Chapter 277 Reunion "...My life is nearing its end."
Although Chen Qi's recitation was somewhat jarring, it sounded exceptionally harmonious in the quiet night.
Halfway through his chant, he seemed to remember something, and his doe-like eyes suddenly welled up with tears. His face turned pale, and he choked back sobs as he wiped his eyes. His voice became muffled, but he continued chanting, appearing somewhat broken.
Gu Buhui couldn't help but sigh, "The food seems alright; at least I still have some strength left."
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Lin Feiran, who was looking around, and asked, "You have good eyesight, how do you see? Is there really no one guarding this place?"
Amid Shen Qi's mournful cries, Lin Feiran's gaze quietly shifted to the eaves. She paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Although there's no one here, this is the most heavily guarded place."
Gu Buhui followed her gaze and saw, in the darkness, the outlines of six glazed statues on the roof ridge above the palace lanterns were faintly revealed.
Those were originally ridge beasts used to connect the eaves of the palace. Many palaces have several on their eaves, but the ones here are made of glazed tiles and are only the size of a wine cup. They stand on the roof ridge from left to right, with strangely shaped heads and different postures.
Leading the group was a Taoist priest riding a crane, waving a whisk, followed in order by a giant lion stepping on clouds, a winged celestial horse, a cunning lion with sharpened claws, a fish that crosses the sea, and a monkey-faced humanoid beast scratching its head and tail.
Gu Buhui had no spiritual power, so although he couldn't see the strangeness in it, he only glanced at it a few times and felt an indescribable pressure. His mind was heavy and his eyes were dizzy. He suddenly shivered, but because his aura was equally extraordinary, he didn't actually get dizzy.
He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, then suddenly remembered something and said, "These are not ordinary spine beasts. I heard that when Ding Yi was traveling in the human world at the beginning of the Can Star Domain, he subdued several strange beasts. Could these be them?"
Lin Feiran withdrew his gaze, pondered for a moment, and nodded, saying, "I have also heard about it. Strange beasts are not inanimate objects like magic arrays, nor are they as suspicious as cultivators. It is indeed much safer to use them for guarding."
Gu Buhui simply lay down on the roof: "We can't go in right now, so I'll just rest here. You have no idea, that guy was chasing me like a mad dog, I couldn't shake him off no matter what I did, and I almost lost my life."
Lin Feiran glanced at him and said sincerely, "Senior, it's already quite impressive that you were able to get ahead of him with your mortal body."
Gu Buhui chuckled: "I have a secret treasure."
He pulled down his boots, revealing the spirit jade wrapped around his legs, and laughed, "No matter how strong a mortal's body is, it is ultimately inferior to that of a cultivator. One still needs to borrow some external power."
He gave Lin Feiran a teasing look: "He only said two sentences to me, but I pretended not to understand the second one. Do you know what he asked?"
Lin Feiran asked, "What are you doing here?"
Gu Buhui smiled and shook her head: "He asked me if I knew Lin Feiran."
Her gaze sharpened slightly, but she only sighed. Gu Buhui continued, "I pretended not to understand, but he knew I did, so he left without saying a word and cleared away all the traces on the road for me."
Lin Feiran waited quietly for him to continue, but Gu Buhui fell silent again, pointed to the opposite side, and asked in surprise, "What is this kid going to do now?"
The person who was singing a passionate and tragic song just a moment ago was now slowly climbing up the roof.
Suddenly, one of the glass statues flickered with light, and a giant lion stepped out from it, circling around Shen Qi, but not to protect him, but to bar its teeth at him with an impatient look.
As if it were a habit, Shen Qi showed no fear on his face. He bowed to the giant lion and said in a sorrowful, deep voice, "Brother Lion, I have come to bother you again. Please forgive me. As you all know, morning is a good time."
The giant lion swung its tail in extreme frustration, pacing back and forth, seemingly wanting to kick him off, but forced to swallow its anger due to orders.
