Chapter 68 Elite of the Mystic Sect ②: In-depth exchanges among old acquaintances...
Lan Shuyin strode out of the Silent Room with a proud and confident air.
However, once out of the sight of the two bodyguards, she immediately bent over, placed her hands on her knees, took a few deep breaths, and tried to suppress the burning heat on her face. Her heart was pounding as if she had just finished a 100-meter sprint.
"Little Blue?"
A slightly high-pitched male voice came through.
Lan Shuyin's heart skipped a beat, realizing she was in trouble. She had run into Li Li, who usually found fault with her.
She quickly straightened up, ready to be on high alert, but unexpectedly met a face with an exceptionally kind and friendly smile.
"Oh, it really is you!" Li Li walked over quickly, her gaze sweeping over her, her tone almost exaggeratedly concerned, "I heard you injured your hand a while ago? How are you now? You must take good care of yourself, young people shouldn't take it lightly! Health is the foundation of everything!"
He kept talking, and even reached out to pat her shoulder, but Lan Shuyin subconsciously turned away.
"Thank you for your concern, Brother Li. I'm fine and will be back at work in a few days."
"Your health is important, your health is important." Li Li still smiled warmly. "If you're not feeling well, don't push yourself. Tell me, and I'll talk to my boss and see if they can adjust your work schedule..."
Lan Shuyin felt uncomfortable with his sudden enthusiasm, and after giving a few perfunctory replies, she finally found an opportunity to slip away.
A gentle evening breeze made her face feel hot again, as if the heat had just subsided. She hopped on her bicycle and pedaled furiously, as if that would shake off a certain lingering image from her mind.
The wheels rolled over the road, making a rapid sound.
"Hey!" A boy riding a modified motorcycle and wearing a shiny helmet was overtaken by her and immediately felt challenged. "You can ride pretty well?"
He twisted the throttle, the engine roared, and he easily caught up.
Just then, the traffic light turned red at the intersection ahead, and the motorcycle came to a steady stop next to the bicycle.
The boy turned his head smugly, wanting to make a gesture at the arrogant woman, but saw her park her bicycle by the roadside and walk straight towards a bench.
Even more bizarrely, she slowly squatted down in front of the bench and began to whisper, as if she were talking to thin air.
So he was a lunatic.
The boy's hand, which was halfway raised, froze in mid-air. He awkwardly withdrew it and roared away on his motorcycle.
In Lan Shuyin's view, the little girl in the red jacket was still sitting quietly on the bench, hugging her doll and looking down. This time she didn't cry; she was as quiet as she had been when she first saw her in the ruins.
Why did I see Guoguo again?
Isn't she the embodiment of Wei Li?
Lan Shuyin tentatively reached out and gently touched the girl's hand. She couldn't feel any touch or warmth; it was as if the girl were just a solid mass of air, a phantom existing only in her vision.
But she asked softly, "Why are you here all alone?"
The little girl looked up, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. This time, instead of vanishing like smoke, she winked at her, her voice childish yet clear, "Waiting for you."
"wait for me?"
"He was very upset, feeling like he had messed up." She lowered her head, her small hand unconsciously stroking the doll in her arms.
Lan Shuyin naturally knew who "he" was, and asked gently, "Then what are you sad about?"
The little girl sniffed softly, her voice trembling with a hint of grievance, "I'm not sad, I'm in pain."
"It hurts?" This unexpected answer startled Lan Shuyin.
"He's in pain, and so am I," the little girl said, suddenly tearing open her collar.
Down that tender neck, crisscrossing, terrifying marks covered the body. Unlike ordinary wounds, each scar had a dark, cracked pattern like shattered porcelain, faintly radiating an ominous glow, as if some force was slowly eroding and disintegrating the body from within.
Lan Shuyin was stunned.
"What happened to your injury?"
The little girl simply watched her quietly, her overly clear eyes showing no pain, only a detached tranquility. She gently pulled her clothes up, concealing the horrific scars, and whispered:
"It's punishment."
As soon as she finished speaking, her figure became transparent, disappearing into the night like wisps of smoke.
Punishment? What kind of punishment?
