88. Natural Barrier (Sixteen)
◎The Art of Healing Injuries. ◎
A heavy thud came from outside the confinement room.
Ran Qinghe straightened up warily, but relaxed instantly when she saw the familiar figure at the door after it opened.
"Has Lord Lou come here to visit the prisoners, or... to interrogate them personally?"
Lou Tinglan stepped into the room, and the stone door closed behind him. He remained upright, his moon-white casual clothes spotless, which seemed out of place in the dark and gloomy confinement room. Only his face appeared excessively pale in the dim light.
He looked at him intently and asked bluntly, "Why did you go and blow up the spiritual vein?"
Ran Qinghe raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised by the question.
"Reason? There's no particular reason. We just blew it up."
"Perhaps the Immortal Lord can also think that I did it for personal revenge. I was not happy that I only destroyed one of the spiritual veins of Qingxiao, so I went and blew up a few more."
Lou Tinglan took a step forward and squatted down in front of her, the distance between them suddenly closing to an extremely close level. "I know that's not the truth. The spiritual energy being able to flow precisely to the Mortal Valley couldn't have been done on a whim. Besides, before we set off, disciples of the Frost Maple Sect were frequently seen entering and leaving the Listening Maple Garden. If it weren't for the Sect Leader's instructions..."
He bluntly stated, "Why should we obey Sect Leader Lin Ge's orders?"
Ran Qinghe said, "Lou Tinglan, you're always like this, you like to analyze things in detail and make cause and effect clear."
She tilted her head slightly, a few strands of hair falling onto her cheek, and her voice lowered: "But why are there so many 'whys' in this world? If I want to explode, I explode. As for where the spiritual energy flows, perhaps that's just fate?"
Her gaze lingered on his face for a long time before she said, "Lou Tinglan, don't waste your time here. Now that you've recovered your Nascent Soul stage cultivation..."
She paused, a complex emotion flashing across her face so quickly it was hard to catch, "Then let's break the Heart-to-Heart Mantra."
Lou Tinglan's breath hitched slightly.
Although the Heart-to-Heart Technique was something he made with her to cover up his inability to form a spirit beast contract, he also harbored some unspeakable thoughts when making the choice.
"Why do we need to solve this now?" His voice seemed to tremble slightly.
"Because it's unnecessary." Ran Qinghe said coldly, "You are never my contracted spirit beast. Why should a noble and upright immortal lord like you get involved with a sinner like me who is about to be punished?"
"You knew?" Lou Tinglan asked definitively. "Since you knew, then why... why insist on going down this dark path?"
"Eighty-one Spirit-Locking Whips, let alone a Nascent Soul cultivator, even a Deity Transformation cultivator..."
“Yes, I know,” Ran Qinghe replied calmly. “So, untie it.”
Silence spread between the two. After a long while, Lou Tinglan suddenly raised her hand and said, "Alright, I'll solve it."
Ran Qinghe seemed surprised by his quick agreement. She paused for a moment, then lowered her eyes to hide her emotions and extended her hand as well.
Their palms touched, one warm and one cool.
As the spiritual energy flowed, Lou Tinglan silently recited obscure incantations, her expression focused.
Ran Qinghe watched quietly as the bindings that had briefly bound the two of them gradually dimmed and dissipated.
only……
Just as the last thread of connection was about to break, the spiritual power in Lou Tinglan's palm subtly shifted for a moment, and an even more hidden golden talisman, using the dissipation of the spiritual power fluctuations from the Heart-to-Heart Technique as cover, quietly entered Ran Qinghe's heart.
Lou Tinglan withdrew her hand and stepped back, her face even paler than when she arrived, as if it were due to the great exhaustion from dispelling the spell.
Ran Qinghe looked thoughtfully at her palm: "Gone?"
Lou Tinglan nodded, even appearing somewhat unsteady on her feet.
Ran Qinghe lightly supported his forearm. "Thank you."
But she couldn't bring herself to say anything more. The stone door slammed shut, completely separating the two of them.
Lou Tinglan retraced her steps, her steps seemingly steady, but her emotions were surging like a tide.
The mark that was quietly planted was a one-way "Wound Bearing Technique." If she was tortured, most of the pain would be transferred to him through this technique.
This technique is extremely dangerous, placing a heavy burden on the caster and making it very easy for high-level cultivators to detect, but he had no choice but to do it.
Just as I turned the corner of the corridor, a solemn figure stood there quietly, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
He is my uncle.
Lou Tinglan stopped in her tracks, her hand in her sleeve slowly clenching.
"Tinglan," Lou Yi's voice echoed in the empty corridor, "you went to see Ran Qinghe, didn't you?"
Lou Tinglan looked up and met his deep and stern gaze.
"yes."
Why?
"Some things need to be clarified face to face." Some things also need to be done face to face.
"Have you found out?" Lou Yi slowly approached. "Was she really acting under orders from Lin Ge? Did she have any accomplices? What was her true purpose in destroying the spiritual vein?"
Lou Tinglan replied respectfully, "She...did not say so explicitly."
"It was never explicitly stated..." Lou Yi repeated, his eyes filled with deep disappointment.
"Tinglan, you are the chief disciple of the Discipline Hall! And also my most valued disciple! You should know what a grave offense it is to secretly meet with a serious offender!"
"I have been lenient with you time and time again, but what about you? You're completely bewitched by that vixen! You're utterly infatuated with her!"
