Chapter 186: The Secret of Life
Ning Mingmei thought for only a moment before answering, "Yes. Jiang Wu left a map in the cold painting screen. There are two coordinates on the map. The first coordinate is Jiang Heng's cave in the secret realm, and the second coordinate is the cave left by Weng Xingyun. I think you need the things in the cave more than the relics in the cave?"
After hearing the movement in the jade pendant, Ning Mingmei said, "They found the cave first, and are trying to find a way to open it. I think you have to make a decision quickly. You can only choose one, the cave or the cave mansion."
Now it seems that the things in the cave are what the mob needs more.
The boy looked at him and pursed his lips slightly. After a moment, he said, "Can you do it alone?"
"What?"
Chang Feichang said: "Is it safe for you to explore the secrets alone?"
Ning Mingmei was stunned. Obviously, he never expected Chang Feichang to say such a thing. After a moment, he said, "Of course."
"Okay." Chang Feichang put something into Ning Mingmei's palm and nodded, "I'm leaving."
When Chang Feichang turned around, Ning Mingmei looked at his thin back, lowered his eyes, and said: "If I were you, I wouldn't hang out with the mob."
“…”
"If someone like you hang out with them, aren't you afraid that you will end up being used as a knife by them?" Ning Mingmei said.
This time, Chang didn't move around much. He turned his back to Ning Mingmei and said after a moment: "No."
Until he left, Ning Mingmei didn't know whether Chang Feichang meant that he "would not be afraid" or that he would not allow himself to be used as a knife.
Ning Mingmei just stood there and looked at his back for a moment, then turned and walked towards the cave. Before leaving, Chang Feichang put something in his hand - a magical self-defense heart-protecting mirror. There was a lot of blood on it.
He stopped at a certain place, injected his magic power and tested it for a while. This time, when the system detected his emotional fluctuations again, it heard Ning Mingmei say softly: "... a little disgusting."
The system asked, "What's wrong? Is there something fishy in the heart-protecting mirror?"
"No, it's just a magic weapon for self-defense." Ning Mingmei said, "So I said, I feel really disgusting."
What is so disgusting? The system was confused for a long time, and it still didn't understand until Ning Mingmei arrived at the lake.
Did Ning Mingmei mean that he suspected there might be something wrong with the heart-protecting mirror given by Chang Feichang, and that it was disgusting to inject his own magic power into testing it?
The system moved, and it tried to say: "But there is no other way. This world is full of intrigues and deceptions. And you really can't give trust so quickly."
Ning Mingmei didn't even turn his head: "That's why I said it's disgusting."
The mountains and lake before me are as beautiful as a dream.
Amid the misty and light fog, there is a gem-like lake. Supporting the lake are blue-purple mountains. Ning Mingmei landed on one side of the lake. He saw many flowers and trees growing by the lake. Among them was the bellflower he needed to find.
The bellflower actually looks very similar to the lily of the valley. The large white flowers swayed slightly in the wind. Looking at its beautiful and pure appearance, it is hard to imagine that it is actually a poisonous plant. But Ning Mingmei was not in a hurry to pick them. He looked towards the lake and did not see any cave that could be considered the entrance to the cave.
Finally, he came to a white rock on the shore.
This white stone looks very ordinary. But Ning Mingmei's intuition told him that this thing was the entrance to the cave. He stared at the white stone for a long time and didn't notice that he was still holding the heart-protecting mirror in his hand. When he lowered his head, he suddenly discovered that drops of blood from the breastplate had dripped into the white stone.
After the blood drop was dripped in, no further signs occurred. Ning Mingmei looked at Bai Shi for a long time. He seemed to have thought of something and scratched his fingers with his fingernails.
Then, he pressed his bleeding finger upwards.
“Crash…crash…”
The calm lake water parted. Appearing under the lake was the entrance to the cave.
Ning Mingmei's expression did not become relaxed after seeing the cave. On the contrary, his expression became even more serious.
He held the cold painting screen in his hand and stepped into this long-sealed cave - rather than stepping into a cave, he was stepping into more like a horrific piece of history.
Ning Mingmei stepped into the long corridor. There is light at the end of the corridor, and you can vaguely see the scene outside. At this moment, Ning Mingmei heard a sigh.
A woman's sigh.
who?
"You're here at last," the voice said.
You can tell that the voice was once very beautiful. Now it's all hoarse. Ning Mingmei said: "You are..."
"You should be asking who I am at this moment. Unfortunately, you cannot talk to me. What exists here is just a video I left behind with my spiritual power when I was alive." The woman said, "And I may be dead at this moment."
The woman's voice was cold. Even when talking about his own life and death, he remained cold and calm. Ning Mingmei whispered her name: "Jiang Heng."
