After offering incense, the two disciples were going to the sword tip to comprehend sword intent when Su Zhuyi called out, “Come again tomorrow too!”
Qinghe: “…”
Only after the people had left did Qinghe ask, “Is there a need?” He felt Su Zhuyi had many secrets, but he never actively inquired. Similarly, he knew that Su Zhuyi truly wouldn’t harm them—her thoughts all had their purposes.
Qinghe was very tolerant of people he recognized. As long as it didn’t involve Master, didn’t expose his identity, and didn’t affect Master’s reputation, he wouldn’t stop her, whether she wanted to kill or commit arson—he could even provide backup from the side. Now she was just having a few people come up to burn incense, so naturally, he wouldn’t stop her either. Only when his body became uncomfortable and he needed to leave would this Luoxue Peak have to be sealed off. When he wasn’t here, he didn’t want anyone coming up to disturb Master.
“There is a need,” Su Zhuyi said. She was still thinking about how to explain this issue to her senior brother when she heard Qinghe outside answer, “Good.”
Common people in the mortal world liked to establish longevity tablets for those righteous cultivators who acted chivalrously, offering incense and praying. Legend had it that this was beneficial to cultivators’ practice, though he wasn’t clear if it was true. Because Qinghe had never done any good deeds, he felt that if his portrait were painted, it would probably be pasted on doors as a door god to ward off ghosts. Only someone like Master would be hung in rooms for worship: a white-robed fairy, ethereal and transcendent, world-shocking sword immortal with far-reaching chivalrous reputation.
Su Zhuyi now felt this senior brother was quite good too.
He looked slightly inferior to Qin Jianglan.
But his strength was very powerful.
However, because he had sacrificed himself to the Longquan Sword, an evil sword that could make him lose control and kill people at any time, plus his single-minded devotion to living for Master, she hadn’t had any improper thoughts. But thinking about it was still quite regrettable. In her previous life, Su Zhuyi flirted with any decent man she saw. Now living again, she was truly becoming more conservative.
Though she liked Qin Jianglan and wholeheartedly wanted to save him, she ultimately hadn’t thought of living only for this one man. Looking at her senior brother now, she still felt it was a pity and clicked her tongue helplessly. A leopard couldn’t change its spots—Su Zhuyi felt she hadn’t encountered anyone more handsome than Qin Jianglan, otherwise, she might still have some improper thoughts.
Lying in bed, unable to move, her injuries were caused by her primordial spirit suddenly strengthening. She estimated she’d need to recover for ten days to half a month. In her previous life, when recuperating on the Wangtian Tree, she had lain for a long time too. Back then, her primordial spirit was also extremely weak, and she couldn’t do anything—opening her eyes, she could only see that lamp and the small area around its light. It was much more boring than now, yet she had endured it. Now lying for a few days, she didn’t find the time difficult to bear.
Anyway, she could still tease Qin Jianglan.
Her divine consciousness swept in again as she asked, “Just now, I had two disciples offer incense for you. Did you sense anything?”
Qin Jianglan slowly shook his head.
Just offering incense wasn’t enough—others had to remember such a person. Just like how many people always remembered Luo Ying in their hearts, it should be that kind of commemoration that had meaning. Of course, it was also possible that with only two people who had only offered incense once, Qin Jianglan couldn’t feel it. Little by little adds up to a lot. Anyway, there were no other approaches now, so this would have to do for the time being.
“Qin Jianglan.” Su Zhuyi separated out a strand of divine consciousness, like a feather brushing across his cheek, then lightly touching his nose bridge, stroking down bit by bit, finally landing on his lips.
Qin Jianglan: “…”
She even asked in a cloying voice, “Back then, when you changed my bandages, was it like this too?”
Her divine consciousness pressed down slightly heavier, as if a pair of hands were pinching his chin, “Is this force too heavy, or should it be like this?”
“Su Zhuyi.” Qin Jianglan’s expression was impassive, his earlobes slightly red, his voice still maintaining its cool tone.
“What?” Su Zhuyi giggled twice, “Want to cast a silencing spell again?”
The wheel of fortune turns—back then, he had tormented her; now it was her turn to take charge.
Su Zhuyi glanced at him sideways, raising an eyebrow, “Or are you going to recite the Clear Heart Mantra yourself? Let me guess, are you silently chanting mantras in your head right now? Clear Heart Mantra? Calming Heart Mantra?” Her divine consciousness swept to his lower abdomen, “Or the Fire-Quelling Mantra?”
Qin Jianglan couldn’t see Su Zhuyi’s expression.
He could only hear Su Zhuyi’s mocking voice.
Su Zhuyi lay in bed unable to move her body, not speaking aloud either, but her facial expression was quite lively. Qinghe, who hadn’t gone far, twitched the corner of his mouth and silently looked away.
Qin Jianglan called Su Zhuyi’s name again, making Su Zhuyi grin smugly, “What, did I guess right?”
“Your cultivation has advanced and your primordial spirit’s power increased, but your realm isn’t stable yet.” Qin Jianglan gazed ahead with a calm tone, “Cultivate properly and stabilize your mind and spirit.”
Why was he saying this out of nowhere?
Qin Jianglan raised his hand, lightly pointing at his cheek.
Only then did Su Zhuyi notice that his cheek was flushed red, but it wasn’t from embarrassment—rather, it looked like someone had slapped him. She had controlled her divine consciousness to caress him, thinking her force was very gentle, but actually, this kind of fine control over divine consciousness required diligent practice. In her previous life, her primordial spirit control had been quite good, but now her realm wasn’t stable, and she wasn’t grasping her strength well. She thought she had lightly brushed over Qin Jianglan, but the actual effect…
Was probably slap slap slap slap—she had smacked him several times across the face, from top to bottom, slapping his face…
Yet he had remained steady throughout, not even frowning once.
