Chapter 40 Sleepless Night "Who's behind this?"...
There is no snow today, and the sky is clear and blue.
Qiu Tong sat wearily among the paper cranes scattered on the ground all night. Her letters still hadn't been delivered to Ning He Residence. No matter how many she sent, they would all eventually return to her room.
The pain of broken bones in my previous life is still fresh in my memory.
She could choose to run away, to avoid the situation, because many of Pei Yu's disciples who were chosen did just that.
Having lived in Daohe Palace for many years, everyone already knew Pei Yu's character. If they didn't fight this time, they might miss the opportunity to enter the Sword Realm and find the Iron Certificate and Elixir Book, but at least their lives would be safe.
In this righteous path where talent is valued and the strong prey on the weak, the disciples revered and looked up to Pei Yu, yet they also feared him.
Opposing her will only lead to isolation from everyone, as there are precedents. But they are not Lin Feiran; they do not have the determination to go it alone without fear, nor do they have the swordsmanship to win three consecutive moves against Pei Yu.
Any disciple with a modicum of intelligence would avoid confronting him during this Immortal Tour.
Qiu Tong naturally thought the same way, but she was still unwilling. But what could she do? She was indeed no match for Pei Yu now. If she wanted to fight, she would have to experience the pain of broken bones again.
She refused.
So, during her night of distress, she lit incense and had a deep conversation with her mother, talking about Wei Changzai's sudden seclusion and her inconsistent attitude towards her, as well as the recent opening of her sword realm and the Iron Certificate and the Book of Elixir.
Unexpectedly, her father overheard this and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Qiu Tong, if this is true, you must join the war."
"Why?" Qiu Tong was puzzled, but felt more aggrieved. "Father, you have no idea how cruel Pei Yu is. I am a whole realm lower than her and a thorn in her side. She will definitely break seven of my bones!"
She thought Prince Qingping would ask about the broken bone, but he didn't. He just smiled and said, "Qiu Tong, you are my child, the most valiant little princess of the fox clan. Why speak of defeat before the battle even begins?"
As wisps of smoke rose, Qiu Tong could initially only see her mother's expression through the smoke. But as footsteps drew closer and the dragon-shaped pendant hanging from her father's waist appeared beside her mother, she saw her mother lower her eyes and become silent.
Qiu Tong didn't think much of it; her mind was full of Pei Yu, so she acted coy as usual.
"Father, I don't want to go..."
"Qiu Tong, you must go." Qingping King's voice was unhurried, yet it was hard to refute. "You are still young and do not know that it is easy to enter the Sword Realm, but the opportunity to find the Iron Token and the Elixir Book is extremely rare. If you want to find the book, it must be an opportunity that Grandmaster Qian Dao set up long ago. Even I have only heard of this once."
Qiu Tong looked at her mother and said coquettishly, "Mother, I don't want to go. Please talk to Father..."
She paused slightly, and saw her mother still with her eyes lowered. After a moment, she smiled at her and said, "Qiu Tong, listen to your father."
Qiu Tong suddenly fell silent.
Prince Qingping slowly leaned forward, and his face finally appeared in the smoke. It was a mature and handsome face, about six-tenths like Qiu Tong, only with some fine lines worn away by the years.
His tone was kind, and his eyes were gentle: "We are the demon race, and we are unlikely to encounter such an opportunity as the Iron Certificate and the Elixir Book. But beneath the Elixir Book lies a Scripture of Immortals. It is very important. Qiu Tong, you can retrieve it, right?"
Qiu Tong had never mentioned this matter in her previous life, so she had never heard of this Taoist scripture, let alone knew that her father would want it.
She looked up at her father, then at her mother, her eyelashes trembling slightly. After a long silence, she finally said in a low voice, "How important is it? More important than my safety?"
King Qingping simply said, "Qiu Tong, this matter concerns the fox clan and is of utmost importance. It is not convenient to explain now, but if there is an opportunity in the future, your father will tell you the whole story."
