Chapter 38 Tonight, I'm Sleepless—It's the Age of Striving
The day before, Lin Feiran and the others returned to Ji Changying's courtyard, where they lay listening to the rain and slept soundly until dawn.
As daylight approached, she anticipated that someone would come looking for her. Just as she was about to borrow Xun Feifei's Shadow Technique to temporarily avoid trouble, Ji Changying led several people to hide in a mirror world, a secluded realm like the Sword Realm.
The area is characterized by clear blue skies, lush green grass, tranquil wooden houses, clusters of blooming flowers, a winding stream, and sparse, horizontal fences that provide some shelter.
However, the objects in the mirror were not normal, and thus appeared somewhat bizarre. The trees were knee-high, while the flowers were as tall as a house. The white clouds could sink to one's feet, while the stream flowed backwards to the sky. The sparsely planted fence was as high as the sky, enclosing the area like a cage.
To everyone's surprise, Ji Changying simply smiled and said nothing. He brought out a stove from the wooden house, tied his sleeves with a hair ribbon, and prepared an extremely sumptuous meal for everyone.
"Junior sister, how was today's meal? You've grown a lot, and your senior brother is never quite sure how much you eat these days."
Ji Changying sat down beside her, holding a fishing rod in his hand. He didn't know if there were any fish in the clear stream flowing backwards. He spoke as he cast the line with a smile, splashing a few drops of water.
"Half full."
Lin Feiran was very honest, and Ji Changying shook his head and laughed as he listened. He said, "Then your senior brother will catch you a few fish!"
As if returning to the leisurely days of the past, Lin Feiran sighed inwardly and turned to look around. He saw two normal-sized, but out of place, withered trees growing in the dense bushes by the stream.
The bark was mottled and almost completely peeled off. She wondered and asked casually, "What kind of tree is that? It's withered by the stream."
Ji Changying looked up, his eyes narrowed slightly, and after a while he laughed and said, "Just two withered peach trees. Originally, I transplanted them here and carefully tended to them, thinking that I could sit and enjoy the flowers in early spring, but I didn't expect to miscalculate the location and plant them half an inch too far away. Even though they were only half an inch apart, the peach trees still withered and died."
"It seems that from now on, we should just move the trees directly to the stream." She looked away.
Ji Changying said softly, "Yes, who would have thought?"
Hearing his slightly melancholy tone, Lin Feiran looked around, still wondering how he had acquired such a rare and secluded paradise. But after the words lingered on her tongue for a long time, she finally swallowed them back.
She thought, everyone has secrets.
They rested and recharged in this mirror world for a day. During this time, many disciples from the [unclear] team came to search, but Ji Changying persuaded them to leave without success.
As night approached and it was time to carry out their mission, Lin Feiran and his companions left this world and once again disappeared into the wind and snow.
The nights at Sanqing Mountain are always brightly reflected, a glow from the ice and snow.
Bi Qing narrowed her eyes. The Demon Capital is evergreen all year round and rarely has snowy days, so she was not used to such weather where the ground was covered with fine white and her breath frosted over.
She rubbed her hands together, pressed her warm palms to her cheeks, and peered around, finally spotting seven or eight disciples in white robes around a frozen lake.
They gathered in the Wind and Snow Pavilion, where warm lamps hung beneath it. Some stood, some sat, each holding an ink brush, writing on scrolls or books, talking loudly and laughing heartily, their joy seemingly unseen.
Biqing confirmed that the group were indeed disciples of the Imperial Academy. She quietly exhaled a breath of hot air, slung her longbow over her shoulder, leaped onto a branch, and stood hidden behind a tree trunk.
Her purpose in coming here was to provoke the students of the Imperial Academy. However, Lin Feiran gave her some instructions, telling her to target pedantic scholars. This way, she could easily anger them without causing any trouble.
Biqing calmed her mind and listened carefully. She heard the disciples reciting poems loudly, saying that the moonlight and snow scene were so beautiful that they had no regrets in this life.
