Chapter 32 Obscure (Part 4) The Scapegoat...
Jingchuan Dojo has been established for many years. Originally, there were only thirty-five Sumeru sites. With the addition of a corner opened for Lin Feiran, there are now thirty-six sites in total.
The scenery in Sumeru is varied and bizarre, making it extremely useful for cultivation and combat. However, since Ru Xian abandoned this place after creating it, without naming it, people dare not overstep their bounds. They usually use numbers like one, two, three, and four to distinguish it. Only the thirty-sixth place is now jokingly called the armory.
Lin Feiran, who was in charge, never killed anyone, but he loved to disarm people, which was derived from the idea that disarming people meant not killing them.
She was never quick-witted or boastful, and treated everyone with the same caution. Her eyes were like morning dew, bright and innocent. She would look at you with apology in her eyes, and then without hesitation, she would take away the equipment and throw the person out of the thirty-sixth place.
At first, many people genuinely wanted to seize the position of envoy, but after a month, they realized the truth and most gave up on the idea.
The Demon Lord has not sought an envoy for many years. Now that he has finally chosen one and brought him under his command, how could he simply replace him?
If he only wanted to select a strong person with excellent cultivation, he could have held a grand competition instead of waiting for so many years. Furthermore, if high cultivation level was all that mattered for selection, what about Xuanzhen and Biqing, who would immediately call for reinforcements if they couldn't win?
The two of them, at most, only asked about their state of mind!
Moreover, if the Demon Lord truly intended to send out this white jade bell, he would not have restricted this Sumeru Land, allowing only demon cultivators below the Questioning Heart Realm to enter.
This is clearly a case of dangling a carrot in front of a donkey, making someone else sharpen the knife for him!
Although everyone harbored resentment, as time went on, they gradually became willing to accept it.
There's no other reason than that every battle with this human envoy yields substantial gains. She is not a cultivator who adheres to orthodox combat methods; she possesses numerous unconventional and cunning techniques, yet they are never underhanded. They are simply completely unexpected and perplexing.
Especially the white light between his arms, which could explode the moment it was released, like fireworks bursting open, not only knocking people back several steps, but also making their blood rush and their heads spin, leaving them unable to regain their senses for a moment.
What's even stranger is that whenever she uses this technique, she neither forms hand seals nor uses any formations to assist her. It seems to be perfectly natural, but there is no such technique in the world.
Everyone was puzzled, but no one asked directly. After all, it was a unique method, and no one would reveal it all.
Therefore, in addition to the resounding titles of "Six Envoys" and "Magnet," Lin Feiran also acquired another title: "Fireworks Explosion." However, this title was unique, and only the demons she had subdued liked to call her that.
"Bomb... It's our first meeting. Is the envoy already heading back to the city so early today?" a young man asked with a squinting smile.
Lin Feiran had just come out of Jingchuan and was adjusting her wristband. Hearing this, she looked at him blankly, then nodded and asked, "Did you need something from me?"
The young man picked up the steamed bun in his hand and immediately offered it to her: "The envoy has been fighting for so long, he must be hungry... Oh, you've already eaten, are you really full? Speaking of which, I was just planning to return to Lancheng, why don't we travel together?"
Lin Feiran remained silent. She wanted to say no, but the two had clashed several times before, so she was somewhat familiar with each other...
She nodded: "Okay."
The young man's eyes lit up, and he immediately shoved the steamed bun into her hand: "Then let's go together. Has the envoy eaten at Huguanglou Restaurant?"
Before Lin Feiran could answer, a clear voice came from outside the hall. The voice, though its face was not yet visible, already carried a hint of arrogance.
"What are you doing, trying to bribe the envoy?"
It is a jade chime.
She turned her head and saw that Xuanzhen had come with her.
During the time they were fighting in Jingchuan, Xuanzhen Biqing often came to watch. Whenever there was an exciting moment, she would cheer for Lin Feiran. When she couldn't resist the urge, she even went into the arena to fight with her a few times. In addition, they were all enthusiastic people, and the friendship between the three of them grew rapidly.
