Chapter 35: Each Harboring Their Own Thoughts, Each Harboring Their Own Intentions

The night I gifted the sword to Long Qi, it began to snow. At first, it was just a few scattered flakes, but unexpectedly, by midnight, it turned into a heavy snowfall, and after five days, there was still no sign of it stopping.

"The mountain is sealed quite early this year, I fear," Lingxiang said, blowing on the hot tea in her hands and sighing as she gazed at the heavy snow outside the veranda.

This place was Qiuyun Peak, the residence of Fuyin Zhenren; the mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist that never dispersed throughout the year, hence the name.

Lingxiang was currently sipping tea in a small, suspended pavilion on Qiuyun Peak. The verandas in front and back clung tightly to the cliff face, and there were doors between the corridors where people entered and exited from time to time; these were actually the residences of his disciples.

Speaking of the residence of the Yuanqing Sect's Punishment Elder, it was truly a work of divine craftsmanship—the top of Qiuyun Peak was hollow, built into a courtyard, and all the dwellings were constructed around this courtyard, connected inside and out.

It was as if the top of Qiuyun Peak had been deliberately sliced off, and houses and rooms had been built within it.

And the hollow space at the peak had a constant hot spring year-round, which once made Lingxiang wonder if Fuyin Zhenren had used some kind of witchcraft to cause it.

At this moment, Fuyin Zhenren was playing chess with Elder Chengxin. As he placed a piece and heard Lingxiang say this, he laughed and scolded, "You little imp, in years past before you went down the mountain, you would come here every year to hide from the cold. Whenever you come, it is sure to snow; you are more accurate than a robin."

Hearing this, Chengxin Zhenren could not help but laugh out loud.

"That is exactly right. It is fortunate that we have Lingxiang; otherwise, the matter of the sect's procurement would have caused Hanyang a great deal of distress."

"Third Senior Brother is already two or three hundred years old, yet he still joins Sixth Senior Brother in mocking a girl of only ten or so years; have you no shame?" Lingxiang said, taking a sip of the hot tea in her hand—the tea brewed with the mountain spring of Qiuyun Peak was truly excellent, but unfortunately, it was very far from her Qingwei Peak. If she could channel it there to bathe in daily, it might just help her cultivation advance a step further.

"Senior Brother Chengxin has indeed been cultivating for two hundred and seventy years, but I cannot agree with you calling yourself a girl. There is hardly anyone in the entire sect who hasn't been schemed against by you." Beside them, Donghui Zhenren held the Xuantian Remnant Scroll in one hand and a teacup in the other, his eyes fixed on the book as if he hadn't been the one who just spoke.

"Putting it that way, it seems I haven't taken any advantage from you, Fourth Senior Brother," Lingxiang said, turning her head to look at Chengxin Zhenren. "Your residence is adjacent to Third Senior Brother's, and you are in charge of Langhuan Pavilion; why not let me go and observe it one of these days? It would be better than being bored all day."

Chengxin Zhenren was startled by her gaze and placed the wrong piece. Fuyin Zhenren smiled without a word, while Donghui Zhenren remained unmoved, as if it weren't him that Lingxiang was scheming against.

"There isn't a book in my Langhuan Pavilion that you haven't read; why bother planning like this? You speak so grandly, but I fear you are just trying to open a back door for that disciple of yours, or perhaps you have taken a fancy to some magic treasure of Senior Brother Chengxin's and want to wheedle it away." Donghui Zhenren sipped his tea, continuing to contemplate the remnant scroll in his hand.

Hearing this, Chengxin Zhenren felt a sharp pain in his heart. Lingxiang's cultivation was hindered and had made little progress, but her ability to spot things was unparalleled. Just like the Universe Bag on her person, it was originally bestowed upon him by their master, but this little girl had taken a fancy to it at a glance and insisted on having it.

Anything in the sect that caught Lingxiang's eye would eventually end up in her hands. Her ability to wheedle and pester was unprecedented and breathtaking, to the point that later on, if anyone else's belongings caught her eye, they would grit their teeth and give them to her directly.

Having been down the mountain for a few years, he had forgotten all about this. Could it be that she had found out about the Dingfeng Pearl he had obtained a few days ago? That was a top-grade Spirit Treasure, and a rare one at that!

Perhaps seeing through Chengxin Zhenren's thoughts, Lingxiang gave him a faint, extremely subtle smile.

"How could I make my senior brothers part with their treasures?" Lingxiang shook the Silver Bell on her Universe Bag and smiled while holding her teacup. "I am merely borrowing them to play with for ten or twenty years; once I have played enough, I will naturally return them, won't I?" As she spoke, she deliberately tapped the Universe Bag at her waist.

