Chapter 109: Drawing a Prison on the Ground
The Yaji Qingshe in the West Market was very lively today. For an object, two scholars even rolled up their sleeves and hit each other hard in the face. People present were watching. The chef of the restaurant opposite who was hitting the fish balls was not so strong. When the two men were almost exhausted, everyone pulled them apart.
The shopkeeper of Yaji Qingshe even hid behind the cabinet and hid the things in his arms, for fear that they would be torn apart by the two men.
"Eighty-five taels of gold, I have already agreed with Manager Xu, why do you come out and interfere?" He covered his bleeding nose and glared at the other party fiercely.
The man standing next to him who was pulled away was not to be outdone. "It's the highest bidder that wins. I can offer one hundred taels of gold. If you have the ability, you can add more."
"Manager Xu, businessmen shouldn't be so dishonest, right? I've already given you the twenty taels of gold deposit."
The people around them started to make a fuss, wanting to see the masterpiece that had caused the two young masters to fight so fiercely.
Shopkeeper Xu's face flushed red. This was not a painting that could be displayed in public.
If these two customers hadn't caused such a commotion during the delivery, he would have made a net profit of fifty taels of gold today.
The man who had paid the deposit came forward and tried to take it by force. "I've waited half a month for a painting like this. If anyone wants to snatch it from me today, you can try."
He spoke in a very arrogant tone, and the man who offered a hundred gold became angry again. The two of them pestered Shopkeeper Xu, both wanting the painting. During the fight, a picture of clear dew on the mountains unfolded in front of everyone.
The guests of Yaji Qingshe, both men and women, were all stunned.
Jiaoran came out today, intending to find Mu Jin and go to Guanghe Tower to eat roasted lamb together. However, thinking that he usually only went to those places, he came to Yaji Qingshe to look for him.
As soon as I stepped into the hall, I saw dozens of people gathered together, marveling at something.
Before Jiaoran could squeeze in, he heard one of the men say, "Mr. Yuanyu's paintings of erotica have reached the pinnacle of artistry. Compared to landscape paintings, his artistic conception and form are even better."
Jiaoran pushed aside the people in front of him, squeezed to the front, and saw the painting in Manager Xu's hand at a glance.
Seeing it was Jiaoran, Shopkeeper Xu quickly put away the painting and saluted, "Madam Jiaoran, what brings you here today?"
Jiaoran was stunned for a moment, feeling very depressed. He stretched out his hand and said, "Let me see it."
Seeing that she was not friendly, Shopkeeper Xu hurriedly handed the painting to the man who had paid the deposit. "Our Yaji Qingshe has been doing business for so many years, so we naturally have a good reputation. Mr. Qin, you have already paid the deposit for this painting. I will ask Xiaoye to collect the balance later. The painting is yours."
Young Master Qin's nosebleed started flowing again. He wiped it with his sleeve and took the painting treasure over, ignoring Jiaoran's obstruction.
Jiaoran didn't want to snatch other people's things in public, but she had already recognized who the painting belonged to.
She became more and more angry, but she couldn't tell why she was angry. She just didn't like everyone and wanted to kick them all away.
When they reached a deserted place, Ji Feng transformed into a human form, unable to keep up with her, "Where are you going, Qi Chong Chong?"
Jiao Ran said, "You don't need to meddle in other people's business."
"Are you going to find Mu Jin?"
"right."
"Are you so angry because he painted pornographic pictures?"
"Shouldn't I be angry?"
She stepped forward to block Jiaoran. "Then why are you angry because he painted erotic paintings?"
Jiaoran was stunned by her question.
Yes, there are so many people drawing erotic pictures, why is she so angry?
She couldn't explain what was going on and was feeling distressed when she heard someone on the street say that there was a fire.
Someone beside him was hurriedly pushing a cart filled with wooden barrels. Jiaoran followed him and prepared to help put out the fire.
Tongues of flame rolled out of the window sill, and the crying and shouting of children and adults could be heard from inside, one after another.
She was a little confused. She felt that something like this had happened once before: a fire and many people putting out the fire.
Jiaoran didn't think any more, turned over and jumped, more agile than a monkey, into the window, and took a look. The house was filled with thick smoke. There was a woman and two children, the older one was about ten years old, and the younger one was only five or six years old.
Jiaoran grabbed one child in each hand and rescued the two children first.
He jumped steadily to the ground, handed the two children to the care of the people below, and returned to the fire scene to rescue the woman.
The woman thought she had risked her life to rescue the child, but she didn't expect him to come back to save her.
Jiaoran grabbed her waist and led her out, "Is there anyone else inside?"
The woman was still in shock and fell to the ground. Suddenly she said that there was an old man who was bedridden.
