Chapter 218 Jinling Cannot Cross (Part 4) (Supplement) Have you ever seen a mortal praying to a god...?
Winter nights after rain are always damp and cold.
Lin Feiran exhaled a long breath of mist and leaped after Li Changfeng. As the two passed by, the shallow water on the roof tiles trembled slightly, and a few drops spilled into the courtyard, landing on the figure of a person crouching and carving wood in the courtyard.
Lin Feiran paused slightly, glancing over out of the corner of her eye, and happened to meet the gaze of Granny Wang, who was called a madwoman.
Beneath the glistening, rain-drenched branches, Granny Wang looked up. In her hand she held a worn-out scissor, her palm resting on a long wooden bench. The bench's shape was indistinct, suggesting it was still unfinished.
The moment she saw Lin Feiran, her bewildered gaze immediately settled. She raised her hand, about to shout, but as if something had choked her voice, she fell silent.
Lin Feiran turned her head and saw Xun Feifei standing on the wall with his arms crossed. He did not look at Lin Feiran, but put the silver mask back on, then jumped into the courtyard and swept up the stones that Wang Po had thrown haphazardly.
Lin Feiran didn't linger any longer and continued to follow Li Changfeng.
The night breeze caressed her face, and she felt a surge of anticipation. She wanted to see what this esoteric sect was really like.
Midway through their journey, Li Changfeng suddenly turned around. Strands of hair at his temples almost obscured his eyes. He scrutinized her for a moment and asked, "Have you practiced my Haoran Sword?"
Lin Feiran didn't know why he suddenly asked, so he nodded: "It's not just me, every disciple who cultivates the sword knows about the Haoran Sword."
He was walking with his back bent, but he still crossed his arms and said, "I initially chose to spread this sword technique throughout the world so that everyone could practice it, but at this age, only you have mastered it to some extent."
The final move of the Haoran Sword is called the Hundred Steps Flying Sword. You used this move during the siege that day. Very good, I haven't seen this move in a long time.
If you have time later, could you let me take a look again?
Hearing the praise from the person in question, Lin Feiran dared not be presumptuous: "How dare I presume to teach you my humble skills? The Haoran Sword emphasizes unstoppable progress, but I do not believe I am so unrestrained. When you first arrived in Luoyang, you wielded your sword from the west, and your sword energy swept through the clouds. That was the true spirit of Haoran!"
At that moment, the sky was bathed in rosy light, and the clouds had all receded, which truly shocked Lin Feiran for a long time.
When Li Changfeng heard her mention the past, he suddenly smiled, seemingly unrestrained, yet with a hint of melancholy. He leaped onto the top of a cluster of trees, spun around, and casually drew a wine flask from his waist, taking a sip in the dark clouds.
He said calmly, "Is that so? It's a pity that I can no longer use my final sword strike. Seeing a junior like you, I can't help but feel nostalgic."
That noble spirit had long been worn down into a pungent, pungent smell of fermented wine. When he used his final move, it was merely a matter of form, lacking the true essence.
"Why can't you use it? That's the sword technique you wrote."
The two walked through the streets and alleys and came to a rather lively restaurant. The place was warm and inviting, with golden lamps burning brightly. Li Changfeng jumped down and, with Lin Feiran, mingled in the crowd and disappeared into the night.
There were so many people like them downstairs that no one noticed them for a moment. Li Changfeng simply said, "Come with me first. Before we go to the esoteric sect, we need to change your appearance."
Lin Feiran responded, naturally having no objections.
But with only the two of them present, facing such a respected senior from back then, she couldn't help but ask.
"When I was cultivating at Daohe Palace, I heard a rumor that Li Changfeng decided to seal his sword and cultivate his mind. He said that if he did not perform a thousand acts of chivalry, his sword would never be drawn again. Is this true?"
"You young people like to chase rumors and gossip, but you never get to the point."
Like her, Li Changfeng held a sword in his arms, but his other hand was not empty; he was carrying a wine pot. As he spoke, he stopped in front of a vendor and relaxed as he poured himself a pot of wine.
"I never made this decision; the sword was not drawn because I could not."
My fellow disciples in the Star Domain were afraid I'd be gossiped about behind my back, so they spread some rumors."
Lin Feiran's face showed undisguised surprise.
A sword is a sword. Whether one is a cultivator or a mortal, a child or an old man, as long as one has some strength, drawing it is not a problem.
But for a swordsman, the sword is different; it is both the sword and the heart.
If one cannot draw their sword, it means their heart is clouded.
She couldn't help but ask, "Senior, what is troubling you?"
Li Changfeng laughed loudly and led her into the restaurant, his voice ethereal: "Naturally... it's because we're trapped in this glamorous world down the mountain where we have to weigh the balance and make choices."
Li Changfeng used to come to Jinling Ferry often, not for any other reason than for the fine wine there, which is why he has a room there.
He led Lin Feiran inside and used the Mirror Water technique to reshape her appearance, but he was not good at this, so the process was a bit slow.
Lin Feiran couldn't help but ask, "Senior, isn't this really taking up a lot of time?"
