Twenty-two: Times Change, Things Change - Part One
“Oh right, this is what Yuanbei asked me to bring,” Zhou Wei said as the two walked to the door of Ming Jin’s room. He took out another bundle from his pouch, with an autumn-colored pendant hanging from it. “It’s been raining a lot these past two days, and Wei’er caught a cold and got a fever from playing around. Elder Yan is distracted by both things, so Yuanbei has been extra busy.”
“I know,” Mingjin took over. “He didn’t look well when he came last time. I don’t want him to travel back and forth between the two places. I’d better give him more time to rest. By the way, I’ll go with you to the evil spirit’s place today.”
Didn't I tell you to rest?
“I won’t interfere,” Mingjin said, pushing the door open and placing the things on the table before quickly closing it. “But this is an unprecedented event. Besides, Elder Ban has taught us this technique. Master and Master Ji are injured, and Yu Cheng is pregnant and can’t come from Huicheng. So I’m the only one who can still help. Don’t worry, I’ll go take a look. If all else fails, with my current condition and past cultivation, using wind magic to get back shouldn’t be difficult for me.”
“Alright,” Zhou Wei reluctantly agreed, “Don’t do anything rash. It’s just Tianyi and me there right now. Something happened on the mountain, and Tianyi is still there. It will probably be a while before we can go back.”
"Let's go, where's that evil spirit being kept?"
The place of confinement was the original site of Juxia's altar, nestled among the mountains near Juxia in Baicheng. The area was once a beautiful and serene place, but due to concerns that a ground fissure had caused half of the altar to break off and fall into the rubble, it was abandoned because the cost of reconstruction was too high. That day, while looking for a better location, Chai Wang mentioned this place to Wan Xia.
The rain stopped for a while, water droplets rolling on the thick moss, and a sweet scent wafted through the forest. Mingjin and Zhou Wei, holding umbrellas, stood at the bottom of a set of steps leading upwards. Beyond the steps lay barren mountains, with many vines climbing up to the numerous stone pillars, thick and thin, that had fallen into the ground when it cracked open. The stone steps, large and small, were covered with moss, and fresh footprints could be seen on them.
The two carefully walked up the stone steps, and then came into view a pine tree with a broad trunk. One of its lower branches stretched far out, and four people stood in the spacious area below, with one person sitting on the branch.
Between three pine trees of similar stature, a frame was erected using stone pillars. Beneath a ring of cold, stone-colored magic, a vengeful spirit with its head bowed was shrouded. Her hands were suspended, and even her feet were bound to the stone pillars by a glowing spell. Her eyes were closed, her face was deathly pale, and her head was lowered.
Everyone guarding this area knows Mingjin and his weight.
The sect leader of Juxia, Wan Xia, and Zhang Xu arrived with their disciples, Chai Wang and Duan Shuxuan. Duan Shuxuan sat in the tree, with Heng Buwei sitting at his feet. Duan Shuxuan was the first to notice Ming Jin and Zhou Wei's footsteps and turned to greet them. Zhang Xu and Chai Wang, chatting while shelling peanuts, nodded when they arrived. The person Ming Jin didn't expect was Wei Jing, who was chatting with Wan Xia; he was accompanied by two cultivators Ming Jin didn't recognize.
The cultivators of Kongyun Mountain, Mu Ning is not here due to personal matters, and Chen Du is stuck on the mountain, so it's uncertain when he will arrive today.
"Stay here for a while and then go back, so your masters won't worry," Mingjin and Zhou Wei went to greet Wanxia first. After hearing Mingjin's plan, Wanxia replied, "Juxia's boatman will be here in a little while."
"Thank you, Master Wan."
As they spoke, a clap of thunder sounded in the distance. Dark thunderclouds churned, and a bolt of white lightning descended from the sky, cleaving through the black clouds and even glancing at the row of people standing under the trees.
"What a beautiful day." After finishing the peanuts, Zhang Xu patted the crumbs off his hands.
"I can't do without your umbrella," Wan Xia replied with a smile.
Kongyun Mountain is rainy in summer, but such thunder and lightning are rare. Ming Jin stood under the tree, watching the black and white light overlap, and the scenery before her eyes also overlapped with the past, which made her scalp tingle.
The rain hasn't started yet. Looking up, the sky is patchy, with dark and light areas; you can't tell it's still afternoon at all.
