62. The Sea of Hatred (Part Ten)
◎A one-year period. ◎
When Lou Tinglan carried Ran Qinghe back to Yunya Academy, it was already broad daylight.
The morning light pierced through the gaps in the leaves, dancing on his shoulders, but it couldn't reach the depths of his eyes.
Ran Qinghe in his arms was incredibly light, her breathing was weak, and her face was so pale it was almost transparent. Although he was no less so, he walked very steadily, but his arms were held very tightly, as if if he relaxed even slightly, she would disappear like a phantom in a mirror.
"Senior Brother Lou?"
Some of the early-rising disciples looked surprised when they saw him carrying someone back.
Lou Tinglan nodded slightly, her gaze fixed straight ahead, and walked directly towards her residence. The secluded and tranquil courtyard was rarely visited except by the disciples who cleaned it; even the wind was still.
He carefully placed Ran Qinghe on his couch, pulled the thin blanket over her, and his fingertips accidentally touched her wrist. The icy touch made his heart skip a beat.
He sat silently by the couch, his gaze fixed on her face. The image of Qianxue falling in the mirror of the past kept overlapping with the pale face in front of him.
"Hmm..." The person on the bed uttered a very soft murmur, her long eyelashes trembling as she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was initially somewhat unfocused, but it quickly settled on Lou Tinglan beside the bed.
He immediately suppressed all outward emotions, regaining his usual aloofness, though his voice was lower and hoarse than usual, "Awake? How do you feel?"
Ran Qinghe tried to sit up, but felt weak all over and her dantian was empty.
Lou Tinglan reached out and supported her back, placing a soft pillow behind her.
"I won't die." Her voice was weak, yet carried its usual stubbornness. Her gaze swept over his taut jawline. "And you? What are you planning to do?"
Lou Tinglan suddenly looked up, took out the broken jade pendant from her bosom, its water ripple pattern dull and lifeless.
"What he snatched was this jade tablet, which was given to me by the Sixth Elder, Lou Shuang. I tried to examine it, but the jade tablet has become an inanimate object."
Therefore, as long as Qian Zhong remains silent, the truth of what happened back then will remain elusive.
The two fell silent for a moment, a heavy and oppressive stillness filling the air, broken only by their soft breathing.
After a long silence, Ran Qinghe spoke again, her voice soft, like a pebble dropped into still water, "Do you believe what he said? What about the so-called Great Dao..."
Lou Tinglan suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze swirling like a whirlpool before settling into a bottomless, icy pool. "I only believe what I see," he paused, his voice low. "The truth is, he sacrificed his daughter... my mother."
His hands, resting on his knees, clenched quietly, his knuckles turning white.
Ran Qinghe felt a pang in her heart when she saw him like this. The Lou Tinglan she knew was always calm and composed; he had never shown such a vulnerable side before.
She reached out as if possessed and gently placed her hand on his clenched fist.
"At least... you know part of the truth."
Her palms were slightly cool as she placed them on the back of his trembling hand.
Lou Tinglan's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. He looked down at the pale white hand and did not pull away, letting her fingertips gently rest on the back of his hand.
“But the price is that you will exhaust your spiritual power,” he said in a low voice.
"The Mirror of Past Lives is for my use, and the truth is what I want to know," Ran Qinghe withdrew her hand, her tone regaining some of its usual coldness, "It has nothing to do with you."
She always does this, wrapping her concern in cold words.
"Besides, you know I was born a spirit..."
In a flash, she seemed to have figured something out, though her tone carried a hint of uncertainty and hesitation.
She originally thought that Qianzhong wanted to take her away because she had repeatedly violated taboos, destroyed spiritual veins, openly publicized Qingxiao's scandals, and stolen the Mirror of Past Life, etc. She had opposed Qianzhong in every way, so he wanted to take her away and imprison her in Qingxiao Prison.
However, Qian Zhongfenming showed no resentment and even wanted to take her as his last disciple.
The two looked at each other, seemingly finding some connection in this word, because Lou Yunya was also... a born spirit.
*
Ran Qinghe's recovery was slower than expected. The consumption of spiritual energy by the Mirror of Forgotten Life far exceeded her estimate. In addition, the meridian tremors caused by her forced support at the end left her only able to sit quietly on the bed and regulate her breathing for several days in a row.
Lou Tinglan would come every day, sometimes bringing pills and spiritual fruits, which she would silently place on the table on her bed. Other times, she would simply sit quietly to the side with a book, guiding her spiritual energy.
The two rarely spoke, and the room was often quiet, with only the faint sound of turning pages.
But this silence wasn't awkward; rather, it felt like a silent understanding, or even the prelude to an impending storm.
That afternoon, Lou Tinglan came again. Today he was wearing a light blue casual robe, which made him look less stiff and more elegant.
Ran Qinghe leaned back on the couch and accepted the pills he offered. The bitter taste of the medicine spread on her tongue, and she frowned habitually.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, a candied fruit wrapped in oil paper was handed to her.
Ran Qinghe was taken aback and looked up at Lou Tinglan. His expression was normal, but his eyes shifted slightly away as he looked at the swaying shadows of the trees outside the window. The lines of his profile appeared somewhat soft in the afternoon light, yet also seemed a little tense.
