Chapter 27 Forged Heart with Sinking Silver (Part Two) "To break the formation, stab me with your sword..."
As if falling into a deep pool, the sound of splashing water reached his ears. His numb senses finally returned, and Lin Feiran sat up with a start, as if he had been rescued from drowning. A mouthful of air suddenly rushed into his throat, which had been suffocating.
In the instant she regained consciousness, a blade of energy materialized in her hand, and her clear black and white eyes surveyed her surroundings.
The mirror-like silver water spread out, its reflection crystal clear, wetting the hem of my clothes. A row of ever-burning lamps stretched across in front of me, their pale blue candlelight reflected on the water's surface like a winding river. The misty water dispersed, releasing a faint scent of whale saliva.
She immediately realized that she had been pulled into the formation, and asked, "Which fellow Daoist is this?"
But he couldn't help but wonder.
"It's me, Manman."
With this row of ever-burning lamps as the boundary, sparse lights and shadows gradually emerge on the opposite side. Amidst the interweaving, a pale blue figure sits among them. As the candlelight gradually brightens, his features become clearer.
Lin Feiran did not retract her qi blade, but looked straight at him and said softly, "Wei Changzai."
Wei Chang sat alone in the formation, his posture upright, his face a mixture of light and shadow, yet with little expression, like a frost-covered doll. His dark eyes looked at her, seemingly fluctuating.
"Manman, it's been so long, how have you been?"
Manman was Lin Feiran's childhood nickname. When Wei Chang first heard it, he couldn't help but laugh for a long time. It was a rare laugh for him. He even said that the name suited her very well, and he liked to call her that when no one was around.
But Lin Feiran doesn't like listening to that anymore.
"You shouldn't be calling me that." She didn't answer his question, her guard up. "What do you want? Did Zhang Chunhe send you?"
It hadn't been long since Lin Feiran descended the mountain, yet he gazed at her for a long time as if they hadn't seen each other for years. He was taken aback and said, "Manman, you've never looked at me like that before... Is your injury better?"
“Slowly, the key to the formation is on me.” Only after Lin Feiran’s gaze returned to him did he continue, “If you want to break the formation, just stab me with your sword.”
He picked up a snow-white longsword from his side and gestured to her: "You left Lianyan in the dojo that day. The frost and snow covered it, and it was bitterly cold, but the blade was still gleaming. It's the best for stabbing people and breaking formations."
Even now, he remained calm and composed, as if the sword that had been touched by snow truly had such a handy advantage. But Lin Feiran knew that this was clearly nonsense.
Wei Changzai is a rare prodigy. He appears to be polite and courteous in his daily conduct, but in reality, he is indifferent and has few desires. He has an air of indifference to love and hate, and it is obvious at a glance that he is a disciple of Daohe Palace.
But he can also get angry and depressed, though he doesn't show it on his face. He likes to talk in circles and never says it outright. He stares straight at people with his eyes, making others have to unravel the hidden meaning in his words.
Even without careful observation, it's clear he's angry.
What is there for him to be angry about?
She shifted her gaze, still searching for another way to break the formation in the boundary between light and shadow: "I don't need your sword. Since I've returned it to you, it's like returning it to its rightful owner. If you weren't sent by Zhang Chunhe, then break the formation."
"You went to all this trouble to set up this formation just to reminisce about the past with me?" Lin Feiran interrupted him.
Wei Chang blinked, looked around, slowly stood up, stepped barefoot onto the water, creating ripples, and said, "Of course not."
He walked forward, easily stepping over the row of ever-burning lamps, his face expressionless. He raised his hand and said, "Manman, you went to the demon realm, didn't you? The demon realm is full of demons and is very dangerous. I've come to take you back."
He paused for a moment, then added, "It's not about returning to Daohe Palace. I have a residence in Dongyu Prefecture that my master doesn't know about. You can go there. I've kept all your belongings in the room, and I can bring them to you anytime."
As soon as he finished speaking, he stood in front of her, and she raised her sword and pointed it at him, carrying a familiar chill.
Wei Chang was usually very quiet, his thin lips pursed as if no one could pry them open. But when the two were alone, he would talk a lot. Upon closer examination, neither of them were actually taciturn people.
Lin Feiran did not answer, but repeated the same sentence: "Remove the formation."
“I don’t understand. Slowly, the demon realm is dangerous, the people are warlike, and everyone is a cultivator. You will suffer here.” Wei Changzai did not see the sword that was so close at hand. He only looked at her shoulder. After confirming that there was no injury, his gaze fell on her face. “I will not take your sword bone.”
