Projection ongoing.
At this moment, Lin Shuang and the others were slightly surprised.
Meng Zi saw the clue score pop up—Xiao Feng lied, 2 points.
Even he was so startled he took a step back.
“I’m truly brilliant beyond compare,” Meng Zi said, holding his blade, stepping back a pace, then quickly puffing out his chest.
“Hahahahaha!”
Lin Shuang covered her forehead while Huangpu Yuan paused mid-action, his pill halfway to his mouth.
[Xiao Feng lied? Xiao Feng is wronged! Xiao Feng hasn’t even spoken yet!]
[The Nine Thousand Trials’ biggest villain: Xiao Feng.]
[Without even meeting her, we’ve already been betrayed by the Nine Thousand Trials.]
[This floor is poisonous. Why choose such a place for the Six Sects’ competition?]
[Where’s the supposed advantage of Shanhai Sect?]
[…]
“Move, Wang Jian! Quickly lead us to Xiao Feng!”
Meng Zi puffed out his chest, looking at Wang Jian.
He was fired up.
Lin Shuang activated the Summoning List, the Teleportation Talisman, and Huiniang’s letter…
He and Huangpu Yuan hadn’t contributed much effort yet.
But now was different. Meng Zi couldn’t help grinning, deliberately strutting past Huangpu Yuan with his blade on his shoulder.
“Heh, I’ve got two points now too.”
Huangpu Yuan lowered his gaze.
“If my junior brother wants more spirit stones, just say so directly.”
Meng Zi, caught out, didn’t even blush. “That’s right. This round can indeed distribute rewards according to the points each of us earned. It’s perfectly reasonable.”
Huangpu Yuan’s lips curled slightly as he turned to look at the grief-stricken Wang Jian.
“The letter from Huiniang mentioned you often paint her under the moonlight.”
“You’re an ink-painting cultivator, your brush condenses divine thoughts, so your paintings should be lifelike, indistinguishable from the real person.”
“May we take a look?”
[The trio from Qingshui Sect, Huangpu Yuan, have triggered the hidden item—Huiniang’s portrait, earning 2 points;
Now that you know her appearance, you should find her more easily.]
[…]
[…!]
“After you, junior brother,” Huangpu Yuan said, his jet-black pupils flickering.
Meng Zi took a step back.
Why did he provoke him for nothing?!
Lin Shuang pressed her forehead, shaking her head.
Wang Jian, however, nodded. “Yes, I did paint Huiniang.”
Right then, he swept his left sleeve outward, and from within it pulled out a poster-sized painting.
Lin Shuang hadn’t even had time to examine it closely when she felt the person beside her, holding the handwarmer, suddenly freeze.
She raised her eyebrows, focusing her gaze, and held her breath.
Before them was a stunning beauty reclining beneath the moonlight.
A gorgeously dressed woman lay on a lakeside rock.
Moonlight bathed the scene, her gauzy robe shimmering like pearls as it spilled to the ground. One hand held a wine jug, the other delicately propped under her cheek, and those bewitching eyes gazed directly at Lin Shuang from the painting.
For an instant, Lin Shuang almost forgot what she was doing. Her one hundred and eight divine senses stirred restlessly.
Instinctively, she reached out…
“Don’t touch it!”
A sharp rebuke exploded in her ear.
As Lin Shuang’s hand moved, she felt the coldness of skin, instantly snapping her back to reality.
She found her right hand resting on Huangpu Yuan’s back.
And she was already standing in front of the painting, just a single step away from the vivid portrait.
If not for Huangpu Yuan’s intervention, she would have touched the ink on the painting.
Lin Shuang was speechless.
Her one hundred and eight divine senses had at least reached the fifth stage of Yuan Condensation since leaving Zhenchuan.
Meng Zi, on the other hand, was unusually clear-headed, hands on hips, laughing. “What are you doing, Lin Shuang?”
Huangpu Yuan withdrew his hand, tucking it into his sleeve.
“Those with sharp spiritual awareness are more easily entranced by the painter’s emotions.”
Meng Zi: “…”
Wang Jian’s face flushed slightly. “Ahem, this was painted when I was drunk. It’s not the real Huiniang. Please don’t look too long or get too captivated.”
