Chapter 96 To be worthy of comparison with gods using one's mortal body is to be a saint! ...
Within the pure white canvas, silence has nowhere to hide.
The crowd looked at the girl before them, their eyes flickering, but they didn't know what that light was all about.
Lin Feiran continued to stare at the Mad Taoist, his gaze calm yet inexplicably possessing the patience to wait for water to wear away stone.
She even sat down cross-legged on the spot and raised her hand to indicate, "Senior, please, I'm not in a hurry."
To say that I'm not in a hurry would be a lie.
But if even the pilgrimage ceremony can be handled so hastily, it's clear that the one in dire need right now isn't themselves.
If there's no reply in one day, then wait one day; if there's no reply in two days, then wait two days.
Compared to that, she can afford to wait.
The mad Taoist suddenly looked up and laughed loudly. His voice was shrill and his appearance was terrifying, but he was not frightening.
"Small in stature, but quite shrewd. I told you you'd ask this question today, but they didn't believe me. I really won!"
He circled Lin Feiran three times, then jumped three feet high and landed heavily cross-legged on the ground to sit opposite her.
Then a few more clicking sounds were heard, and the golden thrones around them slowly approached, as the Holy Spirits gathered.
The mad Taoist priest was restless, his body swaying from side to side, sometimes sitting cross-legged, sometimes lying down.
"Why don't you try to guess why the twelve of us have come to see you together today?"
“There are too many reasons.” Lin Feiran lowered his eyes slightly. “It’s either for my mother, or for the Iron Khitan Book, or for my master, or perhaps all three, or perhaps for many things I don’t know.”
A sage laughed loudly: "What a wonderful 'three-fold'!"
The mad Taoist lay on the ground and moved in front of Lin Feiran, but his madness was no longer visible on his face.
"Today, twelve of us have come to see you. Besides simply to meet you, we also want to ask you to do something. If you agree, in addition to what you just asked, I will give you two brocade pouches as a token of my gratitude."
This is the secret plan that made the Mad Taoist famous.
He added, “The answers to the world’s confusion are all in the wind, all in one plan.”
"Once the pouch is opened, it will surely contain the answer you seek."
Lin Feiran suddenly realized and asked in surprise, "When we were taking the Peach Blossom Token earlier, a sage told us to fish at the altar. So the altar contained your brilliant plan?"
The mad Taoist chuckled: "You actually thought of this, but why couldn't you figure out that person was me?"
He was overjoyed: "I acted so well, so convincingly, not crazy at all!"
"..."
It was indeed too normal; even now, looking back, it doesn't seem wrong at all.
Lin Feiran had a flash of inspiration and suddenly remembered the whole fish feast that she had eaten clean.
She turned to look at her grandmaster and understood once again.
Master had mentioned the fishing platform before, which clearly indicates that he was on good terms with that sage. So, wouldn't that be equivalent to him being on good terms with the mad Taoist?
"Grandmaster, could it be that you actually caught those fish?" she asked, her expression one of astonishment.
The grandmaster was still reeling from what he had just heard, and upon hearing this, he simply smiled and said, "It was me."
The mad Taoist, however, was not so downcast. He even rolled around on the ground with joy, saying, "I, a Taoist, have no time for fishing. I only love to eat!"
Lin Feiran remained silent for a moment, then quietly moved back a few inches to avoid having her clothes pressed down by him.
Seeing that he was still approaching, she simply stood up and looked at the saints around her.
"What do you need me to do?"
One of the saints, dressed in a silk skirt and draped in gauze, stood up. As her skirt swayed, she regained her original size and walked to Lin Feiran.
She raised her hand, and beneath the sheer fabric of her arm, a living creature slithered out, like a crawling snake.
When it swam to my wrist, it seemed to hesitate for a moment, but after a moment of hesitation, it finally emerged.
That's not a snake.
It has no head or tail, nor eyes, mouth or nose. Its whole body is golden, yet it is as crystal clear as chalcedony, shimmering with light.
Lin Feiran asked, "What is this?"
The sage looked at her, his long eyelashes drooping slightly, and explained.
"Pilgrimage Valley has a unique terrain and is a natural spirit-gathering array. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth converges here, and over time, it has nurtured this mountain spiritual vein."
Later, it became the key point of the formation here.
"Without it, there would be no Pilgrimage Valley."
"If it's so important, why give it to me?"