Jiao Ran said, "Why do you remember it now?"
There was no time to blame her, and he rushed into the fire again. The fire was getting more and more intense, and more people were trying to put it out. If the whole street caught fire, it would be a disaster.
The bright red flames enveloped her, and she was choked by the thick smoke and almost couldn't breathe.
Ji Feng transformed into a human form and distinguished the scent of mortals in the smoke. She couldn't see where the old man was just by looking, but the smell of the smoke was too strong, and she couldn't get rid of the smoke to smell the human scent for a while.
He turned around and said to Jiaoran, "Get out quickly, or you will really be burned to death here."
When he looked, Jiaoran was stunned.
"What's wrong with you?" Ji Feng pushed her.
"I……"
Jiaoran groped around in the thick smoke, shouting loudly, "Is there anyone there?"
After shouting several times, I finally heard a faint cry for help from a corner, and the beams of the house fell down one after another.
Jiaoran stepped forward and grabbed his thin shoulders. On the burning desk, she saw pieces of calligraphy and paintings, all burned to ashes.
She was stunned for a moment, and the burning wall covered with calligraphy and paintings seemed to slowly overlap with the scene in front of her.
It was too late, so she carried the old man out of the fire.
Perhaps the old man was too frightened, and after being rescued, he was unable to speak for a long time.
His son rushed over and saw that his father's hands and feet were burned. He thought Jiaoran was sent by the government to rescue people, but he ended up hurting the man and started cursing.
His wife was furious. "If it weren't for this lady's martial arts skills, my mother and I would have been burned to death, and your father wouldn't have been able to get out! How could you be so shameless after saving my life?"
When the man heard that Jiaoran was not an official but an ordinary citizen who saved people, he was speechless for a moment.
Jiaoran ignored the voice behind him, and his mind was filled with an attic.
Crying child.
Tourmaline bracelet.
Erotic paintings, calligraphy and paintings.
Ashes scattered in the air like white snow.
The back of that person looks lonely and sad.
Seeing that she was not feeling well, Ji Feng found a deserted place and walked side by side with her, "What's wrong with you?"
Jiaoran shook his head, his face pale.
"Are you hurt?" Ji Feng grabbed her and looked at her arms and neck, finding no external injuries.
"You weren't burned, but you hit your head?"
Jiao Ran said, "I hit my head. Otherwise, how could I forget the most important details? How could I... forget every moment I loved him, leaving only the details."
As soon as she finished speaking, a heart-piercing pain surged up for no reason and spread throughout her body in an instant. Her heart seemed to be pierced by countless sharp swords, but not from the outside, but from the bottom of her heart. When those sharp swords pierced her flesh and blood, she was overwhelmed by an unbearable pain. She could not bear it and squatted on the ground in pain. In a moment, she could not even squat down, so she fell to the ground sideways with her face pressed against the ground.
"Jiao Ran!"
Mu Jin frantically searched for her on the streets, but couldn't find any trace of her.
A smile flashed across Ji Feng's face, and he whispered to Jiao Ran, "You defeated him because you are stronger than him. He is just a coward."
He released a golden butterfly from his hand and said, "Go find Mu Jin, he's nearby."
When Mu Jin arrived, there was no one around her. Seeing her in so much pain, he almost felt like he was living a life worse than death, "Jiao Ran..."
Waves of pain came towards her, but in her daze she saw Mu Jin stumbling towards her.
Her mind had never been so clear, and all the fog that had covered her heart dissipated.
She remembered that Zhu Su had pulled out her love, and that she had ignored him, hurt him, and hated him in the past year.
That was not her intention, she just forgot, and she didn't know what was wrong with her. She had clearly tried very hard to preserve all the memories with him. They had finally been together, but she didn't care at all about every day she spent with him.
Mu Jin lifted her up, grasped her wrist, and ripped her fingers from her palm, leaving several bloody crescents on her palm. He held her in his arms and spoke loudly to the person beside him, "As long as she is no longer in pain, I am willing to leave. You take her with you. Come on, take her with you."
But the only answer he got was silence.
Jiaoran snuggled in his arms, "I'm sorry, how could I forget the past."
He said, "I don't blame you. I know it's not your fault. The disputes you're involved in aren't just worldly disputes. I think you're facing people who are more terrifying than those mortals in the martial arts world who fight and kill with swords."
He stopped her from apologizing. "I never blamed you. All my frustrations were because I realized my own incompetence. I watched you get hurt, watched you struggle in confusion, but I couldn't guide you out. I don't blame you. Do you hear me? I never blame you."
"I now remember what the answer to his question was."
"What answer?"
"After killing the Phoenix Chick, what do I want to do? All I want is to live with you like an ordinary couple, accompanying each other, understanding, protecting, and taking care of each other."