Lin Shuang tore her gaze from the painting’s woman’s piercing eyes and looked deeply at Wang Jian.
No wonder he hadn’t proactively brought out the portrait to search for her at first.
A cultivator ink painter, when painting, pours their spiritual awareness into the ink, imbuing it with intense emotions.
But as Lin Shuang calmed down and looked at Huiniang’s portrait again, she couldn’t help but feel stunned.
Her gaze landed on the fluffy fox ears on either side of the beauty’s head, and the plump, snow-white tail.
“Apologies, I didn’t mention earlier that Huiniang actually has fox demon bloodline.”
Wang Jian stood in front of the painting, also lost in thought.
“I didn’t dare to openly publicize this when I was searching for her before.”
Legend says that fox clans possess the ability to bewitch.
There are many stories in the cultivation world about beautiful fox clan maidens engaging in dual cultivation with powerful cultivators.
Lin Shuang looked complexly at the fluffy ears in the painting, then couldn’t help but glance sideways at Huangpu Yuan beside her, his black hair cascading, his phoenix eyes half-lidded, his expression inscrutable.
Could he also have fox ears…
“Oh, I get it! Is it because someone targeted Huiniang’s fox demon bloodline?”
Meng Zi leaned in closer to examine the fox girl’s portrait and suddenly realized.
“Everyone knows, since the loss of the nine-tailed fox, the fox clan’s status has greatly declined, with many foxes joining human sects and cultivation families.”
“Legend says that dual cultivation with a fox girl can double one’s cultivation speed, making them highly sought-after cultivation partners.”
Doubling the speed…
Lin Shuang’s eye twitched.
That phrase triggered her sensitive nerve.
Dual cultivation? Twice the progress with half the effort.
Beside her, the great demon seemed to sense something, immediately turning his head to give her a cold, mocking glance, his dark pupils filled with teasing irritation.
“Cough. Well then, let’s go see Xiao Feng.”
Lin Shuang clasped her hands behind her back and stepped forward first, leaving Wang Jian’s room.
The group followed Wang Jian to the embroidery shop.
How Huiniang disappeared could only be clarified by Xiao Feng now.
In the embroidery shop, Xiao Feng seemed to have sensed something. When Lin Shuang’s group arrived, she was already waiting in the embroidery room.
Her brows were lowered, her figure ordinary, human, not a fox demoness.
She looked unremarkable, very low-key.
“Xiao Feng, you deceived me! Where did you take Huiniang!”
As soon as Wang Jian entered, he went berserk.
“Tell me where Huiniang is! Return my Huiniang to me!”
He grabbed Xiao Feng’s arms and shook her violently.
Lin Shuang, standing nearby, could even smell the ink on him.
“That’s right, hurry up and tell us. Huiniang’s disappearance, as her personal maid, you must know.”
Meng Zi, holding his blade, also looked at Xiao Feng with a grim expression.
Xiao Feng’s expression was indifferent as she looked at him, then at the frenzied Wang Jian.
She lowered her eyes. “Why would I deceive you?”
“I’ve told you so many times already… that morning I went as usual to wake the young mistress, but when I opened the door, the bed was empty. The needles and threads were still scattered from the night before, and her clothes hadn’t gone missing…”
“Liar!”
Meng Zi slammed the table.
Xiao Feng was startled.
[Poof—]
[Enough, Qingshui Sect!]
[Xiao Feng, hold strong, don’t let him trick you into talking!]
In the projection, Xiao Feng quickly shook her head. “Why would I harm Huiniang?”
“You scoundrel, you still want to lie!”
Meng Zi roared in fury, directly drawing his blade.
“Quickly hand over Huiniang’s April letter!”
Xiao Feng’s expression was blank. “There isn’t one.”
“You little—Xiao Feng—” Meng Zi was furious. “Senior Brother Huangpu, quickly, use the soul-searching technique on her!”
[…]
[……………]
Amidst their commotion, Lin Shuang had already examined Huiniang’s dressing table, where eyebrow pencils, rouge, and other items were all neatly arranged.
There was also an embroidery frame screen, a basket of needles and threads nearby.
Indeed, some floral embroidery pieces matched the patterns in the letters Wang Jian had received.
Her deduction was correct.
These were the embroidery designs Huiniang had been practicing for the upcoming seasons.
