Chapter 235 Though Dead, Still Alive (The Attic) I live on the top floor of a tower...
This was the first time Lin Feiran had seen Ru Xian cook. Just like with everything else, he was equally adept at it.
Like the dough made from shavings.
As the mist dissipated, he had already tied the ends of his hair with silk rope. Because he was wearing a civil and military style sleeve, he did not use shoulder straps, but instead had Lin Feiran hold the civil sleeve on the left side.
His movements looked very skillful.
She was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but ask, "How many years have you been traveling in the human world?"
Without glancing to the side, he simply replied, "Twenty years."
Unsurprisingly, he heard Lin Feiran exclaim softly. He found it amusing and was about to say something when he heard her say, "When I was little, I wanted to be a wandering knight-errant. You did it before me."
Ru Xian raised her eyebrows and said, "I'm not some wandering knight who helps everyone."
Lin Feiran nodded: "I know."
He's going to become the Little Fairy Doctor.
Lin Feiran had always been interested in traveling, so she asked, "During your previous journeys in search of medicine, did you often encounter interesting stories, like in the folk tales?"
Ru Xian found it amusing: "No, most of the time I'm alone. I don't like traveling with people, and I especially don't like associating with people I don't know well."
A strand of hair fell to his eyelashes. He had just blinked when a hand reached out and tucked the hair back behind his ear.
But after that hand withdrew, what came closer was a pair of clear, bright eyes.
She asked, "Were you like this when you were little? I loved chatting with people everywhere when I was little. My father said I was born with ginseng in my mouth and could take him for a whole day."
Ru Xian stared at her for a moment, knowing what she wanted to ask. She picked up the bamboo chopsticks with her hand, her lips curving slightly. She paused for a while, seemingly thinking of something, before finally speaking.
“I was like that when I was a child. I looked down on everyone. Even if other children wanted to befriend me, I couldn’t stand the pressure and would go off to play by myself.”
"And what about you?" Lin Feiran fanned away the water droplets on his cheek and asked curiously, "If you're a child, you'll just climb trees, go down to the river, and run around aimlessly, but it's not fun to play alone, especially where you are."
If Xian had indeed mentioned it to her, she would say, "Me? I neither climbed trees nor went into rivers, nor did I run and jump around recklessly. How could it be boring to be alone?"
Lin Feiran slowly picked up the bowl and chopsticks and handed them to him: "If you're not going to do these, what are you going to play?"
As if a hailstone were falling from his eyes, a misty fog immediately rose up, partially obscuring his face. After Lin Feiran waved it away, his expression returned to normal.
He said, "I'm not playing anything; I'll just read in my room."
Lin Feiran gave a short reply, somewhat surprised, but quickly realized that he had read all the books in the tower in Xingzhi Palace, so he suppressed his surprise and said, "Isn't that the same as before?"
He paused slightly, and upon hearing this, as if thinking of something, his brows relaxed, and he said with a slight rise in his voice, "It seems that you and I are destined to be kindred spirits."
Lin Feiran's gaze changed slightly; it had softened from its previous uprightness. She whispered, "Is it because you have no one to play with that you can only read books?"
As Ru Xian looked at her, her emerald eyes were shrouded in mist, carrying a rare and secretive softness.
He wanted to say no, because his situation was completely different from hers, but upon closer reflection, the result was the same: he indeed had no playmates and could only stay in the house reading, but there was no connection between the two.
“Yes.” He scooped out the noodles. “There are many people like you, not just you.”
The noodles are ready, topped with his prepared sauce, and garnished with some other ingredients; they are a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
Instead of returning to the courtyard, the two sat down at a small table in the small room. The room was rather cramped, so they had to stand side by side, getting even closer together.
Lin Feiran, holding the bamboo chopsticks, quickly realized the oddity: "Why don't you go out? Is it just because no one plays with you?"
According to Ru Xian, even when he was a child, he didn't care whether anyone was playing with him.
Ru Xian didn't touch his chopsticks. He moved the bowl in front of Lin Feiran, sitting elegantly, but his left shoulder subconsciously pressed against her, as if leaning on her, only with a little less force, so as not to overwhelm her at this moment.