Looking at the face he had sculpted in the mirror, Li Changfeng felt guilty towards Lin Feiran, so he sculpted it again and turned around to say, "It's no trouble. I was supposed to pick you up earlier today, but something unexpected happened on the way, so the plan was postponed to tomorrow. Tonight is just to take you to scout out the place."
Lin Feiran put down the Golden Wave Sword and asked, "What happened?"
Li Changfeng added mud to the water mirror, kneaded it for a while, then added water again, diverting some of his attention to answering the question.
"This morning, all the members of the Nine Swords returned to the main hall to discuss matters. According to the little girl who delivered the message, it seems that they have finally obtained the spiritual vein and are planning to discuss something."
We've caught a lucky break. With the cult under martial law, stealing their treasures directly is too dangerous, so we've decided to infiltrate under a different identity.
Lin Feiran's heart sank slightly. Although she had guessed that the demons who took the spiritual veins must be backed by the Secret Sect, she did not expect that the matter would be resolved so quickly.
The demon realm is shrouded in snow clouds, and its destruction is imminent. What benefits did the esoteric sect offer that made them abandon this matter and hand over the spiritual vein instead?
Furthermore, this spiritual vein was originally fake. Although we don't know what they intend to use it for, it's only a matter of time before it's exposed.
When they discover something amiss with the spiritual vein, they will definitely go to the Demon Capital to investigate her. Her departure will then be exposed, and if the investigation continues, stealing the fire seed will become even more difficult.
Lin Feiran immediately stood up and couldn't help but say, "I should leave a substitute in the Demon Capital!"
Li Changfeng was unaware of the fake spiritual vein, but upon hearing her say this, he replied, "Don't worry, we were prepared for this. Someone has already stayed in the Demon Capital for you, and there will be no flaws."
With the face finally sculpted in the water mirror, Li Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief and then formed a hand seal to remove the mask.
"Let's give it a try. These materials were all given to me by Zhang Si. They are of the highest quality and will not be exposed unless the user is at the Returning to the True Realm!"
"..." Lin Feiran hesitated, but still spoke up, "Senior, it's best not to say such things before taking action. In my experience, the more confident you are when you say it, the more obvious your secret will be when you finally reveal it."
"What's there to be afraid of? If we get exposed, we'll just rob them. If we can't rob them, we'll just take a detour, then turn around and rob them again."
These words were quite reminiscent of the old Li Changfeng; he pushed the mask away and then turned around to create his own.
Lin Feiran reached out and took it. It was a thin sheet of dough, almost invisible as if it were made from clay. The shape it was made of was not ordinary, but it was not ugly enough to attract attention.
She pressed the mask onto her face, and it quickly blended into her skin, leaving no trace.
Li Changfeng was also ready and went to the esoteric sect with Lin Feiran, explaining the origins of the esoteric sect in Jinlingdu along the way.
"When I was still studying the Star Domain, I heard my senior brother... I heard Ding Yi say that Jinling Ferry was not the birthplace of Esoteric Buddhism."
The earliest record of that Daoist master and the holy maiden appears in a local chronicle on the coast of the East China Sea.
At that time, during a great war between two realms, they performed many good deeds, gaining widespread fame and attracting many followers. Unlike the Buddhist and Taoist missionaries, their followers always maintained a kind of fanatical loyalty, and within a few years, Taoist temples were scattered throughout various states.
Lin Feiran had a droopy face, but her eyes were quite bright: "Then why did you move to Jinlingdu?"
“They didn’t move here; there was already a branch temple here.” Li Changfeng recalled, “Before this, wherever that Daoist Master and the Holy Maiden were, that was the main temple. Later, when the Human Emperor ascended the throne, they settled in Jinling Ferry and never left, so this place became the main temple.”
Lin Feiran frowned slightly: "Is it the Human Emperor I killed?"
Li Changfeng nodded: "That's right. It was also because he advocated Tantric Buddhism that he allowed them to grow to this point."
Lin Feiran was even more puzzled.
Since the previous emperors were all the same person and the two sides were so closely bound together, why did it have to be Jinling Ferry when Shen Tu Lu ascended the throne?
What is so special about Jinling Ferry?
Is this a coincidence, or is there something else going on?
Lin Feiran couldn't deduce the truth behind it, but as far as she knew, it was hard for her not to connect the reasons behind it with her mother.
The fact that her mother was killed by the Tantric sect means that the two sides had a very deep connection. So what was her relationship with the Tantric sect?
Although it's impossible to draw a definitive conclusion, once this thought arises, it's not easy to suppress it.
But she had a vague feeling that something was wrong; there were some parts of this reasoning that didn't quite make sense.
The esoteric sect was not located in the city, but somewhere northwest of Jinlingdu.
Lin Feiran, half-crouched on the branch, snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing this and looked up. Her calm eyes were suddenly illuminated by a burst of firelight. She widened her eyes slightly, staring in astonishment and shock at the scene before her.
