Chapter 63: He didn't understand the choice.
"Then I'll do it."
Unexpectedly, Xunfang was the first to step forward. She smiled kindly and tolerantly, "Compared to you all, I am only a few years older. Of the three branches of the Golden and Silver Terrace, I may be able to choose one."
None of the cultivators present had ever used the Compendium of Flowers, and Murong Qiudi showed no intention of explaining it. She would certainly not let go of such a good opportunity to try it out.
Moreover, no one knows how long this clone can last. If it can follow us indefinitely, wouldn't it be a great help once we leave Tianzhu?
Pei Yu turned his head to look, a smile playing on his lips: "Elder Xunfang, now that you've already pressed your way into Chuncheng, is there any need to play hard to get? I want all three of these Golden and Silver Terraces!"
Among the direct disciples of Daohe Palace in this generation, Pei Yu is the most infuriating. She is far too arrogant and domineering, looking down on everyone. She only has eyes for the strong. Elders like her, whose spiritual veins are damaged and whose cultivation level has plummeted, have been ridiculed by her many times in the past.
Xunfang's face turned slightly pale, but she still maintained her smile: "Junior Nephew Pei, I only need one of them... After the Flying Flower Gathering ends, we still have to return to Daohe Palace."
Pei Yu turned back and looked only at Murong Qiudi: "So what? My master doesn't have time to deal with such trivial matters."
As the two argued, Murong Qiudi glanced sideways, frowned, and raised her hand, causing their lips to feel as if weighed down by a thousand pounds, preventing them from speaking.
"Besides the two of them, who else wants to hold the flowers?"
"I'll do it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Feiran and Wei Changzai raised their hands at the same time. She paused for a moment, glanced to the side, and the instant her eyes met Qingling's, she suddenly withdrew her hand, but a moment later, she raised it again.
Lin Feiran was puzzled by his repeated actions, but not surprised.
Wei Chang was indeed a man of few desires, rarely competing with others, but that stemmed from his indifference and focus. Before setting a goal, nothing else mattered; once he had a goal, he would achieve it no matter what.
He has come to Spring City to obtain a spirit sword from the Sacred Valley. Before that, nothing can stop him.
Three flowers, four people vying for them; even if each person wanted one, it wouldn't be possible.
Murong Qiudi looked through them one by one and then spoke.
Murong Qiudi's words had a hidden meaning. The group was still unclear about the meaning of the reward, but they understood the phrase "the will of the people." This meant that those who did not want to accept the flowers had to make a choice.
Almost at the same time, as soon as he finished speaking, Shen Qi stood behind Lin Feiran with his dark, shiny face. Although his expression was not visible, his wide-open deer eyes were full of trust and respect.
He had said before that before leaving Tianzhu, he would only follow Wenran's lead!
He even tried to win over Qiu Tong and the other three cultivators: "Gentlemen, Wen Ran is extremely powerful and has a kind heart. I, Shen, guarantee with my life that she would never play any tricks!"
These words made even Lin Feiran glance at him. They had only just met, and he was already entrusting his life to him?
Unfortunately, Shen Qi's guarantee seemed to be of little use. After deliberation, only one of the three cultivators standing outside went to Lin Feiran's side, while the other two stood next to Pei Yu.
Although someone like her is arrogant and domineering, which can be unpleasant, her confident and strong demeanor cannot be ignored.
People naturally admire those who are strong.
As a result, no one cared about Xun Fang's ashen face; they only looked at Qiu Tong, who was under increasing pressure.
She was also very conflicted at this moment.
If she were to speak of personal reasons, she would definitely want to choose Consort Wei. In terms of friendship, she also wanted to take care of the lonely Xunfang. But compared to the former two, she actually wanted to make Pei Yu suffer. Just as she was struggling with this dilemma, Consort Wei suddenly made a move.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he, as a candidate, disregarded the rules and walked behind Lin Feiran without any sense of shame, his expression unchanged.
Qiu Tong was slightly taken aback, Shen Qi stared at him with wide eyes, Pei Yu sneered, but he was completely oblivious, only glancing at everyone before asking in a clear voice, "What's wrong?"
