26. Sour Apricot (Part 1)
◎This was how their relationship was supposed to be.
Lou Tinglan had just stepped onto the stone steps when she saw Ran Qinghe turn back. She stood at the alley entrance, hesitant, her lips moving, her eyebrows sometimes furrowing and sometimes relaxing, as if she were arguing with herself.
That's true.
Ran Qinghe had only just reached the alley entrance when she stopped halfway. She felt utterly bewildered—before she had comforted that serious little boy, before she had argued with him, and before she had even stormed off in a huff.
They were merely people who happened to be traveling together through Tianhai Valley and Qianchen Mirror. What was she doing comforting him? He was from the Discipline Hall, and their positions were fundamentally different. Even the word "friend" seemed presumptuous.
As she walked, she silently berated herself for meddling in other people's business for no reason.
Lou Yunya, Lou Yi, and others are closely related to Lou Tinglan, but they have absolutely no connection with Ran Qinghe.
He was the high and mighty chief disciple of the Discipline Hall, born and raised in the cultivation world. He and she, who had come from the mortal realm to comprehend the Dao, were fundamentally different kinds of people. Why should she care about his thoughts? Thinking of this, a self-deprecating smile curled at the corner of her lips.
Finally, as if she had convinced herself, she even quickened her pace. Just as she took a step, a shadow suddenly fell over her head, and a figure in white blocked her way.
Lou Tinglan spoke first, her fingers hanging at her sides slightly curled: "I'm sorry, I was in a bad mood just now and didn't know how to speak properly..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ran Qinghe lightly interrupted him: "It's okay."
She even deliberately curved the corners of her mouth, her eyes carrying a distant, detached air.
Lou Tinglan's apology was cut short. Just as he was about to say something to ease the tension, she quickly shifted her gaze from his face to Qi Feng behind him and called out:
"Qi Feng, what are you dragging so slowly for?" The tone was light and cheerful, a stark contrast to the blandness with which he spoke.
Ran Qinghe easily let bygones be bygones, which should have been a good thing for him, but he felt as if something was stuck in his chest, leaving him feeling stuck and unsettled.
Qi Feng opened his mouth slightly, not quite used to her taking the initiative to greet him, but immediately smiled and said, "Miss Lancao, please wait for me for a moment."
He ran quickly to the end of the alley, and returned in a hurry after only half a cup of tea's time, clutching a freshly made sugar painting in his hand. He handed it to her with a smile: "I know that Miss Lancao was originally from the mortal realm, so she should like this. I saw many girls queuing up there on my way here, so I suppose it must taste good."
Ran Qinghe verbally refused to say she didn't like sweets, but her hands honestly took the food from Qi Feng's hands.
She held up the sugar painting and examined it closely in mid-air, then asked, "What is this painting? Why is it so strangely shaped?"
Qi Feng smiled sheepishly: "Is it hard to guess? It's larkspur."
Ran Qinghe couldn't wait to take a bite. The maltose quickly melted in her mouth. She mumbled, "You can see the shape, but the taste... is just so-so."
Qi Feng followed her lead and said, "I've searched almost the entire city to find the Sixth Elder. I just happened to see another restaurant in the west of the city. How about we try their food?"
The two chatted back and forth in a harmonious atmosphere, as if forming an invisible barrier that no one else could get in.
Lou Tinglan lagged behind, staring at the backs of the two walking side by side. A strange feeling welled up in his heart again, but he suppressed it forcefully.
He thought that this was how his relationship with Ran Qinghe should have been.
*
Descending from the cultivation world to the mortal world is simply a matter of going with the flow, an easy task. However, returning from the mortal world to the cultivation world requires a long and arduous journey, crossing the boundary between the two worlds—the Valley of Mortals.
This is why most cultivators who attain enlightenment in the mortal realm settle down and cultivate in the Valley of Mortals. Firstly, it's geographically advantageous. Secondly, most cultivators who attain enlightenment in the mortal realm are not at a high level and cannot pass the rigorous examinations of the five major sects. Therefore, staying in the Valley of Mortals becomes the second-best option for most.
Occasionally, a miracle occurs in the valley. For example, Ran Qinghe.
She had only been in the Mortal Valley for two years, yet she had already successfully established her foundation and even passed the sect assessment of the Qingxiao Sect, the largest sect in the realm. All of this became the talk of the town in the valley, and many cultivators secretly compared themselves to her, wondering why Ran Qinghe could do it while they couldn't.
These dark thoughts were amplified to the extreme in the resource-scarce Valley of Mortals. The spiritual energy within the valley was thin, making every bit of resource that could aid cultivation incredibly precious. The strong plundered, the weak wailed, and the high-level cultivators oppressed the low-level cultivators—this was all too commonplace here.
As soon as the three reached the valley entrance, they witnessed several cultivators surrounding a cultivator, speaking harshly: "With such low spiritual power, what are you still cultivating here for? Why don't you hurry back to your mortal realm? You're just wasting the spiritual energy in this valley."
Ran Qinghe walked past without looking to the side. Qi Feng, seeing her indifferent attitude, also walked past her without paying any attention.
Only Lou Tinglan stopped and stepped forward to stop them: "Cultivators within the realm are forbidden from engaging in private duels."
Unable to fathom the depth of his cultivation level, the group assumed he had just attained enlightenment from the mortal realm. Upon hearing this, they burst into laughter, as if they had heard the biggest joke in the world.
The leader, a cultivator in blue robes named Wei Lin, appeared to be nearly fifty years old, suggesting he had been cultivating in this mortal valley for many years.
He placed his longsword on Lou Tinglan's shoulder and smiled provocatively: "Newcomer, in this Valley of Mortals, strength is the rule, understand?"
