Chapter 244 Though Dead, Still Alive (Escape) "I brought her here because..."
Beneath the long corridor, two figures passed by one after the other, fine snowflakes swirling and swaying with pine needles, spreading across the steps.
Ji Changying lowered her eyes, picked up a pine needle from her cuff, and casually placed it on the fence beside her before slowly following.
Zhang Chunhe looked towards the entrance of the main hall, where figures were already standing. He asked, "Chang Ying, who has come today?"
The person behind her replied, "A holy woman of the Tantric religion."
Zhang Chunhe raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "She actually came in person? Just to find Qiu Tong?"
Ji Changying smiled and said, "That's not necessarily true. I don't know the reason either."
Zhang Chunhe did not ask any further questions, but he quickened his pace, hurriedly crossed the long corridor, and entered the hall, his expression as calm as ever.
Ji Changying followed behind. As she stepped into the main hall, she suddenly glanced to the side. Besides the few esoteric practitioners who were attending her, there was a young man wearing a long robe and a hood. He looked calm, but there was a long band around his neck with medicine applied to his wounds.
"Envoy Acheng." He smiled, but a hint of regret flickered across his face when he saw Acheng's appearance. He asked with concern, "That demon lord is truly ruthless. It's been many days. Has your injury improved?"
Acheng couldn't reply, so she nodded slightly, but her gaze towards him wasn't as ethereal as before. Instead, she made a hand gesture.
Ji Changying looked at it carefully and pondered, "Is he asking me?"
Acheng nodded.
He then replied, "It was just a few cracks, nothing serious. It's all healed now. Thank you for your concern."
After the fire was stolen, they found Ji Changying in the furnace room by Mirror Lake. At that time, he was in very bad condition. His eyes were dim, his lips were pale, and cracks ran across his fair skin, spreading from his fingertips to the side of his neck. There were also hidden lines on his face, as if the finest jade was about to shatter.
But he showed no panic. He simply sat somewhere in the room, combing the long hair of the doll in his arms. When they burst in, he only gave an apologetic smile.
"Oh dear, I was no match for her. Lin Feiran has improved so quickly that I was careless and fell into her trap."
What kind of person can be described as having lightning speed?
Before they fought Lin Feiran, they might have scoffed at these words, but after the fight, even Ao Xue couldn't deny the truth in them.
She stood in front of the door for a long time, her doubts temporarily dispelled. She spoke a few words of concern, gave the pills, and then reported the whole matter to the Holy Maiden. Acheng was right next to her and naturally knew the reason.
After hearing that he was alright, he nodded slightly, took half a step back, and stood guard at the door, making room for him to go in.
Ji Changying nodded to him before turning and entering the hall. In the short time that followed, Zhang Chunhe and Bi Sheng had exchanged pleasantries. One sat in the main seat, while the other stood by the snow-white window. Although they were facing each other, they were not very close.
He first observed Bi Sheng's expression and determined that they had not yet found Lin Fei before going forward to pour tea for the two of them.
"The Holy Maiden doesn't visit Sanqing Mountain often, so she probably hasn't tried the Su Xue Tea here yet. Why don't you give it a try?"
He was an approachable person by nature, and as soon as he opened his mouth, the previously stagnant atmosphere between the two of them gradually began to flow.
Bi Sheng nodded in agreement, put one hand behind his back and took the teacup with the other, took a small sip, and his expression softened.
Zhang Chunhe got straight to the point: "I've already heard Chang Ying mention the search for her. If it's truly urgent, Daohe Palace will keep an eye on Qiu Tong's movements, since she is, after all, one of my disciples."
A biting wind blew in, lifting the stray hairs on Bi Sheng's forehead. She looked up at Zhang Chunhe, slowly put down her teacup, and spoke with a rather authoritative voice.
"Is that so? Does the chief truly not know why we have come here today?"
"I don't know."
"Then we won't beat around the bush. The reason we came to your sect is not to ask you for help, but to ask Chief Zhang why you captured Qiu Tong and brought her to Daohe Palace?"