Su Zhuyi: “…”
She had originally intended to tease him, but now, seeing his face, she felt somewhat distressed.
Within the Liuguang Mirror, when Su Zhuyi’s divine consciousness invaded, Qin Jianglan could roughly sense her state of mind. Now she was probably somewhat embarrassed and ashamed. So her divine consciousness had become more ethereal and weak. This way, she should be better-behaved next time.
Qin Jianglan’s cultivation wasn’t weak. Now, in this Liuguang Mirror, it was only higher than in his previous life, not lower. Blocking that mere divine consciousness would be easy, but he hadn’t done so.
He hoped Su Zhuyi could be slightly more well-behaved. If this continued, even the Calming Heart Mantra wouldn’t calm his heart.
In his previous life on the Wangtian Tree, even without spiritual energy she liked to get handsy with him. Now, unable to even make physical contact, she could still use divine consciousness to flirt with him. Though Qin Jianglan was speechless, his heart was also slightly intoxicated, sweet and entrancing.
Little Skull sat to one side, looking up at the sky with some dissatisfaction. “Little sister, I can sense your divine consciousness.”
“Are you whispering secrets with little uncle?” He leaned against Qin Jianglan, the little flame in his eye sockets spinning in circles, “What secrets are you telling? Can’t I listen?”
Su Zhuyi said seriously, “He was just teaching me cultivation, how to control divine consciousness.” Su Zhuyi separated a strand of divine consciousness, carefully landing it on Little Skull’s hand, “How does this feel? Is the force too heavy?”
“Heavy, like, like…” Little Skull thought for a long while before saying, “Like being pounced on by Xiaoxiao.”
Xiaoxiao was Little Skull’s big yellow dog, now already advanced with great strength.
Su Zhuyi: “…”
It seemed her control over divine consciousness needed strengthening. Since her body couldn’t move anyway, she might as well temper her divine consciousness. Time was precious and couldn’t be wasted like this. Having thought this through, Su Zhuyi became serious. She used her divine consciousness to play games with Little Skull. Over the years, she hadn’t spent much time with Little Skull, always being indifferent toward him. Now, separated by the Liuguang Mirror, she instead played with him for a long time, making Little Skull especially happy, laughing so hard he couldn’t close his jaw every day.
When she cultivated her divine consciousness, she was very serious, only resting when her divine consciousness was exhausted, then continuing when recovered. After seven or eight days, her mastery of divine consciousness had strengthened considerably. And in these seven or eight days, the middle-aged man’s primordial spirit inside the Liuguang Mirror had already weakened beyond recognition.
He was unwilling, completely unwilling.
With his lifespan nearing its end, to remain in the mortal world and wait for the Liuguang Mirror to appear again, he had refined himself into a soul weapon, allowing his primordial spirit to exist within a ring, enabling him to last longer. Because he didn’t know how long he’d have to wait for the Liuguang Mirror’s reappearance, soul seizure wouldn’t work—after all, soul seizure only had one chance. Even if he succeeded, it would only add some lifespan. He could only refine a soul weapon and wait until after the Liuguang Mirror appeared, when his primordial spirit would still have a soul seizure opportunity.
Now, before his primordial spirit dissipated, he had finally waited for the Liuguang Mirror and had the most suitable physical body for seizure, but he was too weak and had no such strength at all.
Despite all his calculations, he hadn’t expected to awaken so late, so late that his primordial spirit couldn’t maintain integrity, so late that he had no way to forcibly seize his body.
Was he going to give up like this?
Suddenly his heart filled with regret—he should have acted differently back then, such regret…
As his consciousness gradually dissipated, he looked in Qin Jianglan’s direction and said, “You really will dissipate.”
“For the Liuguang Mirror to become a Dao artifact, it needs the reborn person to reverse fate. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dao can break anything. Back then, my strength was nearly at the Spirit Transformation stage, unmatched throughout the True Immortal Realm, able to overturn clouds and rain with a flip of my hand, yet I still couldn’t escape the Heavenly Dao’s destiny, couldn’t achieve resurrection from death, couldn’t avoid approaching lifespan’s end.”
“That mirror is somehow ownerless because the person who forged it or its original master’s power has dissipated. To become its master, I guess, one can only change fate. Like me, reborn through the mirror ten thousand years ago, but actually, I couldn’t control it at all either. That mirror is merely a medium for us.”
“To become its master, we can only seek other methods.”
Perhaps sensing his impending dissipation, his words became much more sincere: “We can turn the Liuguang Mirror into a demonic artifact.”
“A demonic artifact wouldn’t have the limitation of requiring defying heaven to change fate for recognition as a master.” By the end of his speech, he was somewhat exhausted, “I’ll teach you. I was the foremost person in the True Immortal Realm. I’ll teach you to turn the Liuguang Mirror into a demonic artifact. Then we’ll be able to control this mirror, reborn through sacrificing living beings, even directly devouring living beings through the mirror. When that time comes, you’ll be the master—freely entering and leaving the Liuguang Mirror will be effortless, and the whole world will be in our hands.”
“There are many great demon lords in this world. Even if they’re arrogant for a time, ultimately, none have good endings.” Qin Jianglan looked at Little Skull, “Since ancient times, evil cannot triumph over righteousness.”
Su Zhuyi happened to project a strand of divine consciousness in.
“Old Dog Qin, who the hell are you talking about?”