northernbook Chapter 218 Resentful Encounter: Jade Lock and Golden Shackles (7)
Chapter 218 Resentful Encounter: Jade Lock and Golden Shackles (7)
When Mei Shiyu returned to the Taiji Hall, he faintly heard a woman crying coming from somewhere... His heart tightened. Could it be that fox Si Wuyou had managed to sneak back again?!
However, upon closer listening, the crying did not seem to come from a single person, and it was not outside the hall, but inside.
Mei Shiyu searched all eight trigram positions in the Taiji Hall with his divine sense, except for the Dui Ze position, but found nothing unusual. The Dui Ze position was precisely the place that Li Tingyun had always avoided talking about and wouldn't let him get close to.
Li Tingyun had set up another defensive line at this divination position. Now, with the disappearance of the entire restriction, this boundary, which was clearly meant to guard against Mei Shiyu, has naturally also disappeared.
Mei Shiyu broke down the door and entered.
He could roughly guess what was inside.
But there is still a big difference between what you imagine and what you see with your own eyes.
Because of his limited imagination, he simply couldn't fathom how utterly depraved a person could be.
He thought he might see a few corpses, a few wronged souls, or perhaps he could even find a few old acquaintances from the cultivation world who had mysteriously disappeared...
As it turned out, he was too naive.
The area around the lake wasn't even a place where blood flowed like a river.
Instead, it was a vast lake of blood!
The lake was thick and bloody red, almost black. It was so deep that one could not see the bottom, and so far that one could not see the end. It made people dizzy and nauseous, and was shocking to behold!
The lake was shrouded in a misty haze—no, not mist, but clearly lingering resentment, densely packed on its surface. In the past, with Li Tingyun in charge, they all hid at the bottom of the lake, afraid to surface. Now that no one was in charge, the sediment rose to the surface, swarming together in a dark, chaotic mass.
Strangely, they were very quiet.
Even with their resentment soaring, they dared not utter a sound.
Even with all restrictions lifted, they dared not venture out of the palace gates.
They must have been thoroughly terrified of being dealt with.
Li Tingyun's ruthless methods are evident.
The faint sound of weeping still lingered. The vengeful spirit that had not yet dispersed made no sound. So who was crying?
Mei Shiyu flew through the dark miasma above on his sword and found a dozen or so unfamiliar faces on the other side of the blood lake, but without exception, each of them was beautiful and incomparably gorgeous...
Needless to say, they are all potential furnaces!
Among them were immortals and mortals. Even those who cultivated immortality had very weak magical power. Fortunately, most of their resentment was concentrated in the center of the blood lake. Because they had been weakened and suppressed by Li Tingyun more than once, they dared not easily invade the shore territory.
But some evil spirits are incredibly bold, fleeing and committing crimes, bullying these defenseless little girls terribly, leaving them crying and weeping all day long.
Mei Shiyu set up a spiritual barrier to protect them, and at the same time, he activated several exorcism formations, vowing to convert these countless vengeful spirits one by one. But to his dismay, he found that the exorcism was completely useless, and the formations spun in vain without any effect!
He acted decisively, using the Dao Xuan Sect's unique technique for neutralizing evil—Harmony with the World.
When it comes to resolving resentment, Dao Xuan Sect has the most authority, unmatched by any of the ten great immortal sects. The reason is that Ren Pingsheng is highly skilled in this area and has established his own unique school of thought. No matter how many hundred years of resentment or how many thousand years of evil spirits he encounters, they will all be reduced to dust and ashes.
"Harmony with the World" is the culmination of his various techniques, a true inheritance of the sect, which cannot be learned without reaching a certain level.
If the method of deliverance is to purify vengeful spirits, clear away karma, and open up the cycle of reincarnation, allowing those who can be reborn to be reborn, and those who cannot be reborn to become a wisp of spiritual energy in the world, then "mingling with the world" is the return of all laws to the flow and the simplicity of the great way, aiming to completely shatter and end all struggles and suffering. As for karma, life and death, past lives... none of that matters!
