Chapter 26
Unfortunately, the blood bead didn't react at all. Like a little child, it nestled beside Xie Wen, pressing against her skin. The blood bead wanted to say that it wasn't something wrong with it, but something wrong with the other person. But in the end, with a childlike voice, it smiled and said, "Nothing's wrong with me, Wen."
Xie Wen frowned in surprise, placed the blood bead in his palm, and felt the warmth spreading from his palm. Xie Wen wondered, is the blood bead artifact broken? Why does it keep glowing and heating up for no reason?
Xie Wen asked again, "Honghong, are you sick?"
The Blood Bead possessed sentience; in Xie Wen's eyes, it was like a teenager, so he named it Honghong. The Blood Bead gradually accepted this name and also called itself Honghong'er. If Chu Xianyue knew that Xie Wen had given such a name to the divine artifact descended from heaven, he would probably despise Xie Wen again.
However, Blood Pearl is now Xie Wen's man, and Blood Pearl will only join Xie Wen in criticizing Chu Xianyue. It will always stand on Xie Wen's side.
Blood Bead felt that Xie Wen disliked its uncontrollable trembling and warm contact with her skin. Was it making its owner uncomfortable? But it couldn't control itself. While inwardly complaining about Chu Xianyue, it flew in the air for a while, and only after the uncontrollable warmth dissipated did Blood Bead fly back to Xie Wen's neck and stay close to her.
Xie Wen touched the blood droplet, puzzled; it was ice-cold. So, it flew out and circled to cool itself?
Although Xie Wen found it strange, she got used to it after a while. After all, the blood droplets only trembled and became warm, and then there were no other abnormalities. Xie Wen let it press against her chest, pulsating wave after wave, spreading its residual heat.
As dusk settled, Xie Yichun and Pei Xuan finished their exchange on swordsmanship, and Pei Xuan was finally free to leave. As he was leaving, Pei Xuan walked backwards, bidding Xie Yichun a tender farewell. The next moment, he suddenly tumbled out of sight, having tripped over a pebble and fallen flat on his face.
Xie Wen chuckled, "Serves you right."
Act! Pretend! Keep acting, keep pretending.
Xie Wen said irritably, "Sister, this kid's acting is pretty good."
The smile on Xie Yichun's lips gradually faded, and she said in a light tone, "Awen, stop targeting him."
A hint of approval and amusement flashed in Xie Wen's eyes. "Sister, what do you mean?"
Xie Yichun withdrew her gaze from Pei Xuan and turned to Xie Wen. She raised her hand and tapped Xie Wen's nose, saying indulgently, "Alright, alright, whatever you say."
Xie Wen raised his head, a smug smile flashing across his face. He said nothing, then looked back at Xie Yichun, staring intently at her. Xie Yichun thought there was something on her face, but the next moment, Xie Wen leaned over her and hugged her tightly. "Sweet dreams tonight. I'm going home now."
Although Xie Wen often acted coquettishly towards her, it was always in a frivolous manner, and he had never been so serious before. Xie Yichun couldn't help but take another look at Xie Wen, "Has something happened?"
Xie Wen immediately replied, "No."
Xie Yichun: "Alright, alright, if you don't have it, then you don't." She didn't insist.
He joked and bantered with Xie Yichun for a while longer. Then Xie Wen had to go back.
She walked along the path back to Feiying Pavilion, bathed in the starlight.
Once Xie Wen stood at the entrance to Feiying Pavilion, he discovered yet another problem.
Since the Black Dragon was awakened from the bottom of the Flying Cherry Pavilion by Chu Xianyue, the pavilion's protective barrier has been removed, along with the extensive network of bridges spanning the river. Now, only a few lonely pavilions remain suspended above the water. Does that mean they have to fly back every time they want to return to their rooms?
The river surface at Feiying Pavilion is different from that of Xiaojing Lake; it's not so easy to stand and walk on the river.
However, it wasn't a big problem; she could fly anyway. Xie Wen pulled herself out of her thoughts and was about to circulate her spiritual energy when, in the blink of an eye, she saw the scenery on the river and her eyes widened.
