A moth blocked Ayan's path.
The rain hadn't stopped; it was drizzling outside the eaves, but the room grew even quieter.
Pei Xuanzhi slowly picked up the yellow talismans on the ground, collecting the usable ones and throwing the unusable ones aside.
Yan Huanyue looked at the yellow papers scattered all over the ground and originally wanted to just go out.
Pei Xuanzhi had neither fastened his jade belt nor tied up his long hair. He was wearing the loose outer robe he had just put on and was half-squatting on the ground with his knees bent.
While picking them up, he coughed and also tried to use hand seals to see if the talismans he picked up could attract spiritual energy.
If we hadn't littered and left things lying around last night, we wouldn't have had to pick them up again today. Why suffer this trouble again?
Yan Huanyue made a hand seal and said, "Let's minimize the cost, I'll help you..."
Pei Xuanzhi smiled at her, raised a yellow talisman between his fingers, and said, "The incantation is too complicated. It would be too time-consuming to teach Senior Sister to recite it line by line. Don't worry about me..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was already feeling annoyed.
If I could teach her the talismanic arts word by word and sort through the yellow talismans together, I wouldn't feel it was a waste to spend as much time as I could here.
Even the yellow talisman that had been fluttering between his fingers drooped in the wind, looking dejected.
Seeing his refusal without hesitation, Yan Huanyue didn't want to force him further. She dispersed the magic seal between her fingers, walked to the door, and said:
"In that case, I'll go get some food. You can take your time tidying up... Is this how you always draw talismans? You draw them and then just throw them away, only to pick them up again later?"
Pei Xuanzhi glanced down at the mess on the ground and said, "No."
Yan Huanyue smiled and said, "Was it blown by the wind? You should have used a teacup to weigh it down. I'll go out and buy you two paperweights in a bit."
Pei Xuanzhi looked at her, fiddling with the talisman between his fingers, and said casually, "I threw the talisman away."
Like an unruly cat, it kicked over the inkstone, yet remained nonchalant, unrepentant, and arrogant.
Yan Huanyue frowned slightly and said, "Why are you throwing things?"
He kept his head down, not saying a word, his long hair obscuring his eyebrows and eyes, only the yellow talisman between his long fingers suddenly flashed a red light.
Yan Huanyue walked over, lifted her skirt, knelt down in front of him, placed her hand on his forehead, and asked:
"Are you feeling unwell? Or were you in a bad mood yesterday because of Fellow Daoist Yun?"
Pei Xuanzhi met her gaze for a moment, then lowered his head again to pick up the yellow talisman, and said calmly:
"If you can't paint well, only three out of ten of your paintings will be usable. The more you paint, the worse you get. Your mind and soul will be in turmoil, and you will be extremely frustrated."
Every word he said was true, but he omitted the fact that she had been unmoved by Yun Lang's fabricated words yesterday.
She still doesn't think there was anything wrong with her reaction yesterday. He has also temporarily suppressed his emotions. If he were to bring up other people again, he doesn't know what else he might say.
This was the first time Yan Huanyue had heard him voluntarily talk about his troubles in this regard.
Aside from his uncontrollable emotional turmoil, he was usually quite composed.
Although he can probably only rely on the power of talismans for self-defense, he often holds scrolls and flips through books, has a good memory, and seems to be very good at methods such as Qimen Dunjia, magic arrays, and divination.
Although he was born weak and his spiritual energy was very thin, he never showed the slightest inferiority or dejection about his lack of ability because of his cultivation level.
She thought he had accepted everything and didn't care, but she didn't expect that he would also get anxious because the talismans he drew were unusable.
Yan Huanyue raised her hand and made a hand seal. Suddenly, the yellow talismans on the ground fluttered up like snowflakes, dancing and pausing around the two of them.
The talisman finally fluttered past and landed on the table against the west wall, where it was neatly stacked.
She reached out and grabbed Pei Xuanzhi's sleeve, pulling him up. Looking up into his eyes, she smiled and said:
“Junior Brother Pei, sit down at the table and start drawing the talismans. If you can’t draw them well, then study them more. There’s no need to stand at the table all day and make things difficult for yourself. Take it slow. Only when you are in a good state can you gradually achieve a lot. Being demanding about the short term will only damage your character and spirit.”
A gentle breeze carrying moisture drifted through the house from the window.
Pei Xuanzhi stood before her, his heart feeling as if it were being gently brushed by delicate, lingering willow catkins, stirring a tremor from within, an unstoppable torrent that instantly engulfed him.