She yawned unconsciously after listening for only a short while.
The Jade Clan has a clan school, and the clan elders use human poems to enlighten the children. These poems are obscure and difficult to pronounce, full of classical Chinese phrases. Whenever she hears them, she can fall asleep with her head tilted back.
Now it was the same, and she immediately shook her head to clear her mind.
Lin Feiran said that those who would stay up late at night instead of sleeping, insisting on reciting poems and composing verses, calling out "Brother" and "This humble one," and who would endure hardship without any real effort, must be pedantic scholars. She compared them for a moment and confirmed it in her heart.
Then, she swayed her longbow on her back, and it shrank to the length of an arm, the size of a child's toy. The drawn arrow was only a few inches long, quite small, yet its power was undiminished. She aimed at her target, and the bowstring snapped and vibrated. The next moment, the inkstone in the pavilion shattered into flying stones, and the splashed ink stains the paintings and poetry collections, causing several people to scream in terror.
"Pfft." Biqing immediately hid behind a tree trunk, covering her mouth and laughing so hard she was shaking.
These people are exactly like the clan elder. She is exceptionally gifted at angering the clan elder, possessing the wisdom of "using four ounces to move a thousand pounds"!
"Which thief is this! I've been drawing all night!"
"My rare poem!"
"The snow-white ink I just mixed has turned completely gray!"
The students of the Imperial Academy stared in disbelief at what they were seeing, their hands trembling with anger. They immediately drew a talisman in the air with their old brushes, and the character "追" (chase) was drawn with thick ink. It swept across the snow-covered ground and rushed towards the tree behind them.
Bi Qing immediately spun around to dodge, and fired another arrow, shattering the "Chase" character and splattering ink marks all over the ground. But before she could land, four or five more "Forbidden" characters came in succession, forcing her to fire three more arrows, shattering three more.
She was an archer, at a disadvantage in close combat. In a flash of inspiration, she suddenly remembered Lin Feiran's warning. She immediately leaped down, not running away, but rushing straight towards the snow pavilion.
The disciples of the Imperial Academy chased to the edge of the forest, where they saw a young girl dart out from among them, her expression smug, the jade on her body jingling softly, showing no fear whatsoever.
Upon seeing that she was a naive young girl, the group immediately stopped in their tracks. Regardless of her intentions, they followed the sage's advice and bowed before asking, "Young lady, were you the one who fired that arrow just now?"
Bi Qing shook her head: "No!"
One of the disciples forced himself to swallow his arrogant words. Even though the other party was rude first, they could not let it go unchecked. Considering that the other party still had an unruly nature and was a woman and a child, they could only talk about politeness and not take action.
Bi Qing glanced at it dismissively and said matter-of-factly, "So what? Did you see with your own eyes that I put it there?"
"You!" the student exclaimed, speechless with anger. "Speaking with integrity and acting with reverence are the foundation of a gentleman's character and destiny..."
Before he could finish speaking, Biqing interrupted him crisply, "What are you talking about? You all love to beat around the bush. I can't understand you. If you keep talking, I'm going to yawn!"
Bi Qing was poised and uninhibited, without a hint of unease. Her words and mannerisms carried a natural innocence and mischievousness, which aroused the teaching desires of several Confucian scholars, who began to reason with her.
From childhood to adulthood, Bi Qing has angered at least eight or ten clan elders to the point of fainting. Although these elders are pedantic, they are not old, and they are so enraged by her twisted logic that their veins throbbed.
Halfway through the verbal sparring, she secretly sniffed at the group a few times and whispered knowingly, "No wonder they're called pedantic scholars, they do have a certain odor."
"It's because I've been creating for so long, with alternating hot and cold temperatures, that I have a slight sweaty smell. Even a saint would stink if they came here!"
The echoes of her explanation reverberated throughout the Snow Pavilion. Biqing looked helplessly at the sky, wondering how much longer it would take for the others to arrive.
*
"Almost there. We'll catch that sneak attacker soon!"