Bi Sheng stood by the window, looking against the light, her eyes deepening as she observed the old man with his hair in a Taoist bun and a deep, thoughtful expression.
There are actually quite a few high-level cultivators like him and Qingping Wang who are willing to cooperate with the Esoteric Sect. Each of them has sworn an oath with the Dao Master, willing to be driven by the Esoteric Sect in exchange for what they want.
Bi Sheng had dealings with each of them, and while he didn't know their character inside and out, he could at least get a general idea of it.
Human desires are endless. In the constant process of wanting, wishing, and obtaining, one will gradually be driven by desires and become a slave to esoteric religions, worshipping them as the ultimate truth.
The greater one's ability and the higher one's cultivation, the stronger one's desires and the deeper one's ego.
Just like Prince Qingping.
But Zhang Chunhe was the only exception; he was the only one who did not succumb to it. From beginning to end, he did not make any wishes to the Dao Lord, but only exchanged his three tokens for merit.
He and Tantric Buddhism were mutually exploiting each other; he never endorsed Tantric doctrines, he only believed in Taoism and harmony.
Zhang Chunhe was raised by the sect of the Grandmaster, a most loyal dog, and he could not possibly defect to the Tantric sect.
But merit is not permanent. In order to accumulate merit and show his sincerity in cooperation, he replaced Ji Changying with one of the Nine Swords, making him fulfill his due obligations in his place.
Therefore, the esoteric sect and he only cooperated with each other. Unless there was something important, they would almost never come to Sanqing Mountain. After all, Ji Changying was too useful, and he alone was enough.
Since they are the master and the demon, their achievements can be passed on in this way.
Bi Sheng looked him over and asked, "Why isn't Chief Zhang saying anything? Does he mean Qiu Tong isn't here?"
Zhang Chunhe looked at her calmly and said, "What I want to say is not important. What kind of answer does the Holy Maiden want to hear?"
This unyielding and uncompromising attitude unusually angered Bi Sheng.
"Do you think we came here without any evidence? Yesterday, Acheng's master returned, and through his search, he found that Qiutong was in Daohe Palace."
Zhang Chunhe remained calm and composed, without saying a word.
Bi Sheng continued, "We searched frantically for three days, only to find her here! What do you want with her? You should know that she is very important to us. If you have any ulterior motives, the Secret Sect will not stand idly by!"
"I have no grudge against her, so what could I possibly want?" Zhang Chunhe said calmly, his pale eyes reflecting the snow-white light. "I have no idea how important she is to the Secret Sect. I brought her here not to torment her, so how could there be any talk of abduction?"
He stood up and looked out the window: "I brought her here to get married."
Bi Sheng paused, seemingly somewhat surprised.
Ji Changying stood behind Zhang Chunhe, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she glanced up at him.
Zhang Chunhe turned around and said, "She and my apprentice are in love, a match made in heaven. What's wrong with that?"
Although he has now made another discovery—that Changzai and Qiutong may not have developed feelings for each other, and the marriage must be postponed—but…
Bi Sheng didn't readily believe him. She shifted her steps slightly, and her initially anxious and slightly angry expression gradually softened. She began to ponder something, and her face gradually became calm. Suddenly, she asked, "When do you plan to have them get married?"
Zhang Chunhe didn't intend to reveal his other thoughts. He simply stated calmly, based on the answer of marriage, "Naturally, it's an auspicious day. The first peaches are hanging on the branches, in late spring."
It's already February, and late spring isn't far off.
Bi Sheng stood by the window, tapping her fingers on the window frame. Her expression changed, her long, cool eyes narrowed slightly, and she had her own plan in mind. She intended to take advantage of the situation, and a faint hint of joy appeared in her lowered eyes.
"Good!" she immediately said, "You swore an oath with the Dao Lord that if the Dao were to perish, you would obey any decree. Do you still remember that?"
Zhang Chunhe smiled faintly, but did not answer directly: "I have only given out three jade tokens."
The implication was that they needed to explain what the matter was.
Bi Sheng, understanding his meaning, immediately took out one of the coins, held it in his palm, and then crushed it into powder: "Then this is the first one today!"
