Chapter 278 A Mighty Force "You white-haired chicken spirit!"...
The night breeze has subsided, and the lamplight flickers.
Qi Chen did not answer; he simply looked down at the candle flame that seemed to be about to dissipate in the wind.
Although Ru Xian was not in a hurry, he would occasionally tap his fingertips, pretending to be patient. His gaze fell on the person in front of him, on that face that was somewhat too delicate for a man, and he suddenly recalled their first meeting.
The Demon Capital is peaceful and tranquil enough that countless demons want to relocate there. They still need to be screened, let alone humans.
Although Ruxian had traveled in the human realm for several years, she did not actually have much affection for the human race.
He disliked the presence of too many humans in the place where he slept. The reason Zhang Siwo was able to stay was because he was able to create an artifact to suppress the chaos of the spiritual veins.
On the day he arrived, Ru Xian happened to be repairing the Jingchuan Dojo outside the city. The original dojo was no longer enough for the warlike demons to compete, so he wanted to add a Sumeru Illusionary Realm.
Xun Feifei and the others were also there at the time. Dust and wind were rolling outside the city, and the group quickly sensed the subtle pressure brought by the high-level cultivators.
Turning around, they saw a rather exquisite carriage approaching slowly, with a handsome man driving the horses in front and an enthusiastic young girl sitting on the roof of the carriage behind.
She carried a floral-patterned bundle, her face beaming with excitement. While drinking from her water bottle, she also kept looking around.
"Qi Chen, the people here are dressed so beautifully!"
The girl put down the kettle and stared wide-eyed at the demons coming and going.
"They don't allow carriages and horses into the city, do you want to get off?"
Qi Chen withdrew his gaze from Ru Xian and the others, jumped down from the carriage, and the two chatted for a few more minutes with smiles on their faces. Then, the girl took his hand from a distance and jumped down from the top of the carriage, where he caught her steadily.
Ru Xian wasn't very curious. She only glanced at him from afar, and after realizing that he meant no harm, she looked away. Jingchuan's reconstruction was only one step away from completion, and she just wanted to finish as soon as possible and go back to rest.
After all, it's daytime now.
Qi Chen was also very perceptive. After whispering a few words to the person next to him, he led her here. It was Xun Feifei and Qingzhu who came forward to talk.
Upon hearing their purpose, Xun Feifei stated bluntly: "Demons do not accept humans."
Qingzhu stood to the side with a smile on his face, but he did not agree. He just looked at Qi Chen with an inscrutable gaze.
Orange Blossom's gaze swept over the group, her earlier excitement turning into shyness. She said somewhat embarrassedly, "So that's how it is... Qi Chen, how about we go to Jihai? I grew up in the snowfields and have never seen the sea. Living by the sea would be nice!"
Qi Chen shook his head: "My lord, please tell the Demon Lord that I happen to possess a Mirage Pearl, which would greatly facilitate the establishment of my Daoist temple. I wonder if I could exchange it for a place to stay?"
Xun Feifei adjusted the silver mask, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "A mirage pearl?"
What a coincidence?
His gaze narrowed slightly, then he quickly looked back. The unfinished dojo was only in its rudimentary form, the rest being a blurry, multicolored scene. A moment later, Ruxie emerged from it, sizing up the two travel-worn figures.
Orange Blossom's eyes widened instantly, and she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
She thought Qi Chen was already quite good-looking, but she never expected to meet someone with such charm.
Xun Feifei and the others were already used to such sentiments. Moreover, for the people present, Chenghua's age was not enough to warrant any argument with her. Therefore, Ru Xian only glanced at her before shifting her gaze to Qi Chen, raising her eyebrows slightly as if to ask a question.
Qi Chen immediately took out a strangely shaped pearl, but it was radiant and very smooth. The better the mirage pearl, the less perfect it was.
"I heard that the Lord wanted to repair Jingchuan. I happened to have such a bead, so I came here specifically to exchange it for a place to stay. Fortunately, I did not miss it."
Furthermore, my wife and I are here sincerely to recuperate and will absolutely not cause any trouble, so please rest assured.