Mu Jin took her back. He saw her pain but could not share it. At some point, she suddenly felt lighter and the pain disappeared, as if she had reached a new realm.
She was in an empty space, with nothing on it. The ground was neither gravel nor dirt, and there were no clouds in the sky.
Jiaoran didn't know where to go. Was she dying of pain?
Then he thought of the Wonderful Land of Fish and Dragons and shouted, "Zhu Su, come out!"
I called him several times, but he didn't show up.
Jiaoran continued walking forward, cursing as he went, "Come out, you coward! You uprooted my love. Did you think that way I would do everything you told me to do? You've made me lose my understanding of love. You've made me hurt the person I care about the most with my own hands. You've also erased my memories, haven't you? You're despicable and shameless!"
I heard Zhu Su's voice beside me, "Keep going west, keep going until you see a forest."
Jiaoran was about to ask him why he didn't come out and whether he was afraid of her.
But he continued, "Kuang Heng followed you in. He has already found you, which means he has completely mastered it. From now on, you will not be able to hide from him. No matter where you go, you will not be able to escape him. He will definitely kill you."
Jiaoran walked forward, his voice lingering in her ears.
"Don't say anything. Just follow my instructions and walk forward until you reach the woods. I'll use my jade flute to create a circle. Meditate inside the circle and don't come out."
Jiaoran indeed felt an extremely powerful oppressive force surrounding her from behind. It seemed that Zhu Su was right.
She walked for a long time and finally saw the forest.
Walking into the woods, she saw a circle of silver light on the grass and stepped into it.
The powerful force instantly turned into a huge golden palm, trying to grab Jiaoran.
There was a small sapling in each of the four corners of the circle. In the blink of an eye, the sapling suddenly turned into a giant tree, surrounding Jiaoran in the middle.
The giant tree continued to expand outward, and the forest continued to shrink inward, and the golden palm was eventually squeezed into powder.
Jiao Ran was shocked by the miracle before his eyes, "You killed him?"
Zhu Su then appeared. After he appeared, the four giant trees moved back into the forest as if they had grown legs, standing shoulder to shoulder with the other trees.
"You can't kill him. What happened just now was just his clone. It would be useless even if I killed his clone. You must kill him in the human world, kill him completely. This time, you can't let him escape again."
Jiao Ran said, "I know you've been hiding a lot of things from me, but I just want to know one thing: is Phoenix Young related to my mother's death?"
Zhu Su said, "Of course."
"Why did he kill my mother, and why did he scheme for me to re-enter the Governor's Mansion and see Mu Jin?"
Zhu Su said, "Perhaps you should ask him himself."
"Everything in the world has its own destiny. You told me this before. So, what will be the final outcome for Mu Jin and me?"
He said, "I can't tell you."
"You are a god, possessing powers beyond those of mortals. I don't believe you know nothing."
"The secret of heaven cannot be revealed. If I tell you, then everything will become even more uncontrollable. Just remember to complete your mission."
"I can kill him, are you sure?"
"If I tell you that ten of you plus ten Skinny Dragon Swords might not be enough to kill him, would you still go?"
Jiao Ran said yes, "I want to go. I want to find out what happened back then. Also, I want to know what Zhou Zhi did. Did she have any true feelings for me during those sixteen years, or was it all a scam?"
Zhu Su stretched out his hand, asking her to give it to him, but she already remembered that he had erased her memory in the same way last time. "Don't even think about it."
"I'm doing this for your own good. If you didn't have so many attachments, if you weren't moved, emotionally attached, or obsessed, then you wouldn't be affected by Gao Shan Shou and would be able to maximize its effectiveness. Let go of love, Jiao Ran, and stop being so stubborn."
Jiao Ran took a step back and flatly refused, "No way, you pulled out my love roots, making me numb and insensitive to all kinds of emotions in the world, but I still remembered it, and I also remembered the feeling of love again. I don't want to become a cold person, no way! Believe it or not, if you pull it out once, I will grow it again, because I know what true love in the world is like. From childhood to adulthood, I have always believed that I am loved. When I was a child, it was my mother, my senior sister, my father, and my senior brothers and sisters. Later, when I grew up, Mu Jin treated me with sincerity. My heart is full of seeds of love. What's the point of pulling out the love roots? Unless you cut out my heart and make me completely dead, my heart will no longer beat, and my tears will no longer be shed for the person I love. Only then will my love roots wither."
He sighed, slowly turned around and closed his eyes. Just like the circle he had drawn for Jiaoran, he thought he was trying to protect her, but at the same time, he was also drawing a prison, trapping her. He thought he could control her, but that circle could never hold her.
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