Chapter 309 Miss Wood, please come in.
Lin Feiran did not open the letter immediately.
Right now, the situation with her senior brother is clearly more pressing. Given Bi Sheng's status, she must know his true background and be able to figure out her relationship with him. If she were to take her anger out on him because of this…
She couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
This is more than just taking it out on someone else.
My senior brother has done too many outrageous things from the beginning until now, and he has helped me too many times. It's good that he hasn't been discovered yet, but if Bi Sheng finds out, she will never let him off easily.
Moreover, given his current health condition, no one knows what that crack truly means to him.
The day I set off to draw the spirit-gathering array was too rushed.
Those few days felt like a race against time; my mind was constantly calculating, and I had no energy to think about anything else. I never imagined that my rash revelation of my identity might force him to leave...
Lin Feiran slowly tightened her grip on the pine cone.
Her gaze returned to the wooden carving in her hand, pondering how to find Ji Changying's whereabouts.
Ru Xian stepped forward, glanced at her expression, and speculated, "Your senior brother is Qingzhu?"
Lin Feiran did not deny it, and nodded, saying, "It was him. He was also the one who sent the substitute to Zhang Siwo and the others before I faced the life-or-death tribulation. Without this bamboo body, I could not have survived to this day."
"So it was him..."
Ru Xian was somewhat surprised. His gaze fell on the wood carving, and with just one glance, he could feel the care and attention the person had taken in carving the pine cone.
He realized something, paused for a moment, raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at Lin Feiran out of the corner of his eye, and then said, "This doesn't look like ordinary wood, and the smell is somewhat familiar."
Lin Feiran looked up, somewhat puzzled: "Is there something wrong with this wood? My senior brother said it was made of plum wood from the foot of the mountain."
Ru Xian originally wanted to say that the grain and smell of this wood were very similar to her prosthetic body, but after hearing her say that, she didn't point it out and went along with it, saying, "It looks like a very special kind of plum wood."
He was not familiar with Ji Changying, but he knew Qingzhu very well. No wonder he showed a rare enthusiasm and care when Lin Feiran first arrived in the demon realm. Others may not have noticed, but he and Xun Feifei saw it clearly.
Now we have the answers.
Looking at the pine cone in her hand, Ru Xian sighed softly.
Lin Feiran probably didn't know that the Spirit Bamboo Clan is born without a heart and has a confused and ignorant nature. Therefore, they mostly live in seclusion in the Demon Realm. However, this does not mean that they will never appear in the world. On the contrary, every child of the Spirit Bamboo Clan must leave their secluded place and step into the world on the day they enter adolescence.
Through worldly experiences and spiritual practice, some people may gain nothing, but others will gradually develop a heart of bamboo.
All members of our race enter this world for a heart that we were born without.
A person who remains heartless will gradually lose their mind, become confused and muddled, and then return to their clan on the last day of their adolescence, where their fate is uncertain.
Those who are born with a bamboo heart, no one knows where this heart came from. They may continue to stay in the world, or they may return to their clan and never leave the mountain again.
The Lingzhu clan has few members, which is also related to this. They are natural-born mechanical artists and the best craftsmen. The puppets they create can be indistinguishable from real people with just a little spiritual power.
But they also have secrets that are not known to others, such as the wonderful use of that bamboo heart.
If I'm not mistaken, both the body capable of bringing someone back to life and this round, small pine cone should have originated from the bamboo heart he had hidden away.
Their flesh and blood are the best materials for forging bodies in the world.
Ru Xian looked at Lin Feiran with some surprise. This little blockhead had unintentionally incurred a lot of debt.
Indeed, although the light of the jewel was obscured by dust, it was not unseen.
His mind was in turmoil. He looked up and tapped Lin Feiran's forehead with his finger, making two loud thuds before finally smiling and saying, "What a blockhead."
Lin Feiran was confused. After blinking, she leaned closer and turned her head to the side, revealing the other part of her body that hadn't been hit.
“Ru Xian, you and Qingzhu must have other ways of contacting each other. Why don’t you knock on another spot to vent your anger, and we’ll look for him together?”
Ru Hai pushed her head away with two fingers, raised her eyebrows and asked, "Do you know why I'm taking my anger out on her?"