Lin Feiran was even more puzzled. Even if the people present were just a wisp of divine consciousness left behind, they were still incredibly powerful. Why would they hand over the items to her?
"It is precisely because it is important that I am giving it to you."
Spiritual veins are naturally formed and nurtured by nature. When they surge through the mountains, they are like fish swimming in the sea. No matter how skilled one is in geomancy or divination, one cannot determine their location, as they are always changing.
But nothing is absolute; those with similar spiritual qualities can encounter it through intuition.
The Goddess Sect is such a spiritual entity, which is why, on that day, the Holy Maiden of the Goddess Sect, under the control of the three, found the spiritual vein.
You saw it with your own eyes.
Lin Feiran immediately recalled.
That Taoist boy, that person whose words carried divine retribution, that strange young man.
They didn't take anyone seriously; even for something as difficult as breaking into Chuncheng, only three of them came.
But what does it mean that the Goddess Sect is a spiritual entity? Are they not human?
Lin Feiran suddenly had a terrifying thought: "Since the spiritual vein is the core of the formation and exists and perishes with the Pilgrimage Valley, could their deliberate sabotage be aimed at destroying the Pilgrimage Valley?"
Furthermore, it was to annihilate the Holy Spirit.
The sage before her clearly understood her unspoken meaning, so he nodded, responding with silence.
Lin Feiran's eyes narrowed slightly: "Why not inform the leaders of each sect, or announce to the world that the Sage's status is extraordinary? How could they just stand by and watch..."
She suddenly fell silent.
The sage raised his hand and patted her head: "I cannot deny that there will be public outrage, but what then? If someone tells us that the Holy Spirit can be refined for cultivation purposes, I think many people's anger will gradually subside."
Just like this flower festival, for many people, when the benefits are tempting enough, their own hearts no longer matter.
The ancestor of medicine, who had been sleeping soundly to the side, finally woke up, or perhaps he had never been asleep at all.
He stood up and walked towards Lin Feiran, his figure gradually shrinking until he was only up to her chest.
He leaned on his cane, his white beard drooping, and a faint medicinal fragrance wafted from him.
"Child, it doesn't matter. We were originally dead, and now we are just a wisp of consciousness left behind. Even if we perish, it's nothing to regret."
But we can't leave yet.
The spiritual vein has been discovered, but it may be destroyed without anyone noticing next time.
Therefore, this key point of the formation must be moved away, but it cannot be entrusted to the wrong person.
It's most suitable for you to take it.
The twelve saints returned to the Valley of Pilgrimage at different times and at different ages, among whom the Patriarch of Medicine was the most virtuous and respected.
However, the others shared similar thoughts with him.
Naturally, a spirit creature born of nature is different from an ordinary array eye; it has long shared life and death with the Pilgrimage Valley.
Therefore, whether or not it is here is not so important.
But who takes it away is important.
Upon realizing this, everyone paused slightly.
The Patriarch of Healing leaned on his cane and slowly paced around: "Originally, we couldn't find its trace either, but after staying in the valley for thousands of years, we developed some feelings for it, which is why it was willing to listen to us."
Although it lacks sentience, it is still a spiritual being, beyond human control. If it doesn't want to go with you, then that's probably its fate.
At this point, the Patriarch of Healing suddenly remembered something: "Oh, I almost forgot to ask you, are you willing to take the array's core with you when you leave?"
Lin Feiran lowered her eyes, as if deep in thought.
The physician assumed she was afraid, so he waved his hand.
"Child, don't be afraid. Just treat it like an earthworm and keep it in the soil. We will add a layer of protection for you. Even if you run into the Goddess Sect, you can use your aura to cover it up, and they probably won't find out."
Lin Feiran raised his eyes, still puzzled: "There are many ways to prevent it from being destroyed. If you want to hear them, I can name ten right now, but choosing to let me take it away is the worst possible option."
The mad Taoist priest, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly burst into wild laughter, muttering incantations.
"I told you she wasn't that stupid, you've all lost again!"
He straightened up from the ground and said, "Lin Feiran, there's no need to beat around the bush with you. Let me speak for you!"
This opening of the valley is against the natural order, not to mention that we don't even have physical bodies, only a wisp of divine consciousness. After suffering such a great injury, we don't know how long we will need to recuperate. How can we protect our spiritual veins?
Taking it with you is the best solution!
If it needs to find us again, it will know how.