While the people around him were still talking, Mingjin didn't forget why he had come. Leaning on his umbrella, he walked to the opposite side of Pinghe.
The thunderclap had also struck Pinghe's mind. She recognized the sound; just as she had involuntarily closed her eyes, she was now being coaxed to open them and look out at the sky. Mingjin walked over, blocking a small patch of light from the ground, and since she recognized his build, she looked up and carefully examined him.
Those eyes were still as fierce as when they held the knife to him, but the situation was different; they now carried an undeniable weariness.
"It's you."
Mingjin saw her move her lips, but didn't pay attention for a moment. He just guessed the words from the whistling wind and his own association.
"And the others?" Pinghe continued before Mingjin could respond, "There are three more cultivators, right?"
“I’m alive and well,” Mingjin said calmly.
"Yes, I saw them come to rescue you."
As Pinghe spoke, two more bolts of lightning fell from the sky, drawing their attention one after the other. However, Mingjin quickly looked back and saw Pinghe gazing at the lightning in the sky. His eyes, which had been fierce and weary, now shone with a glimmer of light through the lightning.
Taking this opportunity, Mingjin tried out the spell that Banrui had taught her at the medical clinic in Huicheng that day.
"Pour fire into the suspended river."
The spell seemed to have worked. As another bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, what was imprinted in Ming Jin's mind was still a storm of thunder. The difference was that this time, only a dark cloud suddenly appeared in a clear blue sky. And opposite the thundercloud was a ball of black and red fire, with lightning and flames constantly emanating from it.
At this moment, Mingjin was watching all of this through Pinghe's eyes.
The thundercloud looked very familiar, causing Mingjin to momentarily lose his senses.
Pinghe, also known as Mingjin, is currently running forward. The path they are on is going uphill, and at the end of it is a cliff. There, another female ghost is standing, carefully watching the two clouds fighting.
This place is actually quite a distance from that side, because if you look down slightly, you'll see a continuous stretch of dense forest.
"Fuxia, how is it?" Pinghe asked as he jogged over.
When Pinghe lowered her head, Mingjin could see that she was wearing a similar black and red robe, but when Fuxia turned around, she was holding a sword and dressed entirely in black. Fuxia's hair was tied up and adorned with a crown, and her slightly narrow eyes gazed calmly behind her. Her voice, both in tone and timbre, gave a sense of tranquility, undisturbed by any disturbance.
“It’s too early to tell,” Fuchsia replied, then turned to the two of them curiously and asked, “Why are you late? What’s that smell on you? Did you put on perfume?”
odor?
Upon hearing this, Mingjin tried his best to recall the scent through Pinghe's memories. Unfortunately, the trace of the scent was too faint.
“It’s her,” Pinghe said, glancing at Lu Yuzhu, who was lagging behind her. “They found a new person, but they didn’t want to teach her themselves, so they dumped her on me. That girl’s abilities are related to scent. The two of us practiced with her for a while, and we probably picked up a little bit of it.”
After saying that, Pinghe raised her wrist and smelled it: "It's too close, I can't smell anything. Where are the master and apprentice over here?"
“What could it be?” Another voice came from behind Pinghe. Unlike Pinghe’s own sweet voice, the newcomer’s voice was full of energy and slightly deep, perhaps because she had walked over and wasn’t panting. “Could Feng Wu really beat Ci Yun?”
“Don’t say that, Lu Yuzhu,” Pinghe said, turning from running to walking as she looked at Lu Yuzhu, who was also dressed in black and red. “Wei Fengwu’s constant challenges against Ciyun are a lot of fun for us. It would be even better if something even more fun came up.”
"So," the two walked together to Fuxia's side, watching the clash between the thunderclouds and fireclouds in the distance, and Lu Yuzhu asked, "So far, has anything interesting happened?"
“No,” Fuxia said quietly, “It’s been a quarter of an hour, and the two of them are evenly matched. Lord Zhegui has already won.”
"Aren't you Feng Wu's disciple?" Ping He stood between the three people, with the continuous rumble of thunder as a backdrop. "You're still so calm even though your own master lost?"
"It's not the first time. If a wonderful play is performed exactly the same way dozens of times, it's bound to get a little boring." Lu Yuzhu's tone was full of confidence, and she had no doubt about Zhegui's power.