He fell silent, and the atmosphere became heavy. Qiu Tong continued, "I can't beat her at all. Even if I were lucky enough to win, I might not be able to find that Immortal True Man's Scripture. Is it worth it to break my seven bones for something so illusory?"
The Prince of Qingping asked in bewilderment, "How do you know you're going to lose before the competition even starts? Your father will help you."
Qiu Tong's hands, hanging by her sides, clenched tightly, as if she had returned to the day she fought Pei Yu. She closed her eyes slightly and said, "Father, Pei Yu is a whole realm higher than me. In any case, this trip will definitely be a fierce battle for me. Even so, do I still have to go?"
Upon hearing this, her mother closed her eyes.
Qingping King straightened his body, and only the Chi King pendant remained in the smoke.
βItβs common to get injured in battles. Qiu Tong, you are the daughter of my King Qingping. You have had a smooth life since childhood and have never had any worries. But people always have to grow up, and nothing in this world comes for nothing. As the daughter of the fox clan lord, you have responsibilities that you should bear.β
For the first time, Qingping Wang choked her with fear and cowardice.
He once said that Qiu Tong was the most clever and adorable princess of the fox clan, and that she could do whatever she wanted without caring about others. But what about the things she didn't want to do?
It seems Qiu Tong never asked.
"Okay." Considering the fox clan, she agreed.
King Qingping nodded: "I once gave you a special communication jade tablet. You should remember that before the competition, you should channel your spiritual power into it according to the rules and activate the secret array within. I will help you win."
Qiu Tong, there's always one thing to do; don't retreat without a fight.
After saying this, Prince Qingping turned and left, preparing what he called assistance for her.
After sitting quietly for a long time, Qiu Tong finally spoke: "Mother, what is so important about the Immortal True Man's Scripture?"
"I don't know. Qiu Tong, your father has been very mysterious these past few years, and I don't know much about many things within the clan." Jiu Ling looked up at her daughter, her expression solemn.
"Qiu Tong, when you return to the demon realm, your mother has something important to tell you."
Qiu Tong was even more puzzled, but her mother didn't say anything more. She just told her to rest early and then put out the incense pill.
As the smoke cleared, Qiu Tong stared blankly at the moonlight, her mind a complete blank. This whole thing was both incredibly coincidental and incredibly sudden.
As dawn broke, she went alone to practice her sword in the pine forest. The more she practiced, the more chaotic her mind became. Her father's words, "Shoulder your responsibilities," weighed heavily on her heart and she couldn't shake them off.
In her past life, during the chaos of the fox clan, although she knew who the culprit was, she was unable to identify him due to a lack of evidence and thus she had to put the matter aside. What if the key to resolving the situation was that scripture? If she had the help of that scripture, could her father have quelled the unrest?
She looked distressed, but she was also unhappy inside. After struggling for a long time, she finally put away her sword, hid by the windproof stone, secretly took out the jade tablet, and activated the secret array by forming a hand seal based on her memory.
This jade pendant is quite peculiar. It seems to contain a spiritual force within it. When the two forces clash, red lines are drawn across the jade surface, intersecting to form several unrelated characters. Then, an array is activated, and a brocade box appears from within.
Qiu Tong was so astonished that she couldn't close her mouth. She had never seen such an exquisite magic array before, which could transmit both messages and objects. She wondered which powerful being had created it.
She carefully put away the jade token, opened the brocade box, and inside was a pill, which was familiar to her.
Qiu Tong stood up and couldn't help but kick the windproof stone a few times, her expression full of grievance. She stopped kicking it only when she was in so much pain that tears welled up in her eyes. She buried her head and wiped her eyes, swallowed the pill in one gulp, and then picked up her sword and headed towards the Golden Platform.
Lin Feiran watched the whole thing from the shadows, her mind filled with doubts. But when she saw Qiu Tong's expression, she fell silent. She couldn't help but think of herself in the small pine forest, and of Qiu Tong sitting in front of Ninghe Residence that night, holding a paper crane.
She stood there quietly for a long time before turning around and heading towards Liuzhu Pavilion.
