Nangong Ling'er asked with some concern, "Senior Sister... what's wrong?"
Shen Huairu's hand trembled slightly, but she calmed herself down and turned to look at Nangong Ling'er with a slight smile.
My senior sister rarely smiled, at least that's how I remember her. She seemed to have no interest in anything. Among all the fellow disciples, she was the one who most resembled a hermit, otherworldly and detached from worldly affairs. It didn't seem enough to describe her as being unmoved by external gains or losses. To be more accurate, she seemed so out of place.
She was so out of place in this world, so completely out of place. Nangong Ling'er thought this was transcendence, this was the true realm of cultivation.
But looking at her senior sister's expression, she didn't seem to be the way she had imagined.
Senior Sister's smile was somewhat poignant, and Nangong Ling'er wondered if it was just her imagination, but she seemed to see lightning flashing in her senior sister's eyes.
“Junior sister, I… I don’t know how to say it. You asked me how I saw Bai Yao, but I felt absolutely nothing. I certainly wouldn’t have felt this way before, would I? But recently I’ve found that as my cultivation has improved, I’ve become increasingly cold-hearted. When our sect leader was critically injured and on the verge of death, I felt no emotion whatsoever. This isn’t like me, and it shouldn’t be me. But just now, when you asked about Junior Sister Bai Yao, the thought that flashed through my mind was that life and death are predestined. Whether she is good or evil, whether she lives or dies, what does it have to do with me?”
Upon hearing this, Nangong Ling'er was stunned, not because her senior sister had revealed her thoughts, but because her senior sister's change made her uneasy. What exactly was wrong with her senior sister?
This situation seems off, but there doesn't seem to be anything too wrong, yet it still feels a bit strange.
"Senior sister, is it because of a problem with your cultivation?"
Suddenly, Shen Huai pointed to the lake and said, "Junior sister, I don't know when it started, but my heart is like a stagnant pool. I can't feel joy or pain. In my eyes, there is only nature, the way of nature."
Hearing this, Nangong Ling'er stopped talking. Her feelings were complicated; she was happy for her senior sister, but also felt a little lonely.
She was happy to know that her senior sister was on a path that none of them could have seen, but saddened that her senior sister might never be the same person again.
She remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Senior sister, since the Tao follows the natural order, everything is predestined. Why be troubled by this?"
Shen Huairu remained silent, simply staring calmly at the lake, lost in thought.
At this moment, although there were clearly two people standing in front of the lake, she seemed to see the other side, but Nangong Ling'er could only see the woods on the other side of the lake.
Even though we're right next to each other, it feels like we're in different worlds.
...
After leaving the lake behind the mountain, Nangong Ling'er arrived at the Discipline Hall in low spirits. After searching for a week, she found only the remains of the burned building. She inquired along the way and finally found Xiao Ru.
She knew that the girl was not her senior brother's daughter, but Miao Xiaodie from the Southern Frontier. So the moment she saw her, she made an excuse to take Miao Xiaodie to the pavilion on the back mountain.
Only this pavilion on the back mountain was spared from destruction. Nangong Ling'er sat down at the stone table and directly stated her purpose, "Sect Leader Miao, how have you been lately?"
"What Master Miao? Martial Uncle... I am Xiao Ru, a disciple of the Discipline Hall."
Nangong Ling'er chuckled softly, "Your senior brother told me your identity the day you came up the mountain. If I had any bad intentions, you wouldn't be able to hide until today."
Miao Xiaodie had actually heard about it from Xiao Yuhan and knew that Nangong Ling'er was another person in the know. However, having learned from Su Li's experience, she was very careful, so she only tested the person in front of her a little. Fortunately, the person in front of her seemed fine.
"Elder Nangong, please speak plainly. You must have called me here alone because it is something important."
Nangong Ling'er looked at Miao Xiaodie's figure and asked, "Your injuries have clearly healed almost completely, so why do you still look like this?"
"You don't need to know that. Just say what you want to say! Don't beat around the bush. I hate it when people try to probe me." Miao Xiaodie had already returned to her usual demeanor.
"I need your help."
"What are you busy with?"
"Help!"
Which one to save?
"Save my Senior Brother Xiao! He's unconscious!"
"Then how can I help you?"
Nangong Ling'er paused for a moment, then asked very seriously, "Does Master Miao understand the Way of Ghosts?"
"don't know."
"What about the methods of corpse control in the southwest region?" Nangong Ling'er pressed.
"I don't understand either. Just tell me what needs to be done!" Miao Xiaodie said impatiently.
"Is it possible to prevent the soul from dissipating?"
Miao Xiaodie pondered for a moment, "Nangong Mei'er, you're putting me in a difficult position, aren't you? Ghostly methods might work, but my specialty is poison and Gu. Unless... he can learn my unique Heavenly Silkworm Gu, it might be effective."
Nangong Ling'er shook her head. "Senior brother is unconscious. If he could wake up, there would be no need for him to learn the Heavenly Silkworm Gu."
"Then there's nothing we can do."
Nangong Ling'er was somewhat disappointed. She had thought that Miao Xiaodie was still the head of a sect, and many secret techniques had been passed down in the Southern Frontier, which were often referred to as unorthodox methods by people in the martial arts world. She had originally hoped to try her luck, but since Miao Xiaodie couldn't come up with a solution, she probably had no choice but to seek help from a master of the Ghost Path.
However, at this moment, Miao Xiaodie seemed to suddenly think of something and asked, "How about... you tell me about his situation in detail, and I'll give you some advice?"
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