"Unfortunately, with my cultivation level, I can't watch any closer," Fuxia said helplessly. "If I could watch their battle more closely, I would definitely gain some insights."
“Why don’t you take a break?” Lu Yuzhu tossed a string of wooden beads into her hand and played with them. “You and Wu Rang are both guards of Lord Gao. Wu Rang goes out with Lord Gao and Gong Sha every day, while you have to watch the house for them.”
“That wasn’t just a casual stroll,” Fuxia said, perking up as she refuted Lu Yuzhu’s words. “It was to seek new power. Wu Rang didn’t go out with the two gentlemen today either. I heard that someone was in danger and he went to rescue them. Although that evil spirit has nothing to do with Wu Rang, it was someone that Mr. Gongsha had carefully cultivated, not wanting him to be gone after just one trip.”
"Who is it?" Lu Yuzhu didn't even turn her head, looking at the battle situation opposite her. "If you can't beat those cultivators, just admit death."
"How can you talk like that?" Pinghe glanced at Lu Yuzhu with a sneer. "If you get into danger, we won't come to your rescue."
"I'll just die right there. If I can't beat them, I'll just kill myself." Lu Yuzhu said, hands on her hips, completely unconcerned.
"What if Lord Ciyun comes to save you?" Pinghe asked with a smile.
"Then I'll hold on a little longer." Lu Yuzhu thought Pinghe's words made a lot of sense, so she quickly agreed.
"Besides, how are you going to commit suicide?" Fuchsia asked curiously, her interest piqued.
“I have no sword or knife, but I do have a hand chop.” As she spoke, Lu Yuzhu took her right hand and slashed diagonally at her neck.
A loud bang came from the horizon. Although Ming Jin was only looking at Ping He's memories, he could still feel Ping He's surprise.
The black cloud eventually engulfed the red fireball.
"As expected."
Lu Yuzhu smiled and then flew towards the competition area.
The rain still hadn't fallen, and the wind was howling, pushing the distracted Mingjin to the side.
Mingjin focused his gaze and immediately met Pinghe's sinister eyes.
"You were also sent by that cultivator?" Ping He said softly, her voice vastly different from what he remembered. "What do you want?"
"You don't seem to be under any pressure?" Mingjin asked. "Aren't you afraid of losing your life here?"
At that moment, Pinghe avoided Mingjin's gaze for a split second, glanced down, and then laughed: "So what? Living and dying, dying and living again, who knows what will happen when the evil spirit dies?"
"Didn't you think about who would come to your rescue?"
"Save?" Pinghe asked rhetorically.
A bolt of lightning struck behind Pinghe.
I like rainy days.
Looking at the thunder, Pinghe ignored Mingjin and looked around.
Mingjin had no time to pay attention to Pinghe; the lightning bolt had stirred up her own dusty past.
“Some people are very afraid of thunderstorms,” Pinghe said, turning to look at Mingjin as she listened to her muttering to herself. “What about you? Are evil spirits afraid of bad weather?”
“That’s interesting,” Pinghe smiled slightly. “I’ve always loved thunder and lightning, but no one appreciated that. Things are different now.”
"What caused you to become a vengeful spirit?"
Pinghe glanced down, then looked up at Mingjin. The fierceness in her eyes had dissipated considerably, replaced by a calm that seemed to have returned after the downpour: "On a rainy day, my dilapidated thatched hut collapsed. I had nowhere to go, so I braved the rain to find a place with a roof over my head, and ended up being struck by lightning and killed on the way."
"You said you like rainy days?" Mingjin raised an eyebrow.
“Yes,” Pinghe said lightly and cheerfully, “I didn’t have to kill myself; that lightning bolt ended my withered half-life first. After I died, thanks to it, I’ve been living a slightly more comfortable life. I was locked up here, and looking at your face, I felt that this color was somewhat familiar. You probably don’t know, but in my eyes, you are covered with a clear blue hue. That’s what I saw when I came back.”
"The sky is dark blue, and you run back along a path. Thunder is above, lighting your way."
"What did you say?"
As if a secret had been exposed, Pinghe stared intently at Mingjin for a moment.
But before Mingjin could reply, a few drops of rain began to fall, hitting her face. She had placed her umbrella under the pine tree when she arrived, and now the rain was soaking her. Although she quickly propped herself up with a stick to shield herself from the rain, half of her body was already drenched.
