Chapter 139: Ending and the Little People (5)
The mountaintop was frighteningly bright. Since the bells were ringing soon, everyone had gathered there. Even though Fuji Town wasn't crowded, they still covered the grass and forests wherever Luo Xuanyi could see.
Only two places were barely deserted. One was the Hanging Bell Pavilion, which immediately caught Luo Xuanyi's eye, and the other was a large tree that continuously emitted a musical sound. Luo Xuanyi looked at the large bronze bell hanging in the Hanging Bell Pavilion, and her mood brightened.
This large bronze bell was Hao Fei's creation. It was a set with the seven-string blood bells tied to the children's hands, and was called the Rongquan Bell. This Rongquan Bell controlled all the seven-string blood bells. As the children grew and changed over the years, the influence of the seven-string blood bells weakened. To maximize the effect of the seven-string blood bells, they had to be adjusted using the Rongquan Bell's tones.
"This is the ancient bell of blessing. Soon the bell will ring. This is the sound of blessing that can only be heard once a year."
It was this ancient bell that Luo Xuanyi had asked Hao Fei to make. Seeing the seven-stringed blood bells that each child in the town had, Luo Xuanyi immediately thought of the vine demon spider that was still pitifully developing on her arm.
Luo Xuanyi was now a gui cultivator. The Vine Demon Spider's help to Luo Xuanyi was limited before it reached adulthood and formed a cocoon. Furthermore, she had already nurtured the spider for a while, and it had already been marked by Luo Xuanyi, so she didn't have to worry about it being snatched away after she let it go. She had been looking for a place to nurture the Vine Demon Spider, and this was the perfect place.
Hao Fei stored the true form of the Vine Demon Spider within the Rongquan Bell. When the bell rang, all of the Vine Demon Spider's white spiders would be absorbed into the Seven-String Blood Bells, transforming the Seven-String Blood Bells from a name that carried blood to true vampires. The isolation and the suggestive music of the Seven-String Blood Bells transformed Fuji Town into the perfect pasture for Luo Xuanyi to raise the Vine Demon Spiders.
When the cocoon harvest began sixty years later, they would probably be able to harvest cocoons equal to the number of townspeople. As long as they exceeded two hundred, Luo Xuanyi was confident that she would make another great stride in the art of deception.
Thinking this way, Luo Xuanyi's eyes softened as she looked at everyone. Zhang Qiu, preoccupied with his own thoughts, failed to notice the change in Luo Xuanyi's expression. Instead, he stared at the large tree beside the bell pavilion, lost in thought. At this moment, only one girl was beneath the tree. This year, having reached adulthood, she would untie the seven-stringed blood bell and tie it to the tree.
The wind blew, and all the lily-of-the-valley bells of blessing drifted away, sending down waves of beautiful bell music. Amidst everyone's cheers, the Rongquan Bell rang out a dull sound.
“Bang—”
The steady, deep sound seemed to bring an endless sense of security. Suddenly, a clear spring flowed from beneath the bronze bell. The water grew, gathering into a river that flowed down the mountain, only to vanish midway. The townspeople listened devoutly to the bell's toll, standing silently beside the flowing water. They lowered lantern after lantern into the water, gently pushing it, and it melted into the sea of stars, gradually fading away midway up the mountain.
They believe that these lanterns will take away their bad luck for the year and disappear with the magical flowing water.
Luo Xuanyi and Zhang Qiu arrived late, and were the last to light the lanterns. Luo Xuanyi looked at the starry sky before her, its shimmering, ethereal beauty, and sighed that Hao Fei was truly skilled, releasing the Blue Bird Lantern in her hand.
The bluebird spreading its wings to fly is ultimately just a lamp that can only disappear with the flowing water and cannot fly away.
The bells gradually died down, the running water vanished, and the townspeople finally dared to speak a few words. They yawned and walked away in twos and threes.