Lou Tinglan replied earnestly, "She did not practice evil cultivation, she is not a demoness..."
Lou Yi was heartbroken, his finger almost touching his forehead. "Enough! I thought you were resolute and wouldn't follow in your father's footsteps. Tell me, how can you still uphold the precepts now? How can you still be a role model for the disciples?!"
Lou Tinglan suddenly recalled the strange movements of the Tranquil Heart Sword, the bizarre restoration of his realm, and the horrified look in Lou Guan's eyes when he examined Lou Guan's spiritual platform.
"Uncle... why did Father..."
Looking at Lou Tinglan's pale and dazed face, Lou Yi finally softened his tone, which was tinged with weariness and earnestness: "Back then, your father was bewitched by your mother and was willing to fall into mortalism in order to be with her."
"I and the other elders in the hall took turns trying to dissuade them, but it was all in vain."
"Although I don't know the inside story, as an outsider, I can see clearly that your mother is quite oblivious to matters of love, and in the end, it was she who insisted on leaving your father."
"After her death, your father became increasingly depressed and despondent. He even searched for her and his fate remains unknown. If he were still alive..."
As Lou Yi spoke, he seemed to fall into an indescribable emotional state, unable to extricate himself.
“Tinglan, it’s not too late to pull back from the brink. Focus on stabilizing your realm and eliminating the hidden dangers in your spiritual platform. You are still the future hope of our Discipline Hall.”
Lou Tinglan lowered his head, his long eyelashes concealing the turbulent emotions in his eyes. The pale moonlight cast a lonely and blurred shadow on his tall figure.
hope?
Deep within his soul, there may already lie the same power as his fallen father; when his natal sword is drawn by what may still be his father's will; when he plants the Injury-Bearing Technique in her veins...
Is he truly the "role model" that the Discipline Hall expects?
After a long while, he slowly raised his hand and bowed deeply to Lou Yi.
The movements were standard, the posture was respectful, and there was nothing to criticize.
But he didn't answer a single word.
Seeing him like this, Lou Yi's glimmer of hope gradually faded away.
He waved his hand, his figure appearing heavy and aged.
"Go back. Tomorrow there will be a final decision regarding Ran Qinghe's fate. You... take care of yourself."
Lou Tinglan straightened up, took one last look in the direction of the solitary confinement room, turned around, and walked step by step into the deep night.
*
On the day of the execution, the sky was dark and the execution platform was surrounded by a dense crowd.
Ran Qinghe was escorted to the high platform by the spirit-binding chains. Her expression was calm, and her gaze even swept over the crowd below the platform with a somewhat empty look, those faces that showed hatred, pleasure, or pity.
Her eyes trembled slightly only when her gaze fell upon the cultivators from the Mortal Valley at the back of the crowd.
Although Lin Ge had said that he would secretly incite the cultivators of the Mortal Valley to make a name for her, how could cultivators with mediocre cultivation levels rush up the high platform for her sake?
"Fei Feng and Ran Qinghe destroyed dozens of spiritual veins in Qingxiao. According to the law, they shall be punished with eighty-one lashes of the Spirit-Locking Whip and sentenced to a hundred-year imprisonment in the Tower of Heaven."
The elder deacon's icy voice rang out: "Execute—"
The first whip strike, accompanied by a sharp whooshing sound, landed heavily on Ran Qinghe's back.
"Smack!"
The sound of flesh being torn open was dull and chilling. Ran Qinghe's body trembled violently, and she let out a muffled groan, but she clenched her teeth tightly, her body still standing straight.
Almost at the same moment, Lou Tinglan, who was sitting at the head of the table, suddenly turned deathly pale, as if all the blood in her body had drained away in an instant.
A metallic taste rose in his throat, which he forced down, as if his internal organs had shifted.
"Tinglan?" Lou Yi's deep voice, tinged with doubt, reached his ears.
"It's nothing," Lou Tinglan said, his voice so hoarse it was almost unlike his own. "The flow of spiritual energy is a little sluggish."
Lou Yi was about to ask more questions when he was interrupted by a clear, melodious voice.
A streak of fiery red light shot out and, with a clang, deflected the raised Spirit-Locking Whip by three inches.
The crowd erupted in uproar.
"Sect Leader Lin," Lou Yi stood up abruptly, "this is the place where my Discipline Hall enforces the law. What is your intention in interrupting the execution?"
Lin Ge stood with his hands behind his back, swept his gaze across the entire scene, and smiled, saying, "If I remember correctly, Ran Qinghe is now my disciple, Fei Feng. So, you didn't even need to ask me about the execution by Hall Master Lou?"
"Master Lou, Ran Qinghe's actions have far-reaching implications. Among the branches destroyed, two even extended to Feifeng, and the spiritual energy nourished the Mortal Valley. How can such a matter concerning the structure of the Five Sects be judged solely by the Discipline Hall?"
Lou Yi was surprised that the cultivators from Mortal Valley didn't dare to cause trouble, but Lin Ge stepped forward first.
"Then what does Sect Leader Yi Lin mean? How should Ran Qinghe be punished?"
Lin Ge said, "According to the original rules of the five sects, any major changes involving multiple sects must be decided by the leaders of the five sects before they can be implemented."
"The Crimson Maple Sect opposes whipping."
"You!" Lou Yi's face turned ashen with anger.
Lin Ge casually threw another heavy blow.
"By the way, Sect Leader Chang of Xuan Shui uses the Sect Leader's Order as a mark and also opposes whipping."
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