100 Therefore,
◎【Utterly stupid.】◎
Perhaps because the sect's assessment was approaching, there were many disciples in the library cramming for the exam, so the painting was not particularly conspicuous among them.
However, as the foremost immortal sect, Mount Dengxian possesses a vast collection of ancient books, spanning seventeen levels. Even though he had narrowed down the search area, finding the books remained a difficult task.
Furthermore, he couldn't ask too many questions; if he did, it would attract attention and Du Zhijin might find out.
He could only spend time and painstakingly flip through the books one by one, but after searching the entire library, he found not a single book that described how to ascend to immortality; they were all vague and esoteric descriptions.
Most importantly, Du Zhijin began to suspect his frequent outings.
"Where have you been gathering inspiration these past few days? I heard from Junior Sister Xiaoxiao that she saw you in the library yesterday evening." After nightfall, Ying Jianhua was about to go to bed after taking a bath when she was caught off guard by her question.
He paused for a moment, then turned around and took a book from the bookshelf, handing it to her: "I just happened to pass by Lingyun Lake and thought the scenery was very beautiful. The library happened to be nearby, so I looked around."
Du Zhijin nodded, returned the book "Danqing Lu" to him, and said nothing more. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he was fortunate to have kept a backup plan, which could cover things up a bit.
But Ying Jianhua quickly realized that she was in a bad mood tonight and clearly did not fully believe what she had just said.
Even so, she chose not to ask further, as if waiting for him to take the initiative to explain.
A pang of sadness quietly welled up inside him, like moss sprouting from the base of a wall after the rain—not painful, but intensely itchy, making him restless. He turned and wrapped his arms around the waist of the person beside him, burying his face in her hair.
Du Zhijin sensed his actions, patted his hand through the thin blanket, and whispered, "Go to sleep early. I'll go on a field trip with you tomorrow."
I still don't trust him.
He lowered his eyelashes, slowly closed his eyes, and replied, "...Mmm."
So, you don't want to be separated from me, do you?
————
The next day, Du Zhijin kept his promise and accompanied him on his field trip. Ying Jianhua also temporarily abandoned his search for books, taking only paper and pen with him as he wandered around, seemingly genuinely interested in the beautiful scenery.
She painted three paintings in total, all completed in one go, and the paintings were very beautiful, but she always felt that these paintings lacked a certain charm.
His explanation was: "Different scenes and different people naturally evoke different feelings."
She didn't think so. If the painting she received that day was of a perfect person with a complete soul, then the three paintings of today were like those of a fool who had lost his seven souls.
The writer had ulterior motives; in other words, Amo was hiding something from her.
It was clearly the height of summer, with the sun blazing and the wind swirling, yet her heart felt icy cold.
Du Zhijin put the painting into his sleeve as usual and said, "The sect leader said he wants to ask me about some things down the mountain. I'll be quite busy lately, so I'm afraid I'll have to go back a little later."
Ying Jianhua frowned slightly and nodded, saying, "It's alright, business is more important. Besides, I'm at home, so nothing will happen to me."
Now that she's not here, he'll have more time to find the answer.
Only one great demon remains. What if the sect leader came to her about this very matter? With all seven demons destroyed, the merit will be complete. Even if Du Zhijin is unwilling, she probably won't be able to escape it.
He had to seize every moment and not fall too far behind. He didn't want to be like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, separated by the Milky Way, meeting only once a year. He didn't want to only be able to watch her departing figure, unable even to see her one last time.
However, some things are beyond human control. The library had many books, but none of them seemed to be what he wanted.
Should we just give up now? And continue to let fate play its tricks on us?
The painting should be viewed with disapproval.
Just when he was at his wit's end, a disciple's casual remark gave him new hope: "Everyone says Elder Nangong's questions are tricky, and today I've seen it for myself. Where did you think he dug up those snippets from? Could they be from a forbidden book?"
Banned books?
He suddenly recalled that back in Yacheng, Du Zhijin had described the late emperor's method of achieving immortality as a "forbidden art." And wasn't achieving immortality precisely a forbidden art created by those who couldn't ascend to heaven? If there were forbidden arts, wouldn't there also be forbidden books?
His pulse suddenly quickened. He suppressed his excitement; having exhausted all other avenues, he had no choice but to try the hidden path.
As fate would have it, just as he decided to sneak into the library at night, Du Zhijin suddenly told him that he had to go out that night.
"They say there was a strange shipwreck nearby, with fishermen disappearing without a trace. The elders suspect it's the work of demons, so they sent me to investigate."
Seeing the worry on his face, she smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious, and I'm not alone, Junior Sister Xiaoxiao and the others are going too." "I know, be careful on the road," he said.
Ying Jianhua waited until they could no longer see their backs before closing the courtyard gate. At that moment, he was torn. On one hand, he desperately wanted to follow them, just like with the evil dragon; only seeing her safe with his own eyes would ensure her safety. On the other hand, he knew clearly that if he didn't act tonight, it would be difficult to find another opportunity. Weighing the two factors, his long-term considerations ultimately prevailed.