"Where did this come from?" she asked, somewhat surprised, as she took it.
"I just happened to be on a mission in the mortal realm recently..." he explained casually.
Ran Qinghe unwrapped the oil paper, put the candied fruit in her mouth, and lowered her head, her long eyelashes concealing the emotions in her eyes.
The mortal realm's things are usually looked down upon by cultivators within the realm. "It's rare that Senior Brother Lou would pay attention to these mortal objects," she swallowed the sweetness, deliberately keeping her tone calm in an attempt to conceal the fleeting thrill.
Lou Tinglan.
"Um."
"How is your mother now?" she suddenly asked, and regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.
She was referring to the Nascent Soul Realm vengeful spirit that had been trapped in the Tower of Heaven Prison. However, she didn't know whether she should call that vengeful spirit Qianxue. It had devoured many vengeful spirits in the tower prison and seemed to have lost its self-awareness.
Lou Tinglan was silent for a moment before saying, "My uncle locked me in the solitary chamber of the Discipline Hall. He accused me of being disturbed by the vengeful spirit, so he forbade me from approaching it again."
Ran Qinghe nodded slightly. This was the first time she had agreed with Lou Yi's approach. She had a gut feeling that the vengeful spirit posed an indescribable danger.
She simply couldn't imagine that the pure and resilient woman in the Mirror of Past Lives would look like that after her death. "Perhaps," she paused, "the things in the mirror are not necessarily the whole story."
In the final chapter of the mirror, Lou Yunya never appears. Even though he is the one Qianxue and Qianzhong are arguing about, why does he fail to appear in the end?
“But at least… the feelings are real,” she tried to reassure him, meeting his gaze with a resolute tone.
However, the bright red mole on his forehead reminded her that she should keep her distance from him.
After a moment, she pursed her lips. "Senior Brother Lou, you don't need to come anymore. I know you feel guilty, but I'm mostly recovered now, so there's no need to trouble you any further."
"Ran Qinghe." He called her name, his breath brushing against her forehead.
"What if I wasn't feeling guilty?" Ran Qinghe's body stiffened slightly, but she didn't back down. She could sense something unspoken in his words.
Lou Tinglan was also taken aback. He hadn't expected that just because Ran Qinghe had drawn a slight line between them, he would be so eager to erase the line that stood between them.
Just then, a clear and melodious bell rang out from outside the courtyard, breaking the tense atmosphere.
Lou Tinglan paused, straightened up, turned and left, only her slightly hurried steps betraying her unsettled state of mind.
He did not appear again in the following days, but only sent his disciples to deliver the pills on time.
In just a few days, her spiritual power had recovered by more than half. Qian Zhong's words about the one-year deadline were like a sword hanging over her head, constantly reminding her that she had to improve her cultivation level as soon as possible, otherwise she would be at the mercy of others.
Suddenly, a few knocks came from the window. She thought it was Hua Jin or Ming Yu again. The two of them always took the unconventional route, leaving the main gate open and knocking on the window to keep watch.
But this time, it was a swallow.
A note was tied to Feiyan's claw, written in Lou Tinglan's handwriting, inviting her to meet him in the academy's library.
As the sun sets, it paints the horizon a brilliant orange-red, while the sea of clouds surges and changes in the ever-changing scenery.
When Ran Qinghe arrived, Lou Tinglan was already standing there, his white clothes fluttering in the wind, his figure upright and graceful.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around. He seemed to have lost some weight in the few days since he last saw him, but his eyes were calmer and more determined than before.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"It's nothing serious," Ran Qinghe walked to his side and stood beside him. "What do you need me for?"
Lou Tinglan did not answer immediately, but took out the broken jade pendant that she always carried with her from her bosom. The light of the setting sun gave the jade pendant a warm glow. "I have reviewed all the files of Qingxiao in the Discipline Hall."
He slowly began, "I also secretly investigated the origin of this jade pendant."
“The jade pendant is indeed one of the tokens of the candidates for the Qingxiao Sect Leader, but there is no record of any special function,” he said, stroking the crack in the jade pendant. “But this jade pendant was originally carved by my father and given to Qianzhong. Qianzhong then gave it to my mother as a token.”
Ran Qinghe's heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean?"
Lou Tinglan shook her head. "My father may have made some kind of deal with Qianzhong, but my mother found out. Perhaps my mother was unwilling for my father to make sacrifices for him, which is why she was so resolute."
"I would like to ask you to infuse this jade tablet with a trace of spiritual power..."
Before he finished speaking, Ran Qinghe had already made her move. However, unlike when she was in the hands of others, when the jade tablet was infused with spiritual power by someone with a natural spiritual body, it flickered for a moment and then completely absorbed that trace of spiritual power.
Ran Qinghe frowned, seemingly understanding something vaguely. However, she then looked at Lou Tinglan's profile and asked, "What are you planning to do?"
The setting sun cast interplay of light and shadow on his face as he put away the jade pendant. "One year."
"I won't let him succeed again."
His gaze was intense.
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