Seeing the spiritual light flashing on the spiritual pet pouch, Xie Zhichao thought it was some powerful spiritual pet. Before the white light dispersed, she asked curiously, “Daoist friend, what kind of spiritual pet is this? It looks, it looks—” But the moment she saw it clearly, she couldn’t finish her praise and finally couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Daoist friend Bo, why is it a stupid donkey!” Daoist friend Bo was also good-natured. Although the donkey’s hoof didn’t kick her, the kicked-up sand and stones firmly landed on her hem.
Wei Yunshu performed a Cleansing Dust spell and smiled, “It’s fate.” Fortunately, after spending some time with A Mang, she had figured out the temper of this fellow. She took out a handful of pills and offered them. As expected, the petulant creature immediately calmed down and became exceptionally docile.
Xie Zhichao watched with amazement. Although these were ordinary Vitality Cultivation Pills, each one was of superior quality. Feeding it like this, even a dull pig could gain intelligence. “I say, Daoist Friend Bo, with this free time, why not get a spiritual beast that can assist in battle?” Xie Zhichao said. Before Wei Yunshu could answer, A Mang snorted disdainfully and vigorously flicked its tail. Xie Zhichao laughed heartily, glanced at the sky, exchanged a few pleasantries with Wei Yunshu, and then turned to go back inside.
The courtyard instantly became deserted.
A Mang was busy eating pills and had no spare time to pay attention to Wei Yunshu.
Wei Yunshu didn’t mind. She stood with her hands behind her back, observing the scenery around her. She had visited Funeral Heaven Pass a few times before, but most of the time she directly bypassed the pass and headed straight for the defensive line in front. Therefore, she was unfamiliar with the outpost here. As long as the Corridor of Sins did not disappear, there would be incidents of evil cultivators crossing the border into various regions. However, this time, she felt an ominous premonition.
Taking a long breath, Wei Yunshu looked up at the distant moon in the sky. Just as she was about to turn back into the house, she suddenly heard a clear and melodious zither sound. Before she could fully comprehend it, her body involuntarily moved towards the courtyard exit.
The continuous, flowing zither music had changed. It was now sharp and clear like sword calls, as if a drawn sword was piercing through the air, striking in all directions. Killing intent permeated the air, like a surging torrent of ten thousand horses galloping, profoundly stirring the heart. Following that, the short, crisp notes skipped across the strings, like a sword that left no room for retreat, and finally became gentle and flowing again.
Wei Yunshu’s heart trembled with emotion.
This was the second time she had heard this melody.
The first time was on the day she fell into the abyss, when Luo Lingfeng sent her off with this piece.
She had always thought Luo Lingfeng cultivated the Way of the Zither. The zither had twenty-four melodies, corresponding to the twenty-four solar terms of the mortal world, with life and death occurring within the cycle of a year.
Luo Lingfeng’s zither was named “Severed Strings,” which was very inauspicious. And within that inauspicious zither, there was also a sword named “Shattered Dream.”
It shattered a dream she had been indulging in for decades, unwilling to awaken.
In a daze, she had already walked into the woods, and Wei Yunshu stopped. Not far away, there was a small pavilion, nestled among flowers and trees, appearing lovely and graceful under the moonlight. She lowered her head, preparing to turn back, when she unexpectedly heard a voice.
“Master, what is this song called?” Yun Dan blinked, looking at Luo Lingfeng with great curiosity.
Luo Lingfeng’s gaze was fixed on her, and she said word by word, “The Path of No Return.” It was Wei Yunshu’s path of no return, and also her own path of no return.
Yun Dan’s smile faded with Luo Lingfeng’s indifferent words. She lowered her eyelashes, feeling somewhat vexed and sorrowful. She raised her hand to cover her chest and said softly, “I don’t know why, but I always feel a bit upset when I hear it.”
Luo Lingfeng narrowed her eyes and raised her eyebrows. “Is that so?”
Yun Dan said dejectedly, “It’s as if… something has left me, and I can’t remember it, nor can I grasp it.”
Luo Lingfeng raised her hand and cupped it as if to grasp something. A wisp of flowing wind slipped through her fingertips, leaving no trace behind. A murderous intent flashed in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it. She sighed, “Then do not try to grasp it.” If this was Wei Yunshu’s soul-attached body, remembering it would only increase her troubles. If not, then what was the point of feeling anything? Wei Yunshu had achieved peace in life and death, but why couldn’t the lingering gloom she left behind be completely dispersed? Thinking of this, Luo Lingfeng’s turbulent emotions were almost uncontainable. Her fingertips rested on the zither strings, and before she could pluck them, chilling spiritual energy and malevolent qi flowed out.
Yun Dan watched secretly, alarmed.
She had indeed heard talk of this Consort having gone mad. But no matter what, she was a Cavern Heaven True Monarch. If she truly fell into a state of madness, it would likely cause waves throughout the Immortal Realm. Perhaps this current incarnation had some flaws, insufficient to suppress her emotions? Yun Dan was lost in thought. Luo Lingfeng, however, plucked a zither string, and the sound waves transformed into blades, instantly leveling the bushes and striking directly at Wei Yunshu standing on the bluestone path!
