13 Past Events (Part Two)
◎“…Found it”◎
The expressions on the faces of all three froze.
Lou Yi asked, "Qi Feng, have you had any contact with that person?"
Qi Feng played with the sword tassel and said, "No, the Imperial Preceptor lives a secluded life. I only caught a glimpse of him from afar when I was on a mission. I saw that it was Senior Brother Ting Lan and assumed that he was also on a mission in the mortal realm like me, so I did not go up to make contact."
As the chief of the Discipline Hall, Lou Tinglan rarely went on missions, but some of the missions that the disciples of the hall picked and chose and that no one else wanted to do fell to him. These missions were either extremely tedious or extremely dangerous.
Qi Feng did have a moment of doubt at the time, because there were basically no such tasks in the mortal world. Most of the tasks in the mortal world were just one or two troublesome monsters that occasionally roamed around, which the newly initiated disciples of the Discipline Hall could handle. He couldn't think of any task that would require the chief disciple to take action personally.
However, the two had never interacted much, so he didn't go up and ask any further questions.
His descent to the mortal realm this time is for a more important mission. Previously, Qingxiao had issued a notice stating that the Qingxiao Treasure, the Mirror of Past Lives, had been stolen, and based on the residual spiritual energy traces on the treasure, it was highly likely that the Mirror of Past Lives had been taken to the mortal realm by someone.
He had previously ruled out the Grand Preceptor's suspicion because the Grand Preceptor was Lou Tinglan. Now that the Grand Preceptor is an imposter, the Mirror of Past Lives is very likely in his hands.
Qi Feng truthfully reported his suspicions.
Lou Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Qi Feng, your cultivation is not low. If that mortal realm's national advisor was merely using an illusion, you should be able to see through it at a glance. But since even you cannot discern it, either the national advisor's cultivation far surpasses yours, or that person is using..."
Lou Tinglan continued, "The forbidden technique of changing one's appearance."
The forbidden technique of changing one's face, as the name suggests, is a spell that changes one's appearance. It was originally an illusion technique, usually used by cultivators to disguise their identities. It was originally created by Lou Yunya, the first head of the Discipline Hall, to facilitate the disciples in carrying out their missions.
However, it was later exploited by those with ulterior motives who impersonated others to commit evil deeds. As a result, this magic was later listed as a forbidden art by the Discipline Hall, prohibiting its disciples from using it.
Qi Feng said, "Since the Imperial Preceptor has indeed used the forbidden technique of changing faces, then regardless of whether he stole the Mirror of Past Lives, he should be arrested."
Lou Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Then this matter will continue to be handled by you. Go down to the mortal realm again to check the situation. If the situation is true, detain the person immediately."
"Furthermore, since you come from a Buddhist family and are skilled in talismanic arts, could you check if there are any residual auras on this communication talisman, or if you can pinpoint the location of the other half of the communication talisman?"
Lou Yi handed the voice transmission talisman used by Ran Qinghe to Qi Feng, asking him to investigate it.
Qi Feng took it and tried again to control the communication talisman with his spiritual energy. Strangely, "This communication talisman is a pair, but now, the other half of the talisman cannot be activated."
Even if the communication talisman is torn up, there will still be residual spiritual energy. But now, "there is only one possibility: the place where the other party is located has no spiritual energy."
Qi Feng affirmed, "...the mortal realm."
Between heaven and earth, the cultivation world and the mortal world exist independently of each other. The spiritual energy is clear and rises upward, so the cultivation world is above; the turbid energy is impure and sinks downward, so the mortal world is below. The sky in the mortal world is the foot of the mountains in the cultivation world.
The spiritual energy in the mortal realm is scarce, making it impossible for cultivators to cast spells. Those above the Golden Core stage can store spiritual energy in their dantian, which is fine, but any cultivator below the Golden Core stage who enters the mortal realm will be no different from ordinary people because they cannot activate their spiritual energy.
Unexpectedly, Ran Qinghe went so far as to descend to the mortal realm to evade capture.
Qi Feng, unaware of the details, casually replied, "Master, should I also go down to the mortal realm to find the owner of this talisman?"
Although the talisman cannot be activated, the sound transmission talisman retains the aura of the person who drew it. It is not difficult for him to go down to the mortal realm and search for it by following the aura of spiritual energy.
Lou Yi snorted coldly and said, "It's not about searching, it's about arresting." He listed Ran Qinghe's previous crimes one by one, especially her destruction of the spiritual vein, her escape from the tower prison three times, and even her use of puppet talismans to cast spells to escape.
