their own eccentric personality. Neither of them were easy to get along with, so their conflict was somewhat surprising, but also seemed reasonable.
Lin Feiran was the only one who knew them all. Feeling a strong sense of responsibility, she couldn't pretend to be asleep and avoid the situation. She decided to mediate.
Upon reaching the gate, I saw two people facing each other in the courtyard. To the right was half of a collapsed peach grove, with petals flying everywhere before gently landing on the medicine cauldron and square table in the courtyard.
The cauldron emitted wisps of blue smoke, and the table was laden with food. Despite the loud noise, both places were preserved.
Lin Feiran stared at the bizarre scene, suddenly speechless.
"What happened?"
She asked the question.
When the two looked at each other, she paused for a moment and looked at Ru Xian first.
He stood in the courtyard with his arms crossed. When he caught her gaze, he simply raised an eyebrow, carefully examined her complexion, and then spoke as usual: "Awake? Come and drink your medicine."
He had no intention of explaining, but simply poured the prepared medicine into the jade bowl and waited for Lin Feiran to come over. Upon seeing this, Wei Changzai moved slightly as if to help him up, but the next moment he heard a sound like hail.
“Her spiritual bones are unusual, and not as fragile as yours or mine. After being seriously injured, she needs to move on her own to guide the sword bones to help her.”
At this point, he looked directly at Lin Feiran.
"Just like forging a sword, each strike makes it stronger. If your root bone is cracked, but you can guide the sword bone deeper into it, your body will only get better and better."
After speaking, Wei Changzai stopped what he was doing, pursed his lips and looked at her. Lin Feiran already knew this principle before, so she nodded and, under Ru Xian's quiet gaze, slowly moved to the table, her forehead already beaded with sweat.
"What just happened?" She looked at the two of them, sat down on the stool, and still hadn't gotten over the matter.
The three of us are now in the same boat, so whatever misunderstandings we have should be resolved as soon as possible.
Ru Xian glanced at Wei Changzai, silently moved the medicine bowl to the front, placing it alongside the dishes, and then asked.
"Should I take my medicine first or eat first?"
Even though Lin Feiran was slow to notice, he could still discern something different from those words.
Taking advantage of the fact that the others couldn't see or hear him, the grandmaster couldn't help but sigh deeply, sometimes reciting spring flowers and autumn moons, sometimes pondering difficult choices.
"Good junior, why don't you pretend to faint?"
It was said in jest, but Lin Feiran would never do that. After understanding the meaning of the words, she almost didn't hesitate and picked up the medicine bowl and drank it all.
The medicine brewed from the spiritual herbs is not as sour and unpleasant to swallow as ordinary medicinal herbs, but it has a strange taste. However, the medicine that Ru Xian makes for her almost always has some honey grass added, and the dosage is very precise. It does not taste sweet when you drink it, but the taste is inexplicably much better.
But this bowl didn't have any.
It seems like something else was added to it; it didn't have the strange taste of the medicinal herbs, but it was extremely sour.
Like a green apricot picked in March, with thin skin and tender flesh, it looks harmless, but once you crush it between your teeth, a burst of astringent juice will splash out, refreshing yet domineering, filling your mouth in an instant.
After Lin Feiran finished drinking it, he gasped and stared blankly at it. It was actually the taste of a bowl of medicine!
A hint of a smile flashed in Ru Xian's eyes, then she sat down beside her, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at her: "How does it taste?"
Lin Feiran was silent for a moment after hearing this. She didn't want to lie, but she also knew that she couldn't say it directly at this time. In a moment of inspiration, she licked her lips and said.
"The taste is very unique, it feels like spring has arrived."
Ru Xian was taken aback by what she said. After a moment of stunned silence, she couldn't help but smile and glance sideways, but she couldn't suppress it and finally burst out laughing.
Even Wei Changzai, who was not far away, lowered his gaze and pursed his slightly upturned lips.
The tense atmosphere that had been building up to conflict dissipated with the simple phrase "springtime."
Lin Feiran had come to mediate, but after asking twice without the two men speaking, she knew she wouldn't get any information. Seeing them smiling, she assumed they had reconciled.
As for what exactly happened, she could ask Ru Xian privately tonight; he was always willing to talk about it when it was just the two of them.
Oh, and I also need to ask why the medicine is so sour.