Lin Feiran had arranged to meet them at the sword-making workshop a few days ago, which is why they are meeting here today.
The young man gasped and said, "Biqing, you can't slander me!"
Bi Qing raised an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and the jade ornaments on her body jingled. She teased, "We've never been to Lakeview Pavilion either, why don't you invite us? Right, Xuanzhen?"
The boy with the chestnut-brown short ponytail nodded excitedly upon hearing this: "Yes!"
The young man was speechless, then quickly glanced at Lin Feiran: "We can go together..."
Lin Feiran felt a chill run down her spine from that look. She seemed to sense something, but her heart trembled and she dared not be sure. Bi Qing was amused by her gaze and stopped teasing her. She picked up Xuan Zhen by the back of her collar and went out with a smile.
Lin Feiran returned the steamed bun to the man, thanked him, and quickly followed him out.
The three of them returned to the city together. Xuanzhen was still asking about the Lakeview Pavilion when Biqing tapped her on the head: "Don't ask too many questions about adult matters, little puppy. Just remember, if someone tries to deceive you like this in the future, don't go with them."
"He's lying?" Xuan Zhen exclaimed in shock, turning to look at Lin Feiran. "He's not even taking you to the Lakeside Pavilion?"
Lin Feiran: "...I can go by myself."
Seeing her hesitant expression, Biqing couldn't help but burst into laughter, patting her shoulder and saying, "If you didn't tell me, I would have thought you had suffered a broken heart!"
...
After a few moments of eye contact, Biqing's smile froze on her lips. She coughed lightly twice and said solemnly, "Some people really have no class!"
"Exactly!" Xuanzhen nodded vigorously. "Huguanglou's food is salty and not tasty at all!"
Lin Feiran sighed deeply.
Amidst laughter and conversation, the group arrived at the entrance of the sword-making workshop. It was a small shop with gray tiles and white walls. A stone sword hung from the eaves, and a long banner with a large character "Zhang" written on it hung below the sword.
Bi Qing explained to her, "In the entire Demon Capital, only this place has the best swords. By the way, the owner is also human. I don't know his name, but everyone calls him Iron Man Zhang."
What a simple and unassuming name.
Lin Feiran looked up and saw that the door was tightly closed, but she could hear the clanging of blacksmithing behind it. She asked, "Does this mean we're not open for business today?"
Bi Qing shook her head and smiled mysteriously: "He always lets the idiots go depending on his mood."
She clapped her hands, and the fox perched on Xuanzhen's shoulder raised its neck. It looked at the long banner, and a hint of worry appeared on its small fox face.
Xuanzhen tilted her head and nuzzled it, encouragingly saying, "It's okay, you idiot, none of us will be behind you. There has to be one beast to face it!"
The heavy-handed creature kicked him hard, leaped onto the gray wall, and upon landing, transformed into a small panda with a tail like a tuft of roots. It clenched its fists, straightened up, and made two "coo-coo" sounds towards the yard.
Although this wasn't the sound a red panda should make, the clanging of blacksmiths behind the gate stopped, followed by a series of hurried footsteps. Startled, the panda let out a gurgling sound and turned to bump into Lin Feiran's arms.
"It's a little idiot, a little idiot!" The old man's hearty laughter came from behind the door, sending chills down one's spine.
The door opened, revealing a smiling, wrinkled face. He was carrying a teapot, dressed in simple clothes, and seemed oblivious to everyone around him, his eyes only fixed on the blue-eyed panda curled up in his arms.
After admiring the scene for a while, he glanced at the group of people, his gaze finally settling on Lin Feiran's face. His eyes were deep and unfathomable. He then took a sip from the spout of the teapot, opened the shop door wide, and led everyone inside.
"What urgent business do you envoys have that you've even brought such heavy goods? Is there something wrong with Bai Yuling?"