*
At the Golden Platform, Taihui was extremely busy. He could see that everyone was dissatisfied with Zhang Chunhe's handling of the matter, but what could he do?
Putting aside the fact that Pei Yu's deceased master was Zhang Chunhe's senior sister, and the two were related in some way, Pei Yu herself possessed excellent spiritual veins and bones. Such talent would be a treasure in any sect, and it would be perfectly normal for them to protect her.
He could only first raise the Kinmen flag to appease the crowd, then forcibly pull Pei Yu off the Golden Platform and let the others compete first.
"Gentlemen, the Golden Flag that opens the Sword Realm is here. Daohe Palace promises that as long as the top three are determined, we will immediately activate the Golden Flag and open the Sword Realm. We will never break our promise or shirk our responsibility. This flag is our proof!"
After yesterday's competition, only a dozen or so people won three consecutive matches. Today, Pei Yu defeated three of them and injured one, leaving only six people. Three out of the six will be chosen, and they can compete in pairs.
Pei Yu sat in her seat with a gloomy expression, barely acknowledging Tai Hui, until Qiu Tong walked into the Golden Platform, at which point she suddenly laughed.
"They really dare to come."
Qiu Tong ignored her expression and said listlessly, "Master Taihui, Senior Sister Pei and I still have a third match to fight. May we continue?"
These words immediately attracted a lot of attention.
The girl was slender and beautiful, but her expression was not very cheerful, like a half-wilted forsythia in the snow, lacking vitality.
Many disciples who were chosen by Pei Yu gave up silently, and thus missed the chance to participate in the Sword Realm trip after failing to complete three matches. However, if any of them are unwilling to give up and are prepared to challenge Pei Yu today to achieve three victories, that is not impossible and is still within the rules.
But no one would be so foolish as to skip the first day and instead choose to fight Pei Yu on the second day when he was in a very bad mood.
Taihui took a breath, and his long-dormant conscience suddenly stirred for a moment: "Of course, but you've only just begun your training. Perhaps you should hone your skills further and wait until next time..."
Before she could finish speaking, Pei Yu retorted, "What do you mean by that, Senior Uncle? Junior Sister Qiu Tong is also exceptionally talented. Otherwise, how could she go down the mountain with Senior Brother Wei to subdue demons? Since Junior Sister has this idea, I, as her senior sister, will certainly accompany her!"
If the two wanted to go up to the Golden Platform, they had to wait for the others to finish their competition. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the two on the platform competed very slowly, as if to give Qiu Tong another chance to think it over. However, she remained seated and did not look up.
The men had no choice but to accept that she had made up her mind and did not press her further.
Qiu Tong stared blankly at the shadow at her feet, which gradually moved from left to right. Suddenly, she raised her eyes, took out a piece of gold paper from her mustard seed bag, folded it into a small crane, and released it.
This wasn't for Wei Changzai; it was just a paper crane wandering aimlessly, filled with the helplessness and unease she was hiding at that moment.
She didn't know why Wei Changzai had suddenly gone into seclusion, and she didn't know why her parents, who had always doted on her, hadn't offered a single word of comfort.
All she knew was that breaking a bone was incredibly painful.
At this moment, she suddenly thought of Lin Feiran from her past life. Back then, she was sitting in a wheelchair, her body covered with silver needles to connect her spiritual veins, her eyes filled with nothing but numbness and boundless hatred.
She stared straight at Wei Changzai and asked him sharply if he had used her spirit bone, but when she saw Wei Changzai's blank expression, she became even more furious.
That was the first time Wei Changzai had heard about removing the sword bone.
Lin Feiran trembled as she revealed everything, her eyes bulging as she stared intently at them, only to see two faces filled with sympathy, guilt, and pity.
For some unknown reason, she laughed loudly for a long time, but her voice grew increasingly desolate. Finally, she cried out in a hoarse voice, "If there is an afterlife, if there is an afterlife, I would rather be a tree without feeling than be Lin Feiran again!"