A sudden surge of unease welled up inside Lan Shuyin, and she abruptly stood up. All her embarrassment and awkwardness vanished. All she wanted now was to find Wei Li immediately and get to the bottom of things!
She turned and hurried back towards the direction of Ni Changye, even running. The night wind whistled past her ears, but she only felt anxious.
She rushed back into the Night of Rainbows, ignoring the surprised looks from those around her, and ran straight towards the Silent Chamber. However, a waiter politely reached out and stopped her.
"Miss Lan, please wait."
"I'm looking for Boss Wei." She was slightly out of breath and spoke urgently.
"The boss just left."
"He left? Where did he go?"
"I don't know. But the boss told me that Miss Lan can call me directly if she needs anything."
"..."
Lan Shuyin pursed her lips, walked to the side, and dialed the number.
The call connected quickly, and the background sound on the other end was the empty sound of wind, as if someone was standing at a very high place.
"Where are you?" she asked, her voice unconsciously tense.
"I'm out there repaying a favor." Wei Li's voice came through the receiver, as gentle as ever. "What's wrong?"
Lan Shuyin suddenly became annoyed, but he adjusted quickly. He was able to return the favor as if nothing had happened, his composure was outrageous.
Compared to his earlier desperate and questioning manner, he seemed like a complete fool.
She saw that he was perfectly fine, without any problems whatsoever.
"No, you go about your business." Lan Shuyin hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket.
Back at her residence, Lan Shuyin came out of the bathroom, drying her half-dry hair, with water droplets falling onto her shoulders.
Just then, my laptop beeped with a crisp new email notification.
She sat down and saw that it was actually the mysterious sugar daddy:
[A reward of 200,000 yuan to explore the ancient town of Ganfang. Interested?]
Ganfang Town was the place where she and Guoguo spent the most time in her previous life.
Once is a coincidence, twice is fate. But what about three times, four times? Seven Aunt Village, Xiangweng Temple, and now Ganfang Town... Every time this benefactor designates a location, it precisely follows her past path.
He was like a puppeteer hiding behind the scenes, using generous rewards as bait to lead her step by step to those corners covered with the dust of time.
All the clues point to one conclusion: this person is far more than just a wealthy patron with a keen interest in paranormal events.
Who exactly are you?
The cold light from the screen illuminated her serious and solemn face.
After a long while, the notification sound rang again—
[Haven't you already guessed it in your heart?]
“Jiang Wuyang…” Lan Shuyin gritted her teeth, furious.
However, the other party's second reply followed immediately—
I am Jiang Wuyuan.
Jiang Wuyuan? Jiang Wuyang's brother? She paused, remembering Grandpa Sheng, remembering that face, and cautiously asked, "Who is Jiang Wuyuan?"
The other party seemed unwilling to explain, leaving only a cryptic statement:
A major show is about to unfold this weekend.
After that, no matter what Lan Shuyin posted, the conversation fell silent and there was no further response.
What exactly is this person's purpose? Lan Shuyin frowned for a long time, lost in her own thoughts, when the doorbell suddenly rang.
Who could it be so late?
Her nerves tightened instantly. She instinctively tiptoed to the door, peered through the peephole—
There were no ghost stories. Standing outside the door was Kui Li.
He turned slightly to face the cat's eye, his bangs seemingly ruffled by the night breeze, and his breathing was heavier than usual, as if he had just traveled a long way. But even so, he maintained his usual composure.
Lan Shuyin paused for a moment, then opened the door.
What brings you here?
Upon hearing the sound, Wei Li turned around, seemed to take a moment to catch his breath, and then said, "You were looking for me."
Lan Shuyin looked at his wind-blown hair and the slight dampness on his coat shoulders. The slight annoyance she felt because he "adjusted too quickly" was suddenly covered by something softer.
She turned to the side, her tone firm but unable to conceal a hint of softening, "Let's talk inside."
Once everyone was seated on the sofa, she said directly, "Take off your shirt."
Kui Li's relaxed back stiffened noticeably, and he said seriously, "Have you thought this through? It's a bit too fast."
