Chapter 166 Seven Days (Part Two) "Who exactly is the pursuer?"...
When I last went to the south, I met the Queen of Brocade. She had already removed most of the seal on herself, leaving only the last crucial point...
She said that if the seal is broken, the other party will definitely know and will have to find a suitable opportunity to break it.
But when will be the right opportunity?
Although Lin Feiran had concerns, she decided to take the initiative. If she didn't figure out the secret behind the seal first, she would remain passive.
As dawn broke and the sun rose, she and Ru Xian returned to the Demon Capital. However, before they even entered the city, they saw a large group of young demons gathered together, making quite a commotion.
Lin Feiran looked closely and saw a person surrounded by them, looking helpless.
That person turned out to be Qingzhu.
His face was paler than usual, and there were faint red marks on his arms, but his elegant smile remained, easily drawing people's attention to his eyes and brows.
Lin Feiran stopped in mid-air, puzzled, and asked, "What are you doing?"
Ru Xian looked down, seemingly lost in thought, and said only, "Punishment. After receiving the lash, the envoy who made the mistake will be sent to the Jingchuan Dojo to guard it for three days and practice with the envoy for three days as a form of punishment."
This was Qingzhu's first time here, and everyone was probably curious about it, which is why they kept pestering him, wanting to have a match with him.
Lin Feiran couldn't help but recall how she had been alone in Jingchuan, enduring months of challenges from others...
Seeing the change in her expression, Ru Xian knew that she must be thinking about what had happened before, and couldn't help but find it amusing: "For you, that was not punishment, but sharpening your sword."
His gaze then fell on Qingzhu, his eyelashes slightly lowered, his eyes revealing a deep meaning.
“Qingzhu has stayed in the human realm for too long. Sending him to the Jingchuan Dojo to test his skills with those demon youths is not a bad thing for him.”
Lin Feiran remained silent, feeling sentimental, when he saw a young man, unable to contain himself, tentatively attack Qingzhu. The attack came suddenly, and although Qingzhu was caught off guard, she quickly dodged it.
He smiled, his eyes crinkling, and with a flick of his folding fan, he lightly tapped the man's head three times.
Upon seeing this action, Lin Feiran paused, wanting to take a closer look, when Qingzhu was invited into the Jingchuan Dojo by several eager young men, who were preparing to compete with him.
"Go now, the Bitter Sea Pool has opened... You should also remember the past."
Lin Feiran was puzzled, but quickly looked away and returned to Xingzhi Palace with Ru Xian.
Only after the two figures in the sky disappeared did Qingzhu walk out of the dojo, looking up with a calm expression.
"Left Envoy Zhu, why aren't you coming with us to the arena for the competition? What are you looking at?"
"The sun rises, the clouds clear without a trace, and wild geese fly eastward... but then a fleeting glimpse of a solitary wild goose flies away."
"Zhu Zuo Shi, you've been in the human realm for too long. You're using fancy words and your speech is no longer understandable."
"Yes, I've been gone for too long."
...
The Bitter Sea Pool was refined into a precious pearl, which was originally placed in the tower of Xingzhi Palace. However, Ruxian felt it was too far away, so he took the pearl to his residence and casually placed it in a jade plate.
According to him, it would be safest for Lin Feiran to break the seal under his watchful eye, and she would naturally have no objection.
"I will protect you in the room."
Lin Feiran bowed earnestly and said, "Thank you, Venerable One, for giving away a small world and protecting me."
"..."
Like scattered snowflakes carrying the fragrance of sparse plum blossoms, I glanced at her without a word, yet found it amusing.
"If that young Taoist priest were protecting you, would you still express your gratitude in this way?"
Lin Feiran nodded: "Whoever it is, since they are willing to protect me, I should naturally thank them."
Ru Xian glanced at her with a slight smile, chuckled softly, and simply raised her hand to her: "Go on, if anything unexpected happens on the way, you can call me."
"...I will."
After forming the hand seal, illusions arose within the jewel. In a short while, Lin Feiran's figure disappeared from the room and landed on a lone boat in the Bitter Sea Pool.
The place is quiet, with only the sound of rippling waves.
She gazed at the boundless clear pond and lotus leaves, sat cross-legged, cast aside all distracting thoughts, closed her eyes, and formed a mudra.
An intricate sealing array appeared on the altar, resembling a mysterious star map or the most exquisite mortise and tenon joints.
Even after being mostly untied, it remained as stable as ever, showing no signs of wavering.
Lin Feiran followed the method of the Brocade King, and even with only the last part remaining, it still took her nearly half an hour to unravel it, which shows how complex the magic array was.
The sound seemed to come from the depths of the altar, as if something was breaking within it. It was very slight. She felt a moment of relief, but then came a throbbing pain that spread from the altar to her limbs and bones!
Lin Feiran closed her eyes tightly, and a thin layer of sweat immediately appeared on her forehead. She formed hand seals and regulated her breathing, and spiritual energy circulated rapidly in her body, but she still could not suppress the piercing pain in her head.