Following the sound of the wind, Gu Buhui faintly heard something and couldn't help but ask, "What a good time?"
"have no idea."
Lin Feiran was also very puzzled. She calculated the timing in her mind and thought that perhaps it was a way to ask for help.
The next moment, Shen Qi raised his hand, his elegant white robe billowing in the wind, quite conspicuous. He said in a hoarse voice, "Feiran, soul, return! You cannot linger in the underworld! The cold water is bone-chilling, leaving only loneliness. Soul, return! You cannot fall from the sky, for the north wind howls, tearing skin and breaking bones..."
Gu Buhui stared silently for a moment, then turned and asked, "Is he trying to summon your soul?"
This action might be considered ridiculous by cultivators, but Lin Feiran felt no amusement. Summoning the soul was not about summoning the soul, but about expressing grief and hoping that the person in the afterlife would rest in peace.
When her parents passed away, she stood on the roof and called out to their spirits. Only she knew the reluctance and longing she felt.
Lin Feiran hadn't expected that, even when Shen Qi was facing such a life-or-death decision, he would still have the heart to summon her soul so that she could rest in peace. The depth of his intentions was self-evident; he truly regarded her as a close friend.
Gu Buhui sighed, "The news of your death had actually spread far and wide long ago, but he was detained and unable to communicate, and I couldn't bear to tell him, so he remained unaware."
They probably learned of this situation while being taken to Luoyang.
"Right now, the only people in the world who still uphold etiquette and law are the disciples of their Imperial Academy."
Shen Qi's voice was mournful, carrying an indescribable sadness and sentimentality, but for these strange beasts that had been with him for so long, it must have been numb and annoyed by the sound.
The giant lion paced faster and faster, and when he finally stopped making noise, it couldn't wait to grab him by the scruff of his neck and throw him back into the house.
Lin Feiran watched as Shen Qi sat down at the table with a blank expression, but then noticed something was wrong: "He moves around using his hands and feet, not magic. There's something wrong with his spiritual power."
Gu Buhui asked in confusion, "Perhaps they sealed his spiritual veins to prevent him from escaping?"
Lin Feiran slowly shook his head.
Shen Qi is a descendant of the Human Emperor. He was born without spiritual veins and could not cultivate. Only with the Reincarnation Pearl in his body could he cultivate and break through realms. Now he can only act like a mortal. Perhaps there is something wrong with the Reincarnation Pearl.
If it had been dug out earlier, these strange beasts wouldn't be guarding this place, but if it's still inside...
Lin Feiran couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
Since she used her spiritual power, the Heart Vow Lock has gradually regained its light. The spell, like scattered snowflakes, can only temporarily slow down its connection and cannot break the vow. Now the Heart Lock is already one-third lit up, and it may be fully connected in a few days. At that time, her fake death will no longer be able to be hidden.
Since the goal is to take Shenqi away, it must be done before the esoteric sects discover it.
Her gaze returned to the row of roof beasts, and her fingertips slowly began to caress them.
...
Meanwhile, Ru Xian was seeing patients somewhere in Luoyang. A long queue had already formed in front of his clinic, with people whose faces were either withered or haggard slowly moving forward. The thick smell of illness carried a hint of decay.
He sat at the table, his face veiled, the gold thread at his fingertips broken. His cool, slender hand pressed directly against the patient's wrist pulse. Without the patient needing to say anything, he pulled out a silver needle tempered by spiritual fire from the side, deftly inserted it into the acupoint, wrote down a prescription, and handed it to the cultivator beside him.
These two young cultivators were originally disciples of the Langhuan Sect. Besides governing the world and saving people, they also came here to hone their skills.
They were originally there to assist their senior brothers and sisters, but they were drawn to this person's superb skills. However, before they could even ask for his advice, he handed them the prescription.
"Get the medicine."
These two words seemed to have some special magic; without asking them any questions, they started working for him without even realizing it.
Ru Xian moved with incredible speed. For each patient he examined, he would casually draw a line in the book next to him. In less than an hour, the first page was already filled with drawings.
