Chapter 79 Goodbye and Reunion
The name Qin Ruoliu was mentioned once again.
Of all the things Lin Chengye has sorted out so far, both the Universal Incident and the destruction of the Azure Phoenix Medicine Valley are closely related to him.
But that's the problem. The name Qin Ruoliu is so superficial; as soon as old grievances are brought up, this person is the first one to be targeted. But if you delve deeper, she's more like a knife, an obedient knife.
The mere mention of the title "half-immortal" implies that she is not controlled by anyone and should have nothing to do with obedience.
What if she was truly infected with the parent-child insect? In that case, she would have no choice but to obey the person who possessed the mother insect. That's why she, a wandering swordswoman and a semi-divine being, became involved in the world's affairs and transformed into a powerful weapon for the Lai Kingdom.
The victors in the tumultuous events of the past were His Majesty and the Eldest Princess, whose greatest reliance was Qin Ruoliu. It remains to be seen which of the two truly wields the "Mother Worm."
That makes sense. Lin Chengye tapped his index finger on his side, secretly noting down his guess about the matter in his mind.
On the other hand, there are two parent-child beetles that can control people. Who is the other one?
Lin Chengye's brows furrowed gradually, deepening with each passing moment, before suddenly relaxing. She sighed and said...
"No, I can't figure it out..."
What are you thinking about?
Suddenly, the dormitory door was pushed open a crack, and before Lin Chengye could open her eyes, a black figure flashed and appeared at the head of her bed.
The man was as quiet as ever, simply sitting there silently, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Chaihu Nan".
Lin Chengye looked at the familiar black hooded robe of the man, licked his slightly chapped upper lip, and forced a somewhat silly smile from the bottom of his heart, and said softly.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
Chai Hu Nan didn't speak, but stared at her for a long time before reaching out to brush aside a strand of long hair that was covering her eyes, and then replied in a soft voice.
"...You've changed a lot."
"Good or bad?"
"Okay, really good."
Upon hearing this answer, Lin Chengye laughed again.
They hadn't seen each other for about a year. When they first met, it was still chilly in early spring, and when they met again, it was almost the end of the year.
When Lin Chengye saw Chai Hu Nan again, it was as if he saw his own naive self when he first entered the martial arts world, through the misty fog in the air.
Back then, her heart was still weak, and she even had thoughts of not wanting to live. But now, those thoughts have long since faded.
Lin Chengye was somewhat moved, realizing how quickly she had grown in the past year. Having stumbled and struggled through life's trials, her heart had been forged and tempered, becoming incredibly strong.
She knew perfectly well that her rebirth would only begin after everything was over, and she would continue to live.
"Thanks, I really thought I was going to die there this time."
Lin Chengye gently tapped Chai Hu Nan's shoulder with his clenched fist and asked.
"Did Bian Yi send you?"
Chai Hu Nan nodded, took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to her, uttering a few words between his teeth as he always did.
See for yourself.
"It has been a long time since we last communicated, and I am deeply longing to hear from you. I wonder if things are going smoothly for the Jiangjin Alliance these days? And is Anan well?"
The matter is urgent, so I will keep it brief. Due to past events, Qin Ruoli harbors deep suspicion towards me, which prevented her from approaching Sucheng and forced her to part from Chengye, thus preventing them from protecting each other day and night.
However, my worries have only intensified with each passing day. If Jiang Jinmeng has no urgent business to attend to in the near future, I urge Anan to come to Lai immediately to ensure Chengye's safety.
Though this letter is short, my feelings for you are deep. I humbly ask that you take good care of yourself.
We eagerly await your arrival!
"Bianyi"
"This letter is quite good, much better than the one Bian Yi wrote to me personally."
Lin Chengye nodded in satisfaction, not intending to return the letter to Chai Hu Nan, and without a word, stuffed it under his pillow. Before she could even feel happy, she suddenly remembered something, frowned, and asked.
"But does anyone else know that you left Jiang Jinmeng?"
"rest assured."
Chai Hu Nan shook his head, his voice noticeably serious.
"No one except the other three elders knew about my departure from Jiangjin Alliance."
Lin Chengye breathed a sigh of relief. Jiang Jinmeng's foundation was still shallow, and Chai Hu Nan was its strongest on the surface, a pillar of strength. If news of her departure were to spread, it was inevitable that some people would harbor disloyal thoughts.
"I will stay by your side until the Alliance Leader joins you. And I will only help you when you are in danger; otherwise, just pretend I don't exist."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chai Hu Nan, seemingly to confirm her claim, vanished in a flash, truly like a cunning snake. Although Lin Chengye had already experienced her abilities firsthand, he still couldn't help but marvel at how effective this technique was.
For some reason, after Chai Hu Nan left, Lin Cheng Ye felt as if her heart had suddenly settled back into her stomach. Her limbs completely lost their strength and became limp. If anyone dared to break in now, she would be utterly powerless to fight back. But she knew that Chai Hu Nan's head would surely roll before that.
His mind was unusually clear, and Lin Chengye yawned deeply. Soon his eyelids became heavy, and he drifted into the only good dream he had experienced in the past few days.
...
As evening approached, a sudden downpour of snow began.
In less than ten days, the street could no longer be called a street. It was just a narrow passage between two rows of houses, with doors and windows locked and no sign of human life.
A ghostly lantern moved through the darkness of the street. If one did not look closely, one would see two people dressed in black following behind the flickering flame. It is likely that by tomorrow, rumors about will-o'-the-wisps will have spread throughout the area.
"...Actually, I think they look more like fireflies."
Suddenly, one of the men in black spoke softly and reached out from his thick robe to touch the lamp.
"This flame is clearly very warm."
Before she could finish speaking, the person next to her suddenly grabbed her wrist, shoved her hand back into her clothes without a word, then lifted the lamp above her head, frowned, and said...