Everyone turned to look at the spiritual vein on the saint's wrist, and everything was understood without words.
Lin Feiran had not expected such an answer. She was slightly taken aback, her gaze sweeping across the faces of the twelve people before finally settling on her master's face.
The Patriarch of Healers laughed: "No need to look at him. He is different from us. He retains his consciousness through that Iron Khitan Book."
The things we do, though different, ultimately lead to the same goal.
The Holy Spirits' gazes all fell on Lin Feiran, without urging or forcing him.
If she were to say no now, they would probably just shake their heads, smile bitterly, and sigh, "It's all fate."
The mad Taoist started circling around Lin Feiran again.
"What to do? What to do?"
He kept muttering to himself, as if at that moment he had transformed into Lin Feiran's innermost thoughts.
Unfortunately, that's not what she thought.
Everyone looked at her, their eyes filled with tension.
A few breaths later, Lin Feiran suddenly moved.
She untied her somewhat tattered mustard seed bag, shook it, and used her hand to open a fist-sized opening.
“I have everything in this bag. Since I’ve even put down a book of the Iron Khitan, I suppose I won’t hesitate to stuff in a ‘rope’ as well.”
If you are truly at ease and not worried that I might lose it, then please put it in.
People always say that having a lot of debt is not a burden, but Lin Feiran didn't really understand that. However, she had a similar feeling at this moment.
Having many treasures is never a burden.
One is carrying, two are taking, three are carrying on her back—who would have thought there were so many things in her tattered bag?
Seeing her agree, the group felt both relieved and worried, and then turned their attention to the spiritual vein.
Will it choose Lin Feiran?
Lin Feiran walked over, his expression unchanged, and simply shook the bag with both hands as if to signal it.
The spiritual vein suddenly paused.
Since Lin Feiran didn't know which side was the head and which side was the butt, or perhaps he couldn't tell at all, he moved to the other end of the spiritual vein and did the same thing.
"Suckling, come here quickly."
The saints were taken aback by her unexpected method, while the mad Taoist and his master burst into laughter, one clutching his stomach and the other covering his mouth.
Lin Feiran gave them a strange look, then looked away.
When the spirit vein heard that incredibly soulful sucking sound, it was indeed momentarily dazed, but it did not put it into the bag.
She pondered for a moment, then shook the slightly torn mustard seed bag. Something was pulled out, and a faint, moist fragrance wafted from the bag.
With a whoosh, the spiritual vein leaped in.
Lin Feiran immediately tied the bag shut and hung it around his waist, his movements as practiced as if he were a seasoned snake catcher.
She turned to look at the stunned mad Taoist priest, not forgetting what she deserved.
"My sage, the answer to my previous question, and the remaining two brocade pouches..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone knew what she meant.
The mad Taoist priest exclaimed in surprise, "How did you manage to catch it?"
Lin Feiran did not answer: "The answer to my previous question, and the two brocade pouches..."
"Here you go!"
He pulled out paper and pen from somewhere and started writing and drawing on the paper while looking at Lin Feiran.
"Don't say I didn't tell you, only open it when there's nowhere left to retreat and nothing left to think about."
He put the crumpled paper into three brocade pouches and tossed them back to her.
His words flowed so smoothly, as if he already knew what questions she would ask.
"As for who sent Xunfang, go back and open the first one yourself. Now tell me immediately, how did you lure it in?"
From a young age, the Mad Taoist knew the secrets of everyone around him. This did not bore him; on the contrary, it aroused his endless curiosity, and he wanted to know everything.
If he doesn't know now, and the valley gates are later sealed off, he might die of curiosity in the valley.
Lin Feiran untied the bag, shook it, and took out half a lump of mud.
“This is the spiritual soil that my father found before. The spiritual vein is naturally nurtured by the earth and loves to burrow into the soil. I think it couldn’t resist such a temptation.”
A sage standing nearby exclaimed in surprise, "You still have the Breath of Earth in your little tattered bag?"
After saying that, he was a little embarrassed. The person in front of him was a junior, and which junior didn't have a lot of money when they came out to gain experience?
"It was just curiosity, nothing more. Don't overthink it, young man."
Lin Feiran didn't seem to mind: "It's nothing, it's just a little worn out."
The mustard seed bag was made by my mother. It's just that it's been around for a long time, so the embroidery is a bit worn out, but it doesn't really matter. She just thinks it's very useful.