His words were perfectly worded, without a single flaw, and Orange Blossom nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, everyone, I'm just a mortal, and everyone here is a cultivator. Even if I wanted to cause trouble, I wouldn't be able to!"
Xun Feifei: "..."
Qingzhu remained silent for a long time before finally sighing softly and speaking up, "If we had this bead, we could expand our dojo right now, which would be timely. Why did you two insist on coming to the Demon Capital?"
Qi Chen returned the greeting and said slowly, "My wife has a chronic illness and needs a warm place to recuperate. The Demon Capital is spring-like all year round, very stable, and has a set of rules to govern everyone. If I have to travel far away, it will be safer for her, a mortal, to be here alone."
Qingzhu nodded slightly and turned to look at Ruxian.
He looked at Qi Chen for a long time before accepting the mirage pearl, which was considered his agreement. The two of them then settled down there.
At this moment, Qi Chen, who had been silent for a long time, twitched her eyelashes and finally raised her eyes to look at him.
"Because of merits," Qi Chen said calmly. "You should have heard that the Secret Sect is said to be omnipotent. Its followers can petition the Dao Lord based on their merits. The greater the merit, the greater the petition, and life and death are also involved."
Ru Xian wasn't swayed by his words, but looked at him and said, "I'm asking how you did it. I won't gamble with her. I won't use methods that aren't certain."
Qi Chen exhaled slowly and flicked the wick.
“I have sworn an oath that I cannot tell you this, but I can assure you that the Dao Lord does indeed possess such extraordinary abilities.”
Bi Sheng said he was the embodiment of the Way of Heaven, and she said we were following the Way of Heaven...
I wasn't as fanatical as her, and I still had some doubts, but after experiencing it firsthand, I sometimes felt a sense of bewilderment. Perhaps the will of Heaven is real, perhaps he truly is.
Qi Chen turned to look at the small house behind him. Through the window, he saw a bulge under the quilt.
He paused for a moment: "Now that Orange Blossom is still alive, I cannot break my vow and tell you the method, but you can find another person to verify it."
Ru Shan raised an eyebrow: "Who are you looking for?"
“Fuyin is that small Taoist boy who once caused a ruckus in the Demon Capital.”
Qi Chen turned to look at him.
"Although we all have the Nine Swords, there are differences between us. Someone like me can only be considered an ally of the Secret Sect with conflicting interests, and there is always the possibility of us turning against them."
Bi Sheng knew this in his heart, which is why he wouldn't tell us many things.
But Fuyin and Aoxue are different; they are also people who sincerely follow the Dao Master, and he knows far more than I do.
For example, aren't you curious why he caused such a scene at that banquet?
As Ru Xian pondered, she naturally recalled that inexplicable farce: "That was entirely aimed at Lin Feiran, and you don't know why?"
"I know a little." Qi Chen lowered his eyes. "The Nine Swords travel the world for the esoteric sect. Do you know what their main task is?"
Ru Xian looked at him, her lightly tapping fingertips pausing slightly: "Recruiting followers?"
Qi Chen smiled and shook his head: "As long as wishes can come true and the manifestation of the Heavenly Way remains, the Esoteric Sect will never lack followers."
What we need to do is eliminate the outliers.
Ru Shan frowned: "What is an anomaly?"
Qi Chen's fingertips landed on the stone table, turned slightly, and wrote a few words, but his gaze was fixed on him: "People like Lin Feiran who shouldn't appear in the demon realm are called anomalies."
Ru Xian looked at those words, her eyes slightly narrowed.
“Fu Yin attacked Lin Feiran for this reason,” he continued. “However, we don’t know the reason either. The only person who knows is Bi Sheng.”
At this point, Qi Chen couldn't help but chuckle.
"But during these three months, Wei Changzai has been harassing her like a mad dog, and you have also been trying to ambush and kill her. Many sect disciples have also begun to investigate the secret sect. She is indeed very busy and overwhelmed. Now, the ones who go out are her spirit puppets. I don't know where her real body is."