At that moment, Qiu Tong felt for the first time that there was no need for evil to be punished. She thought that she was in unbearable pain when Pei Yu broke several bones, but Lin Feiran had his sword bone dug out. How much pain must that have been?
At this moment, she was thinking again, "So this is what helplessness feels like."
"Junior Sister Qiutong, please?" Pei Yu made no attempt to hide the sharp glint in his eyes. After saying this, he immediately leaped onto the Golden Platform and leisurely turned to look at her.
As the sun set, Qiu Tong took a deep breath, slowly walked up to the Golden Platform, pursed her lips, raised her sword, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and said, "Senior Sister, please."
Pei Yu smiled and, without giving her any time to react, swung his sword at her, which Qiu Tong barely managed to block.
As the two were exchanging sword blows, Pei Yu suddenly spoke up: "I heard that you forced Lin Feiran to leave?"
Qiu Tong didn't answer, but Pei Yu chuckled to himself: "Teach me how you forced her away. If I see her again, I'll definitely stab her!"
Qiu Tong remained pursed, and in the midst of her counterattack, she inadvertently broke through Pei Yu's sword stance, forcing him back several steps.
The pill she ate was called Rain Bamboo, a very poetic name. It could temporarily boost her spiritual power, making her rise like green bamboo in the rain, and her bones would become as hard as copper and iron, making her difficult to injure. However, the price after the effects wore off was extremely high.
It seems that her father really wants to help her, as he has brought out such a treasure. Qiu Tong smiled bitterly to herself.
The flashing swords and the sounds of battle were so intense they made one's teeth ache. Everyone present went from feeling pity to being astonished, and even Pei Yu was secretly alarmed.
Not only did Qiu Tong's spiritual power increase significantly in a short period of time, but she also clearly saw Qiu Tong's arm being slashed, yet there wasn't a single scratch on her. Her eyes darkened, and she almost immediately concluded that Qiu Tong was up to something.
But so what? As long as you're strong enough, you can annihilate any number of ghosts with your sword!
Her swordsmanship grew increasingly swift, her footwork unpredictable, and the swords became heavier with each strike. Despite the strain, Qiu Tong gritted her teeth and endured it all.
As dusk deepened, a layer of smoky purple gradually spread across the sky, and a few stars could be faintly seen. A crescent moon hung pale against the dim blue sky, at the moment of transition between day and night, when the sun and moon were in disarray.
They were still fighting with swords. Qiu Tong already had several wounds on her body. She was feeling dizzy, but she still managed to hold on by sheer willpower.
That was a pent-up frustration that had been building up for a long time.
Wei Changzai once leaned against her on the rooftop. He said that he would come as long as she asked, but she knocked on the door all night and there was no response.
Her father had told her that the fox clan was now very stable, and he had no other ambitions but to ensure his children's well-being and that she could do what she wanted without any further entanglements or constraints.
Last night, he told her she absolutely had to get the scriptures, without even a single kind word of advice.
As the competition dragged on, Pei Yu's smile faded, and she gradually lost patience.
She strode backward, her long sword plunging into the ground beside her feet. She drew circles with her arms, performing a magic hand seal. With each sweeping movement, the hem of her robe fluttered without wind, and several pairs of purple-gold bracelets on her wrists jingled incessantly. In the next instant, they detached from her wrists, growing several times larger, and fiercely encircling Pei Yu.
Qiu Tong felt a sense of relief, as if a knife that had been hanging over her head had finally fallen. Her bones had been broken by these bracelets.
As she looked at the familiar purple-gold bracelet, she suddenly turned her gaze to the outside of the Golden Platform, searching for Wei Changzai's figure. She wondered if he would rush up to the Golden Platform and save her as he had done in her previous life.
Unfortunately, there was no familiar figure around. Was she too hasty in this life, which is why he hadn't fallen in love with her yet?
She wondered if her father were here and knew that her broken bones were true, would he regret sending her to the Golden Platform today? If he were here, would he just watch her get hurt?
Is there anyone who can help her? A broken bone really hurts.
