Chapter 8: The pear blossoms fall and new branches bloom twice. Young Master Xiao is truly kind and warm-hearted...
Ah Li succeeded Mr. Zhou as the youngest accountant in Mingshanfang.
She stopped one of the Ming family's cultivators and asked, "Why haven't we seen Miss Ming these past few days?"
"Oh dear, Miss Ming is ill again and won't be able to come for the next few days."
Ah Li sat back down, looking bewildered. Ming-guniang looked lively and healthy, so how could she be sick?
Mingying was ill for half a year. A-Li replaced the withered flower branches on the windowsill. Mingshanfang was in good order, and everyone was busy. No one mentioned the girl who had been ill for a long time.
Until she met Chen Li.
At that time, Yun Chuan suddenly fell ill with a fever, and the patients at the clinic lined up all the way to Ming Shan Fang. As A Li was decocting herbs and distributing the medicine, she was stopped by a pair of thin hands.
The pear in Chen Li's name is not her fence, but the pear that "suddenly, like a spring breeze overnight, thousands of pear trees bloom." When she said that her name was "Fence," Chen Li thought for a moment and said, "That's good too. The flowers bloom not among a hundred flowers, but stand alone by the sparse fence, and the charm is endless."
Chen Li felt that the two of them were very destined, not only because their names were similar, but also because they both came to Yunchuan alone. However, she was not there to make a wish to the goddess, but to leave the Chen family.
She said that her relatives threatened her marriage in order to seize control of the cloth shop. As an orphan, all she could do was compose poems and write essays. Not only could she not protect her family's property, but she also could not control her own destiny.
A-Li wasn't good at comforting people; she would just say dryly, "It's good that you can compose poems and write essays. This is the first time I've thought that being called A-Li sounds nice."
Chen Li smiled, but her complexion began to fade, like a withering pear blossom.
"Ah Li, I've realized I'm still not reconciled."
Chen Li's face was ashen, and she was barely breathing. She grabbed her sleeve and said, "Here's a letter for you. Could you... could you go to Liuzhou for me and find the Zhu family? I... I..."
She closed her eyes, a single tear falling: "I want revenge..."
A-Li said, "Okay."
The plague struck Yunchuan, the goddess remained unconscious, and A-Li also died that night.
"From that day on, I embarked on my journey to Liuzhou."
Chen Li looked at her palm: "Then who am I? Am I A Li, the beggar from New South Wales, or Chen Li, the young lady of the Chen family who is rebuilding her family business?"
Mingying looked at her and asked, "What do you think?"
Chen Li raised her head blankly: "I don't know. Everyone thinks I am Chen Li, the eldest daughter of the Chen family. But whenever I think that way, I think of A Li. I am actually A Li. I have hidden it from everyone. The eldest daughter of the Chen family is my friend. I buried her with my own hands."
Mingying replied, "But a name is just a label. What you're called doesn't affect the fact that you're still you. Beggar A-Li first became Accountant A-Li, and later, influenced by Miss Chen Li of the Chen family, you became a new you, namely Chen Li of the current Chen's Cloth Shop. You fulfilled Miss Chen Li's wish and chose to continue the name Chen Li."
"So I am Chen Li from Chen's Cloth Shop."
"Yes, you are Chen Li, who traveled all the way from Xinzhou to Liuzhou to fulfill a friend's wish, and who is resilient, decisive, and benefits the people."
Chen Li pursed her lips: "But I deceived Zhu Lang, and I deceived many people."
Mingying said earnestly, "Then it's not too late to tell him now. Young Master Zhu trusts you very much."
For the first time, she laid her past bare before an old friend. She had carried this secret for far too long. Chen Li asked uncertainly, "Is it really okay?"
Mingying nodded and smiled at her: "No problem, this is... Miss Ming's affirmation."
Xiao Jingze leaned against the wall, casually playing with the ring on his hand. The Myriad Realms of Return rippled, and two red figures emerged from within.
Mingying's eyes crinkled into a smile: "The matter is resolved!"
Mingyan walked in from outside: "No, the matter is not resolved."
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Mingyan said, "Let's send Miss Chen back first. The layout of the outer perimeter of the Immortal Venerable Temple is not right. A spirit-gathering array has been set up here."
