Chapter 9 Seeking Buddha is not as good as picking flowers
The training ground for these Death Servants isn't within the alliance's territory, but rather on the opposite side of the mountain where medicinal herbs are grown on the border. Although Wucheng is small, if we're talking about the entire Jiangjin Realm, it's about the size of Litao Prefecture.
However, there were many martial arts practitioners here, and Chai Hu Nan instinctively wanted to use her lightness skill. She only managed to gather half of her internal energy before noticing Lin Cheng Ye watching her with a half-smile. Chai Hu Nan quickly withdrew her strength and said seriously.
"...Then let's ride horses."
"I can't ride a horse either."
Lin Chengye curled her lips into a cold laugh. Although she had just met him last night, she suddenly thought of Bian Yi again; that person would definitely notice these trivial details. Lin Chengye snapped her fingers with her left hand, domineeringly deciding on the mode of transportation for this trip.
"Go and get a horse-drawn carriage."
Beneath the black robe, Chai Hu Nan clenched his fists and silently chanted three times.
The alliance leader entrusted it to us, the alliance leader entrusted it to us, the alliance leader entrusted it to us.
"Little brat," Chai Hu Nan quickly gave Lin Chengye a new nickname.
...
"Jiang Jinmeng is actually being built on a mountain."
She has never left Jiang Jinmeng since then, and she rarely even leaves the courtyard called Crab Roe Noodles.
After leaving the Jiangjin Alliance gate, the carriage went directly into the dense forest. The road had obviously been repaired, and every now and then, a barely noticeable luminous pearl was hung on the tree. The road wound downwards. Lin Chengye lifted the curtain and looked outside, only to realize that the Jiangjin Alliance was actually built in an extremely hidden place, in the dense forest on the mountaintop, and there was only one road leading down the mountain.
A leisurely reply came from outside the car.
"Yes, the mountain that Jiang Jin Alliance is on is called Tianluan Mountain. It was originally a barren mountain, but it was in an auspicious and secluded location. Of the four of us, only the Alliance Leader and I were able to get up relatively easily. Even Chen Pixi needed time, and Dongzi and Abei were completely out of the question. It was the Alliance Leader who swept the mountaintop flat with a single sword strike, then brought the craftsmen up and personally helped them carve out this path."
Chai Hu Nan was a coachman, but she was happy to do so; she'd rather be in jail than sit in the carriage.
The moment Bian Yi was mentioned, the man's tone changed, carrying a hint of admiration. Lin Chengye was also somewhat puzzled; could Bian Yi be even more powerful than the fourth-ranked figure in the Yunya Yitian Ranking?
Outside, the spring chill was still in the air, but inside the car it was warm. She brought along the pastries she hadn't finished that morning, as well as two hand warmers, and gently reminded her that she had just recovered from a serious illness and it was still too cold, so she should be careful when going out.
With the mysteries surrounding the Lin family's downfall growing ever more numerous, Lin Chengye now cherishes his life very much.
"...Aren't you from a military family? How do you know so much?"
Chai Hu Nan suddenly asked.
"You mean that Hua Rong Lou?"
Lin Chengye coughed. She had never been in the martial arts world before, so she knew very little about these martial arts sects. But sects like Hua Rong Lou were easy to write about in stories. They mainly did brothel business, and there were both men and women inside. When customers went in, they couldn't tell whether they were men or women. They always felt that they were more like playthings than customers of Hua Rong Lou.
"It's quite a coincidence. The Hua Rong Lou technique can transform a woman into a man and a man into a woman... These kinds of things are popular among the common people."
But she learned all of this while looking for things related to Bian Yi, and she didn't expect it to come in handy so quickly.
...
Chai Hu Nan's methods of driving the cart were very crude; she basically didn't care about the lives of the people in the cart. Moreover, she felt that the main roads were crowded, so she mostly traveled on dirt roads in the dense forest.
The scenery outside the carriage rushed past, and Lin Chengye inside felt nauseous from the jolting. After enduring an hour, she felt dizzy and her chest tight. Just as she was about to curse Chai Hu Nan, she suddenly heard a long neigh from a horse, and the carriage swayed for some reason, quickly slowing down.
Suddenly a commotion broke out outside the car, and between the two men's argument, there was the buzzing of clashing weapons.
"Alliance..."
"Is that Cheng Ye in the car? Why are you pulling the car like that? She's still not well!"
"I……"
"Get up! Go to the back!"
Lin Chengye recognized Bian Yi's voice and a slight smile appeared on her lips. However, Chai Hu Nan was suddenly scrambled in by a fan, his black robe bearing several fresh footprints. She abruptly suppressed her smile and said indifferently.
"How did you get in?"
"I'm sorry, I forgot about your body."
Chai Hu Nan was still shaken. The moment Bian Yi appeared beside her with a cold face like a ghost, she knew she was going to get beaten up. Unfortunately, she dodged the fan but not the kick. She dusted herself off.
"The leader told me to get in, and she said she would drive."
