Eternal Love Within A Smile - Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Li Que’s timely arrival broke the awkwardness and silence in the courtyard.
“Feather emperor.”
Li Que addressed Li Ying with greater respect in front of outsiders, bowing to her before nodding to the other two.
However, when he looked at Xu Manman, a trace of inexplicable wariness crept in, leaving Xu Manman momentarily puzzled as to why.
Li Que stepped between Xu Manman and Li Ying, separating them with a smile as he asked, “I heard the sound of a flute from afar and knew it was Feather emperor playing ‘Phoenix Song’ again.”
He glanced at the qin in Bai Tan’s arms and asked, “Was the instrument accompanying the flute just now this qin?”
Bai Tan nodded toward Li Que, then looked at the red jade flute in Li Ying’s hand, smiling, “So this celestial flute is called ‘Phoenix Song.’ It certainly lives up to its name, evoking the image of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix.”
Li Ying twirled the red jade flute and held it horizontally in front of her chest.
In the morning light, the jade gave off a warm glow, with faint streams of golden light flowing through it, like the fleeting shadow of a phoenix.
“I haven’t played the flute in years, and my skills are lacking, so I had to rely on the power of the celestial artifact.”
Li Ying gave a self-deprecating smile, then glanced at the qin in Bai Tan’s arms.
“What’s the name of this qin?”
“It’s called ‘Qinglai,'” Bai Tan replied, gently stroking the instrument and lightly plucking its strings.
“During the long years in the Hall of No Return, it was Qinglai that kept me company through countless days and nights, giving me the strength to survive.”
Li Ying asked, “How long did Mr. Bai stay in the Hall of No Return?”
Bai Tan’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he hoarsely replied, “There is no sunlight in the Hall of No Return, so I don’t know how long I stayed. Only today did I realize that 156 years have passed.”
“You must have heard many secrets of the Blood Sect during your time in the Hall,” Li Ying said.
Bai Tan gave a bitter smile.
“All these years, I devoted myself entirely to Qinglai, lost in a daze, so I didn’t particularly pay attention to what the Soul Reaping envoy was saying. I don’t even know what counts as a secret. If you’re asking about things from long ago, I’m afraid I can’t recall.”
“In recent days, did you hear the Soul Reaping envoy mention the names of Lian Yue Daozun or Fu Yue Shenzun? Has the Blood Sovereign ever been to the Hall of No Return? Do the Fate Defying and Doom Bringing Divisions have any dealings with the Soul Reaping Division?”
Li Ying asked a string of questions.
Bai Tan lowered his eyes, frowning in thought.
After a long pause, he said, “The Soul Reaping envoy hardly ever leaves the Hall of No Return. Every so often, bodies are sent from elsewhere. The Soul Reaping envoy would first select one that suits her fancy to make into a marionette, dressing it up and putting on performances. The rest are given to the evil cultivators under her to refine into more puppets.”
“Recently, the Soul Reaping suddenly stopped performing, and all the puppets and evil cultivators in the Hall of No Return were sent out. I did hear the Soul Reaping envoy mention Lian Yue Daozun’s name, which must have been when they set up the ambush against her.”
“The Blood Sovereign has never been to the Hall of No Return. The Soul Reaping envoy usually communicates with him via a magic conch. When the Soul Reaping envoy sent out puppets, she requested Lian Yue Daozun’s body from the Blood Sovereign to refine into a puppet, but the request was denied. The Soul Reaping envoy threw a tantrum, destroyed several puppets, and even killed a musician.”
Li Ying asked, “Is Lian Yue Daozun’s body in the hands of the Blood Sect?”
Bai Tan shook his head.
“I’m not sure, but one day the Soul Reaping laughed maniacally, cursing the Burning Heaven Division for being fools, unable to even bring back Lian Yue Daozun.”
Li Ying frowned.
“It seems likely that the one who stole Lian Yue Daozun’s body from Xianyun Hall wasn’t from the Blood Sect.”
Xu Manman, knowing full well that her own body was most likely with Immortal Lang Yin, could only cover for him, saying, “The Soul Reaping envoy may have said that because Immortal Lord Lang Yin took the body from the Burning Heaven Division. As for whether the incident in Xianyun Hall had something to do with the Blood Sect, it’s still uncertain.”
Li Ying nodded and asked, “Did the Blood Sect abduct Fu Yue Shenzun to extract his divine veins, as rumored?”