As she fell into the lone boat, someone landed behind her, pulled her back, and gently touched her forehead with his cool fingertips, wiping away the thin layer of sweat.
Between blinks, all that could be seen was a touch of luxurious pale gold, blurry and indistinct, but the scene before me was quickly obscured by a much more complex array of colors.
"Wake up, that person is gone."
Xiao Lin Fei Ran woke up by rubbing his eyes. Apart from the faintly glowing stone cave, there was only a sliver of fading light coming in from outside.
It felt like a long time had passed, but in reality only one night had gone by, yet her heart did not sink.
She thought that at least she had managed to avoid the first night.
"How long are you going to keep catching them?"
The immortal before them leaned against the stone platform, glancing at them with a cold and indifferent gaze. Though he seemed impatient, he did not reveal a trace of murderous intent.
Xiao Lin Fei Ran looked down and saw that she was pulling his snow-white hair with one hand and clutching the loosely wrapped bandages on his body with the other.
She was just too nervous and used a lot of force, pulling the thin strap wrapped around his arm tight, leaving a thin mark.
"Feel sorry!"
She instinctively opened her mouth, but quickly realized her current situation and lowered her voice, saying, "Fairy, did you hurt yourself?"
Ru Xian withdrew her gaze, not exposing her words, but only looking at the cave ceiling: "She was originally trembling with fear, but in the blink of an eye she squatted behind me and fell fast asleep."
"One night has passed, you can leave now. I said I'd only take care of you for one night."
Xiao Lin Fei Ran's mind was still racing. She didn't want to die, and having safely spent her first night in this cave, she naturally couldn't leave at this point.
"I……"
Before she could finish speaking, she saw something wriggling under the bandages. Being close by, she immediately reached out and covered it: "Fairy, there's a bug! I've caught it for you!"
But the thing under her palm didn't look like an insect. Through the gaps in the bandages, she saw one or two veins rise and fall rapidly.
It was a spiritual vein; she recognized it almost immediately.
It turns out that these bandages were not only for treating the wounds, but also for binding them.
No matter how tightly they are bound, they will quickly loosen under such rapid movement.
She pursed her lips and asked sincerely, "Does it hurt?"
Ru Xian thought she was talking too much, clicked her tongue, and turned to look at the disheveled child. Her face was covered in soot, but her eyes were as bright as the sun, illuminating everything in the cave.
For a moment, he didn't answer. After all, the thin layer of sweat that appeared before he spoke already indicated that his spiritual power was surging again and might burst out of his body at any time. He had no time to care about her.
She squatted down beside him, looked at him carefully for a moment, and then raised her hand to wipe his sweat.
It seems the "Fairy" is in a similar situation to her...
Your hand...
He suddenly spoke, and Lin Feiran immediately stopped and looked at him. There was a small patch of snow stain on her cuff, and it wasn't very clean. She immediately understood and found a corner of her clothes on her body.
"Fairy, this place is clean!"
He remained silent, as if he had asked her to remove her hand. Even if he was about to die, he didn't like touching others.
But at this moment, he had to swallow his cries of pain and had no time to speak; he could only try his best to push her hand away.
The tiny figure, no bigger than a bean, seemed to understand something. It first glanced at him, then squatted in place for a moment before nodding secretly and resolutely getting up to walk out of the cave.
As she moved, the fluorescent lights that drifted in the cave with the wind rushed to her side, shining brightly.
Outside the cave was a thick blanket of white snow. Ru Xian thought she had finally come to her senses and would no longer stay with a dying person. Just as she was about to look away, she saw her stop at the cave entrance and not take a single step out.
She doesn't plan to go out.
Xiao Lin Fei Ran searched inside the cave and found a lot of branches. He skillfully built a woodpile near him, and then, behind his back, he secretly fiddled with something. Suddenly, with a crackling sound, a fire broke out!
As if she hadn't anticipated the fire would spread so rapidly, she let out a soft cry, abruptly threw down what she was holding, and took several steps back.
She blocked it very well; even hail couldn't tell what she was throwing.
Fortunately, the fire was lit. She turned to look at him, grinned, and quickly pulled out a branch, knelt down at the cave entrance, and brushed the snow into the hole...
What happened next was somewhat unexpected. She took out an iron pot from her mustard seed bag, poured snow into it, and waited until a light mist rose from it before taking out a not-so-small porcelain bowl, filling it with water, and then running to his side.
"My Lady Fairy, you protected me all night yesterday, now it's my turn to help you!"
Her voice was clear and crisp, and in just a few words she transformed the two from being on opposite sides to being equals and helping each other.
What a quick mind!
Ru Xian sneered inwardly. He looked up and saw that half of the stray hairs on her forehead had been singed off by the sudden flames, and now they were charred and stuck together, making her eyes even more clearly visible.