She declared loudly, "I want you to hold your wedding banquet in the northeast, at the foot of the road to the afterlife."
The shattered jade pieces fell with a soft patter, mixed together by the swirling snow and wind, and landed on the windowsill, making it difficult to distinguish between snow and jade.
Ji Changying's expression remained unchanged, but the small mole under his lip subtly shifted slightly. His smile faded, and his gaze fell on the handful of jade sand, while his mind began to wander.
Zhang Chunhe was equally puzzled, but the wedding banquet ultimately involved Wei Changzai, so he couldn't make a hasty decision. Therefore, he neither agreed nor disagreed, but instead changed the subject and asked, "Why is the Holy Maiden here in person today? Does she no longer need to go into seclusion?"
Bi Sheng's displeasure was clearly visible. She looked at Zhang Chunhe with a serious expression, but ultimately did not make a scene. After learning about the wedding banquet, she became interested in negotiating with him.
"I left the pass to arrest him long ago. The news of the Secret Sect capturing Lin Feiran is all over the main road. How come Chief Zhang doesn't know?"
Zhang Chunhe paused for a moment.
Recently, Wei Changzai is about to break through to the next realm. He has to take care of Guanlan Terrace, prepare for the wedding banquet and that matter. On weekdays, apart from the necessary affairs of Daohe Palace, he leaves everything else to Ji Changying to decide. After making a decision, he tells him the important things.
He only knew that an ice pillar had appeared in the Northern Plains, and everyone went to investigate, but he knew nothing about Lin Feiran.
He glanced back to the side and saw his eldest disciple still standing tall to the side, his eyes smiling as usual. When he looked at him, the disciple showed no unease or guilt, but rather looked back with slight confusion before realizing what he meant.
"Ah, Master has been very busy lately. The matter of Lin Feiran is not important compared to the ice pillar, so I only mentioned it briefly."
Zhang Chunhe looked away. Ji Changying was right. Lin Feiran had already gone down the mountain and no longer associated with Wei Changzai, so there was no need to care about her anymore. Even if he had spoken about it, he wouldn't have taken it to heart.
However, I never expected that she had stolen the fire.
He hadn't cared what Lin Feiran had done, but then he suddenly remembered Qiu Tong being alone in Qingqiu. After a moment's thought, he spoke up again: "I've been busy with sect affairs lately, so I don't know what she's been up to."
This incident was a major setback for the esoteric sects, so Bi Sheng naturally wouldn't go into details, only mentioning it briefly.
"She stole the Fire Seed, the most precious treasure of our sect, and then disappeared in the Northern Plains, where she could not be found anywhere."
Ah Cheng was injured, and we couldn't find her. Therefore, we offered a reward for her whereabouts. For people like you and me, the reward is ten taels of merit.
Even Zhang Chunhe was somewhat surprised, his brows furrowing slightly: "That's quite a generous gesture."
Bi Sheng patiently talked to him: "Yes, but the chief has been working hard all day and has missed a good opportunity. We have a clue about Lin Feiran's hiding place. She is hiding in a hidden place."
She thought to herself: Lin Feiran must never have imagined that it was her kindness in spreading the book "The Great Sound is Silent" throughout the world that allowed them to deduce the Infernal Ground and find a way to break it.
Intelligent and kind people are often misled by their own good intentions.
Now, someone has already gone to the Abyss. She originally planned to go and capture them herself after this matter was settled, but now it seems that everything can be replanned...
Zhang Chunhe ignored the scheming in her eyes. He paused, then asked again, "Wait a minute, you just said she disappeared in Beiyuan?"
"Yes, what's wrong?"
He parted his lips slightly, and after a long while, he finally exhaled and said, "...It's nothing."
Zhang Chunhe suddenly remembered that when he was in contact with Wei Changzai earlier, he heard the sound of north wind coming from the jade tablet.
He had initially thought it was the sound of wind carried by a sword to the demon realm, but now he realized that the powerful snow wind of the Northern Plains must have made the same sound.
His eyes suddenly became strange, his gaze lightly falling on Bi Sheng, then looking out the window, and he couldn't help but recall the sounds he had heard during their conversation last night.