Bai Tan thought for a moment.
“I don’t know, but it seems the Soul Reaping envoy was ordered by the Blood Sovereign to refine Fu Yue Shenzun into a puppet.”
“First extract the divine veins, then refine the puppet. The Blood Sect truly intends to use everything to its fullest,” Xu Manman remarked.
At this point, Li Que couldn’t help but interject, “A hundred years ago, did the Blood Sect also hunt down Di Luan?”
Bai Tan was taken aback, then shook his head.
“That was too long ago… In the Hall of No Return, one can’t distinguish day from night, so I have no sense of how long a hundred years is.”
“Did you ever hear them mention Di Luan?” Li Que pressed.
Bai Tan thought for a long time, but still shook his head.
“I really can’t recall hearing those two words.”
Li Que frowned in disappointment at his response.
Li Ying and Xu Manman asked a few more questions, but seeing that Bai Tan’s complexion was poor, they remembered that he had been shot by Li Ying’s arrow, imprisoned for a hundred years, and was physically weak.
They let him go to rest.
After Bai Tan had walked away, Li Ying looked at Xu Manman and asked, “Do you think he was telling the truth?”
“Perhaps everything he said was true, but it was all useless information—no valuable intelligence.”
Xu Manman smiled.
“The others will wake up in the next day or two. We’ll question them separately and cross-check their stories to determine what’s true and what’s false. But I wouldn’t place too much hope on these people. They’re just musicians and likely haven’t heard many secrets. What matters more are the other two pieces of information: the Blood Sovereign is in Tiandu, and the Fate Defying Division is in Chaisang.”
Li Ying said, “We reported both matters to Ming Xiao Fazun as soon as we returned. Chaisang City is in Liang State, within the territory of Yongxue City. As soon as Jianzun heard, he rushed back to Yongxue City and dispatched elite forces to search Chaisang. Ya Sheng Xingzun also went to assist, while the other sect leaders remain stationed in Tiandu.”
Xu Manman glanced up at the sky, and a maple leaf slowly drifted into her pale palm, which she gently clasped.
“Autumn has come. In just a few days, it will be the Shennong Festival.”
Xu Manman sighed softly.
“By now, Tiandu must be crowded again, making the investigations even harder.”
Li Ying replied, “Yes, the Daoist Alliance believes that the Blood Sovereign has appeared in Tiandu City, likely to target the Tun Tian Shenzun, and the Shennong Festival provides the perfect opportunity. The Tun Tian Shenzun will be on display for worship by the city’s citizens on the day of the festival. Ming Xiao Fazu is leading the preparations for a defensive formation to prevent the Blood Sect from stirring up trouble.”
“I need to meet Ming Xiao Fazun then,” Xu Manman said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin.
Xu Manman waved goodbye to Li Ying, who smiled as she watched her leave.
Li Que, observing this from the side, felt uneasy.
“Sister, what are you looking at?”
Li Ying glanced at him, smiling as she said, “I was thinking that she seems to know Tiandu quite well.”
Li Que paused.
“Is that a problem?”
“It’s quite a big problem. She’s just a low-level Golden Core cultivator, yet she handles everything with ease and fits in wherever she goes. If you could learn even a fraction of her skill, I wouldn’t need to worry about you.”
Li Que blushed slightly, feeling a little embarrassed.
“Sister, why do you always have to throw in a jab at me?”
Li Ying chuckled.
“You have two choices: either improve or get used to it. I have both good and bad news for you.”
“What is it?” Li Que had a foreboding feeling.
“The good news is that Lingzhi said she doesn’t mind that you’re a widower and is willing to marry you as her official husband. The bad news is, she’ll arrive in Tiandu today.”
Before Li Ying finished speaking, Li Que jumped up in shock.
“Those are both bad news!”
It was said that in ancient times, a great drought plagued the world, leaving the people destitute.
The wise sages of the human race, unable to bear the sight of people starving and resorting to eating their children, sacrificed their own flesh and blood to nourish the earth.
This brought about the revival of vegetation, a bountiful harvest, and the people were saved from famine.
To honor the sacrifice of those sages, future generations designated the tenth day of the tenth month as the Shennong Festival, symbolizing perfection, both in harvest and in remembrance of those ancient heroes.
In every major city across the continent, there is a Shennong Temple, each featuring a faceless humanoid statue.