Xiao Lin Feiran tested the water temperature, first using the water to wipe away the sweat from his forehead, face, and lips, before slowly pouring the water onto his arms.
He stayed in this cold, snowy cave for several days. Even a cultivator would almost lose his temperature due to the dissipation and chaos of spiritual energy.
When the warm water seeped in, it was like being doused with boiling water. It should have stung, but she used her hand to block it and spread it out. The pain softened instantly, and only a few strands seeped in through the gaps.
The blazing fire was just three steps away, and the water poured down was at a very comfortable temperature. Amidst the rising steam, there was a sense of comfort, as if one were sinking into a hot spring.
Xiaolin Feiran was still busy, she tightened and intertwined the warm and soaked bandage, then secured it with a wooden stick and twisted it a few times.
The water-soaked strips of cloth have a unique elasticity, and with this twisted lock, they are firmly bound to the arms. No matter how turbulent the spiritual veins are, only water marks are squeezed out, but the strips of cloth remain tightly fixed without leaving bruises.
The pain of being adrift in the riots was greatly relieved.
With her arms tied, she got up and ran back and forth many times, piling snow, lighting fires, pouring water, and tying wood, until she finally tied the last leg and breathed a sigh of relief.
"..."
Ru Xian looked down and remained silent for a moment.
Even he couldn't bring himself to say anything to drive them away. He thought to himself that this spiritual energy outburst was really bad timing.
The chill in his eyes had not yet dissipated. Xiao Lin Feiran pretended not to see him, glanced at the cave entrance out of the corner of her eye, looked at him again, and picked up the gold rings he had scattered around him one by one, presenting them to his side with both hands, and began to make conversation.
"Fairy, why is your hair longer on the left and shorter on the right?"
The left side reached her waist, while the right side only drooped to her shoulder. Although it didn't detract from her appearance, it still looked somewhat comical.
Ru Xian lay leaning against the stone platform, her eyes lowered. She didn't answer the question, but instead asked in a hoarse voice, "Aren't you afraid of attracting the people chasing you by lighting this fire?"
Xiao Linfei shook his head, almost certain, and said, "With the fairy here, he can't see this place."
Ru Xian chuckled, then turned his head and raised his hand towards her. She paused at first, then hesitated before moving closer. He immediately pinched her right cheek.
"You are not allowed to call her Fairy anymore."
Seeing his smile, Lin Feiran was momentarily stunned and could only nod blankly.
Ru Xian had never seen a child who was so quick-witted at one moment and so utterly dumbfounded at the next, and she found it amusing.
He released her hand, gently caressing the tips of her fingers on her cheek. Xiao Lin Feiran immediately handed him warm water. He raised an eyebrow, washed his hands, and as his thoughts raced, asked.
Do you know who's chasing you?
When Xiaolin Feiran saw him speak like that, she knew she had a chance, but she didn't answer directly. Instead, she squatted down and waited by his side, her eyes flashing slightly.
"He is an extremely powerful cultivator."
"Such a young age and already trying to be mysterious." Ru Xian showed no surprise, only amusement. "How impressive are you?"
Xiao Linfei moved closer, still not speaking directly, but tentatively exaggerating, "An extremely powerful cultivator, with superb cultivation, and a resounding name. My mother said that all cultivators on the Daoist path know him."
Ru Xian stared at her intently, her thin lips parted slightly, her voice cool and indifferent: "If you insist on using so many words to describe me, then don't say anything at all."
"My Lady, I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"
Xiao Lin Fei Ran moved right up to him, as if she wanted to see every expression on his face.
"He's a cultivator at the Advanced Realm! My mother says he's incredibly powerful!"
Ru Xian's eyes showed some surprise, but her face showed no horror, seemingly just pure curiosity: "Ascending to the High Realm? That's quite impressive. Why would someone like him chase after a child like you who hasn't even grown a beard yet?"
He glanced meaningfully at her singed bangs.
Xiao Lin Fei Ran didn't mind the teasing. He simply straightened his clothes and leaned closer to ask, "Fairy, do you not even consider cultivators at the Advanced Realm to be worthy of your attention?"
Ru Xian raised her eyebrows: "At such a young age, you've already started testing people. Yes, I don't even consider a mere Ascending Realm cultivator a threat."
The moment Kobayashi Feiran's eyes lit up, he suddenly smiled and said softly, "But I'm about to die, and even if I met him now, I couldn't beat him."
Her gaze paused, but her bright eyes did not dim; instead, they stared intently at him: "You won't die, I know. A person seeking death won't try to entangle themselves with these things."
"You're just temporarily unable to move, Fairy. You need someone's help. I can help you, and you can help me."
Ru Xian stared intently, but did not answer. Instead, she asked, "Who exactly is the pursuer?"
Author's Note: I'll probably finish three or four chapters in the last seven days. The two of them were so cute before, I couldn't help but write more...
P.S.: I definitely have to send out the winter plum blossoms!
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