Meanwhile, several disciples of the Langhuan Sect also encountered a shadowy thief. This person was elusive, sometimes kicking someone, but his purpose was very clear: to tease and humiliate them.
The disciples of Langhuan Sect are mostly quick-witted, intelligent, calm and composed. They usually only like to meditate and read books, studying ancient texts. They have a lot of experience in medicine, formations and star observation. However, they are naturally at a disadvantage in combat. Their movement is not good enough, and their opponents are not low in level. It is normal for them to be unable to catch up and can only be manipulated at will.
They knew the other party was doing this on purpose to provoke them, but a sense of annoyance at being played still rose in their hearts.
As they moved about, they noticed that the dark figure wasn't targeting the female disciples, so they immediately switched formations in unison, with the female disciples on the outside and the male disciples on the inside. Some called for help from their senior brothers and sisters, while others began forming hand seals to fight back.
Xun Feifei, finding it difficult to find a place to stand: "..."
It must be said that the disciples of Langhuan Sect reacted quickly. The moment the man and woman switched places, everyone worked together to release the poison array. Black mist, like bees and butterflies dancing wildly, surged out and swept up the dark figure not far away. When the mist dissipated, the figure of that person could be seen fleeing in panic.
"Should we go after them?" someone asked.
"No need. The other party's identity is unknown. Going there rashly might lead to an ambush. Let's return to our lodging first. He's been poisoned by the fog; how far can he run? We'll go see the elders of Daohe Palace tomorrow and inform them of this."
Xun Feifei, who had "fled in a panic," flew over the treetops with a calm expression. The reason he had left was simply because the time he had agreed to meet Lin Feiran had come. He was tired of life and would not do even a moment more hard work.
He was still covered in poisonous mist. He glanced at it a few times, swallowed the pill in his mouth, and didn't care much. The antidote made by the Venerable Master should not be able to break through this poisonous mist. The only question was how to deal with it.
He glanced at the brightly lit area not far away, raised an eyebrow, adjusted his silver mask, and disappeared into the shadows.
*
At the same time, Lin Feiran easily beat up several disciples of the Taiji Immortal Sect, and then, imitating Pei Yu, uttered some harsh words before teleporting to the pine forest to meet up with Xuan Zhen, who was waiting there.
Upon seeing her arrive, Xuanzhen couldn't help but circle around her a few times, looking at the gradually dissipating lightning beneath her feet, her eyes brightening slightly: "You're quite skilled now!"
Back when they were fighting in Jingchuan, Lin Feiran had his eye on Xuanzhen's secret technique of "Lightning Step," which was faster than lightning. However, this was a power from his Greyhound clan's bloodline, and he didn't know how it worked. Therefore, Lin Feiran studied it for a long time and combined the Divine Speed Technique with the Dry Path Thunder Technique to create a five-tenths replica.
It's not as good as the real thing, but it's more than enough.
As the two walked through the pine forest, Xuanzhen sighed with emotion, "The six envoys, each of you is quite remarkable, but it seems that all I'm good at is running fast."
Lin Feiran paused, turned around, and saw that he was still smiling, his round eyes still open, revealing two canine teeth, as innocent and pure as a puppy.
She had heard Biqing mention that Xuanzhen was abandoned in the mountains when he was born, and no one cared for him. His mother, who raised him, was a stray dog that happened to be passing by.
He didn't even know how to cultivate at first. His bloodline secret technique was activated during his repeated escapes and is still incomplete.
Lin Feiran looked at him but did not say anything comforting like "You are also very capable." Instead, she took out a booklet from her storage bag. It was about two fingers thick and filled with densely written words.
“This is one of my insights from when I was learning Taoist magic. It contains detailed explanations of many kinds of thunder magic. Since your clan is born with the light of thunder and lightning, I think we can use this as a foundation to improve upon it.”
Xuan Zhen's lips parted slightly, his dark, round eyes reflecting the snow-like light. He was somewhat stunned, yet also flattered. He raised his hand, then lowered it again, finally touching his head and smiling, "No need, I..."