The finished embroidery pieces in the room were exactly the same as those in the letters, while some were even more refined.
It showed that Huiniang had further improved her embroidery techniques afterward.
“You just won’t believe without seeing the coffin… Draw your weapon, you evil woman!”
Beside her, Meng Zi was still lecturing Xiao Feng.
Accompanied by Wang Jian’s furious and emotional questioning.
It was a complete mess.
Lin Shuang helplessly pressed her forehead.
Earlier, she had felt a slight discomfort, but she didn’t know why, so she didn’t rush to confront Xiao Feng.
Now, seeing the embroidery samples in Huiniang’s room, more vivid than those in the letters, her discomfort surged to its peak.
This intense discomfort made her realize what was wrong.
She couldn’t help but look at Wang Jian, who was still confronting Xiao Feng. “Little Wang, did you give Huiniang any suggestions about the floral embroidery patterns in her letters?”
Wang Jian was taken aback.
[Little Wang???]
Wang Jian was dazed, as if it took him a while to realize she was addressing him. “No. Huiniang didn’t ask me.”
Exactly. She didn’t ask. That was precisely what made her feel uncomfortable.
Lin Shuang’s expression was odd.
If it were her, she wouldn’t leave something ambiguous in her letters.
That’s inefficient.
She really had no sense of romance.
(Note: “情趣” can be translated in various ways depending on the context, such as “romance,” “charm,” “flair,” or “playfulness.” Here, “romance” is chosen as it broadly captures the lack of emotional or aesthetic appeal. If a different nuance is intended, alternatives could be considered.)
Even if she wanted the other party to guess, she would clearly say, ‘Guess what this means’;
If she needed their approval, she would ask, ‘What do you think of this peony embroidery design?’ ‘Is it pretty?’…
Huiniang left floral embroidery patterns in her letters, neither asking for Wang Jian’s opinion nor mentioning them in the letter, as if they were just decorative sketches she casually drew.
But if they were decorations, why did she choose draft patterns of future seasonal flowers?
In love letters, shouldn’t one use symbols like five bats (representing blessings) or pomegranates (symbolizing wanting to have children with the recipient), subtly expressing affection?
Why choose floral patterns?
Huiniang drew these in her letters, and Wang Jian didn’t even notice they were drafts for her future embroidery pieces.
Isn’t that just waving at a blind person, wasting effort?
Inefficient.
Lin Shuang understood now why she had felt uncomfortable earlier at Wang Jian’s house.
“Damn it, I’ll ask you one last time! Where is Huiniang’s April letter? Did you forge it!”
“No.”
Meng Zi and Xiao Feng were locked in a confrontation.
Lin Shuang frowned, but suddenly she froze.
“Liar! Didn’t you deliver the forged April letter to Wang Jian’s house!”
“No.”
Meng Zi was furious. “You’re still lying…”
Lin Shuang quickly walked over from the embroidery frame, looking at Xiao Feng’s confident expression, and said gravely, “You didn’t forge April’s letter. You forged Huiniang’s April journal entries.”
Xiao Feng, who had been calm before, suddenly stiffened, a flash of panic in her eyes.
Meng Zi: “Damn it! I’ve asked so many times…”
Lin Shuang pushed him aside, staring directly into Xiao Feng’s panicked eyes. “Or should I say, Wang Jian’s replies are also in your possession?”
“What?” Meng Zi hadn’t caught on yet.
But Xiao Feng, who had been stubbornly denying everything just now, turned pale, collapsing onto the bed.
In an instant, she lowered her head, her throat emitting a hoarse growl.
“No, no, no… Not me…”
“I didn’t… take… them…”
Spiritual energy surged!
Her figure abruptly surged upward, transforming from an ordinary human appearance to the fifth-stage Ningyuan cultivation level, her eyes nearly losing their pupils, leaving only the whites.
“You’re lying! Die!”
Several needles and threads flew out from the embroidery screens in the room!
Flying directly toward Lin Shuang.
[The trio from Qingshui Sect, Lin Shuang, have exposed Xiao Feng’s lie, triggering a battle with Xiao Feng!]
[Note: If victorious, there is a certain chance of obtaining hidden items from Xiao Feng—Wang Jian’s reply letter and the remaining letters from Huiniang.]
