The White Moonlight Subdues Everyone with a Suona - Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Na Na Na Na Na Na Na
As a tool brought in by Daoist Xuanfeng to steer the public opinion, Ding Rugui, carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders, was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Seeing that many disciples were fired up by Ji Bingyu’s speech and decided to side with her to poke a hole through the sky, Ding Rugui quickly suppressed the tiny spark in his own heart and stepped forward to stop them.
“This fellow disciple’s words make sense, but…”
Ding Rugui spoke hesitantly, acting as though he was hesitating to speak. Only when everyone’s eyes turned toward him did he speak up at long last.
“But aside from all that, the senior brother who came to welcome us earlier also said another sentence.”
“‘To become a towering tree, one must prune the extra branches so that order can be restored and the tree will not be obscured by ants or withered boughs. A tree is like this, and so are people.'”
Ding Rugui fluently recited these lines that he had long since memorized, letting out a small sigh of relief.
The meaning was obvious enough, right? It was meant to make them harbor mutual suspicions and engage in infighting; only the victor could ascend to the firmament!
Recalling Ji Bingyu’s bizarre capabilities, Ding Rugui decided to make it even more explicit: “So in my opinion, for this trial, it is better for everyone to part ways.”
Only by parting ways could they start fighting!
Ji Bingyu narrowed her eyes.
She had long felt that this disciple named Ding Rugui was a bit off. Even though he had a decent face, he kept doing villainous deeds.
For instance, right now, the intention to stir up trouble in Ding Rugui’s words and actions could barely be contained. He was practically terrified that they wouldn’t start infighting.
Originally, Ji Bingyu had just said it offhandedly without much secondary thought. But now, after being provoked by Ding Rugui, the more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt.
The Huaxia blood flowing through her veins made her take phrases like “unite all forces that can be united” and “strive for win-win cooperation” deeply to heart.
The role Ding Rugui was playing was practically that of a trouble-making shit-stirrer!
It was already the third trial. More than half of these remaining disciples would become important figures in the cultivation world’s sects in the future. If they fought tooth and nail right now and planted the seeds of hatred, then if something truly happened down the line, it was guaranteed that someone would harbor old grudges and act recklessly out of spite.
Furthermore, Ji Bingyu vaguely remembered that according to the original novel’s outline previously shown by Heaven’s Will, a major problem really did arise in a final battle precisely because of a grudge formed during this new disciples’ entrance trial!
This trial was an absolute trap, completely detrimental to the harmonious development of the cultivation world!
Considering that she still wanted to be a salted fish in the future and live her dream retirement life, Ji Bingyu felt it necessary to correct this viewpoint.
She nodded solemnly at Ding Rugui, “I think this fellow disciple’s words carry some weight.”
Before Ding Rugui could breathe a sigh of relief, Ji Bingyu took a few steps forward and leaped onto a boulder.
“However, there is one point I do not agree with.”
“I do not think everyone should walk alone.”
Xuanyuan Fentian disliked nothing more than someone stealing the spotlight in front of him, especially when that someone was a woman—and that woman happened to be his fiancée.
“Ji Bingyu! Come down right now!” Xuanyuan Fentian’s face darkened.
For the first time, he didn’t call her ‘Sister Bingyu,’ radiating displeasure all over.
Seeing this, Yan Liusu no longer stood by as an onlooker. She stepped forward to stand at Xuanyuan Fentian’s side, speaking softly, “The fellow disciples who can stand here all possess dragon-like grace and extraordinary abilities. Bingyu, you are too young. Don’t push yourself, just come down.”
Yan Liusu had long noticed the changes in Ji Bingyu.
Out of caution, after failing in the previous trial, she felt uneasy and had been observing from the shadows.
Now, feeling that she had Xuanyuan Fentian as her backer, Yan Liusu naturally had nothing left to fear.
Seeing Xuanyuan Fentian give her a satisfied smile, Yan Liusu felt even more delighted in her heart.
Striking while the iron was hot, she added, “Sister Bingyu, come down quickly. Wrong is wrong, it’s no big deal. Brother Xuanyuan and I are both here; we will definitely protect you in this trial, so you can rest assured.”
These last words explicitly and implicitly pointed out Ji Bingyu’s unusual identity, effectively isolating Ji Bingyu from the disciples who trusted her.
Sure enough, some people’s expressions turned sour as they stared at Ji Bingyu, as if trying to see through her intentions.
Ji Bingyu couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to these two jumping clowns. Facing all the disciples, she threw out her question.
“What do you think is covering your eyes right now?”
This soul-searching question came like a heavy blow on the head, leaving everyone stunned.
What was covering their eyes?
Many people unconsciously looked upward.
“It’s tree branches!”
“Nonsense! Generally speaking, it’s the roof!”
“If it’s an outdoor corridor, it could also be the eaves!”
“Ho, your family even has a corridor?”
Those last two speakers were Zhong Ziqi and Pei Leye. After messing around, the two of them eased the atmosphere quite a bit.
“Hey, I think it’s flying birds. Whenever a bird flies past, I can’t help but look at it. It completely grabs my attention, so isn’t that blocking my view?”
“Then why don’t you say it’s clouds!”
Seeing Ji Bingyu looking at her encouragingly, the young girl Jiang Ju pursed her lips and said boldly, “I think it’s inferiority.”