All you need to do is cut the Gordian knot.
This is a more drastic and decisive approach.
It's like this: you're standing in front of someone being burned alive. Don't ask who they are, even if they're your family. Don't ask if they're good or evil, even if they were virtuous in life. They might still be alive, but they're suffering terribly and wishing they were dead. You can't save them from the fire; you can only watch them burn to death.
At this moment, the initiative is in your hands. Just ask one question: kill or not kill?
To blend in with the world is not just a tactic, but also a state of mind.
Once a decision is made, don't regret it, and don't dwell on whether it was right or wrong. If your resolve wavers even slightly, your actions will inevitably backfire.
Not to mention that this move consumes a huge amount of spiritual energy, does no good for merit, and may even drag oneself down. No one would use it unless absolutely necessary.
The plum rains now are a last resort.
Offering prayers is useless, saving them is useless, but he must do something. He cannot remain indifferent, for once the vengeful spirit escapes, it will surely bring calamity to the world.
After clearing away a large amount of resentment, the sky above the Blood Marsh was finally no longer shrouded in mist. However, the resentful spirits still floated around at the bottom of the lake at all times. As long as he stopped, it was as if all his efforts had been in vain!
The Dao Xuan Sect's method of dispelling evil spirits was good in that the person performing the ritual was not disturbed by resentment or mentally stimulated, but it was bad in that it was a drop in the ocean and did little good. Gradually, Mei Shiyu could not hold on any longer.
He didn't know exactly how many people Li Tingyun had killed, but the horrific scenes of their deaths were unbearable to witness. He saw and heard their tragic experiences and their heart-wrenching cries when he cast his spell. Even if he couldn't empathize with them, as long as he was human, he couldn't help but feel their pain.
In the end, he couldn't even use the trick of "blending in with the world".
His thoughts had long been shaking the earth!
He felt like he was covering up for Li Tingyun!
Mei Shiyu felt a mix of emotions: anger, resentment, regret, and hesitation. In short, she was extremely distressed.
He turned his head and looked at the women in the spirit barrier who were filled with anxiety and fear.
I was determined to send them away.
But how to deliver it and where to deliver it are other big problems.
Should we send someone to take them home? Mei Shiyu asked around, but no one knew where their "home" was.
Some even knelt down and begged him: "Please don't send me back, I'll be tortured to death if I go back... People like us, we're all helpless, going anywhere is a dead end..."
"No, no... there will be a way out."
Mei Shiyu said to them, "I know a place..."
The next day, Hanakawa Valley.
Mei Shiyu flew on her sword, hovering above the towering peaks on both sides of the valley. Below, a dome-shaped barrier covered the entire valley completely.
He is waiting.
Waiting for the "flower sender" that Lin Qiutan mentioned.
Sure enough, he got his wish.
"...Ye Juechun?!"
It seemed unexpected, yet it made perfect sense.
When Ye Juechun saw him, he was only slightly surprised, but then his expression returned to calm, as undisturbed as ever.
She tossed Mei Shiyu a Qiankun bag, left without saying a word, coming and going in a hurry, without even saying a word: "Don't expose me."
It's clear she didn't care at all.
Mei Shiyu opened the Qiankun bag, and sure enough, there was a red flower inside.
There were also some odds and ends, such as talismans, pills, and a few hairpins for girls to use.
These things don't look like Ye Juechun's at all.
Mei Shiyu arrived at the entrance of Huachuan Valley, put down his sword, and stood on the ground.
There has only been one path leading to the valley of Mount Hua since ancient times. This is a mountain trail, and no matter spring, autumn, winter or summer, the roadside is always covered with flowers and fragrant breezes, hence it is also known as the "Ten-Mile Flower Trail".
Mei Shiyu, however, did not intend to take this righteous path.
It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.