Lou Tinglan casually pinched the sword tip between two fingers, a hint of anger rising from somewhere: "I've said it before, cultivators within this realm are forbidden from private duels."
"Who do you think you are?" Wei Lin said dismissively, trying to pull back his sword, but Lou Tinglan easily controlled the blade, leaving it completely still. Wei Lin's face turned pale and then red.
"Discipline Hall, Lou Tinglan."
Wei Lin licked his dry lips, turned to his companions behind him and said, "You guys, have you ever heard of this so-called 'Hall'? What kind of backstreet sect is this? You probably created it yourself, didn't you?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Lou Tinglan didn't even lift his eyelids. He decisively broke the longsword in half. With a clang, the broken blade, driven by his spiritual power, was firmly embedded in a blue stone by the roadside.
Lou Tinglan ignored them and turned to leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Ran Qinghe and Qi Feng had almost disappeared around the corner.
"Stop him!" Wei Lin was furious and gestured for the cultivators beside him to step forward. However, the cultivators were only half a meter away from him when they were blasted away by spiritual energy and fell to pieces. Wei Lin tried to rush forward, but was easily brushed aside, his shoulder narrowly grazing the sharp broken blade on the boulder.
A chill instantly ran down Wei Lin's spine. He was so close; his arm would have been ruined!
But someone who has managed to survive in the Valley of Mortals for so many years must be no ordinary person. If force doesn't work, try a softer approach. He immediately stood up and knelt down, tears streaming down his face: "Immortal Lord, please stay! I know I was wrong. Please take me in, Immortal Lord. Wei Lin is willing to follow you to the death."
Seeing that Lou Tinglan had no intention of making another move, Wei Lin seized the opportunity, grabbed the hem of his robe, and began to cry: "Immortal Lord, you do not know, the spiritual energy in the valley is thin and survival is difficult. I had no choice but to do this. Immortal Lord, you are kind-hearted. If you accept me, I will definitely turn over a new leaf in the future."
The weak fear the strong, the strong fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the shameless.
Wei Lin had no intention of hurting him. If he let him drag him along, it would be undignified. But if he didn't move, Ran Qinghe and Qi Feng would have already left him behind.
"I don't lack any subordinates, nor do I need any followers," he said coldly.
But Wei Lin retorted, throwing a tantrum: "If I cannot follow the Immortal Lord, I will only grow old and die in this mortal valley. Rather than end up like that, I would rather the Immortal Lord give me a quick death with a single sword strike now."
Lou Tinglan saw that the two people ahead had disappeared from sight, so she simply sat down cross-legged, closed her eyes and began to meditate, just waiting it out with Wei Lin.
Wei Lin stared in disbelief, hesitantly tugged at his sleeve, but he remained unmoved.
Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, a silver bell rang out on the ground.
Lou Tinglan suddenly opened her eyes, a glimmer of light that she herself did not notice flashed in them.
Ran Qinghe had returned without anyone noticing. With a flick of her long whip, she grabbed Wei Lin, who was standing next to Lou Tinglan, and slammed him against a boulder behind her. The broken blade embedded in the rock pierced through his arm with a "plop," and blood gushed out.
“He doesn’t care about your shamelessness, but I’m not exactly a good-natured person.”
Lou Tinglan stood up, her voice softening slightly: "You're back."
Ran Qinghe gave him a strange look but did not answer.
Strange, even though this serious guy didn't have any expression, she felt like he was happy.
But the thought vanished in an instant; what did it have to do with her? She turned and left. Qi Feng gave Lou Tinglan a slightly apologetic look and quickly followed.
"Ran Qinghe!" Wei Lin roared through gritted teeth from behind.
Ran Qinghe paused, but continued on her way regardless.
Wei Lin threatened, “You used up all the spiritual energy in the valley to enter Qingxiao, so what, you don’t care about the lives of the others in our Mortal Valley?” He ruthlessly pulled his arm out of the broken blade, pressed the wound tightly, and gasped for breath, “You don’t care about others, but what about your master? That old man doesn’t have many years left to live.”
In the blink of an eye, Ran Qinghe flew over from dozens of meters away, quickly passing by Lou Tinglan's side. She drew her Tranquil Heart Sword, and with a flash of cold light, the blade was already at Wei Lin's neck. She smiled provocatively: "If you want to die here today, feel free to say another word."
Lou Tinglan was momentarily taken aback, but this was because Ran Qinghe had so easily removed his "calm mind".
The Tranquil Heart Sword was a gift from Lou Yunya to him, and could be considered his natal sword. Why then was it so obedient in her hands?
Without time to think it through, he stepped forward and stopped him, saying, "Don't make mistakes for people who aren't worth it."
Harming cultivators is a far greater crime than destroying spiritual veins. Ran Qinghe ignored him and advanced her sword further until it was embedded in Wei Lin's flesh and blood, before withdrawing it at his trembling pleas for mercy.
Then, without even looking at it, he casually threw the tranquilizer on the ground with a "clatter".
Lou Tinglan wasn't annoyed; a faint smile played at the corners of her lips. She was still angry, which was better than ignoring him.
But he nipped the idea in the bud as soon as it popped into his head. He pressed his lips to his mouth, raised his hand to recall his tranquility, cast a dust-removing spell, and wiped the sword until it was spotless before sheathing it.
Wei Lin clutched his bleeding neck, staring intently at her retreating figure, cursing inwardly: "Madwoman, a complete madwoman."
But outwardly, he dared not show it at all, for fear that the evil star would turn around again and slit his throat with his sword.
The three had walked a short distance when Ran Qinghe stopped again, her voice devoid of emotion: "I need to see someone."
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