The statue wears simple clothes with rough hands and a bowed head, gazing down at its feet.
It’s difficult to tell whether the figure is male or female.
This is because, according to legend, the sages who sacrificed themselves were not just one person but countless individuals—men, women, young, and old.
No single face, gender, or race could represent Shennong, so the statues passed down through history are faceless, referred to as the “Visage of All Beings.”
Xu Manman stood beneath the Shennong statue, gazing up.
It was noon, and the sun hung behind the statue’s head like a halo, making it hard to see its true form.
The Shennong Temple in Tiandu City is the largest on the continent, covering a thousand acres, and the statue stands ten zhang tall. Every day, the temple is filled with worshippers, so much so that the stone slabs before the statue are worn smooth from constant contact.
“Cultivator Xu.”
Ming Xiao Fazun’s voice came from behind.
Xu Manman squinted, then slowly turned around and smiled brightly. “Ming Xiao Fazun, long time no see.”
Ming Xiao Fazun nodded slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
“Is your health all right?”
Just a few days ago, he had personally witnessed the severity of Xu Manman’s injuries.
He hadn’t expected her to recover so quickly and couldn’t help but be surprised.
Xu Manman smiled.
“Thanks to the abundant resources and miraculous medicines of Daxing Palace, I’m doing just fine now.”
Ming Xiao Fazun seemed to understand, nodding as he said, “I didn’t expect you to discover the Blood Sect’s Soul Reaping Division’s location and destroy Hall of No Return in such a short time.”
“It was somewhat a stroke of luck. Fortunately, Her Majesty the Feather Emperor arrived in time, or else we would have barely escaped.”
Xu Manman said with a lingering sense of fear.
“I heard from Her Majesty that you were setting up formations in the Shennong Temple, so I came by to pay my respects.”
“Is it because of the Blood Sovereign?” Ming Xiao Fazun asked.
“Indeed. From the information we gathered at Hall of No Return, the Blood Sovereign is plotting something big in Tiandu City,” Xu Manman replied.
Ming Xiao Fazun asked, “Her Majesty has already informed the Daoist Alliance of this. The various sect leaders believe the Blood Sovereign’s target is likely the Tun Tian Shenzun. Cultivator Xu, are you suggesting there might be more to it?”
“It’s just speculation—I don’t have concrete evidence,” Xu Manman said slowly, rubbing her chin.
“Currently, all the Daoist Alliance leaders are gathered in Tiandu, and the leaders of various families are also present due to the Shennong Festival. Everyone believes the Blood Sect will try to harm Tun Tian Shenzun, so heavy defenses have been set up. If the Blood Sect wants to succeed, it would be nearly impossible. They already have the Fu Yue Shenzun, and extracting his divine vein isn’t something that can be rushed. Would they really take such a huge risk for something that isn’t urgent?”
“You make a good point. I have similar concerns,” Ming Xiao Fazun said, his brows furrowing.
“But we are in the light, and they are in the dark. Without knowing their exact plans, all we can do is prepare for what we can.”
Xu Manman looked around and saw that the Shennong Square was filled with devout citizens.
Though there were still seven days until the festival, the celebration had already begun, lasting for half a month, day and night.
The square remained lively.
“The Shennong Temple covers a thousand acres. Enveloping the entire area in a formation will be no easy task for even you alone,” Xu Manman said.
“Indeed. Upon learning of the Blood Sovereign’s plot, the Shenxiao Sect has dispatched nearly all of its elite forces to ensure the festival proceeds smoothly and to uncover the Blood Sovereign’s whereabouts.”
As soon as Ming Xiao Fazun finished speaking, a figure descended from the sky, landing beside him.
Xu Manman took a closer look and smiled.
“Ao Xiu, I thought you had already returned to Sea God Palace.”
Ao Xiu looked momentarily awkward seeing Xu Manman.
He had been worried that she would call him “Fourth Brother” in front of Ming Xiao Fazun.
Hearing her address him by name instead, he was already grateful, caring little about any formal titles.
Such is how people’s boundaries get pushed further and further.
“I was curious about the formation that Ming Xiao Fazun has been setting up at the Shennong Temple, so I stayed to observe. I’ve already given instructions for Sea God Palace’s affairs, so it’s no problem if I return a bit later,” Ao Xiu explained.
Xu Manman smiled.
“It’s rare for the distinguished Sea Emperor to take an interest in the study of formations.”