"If at this moment, you guessed that my name is Jiang Heng, not Jiang Wu. Then congratulations, Jiang Wu, you are a very smart child." said the woman.
Ning Mingmei: ...
"I am Jiang Heng. I don't know how people in the future will mention me in front of you - it doesn't matter. My twin sister Jiang Wu is your biological mother. You are her child with the Buddhist disciple Chang Qing. In the eyes of the public, you are the child of the emperor and me. The reason is very simple. I used you to pretend to be the child of the emperor and me in order to gain more power." The woman said, "Unfortunately, we failed."
The woman's voice paused. It was obvious that she was very weak at this moment. She said, "There are some things I left for you in the cave. You can take them and leave, or you can stay here and listen to me tell you about your life and our life. Jiang Wu said that you would want to know our story. It is everyone's instinct to want to know their own life. Well, I can't understand this. In my life, there is only a way forward, not a way back. But since she said so, I will leave these things behind."
The cave entrance was just around the corner, and Ning Mingmei was inside the cave, quietly waiting for the story to be told.
He didn't leave. In addition to the two people's life stories, he also wanted to know one more thing.
——Why didn’t Jiang Heng say “you” but “you” instead.
Just as she knew from the beginning that only one child would return here.
…
Jiang Heng doesn't have many memories of his childhood. Perhaps, from the moment her parents died and she was sold by her uncles, those memories and her life experience were no longer worth mentioning to her. What she remembered most clearly about her childhood was the feather-like price tag stuck on her body and the furnace-like physique that both of them were born with, which was discovered by a passing Taoist priest.
The Taoist priest who bought them and was going to resell them said with a smile that they were both very lucky.
The crying of other girls and boys in the same carriage upset her. This "good luck" led to them being sold into the world of immortal cultivation. Twins are rare, and twins who are both cauldrons are even rarer. The boss then waited for a good price. They looked at the fate of other furnaces and knew that staying here was definitely not a good thing. So they fled.
Bad news and good news come together. Jiang Wu escaped, but Jiang Heng did not. She was beaten so badly by those people that even her bones were almost destroyed.
From that day on, she knew that she could not expect any people or rules that already existed in the world of immortal cultivation to give her fairness. There is no space for furnaces and cauldrons to survive in the world of cultivating immortals. Then she can only become stronger, and find another way to become more evil than evil, and stronger than strong.
Later, she was rescued and entered Changlemen, a prestigious and upright sect specially set up for furnaces and cauldrons. Unfortunately, this so-called famous and upright sect is not that good.
The days of pain continued. She practiced hard, but her dantian was always like a gourd with a hole in it, and the condensed spiritual energy would soon flow out. At that moment she suddenly realized that she must find a usable method of cultivation.
Finally, one summer night, she heard several disciples from famous and upright sects talking about an event that happened a thousand years ago as if they were discussing a ghost story. The event was about a woman, an island, and a magical skill that anyone could practice.
Anyone can practice... magic skills.
Jiang Heng didn't understand why the other cauldrons around him showed expressions of fear when they heard the word "magic power". They even acted more afraid of this so-called magic skill than the disciples of famous and upright sects - this was really strange, as if Lu Ding would be accepted by the world of immortal cultivation if he did not practice this magic skill. The furnace cauldron is not considered a person in the world of immortal cultivation, and the magic skills are not considered a technique in the world of immortal cultivation, so aren’t the furnace cauldron and the magic skills a match made in heaven?
Since it is heresy for the Lu Ding to become stronger, then is there anything that the Lu Ding cannot do?
The furnace and tripod can be used for anything.
She carefully inquired about the news of Spark Island. Finally, she learned about the overseas island and the fact that it was covered by black smoke and black water. There are people in the world who don't want to explore this island, but unfortunately, they all died. Ordinary cultivators with cultivation will die, let alone a furnace?
But when Jiang Heng woke up from his dream in the middle of the night, he suddenly thought of a sentence.
Is there any difference between dying quickly on the island and dying slowly in life?
She thought about it and decided not.
But she wasn't going to explore the island outright—she was trying to find a way that no one else had. She went to inquire about the legends about Weng Xingyun and read the records and rumors about her. She would not let go of any news that was even remotely related to that woman, even rumors that became more and more outrageous as they spread - such as she had four main male followers, each of whom had an unspeakable relationship with her... and other obscene rumors like that. For thousands of years, people have been good at using this kind of thing to destroy a person.
Thus, the image of this woman gradually became fuller in her mind - no longer a legend, but a young girl. Finally one day, she suddenly realized that Weng Xingyun should have a space of her own.
In any legend about Spark Island, she is always professional, her office is clean, efficient and correct - but any correct method requires repeated practice. Moreover, she is a woman and should have space to store her personal belongings and space to rest.
