The White Moonlight Subdues Everyone with a Suona - Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Na na na
Perhaps it truly was the instinct of a corporate slave, but the moment the words “slacking off” left her mouth, Ji Bingyu felt her entire soul transcended.
What was this trial testing?
Slacking off!
When it came to the art of slacking off, even if there were countless heroes and talents present, who could possibly compare to a corporate slave who had survived the 21st-century workplace?
Filled with motivation, Ji Bingyu rowed her small boat with fierce vigor, radiating a grand, imposing aura like a tiger swallowing up thousands of miles.
Watching from the side, Heaven’s Will was completely dazed, almost falling into an illusion. Was this really the same Ji Bingyu who started out slumped, defeated, and radiating the air of a salted fish?
Good grief. Who on earth was this person holding a wooden oar and oozing a murderous aura?
Ji Bingyu: Focusing on slacking off, please do not cue me.
Perhaps there was truly a divine dictate in the darkness. Ji Bingyu sped along like lightning, riding her bicycle with the confidence of a Maybach, somehow rowing her boat with a murderous aura capable of slaying gods and Buddhas alike should they cross her path.
Under such firm conviction, Ji Bingyu met almost no other disciples along the way. Anyone who saw her state from afar did not even dare to stop her.
Before long, Ji Bingyu reached her destination.
The welcoming disciples, who had been waiting for a long time, all revealed astonished expressions when they saw Ji Bingyu arrive alone on a solitary boat, exchanging confused glances.
“Eh, it’s a woman?”
“Surprisingly, it’s not the male disciple Elder Xuanfeng favored?”
“Yeah, didn’t news spread that Xuanyuan Fentian is the strongest in this batch?”
Seeing the newcomer’s attractive face and figure, a disciple from the Xuantian Sect could not help asking, “May I ask if this fellow Daoist is the daughter of the Yan family, Yan Liusu?”
Before Ji Bingyu could even speak, Heaven’s Will, who always bickered with her, could not hold back first.
[These grand ancient families sure know how to build momentum for themselves, blowing one bit of strength up into a sky-reaching presence. Hmph, Ji Bingyu, quick! Go slap their faces! Charge!]
Ji Bingyu felt nothing toward Heaven’s Will clamoring inside her mind.
She felt that having reached her destination, she had already completed her KPI for the day. At this moment, she was in a sage state where she did not even want to move an inch. Forget slapping faces, even if someone brought food to her lips right now, she might not even be willing to open her mouth.
“No,” Ji Bingyu looked at that disciple, “Ji Bingyu.”
Little did she know, such brief words, paired with her ice-cold, stunning countenance, unexpectedly gave off the vibe of an untouchable flower of high mountain snow and moon amidst clouds.
Having mistaken her identity, the disciple could not save face. He muttered, “What Ji Bingyu? Never heard of her.”
Ji Bingyu said, “The people you know should still be in the sea. You can go down to the sea yourself to meet up with them.”
When pronouncing the words “go down to the sea,” she dragged out her tone, her face turning extremely strange. The corners of her mouth curved upward, looking like she was smiling while holding back a laugh.
Although the disciple could not understand what was so subtle about the phrase “go down to the sea,” he knew he was being mocked. Furious and annoyed, yet not daring to provoke Ji Bingyu, he could only give her a harsh glare and turn his face away sullenly.
Witnessing the entire interaction, Feng Changyi could not help covering his face with his sleeve, chuckling softly.
He was the Eldest Senior Brother of Liuming Valley, as well as the person with the highest authority among this group of disciples.
Looking at that salted fish named “Ji Bingyu” slumped inside the small boat, Feng Changyi inexplicably felt a sense of mutual empathy with her.
Ah, why stand when you can sit, and why sit when you can lie down?
Feng Changyi thought with no lack of melancholy. His other junior brothers and sisters were either playing around recklessly in the valley or slacking off in front of the water mirror, yet he was sent by his master He Zhongxian to help out inside the trial, even calling it a distinguished honor bestowed upon him.
If it were replaced with Ji Bingyu, her mouth would surely blurt out, “I’ll give this blessing to you, do you want it?!” But Feng Changyi was different. Despite his melancholy and despite wanting to throw his hands up and quit countless times, his sense of responsibility forced him onward.