"I wrote all of this myself. The handwriting is a bit messy. If you can't understand it, you can ask me." Lin Feiran didn't give him a chance to refuse, and shoved it into his arms, changing the subject, "How's things going at Liuzhu Pavilion?"
Xuanzhen held the booklet, remained silent for a moment, then carefully placed it into her storage bag and replied, "Biqing and I secretly came here yesterday and spent a long time trying to get it working, and we've made some progress!"
"Okay, let's wrap things up tonight and polish it up a bit more."
The four pillars of Liuzhu Pavilion are all covered with runes, which are not so easy to destroy. If the runes were simply removed and washed away, someone would surely notice. But polishing the millstone is different. The runes are still there, but much dimmer. Over time, someone may notice, but it will be too late.
Lin Feiran couldn't help but sigh, "Elder Taihui, this is the time to strive, you should sleep less."
...
Because of the gathering of disciples from various sects, many disciples who came to watch the excitement gathered outside the banquet hall. Some were from Daohe Palace, and some were from other sects and families, all with curious expressions.
Taihui's voice rang out even louder: "Our Daohe Palace has always been upright and honest, and our disciples are even more so. This action must be an attempt by someone to sow discord!"
"Provocation?" The disciples of the Taiji Immortal Sect were immediately enraged. "It seems that someone failed to monopolize the Sword Realm and is displeased, so they instigated their fellow disciples to do such a humiliating thing!"
Now that things have come to this, there are many aggrieved parties, and they all look at Pei Yu without any attempt to hide their feelings.
Pei Yu stood behind Tai Hui, biting her knuckles and lost in thought. She seemed unconcerned about the unfounded accusation. After figuring it out, she said to the overwhelmed Tai Hui, "Uncle-Master, I have a competition today. You go ahead and finish your work. Call me when you're done."
After saying that, she disregarded Taihui's life and death and swaggered out. The others wanted to stop her, but they had no evidence and their actions were not legitimate, so they could only grit their teeth and watch her leave.
Pao Tang frowned slightly, her tone turning even colder: "Elder, you must have someone in mind when you say this. If your sect is determined to protect someone, even if it's considered insubordination, I, Pao Tang, will seek justice for my fellow disciples!"
"It's Lin Feiran!" Taihui couldn't hold back any longer and shouted the name out loud. Now that things had come to this, he was determined not to take the blame!
Pao Tang looked puzzled, and everyone else looked equally confused.
Who is Lin Feiran?
"I've never heard of him. He's probably some unknown junior disciple from Daohe Palace."
"Then let Lin Feiran come out!"
Taihui naturally couldn't recall Lin Feiran. He was searching for him himself. After pondering for a moment, he exhaled and asked, "Lin Feiran is a junior disciple who defected from my Daohe Palace. He has a low cultivation level and little reputation, but his character is extremely bad. After taking my sect's most precious treasure down the mountain, he has repeatedly returned to steal. Not long ago, he even stole a bottle of Golden Fire Pills. He is truly unruly and incorrigible!"
The Daohe Palace disciples present also echoed this sentiment, expressing their extreme dissatisfaction with Lin Feiran.
Upon hearing this, the Langhuan Sect disciple frowned, then sneered: "Elder, are you saying that an unknown disciple with a low cultivation level had nothing to do, so he provoked three major sects overnight and managed to escape unscathed?"
How can an unknown disciple act with such arrogance? Does the elder find this reasonable? Perhaps they've just found a scapegoat and are now pinning everything on him!
Taihui frowned: "Young man, watch your words! I am not speaking recklessly. This person is my disciple. If nothing had happened, why would I wrong her? This must be her doing! She is holding a grudge and waiting for an opportunity to take revenge!"
Seeing this dispute, the Confucian scholars from the Imperial Academy suddenly spoke up: "Do you all have doubts about this identity? We saw that woman yesterday. If you wish, you may have a painting of her!"