"Because of my illness," he explained simply. "A patient with a serious illness cannot jump around."
The two sat in a dimly lit corner. He stared intently at Lin Feiran, his eyes revealing a deep, emerald green hue, while the red in his eyes appeared even more intense and vibrant.
He opened his mouth and finally brought up the past.
“I live on the top of a tower, but there is no ladder there, and only monks who have entered the path can go in and out.”
From childhood to adulthood, the thing I did most often was lie in bed, holding a boring book, and gazing out the window.
Lin Feiran licked her lips, turned her head to look, her eyes calm and clear.
There were no birds outside the window, only drifting clouds and ceaseless flowing water.
"Besides reading, there's nothing else I can do."
Since there was no way to get there, she was bound to be forced to stay there. For some reason, the word "shelved" came to mind.
Given Ru Xian's temperament, this might be more than just an insult to him.
Lin Feiran recalled the dream again. She hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth. So she quickly ate the food in front of her, pursed her lips, and breathed a sigh of relief under his questioning gaze.
Ru Xian was very perceptive and immediately noticed her unusual behavior: "Are you hiding something from me?"
"..." Lin Feiran opened her mouth but quickly closed it again. She paused for a moment, "There's something I've never told you."
Ru Xian was somewhat surprised and intrigued: "What is it?"
Lin Feiran stared straight at him, her hand unconsciously stroking the bamboo chopsticks: "Do you remember when we first formed our bond, the yin and yang fish intertwined, and you dreamed of my past?"
“I remember…” Ru Xian suddenly understood, but he wasn’t angry. He simply asked, “You did dream about my past. What did you dream about?”
Lin Feiran said, "I dreamt of many upside-down mountains with waterfalls flowing on them, a very peculiar sight. But soon flames erupted, engulfing everything, and you emerged from the raging fire..."
Ru Xian chuckled lightly, her expression no longer tense as when they first met. Instead, she teased, "The scenery there is quite nice, so why did you have to witness the most unbearable scene?"
Lin Feiran shook her head: "It wasn't terrible. You were still very beautiful when you came out of the fire."
Ru Xian's smile widened: "That was a day of my rebirth. You did very well. If it had been leaked back then, I might have really killed you."
Lin Feiran already had some guesses in her mind, but she still asked in a low voice, "What happened back then?"
Ru Xian leaned over, her voice soft, but her hand slowly grasped Lin Feiran's right wrist.
"In such a vast place, only I walked out. Is it hard to guess? Of course, it's because I killed them all, and only I walked out alive."
At that time, the forest stream was stained with blood, turning everything crimson. Just a spark could ignite a wildfire that spread from the water, engulfing the entire "fairyland" along with the flowing blood.
Lin Feiran stared blankly at him, his face reflected in her eyes, speechless for a moment.
"Then what you mentioned earlier about your mother, uncle, and aunt..."
Her eyes, though curved like snowflakes, held little joy: "Naturally, we'll perish together in the sea of fire."
Lin Feiran's fingertips twitched slightly, but his right hand was held by him and he couldn't get it out, so he raised his left hand and, just like he used to do, placed it on the back of his neck and began to rub it again and again.
Instead of offering words of comfort, she said, "After we get out, I'll take you to set off fireworks?"
Ru Xian was taken aback, then his smile deepened, and he even leaned his head on her shoulder as if he couldn't straighten up. Then he sighed and said, "Okay."
A moment later, he suddenly spoke, his voice heavy and muffled as it pressed against her shoulder.
"Did you ever set off fireworks for Wei Changzai?"
“No!” she answered immediately.
Seemingly realizing that his voice had sounded a bit strange, he straightened up and said in a cool voice, "You can catch dragonflies for him, but fireworks can only be mine."
Lin Feiran paused for a moment: "Why can I catch dragonflies for him? The dragonflies are yours, the fireworks are yours, and whatever I want to give, I will naturally give to you."
Ru Xian couldn't help but recall Wei Changzai's earlier words, and said, "If you hadn't met me after you went down the mountain, would things be like this today?"