Lan Shuyin was taken aback at first, but when she saw his forced composure and slightly reddened ears, she was speechless. "I saw Guoguo."
Kui Li's faint smile faded slightly.
“She has many injuries, she says it’s punishment. I want to see yours.”
"I'm fine."
"Then prove it to me."
Her gaze was unwavering, silently revealing her determination.
Kui Li stared at her for a moment, then finally sighed softly. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt, his movements carrying a hint of resigned compromise.
"See, it's really nothing."
His skin was smooth and his muscle lines were well-defined; there was indeed not a single scar.
“In a sense, she was also an independent vessel. Back then… a lot did happen.” He slightly tugged at the corners of his mouth, a faint smile tinged with self-mockery, “but in the end, the body that bore the main cost, I was indeed unharmed.”
"What caused this?" Lan Shuyin pressed. "It doesn't look like an ordinary scar."
Kui Li was silent for a moment, then said, "I abandoned my post and was captured by mortals. The Palace Master said I was too weak."
"Too weak?" Lan Shuyin's voice suddenly rose as if she had heard an absurd joke. "Just because of this? Is your temple master insane?! Does he really think he's a god? So what if he's trapped by mortals? Can't mortals have some ability?"
She became increasingly angry as she spoke, her chest heaving violently.
Looking at her slightly flushed cheeks and bright eyes, which were reddened with anger, Wei Li reached out and gently took her wrist. "Calm down."
She turned around abruptly, looked up at him and glared, "You look pretty good at fighting, so why did you cower in front of your palace master? You let yourself be beaten and punished without even fighting back?"
"I was wrong." Kui Li readily admitted his mistake, then changed the subject, "But thinking about it carefully, it is indeed related to you. If I hadn't abandoned my post because of you, I wouldn't have been punished."
He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance, and lowered his voice, carrying a subtle seduction, "So, shouldn't you take responsibility for me?"
Lan Shuyin was taken aback by his sudden turn of events and subconsciously asked, "Take responsibility? How do you want me to take responsibility?"
Kui Li did not answer, but tightened his grip slightly, pulling the person towards him.
A slight smile curved his lips, and the genuine joy finally reached his eyes.
...
"Da, Kui, Jia, Li!"
The following afternoon, Lan Shuyin grabbed a pillow from the side and threw it at the culprit beside her!
The doorbell rang at an inopportune moment.
Lan Shuyin paused, glared angrily at Wei Li, grabbed the clothes from the bedside, put them on, and walked out barefoot.
She opened the door and froze.
"Fang Huan?"
However, he was no longer the haggard and dejected Fang Huan he had been a few days ago.
He looked young again. Dressed in a well-fitting dark suit, he seemed to have been forcibly pulled back to his youth by some force. His skin was firm, the wrinkles between his eyebrows were so faint that they were almost invisible, and even his slightly hunched back was straightened.
“Miss Lan,” Fang Huan said with a hint of triumph, “I haven’t heard from you since, so I had no choice but to pay you a visit.”
"Is something the matter?" Lan Shuyin asked.
Fang Huan chuckled, his gaze sweeping over her face. "Miss Lan is indeed a capable person. She wasn't surprised at all to see such a change in me."
Lan Shuyin thought to herself, to be able to rejuvenate in just a few days, she was not just surprised, she was extremely surprised.
But he simply said, "Young Master Fang is young and promising, so it's not surprising that he has some new opportunities."
These words clearly pleased him.
Fang Huan's smile deepened as he took half a step closer to her, his voice lowered and tinged with tenderness, "It's truly rare to have an opportunity that allows me to relive my youth. But... no matter how wonderful the opportunity, it always feels incomplete without someone to share it with. What do you think, Miss Lan?"
Lan Shuyin smiled and asked again, "Did you need something?"
Fang Huan stopped beating around the bush and took out a jade box from his handbag.
The jade box was entirely black, warm to the touch. He gently opened the lid, revealing a deep red velvet lining inside, upon which lay something quietly—
It was a feather.
Its entire body shimmered with a warm, golden aura, as if it had been forged from the molten twilight. In Lan Shuyin's eyes, it radiated a pure and gentle golden light, a light that was not dazzling but carried a kind of reassuring solemnity.