[You might also get nothing.
After all, anything can happen in a fight. You know what I mean?]
[…]
[…!]
[There should be senior apprentices from the Nine Thousand Trials watching today? I’ve always had a question—if we’re unlucky and kill Xiao Feng without getting anything, do we fail and restart this level?
Do we have to keep repeating it, fighting until this puppet drops the important items?]
[What’s the chance of getting items? Around fifty-fifty? Has any senior brother figured it out? I once killed Xiao Feng in this level and got nothing.]
[Well, for those of you who’ve entered this level ten times, let me tell you, hehehe.
Getting a complete drop once in ten tries is already great.]
[… That low.]
[Alright then, Six Sects, let’s see who can get the items hidden on Xiao Feng the fastest!]
[Ha ha, I thought it was a deduction level, but it turns out to be a puppet-fighting level after all.]
In the projection, Lin Shuang felt a pang in her dantian as she faced the game’s drop rate design.
The SL method of constantly saving and reloading in single-player games?
It gave her a headache.
Reloading, repeating.
Not conducive to time management.
As the needles and threads in the room were about to pierce her and Meng Zi’s blade was about to fall on Xiao Feng, Lin Shuang shouted.
“Stop.”
“Don’t kill her.”
“?”
“If we kill her and nothing drops, we might have to restart.”
“Let me think.”
While speaking, Lin Shuang dodged the incoming needles and threads.
“First, engage in a skirmish… Don’t deliver any fatal blows.”
[!]
[It’s useless. If we delay, Xiao Feng will have time to destroy her own storage pouch.]
[Destroying evidence? Then how do we pass this puppet level? Don’t the disciples have a one-time success method?]
[Warning.]
[The battle between Qingshui Sect and Xiao Feng has exceeded half a teacup’s time.]
[The commotion in the embroidery shop has drawn the attention of shopkeepers and passersby on the street, who are discussing it, causing the news to leak.]
[Other disciples from Shanhai Sect, Baihua Sect, Wanseng Gate, Ming… who are also passing this level, can immediately buy the news for 5000 spirit stones—Xiao Feng is suspicious! Xiao Feng possesses the important letters from Huiniang and Wang Jian!]
[…!]
[The Nine Thousand Trials have always had multiple groups of disciples on the same level, but they don’t interfere with each other.]
[Naive. Now it’s the Twelve Sects competition. Do you think you can take your time like at home?]
[When competing for treasures outside, news also leaks, with multiple parties scrambling. The Nine Thousand Trials simulate this reality.]
[Decide quickly, or things will get complicated.]
“Damn the Nine Thousand Trials for selling us information?”
Meng Zi glared.
“Lin Shuang, we can’t delay anymore!”
With that, his great blade slashed toward Xiao Feng.
Ever since the trial at the Shaking Stone in Zhenchuan’s Nine Linked Rings, they had all been capable of slashing through fifth-stage Ningyuan cultivators.
Cutting down a Xiao Feng, Meng Zi alone was more than enough.
But in an instant, as his blade struck Xiao Feng’s shoulder, several second-stage Hui Chun Dan and fifth-stage Yu Ling Dan were sent into Xiao Feng’s howling mouth.
The blood spurting from Xiao Feng’s shoulder, the terrible wound left by the great blade.
An instant healing.
Her pale face instantly turned rosy.
Not only did she not die, but her condition improved.
[…]
[……]
Meng Zi: “?”
He turns around and sees Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan both putting away their pill bottles.
“What are you two doing?”
Lin Shuang walks over and glances at the ground. “Nothing was dropped.”
She exhales in relief; fortunately, she was saved.
Meng Zi’s eyebrows twitch.
[She dares to think like that?]
[This doesn’t even count as their victory; what would they drop!]
[This can’t possibly work, right?]
[Shanhai Sect initiates the battle with Xiao Feng.]
[Baihua Sect spends 5000 spirit stones to purchase information and directly initiates the battle with Xiao Feng.]
[Wansen Sect spends 5000 spirit stones and initiates the battle with Xiao Feng.]
……
[Mingzhong Sect spends 5000 spirit stones……]
[……Seriously suspecting that this round of internal competition at Shanhai Sect is just a money-making scheme.]
