Chapter 311 The original discoverer was the one who first discovered you, this variable...
"He told me that I would eventually guess his identity, but we never expected it to be under these circumstances."
The courtyard remained quiet, while the room was sweltering. Qi Chen bent down to tuck the blanket around Cheng Hua before looking at Lin Feiran.
"In fact, when you came here today, he turned off the lights in the house, meaning that you should not see him."
You understand him, you should know that's why you pushed open this door, right?
Lin Feiran stood in the room and did not deny it.
Perhaps knowing that Chenghua's condition had taken a turn for the better, Qi Chen looked much better. He looked towards the door and spoke in a slightly lower voice.
“I was with Bi Sheng recently, but she has fewer and fewer people she can rely on, so she insisted that I go there in person. I was worried about Chenghua, so I asked him to come here and take care of her for me…”
Lin Feiran frowned slightly: "Why hasn't Bi Sheng contacted him... Is it because she's seriously ill?"
Qi Chen sighed, his lips parted and closed repeatedly, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally decided to tell them what had happened.
"Yes and no. Back then, in order to help you, he secretly made a puppet body. Nobody knew about it, not even me."
Later, during the battle in the canyon, you were shot by an arrow and died, falling into the lake. The scene became chaotic, and no one cared about anyone else. I was with him at that moment, and it was then that I saw a thin crack appear on his face.
Like a piece of bamboo with cracked veins, it traced a line from the center of her forehead to the corner of her eye, and instantly spread to her lips…
At this point, he recalled the scene from that day and the sprayed blood mist, but ultimately did not say those things, only mentioning the crack.
He continued, "How could Bi Sheng not know about such a big change? It's just that she was in high spirits at the time. When she returned to the sect to celebrate, she asked a few questions briefly, sent some rare and precious herbs, and then the matter was forgotten."
Later, you were resurrected again, and everyone knew something was amiss. She investigated for several days without success, and finally, the Dao Lord found him.
Upon hearing this, Lin Feiran couldn't contain himself and immediately asked, "Did he make a move?"
"No."
Qi Chen reached out and picked up the wildflowers around him.
"You might not believe it, but I've spent quite a bit of time with them, yet I've never seen the Dao Lord get angry or punish anyone. This is something I find very strange; he doesn't seem like a human being."
He doesn't have our fickle and indecisive thoughts.
He held the flowers and turned to look at the two of them: "Such a thing would be an infuriating betrayal for any leader, but he didn't get angry or question him. Instead, he calmly asked him why."
Ru Xian spoke up at this moment: "What did he answer?"
Qi Chen placed the flowers on the table, and then took out many tender flower branches from the mustard seed bag, placing them in the room as before, filling the room with a pungent and alluring fragrance.
"He didn't try to excuse himself, nor did he deny it, nor did he bring up any morality. He just said: At her age, she shouldn't die like this. She hasn't seen or experienced anything yet, and she has to die with such a heavy responsibility. That would be too pitiful."
Qi Chen suddenly smiled: "At that time, the Dao Lord did not show himself. He appeared in front of everyone as mist. No one knew what he was thinking. He was silent for a long time, so long that I was sweating for Chang Ying. Then the Dao Lord spoke again."
He said: No one in the world is without pity.
"Too many people like Lin Feiran's age have died: ants clinging to life, merchants with fortunes beyond measure, driven-away demonic beasts, frustrated cultivators, and even the revered Emperor. Why do you pity only her?"
Chang Ying still didn't explain much, he only said: "Because I can only see her."
Lin Feiran's gaze froze for a moment, then his eyes widened slightly, as if something was breaking through the ice in his heart.
Even the most obtuse person could understand the meaning behind those words; there was no need to spell it out. Qi Chen, having witnessed her reaction, knew that Lin Feiran had only just realized it, and couldn't help but smile, feeling sorry for his friend.
How come it took him so long to realize his feelings?
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Perhaps he was moved by those words, or perhaps the Dao Lord simply didn't understand, because he didn't ask any further questions."
The Dao Lord did not ask any further questions. The drifting clouds gradually dispersed, and his voice remained as calm as ever, yet it seemed to carry something within it.
"I accept this reason; it's not unreasonable, and you've already paid the price for this decision."
Your heart is no longer here; you won't live much longer.
The merits Zhang Chunhe accumulated should also include your share. Therefore, your merits will offset this debt. From now on, you will leave the Esoteric Sect, and you will only have this one life left. If you are reborn in the future, there will be no more Ji Changying as we know her today.”
Ji Changying did not reply and turned to leave the esoteric sect.
"Since the Dao Lord did not pursue his actions, Bi Sheng naturally had no way to cause trouble. But just as the Dao Lord said, he doesn't have much time left."
Qi Chen sat down on the edge of the couch and looked at Lin Feiran: "He had told me before that if you came looking for me and asked me where he was, I should not tell you, but I have decided to tell you anyway."
Whether the lightning brings rebirth or destruction, it will never return.
Only memories can inherit emotions, and only experiences can prove a person's existence.
If one could return to the past with the memories of the present, that would be called rebirth, and Ji Changying would still be Ji Changying. However, if he were to die at this moment and everything were to return to the past, then the Ji Changying of the past would no longer be the Ji Changying of the present.