He lowered his eyes and stared at her intently.
Yan Huanyue turned and headed towards the door. The food box left by Yun Ruoliang flew up and floated behind her, separating him from her.
As Yan Huanyue walked, she said, "You pack up, I'll go get some food. If you're still sleepy, go to bed and rest."
As soon as she stepped out the door, both the door and windows were shut shut, cutting off the wind and rain of the world.
Pei Xuanzhi, dressed in loose robes with his long hair flowing freely, stood alone, his eyes coldly glancing at the yellow talismans on the table.
With his ten fingers forming a single mudra, several drawn yellow talismans immediately flew out of the pile of talisman paper like flying leaves and rushed into his sleeves, which moved without wind.
The talisman flew past, brushing against the silver-sheathed dagger strapped to the inside of his left arm—a betrothal gift from Yan Huanyue.
He used the blood of the evil cultivators who had a grudge against him to sharpen this knife, thus completely ending all the causes that would lead to revenge against him.
Later, in the cave in Xiling Mountain, when she was in a daze and tearing at his clothes, she touched this knife.
She insisted that he had stolen her hidden knife and demanded its return without further explanation.
He naturally refused and tried to take it from her, but she pinned him down and bit his shoulder a few times as a warning.
She couldn't resist possessing him, yet she would also fiercely curse him: "You bastard, you stole my blade, you shameless thief..."
When she scolded or belittled him at those times, it always gave him an indescribable sense of comfort, like a warm current flowing through his body, making him feel incredibly relaxed.
Almost everything about him is closely related to her, and his thoughts are scattered like spider silk, making it quite difficult to make him not think of her at any time.
He had to admit that at times he was truly outrageous and shameless, to a degree he himself had never imagined...
But some people are blind and blatantly covet those they shouldn't even think about.
Pei Xuanzhi reached into his sleeve and pulled out a knife. The thin, narrow, and cold blade gleamed with a chilling light, reflecting his increasingly aloof and cold features.
He cut his fingertip with a knife, and several yellow talismans immediately flew over to catch the dripping blood. They swirled in the air, creating a small ripple, before disappearing into his sleeve.
.
Yan Huanyue first asked the innkeeper to prepare breakfast, and in the meantime, she went out to buy some candied fruits and pastries to keep on hand.
Upon leaving the pastry shop, they saw Yun Ruoliang, who should have left long ago, sitting on a small stool under the low eaves opposite them, lost in thought, with a long sword on his back.
Their eyes met.
Upon seeing her, Yun Ruoliang immediately beamed with joy. He suddenly stood up and asked through the rain, "We meet again so soon. Did you enjoy breakfast?"
She had already given that box of breakfast to the innkeeper.
Remembering Pei Xuanzhi's words, Yan Huanyue couldn't help but smile and asked, "Why are you still here?"
Yun Ruoliang sighed, took a few steps across the street to her side, patted the water droplets on his clothes, and said, "I got held up by something."
Yan Huanyue nodded and said, "Oh, then you go ahead with your work, I'll head back now."
Yun Ruoliang ran in front of her and blocked her way, looking down at her with a helpless expression. "We've met by chance, so we should have some connection. Why don't you care about me at all?"
Yan Huanyue walked past him and back, saying, "I have something to do."
Yun Ruoliang followed behind her and said, "So you like candied fruit and pastries."
Yan Huanyue did not respond.
Yun Ruoliang took another step forward, almost blocking her half an inch in front of him.
Yan Huanyue suddenly took a step back and saw many busybodies peeking out from the windows under the eaves on both sides of the street. She was already quite impatient.
Yun Ruoliang sighed and said, "Don't be angry. I didn't mean to stop you. The other day I met some begging children, some of whom were older. I spent some money to put them to work in inns and teahouses."
"There was a young one among them, very bright. I had originally arranged for him to study at a school, but today, as soon as I went out, I saw him walking in the rain. He had come looking for me, and no matter how I tried to persuade him, he wouldn't leave. I had just coaxed him to eat something, and I was thinking of buying him some snacks and taking him back to the school..."
Seeing that she had fallen silent, Yun Ruoliang's tone softened considerably.
“He caught a cold and still needs to take medicine. It would be better to prepare some candied fruit. I don’t usually eat these kinds of things. I saw you coming out from inside and wanted to ask which kinds are tastier. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, fellow Daoist.”
Yan Huanyue looked back at the eaves where he had been sitting, lost in thought.