Feng Changyi went up to the shore first to congratulate Ji Bingyu, then could not help asking, “May I ask how Junior Sister obtained this small boat?”
Ji Bingyu said sincerely, “To be honest, Senior Brother might not believe it, but this was truly thought up by me.”
Feng Changyi was taken aback, “Thought up?”
Ji Bingyu nodded, using the words Heaven’s Will had fooled her with earlier to stall him, “TheSea of Floating Life gathers the thoughts of all living beings in the world. You and I are both in the mortal world, members of this mundane world, so we can naturally mobilize the spiritual aura of this Sea of Floating Life.”
Her speaking speed grew slower and slower as she turned her glance back.
Feng Changyi followed her gaze, staring straight ahead.
The demonic mist not far away had thinned out slightly. Perhaps because a disciple had finally broken through this trial, the pale mist originally wrapping around the island grew lighter at this moment, cascading layer upon layer, looking somewhat like clouds from the sky drifting down.
Those disciples who were still within the Sea of Floating Life gradually revealed themselves as well.
Some had half their bodies submerged in the sea, struggling bitterly yet unable to break free;
Some were casually pushed by the person beside them to block a giant wave, unable to believe it even up to their deaths;
Some had a smooth journey throughout; some were stuck in the mire yet refused to accept their fate, rising up to resist…
The sea of floating life, the portraits of all living beings.
Ji Bingyu suddenly understood the meaning of this Sea of Floating Life.
She asked a out-of-the-blue question, “What will happen to those disciples after they fall in?”
Feng Changyi said, “It won’t lead to death, but they will lose the chance to continue the trial.”
Ji Bingyu let out an “oh,” sighing, before saying calmly, “Then I’ll head back once.”
Feng Changyi said, “You can—wait!”
It was rare for the usually elegant and calm Eldest Senior Brother Feng to be caught so off guard.
In a panic, he grabbed Ji Bingyu’s wrist, “You’ve already reached the destination, what are you going back for?”
“Right,” Ji Bingyu said, “I have a small boat—look, I can even make the boat bigger so I can bring a few people back.”
As she spoke, she actually managed to make the boat quite a bit wider purely through her willpower.
Compared to the previous trembling leaf of a boat, the boat now could at least accommodate seven or eight people.
Only then did Feng Changyi realize that Ji Bingyu was still standing on the boat without stepping off.
One could only wonder how long she had been thinking about this matter.
From start to finish, Ji Bingyu had not taken a single step onto the shore.
Feng Changyi said, “If you go back, your name will not be on this roll, and you won’t be the first-place finisher of this first trial!”
Ji Bingyu said, “I know.”
Feng Changyi added, “The Sea of Floating Life is utterly unpredictable. The longer you stay, the more it affects a person’s state of mind. If you go back, it is highly likely you will be affected, or even never able to reach this place again.”
Ji Bingyu said, “Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother.”
Feng Changyi truly could not understand this disciple.
Normally, even the most stubborn junior brothers and sisters would not be so obstinate under his persuasion.
He did not know this Junior Sister Ji, but he had heard some rumors about her.
He genuinely could not bear to see her abandon such a bright future over a momentary misstep.
Thus, Feng Changyi did not let go, saying anxiously, “What is the use of you going to help them? How many people can your one boat carry? Cultivating the Great Dao is about cultivating the mind—everyone has their own fate. You saving them from the Floating Life Sea now is equivalent to defying heavenly fate.”
Defying heavenly fate?
Ji Bingyu was taken aback by his words, quickly calling out to Heaven’s Will in her heart.
She feared nothing in heaven or earth, much less some “defying of heavenly fate,” but she was afraid it might affect Heaven’s Will in some way.
Having spent these past few days together, there was at least a bit of friendship between them.
Unexpectedly, this time, Heaven’s Will did not speak up to stop her.
In the darkness of divine dictate, it actually looked forward a bit to Ji Bingyu’s answer.
Not only Heaven’s Will, but the elders outside the water mirror also had varying reactions.
Daoist Xuanfeng’s face darkened on the spot, opening his mouth in reprimand, “Absurd! Simply treating the trial as child’s play!”
Yun Qingruo, the Sect Master of Lingxiao Pavillion, similarly disapproved, “The risk is too great.”
Elder Hua sighed, “In the end, she is a youngster whose considerations are not thorough enough.”