On the river, clusters of "lights" lit up, their reflections shimmering in the water. Soon, all the lights converged back towards Xie Wen. Xie Wen looked closely and realized they weren't lights at all, but flowers—clumps of water lilies that had been growing in the river during the day were now glowing, their leaves arranged in neat rows, automatically forming a path leading home.
Xie Wen's lips curled up slightly. Why did he inexplicably feel like an emperor returning to the palace?
She regarded herself as the emperor and strode onto the road back to the palace.
After walking a few steps, Xie Wen gazed into the distance and saw a figure in blue on the pavilion, aloof and cold amidst the brilliant lights. Xie Wen and Chu Xianyue exchanged glances, and Xie Wen wondered why they could meet each other's eyes even from such a distance. Xie Wen could almost see Chu Xianyue's arrogant expression.
Xie Wen swaggered towards Chu Xianyue without even looking where she was going, her eyes fixed on him as she walked. With each step she took, lotus leaves automatically flew to her feet, supporting her steadily, ensuring she wouldn't fall into the water even if she walked with her eyes closed.
It was Chu Xianyue who was using his spiritual power to manipulate those water lilies and lotus leaves.
Xie Wen leaped in front of Chu Xianyue and said with a grin, "Master, good evening."
Chu Xianyue stood with his hands behind his back, making no move, only slightly tilting his head to glance at Xie Wen. Xie Wen didn't care about his sour face and still had a smiling look on his face, "Master, what are you doing standing here? Aren't you cold?"
Chu Xianyue turned his head, and for a moment, Xie Wen felt as if his eyes were saying, "You still know to come back." This thought quickly vanished without a trace.
Chu Xianyue asked casually, "Did you go to your older sister's place again?"
Xie Wen nodded. "Yes. Pei Xuan was there too. We even ate the food he cooked."
Chu Xianyue's expression shifted slightly. "Did Pei Xuan cook this?"
Xie Wen hummed in agreement and chatted casually for a bit. "I didn't expect that kid to be such a good cook. But he's just so-so."
Chu Xianyue gave a faint "hmm," seemingly unconcerned.
A long silence followed.
The master and apprentice stood together peacefully, both calm and normal, in silence. The evening breeze was cool, and Xie Wen's hair brushed lightly against Chu Xianyue's cheek, making it a little itchy. Chu Xianyue didn't brush it away, letting the strand of hair keep teasing him.
The Xie Wen before him was completely different from the one in the illusion, yet sometimes, her words and expressions gave him the slight illusion that she was Xie Wen. In the illusion, she was herself, only her mind was bewitched, and she believed that she was Mei San of the Mei family.
That's why, sometimes, she doesn't seem like herself, yet in certain details, she is exactly who she is.
As if by some strange twist of fate, Chu Xianyue suddenly asked, "Do you remember what happened in the illusion?"
Xie Wen raised an eyebrow at Chu Xianyue. So what if she said she remembered? Now that she was awake, looking back at the farce in that illusion from an outsider's perspective, everything became so clear. She remembered everything she had done, everything so vividly.
Sometimes she couldn't help but want to cry, for reasons she didn't know. Was it for Mei Shanting and Ying Yue? Their relationship had truly been too tragic. They had endured so much hardship together, but just when everything was getting better, they separated so easily and without warning.
No one knows how the fire started, nor how Yingyue became the Ghost Palace Master.
What hatred or resentment did she harbor that caused her such torment, and why is her ghost so reluctant to dissipate?
Xie Wen saw that Chu Xianyue was behaving himself, which was why she didn't mention the things that happened between her and him in the illusion, lest she provoke him. She subtly changed the subject, saying, "The illusion in the Ghost Palace shouldn't be over yet. There are still many things that haven't been revealed, and many truths that haven't been uncovered."
I believe the most crucial step in finding the Ghost Palace Master's true form is to resolve his resentment and hatred. Therefore, we must enter the illusion once more to find out.