It resembles the feathers of the angelic image behind Dawei Jiali, but it seems to be different as well.
"What is this?" Her gaze was fixed on the feather.
"I promised before." Fang Huan pushed the jade box towards her again. "This is the key to 'truth'."
Seeing the doubt in Lan Shuyin's eyes, he frankly added, "I don't know the specifics of how to use it. This 'key' is a keepsake from my father. According to him, if someone is destined to obtain it, they will naturally know how to use it."
Lan Shuyin hadn't taken his promise seriously, but since he offered it to her, she accepted it with a smile.
Seeing her take the jade box, Fang Huan's smile deepened. "By the way, there's something I need to remind you of."
"What?"
"Be careful of Boss Wei." Fang Huan leaned forward slightly, offering a sincere warning. "He's a mysterious figure with a deep and calculating mind; he's definitely not as gentle and harmless as he appears. Your association with him..."
The words came to an abrupt halt.
His gaze passed over Lan Shuyin's shoulder, his smile froze, and he was taken aback by the suddenness of the situation.
Lan Shuyin turned around as if she sensed something.
Kui Li was already standing a few steps behind her, unnoticed. His collar was slightly open, and his hair was a little messy, as if he had just gotten up.
He appeared at Lan Shuyin's residence looking completely at ease, like the male head of the household. When Lan Shuyin turned around to look at him, she showed no surprise whatsoever. This didn't seem like a normal visit; they had clearly had a deep conversation.
Kui Li's gaze swept over Fang Huan indifferently without saying anything, but Fang Huan instantly felt a pressure descend upon him. Thinking back to his earlier reminder, cold sweat immediately seeped from his forehead.
But he was a seasoned veteran, and he quickly adjusted his expression, forcing a composed smile. "Boss Wei is here too." As he spoke, he glanced at Lan Shuyin without making a sound. Seeing that she looked perfectly normal, he understood that she already knew Boss Wei's true identity.
"Then I won't bother you two any longer." He took a half step back with great tact, nodded slightly to the two of them, turned and left, his steps steady as if the awkwardness from just now had never happened.
As soon as Fang Huan left, Lan Shuyin glared at the disheveled but composed man behind her, her anger rising to the top of her head.
"You leave too!" She raised her hand and pointed directly at the door, issuing an order to get rid of them.
Then, without thinking twice, he almost rudely pushed the person out of the house and slammed the door shut.
After walking a few steps back, Lan Shuyin realized she had forgotten to tell Wei Li about the so-called gathering of rising stars of the Xuanmen sect that evening. And this feather…
She turned and opened the door, but the corridor was empty; there was no sign of Wei Li.
It can run fast!
This realization caused the anger she had just suppressed to surge up again, mixed with a vague sense of frustration. She slammed the door shut, deciding to give up entirely.
Never mind, he's all-powerful, surely he can hear this little bit of news?
Time slipped away amidst anxiety and deliberate attempts to avoid thinking, and before I knew it, it was afternoon.
Following the address on the invitation, Lan Shuyin stood in front of the Ancient Castle Museum at No. 77 Feng'an Road, Beichen District.
The castle museum stands in the twilight, its Gothic spires piercing the sky. Although it is a social venue favored by Beijing's top universities, the atmosphere tonight is exceptionally different.
Security at the entrance was far more stringent than at a typical party. A dozen security personnel, dressed in custom suits and wearing earpieces, carefully checked each invitation, their gaze lingering briefly on the guests' faces, lightly tracing the names on the list with a pen, and only allowing entry after confirming everything was correct.
When Lan Shuyin handed over the invitation, she could especially feel the other party's discerning gaze lingering on her simple attire.
Stepping into the main hall, the dazzling crystal chandelier illuminates the space like daytime, yet fails to reveal the deliberately created mysterious atmosphere in certain corners. Unlike ordinary museums, the exhibits here serve as the backdrop for parties.
