Chapter 21 Penghua City
The journey to Southern Qi was long and arduous, and Lin Chengye's body could not withstand the continuous long-distance travel. He could only travel and stop frequently, finding an inn to stay in when he was tired. He enjoyed a pleasant two weeks of travel.
But after entering the Southern Qi, the rainy days became more and more frequent. Everything in the world was hidden behind the rain curtain, and it was all blurry and unclear. Even my brain felt rusted.
Lin Chengye had been in a daze for many days in this bumpy carriage, and would fall asleep without realizing it, only to be woken up by the aroma of meat.
For example, Bian Yi has dragged a wild pheasant from somewhere and started a fire by the lake, roasting it happily. Lin Chengye slowly woke up, lifted the curtain, and rested his chin on the window, only his eyes following the person.
Lin Chengye spoke lazily, lifted the curtain, and stepped down.
How long until we reach Penghua City?
"It will take about ten more days."
Bian Yi used her sandalwood fan as a fire fan. Lin Chengye chose a clean stone to sit next to Bian Yi, silently reached out and picked up a piece of braided hair that had gotten stuck in a crack in the stone behind her, sighed, and said.
"The fat pigeon from Vietnam came again to urge us, saying that April 25th is the day of the flower viewing party. If it rains less, we should be able to make it."
As soon as the two set off, she sent a letter to Guan Yue using a carrier pigeon specially trained by Jiang Jinmeng. On the way, the man replied, saying that he was currently in Penghua City of Nanqi and asked them to come along, as a seven-day flower viewing festival was about to be held there, and the city would be full of peonies, which would be very beautiful.
"Never mind him, let's take it slow. If it doesn't work out, we can just stop watching. There will be plenty of opportunities when we're better."
Bian Yi muttered a dissatisfied remark, tore off a leg from the freshly roasted pheasant, tied it with a white cloth, and handed it to Lin Chengye. He then took out a steamed bun from his pocket.
"Mmm, delicious. How about we open a Jianghu Inn sometime?"
With one bite, the aroma of meat filled his mouth, and Lin Chengye squinted his eyes in satisfaction.
"Eat as much as you like, you're still growing."
It hadn't been long before the sky had become somewhat overcast. Bian Yi sniffed the damp, earthy scent in the air and figured the rain was probably quite heavy, so he said...
"How about we stay at the nearest inn up ahead tonight? But it's probably not a proper guesthouse, so it might be a bit basic. And... I need acupuncture today..."
"Yes, it's okay."
Lin Chengye reached out and pinched Bian Yi's nose, his expression unchanged. But inwardly he was already groaning, and even the meat in his mouth suddenly tasted bland.
Although the harsh winter was over, her body had passed the most dangerous period and was no longer in danger of death.
However, the pain of severed meridians is different from that of poisoning. It cannot be cured, nor does it only occur occasionally. Instead, there is a constant, dense, and persistent pain, like a hundred insects gnawing at the heart. It makes it impossible to lift any heavy objects or do any strenuous work.
The rains were particularly heavy in the Southern Qi Dynasty, and the dampness seeped into the bone marrow, causing even more severe blockages in the meridians, which intensified the pain.
Several times, Lin Chengye was in so much pain that her teeth chattered. When she woke up from her dream, she felt like she was drowning, her whole body soaked. Bian Yi would always be awake and watching her, his two hands connecting with her meridians, continuously channeling his inner energy, his face grave.
"It's alright. Didn't you say you weren't in any danger to your life, just a little pain?"
Lin Chengye comforted her, but Bian Yi looked even more upset. She stopped talking and stopped the man from using his internal energy recklessly.
Although I know that things will get better after these two months, these days of being bedridden are still too difficult to endure.
A few days ago, Bian Yi pondered deeply, drew the meridians of the human body with paper and pen, and tested a set of acupuncture techniques on himself. When combined with the "Spring Breeze and Rain" technique and circulated for two hours, it can quickly expel the accumulated cold and dampness in the body. It is also gentle and can be used by people with weak constitutions to relieve pain.
However, the effect only lasts for five days, and it is equivalent to reconnecting the severed meridians with internal force and removing cold and dampness. The process is extremely painful and unbearable. Even someone as pain-tolerant as Lin Chengye couldn't help but groan. And today it's time to administer acupuncture again.
"We can definitely get that bone-regenerating two-headed snake. Just be patient for a while longer."
"What if the sect leader disagrees?"
Lin Chengye asked curiously. At first, she felt that she was only 20% sure of success, so she didn't have much hope. But since the Southern Qi was directly related to the massacre of the Lin family, she would have to investigate sooner or later.