Lin Feiran shook his head, his face no longer showing the helplessness he had before, and said quite frankly, "I don't know, because I'm a piece of wood. You can do whatever you want to a piece of wood."
Ru Xian was surprised by her words, and felt both annoyed and amused, her expression changing in a fascinating way.
Lin Feiran only regarded her senior brother as family and had no romantic thoughts about him. He couldn't possibly expose her feelings behind her back. It would be wrong to scold her a few times or to make her suffer.
He licked his lips, then flicked his finger and tapped the ground again, which finally made him feel much better.
"If he really is Qingzhu, I will naturally find him. But it's quite a feat for one person to manage three departments." He added a few comments as he spoke.
He took out a long-tailed peacock feather, formed a hand seal, and a faint light flowed across the white feather.
While waiting, he remarked with some emotion, "A person like Zhang Chunhe would actually take a demon as a disciple."
He had only said it casually, but he quickly realized something was wrong.
Ru Xian frowned slightly, silently calculating something in his mind. When Lin Feiran looked at him with suspicion, he asked, "When did Zhang Chunhe take your senior brother as his disciple?"
Lin Feiran thought for a moment: "The seventeenth year of Jingming, that was a long time ago. Zhang Chunhe had only recently become the chief. What's wrong?"
Ru Xian's gaze darkened slightly, and she said, "The timing doesn't match up. When I met Qingzhu, he had only recently left the Lingzhu Territory, so it's impossible for him to be cultivating at Daohe Palace so early."
Is your senior brother really Qingzhu?
Lin Feiran was also somewhat surprised, but before he could answer, several points of fluorescence appeared on the long feather in his hand. Ripples of light spread across the white feather and soon lit up in a certain spot.
Since the location could be found, it means that this is not a tantric site.
Lin Feiran breathed a slight sigh of relief and flew away on his sword with Ru Xian: "I can confirm that he is Qingzhu and also Ji Changying. If you have any doubts, come with me to ask him."
...
The location Bai Yu was pointing to was Zhongzhou, but not Luoyang City; it was a town nearby.
After such a massive spirit-gathering array was set up in Luoyang, the surrounding towns all benefited. With the surge of spiritual energy, the people who received the spirit jade were able to make better use of it, and at least recently there have been no more attacks from demonic beasts.
Aside from the rampant spread of the cold disease, this small town can be considered relatively peaceful.
Many sect disciples also came and went in the city, and medical tents were set up, just like in other towns.
Following Bai Yu's directions, Lin Feiran arrived at a certain residence. The plaque above the gate was not old and read "Qi Mansion".
"together?"
She was somewhat puzzled, so she turned to Ru Xian and said, "Wait here for a moment, I'll climb over the wall and see what's going on."
Ru Xian pressed down on her shoulder, raised her eyebrows, and said, "Why isn't it me with you?"
Lin Feiran said, "How can I let you climb over the wall? If you want to leave, you should go through the main gate!"
Ru Xian paused for a moment, then let out her third laugh of the day. He crossed his arms, looked away, and smiled. Then he looked back at her, raised his chin, and pointed at the high wall: "Then go."
Lin Feiran nodded naturally and subconsciously said, "Call me if you need anything."
She was used to protecting people, and even when facing someone like Xian, her first reaction was to take action herself.
As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately climbed onto the roof to check the situation inside the mansion. However, as soon as she climbed up, a long sword flew towards her. She immediately dodged it, drew her Golden Wave Sword, turned around and slashed, delivering a swift counterattack.
With a clang, their blades clashed, and she came face to face with another swordsman.
It was a faceless puppet, yet it seemed to be conscious, unleashing its next attack without a moment's pause. Its speed was extremely fast, and the frequency of the swords clashing was so high that the unusual sound attracted the attention of those below.
Ru Xian took a few steps back, looked down from under the eaves, and couldn't help but smile, teasingly remarking.
"How come there are two pieces of wood together? Can we still use the front door?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Feiran's ears turned red with a teasing smile, and she retorted with a hint of defiance, "Of course I can walk!"
After she spoke, several noises suddenly came from inside the courtyard, like the clattering of tables and chairs. Amid the chaos, a hoarse voice rang out: "Stop."
As soon as he finished speaking, the puppet that had drawn its sword seemed to suddenly lose its life force and abruptly stopped. The sword in its hand slipped out of its grasp due to the pause, but Lin Feiran caught it back with a sword move and it landed steadily in his hand.