Shen Qi couldn't understand: "Fellow Daoist Wei, aren't you going to run for election?"
Wei Changzai looked at him and said, "It's no longer necessary."
Even if Qiu Tong chooses him, he is just one person, which is meaningless compared to Pei Yu and Lin Feiran. Since that's the case, why not give up your vote?
Moreover, will there be four Lin Feirans present at that time?
His thoughts drifted aimlessly, and he silently glanced ahead.
Lin Feiran: "..."
For some reason, she suddenly felt a heavy, sticky gaze, as if it were a physical weight pressing down on her shoulders.
At this point, Qiu Tong had no reason to hesitate anymore; it didn't matter who she chose except Pei Yu.
She glanced at Wei Changzai, then lowered her eyes and walked behind Xunfang. Xunfang was overjoyed and pulled her close, praising her repeatedly. Qiu Tong, however, only smiled, with a hint of bitterness in her eyes.
Murong Qiudi glanced at the group, said "Good," and then flicked her wrist, sending three golden and silver sticks flying out. Lin Feiran immediately raised his hand to catch them.
She examined the three golden and silver flowers in her hand; their yellow stamens and white petals were delicate and fragrant, and they were undoubtedly real flowers.
With a sound of opening the scroll, a pattern with a brocade background appeared before her. She swept one of the patterns across the scroll, and the golden and silver platform transformed into a shadow that merged into it, adding a touch of yellow and white to the lifelike flower pattern in the lower right corner.
After a pause, she imitated the bearded man from before, pointing her finger onto the dimly lit gold and silver ink painting, and recited the long poem.
Suddenly, a beam of light flashed across the painting, and shadows emerged, revealing another Lin Feiran in the scene. Her face, however, was just as plain and sharp as hers at this moment, with only her eyes being particularly captivating.
Lin Feiran glanced up and looked at the chart carefully. She had observed it very carefully. When the gold and silver platform was painted, a small leaf, the size of a mung bean, grew on the ink-painted flower branch. It was not the flower and leaf of the gold and silver platform itself. However, when the flower was used, the color of the flower did not fade, but the leaf disappeared.
She looked up and saw that on the painted lotus leaves, there was also a tiny, almost imperceptible leaf.
If I'm not mistaken, a flower can only dye one petal red and can only be used once. The number of leaves indicates the number of flowers that can be used.
As everyone waited in silence, she repeated the process and summoned another Lin Feiran. The leaves on the spectrum reappeared and disappeared, further confirming her conjecture.
There was still one gold and silver stand left, but Lin Feiran did not intend to use it all herself. With two more clones, she clearly felt an unfamiliar heaviness, as if her hands and feet were bound. Presumably, this was what Murong Qiudi meant.
Having too many selves can actually hinder your true self.
She stated bluntly, "Doppelgangers would hinder my true self, so I can only use two. More would make me inconvenient to move around. The remaining one..."
Her gaze swept over the group, noticing their varied expressions. After careful consideration, she ignored Xunfang and Wei Changzai and handed the flowers to Pei Yu.
Looking at her deep, serene eyes, they seemed so familiar, so similar. Pei Yu frowned, about to refuse her with a sarcastic remark, when she heard her say calmly, "If you don't need it, I'll give it to this fellow Daoist. I suppose she can control it."
Fellow Daoist refers to Qiu Tong.
Pei Yu immediately snatched the flower and looked straight at her: "It's just controlling a clone!"
Despite the twists and turns, they finally managed to gather twelve people. Without hesitation, they decided to give Shen Qi the position of "King," who would be protected by others. As for the other positions, they would draw whatever they drew from the divination box.
Wei Changzai took out a bamboo stick, glanced at the words "Military Advisor" on it, then looked away. His peripheral vision slowly fell on the two "Lin Feiran" characters. His downcast and silent posture was very much like that of seventeen-year-old Manman.
Lin Feiran, who was silent, sensitive, fragile, and never smiled.
Back then, after they had their sword fight in the pine forest, she would always stand by the pine cliff, facing the wind, silent, letting the mountain wind and the clear sun outline her solitary figure.
Then she would turn around and ask him, "Wei Changzai, my swordsmanship has improved so much, why are they still unwilling to go on missions with me?"