Now, Mingjin looks at Pinghe, and Pinghe looks at Mingjin; they are the same color.
"How do you know this?" Pinghe asked, frowning. "You're a living person."
"Some people with a particularly strong sense of curiosity are especially curious about what evil spirits are thinking and what they have experienced."
As soon as she finished speaking, the torrential rain suddenly stopped, and the sun, which hadn't appeared for a long time, peeked through the clouds, shining brightly on everything where the rain had gathered. Unfortunately, there was still water on Mingjin's mountain barrier, and the light shining from the side made her eyes glare.
"Tian Guang," Zhou Wei called out to her from behind, "the ship is coming."
"Goodbye."
Reminded by Zhou Wei, Ming Jin mentally organized the things she had planned to do. Although Mu Ning wasn't there, entrusting them to Zhou Wei was a viable option.
Mingjin turned around while thinking, only to bump into someone. Fortunately, he stopped in time.
"Senior Brother Wei." Ming Jin's heart skipped a beat because he almost bumped into someone, and he greeted Wei Jing, who suddenly approached, somewhat awkwardly.
Wei Jing was holding an umbrella.
"I've stayed quite a while today, I have to go back now." Before Ming Jin could even figure it out, Wei Jing blurted out.
"Yes, then let's meet again another day."
There's something I need to tell you.
Because Mingjin was unaware of the situation, his voice was much softer than usual. When Wei Jing appeared particularly serious, his voice also became lower. Mingjin was so intimidated by Wei Jing's imposing manner that he dared not speak.
"If you feel uncomfortable after hearing this, feel free to blame me."
Mingjin pondered Wei Jing's words, but couldn't think of any other connection between her and Wei Jing besides their brief encounter at the Huicheng Medical Clinic.
“I didn’t tell Yucheng about your injury this time.”
Wei Jing's words were like a blow to Ming Jin's head, striking her hard and leaving her stunned.
“She’s quite far along in her pregnancy now, and the fact that someone close to her got injured will definitely affect her. She has two lives tied together. Childbirth is already a life-or-death situation, and I don’t want to add any more risks before that.”
“I understand now,” Ming Jin said, still not fully recovered from Wei Jing’s words. Not wanting the two of them to remain silent in a stalemate, she replied, “Please give my regards to Yu Cheng for me, Senior Brother Wei.”
“The responsibility lies with me. If Yu Cheng blames me in the future, there’s no need to cover it up for me. I have other matters to attend to in Huicheng, so I’ll be leaving now. Farewell.” With that, Wei Jing departed.
Wei Jing's words had a profound aftereffect, giving Ming Jin a moment of clarity.
After seeing Wei Jing off, she turned around and saw Zhou Wei standing under the tree chatting and laughing with Duan Shuxuan, and she hesitated completely.
However, those present at the time were as follows: Du Gewen and Ji Zhen were injured and recuperating in Juxia, Xiang Wan had passed away, Zhou Wei was unable to move, and Mu Ning was away on business and it was unknown whether she could make it back in time.
"Dawn! Dawn!"
"ah."
A hand patted Mingjin on the shoulder from behind, startling the pensive Mingjin.
Chen Du wore a bamboo hat, which he used his mountain magic to transform into a veil and hung around the hat to block the sudden rain.
"What are you doing?" Chen Du said, shoving the umbrella into Ming Jin's hand. "I saw Juxia's boatman when I came here."
"I have something to tell you, but you can take these first."
Then, Mingjin threw the umbrella on the ground, pulled out his pouch, and took out a medicine box. The box was full of bottles and jars; the white bottles contained pills given by Jizhen, and the dark brown jars contained liquid medicine given by Jizhen.
"My God," Chen Du exclaimed, looking at the box, "How much did Master Ji give you? I know Master Ji can get a lot of pills from one alchemy, but this is just too astonishing."
"Take them all." After thinking for a moment, Mingjin stuffed the entire box into Chen Du's arms.
"Why are you giving me this? It's not like I don't have any," Chen Du took it, closed the lid, and put it back in Ming Jin's hand. "What do you want to tell me?"
"Yes, it's about Lu Sui."
Upon hearing this name, Shen Du's expression changed.
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