The mad Taoist priest standing to the side seemed to be lost in thought, having attained enlightenment.
“I’d forgotten. Luoyang was full of peonies; everything else was forbidden and would wither and die after only one season. But you and your mother found them tiresome and boring, so your father secretly went to find the Breath of Earth and sowed the flower seeds. With such a spiritual substance, the flowers just wouldn’t die.”
Lin Feiran nodded in agreement: "The sage truly knows everything."
She put the three brocade pouches into her mustard seed bag and tied them tightly again.
Before leaving, she couldn't help but look back.
The twelve saints were arranged together; they were of average height, some tall and some short, and dressed in different ways.
Some wore long robes that reached the ground, some wore gauze skirts that reached their ankles, some wore Taoist robes, and some wore straw raincoats and sandals.
Their expressions varied, some cold, some fierce, just like ordinary people, but their eyes all held a kind of benevolent warmth that came with sainthood.
Although it was their first meeting, Lin Feiran felt as if they were old friends reuniting.
She suddenly sighed, bowed to everyone in a Taoist salute, and then left with her grandmaster.
The legendary healer sighed, "She never looked back."
“She is not one to turn back. Didn’t we see that at the Flying Flower Gathering? The moonlight swept by, her head fell to the ground, and she had already moved forward. Even though she stumbled, she would not turn back.”
...
After leaving the painting, the grandmaster returned to the Iron Khitan script and closed the "book" without coming out.
Previously, the Mad Taoist briefly summarized her life in just a few words, but it seemed to have a great influence on his grandmaster. He didn't know what he was thinking, but after being written into the book, he even stopped fishing.
Lin Feiran sighed softly and landed on the small boat where he had been fishing earlier.
She looked around and discovered that the fourteen disciples who were supposed to have left had not actually left.
They simply slept in those floating boats, lost in their dreams.
It wasn't until Lin Feiran regained her footing that the others slowly came to their senses and stood up from the boat with her, their expressions varied.
Qiu Tong seemed dazed, having asked the mad Taoist something. She stood alone at the bow of the boat, letting the small boat move forward beneath her feet.
Wei Changzai glanced at her from afar, his usually clear gaze suddenly becoming complicated. After a few moments, he looked away, lost in thought.
When Shen Qi saw her, his eyes lit up. He immediately used his hand as a paddle to row towards her, then moved onto her boat and began to chat familiarly.
They talked about the beauty of the brushstrokes, the splendor of the landscape, and how he really didn't want to go out.
He said with a bitter face, "Wenran, you're tall. When we go out later, I'll bend down and hide behind you. You can shield me."
Seeing Lin Feiran looking at him, he realized he hadn't asked her opinion, and added, "Is it okay?"
The small boat glided forward, nearing the exit.
Lin Feiran asked, "Who are you trying to hide from?"
Shen Qi unfolded his folding fan, his lips opening and closing several times, but he did not want to lie to her, nor did he want to make excuses.
"I'm sorry, I can't say. But that person is extremely terrifying. I tremble all over when I see him. If I were to have a seizure and faint on the spot, it would be a huge joke!"
Lin Feiran wasn't one to pry, after all, everyone has secrets, and Shen Qi wouldn't talk nonsense, so she simply nodded.
"Then come closer."
Shen Qi hurriedly moved over and crouched down next to Lin Feiran, feeling a strange sense of security.
The two stepped out of the scroll together and appeared on the high platform. At that moment, everyone's eyes turned to them.
Among the fifteen people, several exuded an imposing aura, attracting most of the attention as soon as they appeared, so no one noticed Shen Qi.
He looked toward a certain spot on the lotus petal, only to see that the person was staring right there. His heart skipped a beat, and he pressed his shoulder even closer to Lin Feiran, silently chanting Buddhist mantras in his mind.
"May the Holy Palace Goddess protect us, may the Holy Palace Goddess protect us..."
Unaware of Shen Qi's guilty conscience, Lin Feiran dutifully escorted him to the Imperial Academy, earning a highly praising glance from Senior Qin. Confused, she returned to the demon clan's territory.
Strangely enough, Ru Xian also followed the example of the Holy Palace Lady and covered her head with a hanging gauze umbrella.
Lin Feiran looked at Xuanzhen holding the umbrella, her eyes filled with doubt, then looked at the autumn sun in the sky: "Is it very sunny?"
