Chapter 8 Sorrowful Wind and Bitter Snow (Part 3) Sword Intent Amidst Wind and Snow
The silent temple grounds were covered with snow that had been falling for several days, a vast expanse that reflected a faint glow under the moonlight.
The disciple sweeping snow stood blankly in front of the mountain gate in the distance, holding a broom, his lips slightly parted, his head slightly raised, and a fierce flash of lightning piercing the night sky reflected in his dark eyes.
Some people were just surprised and curious, but the disciples who recognized her took several steps back, stared wide-eyed at the girl surrounded by lightning, and gasped.
Lightning flashed like snakes, tracing the shape of the Qi Sword and forming six lightning swords. They moved with lightning speed around Lin Feiran, their sizzling sound sending chills down one's spine. The exploding purple and blue lightning instantly illuminated her eyes, lighting up the snowy night.
The wind and snow were biting, and she stood alone, sword in hand, watching the figure rushing towards her.
Suddenly, fireworks rose from Luoyang City at the foot of the mountain, golden light scattering in all directions, exploding with a bang that resonated throughout the mountains. Amidst these explosions, she stepped back, her sword held horizontally in front of her, a standard sword-raising stance, and then spoke softly.
"go."
Six lightning swords surged forward like dragons emerging from the sea, unleashing a flurry of mist and snow with unstoppable force, leaving the other disciples stunned.
This sword technique should not, and could not, be developed by a cultivator in the Meditation Realm.
Lin Feiran, isn't he a universally acknowledged good-for-nothing?
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Chunhe slowly walked over, his calm face illuminated by the purple and blue light in the distance.
He watched all of this without any surprise.
With a casual grab, Wei Changzai, who was about to draw his sword and step forward, retreated hastily and fell into his palm.
"Changzai, watch closely how she uses this sword bone. After the bone replacement, you must be eight-tenths similar to her."
Wei Changzai looked at the person in the snow and pursed his lips, saying, "Master, I have said that I do not need the sword bone."
"Is that so? It doesn't matter."
Zhang Chunhe spoke in a calm tone. He took half a step forward, and when he spoke again, his voice was as loud as a bell, echoing throughout every corner of Sanqing Mountain.
"Lin Feiran, the rebellious disciple, has disobeyed his teachers and elders, dared to challenge the sect, and is unruly and difficult to control. He must be captured and not allowed to escape."
Upon hearing this, the disciples in the distance were startled and replied in unison, "We obey!"
The disciples guarding the mountain quickly drew their swords and rushed over, arriving before Tai Hui and meeting the menacing thunder swords first.
The Divine Palace Six Strike Techniques are indeed superior sword skills, but Lin Feiran's cultivation level is not high. Even if he can control six thunder swords at the same time, he can only delay for a moment and cannot restrain him for too long.
Amidst the vast snowstorm, Taihui struggled for a moment before looking at Lin Feiran and speaking to him telepathically, offering sincere advice.
"Feiran, the Chief's words are always true. He won't let you leave. He'll kill you half to death, leaving you barely alive to extract your bones. How painful would that be? You might as well stay and sacrifice your useless spiritual bones to save your life. As long as you're alive, you're safe!"
Lin Feiran did not retreat. Instead, she rode her sword up and fought with several disciples. Six lightning swords constantly moved around her, illuminating her figure alone in the snowy night.
"I told you, no one can stop me today."
The six lightning swords attacked relentlessly at such a speed that the snow mist was so thick that all the people could see were streaks of lightning clashing with Taihui and the others, but they could not see the sword shadows.
Many disciples who had rushed over stood around, momentarily unable to seize the opportunity to join the battle.
Another sword rang out, and the five disciples were forced back several steps. In the hazy white scene, only a figure illuminated by lightning remained.
The disciples watching from the side were furious upon seeing this. Although they didn't know what Lin Feiran had done wrong, they had always disliked her. Now that they had finally found a good opportunity, they all raised their swords and charged forward: "Lin Feiran, don't be so arrogant!"
Several men drew their swords and charged forward, but the lightning sword instantly split into several lightning snakes, circling the sword and attacking their faces, forcing them to retreat step by step.
The battle intensified once again, and more and more people joined in.