What are you laughing at?
Lin Feiran leaned closer to Ru Xian and asked in a low voice, not quite understanding why what she had just said was so funny.
Ru Xian's smile hadn't faded, and his expression was clearly much more relaxed than before. He glanced at Wei Changzai and said, "I wasn't laughing at anything. I'm naturally happy that you've taken your medicine first. Okay, you can eat now."
Wei Changzai stood at a distance, his expression aloof. He didn't move when he heard the words, until Lin Feiran called him, at which point he took his seat.
"You did all of this yourself?" Lin Feiran asked.
Wei Changzai nodded, then looked up at her and suddenly said, "The peach trees around here were all transplanted here by me."
The peach tree was a symbol for the two of them, but Lin Feiran was feeling dizzy from the sourness. When she heard this, she immediately thought of the peach grove where they pledged their love, but rather of those unripe, fuzzy spring peaches that were hard and sour.
"Thank you for cooking." She licked her teeth and couldn't help but say, "However, most peaches are sour and astringent. Perhaps pears would have been better."
At least it won't make your teeth sensitive.
Wei Changzai stared blankly at Lin Feiran. He was always straightforward and honest in his speech, and it was already quite an effort for him to subtly point out their past relationship. Therefore, he felt complicated when faced with these words.
Feeling wronged, confused, or heartbroken, all mixed together, crashed down on him. He couldn't express these emotions, so he just picked up his bamboo chopsticks, unsure how to react.
Ru Xian couldn't resist any longer, his emerald eyes filled with laughter. Only after the excitement had subsided did he nudge Lin Feiran with his leg: "Aren't you hungry?"
The three of them then slowly began to eat, and because they were all preoccupied with their own thoughts, no one spoke during the meal.
Ru Xian, who usually eats very little, stopped eating after a short while, moved her own bowl and chopsticks aside, and silently pushed the dishes toward Lin Feiran.
Wei Changzai sat alone opposite him, his eyes becoming calm, lost in thought.
Lin Feiran always ate attentively and didn't notice the two people's expressions, but she was also a little distracted, thinking about something more important.
Just last night, when Ru Xian was administering acupuncture to her, she used a familiar but inexplicable method to put her to sleep.
In the past, she would have slept until dawn, but in her hazy state, she woke up from her dream and saw a clear, ink-wash pond in front of her. Her master's large and familiar eyes were reflected in the water, their shapes drawn with ink and wash, making them look less terrifying.
Since her master had entered her dream, there must be something more important to tell her. Lin Feiran asked directly, "Master, what is the situation outside?"
Those big eyes blinked again and again, and her gentle voice echoed all around.
"The thin mist has completely dissipated, and the divine punishment has revealed itself. Many sects have already gone to the Northern Plains to investigate."
But right now, the most important thing is yourself.
The esoteric sect has already offered its most precious treasure as a reward to capture you. Many cultivators from both realms are currently searching for your whereabouts. However, the esoteric sect's Skywalker had his throat shattered by that little peacock. Without his help, this small world can still hold out for a while.
Lin Feiran was somewhat surprised: "Shattered the throat?"
The master nodded: "I saw it in someone else's dream. He was originally still looking for you, but later he must have received news of you and felt much more at ease. So he chased back to the heartland and, while everyone was still fighting, went straight for it."
With the saintess absent, no one can stop it...
The boy was already frail, and he vomited up quite a bit of flesh, but he was spared.
Lin Feiran was not surprised: "Ru Xian is not a person who kills indiscriminately."
The grandmaster closed his eyes: "You can't tell when he's making a move."
Lin Feiran had no intention of arguing about this. She was also not particularly concerned about the cult's pursuit of her. There were too many people who wanted to harm her, so she didn't need one or two more.
She sat cross-legged in the ink pool and asked, "Grandmaster, there is something I don't understand."
His eyes darted to the side, and his voice was clear and resonant: "Are you asking about that ice pillar in the heart of the Northern Plains?"
Lin Feiran nodded: "Grandmaster should remember that during the Flying Flower Gathering, in the dense forest outside Spring City, we encountered people from the Northern Plains. They called this ice pillar 'Heavenly Punishment,' and Orange Blossom said the same thing."
What exactly is the meaning of this so-called divine punishment? And why did Kitahara unleash such a punishment?