And she noticed another rumor.
According to legend, on the day when Xinghuo Island was finally destroyed, some people hypocritically said that they should let Weng Xingyun go to Huixianding again so that everyone could talk it out face to face. Deserted by his friends and relatives, Weng Xingyun went to the meeting alone.
But she didn't bring her own sword.
Everyone knows about Weng Xingyun's sword. That was her natal sword, like half of her incarnation, her sword will and soul. It had accompanied her from the time she first entered the martial arts world, through glory and slander, until the very end. But on the day of the trial, she only brought an ordinary sword but not her natal sword.
Jiang Heng thought about it for a long time. She read the rumors about this woman, and that blurry face always accompanied her day or night. Finally one day, when she saw one of her fellow Lu Ding disciples carefully and cherishingly put one of her jade hairpins in a box before being forcibly "voluntarily" taken away by a group of disciples, she suddenly understood.
To that fellow student, the jade hairpin was her most treasured relic from her mother. She had numbly accepted her fate, but was unwilling to let her only cherished memory be "insulted" in the atrocities.
The most precious memories should not be tainted by even the slightest bit of dirt. Even if it appears in such a scene, it won’t work.
At that moment, Jiang Heng suddenly understood why Weng Xingyun did not bring his natal sword. On that day, at Huixianding, where all the famous families gathered to discuss the matter, they kept saying insincerely that they wanted her to explain the matter clearly - it was like a ridiculous hearing that was just a formality. How can I prove my innocence in this situation? Spark Island has long been convicted. Rather than a fair and just inquiry, this would be more of a one-sided insult.
An insult to the soul and integrity.
So, she didn't bring her own natal sword here after all. It is said that a sword cultivator like her who is at the fusion stage can already possess a sword spirit of his own. How could she tolerate herself and her sword being humiliated? But she still decided to come here. She went to the meeting alone, with dignity.
At least, that's what she thought. Even when she arrived at Huixianding, Weng Xingyun knew that she had no longer thought about the possibility of "winning" or even "making it clear".
In other words, there is never a possibility of "mutual understanding" between people. All "mutual understanding" actually occurs based on each other's position.
When she came here, she already knew that she would never have the chance to go back.
This is indeed the case. Before the confession meeting, Spark Island had been surrounded. On the day of the confession meeting, some people claimed that Xinghuo Island took the initiative to attack. Blood and war swept through Huixianding that day, and Xinghuo Island, which had been surrounded for several days. The fire was boundless and burned for thirty days. And the girl who went to the meeting alone did die on the island.
No one knows how many times she was stabbed in the end. Only the person who saw her at the end saw her back bleeding with every step, and finally she fell on the stone steps.
Weng Xingyun must have placed her natal sword somewhere, a suitable place to store things that would be convenient for her to travel between Xinghuo Island and it.
"Then, I found this secret realm." The woman's voice said, "This secret realm was once privately owned by the ancient gods. Later, Weng Xingyun found it. The resources she distributed like magic came from this secret realm. Before giving out a technique, she practiced it countless times alone. I found her techniques on the stone wall of the cave and copied them down. In addition, I also found there... Do you know the Glazed Lotus Lantern?"
Ning Mingmei nodded - even though the woman was no longer visible. Jiang Heng's voice continued, "The Glazed Lotus Lamp is an ancient sacred object of the Gods. It once belonged to the goddess who opened the Heavenly Gate. The goddess held a sword in one hand and a lamp in the other. Later, the Glazed Treasure Lamp was found by Weng Xingyun. The Glazed Lotus Lamp is actually made from six lotus seeds. These six lotus seeds came from a lotus pod."
"That lotus pod is in this secret place."
"When the world was in chaos, the lotus pod had seven seeds. The one in the center was more powerful than the others. When the ancient gods refined the glazed lotus lamp, they only took the six seeds next to it and kept the one in the middle. In fact, the lotus seed in the middle is the core of the lotus pod. It has extremely powerful power... even the ability to fulfill people's wishes. Some people say that Weng Xingyun made a wish to that lotus seed before she died. As the price of the wish, her soul is still trapped in the lotus seed... It sounds like nonsense." The woman said coldly, "When I arrived, I only saw the lotus pod. There were no seven lotus seeds in it. I have to say, it's a pity."
Ning Mingmei: ...
The woman said, "What's even more regrettable is that Weng Xingyun didn't leave the Glazed Treasure Lamp here. She gave the lamp to someone she trusted. That person was one of her most important companions. She asked him to use it to take the old and young women and children of Xinghuo Island to escape. And she went alone to meet them... Maybe it would be enough for those people to kill her. But how is it possible? I later read about what happened to them in books. It was easy for that great man to escape by himself, but it was difficult to escape with everyone. What's more, he seemed to be betrayed. They were trapped somewhere outside the island, in the miasma, with no ammunition and food, and even the wick that drove the lotus lamp was used up. So, they had to use human blood to replace the wick - the blood of cultivators with five elements of spiritual roots. Later, ordinary human blood began to be mixed. The magic power of the lotus lamp became more and more evil, and they thoroughly established the name of "evil cultivators", and were attacked by the lotus lamp. Later, the great man escaped."