——
The glass lamp emitted a faint white light. The four of them followed the compass and walked forward. Mingying yawned wearily.
Xiao Jingze glanced at her sideways: "Miss Ming, are you planning to sleep on the ground in the mountains?"
Mingying rubbed her face and mumbled incoherently, "I'm worried about Mingyan being out alone, so I'm going to come out and keep her company."
Mingyan snapped, "Who wants you to accompany me!"
Feng Yi nodded: "Cultivators have different physical constitutions than mortals. If Miss Ming is really tired, there is no need to force herself."
Mingying replied with a smile, "I won't fall asleep. I'm just curious because I've never seen anything like this before."
Xiao Jingze scoffed lightly: "Miss Ming is quite bold. There are some things that ordinary people should not get involved in."
"What is Young Master Xiao afraid of?"
"What is it that Miss Ming feels guilty about?"
Feng Yi looked left and right: "How come you can start arguing over everything you say?"
Mingying turned her gaze over: "Does Young Master Feng know?"
Feng Yi subconsciously looked at Xiao Jingze, shaking his head like a rattle drum: "I don't know, I don't know, Miss Ming, please don't ask."
Mingyan interrupted them: "We've arrived. This is the core of the formation."
Feng Yi stepped forward and said, "This stone sculpture looks familiar."
Seeing the serious expressions on the three faces, Mingying also peeked out and asked, "What is this?"
"It is a boundary marker."
The boundary marker was as tall as Mingying, with runes carved on it. Its light was dim, and the vegetation was lush and green, with moss covering half of its face.
Mingying had never seen this before and asked with a puzzled expression, "Is there a problem?"
Mingyan explained to her, "The Four Boundary Markers are markers indicating the location of the Four Spirit Veins. Without the key, they wouldn't be easily discovered normally. This means that the Four Spirit Veins have been damaged for a long time."
Mingying thought of something: "The spiritual veins are the source of your spiritual power, so could they also be the source of the spiritual power of the Heart-to-Heart Mirror?"
Xiao Jingze showed no smile: "This also proves that the Tongxin Mirror incident was fabricated."
Feng Yi looked puzzled: "Spiritual veins are related to a cultivator's practice. Who would damage a spiritual vein? Wouldn't that be harming others without benefiting themselves?"
"There are many things that harm others without benefiting oneself. Moreover, people without spiritual roots cannot absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. There are also many mortals in the world who cultivate through evil and crooked methods. If all the spiritual energy in the world were to disappear, there would always be some people who would applaud it."
Mingying decided to set the record straight for mortals: "Although your guess makes sense, not all mortals want to cultivate into immortals. Cultivators also have responsibilities to fulfill and are not without constraints. Moreover, since they are mortals without any spiritual power, how could they destroy the boundary markers?"
Xiao Jingze replied, "When mortals say they don't want to become immortals, it's just a comforting statement because they can't become immortals themselves."
Seeing his disdain for mortals, Mingying spoke with a hint of temper: "For thousands of years, mortals have aspired to govern the world and help the people, found joy in exploring and seeking knowledge, and considered creating art as eternal. If cultivators still hold such an arrogant attitude, it is no wonder that only the Immortal Venerable has attained enlightenment and ascended to immortality."
Feng Yi raised his hand and stood between the two, saying, "Please rest for a while. The most important matter has not yet been resolved. After this trip, I need to go to the Jin family to report this matter."
Xiao Jingze gave a cold laugh and said nothing more.
Ming Yan looked at Ming Ying, her expression hesitant: "This matter is of great importance. I must return to the Ming family to inform them of this. You..."
Mingying turned her gaze to Xiao Jingze: "Young Master Xiao must have a solution."
Xiao Jingze admired her shamelessness and refused, saying, "I also need to return to Lanling."
"You put the Heart-to-Heart Mirror into the World of Immediate Reach, isn't that because you don't plan to go back? Also, as one of the four great families, the Shen family needs to be informed as soon as possible. Besides this matter, I also need your cooperation to go to the Shen family to retrieve the Heavenly Fire."
The two looked at each other, and Xiao Jingze smiled in a half-smile: "Miss Ming is indeed eloquent, but I have not yet obtained the marriage certificate, so I am afraid I will not be able to travel with Miss Ming."