All around, there was a lush, dense forest, showing no signs of autumn decay. In the center was a vast mudflat lake, where lotus flowers grew and leaves spread out. The sediment that had settled there was as white as sand, clear and sparkling, shimmering with tiny glimmers of light in the night.
Countless river lanterns float on the mudflats, their lights almost forming a sea of fire on the water, enough to illuminate this place.
Around the mudflats, many people took off their shoes and socks, made the same hand seals, and either knelt on the ground to pray sincerely, or walked into the water to push the lotus lanterns in their hands toward the center of the lake.
This place is truly strange. It is called a mudflat, with mud and sand at the bottom, yet there is flowing water that can submerge your ankles. It is called a mirror lake, reflecting the colors of heaven and earth, yet there is no distinction between deep and shallow. No matter where you look, you can only submerge your ankles.
The people pushing the lotus lanterns slowly walked to the center of the lake, their expressions devout. They formed a mudra every three steps and bowed every five steps until the lotus lanterns collided with the tall building in the center of the lake. Only then did they stop, satisfied.
In the center of the lake, a very tall, pure white Taoist temple is reflected, with only a blank plaque hanging above it. The steps in front of the building are extremely high, and even now, many cultivators dressed in cloud-patterned robes are still hurrying back and forth within them.
If she hadn't known it was a Tantric Buddhist site, she would have almost mistaken it for a pilgrimage site.
Lin Feiran was speechless for a moment before asking, "What are they doing?"
"Prayer."
Li Changfeng had obviously seen it before, but he was still shocked.
"Have you ever seen ordinary people praying to gods and Buddhas? Just like they are now, they first light a lamp, put their wishes into the lamp, and then let the water carry the lamp to the lake, praying for the gods to grant their wishes."
Lin Feiran's brows furrowed slightly. She said, "There are no gods in this world."
Her gaze swept quickly over the crowd by the lake, pondering the motives of the esoteric sect. Suddenly, her gaze paused and slowly settled on a certain spot.
Li Changfeng wanted to explain to her, but before he could speak, Lin Feiran had already moved with lightning speed, landing like a streak of light in a secluded corner of the lake. He sighed helplessly and had no choice but to follow her.
Lin Feiran landed gracefully and quietly, without disturbing anyone around her, except for the woman who looked bewildered.
She recognized the man.
As the woman was being jostled and nearly fell off the dock, she managed to catch herself.
"What are you doing! Don't take my child away!"
The thin woman's eyes widened in anger as she almost strained to snatch the swaddled baby back from Lin Feiran's arms. She carefully opened the swaddle to check the baby's face, which was already somewhat bluish-purple, but the baby was still breathing.
Seeing that the child was unharmed, she breathed a long sigh of relief.
Lin Feiran withdrew her hand and said, "Even though this child doesn't have much time left, he doesn't deserve this. Since you care about him so much, why not choose a painless method instead of drowning him?"
She intervened to stop the woman when she saw her about to immerse the swaddled infant in the water.
At this moment, Li Changfeng had already arrived. Upon hearing this, he frowned slightly and looked at the woman, but he quickly understood what was going on, slowly withdrew his gaze, and remained silent.
The woman still looked at Lin Feiran warily. Compared to when she was seen on the boat, her originally withered face had regained some color. She held the swaddled baby tightly and said angrily.
"Don't talk about death or anything like that. I've traveled all this way just to find a way for my child to live!"
The Daoist Master instructed that simply immersing him in water for fifteen minutes would cure his illness without medicine. Stop meddling!
Lin Feiran glanced at it out of the corner of her eye and saw a very simple note hanging on the lotus lantern. It was indeed written like that, but the method was too absurd for her to believe.
The woman ignored her and, not daring to miss the appointed time, took the child a few steps away, glanced back at her a few times, then knelt down devoutly, immersed the child in the water, and immediately placed her hands around him to prevent anyone else from taking him away.
The moment the swaddled baby was placed in the water, the white sand sank, and the lake water, which was originally only ankle-deep, was enough to drown the baby.
She looked back and saw that the submerged child was not crying out. The thin swaddling clothes were gradually coming apart and being washed away by the water, revealing the child's bluish-purple body.
A moment later, almost visibly, the dull color on the baby's face slowly faded, the lips turned from black to red, the dry cracks quickly closed up, and the thin and weak body slowly became plump as if being inflated, and even the hair became much thicker than before.
Within fifteen minutes, the infant opened his eyes, his lips were red and his eyes were white, his expression was lively, just like usual. A moment later, he began to wail loudly.
The woman rushed forward and took him back. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she was sobbing uncontrollably. She kept calling out the child's childhood name. Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she held the child and kowtowed to the center. The splashing water landed on the back of Lin Feiran's hand.
She could hardly believe what she had just seen.
It's like praying to gods and Buddhas, but the difference is that their wishes are always granted.
He sighed slightly, "At this point, whether there is a god or not is no longer so important."
“Impressive, this is Tantric Buddhism.”
Lin Feiran looked up at the crystal-white Taoist temple, where hundreds of river lanterns reflected each other, creating a sea of fire in her eyes.
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