Wei Yunshu’s eyes shifted slightly. She raised her hand and patted it, suppressing this sound blade. She lowered her gaze to the bloodstain on her palm. Her emotions churned, but her expression remained unchanged. She circulated her Xuan cultivation technique, and the wound gradually disappeared.
Luo Lingfeng had found her.
She should have left immediately, but the emotions she thought she had completely let go of surged up again, anchoring her footsteps.
She knitted her brows, looking at the graceful figure walking in the moonlight, thinking that Luo Lingfeng had changed a lot, or rather, had returned to her original appearance.
In Cloud City, Luo Lingfeng mostly wore shades of green, white, and blue, appearing elegant and detached. Occasionally, in luxurious attire, she was dignified and noble, not like her current attire of a red dress and black cloak. White hair cascaded over her shoulders, without any pearls or jade hairpins. Her skin was fair, her lips crimson, and her eyes like sharp blades, exuding an eerie and captivating beauty.
“Master, this Daoist friend came with the Buzhou disciples. She is cooperating with us in investigating the evil cultivators,” Yun Dan said quickly upon seeing Wei Yunshu, explaining the situation.
Luo Lingfeng ignored Yun Dan and stared at Wei Yunshu, her eyes unblinking. The person before her had an ordinary appearance, holding a whisk, like a common Daoist found anywhere in the mountains. She would never have given her a second glance if they had met casually. However, those eyes, bright and sharp like stars, made Luo Lingfeng unable to look away. They seemed to contain extremely rich and profound emotions, yet upon further inspection, they returned to a state of silent tranquility, both emotional and emotionless. A powerful tremor arose in her heart, an emotion that Yun Dan and her ilk could not provide. It was as if everything she yearned for was about to break through the haze and manifest before her!
Luo Lingfeng continued to walk forward. With each step, she released a bit of pressure. A peculiar smile played on her lips, as if she were appreciating something.
Wei Yunshu’s brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed like rolling clouds. She avoided Luo Lingfeng’s gaze, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, and looked towards the flowers and trees to the side. With a loud bang, the swaying, blooming flowers and trees were crushed by a torrent-like spiritual energy. As the dust and smoke cleared, the surroundings became suddenly empty, and the view widened.
What did she mean by this? Wei Yunshu couldn’t quite figure it out. She had never understood Luo Lingfeng’s emotions in the past, and now she couldn’t discern them at all.
Yun Dan had been following closely behind Luo Lingfeng. She didn’t know why Luo Lingfeng was interested in a seemingly unremarkable female cultivator. However, anything related to Luo Lingfeng made her alert. So she continued to smile and said, “Master, this Daoist friend may have accidentally stumbled here. She is not—”
Another loud bang interrupted Yun Dan’s words.
Yun Dan’s eyelids twitched, and that uneasy feeling appeared on her face.
Luo Lingfeng steadied herself and turned to Yun Dan, softening her tone. “You should go back first. Since she is a guest of the Cloud Sect, I naturally will not make things difficult for her.”
Her words were gentle, like a gentle breeze.
In the past, Luo Lingfeng had also spoken to her like this.
She had sought out people who resembled her in appearance, not to “cut the roots and exterminate the evidence”? What was she plotting now? One question after another arose. Wei Yunshu waved her whisk, dispelling the doubts swirling in her mind, and exhaled a breath of turbid air without showing it.
Yun Dan bit her lower lip, her gaze shifting back and forth, clearly unwilling. But she knew her relationship with Luo Lingfeng was not yet at that stage; it was not yet time for her to defy Luo Lingfeng without consequence. She showed a smile and bowed to Luo Lingfeng, saying, “Master, your disciple takes her leave.”
Luo Lingfeng responded with a lazy “Mm,” not even lifting her eyelids. Her attention remained fixed on Wei Yunshu, a surge of emotion in her eyes that even she could not decipher. It seemed like a long time, or perhaps only an instant, had passed before Luo Lingfeng finally spoke, “Are you a true disciple of Buzhou Peak?”
Wei Yunshu shook her head. “No.”
Luo Lingfeng chuckled lightly. “Your aura is long and deep, and exceptionally pure. You don’t seem like you’re from a minor sect.” Superior Daoist scriptures were all controlled by major noble sects. The inheritance of some minor sects could at most lead to the Nascent Soul stage; it was impossible to attain the Dao Fruit. Unless a disciple was truly a genius, major sects would have already made a move to snatch them, not letting them cultivate in mountain temples.
Wei Yunshu did not wish to say more, only stating, “It’s just good fortune.” Her emotions were far from as calm as she thought. The past had not completely faded; so many questions remained unresolved. Seeing Luo Lingfeng, how could she remain completely unfazed?
She shouldn’t have come out upon hearing the zither music.
A mere habit of listening to the zither for several decades, how could it affect her so profoundly?