Mingying said earnestly, "I am not being unreasonable, nor do I insist that Prince Xiao accompany me. It's just that the Shen family is also a family of cultivators. Even though the four great families are not close, we cannot completely stay out of it at this time. My abilities are limited, so I can only trouble Prince Xiao to help me so that I can use the Purple Cloud Chariot by myself."
Xiao Jingze stared at her for a long time: "I said last time that all magical artifacts need spiritual power. Even the mirror box is bound together by me using spiritual power. Why does Miss Ming always have such unrealistic fantasies that I can create a magical artifact that does not require spiritual power?"
"Because I've seen it before!"
After Mingying finished speaking, she took off the inconspicuous wooden bracelet from her wrist. The bracelet consisted of twelve beads of different colors. She hesitated for a moment, then broke the string, took one out and placed it in her palm, and poured the remaining beads into the sachet.
She held her hand out to Xiao Jingze: "Look."
Xiao Jingze paused, picked it up and examined it carefully. The surface of the wooden bead was engraved with tiny runes, and the spiritual energy it contained was very weak. If it were used again, it would become an ordinary ornament.
Mingying kept her gaze fixed on it. Xiao Jingze didn't activate his spiritual power; he simply tapped the runes with his finger, and it floated into the air, transforming into a butterfly with tiny points of light trailing behind its tail. It drew golden streams of light around the four of them in the air, like threads weaving through the forest.
Mingying said nostalgically, "It doesn't require spiritual power. I loved playing with it when I was a kid."
Feng Yi had never seen such a magical artifact before, and asked with interest, "Who made this?"
Mingyan had last seen it ten years ago, and she was surprised that Mingying hadn't gotten tired of it after all these years. Or rather, she hadn't wanted to play with that little bit of spiritual power since she was a child: "...This is what she received during the sacrificial procession of the gods."
I don't know who gave me this gift. It was scattered on the float, and I only discovered its special nature when I picked it up one by one after Mingying's event.
Feng Yi exclaimed, "This kind of magical artifact is quite novel. Brother Xiao, have you seen it before?"
Xiao Jingze watched with an inscrutable expression as the butterfly exhausted its last bit of spiritual power, turning into an ordinary wooden bead and falling to the ground: "Never seen it before."
Mingying jumped over, reached out and took it, then put it back into the sachet: "This is a magical artifact that ordinary people can use."
Xiao Jingze chuckled: "What kind of magical artifact is this? It's just a child's toy at best."
"Does Young Master Xiao mean that you can make such a magical artifact, but you just think it's like a child's toy and therefore don't want to?"
"yes."
"That Purple Cloud Chariot was made by you, so it's certainly not a child's toy. Young Master Xiao, could you perhaps make some changes? Since you are a genius in the Weaponry Sect, you must be no less talented than the maker of this bracelet."
——
Mingyan and Fengyi left yesterday. Mingying hastily combed her hair and came downstairs with her skirt still half-closed.
She was feeling sleepy, and her movements as she prepared the medicine were slow and deliberate. When she came out, she saw Xiao Jingze sitting at the table carving something. Mingying rubbed her eyes and leaned forward to ask, "Is Prince Xiao improving the Purple Cloud Chariot?"
Xiao Jingze glanced at her and pushed the wooden box to the other side: "That's fine."
Mingying praised him with a smile: "Young Master Xiao is truly talented, kind and warm-hearted."
Xiao Jingze smiled coldly: "Miss Ming has achieved her goal. I suppose you can head to the Shen family now."
Mingying held the box: "If the spiritual power is used up, will it turn into an ordinary object?"
If it were to suddenly fall from the sky like a butterfly, it would be a rather unjust death.
"Won't."
Mingying tilted her head: "Why?"
Xiao Jingze twitched the corner of his mouth: "Because this young master is kind, warm-hearted, and exceptionally talented."
A note from the author:
----------------------
The first instance is complete! Mingyan and Fengyi are temporarily offline.
I originally thought the Liuzhou arc would take ten chapters, but it was finished in just four (lost in thought).
While writing this: I'm a genius!
The next day, I looked at it and thought: What the heck is this?
Let's see in a few days: I'm a genius!
Continuing to type: What the heck?
(And so on in a continuous cycle)
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