"Cover yourself up tightly, you're still not well."
"Lin Chengye, you've practically wrapped me up like a ball! I have internal energy protecting me, so I won't be that cold!"
Cai Wenyou shouted in a muffled voice. His nose was still a little red, and his eyes were watery and he could barely open them, clearly indicating that his high fever had not fully subsided.
The thick black coat she was wearing wasn't even hers; Lin Chengye had taken it off himself and insisted on putting it on her.
"I never intended to bring you along."
Lin Chengye shook his head helplessly.
When she woke up, it was already dark again. Lin Chengye tried to move her body, which, as expected, aggravated her wound. She grimaced, found a position that was still bearable, put on her clothes, and limped out the door.
There was still one extremely important thing left to do. Lin Chengye pushed open Cai Wenyou's door, reached out and touched her forehead; it was still warm, she couldn't stand the wind.
Just as she turned around, a burning hot hand suddenly grabbed her fingers. Lin Chengye turned back and saw Cai Wenyou struggling to open her red eyes, staring at her with no real threat.
"You're going to... find Lou Sanbai, right? I... I want to go too."
So the lame scholar turned into two crippled men in black, who helped each other to Lou Sanbai's residence. The fence, which seemed out of place here, was still half-open, just as it had been when they left.
However, the bloodstains on the ground had been covered by fresh snow, and after so many days, no one had noticed that someone was missing from the house.
Lin Chengye walked in; the bloodstains on the ground had dried. Perhaps because of the extreme cold, Lou Sanbai's body hadn't changed much, just stiff as a stone, lying face up in that position, peacefully closing his eyes, never to wake up again.
Cai Wenyou and Lin Chengye carefully carried Lou Sanbai's body out and into the courtyard. Then, imitating Lou Sanbai, Lin Chengye used the peach wood sword at her waist to draw a circle around her body, which was not very devout, before entering the room with a thousand candles.
The room was pitch black; the thousand candles had long since gone out, leaving only black strips of cloth fluttering across the ceiling. Lin Chengye found the white oil bottle that Lou Sanbai had used on the floor, but just as he was about to pick it up, his hand trembled, and two drops splashed onto the back of his hand.
As he was about to leave, Lin Chengye turned back for one last, profound look at the dark, cramped room. But it was closer to the abode of the gods than any other place in the Thousand Buddha Kingdom, so pure, carrying only the selfless kindness of an old man.
From the 49th year of Zhenping to the 21st year of Yongjing, Lou Sanbai spent 21 years alone lighting lamps for these wronged souls. In this small room, he had already written the entire second half of his life.
Lin Chengye thought that Lou Sanbai probably did this to put their minds at ease, so that their resentment could dissipate and they could be reincarnated and re-enter this mortal world.
When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out.
Lin Chengye poured oil on Lou Sanbai's body, reached into the lantern to take out a candle, but his hand trembled violently just as he was about to pour it out.
Her heart was screaming, "Wait, wait a little longer, slow down, let her remember what Lou Sanbai looks like."
"Wait, let me...let me see her again."
Tears finally streamed down Cai Wenyou's already red eyes, flowing down her cheeks and into her mouth, spreading like a warm white mist in the cold weather.
Lin Chengye withdrew his hand with a sigh of relief and stood quietly in the snow with Cai Wenyou. Only when the candle in his hand was about to go out did Lin Chengye slowly speak, his voice a little hoarse.
"If you're scared, just close your eyes."
Cai Wenyou grasped Lin Chengye's other hand, which was hanging down, shook his head, and said.
"No, I will watch. Lou Sanbai said I want to stand in the river."
Lin Chengye didn't speak, but instead held Cai Wenyou's hand tightly before they took a step back.
The candle in her hand was scorching hot, but Lin Chengye finally let go resolutely. The falling sparks drew a line of fire in her eyes, and Lin Chengye felt that the process was so long. Just as she was about to touch Lou Sanbai's body, she suddenly looked up and shouted at the sky.
"Gods above! I humbly pray that you may protect the souls of this world and guide them to a peaceful rebirth! The mortal world is but a play, and the Milky Way shines brightly in the distance. May these troubled souls not be abandoned, but live in peace and health in their next life, to meet their beloved and be filled with joy."
Lou Sanbai believes in the existence of gods, so would this make her happier? Lin Chengye doesn't believe in gods, but he's still willing to pray for Lou Sanbai like this.
The low sobs of Cai Wenyou mingled with the crackling sparks in my ears, turning into a lament for a hasty funeral.
Lin Chengye closed his eyes, listening, feeling, and recalling everything that had happened in the past few days, but suddenly some dissatisfaction arose in his heart.
Why is there a concept of gods here, and why are good and bad things considered to be the gods' joys and sorrows?
But... Lin Chengye raised his head and looked, looked at the raging fire that engulfed Lou Sanbai's face, looked at the black smoke rising from the earth and drifting into the distant night sky.
But after traveling such a long way, all she saw was the joys and sorrows of people.
"Lin Chengye... Actually, the gods made a mistake. Fate isn't so harsh on Lou Sanbai."
Suddenly, Cai Wenyou spoke, her tone surprisingly excited.
"Hmm?" Lin Chengye was a little puzzled and turned his head to look at her.
"Lou Sanbai had someone to see him off in his final days."
Cai Wenyou looked into Lin Chengye's eyes, grinned triumphantly, wiped away his tears, as if he had defeated something.
"It's us."
Author's note: The matter of the Kingdom of Thousand Buddhas will now come to a temporary end.
The story then unfolds after the characters enter the palace, where the江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) atmosphere diminishes somewhat.
The story is probably about two-thirds complete now. Thank you to all my darlings who've been diligently following along! [hugs]
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