Lin Feiran's limit was six lightning swords. At this moment, he still had strength left to fight them. However, during the fight, he heard that another person was rushing to the rear.
Lin Feiran turned around and thrust his sword, but his pupils contracted slightly when he saw the person coming. He subconsciously shifted his sword half an inch, and the sword light, as strong as a gale, only managed to scatter a few clumps of snow on the person's cheek.
The visitor was unharmed, but Lin Feiran suddenly felt a chill.
She looked down and saw a snow-covered short sword piercing her ribs. The sword was twelve inches long, with a blade shaped like water. Blood flowed down the blade in a winding path, like rippling waves on a river.
This is Qingyu's short sword, Xiaochongshan.
Small hills overlap, their golden light shimmering and flickering.
The sword, forged from molten gold, had a thin, sharp blade and a smooth, mirror-like surface, reflecting Qingyu's dignified and solemn face.
She had the same expression when she was exorcising demons.
For a moment, the falling snow seemed to fall still, and the blood droplets splattered, as if blooming into red plum blossoms.
Unexpectedly, Mei was here all along.
Looking at the sword, the blood, and these people, she suddenly felt an unprecedented weariness and loneliness.
Having cultivated for many years, Lin Feiran had suffered countless injuries, some of which were so deep that the bone was visible. His arms, ankles, ribs, and chest had all been injured, but he had never felt anything like this before. There was no pain, only a cold and aching sensation.
Lin Feiran looked up at Qingyu, her eyes red as if they had been rubbed with rouge, and her stray hairs kept brushing against her cheeks. She asked, "Why?"
Her voice was extremely hoarse: "Even if you raise cats, dogs, or livestock, you should have developed some feelings for them after so many years. Why did my sword deviate, but yours didn't move an inch?"
The surroundings were quiet, and the person in front of him remained silent.
Lin Feiran looked at her and said, "Elder Qingyu, you are very knowledgeable. Can you tell me how worthless a person's sincerity is? How much does it weigh? Is it even less than a goose feather?"
Qingyu's eyes flickered slightly, but she still didn't sheathe her sword: "In this world, sincerity is the most worthless thing. Anyone can give it, and it's the most insignificant thing that anyone can throw away. You can't survive in this world on sincerity alone."
I told you when we went up the mountain that the path of cultivation is never easy, and those who cultivate are not immortals. If one must be without emotion or desire, how can one have a true heart?
Lin Feiran stood there, leaning on his sword: "These are your true feelings, these are what you all think. All those principles of benevolence and righteousness that you've been taught, you yourselves don't even believe in them. Qingyu, do you think this path you've taken will be stable?"
When she said this, Qingyu was probably mocking her in her heart.
Without sincerity, how can one cultivate the mind?
Qingyu was somewhat moved, but not saddened; rather, she found it amusing.
"Naturally, it is safe and secure, because it is the Great Way, a bright and smooth path. But if one is to tread the path of unity with heaven and man, reaching for the heavens, then the ground beneath one's feet will inevitably be covered with withered bones. According to you, if I sincerely ask the chief for it, will he give me a bottle of the Three-Element Emperor's Pill? If they sincerely ask you, would you be willing to have your bones removed?"
Lin Feiran, you won't do that. Sincerity can't buy anything.
Past, present, and all around, sounds filled her ears. Lin Feiran looked at the glistening snow on the ground and heard the celebratory fireworks of Luoyang City.
Her voice was like a pine branch bent under the weight of falling snow, teetering on the verge of collapse.
"Are you saying that I've been wrong all along?"
Their eyes met, Qingyu's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and the hand holding Xiao Chongshan trembled as if powerless. She looked into Lin Feiran's clear black and white eyes, as if she could finally burst out.
"Yes! Do you really want me to say it? The path of cultivation is fraught with difficulties. Who isn't a lone tree that can't support itself? Everyone has to cover up their shortcomings. Who can truly do as they please? Who can truly be one with their knowledge and actions? If I wanted to follow your path, I wouldn't have gone down the mountain against my will to associate with you back then. Do you know how much I hated your mother's self-important attitude? But if I hadn't done that, how could I have secured my position as an elder?!"