The purple-gold bracelet flashed with a dark light and suddenly struck out. Pei Yu followed with his sword and stepped forward. Qiu Tong seemed to have already foreseen that outcome, and dejectedly put down her sword, waiting for her fate to come.
Suddenly, a loud boom echoed through the mountains and fields, startling a flock of birds into flight under the purple twilight.
Taihui suddenly stood up and looked back. He saw that a corner of the Liuzhu Pavilion, which stood high on the mountaintop, had collapsed, and brilliant white light burst forth on every eave and tile, shattering the carved beams and breaking the pillars like fireworks.
On the still intact roof tiles stood a dark figure. The burst of wind whipped up the hem of the person's robe and long hair, but she remained as still as a mountain.
Suddenly, the man raised his hand, and a sharp sound echoed through the mountains. Everyone was startled, and then with a bang, golden flames burst open in the smoky purple night, one after another.
"Who's causing trouble here?" Mu Qian muttered to himself, glancing at Lin Zhengqing, only to see him staring intently at the dark figure, seemingly deep in thought.
Qiu Tong also stared blankly in that direction, her eyes reflecting the fireworks, which flickered on and off.
The fireworks were breathtaking, and everyone fell silent. Suddenly, lightning began to crackle beneath the man's feet, and he leaped straight toward the Golden Platform, like a thunderclap about to fall in the night, extremely dazzling.
"Are you leaving instead of with Xun Feifei and the others to stop this competition, little hero?" Ru Xian teased.
Lin Feiran smiled upon hearing this, answering with a question instead of a reply: "Was the fireworks beautiful?"
Like a sudden silence.
Upon seeing that figure, Pei Yu on the Golden Platform burst into laughter. He clasped his hands together, and the seven purple-gold rings shone brightly, attacking Qiu Tong even more fiercely.
"Lin Feiran, it really is you!" Taihui's loud shout startled everyone.
Lin Feiran?
This name has been known throughout the major sects and families for a long time, making him a well-known scapegoat.
Everyone immediately looked up and saw that the man was dressed in black, holding a blue longsword, and wearing a blue fang mask. Some people recognized that it was the same mask that Pei Yu had thrown away earlier.
She dodged the Daohe Palace disciples like a bolt of lightning, her feet moving with lightning speed, and rushed to the Golden Platform. She flipped onto it, and with a clang, her long sword instantly blocked the two purple-gold rings.
Qiu Tong stared blankly as Lin Feiran blocked the purple-gold rings that were supposed to strike her.
After cleaving two purple-gold rings in two, she flicked and retreated, deflecting two more. Then, with a swift motion, she pierced the remaining three rings onto her sword. With a sweep of her long arm, she returned all three purple-gold rings to Pei Yu, making them circle the blade once.
Pei Yu dodged the attack, drew his sword, and instead of using the ring, he simply engaged in a sword duel with his opponent.
In an instant, the sword light on the field became several times faster than before. Only now did everyone see the famously fast sword of Daohe Palace. It was like falling petals or the autumn wind sweeping through the air. The sound of weapons clashing was continuous and swift, dazzling the eyes.
"Why did you take action?" Ru Xian asked again.
Why?
Lin Feiran turned around and landed in front of Qiu Tong. Her eyes behind the green fangs remained gentle and calm. She stretched out a fist at Qiu Tong, then spun it into a palm. A crumpled piece of paper fell out and spontaneously combusted without fire.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could still see the character "ζ" (save) remaining on it, before the crooked character was also swallowed by the flames.
"There was no particular reason. I was just thinking that if a chivalrous person were here today, he would draw his sword upon receiving this letter. So, I drew my sword as well, that's all."
The embers grew cold, blowing across Qiu Tong's hand. She looked at this completely different person and couldn't reconcile her with the panicked and sorrowful face from her past life.
"Go back. If you don't want to do something, then don't do it."
Qiu Tong was still stunned when Lin Feiran lifted her off the Golden Platform.
"You really know how to play the hero!" Pei Yu attacked with his sword, his expression darkening as the fight progressed.