This white jade bell was made by Iron Man Zhang. Bi Qing waved her hand and said, "No, no, it was our colleague, your clansman, who came to the sword-making workshop because he wanted to find a suitable sword. After all, there is no better swordsmith in the Demon Capital than you."
Iron Man Zhang put down the teapot, took the heavy goods from Lin Feiran's hands, and then said with satisfaction, "I've heard of you being the first human to become an envoy of the demon race. No, you're quite famous in the demon capital now, Lin Feiran, right?"
Lin Feiran nodded: "Yes."
Iron Man Zhang looked at her, seemingly pondering: "I have been away from the human world for thirteen years. I do not know a single young person your age. How many are listed on the Azure Cloud Ranking?"
The Azure Cloud Ranking was created by the Imperial Academy, one of the four major sects, and lists one hundred outstanding young cultivators.
Lin Feiran's expression remained unchanged, and he simply said, "I am not on the list."
Iron Man Zhang suddenly sat up, his expression strange. He looked at Lin Feiran carefully and said in surprise, "This shouldn't be. Are there so many young heroes these days that even you can't make the list?"
Lin Feiran's eyes curved slightly, but she didn't explain further, only saying, "Perhaps."
Bi Qing retorted, "It's because you humans are tasteless and can't recognize the value of a gem!"
Iron Man Zhang immediately jumped up and down, furiously grabbing the heavy object: "You little stone, you can criticize others if you want, but you're not allowed to sweep everyone aside!"
Lin Feiran glanced into the shop. The beams were extremely high, and the dome was semi-arched, resembling a sword furnace. Several swords of various sizes hung from the beams, their cold light gleaming faintly, clearly indicating the high level of the sword-making skills of the person who forged them.
Iron Man Zhang couldn't argue with Bi Qing, so he could only pout and then turn to Lin Feiran: "Well, do you have a sword you like? Since you're also human, I'll give you half price."
Upon hearing this, Bi Qing immediately stopped talking and beamed with joy: "Lin Feiran, choose a good sword!"
Lin Feiran looked at it for a while and said, "I strike hard and my sword-wielding habits are different from others. Do you have a longer sword?"
Iron Man Zhang looked Lin Feiran over again, and with a flick of his wrist, two cold swords flew into his palm. He handed them out, saying, "Words are not enough. Let's see how they are!"
As soon as Lin Feiran took the sword, Iron Man Zhang immediately drew his sword. The two of them used the simplest sword techniques: slashing, thrusting, parrying, and blocking. Ten moves were enough.
Iron Man Zhang stopped, patted the burly man's head, and clicked his tongue, saying, "It's really strange. With your way of using it, it's like a sword, but also like a knife. To be comfortable to use, it would need to be more than five inches longer than an ordinary sword, and the blade would need to be thick. But even if it's thick, it can't withstand your fighting style..."
He looked at Lin Feiran and said, "Why don't we go to the pilgrimage ceremony in October and go to Sword Mountain to find a spirit sword?"
"Thank you for the suggestion, senior. Even if I am going, I need to have a sword first." Lin Feiran did not mention that he had already intended to go. He simply lowered his eyes and pondered for a few moments before taking out a long sword with a rolled blade from his storage bag.
"I wonder if this disciple's sword can be repaired. I've been using it for many years and it's quite handy."
This was the only item she took from Daohe Temple, and it was also an old friend who had been with her for many years.
The swords of the disciples of the four major sects are all made of fine materials. Although they cannot compare to various spiritual swords, they are not ordinary items. If they need to be repaired, a superior swordsmith must be found.
Lin Feiran had also searched for him back then, but that person no longer forged swords for Daohe Palace, so naturally he wouldn't repair swords for her either.
Iron Man Zhang took the sword, glanced at the hilt, flicked the blade, and then looked at her: "So you are a disciple of Daohe Palace. You don't look like one at all. I can certainly repair swords, but the swords of sect disciples are special. I am currently missing a material, so I probably can't make up for it."
Bi Qing asked suspiciously, "What material?"