Lin Feiran smiled bitterly and sighed softly: "The Scripture of Saving People Does Not Save People, and the Path to Immortality Does Not Immortality."
She glanced down at the golden fireworks exploding in Luoyang city below, and at the winding 3,330 steps.
"I always thought that even with ulterior motives, sincerity could still be reciprocated with sincerity, but that was just wishful thinking."
The Daohe Palace on Sanqing Mountain is like an illusory dream; only her sincerity is real, and only the wounds on her body are real.
“I, Lin Feiran, came up the mountain naked, with no worries in my heart, originally only for the sake of the Dao. But after several years, in this mountain full of wind and snow, I can no longer remember why I started to cultivate the Dao, I can't remember why I wielded the sword, and I am only trapped by you all day long.”
Looking back now, there's still no one behind me. Now I'm leaving naked, and no one can stop me!
She could single-handedly slay demonic beasts in the cave, and she could do the same here. She was used to facing death and living life to the fullest.
Lin Feiran summoned a thunder sword to force Qingyu back, and then without hesitation drew out the Lesser Heavy Mountain sword and held it horizontally in front of her. With her right hand pointing together, she channeled her spiritual power throughout her body. Her hair was blown by the cold wind as she sighed softly.
That breath, filled with sorrow and bitterness, froze the blood on Xiao Chongshan's blade into solid ice.
"The wind and snow weigh down the boat, leaving it in dire straits; the broken oars prevent the crossing of the heartbroken traveler."
Sword Intent Amidst Wind and Snow!
Qingyu's eyes widened instantly, and she shouted as she rushed forward to snatch it, only to see Lin Feiran casually throw Xiao Chongshan aside, discarding it like a worn-out shoe. The short sword landed with a crack and shattered into several pieces like thin ice, mixing into the snow.
At this moment, a chilling, penetrating frost and snow spread across the ground, causing the disciples who had rushed over from afar to shiver and jump up and down in place.
Fine snowflakes fluttered in the air, but none of them touched the ground. They drifted around like willow catkins, seemingly gentle, but Qingyu knew that each snowflake was a sword in Lin Feiran's hand.
"Then let's go together." Lin Feiran stood up straight, no longer looking at her. "Even if I die, I won't give you my bones."
As if time had stood still, the heavy snow seemed to freeze in the air. But a moment later, the snowflakes scattered like mist and hail, each snowflake transforming into tiny, sharp swords that pierced straight towards the crowd.
Whether it was their teachers, disciples, or Lin Feiran himself, everyone was enveloped in this sufficiently dense attack.
"Help! What the hell is this thing?!"
"Ouch, it hurts so much! The sword can't stop me at all! Does anyone have a talisman I can borrow?!"
Snow may seem gentle, but it is sharp enough. Each flake brushes against the skin, and before the tiny cuts can bleed, ice crystals form, making it impossible to guard against and causing unbearable pain.
The disciples wailed and howled, and the masters, unaware of the truth, had no choice but to activate their protective formations to help, paying little attention to Lin Feiran.
Those left to entangle her were only Taihui, Qingyu, and a few disciples who were too busy to help themselves.
Besides the heavy snow, Lin Feiran also had six thunder swords, which would be enough to keep them occupied.
She whistled, and six lightning swords immediately swam to her side, crackling with lightning. Taihui and the others focused their attention on them, but Lin Feiran did not look at them.
Amidst countless snowflakes, she gazed towards the other end of the temple, where a figure in pale blue stood, holding a whisk, a thin golden-red flame painted between his brows, his face serene, his eyes meeting hers with the same unwavering gaze, devoid of guilt or ferocity, as if looking at a flower or a stone.
"Changzai, do you think she will give up now?" Zhang Chunhe asked, adjusting the whisk in his hand.
Wei Chang stood still, the cold wind unable to stir his gaze, which only reflected the defiant figure: "She won't stop. Since she said she's going down the mountain, she'll climb down even if it means death."
Zhang Chunhe's eyes darted around and landed on him again. The whisk in his hand transformed into a silver bow and a dark long arrow, which he thrust straight at Wei Changzai.
"In that case, there's no need to wait any longer. Stopping her is not difficult with your level of skill."