Upon hearing this, Qi Feng couldn't help but smile, his tied-up hair swaying with his laughter: "Hahaha, I never imagined there would be such a woman in this realm... Hall Master, rest assured, I will bring her back."
Lou Tinglan, who had been standing quietly to the side, said, "Sect Master, this disciple also requests to descend to the mortal realm."
Qi Feng crossed his arms, his eyes flashing. This Senior Brother Lou rarely took on tasks voluntarily, so why did he suddenly make an exception for Ran Qinghe this time? He was becoming more and more curious about her.
Lou Yi waved his hand and refused, saying, "You are still seriously injured. How can you go on a mission? You should recover first. We can talk about the rest later."
Lou Tinglan was about to argue further, after all, Ran Qinghe had escaped under his supervision, and it was his duty to investigate to the end.
Suddenly, a disciple outside announced that a disciple from the Qingxiao Sect was requesting an audience.
What a coincidence! No sooner had Ran Qinghe fled than Qingxiao sent someone to arrive. The three exchanged glances, realizing that this visitor was probably up to no good.
Lou Yi sat upright in the center of the main hall, with Lou Tinglan and Qi Feng sitting to his right. The disciples of Qingxiao entered through the hall door.
"Elder Lou, the sect leader sent me here to bring the young master back to Qingxiao." The young master mentioned by this Qingxiao disciple was none other than Lou Tinglan.
The leader of Qingxiao Sect, Qianzhong, had an only daughter named Qianxue, but she died shortly after giving birth to Lou Tinglan a hundred years ago. Therefore, Qianzhong has always taken good care of Lou Tinglan, who lost his mother at a young age. Although he did not take him into his own sect, he personally taught him swordsmanship, so he can be considered half a disciple. Therefore, the disciples of Qingxiao Sect habitually call Lou Tinglan "Young Master".
Lou Yi asked knowingly and coldly, "Why is that? Tinglan is now a disciple of my Discipline Hall. It would be inappropriate for her to return to Qingxiao."
The disciple remained neither humble nor arrogant: "The sect leader heard that the young master lost all his spiritual power in the Nightmare Forest and was seriously injured in the Heavenly Sea Valley. Out of concern, he specially sent a disciple to bring the young master back to Qingxiao for temporary recuperation."
Lou Yi's expression was displeased. Qian Zhong's reach had extended so far. Ting Lan had just been injured, and he had already sent people over to take Lou Ting Lan away. What, was he blaming him for not taking good care of her?
Lou Tinglan stood up, bowed to the Qingxiao disciple, and replied, "Please tell Sect Leader Qian that I have a mission to complete this time, so it is inconvenient for me to go."
"The sect leader was just discussing the mission with me and Junior Brother Qi. The situation is urgent, and we must set off immediately."
Lou Yi frowned, sensing something was wrong, but with outsiders present, he could only agree for the time being: "That's right, Tinglan has important matters to attend to and is unable to go at the moment."
The Qingxiao disciple had no choice but to say, "The sect leader sent me here on another important matter."
"Elder Qingxiao Xi's former disciple, Ran Qinghe, I heard that she escaped from the Tongtian Tower Prison three times recently. Later, she was sent by the Discipline Hall to perform sect missions to make amends. Now that the mission is completed, Sect Leader Qian's idea is that he hopes his disciple can bring Ran Qinghe back and imprison her in the Qingxiao Water Prison to give her a little punishment."
Lou Yi's face darkened, and he said, "Oh, so what you mean is that my Discipline Hall can't even keep an eye on a mere Golden Core cultivator, and you Qingxiao need to take care of him?"
The Discipline Hall enforces the law independently of the five sects to prevent interference from other sects and to avoid the abuse of power within sects to punish their disciples. If each sect were allowed to take in offending cultivators and deal with them as they see fit, then the Discipline Hall would have no reason to exist.
However, judging from the words of this Qingxiao disciple, Qianzhong was still unaware that Ran Qinghe had absconded again.
The Qingxiao disciple respectfully replied, "Sect Leader Qian is not here to punish the Discipline Hall. It is just that we heard that Hall Master Lou seems to have let Ran Qinghe make amends before letting her go. The Sect Leader believes that this is unfair. Ran Qinghe destroyed a spiritual vein of Qingxiao. If this matter is easily let go, I'm afraid that the cultivators of Mortal Valley will follow suit."
