Not long after, the wind whistled as a white-robed man arrived on his sword, landing in the clearing. This man had well-defined eyebrows and bright eyes, with handsome features – it was none other than Mo Yanfan. His usually expressionless face now bore a slight frown, as if troubled by something.
A moment later, a golden light flashed, and another person descended into the clearing. It was Lin You. She put away the five-colored scarf on her shoulder and looked at Mo Yanfan with a smile, saying, “Young Hero Mo, I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long.”
Mo Yanfan replied coolly, “Master Lin, may I ask why you’ve summoned me here in the dead of night?”
Lin You smiled and said, “I have some personal matters I’d like to discuss with you, Young Hero. During the day, there are too many people and too much gossip. I feared it might lead to rumors.”
Mo Yanfan responded, “If it might lead to rumors, it’s best not to speak of it at all. The night is deep, and although you are my elder, Master Lin, a private meeting between an unmarried man and woman would not be good for your reputation. Please, return home soon.”
Lin You chuckled, “Young Hero is indeed as cold-hearted as the rumors say, showing no interest in any woman. Truly, you embody the essence of a righteous gentleman, worthy of admiration.”
Seeing that she had no intention of leaving, Mo Yanfan could only bow slightly and stand to the side, waiting to see what would happen next.
“I’ve heard that the disciples of the three Xuanmen Elders of Xingzheng Hall all practice the immortal arts of severing emotions and desires. But the path to immortality is long and lonely. Now, I have a fine marriage prospect I’d like to discuss with you. I have a niece who is beautiful and virtuous. A few months ago, she met you briefly and hasn’t been able to forget you since. If you don’t mind…”
“Master Lin, please be mindful of your words,” Mo Yanfan calmly interrupted her. “I have followed my master in cultivation since childhood. The precepts of our sect forbid emotions and desires. I will not consider matters of marriage. Thank you for your kind intentions, but I must decline.”
Lin You smiled slightly, “Why such refusal, Young Hero? I’ve heard that half a year ago, you had contact with a demoness from the East Sea Immortals’ Assembly. Someone even caught you two in an intimate situation, both naked… Where does this talk of severing emotions and desires come from?”
Mo Yanfan’s expression suddenly changed as he stared at her intently. After a long moment, he finally spoke with a trembling voice, “You… you are…”
Lin You laughed, “I am Lin You of the Fire Lotus Observatory. Have you forgotten, Young Hero? Well, the night is deep. I won’t disturb your moongazing any longer. I’ll take my leave now.”
She came as swiftly as she left. Her five-colored scarf lifted her like wings, and in the blink of an eye, she had flown far away. Mo Yanfan remained rooted to the spot, his expression one of shock, as if he had turned to wood.
What was going on with these two? Li Fei was completely baffled. It didn’t seem to be the same as the situation with Hu Jiaping. One moment she was talking about introducing a marriage prospect, and the next she was gone?
Suddenly, the folded paper in Lei Xiuyuan’s sleeve began to wriggle like a living thing. With a whoosh, it flew out of his sleeve. Li Fei was startled and quickly reached out to catch it, but Lei Xiuyuan suddenly gripped her hand tightly, silently shaking his head at her.
If they ignored it, they would fall under the nightmare spell again!
Li Fei watched in fear as the eerily soft paper fluttered like a butterfly, circling them. She tried her best not to look at the characters on the paper, but a melodious, distant sound like singing filled her ears, both beautiful and enchanting. The icy surroundings suddenly transformed into a fairyland full of blooming flowers. She involuntarily took a step forward, when suddenly, a spark of clarity flashed in her mind. She bit her tongue hard, and under the intense pain, the illusory realm instantly dissipated. Beside her, Lei Xiuyuan was already under the control of the nightmare spell, swaying as he walked towards the cliff.
Li Fei held onto him tightly, but despite his thin appearance, the boy was incredibly strong. She used all her strength but couldn’t hold him back, instead being dragged forward, stumbling.
In desperation, she punched him hard on the head, but this time, no matter how she hit him, it seemed to have no effect. Lei Xiuyuan stubbornly and silently continued towards the cliff. Li Fei could no longer maintain her silence. She grabbed his neck, kicked the back of his knee, and with a forceful push of her right hand, he fell. She quickly straddled him, pinning his shoulders down with all her might, and cried out, “Lei Xiuyuan! Wake up!”
The commotion of these two fightings, rolling and shouting in the bushes finally caught the attention of the distracted Mo Yanfan. He hurried over to investigate, only to find two children dressed only in undergarments rolling on the ground. The boy’s clothes were stained with blood, while the girl was covered in ice, snow, and mud. Above their heads, a piece of paper fluttered like a butterfly, circling without any wind.
He quickly reached out with two fingers and lightly pinched the air, causing the paper to fly involuntarily into his hand. As soon as he touched it, he couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “Eh?” There was a character spirit nightmare spell from Xingzheng Hall on it? Just as he was about to open the paper to examine it closely, it suddenly burst into flames without any apparent cause. In the blink of an eye, the thin paper had burned to ashes.
What was this? Mo Yanfan frowned.
The boy began to cough violently. After a while, he gasped for air and spoke weakly, “…Too heavy, get off.”
Mo Yanfan stepped forward and gently pulled him up, his mind filled with doubt. After gathering his thoughts for a moment, he asked, “Why are you two here in the middle of the night?”
Li Fei urgently said, “Sir! That paper! Someone wants to kill him!”
Mo Yanfan calmly replied, “First, answer my question.”
“I heard…” Li Fei had only said three words before Lei Xiuyuan interrupted her.