When it comes to stubbornness, no one can compare to him.
"Don't call me that."
Lin Feiran wanted to make a move, but found that her spiritual power was even more sluggish, and she could hardly even form a qi sword. She was ultimately too far inferior to Ru Xian, and just forming a contract had already consumed most of her spiritual power.
Thinking of this, she decisively dispersed her sword energy, took half a step back to create distance between herself and him, and secretly activated the inscription on her right eye.
"...Slowly, I just don't understand." Sensing Lin Feiran's resistance, he sighed slightly, took a step back, and his usually calm eyebrows furrowed slightly, revealing some confusion.
Why are you angry?
At this moment, Lin Feiran found it somewhat amusing: "You're asking me?"
At this point, he actually sat down on the ground, his light blue Taoist robe soaking into the water, leaving a dark blue watermark in the magic array.
He patted the water in front of him, splashing a spray, then looked up and gestured for her to sit down as well, adopting a posture of discussing philosophy.
The Yin-Yang fish remained motionless. Lin Feiran was unsure whether Ru Xian was still asleep or had no intention of helping her, so she sat down and secretly regulated her breathing to recover her spiritual power, waiting for the best opportunity to break through.
Wei Chang sat upright as always, gazing at Lin Feiran with his lips slightly parted.
"I have also thought about the reason carefully. After thinking it over, it is probably related to the bone replacement. But it is not a big deal. Before the bone replacement, I will go to see Elder Nong Yue. Why are you angry?"
His expression was natural, as if he truly didn't understand, leaving Lin Feiran speechless and unsure where to begin: "What's the use of you looking for her? It's Zhang Chunhe who wants to gouge out my bones, who can stop him?"
Wei Changzai was slightly taken aback, blinked and asked in confusion, "Why go to such lengths? Although Master is good at alchemy, he does not know how to remove bones. This matter is extremely delicate and requires a master's skill. Even in the medical lineage, only Elder Nong Yue has this skill. Without her expertise, how will she remove your bones?"
"..."
Lin Feiran was somewhat taken aback.
Seeing her expression, Wei Changzai sighed softly, as if he understood something. He leaned forward slightly, his palms resting on the water's surface, the sticky, silvery water seeping through his fingers.
“Slowly, in the past, when I said that Daohe Palace was not suitable for you, you would get angry with me. I am not speaking recklessly. You are different from all of us. You should only look at the sky.”
Daozi, who was always of noble character and without desires, told her that she only needed to look at the clear sky and not to look at the mud and snow.
At this moment, Lin Feiran seemed to not recognize him, but she was not surprised at all.
From the moment they met, Wei Changzai was like that exceptionally talented and untouchable beauty in the sect. When they went on missions together, he would always be cultivating with his eyes closed. If the others were no match for the demon beasts, he would step forward and slash them with his sword, his figure indifferent.
He is the most outstanding Daoist of this generation, a beacon of Dao in the eyes of all disciples, and a chosen one who can lead Daohe Palace to glory once again.
Over the years, Lin Feiran knew that his personality was somewhat different from that of ordinary people, but this was the first time he had said such words in front of her.
Lin Feiran looked him straight in the eye: "Just because you think it's not important, does that mean you can keep it from me forever? Wei Changzai, this is deception. What happens between you and Qiu Tong is your choice, and I can't interfere, but we've been friends for ten years after all. You shouldn't lie to me like they did."
Wei Changzai moved closer: "Why bother talking about unimportant people and unimportant things that will only cause you worry? You're becoming too serious. In this life, true joy is rare. Even if you don't realize it, you can still enjoy their care, even if it's fake. But your joy is real, isn't it?"
Between illusory joy and real pain, he made a choice for her, like a meticulously woven dream, in which she was buried amidst the swirling snow.
Taihui and Qingyu had hinted that she was too serious, and her fellow disciples had also laughed at her for being so serious. Everyone was the same; as long as things looked good on the surface, it didn't matter whether it was true or not. People who were too serious broke this rule, which is why they were annoying.
When Lin Feiran was fifteen, Chang Heng, the eldest disciple of Elder Kuang Feng, stole ten Three Yuan Emperor Pills and was bound in the center of the Daoist temple to be judged by the elders and disciples.
At that time, Lin Feiran had many questions and doubts. When the elders consulted the disciples, she stood up and pointed out the various unreasonable points, but she was only met with snickers and jeers. So she argued her case, and this usually quiet person almost fought a battle of wits with the group of scholars.