As the two were fetching medicine and studying, they became so busy that they were almost dizzy. Then one of them saw a figure sitting against a big tree at the alley entrance and couldn't help but ask, "Are they going to see a doctor or not?"
Another person replied, "Who knows? I saw that the woman was weak and her arms were trembling slightly. I'm afraid her days are numbered."
The two men spoke with great regret. Ru Xian paused slightly upon hearing this, then looked up in the direction of their gaze. When he saw the figure clearly, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
He certainly knew those two people.
The man sitting on a withered tree, cutting the hair of the person in his arms, is none other than Qi Chen, who moved from the human realm to the demon capital a long time ago.
The woman in his arms, whose face he couldn't see clearly, was undoubtedly his wife.
Ru Xian recalled the words they had said to her before they left the Demon Capital.
He turned to the two people beside him and asked, "Do you know them?"
The two hesitated and said, "We can't really say we know each other, but they've been in Luoyang for almost two months and come here every morning to sit. They're familiar with all the cultivators in this area who come for consultations."
Ru Xian then asked, "Didn't they come here for a consultation?"
The two shook their heads: "It's strange, really. That woman was clearly a mortal suffering from a cold, but they just passed by without stopping to examine her even once. The reason she stayed in that tree seems to be because she could see the sunrise from there."
Ru Xian lowered her eyes slightly, pondering for a moment: "How long do they usually stay here?"
"They will leave once the sun sets and the rays of the sunset shine through the crack."
Ru Xian remained silent, glanced at the queue again, and continued with the consultations. Only after the days had passed and a sliver of soft red light shone through the gap in the eastern sky did he stand up, look at the still endless queue, and say something.
"You've learned for a day now, so treat them using the methods I used before. I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
The two looked at him with bewildered expressions and couldn't help but ask, "Senior, will you be coming again tomorrow?"
Ru Xian paused slightly, then looked away: "Again."
He put away the booklet beside him and strode towards the alley entrance.
Beneath the withered banyan tree, Qi Chen was tidying up the fox fur coat of the person in his arms. His slightly delicate face concealed a hint of sadness. They still carried a bamboo basket between them, but the basket no longer contained bright flowers; instead, it held a withered, unopened peach branch.
This time, Ru Xian didn't get too close. Perhaps because he finally understood their feelings, he gave them enough time to be together and didn't disturb them.
When he arrived at their courtyard, he did not go any further. Instead, he stood on the high wall with his arms crossed and looked down.
Qi Chen carried the exhausted girl into the room, then lit a lamp. He sat on the edge of the bed, whispering something to Cheng Hua. The warm yellow light shone between them, finally illuminating his gloomy eyes.
Soon after, the girl fell into a deep sleep. Qi Chen watched her quietly for a while before tucking her in, getting up and looking out the window at the figure standing in the wind.
He walked into the courtyard, where the man had already taken his seat in the pavilion.
Qi Chen looked at him without any sarcasm in his eyes, and simply asked, "Lord, have you thought it through and decided to join the Secret Sect?"
As if wisps of snowflakes raised their eyebrows, they simply said, "Perhaps. How about orange blossoms?"
"...His life is nearing its end."
"You don't seem as sad as I thought."
Qi Chen walked into the pavilion, waved his sleeve, and the fire on the table gradually became brighter.
"I am still heartbroken, but I know that I will see her again."
He sat down opposite Ru Xian and raised his eyes.
“I know you have a grudge against the esoteric sect, but I also know that you and I are the same kind of people. What hatred or not, as long as I can see her again, nothing else matters.”
This is not an admonition to you to join Tantric Buddhism, but rather a heartfelt message to someone who, like me, is at their wit's end.
Lin Feiran has helped us a lot, and I don't want to see her die in vain.
Ru Xian looked at him, tapping her fingertips lightly: "You're right, but I want to know, can Tantric Buddhism really allow me to see her again?"
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