Wei Changzai was not in the demon realm, but in a very quiet place with flowing water, falling flowers, and the sound of butterflies fluttering their wings.
Ah, he was with Lin Feiran.
Zhang Chunhe suddenly realized.
He had been thinking for a while that someone with Changzai's personality would almost never stay in unfamiliar places, dislike talking to people, and have nowhere else to go except for Daohe Palace. If he wasn't with Qiutong in the Demon Realm, he could hardly guess where he would be.
But now everything becomes clear.
It turns out that he had been with Lin Feiran all along.
Having reached this conclusion, he too began to ponder, consider, and strategize. After a thousand turns of thought, he suddenly turned to look at Bi Sheng, and changed his previous attitude: "I agree to the wedding banquet. It will be held in the southeast, on the path to the afterlife."
...
The sun was shining brightly. The group in the Boundless Land had already eaten breakfast. Lin Feiran took a white silk cloth and wrapped it around the Golden Wave Sword.
As Ru Xian sat at the table, she saw this and asked, "Where is the Golden Wave Umbrella?"
It was indeed quite sunny in Wujiandi, but he wasn't there to find shade; his real intention was elsewhere.
Firstly, he was genuinely curious why she hadn't brought it; secondly, the Golden Orchid Umbrella was her personal item, and he wanted the person next to him to know that only he could support it, and no one else could.
When Lin Feiran heard him ask that, she glanced at him. He was standing there in the sunlight, his eyes slightly closed. She thought he was feeling hot, so she subconsciously took two steps forward and shielded him from the sun.
"I didn't bring it with me on this trip; it's still in Guangzhou."
Ru Xian pondered for a moment, then said softly, "In our room?"
As Wei Changzai was wiping his sword, he accidentally brushed against the scabbard, and a sound of clashing weapons rang out. He looked up at Lin Feiran, his gaze as taut as a bowstring.
Lin Feiran paused, turned around and glanced at Ru Xian, then replied with a puzzled look, "In my room."
She originally intended to put it in the lavish room, since it was decorated in a luxurious style and the golden umbrella would be more comfortable to lie on. However, there were so many places for him to stay that she was overwhelmed with choices, and in the end, she put it on her own bed.
Wei Changzai, who was standing to the side, pursed his lips, looked away, and quickened his movements as he wiped his sword.
Lin Feiran wrapped the white silk one last time, then tore it off. Then she remembered something: "But the pearls in your room are too scattered. I squeezed a lot of them away when I rolled around, so there are fewer on the blanket. I'll go to Jihai when I get back and make sure to get them for you."
The action of wiping the sword slowed down again.
Ru Xian chuckled and said, "Why are you rolling around like that? I've never seen that before."
Lin Feiran glanced at him quickly: "I was busy preparing for Jinling Ferry those few days, and I practiced swordsmanship very diligently. When you're tired, you inevitably want to lie down and relax. Your blanket was very soft, and no one dared to go into your room..."
Ru Xian, intrigued, raised her chin slightly: "You like it that much? Roll it for me next time, and I'll shower you with pearls."
Lin Feiran: "..." What's so interesting about this!
She glanced at Ru Xian helplessly, then turned her back to him, avoiding his smiling gaze.
While the atmosphere remained relatively harmonious and peaceful, with everyone displaying different expressions, Wei Changzai paused, immediately looked up at the sky, and frowned slightly.
Lin Feiran also sensed something was wrong. When she looked up, she saw the sun distort for a moment, and suddenly the whole world went dark, as if it were the dead of night. Only a patch of peach trees on the side was lit up with a faint light, and mayflies were very conspicuous in the darkness.
Lin Feiran was slightly taken aback when she saw the two butterflies.
In the silent darkness, a meteor-like light cleaved through the night, growing larger and larger. Just moments before it was on the horizon, it was right above everyone's heads, leaving them no time to react.
"Slowly, it's sword intent; someone is forcibly breaking through the Boundless Ground!"