Through the sparse rain, I could see a small eatery.
A thin, bony toddler, about six or seven years old, with messy hair, was hiding behind the dilapidated door of the eatery, watching her curiously.
She couldn't explain why, this child...
He looked like a little boy, but he bore a resemblance to her.
However, the two of them did not resemble each other at all, yet Yan Huanyue inexplicably felt as if she were gazing at her younger self through a light drizzle.
She was somewhat stunned, standing there looking at the child, and the child was looking at her too.
Suddenly, the child rushed into the rain and ran towards them, like a fledgling bird flying into the forest, and bumped into Yun Ruoliang, causing him to take a few steps back.
"I don't want to eat sweet fruit anymore, please don't throw me away."
Despite his pain, Yun Ruoliang said with a forgiving tone, "Ayan! Ancestor! You almost killed me."
Ayan looked up as if to say something, when a tightly wrapped oil paper package was handed to her.
He looked over and saw that the woman's eyes were somewhat unfocused. She said gently, "Eat up, it's all yours. Your name is A-Yan?"
Yun Ruoliang said, "It was given to me by the famous people who were sent to the academy. It has my surname, Yun Yan."
Ayan smelled the fragrance from the oiled paper, her dark eyes fixed on Yan Huanyue, but she didn't reach out.
Yan Huanyue stuffed the package into his arms, gave him a deep look, and turned to walk towards the inn.
After she left, Yun Ruoliang did not chase after her or pester her again. He simply stroked the child's head and watched her retreating figure.
You may not love or like anyone else, but can you not love or like yourself?
.
Yan Huanyue pondered the child who inexplicably resembled her the whole way.
When I got back to the vicinity of the inn, I suddenly realized that I hadn't gone back to buy another candied fruit and pastries.
As I passed by the window of the inn, I saw Pei Xuanzhi sitting at the table inside the window.
His black hair was tied up high with a gold hair tie, and he wore three layers of clothing, all of which were neatly arranged. It was unclear how long he had been sitting there.
A sumptuous breakfast was laid out on the table in front of him.
Seeing her stop by the window and look at him, he tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingertips and said to Yan Huanyue through the window, "The shop assistant said you asked them to put this up."
Yan Huanyue glanced at the food and saw that it seemed to have been untouched. She nodded and said, "You hardly ate anything yesterday, so eat more now."
After saying that, he walked to the door and entered the main hall.
Pei Xuanzhi got up and pulled out a chair for her, asking, "Where did you go?"
Yan Huanyue sat down and said, "I was just going out for a stroll. I was thinking of bringing some snacks and buying you some candied fruit."
Pei Xuanzhi placed a bowl of hot porridge in front of her. "Did you buy it?"
Yan Huanyue paused, fearing that mentioning "Yun Lang" would anger Junior Brother Pei again, and that this meal would probably have to be skipped, so she said:
"I bought them, but then I ran into a kid who liked them, so I gave them all to him. I'll go buy more later."
Pei Xuanzhi glanced out the window; the street was sparsely populated, like raindrops. He casually asked, "What child?"
Yan Huanyue placed three small, thin-skinned steamed buns on his plate and pushed a plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots in front of him.
"He's just a kid from the street. I won't make things difficult for you. Just finish these three buns, a dish of vegetables, and a bowl of porridge. That shouldn't be too hard, right?"
Pei Xuanzhi seemed to have been genuinely distracted by her. Looking at the food in front of him, his expression became somewhat serious. "I'll do my best."
Yan Huanyue picked up a small steamed bun and held it to his lips, gesturing for him to open his mouth.
Pei Xuanzhi glanced at her, readily agreed, and ate the next two as well.
Yan Huanyue laughed and said, "See? You can eat, but you always look so bitter and resentful when you eat. You're also easily resistant to eating. Let's eat."
Pei Xuanzhi replied, "Okay."
As noon approached, the sun came out, and the weather began to feel warm; the rain had also stopped.
Before leaving, Yan Huanyue took Pei Xuanzhi to that pastry shop to buy some things before setting off.
As they traveled on their swords, Pei Xuanzhi coughed for a while, then pulled his cloak tighter around himself and looked down at the mountains and rivers below. Comparing this to the words he had read in books, he stood behind her and whispered:
"The sea of clouds disperses, and the thick ink of the sky is poured down. This is Molong Ridge, which corresponds to the Nine Mansions of the Southern Heavenly Pool. The dragon is hidden here. If it is to rise, it is suitable for the rainy summer and needs the wind of Xun. If it is to dry for ten consecutive days, it needs the water of Kan. Accumulate Yin and Yang... This is the first time I have seen Molong Ridge like this."