“Non-non and I saw that the moon was so round tonight, so we decided to enjoy it together in the courtyard,” Lei Xiuyuan began, sounding slightly embarrassed. “Suddenly, we saw a large white butterfly flying by, and after that… I don’t remember anything.”
Is he lying again? This time, Li Fei didn’t bother to argue. She wanted to see what he was trying to do.
A white butterfly? Was he referring to the paper with the character spirit nightmare spell? How could such a thing appear in the academy? Moreover, the character spirit nightmare spell was a unique technique of Xingzheng Hall. Xingzheng Hall did not quarrel with the academy, and even if there were some unknown disputes, they would never do such a thing. The academy held a special and transcendent position. No matter how powerful or vast a sect of immortals might be, any action against the academy would inevitably lead to condemnation from all other immortal sects. No one would do something that would kill a thousand enemies but harm themselves ten thousand times over.
So, were these two children lying? Mo Yanfan quietly observed the two children before him. The boy was thin and delicate, with an honest and innocent expression. The girl also looked anxious and helpless—was she the disciple with the rare single earth attribute spirit root?
A single earth attribute spirit root was rarely seen in a thousand years. After the spirit root attribute test, this news spread throughout all the major immortal sects. Although the academy seemed calm on the surface, undercurrents were surging outside. Which sect wouldn’t want to bring such a talent into their ranks? Add to that the boy, who also possessed the extremely rare single metal attribute spirit root. Could it be that a radical elder from his sect couldn’t wait for the new disciple selection a year later and, disregarding the academy’s rules, quietly made a move to snatch these talents?
The more Mo Yanfan thought about it, the more likely this possibility seemed. His suspicions dissipated, and he even felt a twinge of guilt towards the two children before him. The boy’s hands were covered in blood stains—probably from trying to resist the nightmare spell with intense pain. The wounds were there this morning, which meant the nightmare spell had already taken effect yesterday.
“Don’t move your hand,” Mo Yanfan gently held Lei Xiuyuan’s injured arms. After a moment, an icy blue net-like spiritual energy emerged from his palms, lightly covering Lei Xiuyuan’s arms. Another moment passed, and as the net-like spiritual energy dissipated, the mottled wounds on Lei Xiuyuan’s arms had completely healed and disappeared.
“I will investigate this matter thoroughly and give you both an explanation,” Mo Yanfan said, his right hand gently turning to collect the ashes of the burned paper into his sleeve. “The night is deep. Return to your rooms and rest. Do not be late for cultivation practice tomorrow.”
The night’s events were too bizarre. Li Fei couldn’t even remember how she got back to the courtyard.
Lei Xiuyuan remained silent throughout, pushing open the door to the Jingxuan Chamber, ready to enter. Li Fei hurriedly said, “Lei Xiuyuan, wait a moment!”
After so much had happened, did he still want to act like nothing had occurred and continue to avoid her?
“I’m very tired, and my chest hurts. Whatever it is, let’s talk another time,” he said.
Though his voice was as indifferent as before, it seemed to have a nasal quality and was somewhat hoarse, as if he were ill. He had been coughing earlier too. Could he have caught a cold? How could one catch a cold with immortal arts? Li Fei thought for a moment—after falling under the nightmare spell, he naturally couldn’t use immortal arts to resist the cold. Running barefoot in the icy snow in the middle of the night wearing only undergarments, it would be strange if he didn’t catch a cold.
Li Fei blocked his door, looking at his pale face, and said, “I’ll let you rest after we talk. I’ll go into the room with you, and you can lie on the bed while we talk.”
Lei Xiuyuan’s face showed some impatience: “I said I can’t talk. How many times do I have to repeat myself?”
“I’ll ask, and you answer. If you can’t say something, just stay silent,” Li Fei insisted.
Who knew that this boy would be even more stubborn than her? He didn’t speak, just leaned against the door and looked at her. The two of them stood in silent, stubborn confrontation for a long, long time. So long that her feet began to ache. She shifted from her left foot to her right, then back to her left. Her waist started to hurt, and her neck stiffened. She changed her posture and continued to face off with him.
There was a tired, helpless, almost amused look in Lei Xiuyuan’s eyes. He asked, “Aren’t you tired?”
Li Fei retorted without backing down, “Aren’t you tired?”
“I am tired,” he admitted honestly. “Let me go in and rest.”
“Then tell me everything.”
He fell silent again, and Li Fei continued to shift from one foot to the other, persisting in their standoff. After who knows how long, the door to the Qilin Chamber across from them suddenly opened. Ji Tongzhou came out and was startled to see the two of them standing like pillars, dressed only in their undergarments.
“You two…” his expression quickly changed from shock to disdain, and he let out a snort. “Shameless! Hmph!” With a look of disgust on his face, he quickly walked away.
For Ji Tongzhou to come out meant it was almost the hour of Mao (5-7 am). As a result, they had spent the entire night without sleep, locked in a standoff with this boy. He was ruthless, willing to stay up all night while sick rather than say a single word.
Li Fei was at a loss. She looked up at Lei Xiuyuan again and saw that his bangs were covering his eyes. As the wind blew, she realized that he had fallen asleep leaning against the doorframe! Asleep! He could fall asleep standing up? She had spent the whole night stubbornly facing off against someone asleep?!
She didn’t know what to do with him. She was both angry and helpless. In the end, she could only let out a long sigh, turn around in defeat, and return to her room to wash up. It was the hour of Mao, and no matter how tired she was, she had to grit her teeth and bear it. She couldn’t be late for cultivation practice.