Leather sofas surround ancient knight armor, the bar is set under a huge dinosaur fossil skeleton, and the most eye-catching thing is the carefully arranged refreshments on the central long table: macarons in the shape of Tai Chi, chocolates engraved with simple runes, and exquisite snacks arranged in the nine-square grid of the Luo Shu.
Groups of well-dressed young people mingled, but a closer look revealed their true nature. Several young men in modified Taoist robes huddled in a corner, exchanging talismans in hushed tones; not far away, women in dresses adorned with celestial patterns formed a circle, their fingertips gracefully manipulating gleaming astrolabes. Others stood alone, some casually polishing compasses against display cases, others meditating in the shadows.
Lan Shuyin glanced down at her simple white sweater and jeans, looking completely out of place amidst the dazzling lights of the room. She subtly retreated to the shadows beside a Roman column, intending to observe this gathering with its own hidden meaning.
"We meet again."
Suddenly, a slightly familiar voice rang out beside me, clear and bright, with just the right amount of pleasantries.
Lan Shuyin turned her head and met a pair of smiling eyes.
The newcomer was tall and handsome, with a neatly trimmed mustache, as if to add a touch of maturity to his overly young face—it was Zhou Xu, whom he had met once before on Tang Island.
Peng and A-Wu were also with him. They both nodded in greeting when they saw her.
"It's you guys," Lan Shuyin replied with a smile. "What a coincidence."
Zhou Xu's gaze lingered on her for a moment, filled with undisguised admiration and inquiry. "It seems my intuition was right." He smiled slightly. "From our first meeting on Tang Island, I felt that Miss Lan was extraordinary. To meet her again here seems to be expected."
After a brief pause, he extended his hand again. "Can we formally introduce ourselves this time? My name is Zhou Xu."
“Lan Shuyin.” She gently shook his hand.
However, no sooner had the words left his mouth than a cold, mocking female voice abruptly cut in from behind:
"You're really capable, Lan Shuyin."
Lan Shuyin turned around and saw Li Kailin gracefully walking towards her. She wore an expensive, snow-white fur-trimmed long dress, the gold embroidery on the hem shimmering luxuriously under the lights, making her look like a princess in the spotlight. However, her chin was slightly raised, and her eyes were fixed on Lan Shuyin with a cold gaze.
Li Kailin approached, disregarding the other people present, and said coolly, "Wherever you go, you attract men's attention. I just wonder if that charm will make you just as successful in today's setting?"
Lan Shuyin ignored her, gave Zhou Xu and the others a helpless smile, and prepared to leave.
However, at that moment, a handsome man in a blue suit with a dignified air walked up to the microphone on the high platform in front of the banquet hall.
"Welcome, distinguished young talents."
Lan Shuyin looked up and raised an eyebrow.
It turned out to be an old acquaintance. Tang Xiuchen, whom I met at the crossroads that night.
The hushed conversation immediately ceased, and everyone's attention was focused on the stage.
"Thank you all for coming," Tang Xiuchen said with a smile, his gaze sweeping across the room. "As the main organizer of this gathering, I, Tang Xiuchen, on behalf of the organizing committee, would like to welcome the younger generation from all of you. The purpose of this gathering is to provide a platform for you to exchange ideas, learn from each other, and share your knowledge, so as to explore the profound path of Taoism together."
He paused briefly, his voice deepening, "Besides the planned social activities to deepen our friendships, there is another important segment today that I would like to invite everyone to witness—"
Before he could finish his deliberately drawn-out utterance, the two heavy, carved wooden doors of the banquet hall were suddenly pushed open from the outside!
The dull thud was particularly jarring in the silent hall.
Everyone's eyes turned to the doorway.
Six men dressed in grey Taoist robes, their expressions stern, filed in. Their steps were steady, their aura restrained, and their eyes held an undeniable authority. Even more chilling was the fact that they were escorting someone—
The man had typical Southeast Asian dark brown skin, high cheekbones, and thick black hair plastered messily to his forehead. His mouth was tightly sealed with black tape, allowing only suppressed whimpers to escape his throat. His eyes burned with the flames of anger, and his body trembled slightly with humiliation.
It was Sanan.
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Author's Note: The last chapter~
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