Therefore, you can go find Fuyin.
He may not know everything, but he certainly knows more than I do.
Ru Xian looked at him, her emerald eyes gleaming in the night, seemingly unfathomable.
He chuckled softly, as if recalling something: "If Lin Feiran were sitting here today, she would thank you for your kindness and keep quiet about the doubts, but I am not her."
You are a valuable ally to Tantric Buddhism, so I'd like to know why you're suddenly willing to say these things.
Out of gratitude to Lin Feiran, if Qi Chen truly intended to offer guidance, he could have stopped there after telling him that he could join the esoteric sect to seek a way to revive himself. This was because he was an ally of the esoteric sect for many years, and he needed to petition the Dao Lord; he couldn't afford to sever all ties.
In fact, that's exactly what he did.
After that, Ru Xian never saw him again.
Today's meeting should have been like this, but he took the initiative to bring up these words, even wanting to tear apart and dissect the secrets of the esoteric religion and lay them bare before him. However, he did not know enough, so he was unable to do so.
His current actions are not simply about pointing the way, but more like...
“You can clearly see that this is just an incompetent person venting his anger, using you as a tool to do so.”
Ru Xian looked at him silently, but Qi Chen smiled, a smile that was unusually gloomy.
"I've figured out a lot of things over the past few months."
Orange Blossom died from a cold-related illness. I always thought it was a chronic disease, a curse. To save her, I joined a secret religious sect. But only now do I understand that without the sect, there would be no cold-related illness.
Ru Xian scrutinized him. This man, who had smiled and spoken softly when they first met, was neither humble nor arrogant, and seemed to have everything under control, now appeared dejected and indifferent. His eyes no longer held any light, but were replaced by a sense of bewilderment.
He said, "But what's the point of thinking it through? I'm already in the mire, and I can't get out."
If I had known from the beginning, I would have done the same as you, hunting down Bi Sheng. But now that I have experienced resurrection, if I don't continue to ally with them, I will not be able to petition and will never see Cheng Hua again.
Whether it's hatred or anger, I've come this far.
“When Lin Feiran helped me get the hibiscus branch, I told her that if she had any questions, she could come to me, but she never did. So I’ll tell you this today.”
Qi Chen stood up and then poured Ru Xian a cup of hot tea.
"If you want to follow me into the deep abyss, I can recommend you to join the esoteric sect. If you don't want to, I've said all I can say. The night is long and the wind is cold. Here's a cup of warm tea. Please make yourself at home."
After he finished speaking, he got up and went back into the room, but not to rest. Instead, he sat down by the bed, leaned against the bed railing, and quietly watched the person sleeping on the bed.
Ru Xian did not drink the tea. He sat for a while before getting up. When he walked out of the pavilion, he paused and glanced into the window.
"Actually, I have another question. My medical skills are now considered unparalleled in the world. Ordinary people may not know this, but cultivators like you must know it."
Since you believe that cold-related illness is a chronic ailment, why have you never asked me to treat you in all these years in the Demon Capital?
In the warm yellow room, Qi Chen looked up and saw a smile suddenly appear on his face, which was perfectly suited for drawing eyebrows and lips. The light and shadow on his face swayed gently, making his gaze sparkle.
"Does Your Excellency think I haven't come looking for you?"
As if about to ask again, Qi Chen lowered his eyes and looked at the girl in his dream with furrowed brows and frost on her eyebrows. He raised his hand to wipe away the frost, and gently sang a tune from Jiangnan Water Melody. The person on the bed gradually fell asleep.
As Xue looked over, perhaps thinking of herself, she ultimately didn't disturb him any further, lingered for a moment, and then turned and left.
...
Meanwhile, Lin Feiran and Gu Buhui were looking at the few spineless beasts, pondering in their hearts.
Gu Buhui stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "I remember now, there are tokens in the Canxing Domain that can command the spine beasts, why don't we go and steal them today?"
Lin Feiran shook his head: "Since it's used to imprison Chen Qi, the token must be on Ding Yi. The risk of it being stolen is too great, so it's better to..."