Taihui was about to argue, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but smile. Finally, someone had spoken up: "Quickly, bring out the brush and ink!"
"No need. I am not very talented, and I always carry my writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone with me."
He took out the Four Treasures from his mustard seed bag, laid out paper and ground inkstone. Taihui gently pushed aside his disciples so that people from the three sects could see clearly!
As expected of a disciple of the Imperial Academy, every stroke of his brush was full of spirit, but the more one looked, the more restrained Taihui's expression became.
About 15 minutes later, a picture of a girl with her hands on her hips appeared on the paper. She looked very proud and was talking about something.
The scholar stopped writing and looked at Taihui: "Is this the disciple named Lin Feiran?"
Just as everyone could see it clearly, Taihui suddenly fell silent. He pointed at the painting with his hand, but for a long time he couldn't utter a single word. A disciple of Daohe Palace looked at it for a long time and said slowly, "This is not Lin Feiran."
At the same time, the disciples of Langhuan Sect recalled some details: "The shadowy figure who toyed with us last night should have been a man, with long arms and a slender waist, and an excellent physique."
Taihui remained silent. Even he was now wavering. After all, he had only heard his disciple's side of the story and had not seen Lin Feiran with his own eyes. If someone used this to cause him to ruin the Immortal Tour Gathering...
Thinking of this, a chill ran down his spine. But the matter of Lin Feiran had already been spoken, and there was no going back. If only he had been more patient, he would have kept quiet. One wrong step led to another!
Just then, several disciples rushed into the room, looking panicked: "Master, where is Elder Nong Yue? We can't find her!"
Taihui was already cursing in his heart; he wished he could sleep forever and never wake up!
"What is it now!"
"Several disciples have contracted an illness that has caused them to vomit and have diarrhea since this morning, and their condition has not improved. Therefore, we would like to ask Elder Nong Yue to go and investigate!"
"Illness?" Taihui's mind became increasingly confused.
The disciples of the Langhuan Sect standing nearby exchanged bewildered glances, then suddenly asked, "What are the symptoms?"
The disciple hurriedly replied, "He is vomiting and has diarrhea, his face is turning bluish-black, his spiritual energy is disordered, and the blood he is vomiting is all black!"
The people of Langhuan Sect also quieted down. The leader turned to look at Taihui with a strange look in his eyes, and suddenly laughed: "Elder Taihui, last night when we fought with the thieves, we used this kind of poison. How come it has appeared on your disciples now?"
Could it be that Lin Feiran has once again framed my Langhuan sect?
Now that things have come to this, who among those present doesn't understand?
How could an unknown disciple have done such a thing? He just took advantage of her going down the mountain, leaving her speechless, and shifted the blame onto her!
Pao Tang scoffed at this, finding it absurd: "If Daohe Palace really has such a powerful disciple, why isn't her name on the Azure Cloud Ranking? Everyone says it's her, but can she be in two places at once? Disguised as a man and a woman overnight, running all over the mountains?"
"It seems that what the elder said before was not true. Is Daohe Palace really so narrow-minded? Everyone has their own ambitions, and they can't even tolerate a disciple who has come down from the mountain!"
With a loud thud, Taihui stepped back and kicked over the wooden chair, the resounding sound striking the hearts of every Daohe Palace disciple present.
Just then, another disciple rushed into the room, looking flustered. Ignoring everyone else present, he cried out, "Master, Senior Sister Pei broke someone's left arm during a duel!"
Taihui was immediately dizzy. He raised his hand, not daring to be presumptuous: "Quickly, go to the Tianyuan Hall and ask the Chief to come out of seclusion!"
Author's Note: Taihui: The light boat has already passed ten thousand mountains—the Wumeng Mountains connect to mountains beyond mountains—the mountain roads here have eighteen bends—and we're about to hit a huge iceberg.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-08-04 22:05:01 and 2024-08-06 02:29:43!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: I want to watch 3 of Yang Zi's dramas;
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