He seemed to be in a good mood, so Yan Huanyue shielded her face from the gust of wind and said, "I have something to tell you, don't be angry."
Pei Xuanzhi immediately fell silent, the wind whistling past his ears. After a long while, he finally spoke, "What is it?"
Yan Huanyue said, "I met Fellow Daoist Yun today."
Without even turning her head, she felt the air behind her was colder than the wind blowing in her face.
Pei Xuanzhi asked calmly, "Did my sister give him all the things she originally bought for me?"
Yan Huanyue shook her head, recalling the strange feeling she had when she saw Yun Ruoliang and that child earlier that day.
“He had a child with him, saying he was a homeless person. He gave all his belongings to the child. I didn’t intend to hide it from you, but you refuse to eat whenever you see him.”
Pei Xuanzhi smiled calmly, a hint of a breeze in his eyes, and said, "Him? I don't care that much about him. But, do you remember what I said before, sister?"
Yan Huanyue replied without hesitation, "I forgot."
Pei Xuanzhi laughed brightly, but accidentally choked on a gust of cold wind, coughing and laughing at the same time, tears streaming down his cheeks to his chin.
He calmed his breathing and asked with a smile, "Really? You've forgotten so quickly?"
Yan Huanyue nodded: "Yes, my memory is so-so."
Pei Xuanzhi wiped away his tears with his sleeve and said, "It seems you've forgotten about the Ghost Market too. You probably won't have anything to say to Sect Leader Pei, will you?"
Yan Huanyue focused on making hand seals to control her sword. "I haven't forgotten. After all, you need to report to the sect leader for being able to appear there."
Pei Xuanzhi gently grasped the flowing ribbons of her skirt and tucked them into his cloak, whispering:
"Senior Sister Yan, whether you remember or not, you can't go back on your promise to me. You said that if I could foresee how Fellow Daoist Yun would meet you again, you could grant me ten requests."
Yan Huanyue remembered that it wasn't said that way back then; he clearly only wanted her to agree to one thing. So she asked, "Was that what you said back then?"
Pei Xuanzhi said, "If you've forgotten, then whatever I say goes."
Yan Huanyue said thoughtfully, "I think I remember now."
Pei Xuanzhi replied without hesitation, "Sister is mistaken."
Yan Huanyue said in a low voice, "Pei Xuanzhi, don't push your luck. This is Yunjian, not a dream where you can command the wind and rain and do whatever you want."
Pei Xuanzhi didn't care about this at all, and simply asked, "Speaking of which... has my sister ever dreamed about me?"
The longsword trembled in the air, and Yan Huanyue subconsciously gripped Pei Xuanzhi's wrist tightly. The dark, unfathomable black jade bracelet on his wrist gleamed with a cold light.
She replied without changing her expression, "Never."
Upon hearing this answer, Pei Xuanzhi remained silent for a moment, then said cryptically:
"Really? But... I often dream about Sister Huanyue, that's so unfair..."
A wild goose flew across the misty clouds in the sky. Yan Huanyue looked up into the distance and said without turning her head, "That's because I've seen too many lately. Once the sect leader orders you to go into seclusion, you won't have this worry anymore."
Pei Xuanzhi smiled and said, "We are Daoist partners, husband and wife. Shouldn't we stay together day and night, never to abandon each other for eternity?"
Yan Huanyue changed the subject, saying, "It's only because the sect leader allows you to run around like this while you're sick that we've decided how to deal with you this time."
Pei Xuanzhi didn't seem to care. Looking down at the winding Molong Ridge beneath the thick clouds and fog, he slowly said:
"I know you respect him, but what if he were to skin me alive? Would you still agree to that?"
Yan Huanyue said, "Don't talk nonsense."
Pei Xuanzhi's eyes were bright and clear. He said in a serious tone, "Since you know it's nonsense, why bring him up? Do you really expect to use him to punish me? Even if he cuts me into a thousand pieces, can he stop me from haunting you? Even if I become a ghost, I will stay with my sister forever."
He stood too close and spoke in a strange tone, making Yan Huanyue suddenly feel like she was being pricked by needles.
Pei Xuanzhi lowered his head and inhaled the fragrance of her hair from afar, his fingertips gently caressing her fabric.