"Disagree? If you disagree, go to Penghua City and tie up her son and daughter-in-law. Let's see if she agrees then."
Bian Yi snorted.
"Are people from the martial arts world really this unreasonable?"
Lin Chengye feigned surprise and broke off another pheasant wing.
"Yes, are you scared?"
Bian Yi looked at her intently.
Oh no, she really is capable of doing this.
Lin Chengye coughed twice, urging Bian Yi to eat first, saying that this matter should not be acted upon rashly and that they would discuss it later.
...
Night fell, and a heavy rain began. The two had just reached the inn when they handed the carriage over to the innkeeper and instructed him to feed it the finest fodder.
"If you ask me, the destruction of Yulin City... must be the work of the Northern Yan and Southern Qi..."
The inn was filled with wandering martial artists, all carrying swords and knives at their waists, and some even had whips or similar weapons. They crowded together in the small front hall.
A pot of wine and a plate of snacks are enough to chat about martial arts tales all night long. If they sit at the same table, they might even become sworn brothers after getting drunk.
Lin Chengye, wearing a bamboo hat to conceal his face, stopped in front of a table where a lively conversation was taking place.
An old woman wrapped in a white headscarf sat in the center, with only a few teeth left, speaking with a heavy accent. She was still drinking from a wine jug, her nose red, but what she said was interesting, her fingers pointing incoherently.
Yulin City? It's... the sect of that half-immortal Qin Ruoliu.
Lin Chengye squeezed in with great interest, casually pulled out a wooden stool and sat down, and said.
"Excuse me, sir. Please continue, ma'am. I'm just curious about what you're saying."
"Hey, hey, young hero, you have good taste! This old woman will treat you to a drink!"
The old woman's eyes lit up, and she picked up the wine pot from the table and poured a bowl for Lin Chengye. The pungent smell of the cloudy wine was so strong that it made it hard to open one's eyes, but Lin Chengye didn't mind and drank it down without changing his expression.
"Young hero, you have a good capacity for alcohol!"
At the same table, a swordsman carrying a sword laughed as he picked up his bowl. She was already half-drunk, wine soaking her collar. But she slammed the bowl back onto the table and looked at the old woman with disdain.
"Old woman, everyone knows what you're saying. The city lord of Yulin City is a demigod! Who else could survive her attacks but Tuoba Sui of Northern Yan and Chu Wuding of Southern Qi?"
"If that's the case, how can the Lai Kingdom swallow this insult? Yulin City is right next to the Lai Kingdom's capital, Lin Su! If these two make a move, wouldn't the world be thrown into chaos!"
A swordsman with a horizontal sword strapped to his shoulder chimed in. Seeing that Lin Chengye, though wearing a bamboo hat, had a slender and elegant appearance and dressed like someone from a wealthy sect in the martial arts world, the swordsman felt a sense of closeness and offered a reminder.
"Young hero, judging from your youth, you must have only been traveling for a short time. Do not believe this old woman's words."
"Hmph, it's all just speculation. If you don't believe this old woman, fine!"
The white-haired old woman snorted coldly, muttering incantations to herself.
"How rude! I've eaten far more food than you've walked roads! Alas... the martial arts world these days is getting worse with each generation..."
"Great hero, what do you mean Yulin City was destroyed? When did this happen?"
Lin Chengye looked at the woman with the sword and asked, cupping his hands in greeting.
"What school or sect taught you? You're so bookish... You don't seem like a martial arts practitioner at all, you're more like one of those daughters of officials!"
The woman stared at Lin Chengye, who was cupping his hands in a gesture of respect, dumbfounded. She clicked her tongue and then spoke.
"Well... we've only heard about it. It happened around the fifth year of Yongjing, about fifteen years ago. Anyway, it seems the entire Yulin City area was turned into a battlefield. Some people say that you could see the sky was blood red from the capital, Linsu City, and the air was churned up. The sound of swords clashing lasted for five days and five nights."
After that, Qin Ruoli went mad, often wailing in the middle of the night like a vengeful ghost, which could occasionally be heard throughout Lin Su City. But no one could enter Yulin City to investigate anymore, so everyone spread rumors that it was a dead city.
"Is this fortune teller really that powerful?"
Lin Chengye asked.
Suddenly, she felt a gaze fall on her, seemingly but not quite, before quickly moving away.
Lin Chengye put down his wine bowl and glanced at the table without making a sound. The old woman at the table was still drinking, looking quite drunk.
"Alas, young hero, you are unaware of this. A half-immortal is someone who is only half-legged. There are countless internal cultivation techniques in the world, but only those that have been perfected over a long period of time can be cultivated all the way to the ninth level. As for the scenery of the tenth level... no one has ever seen it except for those three."