Meanwhile, He Zhongxian, who had set this test question, slowly blinked his eyes and waved the feather fan in his hand.
“Heavenly fate cannot be defied, ah.”
Following these few pronouncements of disapproval, amid a stretch of silence, Rong Qingyuan spoke up faintly, “Acting against the heavens is actually quite interesting.”
Almost at the same time, Ji Bingyu inside the water mirror answered, “What heavenly fate or non-heavenly fate? Senior Brother, battling against heaven brings boundless joy!”
For the very first time, Ji Bingyu did not care what her persona was at this moment, nor did she care about the restraints Heaven’s Will’s laws placed on her.
Standing at the prow of the boat, she waved her hand with her back turned to Feng Changyi.
In front of Ji Bingyu, myriads of mist resembled a deep-abyss behemoth opening its massive maw, roaring wildly. In the distance, wind and rain swayed precariously while waves surged, forming all kinds of indescribable whirlpools, looking as if they would strike back from the sea in the next second to swallow everyone whole.
Even disciples with cultivation like Feng Changyi felt a bit of dread looking at it.
Yet Ji Bingyu seemed not to care in the slightest.
Her back figure was unprecedentedly carefree and dashing.
Looking at her back, a sentence suddenly popped into Feng Changyi’s heart.
Though thousands upon tens of thousands stand against me, onward I shall go.
…
Jiang Jui originally thought she would not pass this trial.
She had no deep family background, no powerful relatives or friends, and was far from being one of those proud darlings of heaven born into ancient families.
Before the trial, Jiang Jui had been teased like a plaything by those young ladies in rich attire. She was tongue-tied and would not fight back, fortunate only to meet a very nice elder sister at the end.
At the final second when the male disciple beside her grabbed her collar, Jiang Jui suddenly felt exhausted.
She did not want to resist anymore.
What was the use of resisting? Perhaps her life was naturally humble and lowly—at home, she was a servant her younger brother could order around at will, and after finally escaping, in the eyes of noble people, she was still a little cat or dog that could be pinched to death whenever they pleased.
Such was her fate, nothing more.
Throwing herself into the seawater with all her strength, as the water covered her mouth and nose, Jiang Jui thought:
I only hope the elder sister who helped me just now can go further.
Her name seems to be Ji Bingyu, such a nice name—
With a loud clatter, before Jiang Jui could react at all, her collar was hooked by someone. In the next second, the feeling of approaching suffocation vanished completely.
Amid the haziness, Jiang Jui heard a voice that sounded somewhat slumped ask her, “Are you alright?”
A very familiar voice.
Jiang Jui opened her eyes. Looking at the peerlessly beautiful woman before her, she nodded forcefully, only to find her vision growing blurrier and blurrier. Reaching out to touch her face, she found it covered in tears.
How strange. She had not cried even when she was about to die just now, yet now that she was clearly saved, Jiang Jui could not control herself from crying.
Ji Bingyu: …
Returning to the Sea of Floating Life had originally just been a momentary thought. After all, years of education as a member of the Flower Nation to help one another were deeply ingrained. Who would have thought the first thing she encountered was a piece of scumbag scum trying to use a little girl to block a wave?
The Sea of Floating Life had a rule against killing disciples without cause, meaning you could use others to block waves because you were preserving your own life. Afterward, the relatives and friends of the sacrificed disciple could not initiate an attack on you without cause, as that counted as attacking a disciple, and violators would be forcibly ejected from the trial.
What kind of bullsh*t rule was this?
All her life, she hated seeing people bully children and girls the most. Ji Bingyu truly felt a surge of blood rushing to her head. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she raised the wooden oar, letting out a loud shout at the same time—
“Monster! Take an oar stroke from old Ji!”
…
The people outside the water mirror froze, then unexpectedly all came to understand Ji Bingyu’s train of thought.
In terms of subjective intention, Ji Bingyu did not treat that male disciple as a human being, but as a monster instead. Since that was the case, her slaying a monster was also maintaining her own safety, so it could not be counted as a violation!
What kind of wild operation was this?!
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
Until Ji Bingyu beat the lower half of that disciple’s body entirely into the Sea of Floating Life, she still was not judged to have violated the rules!
Daoist Xuanfeng, who had always been a stickler for rules, turned green with rage, slamming the table, “She is disrupting the proper order of the trial!!!!!”