Her words were polite, though in truth, most spirit clans relied on their innate talents and physical strength, disdaining the study of formations.
Humans, being physically weaker, excelled in wisdom, harnessing the power of formations and law to great effect. The spirit clans didn’t so much disdain formations as they simply couldn’t understand or master them.
This was the balance of nature.
Ming Xiao Fazun added, “His Majesty the Sea Emperor is extraordinarily gifted, with a special talent for formations.”
Ao Xiu smiled faintly.
“We Divine Vein bearers are different from ordinary spirit clans.”
His tone carried a hint of pride.
To show such pride before two of the greatest formation masters of the current era, Xu Manman couldn’t help but admire his thick skin.
“Over the past two days, His Majesty the Sea Emperor has detailed the events in Youzhou to me, and Cultivator Xu has been indispensable in those efforts.”
Ming Xiao Fazun cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Xu Manman.
“This bow is to express gratitude on behalf of all living beings, and also for Lian Yue Daozun…”
Ming Xiao Fazun had initially harbored doubts about Xu Manman and even looked down on her somewhat.
However, after being enlightened by her at Siyi Sect about the Blood Sovereing’s true intentions toward the Fu Yue Shenzun, and seeing her lead the swift, successful assault on Hall of No Return of the Soul Reaping Division, accomplishing what even Lian Yue Daozun and the entire Daoist Alliance had failed to achieve, he set aside his earlier disregard and began treating Xu Manman with respect and seriousness.
Xu Manman sidestepped Ming Xiao Fazun’s gesture, smiling.
“There’s no need for that. My relationship with Xu Manman is closer than yours. I avenged her, so your gratitude is unnecessary.”
Ming Xiao Fazun paused for a moment, suddenly recalling the scene in Xianyun Hall, where the woman before him had tearfully called herself Daozun’s “widow”…
Though the world was fascinated by the romantic escapades of Lian Yue Daozun, those who were familiar with him harbored doubts.
But given that Immortal Lang yin, Ao Xiu, and Li Que were all significant figures, none of them dared question the claim directly.
Only this mysterious “Xu Yanyue”—Ming Xiao Fazun found it hard to believe that she was truly Lian Yue Daozun’s partner.
Perhaps only Li Que took it seriously…
Ao Xiu squinted as he observed Xu Manman’s demeanor.
Having personally witnessed how Xu Manman played the entire Soul Reaping Division like a fiddle, blending acting and cunning seamlessly, he felt intense suspicion and wariness toward her.
He didn’t believe a single word she said.
“I’d like to pay a visit to Tun Tian Shenzun. Would now be convenient?” Xu Manman asked.
Ming Xiao Fazun snapped out of his thoughts and replied, “Tun Tian Shenzun should be at You Shi Pool right now. Take this token of mine, and the Shenxiao Sect disciples at the entrance will pass the message for you.”
As he spoke, Ming Xiao Fazun retrieved a purple-black iron token from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Manman.
Xu Manman accepted the token with joy and thanked him before heading towards You Shi Pool.
Ao Xiu watched Xu Manman’s departing figure and turned to Mingxiao Fazu.
“Do you really trust her enough to give her a Shenxiao Sect token?”
“Is His Majesty the Sea Emperor concerned that she may harm Tun Tian Shenzun?” Ming Xiao Fazun glanced at him.
“To have brought down the Soul Reaping Division is no lesser achievement than my own. The Blood Sect sacrificed their Burning Heaven Division to kill both Lian Yue and Fu Yue Shenzun. If they were only after Tun Tian Shenzun, they wouldn’t have risked losing the entire Soul Reaping Division.”
Ao Xiu hesitated, then sighed lightly.
“That woman is deeply calculating; she must not be underestimated. She already has the tokens of Siyi Sect, Myriad Thorn Palace, and now Shenxiao Sect. If she has ulterior motives, gathering the tokens of the seven sects wouldn’t that make her the same as Lian Yue Daozun if she still alive? By then, if she were to plot against the Daoist Alliance, it would be as easy as flipping a hand.”
—If Lian Yue Daozun still alive…
Ao Xiu’s casual remark made Ming Xiao Fazun’s heart tremble as he looked towards the direction where Xu Manman had disappeared.
—Was he overthinking it…?
Ming Xiao Fazun remained silent for a long time before softly saying, “If Lian Yue Daozun were still alive, why would she act against the Daoist Alliance?”