The woman couldn't help but say a few more words to the young man who was new to the world of martial arts. He had a certain air of arrogance about him, so she was careful not to let him be deceived.
"Thank you, great hero. I have learned a great deal."
Lin Chengye had heard enough stories and made an excuse to leave. Bian Yi was leaning against the wall with her head down and her eyes closed, but she opened her eyes when Bian Yi approached and whispered in her ear.
"That old woman has profound internal strength and is quite skilled."
"Yeah, and they're observing me, intentionally or unintentionally. It's okay, let's pretend we don't know anything for now."
Lin Chengye patted Bian Yi's hand and said.
"Let's go, let's get acupuncture done first."
...
"Hmm..."
Lin Chengye frowned deeply, gripping her bedding tightly, blood seeping from the broken nails. Bian Yi's movements were quick and precise, easing much of the pain. Two hours later, the stagnation in her meridians had been released, and she felt much more comfortable after the pain subsided.
Bian Yi wiped away the light sweat from her body, unaware that her own back was soaked with sweat. She then decided to ask for a tub of medicinal bath so that Lin Chengye could further strengthen his foundation, while she could simply go out and soak in a river.
"Prepare a bucket of warm water, three soft cushions, and a pot of hot wine. Be quick."
The waiter bowed and responded from outside the door, then hurried off to prepare. This inn was full of martial arts practitioners; they could order anything they wanted. However, the fact that these two appeared unarmed made them seem unusually docile.
With a slight movement of his robes, several golden needles shot out swiftly from his fingertips.
The old woman's cloudy eyes suddenly brightened, and she leaped up almost silently. Her hands, as thin as withered branches, gripped the roof beam, and the golden needle pierced the wall behind her. The old woman pulled off the white turban from her head, revealing that her hair was still wrapped in white underneath, but with a satin sheen. The old man twisted it around, and the white silk flew out as if it had eyes, carrying a strange fragrance.
"The art of binding silk? You are the Four Silk Elders."
Bian Yi's expression remained unchanged as he allowed the white silk to wrap around his arm. The old woman had just raised an eyebrow in delight, but the next instant, a tremendous force ripped from the silk. The old woman, known as the Four Silk Elder, didn't even have a chance to maneuver. She felt as if she had trapped a mountain, otherwise, how could it be so heavy?
The old woman with four pieces of white silk simply used the leverage point to turn around, preparing to pull out another piece of white silk from her waist. As her name suggests, she had four pieces of white silk, and there was nothing she could not restrain.
The mountain moved, seemingly impatient. The golden needles embedded in the wall were pulled out by internal force and prepared to pierce her waist. Just as the old woman was about to dodge, a sharp fan grazed her neck at the same time, and she didn't even have time to react.
The difference was too great. The old man suddenly realized this, and his scalp tingled; he broke out in a cold sweat.
This person was giving her a chance, without even using a proper weapon.
"Save your energy, I know there's a sleeping potion on your silk,"
Bian Yi said softly.
She tucked her fan into her sleeve, grabbed the old man by the neck with one hand, and swiftly dragged him back into the room. With a flick of her sleeve, the two doors closed automatically. As the man's face turned purple, she threw him to the ground. She prepared to hear Lin Chengye's instructions on how to handle the situation.
The old woman coughed twice, got up from the ground, touched her neck, and looked at Bian Yi fearfully. Only then did she see a person already standing in front of her, wearing a robe.
"Miss Lin, my master requests your presence."
The old man with the four silk ribbons dared not do anything more, so he could only bow and clasp his hands, and get straight to the point.
Who is it?
Lin Chengye's face was terribly pale in the moonlight streaming into the room, but the words "Second Miss Lin" made her momentarily dazed.
It's been a long time since anyone called her that.
"His Highness the Third Prince wishes to see you. I had no intention of harming you, but he instructed me to try to see you alone. However... your guard is quite troublesome. I intended to use a sleeping potion to subdue her, but I was instead subdued. Please do not blame me."
"You're a wicked person, yet you say I'm difficult to deal with, you old hag..."
Bian Yi squeezed the old man's hand with a little force, cursing softly beside him. She only let go when the old man started to cry out in pain.
"When and where?"
Lin Chengye seemed lost in thought, pinching his fingertips.
"If you agree, we'll set off immediately. It's not far away..."
The old man with four silk ribbons touched the tip of his nose, which had turned crimson from being soaked in wine.
"Penghua City of Southern Qi".
Author's Note: Volume Two, the long-night comic! I'm back!
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