She stood on the wall and looked into the courtyard, where she saw a familiar face push open the door and come out.
It's Qi Chen.
From the courtyard, he could see that her beautiful face was full of fatigue, her long hair was unkempt, tied behind her waist with a ribbon. Although she was a cultivator, her figure was not thin, but at first glance, she looked like a skeleton standing there.
"It's you." He spoke calmly, but his voice was normal. "I've already repaid your kindness, we're even now. Are you trying to walk into my trap?"
Lin Feiran looked at his appearance and was speechless for a moment. Her gaze turned to the main house behind him. The doors and windows were closed, the light was bright, and the outline of flames could be faintly seen.
If it weren't for his spiritual power suppressing the heat, this room might have been instantly engulfed by the heat.
"I'm here to find someone." She sheathed her sword, paused for a moment, and then asked, "How is Orange Blossom?"
Qi Chen didn't answer her question: "Are you looking for orange blossoms?"
Lin Feiran shook his head: "No, I came to see Zhuo Jue."
Qi Chen's eyes flickered slightly, but he still said, "He's not here. You've come to the wrong place. Go away, I won't arrest you."
Since they were acquaintances, it was obvious that Chenghua was not in good condition. Lin Feiran did not want to force her way in. She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to go in or back down, when a soft female voice came from inside the house.
"Qi Chen, who's here?"
Qi Chen turned around and looked at her, remaining silent for a moment. Of course, he wouldn't lie to her: "...It's Lin Feiran."
A few soft coughs came from inside the room, and a voice said urgently, "Is that Fei Ran? She is currently at odds with the Secret Sect. If she has come here to seek refuge, let her in quickly!"
Upon hearing her cough, Qi Chen immediately went back to his room. Before closing the door, he glanced at Lin Feiran, his meaning quite clear: he wanted her to come in.
Feeling a little embarrassed as if she had disturbed a lovers' reunion, Lin Feiran silently put the sword back into the spirit puppet's hand, then leaped into the courtyard, only to discover that dozens of such spirit puppets were hidden in the shadows.
They stood or sat silently, but all looked at her the moment she landed, though their gazes held no hostility.
It was indeed a well-protected mansion. Her gaze quietly fell on a side room. If she wasn't mistaken, the light there had been on, but it was now dark, as if no one lived there.
She pursed her lips, looked away, walked to the main door, opened it, and met Ru Xian's gaze. Remembering his teasing words, she thought of teasing him back. She couldn't always be the only one blushing and embarrassed.
“'Young Miss,' please come in.”
Although I secretly encouraged myself, when I actually said it, I still lacked confidence for the first three words and swallowed them a little.
Ru Xian, of course, heard him clearly. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and found it amusing: "So that's what you were calling me in your heart. I'll let you off this time since you're still a teenager."
He stepped into the courtyard, and Lin Feiran closed the door again, casually saying, "Then, considering I'm a blockhead, how many times can you let me off the hook?"
As Ru Xian walked into the courtyard, her voice, though cool, carried a hint of amusement: "I usually don't give wood a chance."
Lin Feiran touched the back of her neck and couldn't help but smile. She quickly followed after him. There was a reason why she had spoken so boldly just now.
Like a hailstone, he usually doesn't give wood a chance, but for a double wood like 'Forest', he spared it again and again, as if no matter what the wood said, he wouldn't really get angry or leave.
She's starting to get a taste of being pushed too far.
The taste isn't too sweet; it's a bit sour and numbing, which explains why many people like it. It can indeed easily lead people astray.
Hold on, Lin Feiran!
As she was thinking to herself, Ru Xian stopped in front of her, turned around to look at her, and pointed to the left and right: "Where to?"
A bright light shone from the left, and even before getting close, one could feel the sweltering heat. After standing there for only a moment, she was already sweating slightly.
To the right was a quiet little house, dark and almost blending into the night.
Lin Feiran looked around for a moment, then said, "Let's go here."
She walked to the door, paused for a moment, and then raised her hand to knock on the door.
Author's Note: Reading really does need a little sweetness! After so many bitter chapters, I couldn't resist a little something sweet to soothe myself... even though there are three little bitter melons in this chapter [melting emoji]
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