Iron Man Zhang clicked his tongue and shook his head: "It's hard to find. White Wall Flower nurtured by Heavenly Spring Water, mixed with... not to mention, what's needed is Submerged Silver Water. This stuff is time-consuming and laborious, and apart from swordsmiths, few people have it."
Lin Feiran's memory was stirred, and she said, "I do have one, but I don't know if it's enough."
Lin Feiran placed the cup on the table without saying much: "I didn't do anything evil. I'm just asking for your help to repair my sword. I'll pay you as usual."
Iron Man Zhang muttered to himself as he looked at her, took the cup and saucer, picked up his sword, and carried the heavy load to the sword furnace in the backyard.
Just before entering, he suddenly turned around and asked, "Young man, your surname is Lin. Which family's Lin are you from? The Lin of Luoyang City, the Lin of Dongyu Prefecture, or the Lin of Daze Prefecture in the Western Regions?"
Lin Feiran's gaze was clear and shallow as he asked instead of answering: "Which Zhang is this 'Zhang' of yours, senior? The Zhang of Taiji Immortal Sect, the Zhang of Yaoshan, or the Zhang of Qinghua Town?"
Iron Man Zhang laughed loudly: "They are all heroic figures, how could a down-on-his-luck blacksmith like me possibly associate with them?"
Having said that, he didn't ask any more questions and went alone to the sword furnace.
*
The two exchanged riddles for quite a while, leaving Biqing and Xuanzhen completely baffled. The matter was only brought up when the three of them went to the streets for lunch.
Lin Feiran replied, "The human race has a very famous swordsmith who has forged countless famous swords. He lives in Qinghua Town, and every year countless people go there to ask for his swords."
Back then, Zhang Chunhe also went to Qinghua Town to ask Wei Changzai for a sword, but ultimately to no avail.
There are three thousand great paths, and what is cultivated is the mind and the state of mind. So-called sword cultivators, knife cultivators, and bow cultivators are all cultivators. Weapons and techniques are merely external manifestations of the Dao, and they are not bound by them.
Zhang Siwo's externalized Dao is blacksmithing.
Legend has it that when he first entered the Daoist path, he was a blacksmith who spent his entire life wielding a hammer. Even after reaching the Divine Travel Realm, he was still forging swords in the blacksmith shop in Qinghua Town.
Whenever people passed by, they would see him standing bent over between the furnace fire and the cold iron, swinging his hammer one after another until his hair and beard turned gray, but they never saw him leave the town of Qinghua.
Just when everyone thought he would die from blacksmithing, one day he suddenly rushed out of the blacksmith shop like a madman. The old man with a face full of wrinkles stood in the street, crying and laughing. He shouted to the sky, "I saw it!"
No one knows what he saw. The next day at dawn, the blacksmith shop opened wide, and Zhang Siwo, carrying a whetstone on his back and a large hammer at his waist, left Qinghua Town without a trace.
Xuan Zhen and Bi Qing stared in astonishment, completely unable to reconcile the withered old man who chuckled strangely at the sight of rubbish with the important figure in the story.
The three turned to look and saw a young girl in a long dress with a sash around her waist standing in the distance. She had a flower basket slung over her arm and looked on with longing. Then, she walked quickly toward the three of them with excitement, heading straight for Lin Feiran.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. It turns out Uncle Zhang is also a heroic figure!"
When Biqing saw someone eavesdropping, she was about to make trouble, but upon seeing who it was, she immediately backed down and then promptly explained to Lin Feiran.
“She is also a registered human, without spiritual veins, just an ordinary person, but her hearing is excellent. At this distance, others could not hear clearly, but she must have heard it perfectly!”
The girl pursed her lips and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sure it wasn't intentional. It was just that the wind made it easier to hear. My name is Chenghua. Are you Lin Feiran, the human envoy who is famous in the Demon Capital?"
Chenghua smiled and pulled a string of red jujubes from her basket to give to her, her smile revealing two dimples: "Your name is very beautiful!"
