Chapter 38: Old Dream (I) If Lian Qiang were to say it herself, she actually didn’t…
Beneath the snow that has not melted for years lies a vast snowfield, which seems to have no end at first glance.
Lian Qiang was at the foot of the mountain, looking up. The mountain peaks were towering into the clouds. She was almost unable to open her eyes because of the wind and frost. She could not help but wrap herself tightly in the cloak that was like a magic weapon to keep out the cold, but it was in vain.
Could any tribe really survive in such a harsh environment? Lian Qiang momentarily wondered if the rumors were just rumors.
This bone-deep coldness was not insurmountable. To her, what was even more cruel was the lingering pure spiritual power in the snowfield, which seemed to be particularly incompatible with the demonic energy in her body. The ubiquitous sound of the wind seemed like a disguised form of rejection and clamor.
Rumor has it that the path to obtaining the dream silk is incredibly treacherous. Anyone without a sincere heart would have given up long ago. Even Qiang Ben wondered why she was seeking such hardship by pursuing such a falsehood, but the image of Chi Xingji's face at their parting moment resurfaced before her, and she became more resolute. A short pain is better than a long one.
The world is so vast, nothing is impossible. Rumors abound, so they're not necessarily false. Besides, having come this far, there's no reason to turn back. Lian Qiang took a deep breath and stepped back onto the thick snow.
The journey was quite difficult. In order to prevent herself from suffering a greater backlash from her spiritual power, Lian Qiang had to stop the circulation of the demonic energy in her body. This made her no different from an ordinary person with no cultivation, and she had to endure the cold.
Raising his head with difficulty, Lian Qiang suddenly felt that this might be the first hurdle he had come here to overcome?
The higher you go, the smaller and smaller you feel. Lian Qiang told herself over and over again that she was almost there, but when she looked up, she was confused again.
At this moment, in the wind and snow, there seemed to be a little light falling in it - she blinked and confirmed that it was not an illusion.
At this moment, the attraction of the lights was undoubtedly huge. Lian Qiang was also attracted by the lights and instinctively wanted to walk there, but then she realized something was wrong.
The Dream Silkworm Clan lived in isolation, their existence almost forgotten. How could they have settled on the mountainside in such a grand manner? If it was someone else's doing... Lian Qiang approached slowly, wary.
It was a small room, emitting a warm firelight. Her footsteps on the snow were light, but they still startled something. Someone pushed the door open and came out, breaking the quiet warmth.
Lian Qiang's fingertips clenched little by little, and the dormant demonic energy surged in her body. As the man approached, the wind and snow in the sky seemed to be brushed away by a hand and gradually faded away.
Closer and closer, without the wind and snow blocking her view, Lian Qiang saw his face. His jet-black hair was cut neatly to his shoulders, and his equally jet-black pupils seemed to have no light as they looked at her blankly - his eyes were clearly unfocused, but Lian Qiang was inexplicably certain that he was looking at her.
The distance from the house to her was not long, but there was not a single footprint behind him.
Seeing this strange scene, Lian Qiang did not run away. She could not sense any danger from the young man. At least, he had no hostility towards her at the moment - if he was determined to attack her, he could just approach her quietly.
Based on what she had just seen, Lian Qiang speculated that he might possess the ability to condense ice and snow, or perhaps his cultivation was so advanced that he could move freely in such inclement weather. But whether it was the former or the latter, the so-called preemptive strike was obviously not feasible, and she didn't need to rush into an enemy.
The insubstantial gaze silently scrutinized Lian Qiang, both observing each other. The young man spoke first, "What are you doing here?"
As soon as he asked this question, he put himself at a disadvantage. Lian Qiang stopped trying to gather his strength and looked at him with a smile: "It's freezing cold here, am I really here to enjoy the scenery?"
The sound of the wind seemed to be getting closer. Lian Qiang stopped joking and said, "I came here to ask for Mengsi for my own selfish desires."
She was frank and didn't make any high-sounding excuses. The boy frowned slightly: "There are thousands of people who want Mengsi, but I have never seen a demon who wants Mengsi."
"Well, you've seen it now." Being seen through by him was quite common, but Lian Qiang still smiled and answered in a gentle voice.
His reply didn't surprise Lian Qiang much. Demons always pursued their own whims, and considered it shameful to treat themselves harshly. They were prone to extreme sorrow and joy, and thus easily led to misfortune. Cultivators, on the other hand, were the exact opposite, and avoided extreme joy and sorrow.
Some cultivators cannot break through the Great Dao and find it difficult to give up the secular world. It is not surprising that they want to take the best of both worlds and take risks and place their hopes on Mengsi.
"No," the young man's brows furrowed even more, "I saw a demon cultivator who wanted Mengsi a hundred years ago."
Lian Qiang showed curiosity. First, she was curious that this boy looked like he was just in his teens, but was actually about the same age as her; second, she was curious that a hundred years ago, someone from the same tribe came here with the same purpose as her.
"Did he succeed?" Lian Qiang asked, but the boy just shook his head solemnly.
"He failed?"
“…I forgot.”
Lian Qiang burst out laughing at this unexpected answer. Her gaze drifted away, wanting to bid farewell to the strangely appearing young man and continue up the mountain, but he stopped her, "The snow will be especially heavy tonight. I'm sure you won't be in a hurry to ask Mengsi for help. It's better to go up the mountain tomorrow."