Xuanzhen shook her head, not quite understanding either: "I don't know either. The Lord handed me the umbrella and told me to open it, so I did."
Xuanzhen has always been obedient and a woman of her word.
Ru Xian never concealed her proud appearance.
Was he actually injured when he shielded her from that heavy pressure?
Lin Feiran leaned down and asked, "Lord, are you injured?"
A moment later, a cool, whispering voice came from behind the curtain: "I'm not injured. I just don't like people staring at me, is that a problem?"
After speaking, he leaned back slightly, crossed his legs, crossed his arms, and looked towards the center.
"I see." Lin Feiran nodded, turned around, and asked again, activating the Yin-Yang fish.
"Your Majesty, when we enter the Sacred Valley, will you still go?"
The fish swirled twice in my eyes, and a sound like hail came from them.
“Of course I’ll go. That’s why I went to the Valley of the Pilgrims.”
Lin Feiran then said, "Then we need to think of a way. How are you going to leave in broad daylight?"
Ru Xian replied, "Don't worry about me. When the time comes, you go into the valley first, take the sword if you need to, and take the spiritual herbs if you need to. I will go in myself. See you in the valley."
Lin Feiran turned around curiously, but unfortunately, she couldn't see anything clearly through the hazy white veil.
When eighty-one people enter the valley, it will surely be very chaotic. It is not impossible for him to enter in the chaos, but what if something unexpected happens and he is stopped in front of the valley?
Why doesn't he come with me?
Lin Feiran couldn't figure it out, so she looked to the side and saw Bi Qing holding her booklet, deep in thought.
She walked over and asked, "Haven't you figured it out yet?"
Biqing shook her head and sighed.
Biqing and the others were unable to participate in the Flying Flower Gathering, nor did they form a pact with her, so they were unable to enter the valley.
But when she made that journal earlier, she specifically set aside pages for a few people to write down the spiritual herbs they wanted from the valley.
Xuanzhen had already thought it through last night, and Xun Feifei had written it neatly; all that was left was Biqing.
She thought about it all night, but still couldn't come up with anything.
If she had any wish, she would only wish for the elders to live longer, but where in the world is there a way to achieve immortality?
Biqing sighed, "Never mind, many people want Fusang wood, so I'll choose this one too."
Lin Feiran wouldn't have to go through all that trouble, and if she failed to retrieve the Fusang Wood and someone came looking for trouble, she could use that as a shield.
As Bi Qing put down her pen, Lin Feiran looked at Xun Feifei sitting behind her.
"I didn't ask you last night what the Jade Grass looks like, I've never seen it before."
Xun Feifei raised her hand to adjust the silver mask, but did not look at her, only whispered.
"Your Majesty is aware."
Lin Feiran found it a little strange, but assumed he was just in a bad mood, so she responded.
Biqing handed the booklet back to her, and then the two huddled together to talk about the ink painting scene behind the scroll. Just as they were getting into the conversation, they heard a rustling sound.
Lin Feiran turned his head and saw that all the ink on the scroll had fallen and flowed outwards like a river.
The four sacrificial officials leaped high into the air.
Li Changfeng wielded his sword and struck the drum, the sound resounding through the heavens. Xie Kanhua plucked the strings and played the zither, which finally pleased the ears.
Hanshan Jun picked up his old brush and wrote the two characters "Wuliang" (meaning "limitless"). The vigorous strokes of the characters embedded themselves into the valley, opening up the gap between the valleys.
Murong Qiudi stood at the highest point: "Please, Sage!"
Then twelve figures appeared in the valley, standing tall like mountains, surrounded by radiant light, standing like pillars supporting the sky.
Those who dare to compare themselves to gods with their mortal bodies are saints!
They raised their hands, and the crevice in the valley finally widened, creating a broad path into the valley. The ink that had been flowing down from the scroll flowed into the valley path, washing away the dust for future generations before disappearing from sight.
At the end of the valley road, a white deer was passing by, its four hooves lightly pawing the ground and its cries soft.
Above the white deer's head, in the center of the Pilgrimage Valley, the upside-down mountain, supported by numerous spirit swords, came into view.
"Open the valley!"
As soon as Murong Qiudi finished speaking, the group rushed towards the scene like arrows released from a bow.
Author's Note: Taking the sword wasn't like the Flying Flowers Gathering; it was quick. But which sword was it?
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