He put on the black robe again, chose the fourth floor where the candlelight was dimmest, and sneaked in.
If Du Zhijin hadn't taught him sword control, he probably wouldn't have been able to succeed so smoothly. Nevertheless, he was still discovered by the patrolling guards. Unlike the Prince Chengduan's mansion, the guards at Dengxian Mountain were very vigilant. Before the man could shout, he quickly stuck a needle into the back of his head, and then very lightly dragged him behind the bookshelf to hide him.
He brought sleeping pills; the guards wouldn't wake up for an hour.
Having gotten rid of the troublemakers, he began searching for the so-called banned books. But how easy is it to find a book that is explicitly prohibited in such a large library?
Ying Jianhua belatedly realized that he had been too hasty and should have been more composed.
But it was too late; now he had no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end. He gritted his teeth, his mind racing: of all the floors he hadn't been to in all these days, the seventeenth floor was the highest one; perhaps he should start there.
In the darkness, the white light of the jade hairpin flashed by and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye, as if it had never been there.
On the surface, the seventeenth floor is no different from the other floors of the library, with rows of bookshelves and a vast collection of volumes that seem to stretch as far as the eye can see.
The only difference is that, being on the top floor, the silvery moonlight outside the window is unobstructed.
The cool moon, like a delicate eyebrow, is pure and flawless, its light shining brightly for miles.
Perhaps the moon is more perfect when viewed from the sea. He couldn't help but think of Du Zhijin, who was elsewhere, and wondered what the scenery was like there.
He paused slightly, and as his mind raced, the moonlight at his fingertips seemed to come alive, quietly lengthening and subtly extending, as if pointing in a certain direction.
He instantly recalled that day in Prince Chengduan's study, when the moonlight helped him find his parents' belongings. At the time, he thought it was just a lucky coincidence, but now he realized that it might be a kind of guidance, just like the strange voice in his head.
He hesitated before taking a step, following the direction of the moonlight, and walked forward step by step.
Each floor of the library has a different category. For example, the third floor, which he often visits, is full of legends and stories. At first glance, the seventeenth floor seems to contain the relics of the great masters since the founding of the Dengxian Mountain sect, which explains why few people go there.
His gaze swept over the scroll, which clearly depicted a series of faces—portraits of various predecessors. He suddenly felt a surge of curiosity: could there be a portrait of Master Du Zhijin, the Venerable Gu Zhang?
The answer is natural. As the only cultivator to ascend to immortality in the past century, Gu Zhang enjoyed far higher treatment than others. Even his portrait occupied a separate space, with more detailed hair, making it appear lifelike.
Some of them... don't even look like simple paintings; the people in the paintings seem like they could come to life at any moment.
However, Ying Jianhua could not evaluate the painting in front of him from the perspective of an artist, because his intuition as a demon told him to run!
"call out!"
A sharp blade whistled through the air, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind. He couldn't dodge in time, and with a heavy bookshelf behind him, there was nowhere to escape.
He could only try his best to protect his vitals in order to save his life, but with the speed and force of that sword, he had almost no chance of survival.
In a flash, he thought quickly: Who wanted to kill him? Was it the trap on the seventeenth floor? Could the forbidden book be nearby?
Unfortunately, he was too late to get an answer, and he finally paid the price for his recklessness.
However, the sword tip stopped at his heart without even tearing his clothes.
The next instant, the sword appeared out of thin air and vanished just as suddenly. No, it didn't disappear on its own; it was more as if it had been shattered by something.
"Clatter".
The jade pendant fell to the ground with a crisp sound. Ying Jianhua quickly bent down to pick it up and found that there was a slight crack in the horizontal line in the middle of the character "舟" (boat).
His heart skipped a beat, worried that Du Zhijin might be in danger.
"It's not her who's in danger, it's you."
Ying Jianhua looked up in astonishment, first surprised that the person in front of her could see through his thoughts, and then realizing that she looked exactly like the person in the portrait!
He tentatively asked, "The True Man of Gu Zhang?"
So Zhang didn't die? Or was it just a wisp of her soul attached to the portrait? If it's the latter, perhaps she mistook him for a thief and that's why she attacked him.
He explained, "Please forgive me, sir! I did not mean to offend you. I was unaware that you were guarding this place, and I have disturbed you..." "No, I know who you are."
Gu Zhang pointed at the jade pendant in his hand, her voice turning cold: "Huai Zhou attached a wisp of her divine consciousness to it. She blocked an attack for you just now, otherwise you would be dead by now."
Divine consciousness? He wanted to ask, but he had too many important matters to attend to and had no time for such trivialities.
From the moment Gu Zhang started speaking, he felt that her voice was very familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, but it was like there was a thin membrane between them, and he could never figure it out.
Utterly stupid.
This sound was like a bolt from the blue, leaving Ying Jianhua frozen in place, unable to even breathe.
Seeing his bewildered expression, Gu Zhang felt pleasantly amused, and even his tone became much lighter: "Still can't figure it out?"
"I am the voice in your head."
[Author's Note]
One hundred chapters have passed, and the mystery is finally being revealed... This book is about to end!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com