[They have to gain some benefits; after all, Shanhai Sect still has to clean up the viewing mountains and competition arenas afterward, which costs money.]
[Initiating the Nine Thousand Trials for other sects consumes spirit stones, and Shanhai Sect also wants to earn them back.]
[Nice going.]
“The other five sects, which were originally slower than us, are now at the same level as us!”
Meng Zi’s forehead twitches. “We can’t afford to slow down anymore.”
“Don’t you want to win!”
Yes.
Lin Shuang’s expression subtly changes.
But they also need to obtain the senior Yindu Leaf and the layer leader’s position.
What’s the point of merely passing through?
They not only have to break through the puzzle but also trigger all the hidden items in this layer.
Therefore, they mustn’t rush.
“Stay calm.”
Lin Shuang speaks.
In the fastest learning exam, with only five minutes left before the exam ends and the bell about to ring, one must remain calm.
Only then can one answer more questions at the last moment.
Otherwise, slight irritation might lead to careless mistakes, calculation errors… making some basic errors.
And then, there won’t be time to review.
“This is deliberately disrupting us.”
“Junior Brother Meng, don’t fall for it.”
Huangpu Yuan holds a hand warmer.
“We originally had the advantage.”
The Nine Thousand Trials inform other sects of their progress for one purpose—to throw them into chaos.
Once they panic, their advantage is gone.
As he speaks, Meng Zi’s sword strike has already landed. “Damn it…”
Just as he is about to slash half of Xiao Feng’s body, he regrets and can’t stop himself.
Several Rejuvenating Pills and Healing Spirit Pills are again fed into Xiao Feng’s mouth by Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan.
Xiao Feng’s face instantly turns rosy, looking even more energetic than Meng Zi.
Meng Zi: “…”
If this goes on, won’t Xiao Feng be cultivated to the sixth level of Condensing Yuan?
[Wansen Sect defeats Xiao Feng first, earning 2 points.
Unfortunately, they got nothing.
It seems Xiao Feng was extremely angry and crushed her own storage pouch before dying.
Apologies, the clue to Xiao Feng has been lost. Wansen Sect can choose to continue or restart.
Withdrawing will count as failure in this round, with the earned points retained. However, next time entering the Nine Thousand Trials, they will have to retreat three hundred layers.]
The disciples of Wansen Sect look at each other helplessly, staring at Xiao Feng’s body in the blood pool, and reluctantly tap their wooden fish.
They can only exit this layer.
Shortly after their exit, Baihua Sect also makes a move.
The Xiao Feng in front of them chooses to self-destruct her dantian upon defeat.
[Baihua Sect secondly subdues Xiao Feng, earning 1 point.
It seems, the powerless Xiao Feng refuses to cooperate and quickly kills herself.
Hmm, something on the ground seems to be glowing. Baihua Sect, do you want to pick it up and check?]
Bian Bo Cai of Baihua Sect squats down while fanning himself with a folding fan.
He lifts the torn fabric and sees half of an inked character.
—”Huiniang, I only wish to grow old with you, living in harmony and respect…”
The writing stops here.
“Is this Wang Jian’s reply?”
Bian Bo Cai is delighted but soon falls into thought.
“What use is this?”
[Baihua Sect’s three members are the first to obtain the April reply letter from Wang Jian (fragment), earning 1 point.
A truly baffling item, who let it burn to only this much?
If one is clever enough, following this clue might lead somewhere?
But who knows if there are clever people in Baihua Sect, sigh.]
Bian Bo Cai’s folding fan stops mid-flap, his charming expression turning into absurdity. “Is this trial by Shanhai Sect challenging our Baihua Sect?”
[…]
[No, it’s an indiscriminate attack.]
Shanhai Sect and Mingzhong Sect follow closely behind, each employing their own methods, easily subduing a Xiao Feng.
But the latter’s misfortune meant they obtained no items, just like Wansen Sect.
However, Xiao Qi from the Shanhai Sect managed to withstand Xiao Feng’s fifth-layer Ningyuan attack by employing the defensive technique of the Diamond Sutra, which left her momentarily stunned.
When she was severely injured by two other seniors from Shanhai Sect, her storage pouch hidden in her chest fell out.
The letters inside were mostly destroyed by the blade of Shanhai Sect.