Bound, Chang Heng merely glanced up at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. He said, "Junior Sister, thank you. Go back now." Lin Feiran remained silent for a long time, not retreating. She simply stood there quietly, watching him lower his head, admit his guilt, and then have his spiritual veins severed and be sent down the mountain. She never saw him again.
At that time, Taihui patted her shoulder to comfort her.
"Feiran, whether Chang Heng stole or not is not important, and there is no need to investigate the reasons. You are still a teenager, so you may feel it is unfair and strange, but you will understand when you get older."
Why do we only understand these things when we grow up? Why isn't the truth important? With so many doubts, shouldn't we investigate more thoroughly?
Even now, she still doesn't understand that something wrong remains wrong no matter how many years have passed.
Now, even Wei Changzai tells her that she is being too serious.
She then asked, "None of that matters to you. Our engagement doesn't matter, whether it's real or fake doesn't matter. So what does matter?"
Wei Changzai looked at her and said, "It is fate. I have no affinity with you, but Qiu Tong is the one destined for me. But will we never see each other again? Is there only love between us? On the path of the Great Dao, the way of the Supreme Being, love is not important."
"You've forgotten that you cultivate the Dao of Unity of Heaven and Man... So, you weren't with me in the first place because you liked me?"
When it was Wei Changzai's turn to be silent, he seemed to be thinking, but he couldn't find a solution: "Slowly, I can't be sure, but I think it's not true, we are like-minded people."
Lin Feiran chuckled.
They're absolutely right.
If she didn't take it seriously, she could ignore Qiu Tong and cling to this marriage contract. If she didn't take it seriously, she could pretend not to know about the bone-changing incident and continue to enjoy Tai Hui Qing Yu's care. If she didn't take it seriously, she wouldn't have had to escape to the demon realm and make so many enemies.
“But I’m just so stubborn, what can I do? I can’t change it, and I don’t want to.” She raised her head and gazed at him quietly. “I went down the mountain to look for Senior Brother Chang Heng, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. Wei Changzai, tell me, where is he?”
Wei Changzai remained silent, looking back at her, his eyes reflecting the unmoving firelight.
Lin Feiran was certain in her heart: "You know where he is, and you know the truth, but you are still just like them, watching coldly from the sidelines, just like you did with me."
Wei Chang denied the second half of the statement: "I have never looked at you coldly."
The next moment, the spiritual energy she had painstakingly gathered coalesced into a blade of energy and attacked him like lightning. Wei Changzai did not dodge, and the blade of energy pierced straight into his arm. He was neither angry nor resentful, but just looked at her.
"Slowly, even when you were angry, you would never lay a hand on me."
The attack hit its mark, but Lin Feiran's accumulated spiritual energy was instantly depleted. She retreated, panting, intending to find another opening, but the surrounding silver water surged and gradually wrapped around her limbs, like a cold, lurking snake finally making its move, rendering her unable to move.
She understood Wei Changzai and knew that the saying that the core of the formation was him was absolutely true, but in the same way, he also understood her.
He was just waiting, wanting to know if Lin Feiran would make that move.
She did leave after all.
Wei Changzai stood up, his light-colored Taoist robe mostly soaked and dripping water. He walked towards Lin Feiran without a care: "Take your time. I'll take you to Dongyu Prefecture first, then find a doctor to examine your injuries. We can talk about other things later..."
He reached out his hand to Lin Feiran, and a shadow flashed out quickly. With a bark, a small white-furred beast appeared out of nowhere and bit his palm, pawing wildly with its front paws and kicking its hind legs in the air.
Wei Chang hesitated for a moment, but did not shake it off. Instead, he glanced at Lin Feiran, continued to hold her wrist, and then said, "Is this your new dog? How did it get in here? If you want, you can take it with you."
Lin Feiran: "...This is a fox."
Ignoring the blood flowing from the base of his palm, Wei Changzai replied, "A fox is fine, anything is acceptable."
Lin Feiran seemed to sense something, looked up at him, and saw a fish trembling deep in his pupils. She said, "This fox is not mine."
"Well..." It doesn't matter. If you like, you can kidnap me.
Before the last sentence could be uttered, the magic circle suddenly trembled, and ripples spread across the shallow water, causing it to shake violently.
The green-eyed fox immediately released him, barked, and ran backward, stopping beside a white figure. Suddenly, it felt confident, raising its head and wagging its tail.
The newcomer scoffed, "Fool! What kind of person uses such sinister techniques? You dare to bite without even opening your mouth?"
Author's Note: This is what a creepy male ghost is like—omnipresent, relentless, and only a major breach in his defenses can make him quiet for a while. With an ex-boyfriend like this, what time would you be home? (X)
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