Ji Changying will now be forever lost in this thunderous night.
This principle resonated deeply with the people present.
Qi Chen looked at the silent girl and sighed for the third time tonight at the unpredictable Lin Feiran.
"You may not know, but Chang Ying has been reborn with us several times. You are his junior sister, so of course he has seen you in every life. But only in this life did he mention you to me for the first time."
It was a quiet night, and the two were on their way back after finishing their work for the esoteric sect.
As usual, Ji Changying listened to him talk about orange blossoms, a smile playing on her lips, marveling at the good fortune of the two of them. Then, unexpectedly, she brought up someone who had never appeared before.
"Speaking of which, my junior sister also loves flowers, but not all of them. She especially loves the winter plum blossoms in the snow-capped mountains. Could you ask Cheng Hua if it's possible to transplant plum trees to survive in such a cold place as Sanqing Mountain?"
Qi Chen was somewhat surprised: "I haven't heard of her before. Which junior sister do you have?"
Ji Changying smiled and said, "You should have heard of my junior sister, Feiran."
Qi Chen immediately understood: "It's that girl who clung to your junior brother in previous lives, insisting on marrying him no matter what?"
Ji Changying's eyes flickered slightly. She did not deny it, but the smile in her eyes faded a bit. She nodded and said, "It's her."
"When did you get so close to her?"
Qi Chen didn't quite understand, but he just said it casually and nodded.
“Chenghua grew up in Beiyuan when she was little. I heard her say that there are plum blossoms in her hometown. If she can grow up in Beiyuan, she can definitely take root in Sanqing Mountain. I will ask her for you when I go back in the next few days.”
Ji Changying said gently, "Then I'll trouble you."
"We've known each other for so many years, so there's no need for such formalities." Qi Chen paused slightly halfway through her sentence, then turned to look at him. "But you must remember, it's okay to be close, but you can't change her life."
Ji Changying lowered her eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips: "I know. However, it seems her life doesn't need me to change it."
Qi Chen shook his head as he finished speaking, and his gaze toward Lin Feiran changed slightly.
“He hardly ever mentioned anyone else, but he did mention you, so I still remember it vividly.”
"Now it's only now that I realize that he was the one who first discovered you as a variable."
As members of the Nine Swords, the first thing they all had to do was to eliminate any anomalies they discovered immediately.
Ji Changying was so close to her that perhaps he had already noticed something amiss shortly after they met, but he said nothing and did nothing. He simply watched Lin Feiran grow up and then openly asked him how to plant plum trees.
Qi Chen couldn't help but sigh, "If he had acted back then, perhaps the Secret Sect wouldn't be in so much trouble today. But I'm actually quite glad that he didn't do anything."
He walked to the door, unlocked the door seal, opened the door a crack about half an arm's length wide, and then tossed a token into Lin Feiran's hand.
“He doesn’t want you to see him like this, so he’s hiding, but I think you should still meet him and use this token to open the door.”
Lin Feiran looked at Ru Xian, but he raised his chin and said, "Go."
She looked at the token in her hand, then stepped out of the brightly lit main house and into the cold night. Across a desolate courtyard, there were still no lights on the other side.
Before entering the courtyard, she paused for a moment, then tossed the token back into the house. Qi Chen instinctively caught it, somewhat surprised, and pointed out, "That room looks normal, but it actually has a magic array. How can you open it without a token?"
The door was already closed, and he could only hear Lin Feiran's voice coming from outside, calm and clear.
"No need to open it, I'll wait for him to come out."
Qi Chen looked at the token in his hand with surprise, then turned to look at Ru Xian, who was smiling and unsurprised.
"That's the kind of thing she would do."
...
Lin Feiran stood in the courtyard. Behind him was a bright light, but in front of him was a quiet, dark gray. Flashes of lightning occasionally streaked across the sky, causing the houses in front of him to flicker between light and shadow.
She stood quietly in the courtyard, neither knocking nor making a sound, like a sword shadow that would never leave, waiting there forever.
It seemed that as long as the people inside didn't come out, she could stand there forever.
The bowed spirit puppets around the courtyard moved occasionally, making a few soft sounds as their wheels turned; this was almost the only sound in the courtyard.
The lightning continued, but in a sudden burst of light, a figure was illuminated behind the dark doorway, and then everything went dark again.
The next moment, a slight creaking sound was heard, the door was pulled open, and finally the figure behind the door was revealed.
Dressed in a green robe, with her long hair half-tied up, she smiled like a spring breeze, a small mole slightly raised beneath her lips. She was neither Qingzhu nor Zhuojue, but Ji Changying.
A narrow crack ran down from between his eyebrows to his lips. This mark on his face did not appear ferocious, but rather made him look gentle and harmless, evoking pity.
He stood in the house, looking at the people in the courtyard. Flashes of white lightning shone in those dark eyes that were focused on him. After a moment of eye contact, his eyes curved into a helpless smile.
"When it comes to willpower, I'm never as good as you."
"You're becoming more and more different."
"Junior sister..."
Author's Note: When will I be able to get back to typing 6,000 words per chapter? [crying emoji]
P.S.: Who would believe it? I've been agonizing over my senior brother's ending since before I even started writing, and I still am... [melted]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