"Tsk, how can we let the alliance leader drive? You go and switch with her. Anyway, you know to drive slower."
Chai Hu Nan paused for a moment, realizing that Lin Cheng Ye's words made sense. How could she let the Alliance Leader be her coachman? But the Alliance Leader was furious at the moment; if she went out, wouldn't she be asking for a beating? Chai Hu Nan thought for a few seconds, then, with a look of resignation, nervously moved forward, half-bent over.
Lin Chengye watched her retreating figure and found it amusing, then picked up a pastry from the side and took a bite.
"Why are you out again!"
"Miss Lin would like you to come in. I'll slow down the horse."
"Hmm? Okay then..."
The curtain fluttered slightly, and a sandalwood folding fan was lifted from it. Bian Yi did not enter from the front of the carriage, but instead lifted the side curtain, moving with ease on the moving carriage, landing lightly beside Lin Chengye like a gust of wind. She was wearing the mask she wore when they first met at the Lin residence, but this time Bian Yi reached out and took it off, revealing her slightly flushed cheeks.
She was clearly still angry, but Bian Yi still smiled and held Lin Chengye's hands with some concern. That gentle yet resilient inner strength was about to flow through her entire body once again, but this time Lin Chengye struggled a little.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Bian Yi's tone was full of worry, but she knew that Lin Chengye didn't like to let her exert too much internal energy after he recovered.
"No, look how well I'm covered up."
Lin Chengye pointed to the fox fur coat he was wearing and the two hand warmers in his arms.
"And you, what are you doing here?"
"Today I took Huang Qindong to the medical clinic. We happened to be on the second floor nearby, and I caught a glimpse of Chai Hu Nan pulling a cart by. So I made up a lie and let Huang Qindong supervise it himself. I was able to get out for about an hour."
Bian Yi pointed to the small building in the distance that was almost a black dot, and Lin Chengye had to squint to see it clearly.
Are you heading to Yunling?
Bian Yi asked, casually fiddling with the silver thread wrapped around his belt.
"Yes, Miss Lin has some guesses about what happened before. We need to go find Chen Pixi."
Chai Hu Nan knew that Lin Chengye didn't know the name of the mountain, so he readily took over the conversation. Bian Yi blinked in confusion, and after a long while, she seemed to wake from a dream, looking at Lin Chengye in astonishment.
"Is there really a problem? Actually, I am..."
"You're lying to me, aren't you?"
Lin Chengye leaned closer and gently tapped Bian Yi's forehead.
"I'll tell you my guess later, but don't show up when we go to test Chen Pixi today."
"Yes, I'll take you up there, but I won't get close. Yunling is gentle on one side and steep on the other. The herb garden is on the gentle slope, while the training area is on the steeper cliff top, so it's not easy to get up there."
Lin Chengye responded absentmindedly, reaching out to absentmindedly grab the ends of Bianyi's high ponytail. Inside the moving car, her smooth hair swayed in her hand, and cool sunlight slipped through the curtain gaps, passing between her fingers and tickling her palms.
...
"Let's pray for peace first. There's a temple at the bottom of this steep slope in Yunling. There's a very annoying monk there, but people from Wucheng like to come here to pray because they say it's effective."
When they arrived at the foot of Yunling, Bian Yi helped Lin Chengye out of the car. The terrain here was higher than in Wucheng, and the wind was cold, so Lin Chengye wrapped his fox fur coat even tighter.
Bian Yi saw this and felt sorry for her, but dared not send her any more internal energy. So he could only find another way and secretly send internal energy to the hand warmer to make it burn brighter.
"Okay, okay, it's really alright."
Lin Chengye had already noticed Bian Yi's hand that was trying to reach for the hand warmer in her arms. Suddenly, she raised the hand warmer above her head. Bian Yi was shorter than her and couldn't reach it. She couldn't very well use her lightness skill for this, so she could only reluctantly give up.
"I'm not going there; it's a sacred Buddhist site. I'll just go up the gentle slope."
Chai Hu Nan silently tied up his horse and respectfully bowed to Bian Yi. Bian Yi nodded and said...
"Yes, be careful."
Before he finished speaking, Chai Hu Nan had already stepped onto the ground, his inner strength surging, and he leaped onto a branch. In just a few steps, he had already gone far away, without the slightest unnecessary movement. His black robe was like wings, like a black crow hunting.
“Neither of us has ever believed in this stuff and rarely goes to temples, but some patients who have difficulty moving around will ask me to come here to pray for them,” Bian Yi explained.
The two walked slowly forward, passing through the dense forest at the foot of the mountain. The temple was quietly nestled at the foot of the towering cliffs of Yunling Mountain. The gold paint on the three large characters "Yunling Temple" above the mountain gate was peeling and faded. Sunlight filtered through the sparse branches and fell on the sweeping monk in front of the gate. Yunling Temple was not large, but it stood alone and, from a distance, truly resembled a divine abode far removed from the mortal world.