"I remembered you the first time I saw you. That day you were fighting with Senior Brother Xue and scratched his face. I was on the balcony some distance away, and I could tell that his cultivation was higher than yours, but your aura was fiercer than his. He was holding back..."
"Sect Leader Pei said you might be able to save me, and he was willing to ask you what you thought... I heard that you fought with Senior Brother Xue because of your fiancé, and I thought you would refuse Sect Leader Pei."
Yan Huanyue instantly recalled that Mid-Autumn Festival night, under the wooden pavilion by the lake, and the blurry, indistinct figure in the wheelchair.
They were too far apart at the time, and it was under the moonlight. Besides, they had only met once or twice, so she didn't recognize who was standing under the pavilion, but he recognized her.
She had initially found it strange, but today her doubts have been resolved.
Why are you suddenly saying all this?
Pei Xuanzhi smiled casually, his eyes cold and clear, watching the faint, approaching movement ahead, and said calmly:
"Life is unpredictable, and the road ahead is uncertain. What if we don't speak up, and we can never say it again?"
Yan Huanyue glanced back at him, when a sudden gust of wind swept over her.
Caught off guard, Yan Huanyue could only grab his wrist and abruptly leap off the flying sword.
Their clothes, filled with the cool breeze of early summer, fluttered and danced like two intertwined, fiercely flying flowers.
Pei Xuanzhi was dragged down by Yan Huanyue, but Wen Liang's five fingers gently grasped her wrist.
Three yellow talismans flew out from his sleeves and circled around the two of them in the air.
The longsword also flew down with Yan Huanyue, catching the two of them steadily just before they hit the ground.
Yan Huanyue leaped off her longsword, dragged Pei Xuanzhi down, and threw him to a tree nearby. She raised her right hand and quickly made several hand seals, and the longsword transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into her sleeve.
With his right hand slightly bent, he grasped the horizontal sword that flew out of his sleeve in mid-air. He tiptoed on the breeze and slashed at the wind blade that was rushing towards him.
Suddenly, a shower of blood rain swirled in the wind. As the wind subsided, a gray moth fell from mid-air, flapping its wings and thrashing about on the ground, struggling in its death throes.
The gray moth was about the size of a palm, with two skull patterns on its gray wings. Yan Huanyue looked down at it, and the fine powder on the moth's wings scattered into the air as it fluttered back and forth.
Yan Huanyue instinctively covered her mouth and nose, took a step back, and heard a weak cough beside her ear.
Pei Xuanzhi seemed to have been hit quite hard after being thrown into the tree. In addition, the gust of wind had blown dust into his eyes, and he leaned against the tree, clutching his chest and coughing violently, his eyes blurry with tears.
Yan Huanyue felt that the jerk she threw was even more serious than when he was seriously ill before. The way he was making this move made it seem like he was about to cough up his internal organs.
Even so, he stumbled over, covering his nose with his sleeve, coughing as he said, "Why are there moths blocking the way here?"
A talisman fell from the sleeve and landed on the ghost moth on the ground. The moth struggled a few times and then became completely still.
He bent down to pick it up, but Yan Huanyue pulled him away and said, "Don't touch it, it's a ghost moth. It's born to devour human bodies and ascend to immortality. Some people eat this kind of moth, obsessed with the mesmerizing vision of ascension it brings. The powder on its body can also cause hallucinations."
Pei Xuanzhi coughed hoarsely, looking at the calm yellow talisman on the ground, and said in a low voice: "I have heard that... some people feed these things with human flesh, or take them to places where corpses lie and let them roam for a period of time."
"It is said that after the Battle of the Natural Barrier in Tengzhou in the North, some people took the opportunity to drive ghost moths over to feed on the dead cultivators. As a result, many cultivators' bodies were damaged when they were buried..."
Yan Huanyue felt a chill run down her spine. She looked around and her consciousness scattered with the wind.
Unfortunately, the reach of divine sense was limited, and he did not discover anything amiss in the area he was exploring.
What is suspicious is a red-walled, green-tiled house that can be faintly seen among the towering, straight fir trees in the distance.
Yan Huanyue made a hand seal, and a stream of flame flowed by, intending to ignite the talisman paper covered with ghost moths on the ground.
However, the yellow talisman blocked the flames, and Pei Xuanzhi pulled the talisman back before the ghost moth was ignited.
The talisman danced on the flames, but eventually fell into them and burned to ashes.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-06-20 00:14:47 and 2024-07-12 23:49:18!
Thank you to the little angels who threw the landmine: Van Helsing, and just want to drink milk tea (1 person);
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