84. Natural Barrier (12)
◎“I’m afraid you’ll kick me out…”◎
"I'm scared."
He suddenly spoke, his voice very soft.
Ran Qinghe was stunned for a moment, almost thinking she had misheard.
"Afraid? What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid you'll kick me out." Lou Tinglan looked straight at her, her reflection clearly visible in his usually calm eyes, which also revealed a rare, almost fragile stubbornness.
"Just like now."
Ran Qinghe's heart was slightly shaken by these words. She admitted that she had indeed wavered for a moment, which was why she said those words to him before leaving.
But when she didn't see Lou Tinglan on the departing immortal ship, she felt a little relieved. They were not on the same path. He had his own Dao heart to uphold, and she had her own path to follow.
She never intended to give up seeking the truth about Ye Buchen's past. On the surface, she pretended to be indifferent, but she knew that the current conflict between Qingxiao and Fanren Valley was the perfect opportunity for her to investigate.
She turned her face away, avoiding his deceptive gaze, and asked, "Why can't you untie it?"
Lou Tinglan: "Because the level of cultivation... is too low."
Ran Qinghe: ...
She frowned at him, even more incredulous. "Lou Tinglan, are you kidding me?"
However, when her gaze fell upon his forehead, she suddenly froze, her fingertips involuntarily reaching out, her heart filled with turbulent emotions.
"Where is your Calamity Mark?" Her tone became urgent. "Why did it disappear?"
Could it be because...?
An impossible idea suddenly popped into her mind, but it was immediately shattered by Lou Tinglan's explanation.
"Because... I was injured." As he said this, he deliberately lowered his eyes, avoiding her gaze, as if afraid that she would see through his disguise.
Fearing she wouldn't believe him, he quickened his pace to explain, "Just like before in Tianhai Valley, I was still recovering from my serious injuries during the academy's final exam that day, so..."
He struck a perfect balance, concealing the fact that he had fallen into prostitution because of her while subtly evoking her guilt.
Ran Qinghe looked away guiltily: "I'm sorry... I didn't expect to hurt you so badly."
"I..." she exhaled, hesitated for a moment, and then swallowed the words she was about to say.
Lou Tinglan added, "For me, there is no essential difference where I cultivate, so you don't need to worry about me."
He spoke calmly, but avoided the crux of the matter.
The key is that she must stay by his side at all times and not leave him for even a moment!
Ran Qinghe felt a lump in her throat, unable to rise or fall. For some reason, she suddenly felt that his past taciturnity was all a facade, and that he was actually a paranoid madman inside!
She compromised, saying, "Starting today, you will move to the empty room next door. Without my permission, you are not allowed to enter or leave my room, and you are not allowed to... approach me in any way again."
“If I go out, I will tell you in advance. When your cultivation level recovers or there is another way to break this contract, we will go our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other again.”
He remained silent for a long time, and just when Ran Qinghe thought he would refuse again, he slowly nodded.
"good……"
He agreed, his voice a little hoarse, but you couldn't tell much emotion from it.
He stood up, and along with the glaring red dress and the jingling bell necklace on the table, he vanished without a trace.
After Lou Tinglan left, the room fell silent instantly.
Ran Qinghe sat on the bed for a long time without moving, her fingertips still seeming to retain a trace of the warmth from her touch on his forehead.
Suddenly, a series of knocks on the window broke her reverie. She raised her hand and released a burst of spiritual energy to prop open the window, where a plump red-feathered chicken stood.
Ran Qinghe was somewhat puzzled, but she still allowed it to clumsily fly in.
Its body was unusually heavy, almost filling the entire window before it managed to fly in. It carried a communication talisman in its pointed beak, placed it in Ran Qinghe's hand, and flapped its wings as if signaling something.
Ran Qinghe was even more puzzled. She had only been in Feifeng for a short time and knew very few people. However, she still followed the red-feathered chicken's instructions and injected a wisp of spiritual power into the talisman.
"Qinghe".
The talisman lit up, but it was the voice of Sect Master Lin Ge that came through.
She suddenly remembered that when Hua Jin was on the immortal ship, he had introduced Lin Ge's spirit beast to her, which was a fire phoenix with ancient blood.
She glanced at the red-feathered chicken beside the bed: ...
But she quickly came to her senses and replied, "What important matter does the sect leader wish to discuss with me?"
Lin Ge smiled and said, "It's nothing. I just suddenly remembered while dealing with sect affairs that most of the sect elders have already gone into seclusion. So, I'd like to select a few more. I wonder if you'd be interested, Qing He?"
"After much thought, I still think Qinghe, you are the most suitable. Your cultivation level is already at the late Nascent Soul stage, which also meets the qualifications for elder selection..."
"only……"
The intimate way she addressed him and the lure of an elder's position must mean she had ulterior motives.
Ran Qinghe simply went along with her question: "But what?"
Lin Ge said, "It's just that you are still inexperienced and lack experience. If you were to take on the position of elder, it would cause controversy."