But Shanhai Sect was somewhat luckier than Baihua Sect, managing to obtain one intact letter.
[Shanhai Sect is the first to obtain Wang Jian’s reply letter (April), earning 1 point.]
—”Huiniang, I only wish to grow old with you, living in harmony and respect… I will treat you as if it’s our first meeting every day, never letting you down…”
“What use is this?”
Xiao Qi doesn’t understand.
The other two disciples of Shanhai Sect also frown.
[Alas, the dropped letters don’t seem complete either.
Unfortunately, the techniques of the disciples of Shanhai Sect are like a mountain pressing down, one strike crushing the storage pouch on Xiao Feng’s body.
The letters inside were written by Wang Jian himself, but unfortunately, who writes letters as if making a magical artifact?
Under the techniques of the disciples of Shanhai Sect, Wang Jian’s handwritten letters crumble to ash.
Only one letter remains intact.
Shanhai Sect, next time you attack, don’t you know to hold back slightly depending on the situation?]
The two disciples of Shanhai Sect responsible for the attack: “…”
Xiao Qi closes her eyes.
[Shanhai Sect’s Xiao Qi exclaims, ‘What use is this?’ showing great disdain for the dropped letter.]
Xiao Qi: “…”
[Yes, it’s not Wang Jian who’s missing now!
The disciples of Shanhai Sect who obtained Wang Jian’s reply letter seem to have some clue, or maybe not. You can choose to withdraw and try again.]
[…]
[The Nine Thousand Trials are truly a nightmare for us disciples.]
[They won’t feel comfortable unless they mock the disciples for a day.]
[The elders who designed the Nine Thousand Trials are quite strict with the disciples… cough, very demanding.]
[Considering the prolonged stay of each sect, you may spend 5000 spirit stones to purchase clues obtained by other sects.]
[1. Baihua Sect’s ‘Wang Jian’s April Letter Fragment (damaged)’ for 1000 spirit stones.]
[2. Shanhai Sect’s ‘Wang Jian’s April Letter Complete (damaged)’ for 2000 spirit stones.]
[Considering the successive failures of the six sects, they need to retreat 300 layers to re-enter this layer.
But the competition among the six great sects cannot be delayed.
The Yuange Yindu Leaf will be temporarily opened.]
[3. ‘My Lady, Look at Me One More Time’ Yindu Leaf: allows immediate entry to this layer, ignoring the current level of the disciple, 5000 spirit stones per use.]
Meng Zi stares in shock during the trial.
Lin Shuang whistles; the Shanhai Sect really has a commercial mind.
This competition is definitely profitable.
[Will Qing Shui Sect purchase letters 1 and 2?]
Huangpu Yuan takes out his storage pouch.
[Qing Shui Sect’s two members refuse to purchase; transaction canceled.]
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Meng Zi looks as if he would never fall for it.
Lin Shuang remains silent.
[Ha ha ha!]
[Stingy.]
But the next moment, a sobbing voice comes from Xiao Feng’s mouth.
“Why… why won’t you kill me?”
Her face is flushed, all due to the nourishing pills she consumed.
Her entire body overflows with spiritual energy, surpassing her injuries, unable to absorb more.
If she were to sit cross-legged and meditate now, she could achieve a slight breakthrough.
Xiao Feng looks sorrowfully at Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan, confused, lost, and even pained. “Why are you so kind to me, just like Huiniang…”
She sobs, covering her face with both hands.
Tears stream down her cheeks.
“She was so kind to me, saving my life.”
“And I betrayed her.”
“It’s all my fault… all my fault…”
Xiao Feng trembles all over, sobbing loudly.
All her hostility gone, she seems helplessly lost, like a child without a home.
“Yes, the letters are all with me… Huiniang’s remaining writings are also with me…”
“Will Huiniang ever forgive me—”
As she speaks, she sobs loudly and pulls out a thick stack of letters.
Under Lin Shuang’s subtle gaze, all three of them see the words before them.
[Qing Shui Sect’s three members are the first to obtain Wang Jian’s handwritten letter (complete), earning 2 points;
Qing Shui Sect’s three members are the first to obtain Huiniang’s handwritten letter (complete), earning 2 points;
These are the most complete clues. If you still can’t find Huiniang, there probably isn’t any elixir that can cure your brains.]