The entrance to Huachuan Valley is heavily guarded, with men being especially wary. One must be led by someone from the valley and undergo a thorough body search and identity verification before being allowed to pass. Mei Shiyu must find a way to bypass the barrier and sneak in unnoticed.
This is tantamount to stealing, something a gentleman would not do.
This was the first time he'd ever done something like this...
"Why are you here?!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind.
Mei Shiyu turned around and saw Yuan Che standing on the Shi'e Sword, carrying a huge bundle. She asked him, "Why do you look so guilty?"
Mei Shiyu denied it, saying, "...I didn't."
“You are!” Yuan Che said bluntly, “Your face, ears, and neck are all red.”
Mei Shiyu immediately changed the subject: "Has Yue'er's soul been found? Today is the fourth day."
"Of course. I also brought back a lot of Ganoderma lucidum and other medicinal herbs, but I don't know if I'll be able to use them..." Yuan Che shook the bundle on his back, wondering how much stuff was inside, which made the Qiankun bag, which was originally only the size of a palm, so big.
He said, "The Valley Master of Huachuan Valley and that elder of Yunlan Sect are already discussing how to rebuild Yue'er's physical body... Do you know about Yue'er's background?"
"I just found out recently." Mei Shiyu said sadly. He really hadn't expected that Hua Yingyue was actually Brother Yun's child. He asked Yuan Che, "Do you have a way to bring me into the valley? I want to see Valley Master Hua."
Yuan Che hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to lead the way, “...Follow me.”
The two walked openly along the ten-mile flower path into Huachuan Valley. With Yuan Che leading the way, Mei Shiyu didn't even need to be checked. However, the female disciples standing there "guarding" him frequently looked at him with strange smiles on their lips.
Mei Shiyu wondered, "Could it be that they recognize me?"
Yuan Che said, "They probably don't know him."
"Then why???"
Mei Shiyu wondered if there was something on her face, or if her clothes were inappropriate—perhaps she was wearing them inside out?!
"This, I'm not sure I can say it... It's alright, just ignore them!" Yuan Che walked with his head down, getting faster and faster, and even used the Big Dipper Step. He disappeared in a flash, with Mei Shiyu following closely behind.
Yuan Che led him directly to the Valley Master's residence. This was somewhat presumptuous, but given the special circumstances, they accepted the courtesy without further ado. As they walked to the outer edge of the courtyard, before even entering the hanging flower gate, they heard a man and a woman talking inside:
The man complained bitterly, "Couldn't you take a couple of days off, put the Hanakawa Valley matter aside for now, or hand it over to someone else?!"
"Yue'er's life hangs in the balance. Can't you stay by her side for even a quarter of an hour? Isn't she still your daughter?!"
"No wonder you sent her to study at Dao Xuan Sect behind my back. It's because you don't have time to take care of her usually, right?"
"Then why didn't you agree to let me take care of her in the first place?! I have time, I'm free of official duties, I have plenty of time!"
"I can take her to live a secluded life in the medical field and stay with her until she grows up..."
"You're so long-winded," the woman said, her only words being, "Go back and wait."
The man said, sounding aggrieved, "...Okay."
The man was naturally Yun Songxuan, and the woman was Hua Jingchen, the Valley Master of Huachuan Valley. It's perfectly normal for couples to quarrel, but for a junior to witness it is somewhat... Yuan Che stood outside the courtyard, unsure whether to go in or back, and turned to look at Mei Shiyu.
Mei Shiyu: "..."
Don't look at him; he's embarrassed too.
At this moment, Hua Jingchen stepped out and said, "A distinguished guest has arrived."
It's a very easygoing and natural sentence.
She smiled as she looked at Yuan Che, but her expression turned cold the moment she saw Mei Shiyu: "I didn't expect it to be Immortal Mei. What brings you here?"
Hua Jingchen's almond-shaped eyes were remarkably similar to Hua Yingyue's, except that the corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, and her gaze was clear and sharp, exuding an undeniable air of nobility.