A sudden inspiration struck her, and she came up with a wicked idea.
"Senior, have you heard of Rainfall City? It's a place that's practically a world unto itself."
Having traveled the world for many years, Gu Buhui naturally knew this, and he immediately nodded.
Lin Feiran said, "If we can send them all to Rainfall City the moment we confront the Spine Beasts, then rescuing Shen Qi will be a matter of a blink of an eye."
Gu Buhui was about to clap his hands when he suddenly paused: "Wait, why not just send Chen Qi to Yuluo City?"
Lin Feiran pointed to the row of glass sculptures: "These roof beasts are all different. The white crane at the head is called Fanmu. It can see through magic. If I had only sent Chen Qi away, I'm afraid my Di Yu would have been stopped by it as soon as I entered the courtyard."
Gu Buhui squinted and looked over, then suddenly realized, "So it was Fanmu. Then the last one with a monkey head and a human body must be Qingmian. I heard it can transform into human form and use magic. Is that true?"
Lin Feiran nodded in a deep voice: "Among the strange beasts, it is the most troublesome. No matter how strong the others are, they are still just beasts. But it is like a mirror. It can learn whatever techniques others use without any error. It is very difficult to deal with."
Gu Buhui was silent for a moment: "But will Lord Yuluo City agree to the method you mentioned?"
Lin Feiran nodded: "I have been to Rainfall City. There is a water-shaped prison inside. You can trap the strange beasts in it and then return to Luoyang City. It will only take a quarter of an hour at most. You might even be able to set up an ambush in the city without endangering it. However, the water prison has not been used for a long time. I need to discuss it with the city lord before it is put into use."
Gu Buhui naturally had no objection: "Alright, I'll stay here and keep watch, you go..."
Before they could finish saying they would split up, they both realized something, fell silent, and looked quietly to their right.
Under the cover of night, several figures dressed in black suddenly appeared. The leader looked around for a moment before scaling the wall and entering. He crouched down and approached the artificial hill beside the courtyard, carefully looking into the courtyard.
"This is?"
Lin Feiran observed carefully and deduced their origins from their movements: "They are disciples of the Imperial Academy."
After observing for a while, the group raised their arms and made a gesture. Several more heads appeared around them, and figures moved in all directions, surrounding the palace.
It wasn't just the Imperial Academy that came; there were also disciples from the Taiji Immortal Sect, Langhuan Sect, the Lu Clan of Dongyu Prefecture, the Murong Clan of Nanping Prefecture, the Ye Clan of Daze Prefecture in Xixiang... Many sects and families that could be named sent their disciples.
Gu Buhui could also tell that this group of people were not all from the Imperial Academy faction, and he immediately gasped: "They've come to rescue people. Are they planning to take advantage of their numbers and launch a full-scale attack?"
Lin Feiran shook his head: "The people who came all have excellent movement skills. They must be some of the top disciples in the sect. Sending them out would definitely not be for a direct attack."
As expected, the group of people surrounding them remained silent for a few moments, as if waiting for their chance. Once everyone was in place, the leading disciple from the Imperial Academy released a firefly that glowed with light.
As soon as the fluttering larva entered the courtyard, a white shadow swooped down—it was the white crane beneath the immortal's seat.
It snatched the firefly, flapped its wings and took flight. On its outstretched wings, white feathers stood up. Upon closer inspection, each feather had a blinking eye, its pupil constantly moving and scanning. Gu Buhui's hair stood on end, and his eyes glazed over.
But before long, as soon as the firefly entered its mouth, the pupils on its wings began to tremble incessantly. After a moment, it began to spin as if drunk, and then slowly returned to the glass statue, where it remained motionless.
As if they had rehearsed it many times, when the white crane became dizzy, everyone approached silently. Some formed a formation, some drew talismans, some picked up a brush, and some summoned magic weapons. Their movements were dazzling, yet silent and orderly. Everyone only looked at the strange beast they were going to deal with. In less than a quarter of an hour, everything was resolved silently.
They failed to kill the beasts, but they did manage to return them to the statues, where they remained motionless.