It turns out that the powerful man who was dying and hiding in Wangsheng Mountain actually had such a story behind him.
Past experiences were linked together one by one. Ning Mingmei clenched the painted lotus lantern in his arms with his fingers. Jiang Heng's voice continued, "There are no lotus lanterns in the secret realm. But fortunately, there are other things in the notes of Spark Island. So I decided to refine the lotus pod into a magical tool. To do this, I need the most important things from each of the six realms to fill the gaps of the seven lotus seeds."
"At that time, I had already escaped from Changle Gate. I went to the demon world and finally to the devil world. I didn't have a name at that time, but it didn't matter. I didn't regard the nouns they used to call me as names. Until I entered the palace of the devil world to steal and was caught, that day, I met Jiang Wu. We recognized each other." she said.
Jiang Wu is nominally the adopted daughter of the Old Demon Lord and also the Holy Maiden of the Hehuan Sect. In fact, she is constantly carrying out the survival of the fittest in a life-and-death situation, and constantly doing the dirty work that involves a life-and-death situation. The old demon lord has too many adopted sons and daughters. Therefore, under her manipulation, the Old Demon Lord did not kill Jiang Heng, but took her in as another adopted daughter.
Jiang Wu was sent to carry out an almost impossible mission and nearly lost his life.
Over the years, Jiang Wu's life has been equally dangerous. What's more, she has the moody Jiang Duo by her side. Jiang Duo treated Jiang Wu as his adopted sister, and the way he expressed his love for her was his desire to kill her one knife at a time.
After many years, the two depended on each other again. They trusted no one else but each other and quickly agreed on a plan. However, all along, it was Jiang Heng who carried out the plan more coldly and rigidly. Compare Jiang Wu to Jiang Heng. She needs to be a little softer.
"So, at the beginning, when I saw that you were twins, I was very happy." The woman said, "It's like Chang Qing didn't exist, and you were just our children... But unfortunately, in the end, you are the only one left."
Ning Mingmei narrowed his eyes. He heard Jiang Heng say, "As for the other one, I think he is dead."
What happened next was just as Chang Jing said. Jiang Heng entered the palace, disguised his identity, and deceived the entire royal family, especially the emperor's luck, to practice martial arts and forge magic tools. The emperor was a young prince, a handsome man with a frail, elegant demeanor. Maybe he was really obsessed with Jiang Heng, but Jiang Heng didn't care.
Jiang Heng improved his skills. But she was too radical, and as a result, she began to lose her sight. Jiang Wu approaches Fuzi and tries to find an antidote for her.
At the same time, Jiang Heng sped up his movements. She had to complete the refining before she became completely blind, she couldn't wait any longer.
If she died, she could still leave the newly refined magic weapon to Jiang Wu.
They both give the same thing to everyone.
Jiang Wuxian succeeded, but not completely. She did get a clue from the Buddha's heart, and the Buddha stopped everyone from chasing her. Unfortunately, before the antidote was developed, a coup occurred in the palace.
Ultimately, they failed and fled, only to be betrayed.
The person who betrayed them was a princess. The princess had an affair with the imperial teacher and Jiang Heng had caught her with evidence. On the day of the palace coup, Jiang Heng saved her life. She didn't expect that this only act of kindness would lead to her betrayal.
The one who led away the pursuers was Jiang Wu. When they were children, Jiang Heng once led away the pursuers and allowed his sister to escape. The one who stood up first this time was Jiang Wu.
Jiang Wu eventually died. She died in a dilapidated temple, and her body was seen by everyone.
Meanwhile…
"The princess gave birth to a child." Jiang Heng said.
Ning Mingmei's heart suddenly moved.
Then he heard Jiang Heng say, "I used her child to replace another child."
Jiang Heng couldn't escape with her two children alone. She took a chance.
The princess who betrayed them had died in the palace coup. She gave the child to the maid as a shield. She disguised herself as a maid and escaped with her two children. She returned to the secret realm, intending to recuperate. Unexpectedly, on the way, he was followed by the imperial teacher who had an affair with the princess.
The two fought in a secret realm. Jiang Heng eventually killed the Imperial Master, but...
"Another child, disappeared," she said. "In the middle of a fight."
disappear?
Ning Mingmei had not yet recovered from the first round of shock. Although the previous news was almost something he had expected.
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