[!]
Lin Shuang: “…”
The three of them immediately start reading.
—”I am so happy to see Huiniang’s handwriting.”
—”It turns out Huiniang also misses me; I feel the same.”
—”I am about to enter seclusion, painting the ‘Thousands of Mountains and Myriads of Waters Screen’ for over a month. Will Huiniang forget me when we meet again next month?”
…
—”Huiniang, I only wish to grow old with you, living in harmony and respect… I will treat you as if it’s our first meeting every day, never letting you down…”
Wang Jian’s handwritten reply, this April letter is the last one.
After that, Huiniang disappears.
After flipping through, Lin Shuang slightly ponders, then hands it to Huangpu Yuan, taking Huiniang’s handwritten notes from him.
Meng Zi reads along with her.
Upon seeing the piece of paper specially selected by Huangpu Yuan, Meng Zi’s face changes.
—March 8th… Today, with Xiao Feng, we finally finished embroidering the wedding robes. It was Wang Lang’s design of the mandarin ducks playing in the water, and I specially chose seven-colored silk threads.
—April 9th… The way he looked at me was as if he wanted to devour me. I had no heart for embroidery today. Xiao Feng said I was overthinking and told me to rest early.
—April 10th… I went to the street to buy embroidery thread and met him again… It seemed as if he knew I would go out today, was he following me all the way?
I felt a bit scared. After all, I am about to get married soon, and once I become a Wang, I will be part of the Wang family…
The rest of the page is torn in half.
These few pages seem to have been repeatedly crumpled and then torn, unknown whether by Xiao Feng or someone else, and then glued back together.
But the torn half page, Lin Shuang looked for it, but couldn’t find it among the pile of letters and wooden boxes.
“Gone.”
Xiao Feng, as if exhausted from crying, bitterly moves her lips, her eyes dull.
“Gone? Who tore it off?”
Meng Zi frowns and asks.
“Who is the person mentioned in this letter, who followed Huiniang?”
“Who is he?”
“Who is—”
Xiao Feng’s face shows terror.
She only utters two words when a flying dagger pierces through the embroidery room window, straight toward her chest!
Lin Shuang steps forward, but is held back by Huangpu Yuan.
Meng Zi hasn’t even managed to draw his sword.
“Refined Spirit…”
Wang Jian beside them opens his mouth, his eyes filled with terror.
“It’s a Refining Spirit expert who took Huiniang!”
Meng Zi’s eyes widen and he rushes out instantly.
Lin Shuang doesn’t chase, steps forward, and tries to feed Xiao Feng a Rejuvenating Pill.
But Huangpu Yuan stops her, shaking his head.
Blood sprays continuously from Xiao Feng’s mouth, her pupils already scattered.
Her lips move, but no sound comes out.
Lin Shuang holds the pill bottle tightly, her fingers clenched into a fist.
“Above the Condensed Essence realm, there still exist the Refining Spirit and Entering Void realms…”
‘Under a great cultivator, life and death are decided in a breath.’
‘You all, in a breath, how many people can you save…’
The words of the elder from the Nine Thousand Layers of Zhen Chuan seem to echo in her ears.
Lin Shuang closes her eyes. She couldn’t save her.
Too weak, and she can’t save anyone.
The puppet pass isn’t real, but just now, in an instant, she still felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
Lin Shuang lowers her head, looking at Xiao Feng, whose eyes are gradually losing focus.
“You haven’t told me yet, why did you hand Huiniang’s diary to Wang Jian as a letter?”
Xiao Feng’s pupils widen instantly.
Lin Shuang feels bitter. As expected.
“Was that April letter forged by you, or was it that ‘he’ you mentioned?”
Xiao Feng’s life is gone, and she can no longer speak.
She only manages to weakly point one finger at Wang Jian.
Behind him is an exquisite embroidered screen, with red silk threads forming words.
—”Thinking not like the people of the Magpie Bridge, still managing to meet once a year.”
[Qing Shui Sect’s Lin Shuang and the others are the first to discover Huiniang’s inner thoughts.
As a fox-blooded being, Huiniang considered herself unworthy of Wang Jian’s companionship and once considered hiding her feelings.
Do you agree with Huiniang’s choice to silently keep her longing hidden in her heart?