The disciples from the Imperial Academy rushed into the room. From a distance, it was clear that both they and Shen Qi had red eyes. After whispering a few words, the disciples hurriedly led their people out.
Shen Qi bowed to everyone, but before he could speak, someone grabbed him and said, "Don't bother with formalities at a time like this. The magic weapons given to us by our masters won't last long. Let's go!"
Shen Qi had no choice but to nod, and together with the others, they formed hand seals and rode away on the wind.
Lin Feiran looked over and said, "Senior, there are still virtuous and ambitious people in the world. You can accomplish things without me."
Gu Buhui, who had originally intended to go with her, paused upon hearing this, glanced at her sideways, and said meaningfully, "Is that so? I do see something else in your eyes. Are you wondering why everyone else can travel in groups, but you are all alone?"
Lin Feiran did not deny it: "There was a moment when I saw them working together."
Gu Buhui stood up and stretched: "Do you still remember when we first met, and we discussed the way of chivalry? I said chivalry is nothing; it has no fame, no pleasure, only the heart to break the law with martial arts."
Just like today, those who break the law are destined to be different from others, and being different means being alone.
But on this path, you will meet many people who, like you, have chosen to be "alone," such as me.
Therefore, the path of chivalry is not lonely even when one is alone.
Keep moving forward, and you'll meet more people.
Lin Feiran looked in the direction where the disciples had disappeared, and after a moment smiled and sighed, "Truly a lone hero."
Gu Buhui smiled back and looked at her: "I want to go and see, shall we come together?"
Lin Feiran paused for a moment, then shook his head: "Since someone saved him, I don't need to get involved anymore. But senior, you said you would help me find that person. Now that you've left, when will you return?"
Gu Buhui looked down at her: "It's been found."
Lin Feiran stood up in surprise: "Who?"
Gu Buhui sighed softly, with a hint of a smile: "I haven't finished speaking yet. When I was confronting Wei Changzai, my speed was certainly not slow, but his movement technique was also extraordinary. Do you know how I dodged him?"
Lin Feiran's heart stirred, and her eyebrows and eyes slightly rose.
Gu Buhui smiled: "That's right. When I saw him and got close to him, that kind of radiant light after the rain reappeared. No matter how good his movements were, he was like a fire in the dark night in my eyes, very conspicuous, and I could easily avoid him."
The reason he let me go wasn't just because I knew you, but also because he recognized me.
Lin Feiran suddenly loosened her grip on her hand. She looked at a certain spot in the void, feeling surprised, but not so surprised.
Wei Changzai is the male protagonist of the book. He is blessed with good fortune, so how could he not be magnificent?
Gu Buhui looked at her expression, chuckled softly, and slowly put on the veil.
"However, he is not the only one who embodies the glow of dawn after the rain in my eyes."
Lin Feiran immediately looked up, puzzled, "Who else? Qiu Tong?"
Gu Buhui shook his head. Beneath the black veil, his lips curved slightly, and the long lip marks at the corners of his lips rose up.
"Far away, yet right before my eyes."
“Feiran, the first time I saw you in Chuncheng, I saw this radiance. Now this light is getting brighter and brighter, even more so than before, and it is now comparable to him.”
He stood up and leaped onto the roof ridge, saying meaningfully, "When looking at others, we must look at ourselves even more."
Gu Buhui said goodbye and his figure quickly disappeared into the night.
Lin Feiran's eyes flickered slightly as she looked down. In the darkness, her features were clearly reflected on the blade of the sword.
...
Back outside the palace, Lin Feiran went to the vicinity of the medical tent that had been set up, but after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find Ru Xian's figure.
She was puzzled, but it was inconvenient for her to ask. She tried to call out to it with her mind, but only got a reply after a few moments. She became more and more curious, so she simply commanded the Yin-Yang Fish to follow the black fish. After turning left and right, they ended up in a dense forest outside Luoyang City.
In the dense forest, Ru Xian stood under a tree, while in front of him knelt on one knee, covered in wounds.
Looking from afar, she telepathically asked, "The thing you said you had to do was stop Fuyin?"