Although it was getting late, there was no wind or snow, and there was no sign of the weather getting worse. Lian Qiang gazed at the sky thoughtfully for a moment. Just when the boy thought she would go her own way, she turned decisively and started down the mountain. "Thanks for the reminder. I'll come back tomorrow."
Seeing Lian Qiang walking so fast that she was about to disappear at the edge of the mountain, the young man suddenly spoke again: "If you don't mind, you can stay here for one night and go up the mountain when the weather clears up."
Before the words were buried in the snow, Lian Qiang came back with a smile: "Okay, then I'll bother you."
She reacted so quickly that the young man was momentarily at a loss as to what to do. He said nothing, and Lian Qiang wasn't in a hurry either, just standing there motionless.
After a while, she seemed to remember something and tilted her head slightly to look at him: "My name is Lian Qiang. I haven't asked you yet, what's your name?"
Lian Qiang had a hunch that it would be best not to hide anything in front of the boy. Besides, she might be able to get something she wanted from him.
"Chu, Shan," the young man answered word by word, a slight glint in his eyes, "My name is Chu Shan."
He bowed slightly, letting Lian Qiang enter the house first. The house wasn't big, as it looked, but it was at least sheltered from the wind and rain. Lian Qiang listened, her chin propped up. Just as Chu Shan had predicted, in the evening, the howling of wind and snow descended with the darkness.
If she had insisted on going up the mountain, she might have exhausted her strength and collapsed somewhere by now.
Just as Lian Qiang had expected, the two of them treated each other like nothing. Chu Shan seemed to truly live up to his name, devoid of any evil intentions. He simply took in this passerby out of kindness, and didn't think it was strange that he accepted his advice.
Lian Qiang had originally intended to wait until dawn to bid farewell to Chu Shan. Even if she ignored the strict rules between men and women, she was still somewhat concerned about his unknown origins. But something unexpected happened. She inexplicably fell asleep and had a dream.
She hadn't dreamed for a long time, so when the scene changed, she knew she must be dreaming.
But Lian Qiang was not sure whether her feeling was true, because... this dream seemed familiar to her, as if it was cut out from her memory.
——That was the time when she was infected with evil spirit and just returned to Wuji Sword Sect.
At that time, she was unable to accept the reality. Every day, apart from long periods of coma, she would cry non-stop. Her eyes would be red and swollen from crying, and she would continue to sleep. When she had the strength to get up and toss and turn, when she really couldn't toss and turn anymore, she would stare blankly at the apricot blossoms in the courtyard.
She also made Chi Xingji look unhappy. He was urged by Xi Wenji to practice sword until late at night every day, and he had to come back to comfort her late at night. His rare free time was used to read ancient books and look for powerful people.
I will find a way. Lian Qiang still remembers the confident look on his face. In fact, at that time, she needed Chi Xingji's company more than dispelling the evil spirit.
She wanted Chi Xingji to stay with her, even if he didn't say a word and just sat quietly beside her.
Unfortunately, she was immersed in her own emotions all day long. It was difficult for her to struggle to save herself, and she was even more powerless to ask for help from the outside world. She lost the courage to speak because of her low self-esteem and remained silent, but she hoped that Chi Xingji would take the initiative to discover her vulnerability.
At that time, Lian Qiang would light candles all night long, waiting for Chi Xingji to come back. It wasn't a warm anticipation, she was just numbly waiting for his return to fill the missing piece in her heart.
That night, Chi Xingji came back exceptionally late, dragging Ye Lu with him. Seeing him sitting in the dark, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Lian Qiang wanted to ask where he had been, but she changed the subject before speaking: "You practiced swordplay so late today?"
Her tone was calm, but Chi Xingji's tacit understanding with her was enough for him to see what was beneath her calm tone, so he explained, "It's not because of sword training. I deliberately stayed to talk to Master about...your health."
He was also being euphemistic.
Lian Qiang stared at him intently, trying to find some evidence of lying or guilt on his face, but she found none. Chi Xingji was not good at lying, nor did he bother to tell lies.
But her despicable heart kept guessing, maybe the negotiation was real, and the escape was also real - she had been very pessimistic recently, and had always speculated and associated in the most extreme way. Sometimes even Qiang herself was surprised that she had such an embarrassing side.
Perhaps her overly inquiring look touched Chi Xingji. He took a step forward, wanting to hold her shoulder or hand, but Lian Qiang just leaned sideways, making his attempt in vain.
It is undeniable that as Chi Xingji's hand slowly dropped, Lian Qiang felt both regret and pleasure in her heart.
She couldn't let it go, her heart was hurt. Chi Xingji was her closest and dearest one. She wanted to push him to the shore so that he wouldn't suffer the pain of suffocation. She also wanted to see him willing to accept all of this and jump down willingly, entangled with her and drowning together.
Lian Qiang now thinks that it was probably during that period of time that she personally broke down the innocent and straightforward self of the past, and pieced it together bit by bit into her current shape.
If Lian Qiang herself were to say it, she actually didn't like herself being so twisted, but it was undeniable that she felt more sorry for herself at that time than anyone else.
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The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2023-05-05 21:33:00 and 2023-05-07 00:31:58~
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