Or perhaps you would, like Xiao Feng, want to change everything, let him know her feelings, let him treat her well, and stay together forever.
How many centuries can a fox and a human cultivator spend together?]
Wang Jian slides helplessly to the ground. “Thinking not like the people of the Magpie Bridge, Huiniang…”
Lin Shuang closes Xiao Feng’s eyes.
She starts reading Huiniang’s handwritten notes from the beginning again.
—November… It’s been years since I last saw Li Wei. I didn’t expect him to return to East City today. Aren’t most of the tiger clan in the Northern Regions now?
—March… Li Wei heard that I was going to marry into the Wang family, and he strongly disapproved, seeming quite unhappy.
—March… Li Wei came looking for me again, urging me not to marry. I didn’t agree, and he seemed very angry.
—April… The way he looked at me was as if he wanted to devour me. I had no heart for embroidery today. Xiao Feng said I was overthinking and told me to rest early.
“Tiger demon Li Wei?!”
Wang Jian almost trembles all over.
“Was it him who killed Xiao Feng!?”
“Could Huiniang already have…”
[Qing Shui Sect’s Meng Zi and the others are the first to obtain a tiger hair dropped by the Northern Region tiger demon, earning 2 points.]
Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan exchange a subtle glance toward outside the embroidery room.
Did Meng Zi find it outside?
“That tiger demon hasn’t been seen recently; I went several times and he was in seclusion! He is half-step Refining Spirit, his spiritual sense comparable to early Refining Spirit. I beg the three of you to help me!”
Meng Zi rushes back quickly, not even having the chance to speak to Lin Shuang and the other two.
He sees Wang Jian, grief-stricken and agitated, immediately flick his sleeve, sending out a massive ink painting of thousands of mountains and myriad waters, instantly extending for hundreds of miles.
The next moment, the entire embroidery shop is rolled up by his painting scroll.
Wang Jian held a paintbrush in his hand, and with a stroke of ink, the northern suburbs were brought within arm’s reach!
Contraction of distance into a painting.
One step and they arrived.
Lin Shuang, Huangpu Yuan, and Meng Zi opened their eyes and saw towering mountains before them.
With every breath, Lin Shuang felt her scalp tingling.
The smell of blood dissipated the scent of ink from the landscape painting.
Before them, inside a cave dwelling, a tall, broad-shouldered, resolute man with a dark face bared his sharp, spiked teeth, his face covered in blood. He was holding a beautiful woman whose neck had been broken, burying his face into the side of her bleeding neck.
Wang Jian cried out in grief, “Hui Niang!”
The broad-shouldered man, blood covering the side of his face, struggled to suppress his beastly features, his eyes displaying vertical golden pupils. Upon seeing Wang Jian, he raised his head and let out a ferocious tiger’s roar.
He then threw Hui Niang, her fox tail severed, onto the ground.
Huangpu Yuan’s jet-black pupils immediately filled with blood, his dark hair vibrating with intense emotion.
[Congratulations, Qing Shui Sect has reached the northern suburbs first, triggering a battle with the tiger demon, earning 2 points!]
[Shan Hai Sect, Bai Hua Sect… will you spend 10,000 spirit stones to directly obtain the clue to the northern tiger demon and immediately join the battle?]
Projected text floated past. Huangpu Yuan’s neck veins bulged as he was about to extend his fingers with a cracking sound, but Lin Shuang suddenly grabbed him, stopping his nearly uncontrollable surge of rage!
“Wait—”
“Don’t move! We’re going too fast—too fast for the trials!”
[…]
[What? Is she actually going to wait for the other sects?]
[Qing Shui Sect: Too fast! Oh no, way too fast! The other five sects haven’t even arrived yet… It’s just too cold at the top, too cold indeed!]
[Anonymous from Qing Shui Sect: Please wait a moment, show some consideration for the other five sects’ cultivation of their Dao hearts. Ah, our junior apprentice sister is great in every way, just a bit too kind-hearted.]
[Anonymous from Qing Shui Sect: What if we don’t wait? If we finish the trials too quickly and snatch away the position of sect leader from Shan Hai Sect, what then? The future sect leader of Shan Hai must bear the name of our Qing Shui Sect, oh no! Slow down a bit, junior sister!]
[!]
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