“There are no ‘what ifs’ in life.” Lin Feiran paused, then replied, “If I hadn’t met you, then no one could have lifted the curse on me. Perhaps I would still be searching for a cure, and then I would have met you.”
"It seems that no matter what, I will eventually find my way to you."
As if a haze had been lifted, she raised an eyebrow, quite pleased: "So, do you like this face, or something else?"
He didn't ask what she would do if someone more beautiful came along, because he was certain that, at least for now, no one was more dazzling than him.
"..."
Why aren't you saying anything?
Lin Feiran remained silent, simply looking at him with a focused yet reserved gaze. Her clear eyes stood out in that corner, as if the light she pierced through them was reflected back.
Like the pearls and jade scattered in his house, yet they are absolutely unique.
Sometimes, the eyes really do speak.
She didn't speak, but a feeling of affection welled up in his heart, growing stronger and stronger until it was almost overflowing.
He parted his lips slightly, leaned down and took her in his mouth, as he had always done before, indulging in the moment.
...
The two walked out of the kitchen in the afternoon. It wasn't that they had been lingering for a long time, but rather that Lin Feiran had eaten quite a bit.
Ru Xian, exhausted and somewhat weary, lay down to rest among the trees, leaving only a few golden-white hems hanging down. Lin Feiran prepared to go into the room to retrieve his golden needles and then did not intend to step inside.
Upon entering, one sees the sword spirit inside, sitting at the table, using its spiritual power to turn the pages of the book on the table, and even raising its hand to gently poke the crooked little straw figures.
Upon seeing her return, the sword spirit asked, "These things, you used them when you were little, didn't you?"
The small house was so obvious, with no attempt to conceal it, that anyone familiar with Lin Feiran could immediately see its secrets.
Lin Feiran was a little embarrassed, so he could only nod: "Yes, they are all toys from my childhood, and he has collected them here."
She turned to look outside, but Wei Changzai was nowhere to be seen. The sword spirit said, "He left after sitting in the courtyard for a short while. He must have gone to find a quiet corner to calm himself down. Otherwise, he probably would have rushed into the room and been kicked out by you."
At this point, the sword spirit's words carried a hint of a smile: "The past is unforgettable, but even without what he did, he is not suitable for you, at least not now."
It's good that you're with the hailstones.
Lin Feiran raised her eyes and asked, "Would my mother also think it's good?"
Sword Spirit turned his head to look: "Yes, she will. I've been with her for many years, we share the same interests, and she will definitely think Ru Xian is very good. We will never dislike someone who is good to us."
Lin Feiran smiled, turned around to retrieve the needle case, and then heard the sword spirit say, "Now is a rare moment of leisure, and we happen to have encountered your childhood plaything. Why don't you sit down with me and chat about these things?"
For example, why is the straw figure used to identify meridians drawn like this?
She picked up one of them; on the blank face of the straw figure, a missing tooth was outlined by white lines.
Lin Feiran looked back at the sky. Everyone had quieted down. With a slight thought, she sat down next to the sword spirit, stood up straight, and pointed at the little straw figure.
"Because at that time, I was the first among the disciples in my batch to lose my canine teeth, and both of them were lost, which was considered unlucky."
Originally, their parents should have thrown them under the water vat, but my senior brother did it. The other disciples said something, which made me unhappy, so I made this straw figure.
Seeing that the sword spirit remained silent, Lin Feiran immediately said, "Actually, many children in the sect are orphans, so I didn't think much of it. It's just that they only mentioned me, which made me a little upset."
She picked out another one and said to the sword spirit, "This is the first straw doll I made. My senior brother taught me how to make it. He said I'm very smart and can learn anything very quickly."
The sword spirit then spoke up and replied, "He's absolutely right."
The two whispered among themselves for a long time while looking at the old objects on the table. Lin Feiran did most of the talking, and Jian Ling listened.
Her past wasn't particularly interesting, but the old things hidden here were full of good memories, which made Lin Feiran's tone much lighter.
The two only stopped when the sun began to set and the peach grove was tinged with a rosy hue.
Then, a wisp of smoke escaped from the mustard seed bag, carrying a faint fragrance; it was a message from Qiu Tong.
Author's Note: [Heart emoji]
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