When Wei Chang first heard this, he smiled, but this smile was not because he found it funny, but because he understood it. It was like when parents hear their child asking if there are no thieves in the world; they just find the words cute and have no other meaning.
He wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back before it even came out. He didn't like that there were always other people involved between them.
"Manman, why bother with them? If it's a mission, I can go with you."
When she heard this answer, her eyes looked somewhat bewildered, and she turned away, letting the mountain wind blow on her. At that time, he didn't really understand that sad expression.
He didn't consider himself a fool. Although the path to harmony between humanity and nature in spiritual practice requires a lack of emotions and desires, it didn't mean he knew nothing.
If he were to discern a person's desires and baseness, he could do so with just a glance. However, a person's expression is always difficult to understand, as it is completely different from his own. He has to look and look again and again, think and think, before he can find some clues.
Having seen the memorable "Lin Feiran," he turned his gaze to her as she is now.
Her gaze was more resolute, her posture more upright. She would no longer sit beside him, asking if he had seen the moon that day, or if he missed his deceased parents. From the moment she landed on this flying island, she hadn't looked at him twice or spoken a single word to him.
She was not even as close to him as Pei Yu, who had caused her so much trouble in the past.
He gradually became kind-hearted, and would not be willful or rude, nor would he reject the approach of a "stranger," so he did not break the ice and acknowledge her as his wife.
From the moment he saw her, he had been waiting—waiting for her gaze, waiting for her words.
She could suppress her emotions and calmly talk to Pei Yu and Xun Fang under a false identity, so why couldn't she do the same to him?
He didn't understand.
He's always been clever; did he slip up and arouse her suspicion?
The bamboo stick in his hand broke. He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the happy Shen Qi before landing on Lin Feiran's face. He asked in a clear voice, "Fellow Daoist Wenran, what identity did you draw?"
Lin Feiran paused, then looked up at him, unconsciously taking a half step back, revealing the fortune slip in her hand: "Two supply wagons, one strategist."
Wei Changzai watched her movements, his gaze pausing slightly, but he still pursed his lips and said, "Fellow Daoist, you are quite lucky to have drawn such a good identity. I will also..."
Shen Qi immediately interjected, "This identity is extraordinary. In the opera, the supply wagon is of utmost importance. When it travels, the iron chains fly in all directions. With the added benefit of the strategist's protection, it is invincible!"
Noisy.
Wei Changzai glanced at him, about to speak, when he saw Lin Feiran's eyes slightly curved, somewhat shy, yet his expression also contained a hint of eagerness. His expression did not change significantly, but the light in his eyes was impossible to ignore.
Suddenly, he fell silent, simply gazing at her, a fleeting thought crossing his mind.
He thought that when she stood on the cliff edge, perhaps she wasn't looking for an answer, but rather a reason, a reason to spread her wings.
After a moment, he simply said, "I am also a strategist, we are the same..."
"Is that so?" Lin Feiran's eyes flickered slightly, and she took a half step back, seemingly unwilling to have any more contact with him. After responding, she abruptly steered the conversation toward Chen Qi.
"Speaking of which, what is your identity?"
Shen Qi looked at her, a look of doubt appearing on his dark face for the first time. "I am the 'King,' the one who was just elected. Have you already forgotten in such a short time?"
"I really forgot who pushed you and why?" she said, walking three meters away while spouting nonsense.
Shen Qi was even more confused: "You pushed me, you said my martial arts skills were bad and I should just be king. How strange, are you possessed?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand to touch Lin Feiran's forehead, but then withdrew it halfway, his eyes flashing, and told her to touch it herself.
"..."
Wei Changzai watched her leave in silence. She didn't even want to say a word to him, even though he was clearly a "stranger" to her. Puzzled, he raised his hand to his chest.
Even though no vines were forced to grow, my heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly, a bitter feeling welling up inside.
Why?
Author's note: As mentioned before, Wei Changzai has no sense of shame. He doesn't care much about other people's opinions, and he would even run naked if asked to (just kidding).
Humans don't understand ghosts, and ghosts don't understand humans (X)
Today's is a bit short...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