Mortal Valley is a valley at the foot of the Azure Sky Mountains. Although it is called Mortal Valley, it is actually a place where cultivators from the mortal realm gather to cultivate. The spiritual energy in the valley is thousands or even tens of thousands of times weaker than that at the summit of Azure Sky Peak.
However, some time ago, after Ran Qinghe destroyed a spiritual vein, the spiritual energy spilled out and happened to fall into this Mortal Valley. If the cultivators of Mortal Valley learn that Ran Qinghe was unharmed after destroying the spiritual vein, they will probably follow suit, causing another upheaval.
Qian Zhong knew the stakes involved, and Lou Yi was naturally very clear about them as well.
He understood that the message from the Qianzhong Sect disciples was merely a reminder that he must not let Ran Qinghe off lightly.
Lou Yi replied, "I understand what Sect Leader Qian means, but Ran Qinghe is currently imprisoned in the Tower of Heaven's Prison. It would be unfair to release her back to Qingxiao for further treatment."
"As for Tinglan, she also has important matters to attend to for the time being. Once the mission is over, Tinglan and I will personally visit and greet Master Qian..." In short, he brushed off Qingxiao's side with a few words.
After the Qingxiao disciples left, he immediately said to Lou Tinglan, "Originally, I did not want you to go down to the mortal realm. The spiritual energy in the mortal realm is thin, which is very detrimental to the recovery of your injuries. But if you do not want to return to Qingxiao, it is not impossible for you to go down to the mortal realm to hide for a while."
He then turned to Qi Feng and instructed him, "When you descend to the mortal realm this time, the two of you should look after each other. In addition to capturing Ran Qinghe, you should also investigate the matter of the Mirror of Past Lives and report back to me."
The two accepted the order.
*
Within the mortal realm, in the capital city, right under the emperor's feet, lies Chang'an Avenue, running through the north and south city gates. This avenue is a hundred paces wide, lined with shops on both sides, their banners fluttering in the wind. The shouts of peddlers and laborers, the calls of innkeepers soliciting customers, and the rhythmic slapping of storytellers all blend together.
At this moment, a young man in white and a young man in black were sitting in a corner of the restaurant. The one in white was Lou Tinglan, and the one in black was Qi Feng. The two of them used an illusion spell to conceal their true faces and temporarily hide their figures.
Qi Feng said, "Judging from the spiritual energy traces on this communication talisman, she has been here before."
Lou Tinglan released her divine sense and examined the area again, shaking her head and saying, "I did not detect any spiritual energy fluctuations."
Qi Feng said, "Then Ran Qinghe must have sensed something. When I used the communication talisman to investigate, she might have discovered me, and she might have deliberately erased the traces of spiritual energy." He was quite interested in Ran Qinghe. If what he said was true, then Ran Qinghe's talisman skills might not be inferior to his.
Along the way, when he asked about Ran Qinghe, Lou Tinglan described her as having a meticulous mind and a pure and kind heart... According to Lou Tinglan, Ran Qinghe really didn't seem like someone who could destroy a spiritual vein and escape from prison three times; instead, she was like a little white flower swaying in the wind.
He was extremely interested in this... little white flower.
The gossiping of several diners nearby could be heard clearly, even though their voices were kept very low.
"I heard that His Majesty recently acquired a new beauty, who was granted the title of Consort Rong as soon as she entered the palace, and he grants her almost every request."
"Shh, don't talk nonsense. This is the capital. If you say the wrong thing, you could lose your head."
"Your Majesty has only been on the throne for a year, how could you suddenly become so infatuated with beautiful women? Will we still have a good life in the future?"
"Well, it's quite a coincidence. I heard it from my maternal uncle's sister-in-law's daughter. She works in the palace and overheard some rumors. After looking around to make sure no one was watching, she cautiously said, 'That beauty beat up the Imperial Advisor on her very first day in the palace.'"
"Oh, and then what?"
"No wonder they say beautiful women bring disaster. She said she saw the Imperial Advisor looked like her enemy, which is why she made a mistake. The key thing is, His Majesty didn't blame her at all!"
Qi Feng chuckled with amusement, "It's quite strange that the Imperial Preceptor, despite having my senior brother's face, would also make enemies."
Lou Tinglan, however, gave an irrelevant answer: "...Found it."
Qi Feng asked, "Who did you find?"
Lou Tinglan rose gracefully and said, "Ran Qinghe."
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