The figure in front paused, and Ru Xian glanced sideways, catching a glimpse of that familiar figure in her peripheral vision. She was crouching in a tree, leaning out to look at them.
Ru Xian withdrew her gaze and looked in front of her, thinking to herself, "The person has been rescued?"
Lin Feiran shook his head: "I hadn't even made a move when his fellow disciples rescued him. Why did you stop him?"
At this point, she pressed for details.
Instead of responding with telepathy, Ru Xian spoke aloud: "What exactly can merit do? Aren't you going to tell me?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Feiran suddenly realized what was going on. She was also very curious about it and immediately moved closer.
Fu Yin simply stared at him coldly and said, word by word, "I've seen your soul-searching skills, but you can't find my soul, and I won't tell you."
He closed his eyes, knelt down on his other leg, faced the night sky, and calmly said, "I swear to follow the Dao Master to the death."
Ru Xian only looked at him: "When I killed you with one blow, I was careless. I didn't expect you to be a body with two souls. Soul searching is indeed useless to you, but the pain is real."
Fuyin still did not make a move.
With a raised eyebrow and a gesture that hinted at a villainous air, she asked, "Brother isn't afraid of pain, and neither is sister?"
Fu Yin immediately opened her eyes to look at him, but before she could stop him, Ru Xian's hand had already landed on her head. The next moment, a pain as if her tendons were being pulled out of her bones poured out, without any transition, and she was instantly plunged into hell.
The sharp screams echoed through the dense forest, but were blocked by layers of branches and failed to travel.
Gradually, Fuyin's voice began to change, sometimes turning into a muffled groan of pain, and sometimes into a wild scream.
Before long, the shout turned into cursing, and the voice became as shrill as a little girl's.
"You white-haired chicken spirit! How dare you treat your grandma like this! I won't say a word, even if it hurts to death! In a few days, when the Dao Lord comes in person, I'll have him shave your head until you're bald... Brother, it hurts so much... The Dao Lord will kill you all..."
Lin Feiran's gaze sharpened, and his mind immediately focused on what she had just said.
What does it mean for the Dao Lord to personally arrive? Why does he personally arrive?
Ru Xian raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting, feigning anger as she said, "You cowardly rat, how dare you appear before us?"
"You, you little nobody! You dare to show your face, how could the Dao Lord not dare!"
Fu Xia's sobs were intermittent, interspersed with Fu Yin's words: "Fu Xia, don't speak, he's..."
The next moment, Fu Xia burst into tears and howls again. She was clearly somewhat delirious, and her words sounded like babbling.
"It hurts so much... In a few days, during the sacrificial ceremony, I'm going to throw you into a pot and boil you. I'll take a bite, and then my brother will take a bite... Dao Lord... Dao Lord is a vegetarian..."
Once we unearth the bead, the Dao Lord will personally descend to retrieve the Reincarnation Bead, bringing dawn to the new world.
Lin Feiran pondered what the sacrificial ceremony to heaven she mentioned was, but then thought to herself, thankfully Shen Qi was rescued, so even if they wanted to dig out the bead, it would be impossible...
wrong!
At that moment, Lin Feiran suddenly stood up, the branches rustling beneath her feet. She suddenly remembered a detail she had overlooked.
When she and Gu Buhui met Shen Qi, he clearly climbed onto the roof with difficulty, and his movements seemed to indicate that his spiritual power was sealed. However, when the others took him away, he used the Wind Control Technique just like everyone else!
She carefully recalled that silent battle of wits, and a chill crept into her heart.
The monkey-faced, human-bodied tattooed creature was extremely troublesome, and it took the most effort for everyone to deal with it. But did it actually return to the glass statue in the end?
wrong!
Lightning flashed beneath Lin Feiran's feet, and in the next instant, she immediately chased after the direction those people had left in!
Author's Note: P.S.: Updating every other day was too disruptive to my writing process, so I discussed it with the publisher, and they agreed to postpone it a bit. Now that time isn't too tight, I'll resume my previous update schedule. [emoji]
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