"Let's go too." Luo Xuanyi felt a pity. Thinking that she wouldn't be able to see Zhang Qiu again after today, she felt a rare softening of heart as she looked at Zhang Qiu. She had something else to ask Hao Fei about, but thinking that Hao Fei was just waiting anyway and wouldn't cause any trouble, she decided to walk down the mountain with Zhang Qiu.
Who would have thought that Zhang Qiu, who had remained silent on the top of the mountain, said: "Yes, it's time to go."
"?" Luo Xuanyi felt that Zhang Qiu seemed to be answering her, but also seemed to be talking about something else. She asked tentatively, "...going down the mountain?"
Could it be that Zhang Qiu changed so quickly? It's only been half an hour.
But Luo Xuanyi was clearly overthinking it. Zhang Qiu finally understood everything, exhaled, and finally felt more cheerful. "Sorry, that's irrelevant. I mean, I want to leave Fuji Town and take part in this year's imperial examination."
"Originally, we heard there was a disaster outside, and the teachers in the academy all advised us to wait before going out. Transportation by river and land is difficult outside now, so it's best to wait until the river is open to navigation before taking the imperial examination."
"But precisely because of this, now is the time to go out and understand people's lives and address disasters. I don't want to just sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor."
Luo Xuanyi saw her eyes seeking approval, but she nodded anyway. Zhang Qiu had brought her many new experiences, and after some thought, she decided to give her some information: "I heard something from the Second Master of the Wang Mansion. The palace invited the genius doctor Ruan Chudie from the capital to treat the master, but she was hijacked on the way and is now in critical condition. If you really want to go, be careful and don't make a big fuss."
"Also, there seem to be signs of civil unrest recently, so be wary if you see a large crowd."
This was the greatest kindness Luo Xuanyi could offer. She knew that information was as important as supplies. If Zhang Qiu was going to take the imperial examination, she would have to learn how to obtain and master this information herself. However, if Zhang Qiu was going to leave, the palace would certainly provide her with money and other necessities, so she would not be short of supplies.
"Thank you." Zhang Qiu didn't ask Luo Xuanyi where she got the information, even though her heart skipped a beat when she heard about the civil unrest. She wasn't afraid of going to the capital alone in this chaotic world. But she couldn't burden others with her own willfulness.
The two of them walked down the mountain in silence, and Luo Xuanyi sent Zhang Qiu back to the academy. Zhang Qiu walked towards his residence, but couldn't help but look back and found that Luo Xuanyi had left.
If only we could meet again in the future, Zhang Qiu prayed silently. She never thought that her wish would come true at a completely unexpected time.
Five days later, Zhang Qiu was ready to leave Fuji Town. As Yumi cast off, she saw Zhang Qiu standing on the shore, staring toward the town. She couldn't help but ask, "Is anyone else coming aboard after you?"
"...No more." Zhang Qiu was a little depressed. "I'm leaving town. I wanted to meet her to say goodbye."
"You're not coming back?" Yumi stopped. A glint flashed in her eyes. "Alone? It's not as peaceful out there as it is here. Aren't you afraid?"
Zhang Qiu hugged the bag tightly in his hand: "I'm afraid. But I have to go even if I'm afraid. I want to take the imperial examination and make the people here as prosperous as Fuji Town."
"Good!" Yu Mi grinned. She reached out and patted Zhang Qiu's shoulder with such force that he almost staggered. "You have ambition!"
Zhang Qiu smiled and walked onto the deck, but she didn't expect that Yu Mi was also on board. She brought almost nothing with her and went straight to the cabin.
"Sister Yumi, you're leaving too?" Zhang Qiu was surprised and delighted. "Aren't you going to pack anything?"
Yumi reached out of the cabin and revealed the heavy bag in her hand. "I've been wanting to leave for a long time. I didn't expect a weak scholar like you to be more straightforward than me. You already call me sister, so I'll take you to the capital. I know the way well."
The two men looked at each other and laughed out loud on the shaking water.
Third update~ If you can't make it before midnight tonight, you'll have to make it up tomorrow
The story of Yumi and Zhang Qiu has begun, but it is not in Sister Yi's story. See you later~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