The frost and snow howled, and the snowflakes that pierced the two of them melted into soft water as soon as they got close, falling helplessly to their feet.
Wei Changzai looked at the bow, his dark eyes like two heavy mercury balls in the night snow, transparent and without light. He neither said it was good nor bad, until Zhang Chunhe asked, "Why won't you make a move?"
He then took it, drew the bow, nocked an arrow, the string creaked and tightened, and slowly aimed at the extremely fast blue light in the snow.
He said, "There's no particular reason. We've known each other since we were kids, and she still has some feelings for me."
In the distance, several disciples were already enraged and their attacks became increasingly violent. Qingyu, having lost Xiaochongshan, was filled with resentment and held the jade ruyi in her hand, refusing to back down. Only Taihui was still whispering among himself.
"Surrender and you'll have a chance to live! After the bones are taken, you can stay in Sanqing Mountain. Once you become the head monk, you'll definitely be an elder, and your life will be worry-free. So what are you insisting on? Do you really want to lose your life over such a trivial deception? Feiran, be a little more carefree, turn the page, and there will be a smooth road ahead. Why take it so seriously!"
A soft whistling sound broke through the snow. Her left ear twitched slightly, and she flipped over, grabbing the whistling object tightly in her hand. It was a dark long arrow, its tip gleaming with sharpness and immense force. It burned as it was rubbed against her palm, drawing blood.
Lin Feiran spun around and threw the arrow back. The arrow forced back the group of people who came to chase after him, and then fell like a meteor towards Zhang Chunhe and the other man. After a loud hum, the sound of it shattering echoed in their ears.
Wei Changzai looked up and saw that the jade plaque with the three characters "Daohe Palace" written on it had been nailed open, and spider webs crawled out as if it were about to fall into pieces. Fine wood chips mixed with the blood from the arrowheads dripped down and landed on his lips.
He looked back, and the figure was still standing. Ignoring the terrified looks of the crowd, she shouted alone in the snowy night.
"What talk of divine justice and mercy for all living beings? You can't do that at all. There is no tomorrow here, only cold, snowy nights! Daohe Palace is dead. You are nothing but ghosts who live here. I will never regret leaving the mountain today. When I return in the future, I will definitely take down that hypocritical jade hanging high above and smash it to pieces!"
Lin Feiran stood in the center, with purple lightning and blue light swirling around her, like the only light in the dark night. But at this moment, nothing was as dazzling as her eyes that burned with starlight.
Wei Changzai stood beside Zhang Chunhe, watching and listening quietly, his posture as straight as a pine tree, without swaying in the slightest, his face still cold.
The snow wind swept across his forehead, obscuring his face. Suddenly, a bright red tongue darted out, silently taking the blood from his lips and swallowing it. His throat moved slightly, and he swallowed it as if he were swallowing gold and fire.
Six thunder swords shot up with a flick of Lin Feiran's wrist. She leaped onto the purple lightning and blue light amidst the rapidly falling snow, seemingly with a death wish as she charged forward. The opposing group immediately raised their swords to counter, and bursts of snow exploded as the blades clashed.
At this moment, Lin Feiran released her strength, and the sword energy dissipated. She was thrown far away by the explosive force, so far that she was only five meters away from the edge of the cliff.
She endured the pain, got up, and rushed straight to the edge of the cliff without pausing for a moment.
"When the sword of wind and snow arrives, all horses fall silent. Changzai, to be fair, when you were in the state of forgetfulness—no, now—can you even use it?" Zhang Chunhe said leisurely, and walked forward.
He took the silver bow, and with a flick of his wrist, the bow was drawn to its fullest extent, its force like a collapsing mountain, and the silver arrow was aimed directly at the staggering figure.
With a sharp clang, the arrow was released from the bow. This time, unlike before, it did not deviate in the slightest and went straight for Lin Feiran's heart without hesitation.
Lin Feiran leaped down, and the spirit arrow followed in pursuit. With a loud bang, the old pine trees on the cliff trembled and scattered snowflakes.
Wei Changzai's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously touched his right arm. Taihui and Qingyu immediately teleported to the edge of the cliff. The two hesitated for a moment, exchanged a glance, and then leaned out to look down with complicated expressions.
But there was no one under the arrow.
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