It slowed down, and then it slowed down even more!
She was always half a move slower than Lin Feiran. During a break in their sword fight, she summoned the Purple Gold Ring and attacked. At the same time, a white light, just like the one seen earlier, rose from Lin Feiran's side and exploded, sending the Purple Gold Ring flying.
As their swords clashed, Pei Yu coldly sneered, forcing out five words through gritted teeth in a very low voice: "You've actually advanced!"
Lin Feiran did not answer. She no longer waited and swung her sword even more swiftly at Pei Yu. In an instant, it was as if a wind blew around them and a scorching heat rose up. Pei Yu vaguely saw a raging fire. Although she was only distracted for a moment, it was enough for Lin Feiran to knock her off the Golden Platform.
She actually cultivated the power of sword intent!
Pei Yu looked on in disbelief.
Lin Feiran was unaware of the shock Pei Yu was experiencing. Taking advantage of Pei Yu's fall, he turned and leaped to a higher position on the Golden Platform.
Someone exclaimed, "She's going to seize the Kinmen flag and challenge the Sword Realm!"
Taihui immediately raised his whisk and struck, but was blocked by a purple-gold gourd that blocked his way. He glared at it, only to be met with Mu Chun'e's apologetic face.
"I was going to stop her too, but how did I end up running into Elder Taihui? It's all a misunderstanding!"
The Daohe Palace disciples drew their swords to give chase, but were stopped halfway by disciples from other sects. Several of them said sarcastically, "Now that Pei Yu has fallen off the Golden Platform, he has lost. According to the rules, the winner can take the flag and enter the Sword Realm. Are you Daohe Palace going to cheat again?"
"You!" Before the Daohe Palace disciple could speak, someone rushed over the crowd and arrived quickly. It was Pei Yu.
She naturally couldn't let Lin Feiran enter the Sword Realm alone. She raised her hand to form a seal, and the purple-gold ring beside her surged and spun towards Lin Feiran's back. Just as she was about to dodge, a cold longsword suddenly appeared from the side, directly dissolving the power of the purple-gold ring.
The two of them glanced to the side at the same time, and on the stands not far away, stood a solitary figure with long, loose hair, wearing a wide robe, and a pair of calm, dark eyes staring intently at Lin Feiran.
But he did not step forward; instead, he recalled his longsword and stopped Pei Yu.
Pei Yu was furious. She looked him up and down, seeing his inhuman and ghostly appearance: "Why are you stopping me instead of going back to your seclusion!"
Wei Changzai's gaze swept over her without saying a word, only looking at the figure in the twilight.
She moved with lightning speed, leaping into the air almost the instant she grabbed the Kinmen flag. Amidst the flashing lightning, the array on the Kinmen flag opened, and a hidden gate, seemingly descending from the sky, suddenly opened.
That is the gate to the Sword Realm.
She lowered the flag and declared in a resounding voice, "The gates are open! Why don't you all take this opportunity to enter!"
Everyone was taken aback at first, but then some of them reacted. Regardless of Taihui's expression, they followed after receiving permission from their master, and the situation suddenly reversed, with chaos ensuing.
Even if Daohe Palace launches further attacks, they have the advantage of numbers at this point, so who can they blame? Even if they are held accountable, they will still be the ones who profit!
After saying those words, Lin Feiran did not turn back, but instead leaped into the midst of it.
As she said, she wanted to do everything she wanted to do during her visit to Daohe Palace!
Author's Note: The trip to Daohe Palace killed three birds with one stone. What were the three birds...?
P.S.: The author has an important assessment this weekend and still has some things to memorize, so the update from Friday has been moved to Thursday. There will be no update on Friday.
-
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 01:43:26 on August 7, 2024 and 01:29:52 on August 8, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Da Pu, and 1 person who wants to watch Yang Zi's dramas;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Da Pu and Sinly 10 bottles; Mu Xi and Xiao Ping Bu Ping 5 bottles; ... 3 bottles; A Bai 2 bottles; Salad dressing and Smart 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