"What I just said wasn't a secret, there's no need to apologize." Lin Feiran suddenly remembered what Ru Xian had said: long arms are the reason why people are always apologizing. She glanced at Cheng Hua and saw that she did indeed have long, slender arms, so a smile appeared in her eyes. "Your name is also very nice."
"Many people in Beiyuan call them that, like pear blossom, peach blossom, and so on." Orange Blossom sat down, her eyes shining as she looked at Lin Feiran.
Actually, she had secretly gone to Jingchuan and had fallen for him the moment Lin Feiran threw him out!
Lin Feiran was somewhat surprised: "You actually came from the Northern Border?"
The Endless Sea is in the far south; to reach the Demon Realm, one must traverse the entire Human Realm.
Chenghua understood the implication in her words and replied, "Yes, but my beloved is a cultivator. We came on a heavenly horse, and we arrived in no time!"
Bi Qing said inscrutably, "Her sweetheart is an opera singer who performs at a teahouse on East Street. He's quite skilled, and his place is the safest place for her whenever she patrols the streets."
Chenghua's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "He sings opera the best! You should go and listen to him sometime!"
Lin Feiran had often gone to the Northern Plains to exorcise demons in the past, and therefore had a good impression of the residents of the Northern Border. So he simply asked, "What illness are you going to the demon realm to cure?"
Orange Blossom pondered for a moment: "It has no name, but we Northerners call it 'Cold Syndrome.' When it flares up, the whole body feels cold, frost forms on the eyelashes, cold mist comes out of the mouth, the meridians freeze, and the body becomes weak. It needs something warm and sunny to counteract it."
Lin Feiran frowned upon hearing the implication in her words and asked, "Are there many people with cold-related ailments?"
“There are many. We used to be able to eat Yangzhu fruit to keep warm, but later, Yangzhu fruit disappeared, so we all left the Northern Territory and went south to seek medical treatment.” Orange Blossom wanted to say more to her, but as if there was some taboo, she swallowed her words.
"In short, don't delve too deeply into it. Just know that it's a disease. Qi Chen and I traveled around the south, but we couldn't find a cure, so he brought me to the demon realm."
Lin Feiran immediately thought of Ru Xian: "Are you here to seek treatment from the Demon Lord?"
To everyone's surprise, Chenghua shook her head: "We came to find Mei Gu. Qi Chen said that the Venerable One can't cure this illness, but Mei Gu might."
In the demon realm, if we say that Xian is the best healer, then Mei Gu is the second best.
The difference is that while Xue rarely treats people, Mei Gu opened a clinic in the Demon City, where anyone who is sick, regardless of race or whether they are good or evil, can enter the clinic for treatment.
But how did her beloved know that Ru Xian couldn't cure the illness?
Lin Feiran then asked, "How is the treatment going now?"
Upon hearing this, Chenghua smiled and said, "That's good. Aunt Mei has found a medicinal herb containing the essence of metal and fire. When used to moxibust the heart and acupoints, it can prevent the onset of the disease for one or two months, but it cannot cure it completely."
Midway through the conversation, Orange Blossom suddenly shivered, her smile froze on her lips, and she immediately put down the flower basket, laughing, "Oh dear, it's just like what I said came true."
She blinked, a thin mist rising from her breath, and her hands trembled as she took a medicine bottle from the flower basket. Her lips and teeth chattered from the cold, and even the bottle was covered in a thin layer of frost, making it slippery, cold, and difficult to hold.
The porcelain bottle had just slipped from her hand when Lin Feiran caught it. She sat down next to Chenghua, supported her, and poured out two pills from the bottle.
"How many orange blossoms do you want?"
Orange Blossom tried to speak, but her words were trembling and incoherent. Seeing this, Xuanzhen jumped up anxiously: "They're all frozen like this, try eating one first!"
He had just reached out his hand when someone stopped him: "Wait, this contains Golden Essence Fire. She's just a mortal; if she eats even one, she'll be burned to a crisp."
The group turned to look, and the newcomer was none other than Hengcao, whose envoy dream had been shattered by Lin Feiran's punch and who had been forced to return home to refine pills.