Chu Xianyue said, "Entering the illusion is simple. The Ghost Palace in the Green Lantern Forest is itself a huge illusion array, repeating the memories of the former Ghost Palace Master day after day. As long as you enter the Ghost Palace, you can enter its memories, which is the illusion. That's not difficult. What's difficult is that we only have one last chance to enter the center of the array."
"The center of this formation seems to be a teleportation array. When we first entered the Little Mirror Lake trial, we didn't enter an illusion. Someone tampered with Little Mirror Lake and teleported us to the Green Lantern Forest. Later, we entered the Green Lantern Forest again through the center of this formation. To break the formation, we must start from the center, which is also a teleportation array. This brought us back to the Green Lantern Forest."
Clearly, only by resolving the troubles in the Green Lantern Forest can the formation be broken. It's obvious someone is leading us step by step into a trap set by "him." The person behind this either wants our help to eliminate the Ghost Palace Master, or wants us to help him find the truth behind the Mei family massacre.
But often, the most superficial phenomena are the least reliable. The real danger lies in the fact that his desires far exceed our imagination. Someone capable of infiltrating our Sword Sect and setting up multiple layers of formations at Little Mirror Lake is clearly no ordinary character.
Chu Xianyue spoke at length, but Xie Wen stared intently at the river, her mind blank, not absorbing much of what he said. Having been reborn, Xie Wen only wanted a peaceful life, not to be embroiled in the treacherous schemes of the cultivation world. She had transmigrated into this world to become an emperor, not to engage in intrigue and power struggles.
Although he knew that the cultivation world was not as calm as it seemed on the surface, and that in many places Xie Wen was unaware of, there were unpredictable events and undercurrents.
Xie Wen only wanted to say: No matter how treacherous or unpredictable things are, it's none of my business. She just wanted to spend her years peacefully with her older sister. Of course, Chu Xianyue could be there too. Xie Wen had come to like him now; if he weren't so arrogant, he wasn't bad at all.
Xie Wen tilted his head and glanced at Chu Xianyue, then smiled. The shimmering river reflected in Xie Wen's chestnut-colored eyes, creating a colorful scene, which was also reflected in Chu Xianyue's eyes.
Xie Wen: "Alright, there's no point in guessing. Let it be."
Chu Xianyue looked at Xie Wen, his brows and eyes seeming to relax, and his heart felt at peace. Xie Wen was always like this; even if the sky were to fall, she would still eat and sleep as usual. Having her around gave one a sense of peace and strength.
Xie Wen yawned, tears welling in her eyes. She leaned against the railing, squinting slightly. "I'm sleepy. I'm going back to sleep."
Chu Xianyue raised his hand slightly, Xie Wen's hair flowing in the air. He withdrew his hand as if to catch it, but in the next instant, Xie Wen leaned on the railing and leaped, his figure like a bird flying into the mountains. He landed on the platform in front of the opposite pavilion. Xie Wen turned around and gave Chu Xianyue a smug smile, his eyes seeming to say, "Look at me, aren't I amazing?"
But what Xie Wen said was: "Look, I can fly!"
In the cultivation world, being able to fly isn't something to boast about. Especially for someone of Chu Xianyue's level, if anyone else said that, no matter who it was, Chu Xianyue would scoff and think it was stupid.
But today, Chu Xianyue stood on the opposite platform, showing no disdain, only a leisurely smile appearing on his lips, like a firefly suddenly appearing in the night, slightly dazzling. He seemed to shake his head, with a helpless expression, as if he had no way to deal with Xie Wen.
The two gazed at each other across the river, the water rushing by. After a while, Xie Wen clapped his hands, yawned, and went back to his room to sleep, casually reminding Chu Xianyue, "Go to sleep, although you don't seem to need to. But..."
But what? Xie Wen's eyes darted around, and he smiled, "So, it should be you wishing me goodnight, Master."
Xie Wen's witty remark was just a joke. But unexpectedly, a leisurely voice drifted from the river:
"good evening."
The sound, reaching Xie Wen's ears, seemed to still carry a trace of moisture.
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