Those eyes left the inkwell and drifted around, but the voice remained clear: "You should ask a different question. For example, who sent down this punishment? Lin Feiran, do you believe in the existence of 'Heaven'?"
Lin Feiran lowered his eyes and looked at his blurry reflection in the pool: "The message says that the way of Heaven is unpredictable, perhaps it refers to the way of Heaven."
Those eyes slowly stopped: "The Dao is the Dao. The Dao has no name. The Dao gives birth to all things, and all things are the Dao. The Dao of Heaven and the Dao of Man are no different from the Dao of the Sword and the Dao of the Bow, just as Man is no different from cattle, sheep, chickens, and pigs."
Lin Feiran looked up and asked, "Grandmaster, are you saying that the Heavenly Dao does not exist, and this is not divine punishment?"
"Without Heaven, there would be no divine punishment."
"What exactly is this icicle? Why did it appear? What would happen if it fell?"
The ink pool beneath them flowed slowly, the ripples constantly shaking the reflections of the two people.
Those eyes drifted over and stopped in front of Lin Feiran: "The day you decipher the Iron Khitan Book, you will know everything, but that may still take a long time."
Lin Feiran slowly sat up straight, as if he had thought of something, and shook his head: "No, perhaps it's right in front of us."
This time, it was the grandmaster who was surprised: "You have made any progress on those three things? Putting aside the others, even I haven't found that rootless fire."
Lin Feiran nodded and said, "That's right. Of the three things, the hardest to find is the Rootless Fire. I didn't know much about it before, but I asked the sword spirit and learned a lot about it."
The grandmaster asked urgently, "Where?"
"The Esoteric Cult."
Those eyes were fixed on Lin Feiran, as if recalling something, but without any clue: "During your trip to the esoteric sect, you should not have seen any other treasures besides the fire seed. The fire seed does not produce a rootless fire."
Lin Feiran shook his head: "That flame was not in the esoteric sect's treasure room, but under Ao Xue's ear."
"She had a pair of long, fluffy pendants under her ears. From a distance, they looked like ordinary pom-poms, but when I looked closely, they were clearly a silent, snow-white flame. The color, shape, and characteristics of the flame were very similar to what the sword spirit had described, but I couldn't be sure."
The master started swimming again, sometimes inhaling, sometimes muttering, his eyes quickly calmed down, and his voice was filled with joy.
"Yes, yes! If you're not mistaken, and it's roughly similar, then it must be the Rootless Fire!"
Lin Feiran retorted, "Why does having some of them necessarily mean they aren't counterfeit?"
Those big eyes curved into a smile: "Such a magical treasure can only be found and possessed by the esoteric sects. If you can have the real one, why wear a fake one?"
Lin Feiran couldn't help but exclaim, "This is too ostentatious!"
The grandmaster laughed loudly, "They are not even afraid of death, so why would they be afraid of their treasures being stolen? No matter who steals them, they have the ability to get them back."
"What about the spiritual vein in my body?"
The grandmaster looked at her: "We can find it, but the opportunity is just around the corner, and they can't let it slip away. That's why we've done everything we can to protect it. Lin Feiran, do you still remember when the Prince of Qingping attacked the city?"
Lin Feiran nodded.
The Grandmaster continued, “His goal was to conquer cities and then rule the demon realm, but not the goal of the Secret Sect. I suspect that in the beginning, these Secret Sect disciples all had a common goal, which was to obtain something.”
Lin Feiran immediately realized: "The Immortal True Man's Scripture?"
She had heard Qiu Tong mention that the Prince of Qingping had allowed her to enter the Daohe Palace in order to obtain this scripture, but they still did not understand the meaning behind it.
"That's right, they want this scripture, not because of my random travelogue, but because it contains records about the Iron Khitan Scripture."
They don't yet know what the Iron Khitan Script is or how to decipher it, so they need this travelogue... No need to flip through it.”
The master stopped her movements.
"Back during the Flying Flowers Gathering, I took advantage of the situation to change the text in the book, and now it's gone without a trace. It's quite frustrating, really, because I was so well prepared, yet no one has come to you to compete for it."
Lin Feiran paused, silently put the book away, and casually speculated, "The esoteric sects aren't as impregnable as you and I think. Maybe someone is up to something and has suppressed this matter."