He moved the satchel on his shoulder to his back, picked up a grain, broke it in half, and took out a gourd of hot spring water to drink it. In this way, the frozen meridians of the orange blossom gradually softened, but he was still not very clear-headed.
He sighed, "She's fine; she just fainted temporarily due to an acute illness. It's truly lamentable that someone so young could fall ill with a cold."
Seeing that the person was getting better, Lin Feiran looked up and asked, "You also know about cold-related illnesses?"
Hengcao smiled bitterly: "How could I not know? I've been working hard to refine pills for a month, isn't that why? It's a pity that the pills are still not finished and all the materials are wasted, so I have to come to the Demon Capital Merchant Guild to buy them."
Bi Qing asked doubtfully, "What kind of elixir could your Lingzhi clan not refine?"
Hengcao shrugged and pointed at Lin Feiran with her chin: "I also want to ask her what exactly is missing from the medicine."
Meeting everyone's gaze, Lin Feiran innocently replied, "How would I know anything about traditional Chinese medicine?"
Before they could finish speaking, they smelled a strong fragrance of cinnabar and cinnabar. Turning around, they saw a man dressed in a theatrical robe and with pearls in his hair leaping in front of them. His face was covered in oil paint, making his features unrecognizable, but his eyebrows and eyes were extremely beautiful.
He walked up to her, his demeanor cold and aloof, his bright eyes filled with worry and tension. He immediately took Chenghua's pulse and then looked at the porcelain bottle in Lin Feiran's hand.
"How many did she eat?"
Lin Feiran guessed that he was Chenghua's sweetheart and replied, "Half a grain."
The man's demeanor finally relaxed. He bent down to take the orange blossom, touched her slightly cold face, and bowed to thank everyone, performing the very proper etiquette of a young lady from a theatrical play.
"Thank you all for today's matter, but I need to take her to see a doctor right now, so I will have to ask you to come another day. Please forgive my rudeness."
He leaped onto the roof tiles and quickly disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Lin Feiran stood up and looked around for a moment, then Bi Qing pulled the conversation back to him: "What does your clan's alchemy have to do with Lin Feiran?"
Hengcao thought to herself, "It was clearly Lin Feiran who took the pills, how could she not know?"
"Previously, King Qingping issued an order that whoever could develop a medicine with the same effect as the Golden Fire Pill could enter the Fox Clan's treasure vault to select treasures."
Sure enough, Lin Feiran's eyes flickered slightly when he heard the name, but not with sudden realization, but with confusion.
"Isn't the Golden Fire Pill a secret medicine unique to Daohe Palace? But what does it have to do with me?"
Seeing that she seemed genuinely unaware, Hengcao exclaimed in surprise, "You're the one who gave the Golden Fire Pill to Prince Qingping, have you forgotten?"
Lin Feiran frowned: "My memory may not have been very good before, but it's definitely fine now. When did I recognize Prince Qingping, and when did I get the Golden Fire Pill?"
Upon hearing this, Hengcao became anxious, fearing that Biqing and the others would misunderstand and accuse him of making baseless accusations.
"When my brother went to the human realm to inquire about the Golden Fire Pill, he learned a secret: a disciple of a sect stole the Golden Fire Pill at night, but was caught by her master. After a fierce battle, she escaped down the mountain and risked her life to deliver the pill to the demon realm. That disciple was later identified, and her name was Lin Feiran. I am absolutely not making this up!"
After saying that, the group turned to look at Lin Feiran.
She now seemed to realize something and chuckled very softly.
"So, the reason I came down the mountain was to take the blame for you all."
She "stole" the sword bone, she robbed the spiritual treasure, and now even a small bottle of Golden Fire Pills has become hers.
How could there be such a good thing?
Author's Note: Zhang Siwo: Fu Rui Kong Tangtang is coming!
Hot Selling Item: Red Panda Holding Back its Fist.jpg
Wei Changzai: The person has been gone for a while, but the things they left behind are still there.
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