“Inferiority… Inferiority makes a person no longer feel like themselves. It affects every decision that person makes, causing her to forget her initial goal. She becomes cowardly, loses confidence, and even… loses the courage to live on.”
Following Jiang Ju’s words, the previously noisy disciples gradually fell quiet.
Feng Feishuang, who had once mocked and ridiculed Jiang Ju, froze for a moment. Her lips were tightly pressed together, and her fingernails hidden beneath her sleeves dug into her palm.
Everyone was looking at Jiang Ju, while Jiang Ju was looking at Ji Bingyu.
She was somewhat unaccustomed to being stared at, her fingers tightly pinching her hem until it was completely crumpled. Yet her eyes were shining brightly with an unprecedented fervor.
Jiang Ju craved recognition.
She craved recognition from Miss Ji, who had once saved her.
“You said it very well,” Ji Bingyu smiled softly at Jiang Ju, “That is precisely what I wanted to express.”
Jiang Ju’s tightly clenched hands suddenly loosened, and a sense of ease washed over her heart. Turning her head slowly, she discovered that many people were looking at her approvingly. Even that richly dressed Young Master Pei was giving her a thumbs-up as if in deep agreement.
So… so she could receive such recognition too?
Before Jiang Ju’s thoughts could wander for long, Ji Bingyu spoke again.
“Is it really clouds that cover our eyes? Is it light?”
“On the surface, yes. What covers our eyes can be tree branches, roofs, flying birds, and clouds. But from a deeper perspective, what blinds our eyes is anger, inferiority, and anything that makes us lose our reason.”
Ji Bingyu paused, timely suppressing the urge to use more parallel sentences.
“To mortals, heaven is like a single leaf blocking the eyes. For mortals to cultivate immortality is to act against the will of heaven itself.”
Heaven’s Will: ???
That familiar foreboding feeling enveloped its entire body once more.
Heaven’s Will spoke in a hurry: [Dad! Tone it down a bit! Show some respect for the original novel’s white moonlight persona!]
[Since both the male and female leads are here, you are guaranteed to enter the sect. Just endure it a little and it will pass…]
However, Heaven’s Will was still a step too late.
At this moment, Ji Bingyu only felt a raging fire burning in her heart, her entire body filled with strength pushing her forward, compelling her to retreat no longer!
In short, Ji Bingyu was getting carried away.
“In this trial, what covers our eyes is precisely this sky that has been artificially placed above our heads! And what guided us here is fate! It is fate that brought us together, and fate that makes us resist! Pick up every weapon you can find around you and stand up! Fellow disciples! How short a person’s life is, and how rare is the chance to poke a hole through the sky!”
“As the saying goes, without destruction, there can be no creation! If we want to pass this trial and cultivate smoothly, we must poke a hole through the sky so that it can never cover our eyes again!”
At this moment, a fire seemed to ignite in almost everyone’s heart. The surging flames swept toward them, burning away all previous schemes and calculations. They seemed to have found something—something extraordinarily precious.
Some people were already flushed with excitement, wishing they could ascend to the firmament on the spot, while even more people subtly moved closer to Ji Bingyu.
Xuanyuan Fentian said in a fit of rage, “Utter nonsense!”
Yan Liusu shook her head, “We are all merely mortal flesh and blood. How could we possibly poke a hole through the sky? Even if my father were here, it would be difficult to accomplish. Bingyu, you are just a weak woman, how could you do such a thing?”
She seemed to be trying to persuade her, but in truth, she was putting Ji Bingyu on the spot.
Xuanyuan Fentian didn’t care about these subtle conflicts between women; he merely felt that his spotlight had been stolen.
Having been a proud child of heaven since childhood, Xuanyuan Fentian had never suffered such indignity.
Once interests were touched, Ji Bingyu was no longer his fiancée, but his enemy.
Xuanyuan Fentian glanced at Ji Bingyu, turned to the disciples behind him, and said calmly, “If everyone is willing to trust me and the Xuanyuan family, we will bring our weapons and head to the highest mountaintop, and we can travel together as well.”
“I, Xuanyuan Fentian, promise everyone that I will likewise do everything in my power to protect everyone’s safety, strive to reach the peak, and smoothly clear the trial.”
—
Outside the water mirror—
Before Daoist Xuanfeng could reveal a relieved and satisfied smile, Rong Qingyuan took a sip of tea and spoke lightly.
“Ah, it seems this disciple, who is likewise favored by Daoist Xuanfeng, also agrees very much with the concept of traveling together for this trial.”
This time, before even bothering to appreciate Xuanfeng’s colorful expression, Chang Qingzi set down the teacup in his hand and looked at Rong Qingyuan in surprise.
Based on his years of understanding, this old friend was not someone who enjoyed chatting with Daoist Xuanfeng.
According to Rong Qingyuan’s usual character, he should be curving his eyes, dressing himself up immaculately, propping up his head with a slight smile, and saying, “Why bother arguing with a fool?”
The tone would have to be captured just right—Chang Qingzi couldn’t replicate it, but if described in words, it should be “with one part helplessness, three parts nonchalance, and six parts watching an idiot.”
It sounded a bit exaggerated, but that was the reality.
Despite always having a smile at the corners of his mouth, his true nature was the most detached and cold.
Yet for this trial, Rong Qingyuan was not only willing to appear ‘despite his sickly body,’ but he had also spoken up time and time again.
Chang Qingzi pondered for a moment.
He felt that something was… quite unusual.