Actually, she wasn't really a believer. When her mother and brother went to the Lin residence to offer incense and pray for Buddha's protection, she rarely went, and when she did, her heart wasn't sincere. While offering incense, she would always be thinking about what she could buy on the street later. But now her state of mind was completely different. She actually felt that this Buddhist place was exceptionally peaceful, as if there were the faint sounds of chanting and bells, transcending worldly affairs. The distracting thoughts in her heart could be temporarily set aside. Lin Chengye nodded. This time, she would also bring incense from her mother, father, brother, and all the soldiers of the Wei Lai Army, hoping that their spirits in heaven would know that she was still alive and that one day the truth would be revealed.
"Monk! Monk, I've come to pray for blessings!"
I don't know when Bian Yi put the mask back on. She must be a regular customer. The sweeping monk at the door wasn't surprised to see her like this, and just stepped aside to let her pass.
"Dr. Bian, this is a sacred Buddhist site. Please refrain from making a commotion."
An old monk rushed out of the temple, his face full of helplessness, clearly unable to deal with Bian Yi. He was very old, with deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes that almost covered them, and even the flesh on his cheeks was loose, but his steps were steady and his back straight, clearly indicating that he was a martial artist. As the old monk approached, Lin Chengye clearly saw that the man's small, dark eyes were completely clear and bright, as if he had seen through the world.
“This is Abbot Shichen of Yunling Temple. He was here before I came to Jiangjinjie. He was my first friend here.” Bian Yi turned to introduce him to Lin Chengye, then said somewhat unhappily, “I told you not to call me some kind of miracle doctor. I’m just an ordinary person who knows a little medicine.”
"Master Shichen."
Lin Chengye respectfully clasped his hands together and bowed.
“This young benefactor is much better than you.” Monk Shichen looked at Lin Chengye kindly and asked, “What’s your name? How old are you?”
"My surname is Lin, and my given name is Chengye. I am eighteen years old this year."
"Of course, this is my master... he is the son of a very powerful old friend of mine, so naturally he is much better than me. I'll go to your temple to pick some flowers. You can take Chengye inside to warm up and rest. She has just recovered from a serious illness and should not travel for long."
Bian Yi was not annoyed by those words, but instead became smug. After speaking, she leaped up. Lin Chengye did not even feel the flow of internal energy, but only a barely perceptible breeze. She was even lighter than Chai Hu Nan, like a thin veil that could not be held. She flipped over the main hall of the temple and went to the backyard.
The second time… Lin Chengye subtly raised his eyelids, without asking any further questions. He slowly followed Monk Shichen into the side courtyard for rest.
Is it my master? My senior sister? Or something else?
The stove in the side courtyard of the temple was burning brightly. Lin Chengye took off her fox fur coat; she was already quite tired, and her legs were trembling slightly as she sat down on the ground. A young novice monk ran over and poured a cup of tea for her and the monk Shichen. Suddenly, Lin Chengye felt a burning sensation in her throat and had to cough heavily a few times. Her vision went black, and she didn't recover for a long time.
“Young benefactor, you are so young, yet you look like a lamp running out of oil and about to die. Although my medical skills are not as good as yours, may I take a look?”
Lin Chengye nodded and placed his forearm on the table. Monk Shichen placed three fingers on his pulse, his expression immediately darkening, but he quickly looked puzzled.
"Young benefactor, your veins are severed and your inner sea is depleted. How did you manage to save you? Also, I have traveled all over the country and seen a lot in the years. Whose internal energy is that extremely powerful internal force in your body? Is this internal energy the unique technique of the Qingluan Medicine Valley, which was destroyed twenty-one years ago, the Spring Breeze and Rain?"
Azure Phoenix Valley? Spring Breeze and Rain? Could it be that Bian Yi was once...? Lin Chengye frowned. Seeing her fall silent, Monk Shichen immediately understood.
"Could it be Benefactor Bian..."
“Master Shichen, please pretend you don’t know. Bian Yi has her reasons for not wanting to talk about it.”
Lin Chengye withdrew his wrist, smiled faintly, but his words were quite firm. Monk Shichen, being a perceptive man, immediately understood and replied.
"Indeed, Benefactor Bian is a member of the Jiangjin Alliance, so he must have already left his past behind."
Just then, the door opened, and the rich fragrance of magnolias wafted into her nostrils. Before Lin Chengye could see clearly, the fragrance of magnolias brushed against the tip of her nose, followed by a few white petals falling. A soft, white bouquet of flowers bent low, its bright eyes holding the flowers up to her face.
"The magnolias here in Wucheng are the best. Take them back and put them in your room."
“…Alright, let’s go offer incense.” Lin Chengye lowered his eyes and smiled.
...
Offering incense didn't take much time, and Lin Chengye and Bian Yi quickly bid farewell to Monk Shichen.
Just as Bian Yi was about to step out the door, he heard the monk Shi Chen behind him use his internal energy to send a message that only the two of them could hear.
“Benefactor Bian, ten years of cultivation is no small amount.”
Bian Yi paused for a moment, then nonchalantly stepped out the door.
"Old monk, please don't say anything more."
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