Wei Chang immediately stepped forward, wanting to take the person away, but Lin Feiran was faster than him. She held Ru Xian in one arm, and purple lightning flashed under her feet in the dark night. In an instant, she led the person back several meters.
He only caught a wisp of the wind that rushed past, which wrapped around the back of his hand and dissipated in his palm.
With a loud crash, the sharp yet dull sword intent missed its mark, instead grazing the spot where the group had just been standing, forcing Wei Changzai, who was still standing there, back several steps. Then it slashed towards the peach grove behind them, causing a large number of brown peach trees to fall and petals to fill the air.
The first sword strike destroyed half of the peach grove, and flames erupted in an instant.
Looking at the sudden mess, Wei Changzai's pupils trembled slightly. For a moment, he felt somewhat helpless, as if everything was destroyed and he had grasped nothing.
When he saw the two mayfly butterflies flutter up and scatter in panic, he didn't even have time to savor his emotions. His legs moved faster than his thoughts, and he leaped off the roof toward the burning peach grove.
He formed a hand seal, and a swirling current suddenly rose around him. A gust of wind, as cold as ice and snow, blew by and suppressed the blazing flames.
He avoided the charred, withered branches beneath his feet, coughed a few times, turned over and used his sleeve to cover two mayfly butterflies, preparing to turn back into the courtyard.
All of this happened so fast that Lin Feiran and Ru Xian barely had time to see it before the second sword suddenly fell.
The sword intent was aimed directly at the small house. Wei Changzai was still in the peach grove, and had just jumped onto the wall. He didn't have time to make a move. In the next moment, the house, which had been the result of many years of hard work, would be destroyed.
Overwhelmed by a complex mix of emotions, he even felt his vision blurring, and then let out a short shout for the first time.
He might have meant no, since this was the only room he had left, but all that came out was a meaningless utterance.
The fierce sword energy was like a meteor in the sky, and when it fell before him, it was like a towering tree falling. It brushed past him, carrying the imposing power of a vast mountain, silently pressing down.
In the courtyard, roof tiles and broken branches flew together, dust rose high, and the small kitchen was completely destroyed by this tremendous force.
Just then, a striking purple lightning bolt leaped in, blocking the massive sword energy and stopping it midway. Amidst the flying sand and falling petals, she glanced at him, and the next moment, the powerful sword intent was cleaved apart in front of the exquisitely decorated little house.
The door tie was blown up and then fell back down with a soft sound.
Wei Changzai stood in the courtyard, staring blankly at everything. Suddenly, a piece of white silk flew out from the dust, brushed past him, and was about to be carried away by the wind when he subconsciously reached out and grabbed it, wrapping it around his fingers.
As the dust settled, Lin Feiran appeared in the courtyard. She slowly stood up and pulled the Golden Wave Sword from the ground. There was a very deep gash under her feet, which showed how much effort she had put in when she blocked the sword intent.
At this moment, she no longer looked at Wei Changzai, but rubbed her arms and looked up at the sky, as if the glimpse she had just seen in the flying sand and stones was just his illusion.
The person outside the boundary was clearly trying to force them out. Just as the second sword was blocked, the third sword came flying like a shooting star.
Lin Feiran immediately dodged away, pulling Ru Xian aside, and said, "If you don't want this place to be destroyed, just take back the Boundless Land and activate the formation."
Wei Changzai paused: "But you..."
Lin Feiran stood in front of Ru Xian, raised her hand, and the Golden Wave Sword flew horizontally into her body. The sword was surrounded by faint flames and subtle purple lightning, which were the embers of the peach forest fire that she had extinguished again.
She looked up at the sky and said, "I've recovered very well. Once we get out, there's no need to linger in battle. Just go where you were originally going. Ru Xian and I will also find the right opportunity to leave and go our separate ways."
"Now, activate the formation."
Author's Note: Actually, when Xiaolin chose to make her move, two certain people had fallen in love for the nth time.
(You guys) Can you stop loving each other? How many times are you going to love each other? I don't understand. This is endless. Our tolerance for shipping has its limits. It's okay if you fall in love once or twice, right? You're loving more than you hate. What the hell? Is this how we ship them? (X)
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