The grandmaster could only sigh in regret, and said, "It's hard to say. For the esoteric sect, spiritual veins are of paramount importance, and this scripture is insignificant in comparison."
As I said before, as long as it is a treasure, they will be able to obtain it sooner or later when the time comes. But spiritual veins are different. The time has come. If they can't obtain it now, there is no need to obtain it later.
Before Lin Feiran could ask a question, those eyes began to move, and a few drops of ink fell around them. One of the drops landed in front of Lin Feiran, and the ink faded, revealing a clear yellow pearl inside.
The Grandmaster said, “This is the Deer Pill of the Vast Sea. You should have heard of it. It is a treasure that I brought from the South China Sea. Take it as soon as possible and use these few days of recuperation to refine it into your body.”
Lin Feiran had indeed seen it in the book. Legend has it that it grows in the heart of the South China Sea. During the day, a spirit deer gathers the essence of Yang, and at night it dives into the heart of the sea to be nourished by the essence of Yang. It can cleanse the meridians and marrow, nourish the bones and purify the mind.
This treasure is extremely rare, and it hasn't been seen for almost a hundred years.
Lin Feiran was very puzzled: "Why are you giving me this?"
"For the sake of your spiritual veins."
Master knew about the abnormality of her spiritual veins before, and later also knew that Ru Xian removed the curse for her. It seems that he had guessed his identity long ago, but did not tell Lin Feiran.
This is a secret that Ru Xian has yet to reveal, and Lin Feiran won't pry too much into it, but giving her this...
"This can also remove incantations?"
The grandmaster stared straight at her, his drawn eyebrows swaying from side to side as if he were shaking his head. He even said, "I have examined you again. There are very few incantations left in your meridians, but you cannot remove them for the time being. If that little peacock wants to remove the curse for you, you must refuse."
Lin Feiran held the bead, puzzled, and asked, "Why?"
The grandmaster did not explain: "The situation is different now. Someone is trying to listen to your voice."
Too much time has passed since I vanished. My remaining consciousness might not be able to stop it. Perhaps there are eavesdroppers. This matter is of great importance, so it's best not to speak of it aloud. But you surely know.
Lin Feiran frowned slightly, still puzzled.
Those eyes blinked slightly, and she said slowly, "You're the only one who's read all the books I've written. Think about it, the unspoken meanings in my words are all in those books, you know that."
Lin Feiran lowered his eyes and pondered for a long time. After a while, he suddenly raised his eyes in surprise and stared at something.
...
With a soft clinking of the porcelain bowl, Lin Feiran was brought back to her senses. She looked up and saw that there were hardly any dishes left on the table in front of her, except for a few left in front of Wei Changzai.
He looked at what was in front of him, then at Lin Feiran, blinked, remained silent for a moment, then put down his chopsticks, stood up and pushed the dishes in front of her.
"If that's not enough, I'll make some more."
Before Lin Feiran could refuse, Wei Changzai had already stood up. The aloof young man walked into the kitchen, fastened his shoulder straps, and looked up through the window.
Ru Xian didn't know what she said to Lin Feiran, but her eyes widened, and she suddenly stood up, glanced at him, and quickly sat back down. Her ears were slightly red, but not from embarrassment, but from anxiety.
But seemingly because he was an "outsider" present, she didn't say anything.
outsider.
Wei Changzai lowered his eyes, his mind surprisingly calm. He now understood that nothing in this world is permanent.
Husbands and wives are not permanent, fellow practitioners are not permanent; since there is nothing permanent, why bother to pursue it?
If he and Lin Feiran will separate, won't Ru Xian too? Will they be together forever?
Despite this, he felt a rare sense of depression.
Suddenly, a glint of light appeared on the jade pendant at his waist. He looked down and saw it was a message from Zhang Chunhe, written stroke by stroke.
"Have you found her?"
Wei Changzai lowered his eyes for a moment, then raised his hand and replied, "Found it."
Author's note: In my opinion, male ghosts should have this damp and gloomy feeling that they can't get rid of in this lifetime, like walking on a dark, drizzly day. Even if you have an umbrella, there is still moisture all around you that you can't shake off (X).
P.S.: The next chapter will explain why they took action. I'm late with today's update, so there's a red envelope as compensation for this chapter [kissing emoji].
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