Ran Qinghe said, "Sect Leader Lin has never been one to beat around the bush, so please speak frankly. I am grateful for the Sect Leader's protection, and if I can do it, I will do my best."
As soon as she finished speaking, a person appeared in the room and very familiarly poured herself a cup of tea.
"Are you aware of the current situation in Qingxiao and Fanren Valley?"
Ran Qinghe said, "I know a little bit about it."
Lin Ge chuckled and said, "You don't need to hide anything from me. Hua Jin is close to you, and you recently visited the Valley of Mortals. You must know the current situation better than I do."
Ran Qinghe looked at her with a slight surprise.
As if seeing through her thoughts, Lin Ge continued to explain, "If I knew nothing about the situation within the sect, I'm afraid I wouldn't need to sit in this position."
"After much deliberation, I've decided that you're the most suitable person to handle this matter."
Although Ran Qinghe had a vague guess in her heart, she pretended not to know and looked at Lin Ge with a slightly puzzled expression.
Lin Ge said, "Regarding the matter of Mortal Valley, Master Qian's intention is not only to block the path to enlightenment in the mortal realm, but also to set up a barrier within Mortal Valley."
As she spoke, she observed Ran Qinghe's reaction.
Seeing Ran Qinghe's indifferent attitude, he couldn't help but wonder if he had come to the wrong person.
"I would never agree to this, but after returning, I pondered it deeply and could not find a solution."
Ran Qinghe bluntly pointed out, "The sect leader isn't unable to find a solution, but rather he has a solution but is unable to implement it, right?"
Lin Ge chuckled softly, stroking the head of the phoenix that had somehow gotten close to him, and readily admitted, "Yes."
Ran Qinghe said, "I can do what the sect leader asks for, but I have no interest in the position of elder."
Lin Ge gave an amused "Oh," and said, "Within my power, I can grant you one request."
*
Lou Tinglan has been living in the next room for several days now.
Ran Qinghe would occasionally appear during his daily meditation sessions to help him quickly recover his cultivation. But even so, the two still couldn't exchange a single word, and apart from that, they had no other interaction whatsoever.
Lou Tinglan mostly just silently watched her, her gaze calmly following her back until she noticed him, closed the door, and shut out all his presence.
He didn't care about her indifference; on the contrary, he cared about something else.
In the past few days, unfamiliar disciples have been frequently entering and leaving the courtyard. Judging from their disciple robes, they seem to be inner disciples close to the sect leader. They are respectful and come and go in a hurry.
Sometimes there are one or two, sometimes three or five, and the time they stay varies.
At first, Lou Tinglan didn't think much of it. It was perfectly normal for Ran Qinghe to make friends with fellow disciples or handle some trivial matters when she first joined Feifeng Sect.
But when those disciples left, they often looked tired, and sometimes they would stay there for a whole day.
A subtle unease, like an undercurrent beneath a frozen river in spring, stirred within him. He tried to focus his attention on the sounds coming from her room, but she seemed to deliberately or unintentionally deflect them.
His consciousness was limited, and he could only catch vague fragments of speech, unable to hear them clearly. This sense of loss of control was unfamiliar to him and made him anxious.
Is she planning something? Or... is she preparing to leave quietly once again?
The contractual connection told him that she was still in the courtyard, but this did not calm the turmoil in his heart.
That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.
He finally couldn't hold back any longer. He cast a concealment spell and silently pushed open the door, followed the pillars, and finally stopped in front of her window.
The windows were tightly shut, and there seemed to be a soundproof barrier in place inside the room. He held his breath, but suddenly saw several figures flash by.
There are still people here so late...
His eyes darkened, and just as he was about to move closer, the sound of the door opening and closing suddenly rang out.
He remained hidden in the shadows, watching as several young cultivators filed out, conversing quietly as they disappeared into the distance.
The courtyard returned to silence.
Lou Tinglan stood rooted to the spot, but the tension in her heart tightened even more. The visitor had left, and she was now alone. Should she go in and ask for clarification, or...?
Before he could make a decision, the tightly closed window in front of him creaked open from the inside.
Ran Qinghe leaned against the window, her eyes clear and bright, looking at the shadows where he was hiding with a half-smile.
Have you seen enough?
He looked up at it, but instead of explaining why he was there, he simply asked, "Who are those people?"
"They're just fellow disciples; I'll ask them to do something for me."
Lou Tinglan pursed her lips, looking somewhat like a spirit beast that was neglected and anxious by its master.
"What do you want?" he asked, pressing his advantage.
Ran Qinghe raised an eyebrow: "What, you think I'm plotting something, and then abandoning you, this big trouble, and running away?"
Lou Tinglan's eyes flickered, her hand, hidden beneath her sleeve, clenched slightly, and she finally whispered, "You promised..."
“I will keep my promise.” Ran Qinghe interrupted him, her tone softening slightly. “You’ve come at the right time, saving me the trouble of looking for you again.”
"Let's go, come with me for a walk."
So they were going to take him with them...
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