"Besides, I only wanted to ask for a favor from Fourth Senior Brother to borrow a few books to read. It just so happens that Third Senior Brother also has two very interesting ones. Since you are neighbors and we are all gathered here today, I might as well ask for them all at once, so as not to trouble Senior Brother Fuyin to take me sword-flying in the future."

Saying this, Lingxiang reached out to catch the falling snow outside the pavilion, her expression sorrowful.

"Your junior sister is so thoughtful, yet you, Fourth Senior Brother, describe me in such a way; it truly makes me sad beyond measure."

Donghui Zhenren, however, did not fall for Lingxiang's act; he put down his cup and looked up at her.

"To go to such lengths for your disciple, I fear the relationship is more than what appears on the surface."

Donghui Zhenren's sudden remark left Lingxiang silent for a long time.

The day she sent Long Qi to Yuanqing was exactly the day of the Cold Clothes Festival. Lingxiang had taken the Dragon Pattern Jade and secretly set up a Spirit Summoning Array, learning that the extermination of the Long Family was actually related to the Life-Prolonging Pill.

And this Life-Prolonging Pill had been created by her mother back then, and only her mother could refine it.

According to what Lingxiang knew, when her mother was traveling the mortal world, she had entrusted the Life-Prolonging Pill to three families for safekeeping. Not long after, all three clans were exterminated by villains, and the pills disappeared without a trace.

And Long Qi was a descendant of one of those families, who had fortunately escaped a disaster under the protection of his elder brother.

The snow melted in Lingxiang's hand, but she remained unaware, still holding that same posture.

"If all these matters started because of my mother, should it not be for me to bring them to an end?"

Chengxin and Fuyin both lowered their heads in silence, and Donghui sighed upon hearing this.

"Although your mother's intentions were kind back then, it nearly caused the destruction of Yuanqing, and the people of the mortal world were also implicated. But these things have nothing to do with you; why force these matters upon yourself and add to your own troubles..."

"I only wish to make some compensation..." Lingxiang closed her hand and pulled it back, looking at the snow water dripping continuously from between her fingers, and said as if whispering, "Even if it is futile, it is still more peaceful than knowing the truth and turning a blind eye..."

……

Ever since Lingxiang gifted the sword, Long Qi's expression had remained dejected. Liu Xia and Zhao Wuyang were very worried, but they were at their wits' end.

Without having suffered another's hardships, one cannot understand another's personal pain. Given their own family backgrounds and experiences, they truly did not know how to begin to comfort him. Yet, they were caught in the heavy snow and unable to inform Lingxiang of this.

Watching him sit on the bed clutching his sword, wasting away day by day, the two of them were burning with anxiety.

"The dead are gone, and the living must go on. Although this saying is cliché and powerless, it is the truth." Xin Yi suddenly sat on the edge of the bed with his back to Long Qi, trying to persuade him.

Long Qi lifted his head, which had been buried in his lap for a long time, his eyes dazed.

"In your current state, not to mention how your family beneath the Yellow Springs would feel, just seeing how Lingxiang is working so hard for you, you shouldn't be like this."

Hearing this, a glimmer of light seemed to flash in Long Qi's eyes, but it vanished in an instant. Only after a long while did he speak.

"The villains were vicious and slaughtered my entire family; this hatred is engraved in my heart and I have never forgotten it. I have wandered the streets since I was small, but I have constantly searched and moved forward. To avenge this hatred, I have lived a base life, snatching food from dogs and fighting for a seat with others; even if I was knocked down, I would climb back up again, never letting my guard down."

Tears rolled down from the corners of Long Qi's eyes and dripped onto the sword in his arms. The Seven-Star Longyuan seemed to sense the sorrow in his heart and let out a low, "Ding" hum.

"However, that day I discovered that although I have not forgotten my revenge all these years, I have forgotten the faces of my family. No matter how I try to recall them, their features are all blurred."

Zhao Wuyang listened with teary eyes, and Liu Xia also did not know what to say, but Xin Yi looked calm.

"I suffered a tragedy in my family when I was young and also experienced the slaughter of my clan. But I still have attachments in my heart; if not for that, I fear my heart would have died long ago. I will not urge you to let go of your hatred, just as I myself would not be able to find peace. But time will continue regardless. Since you are now wallowing in the past and unable to extricate yourself, why not try to seek new thoughts and hope for the future?"

Hearing this, the past moments with Lingxiang suddenly crashed into Long Qi's heart; her laughter, anger, annoyance, and joy flashed before his eyes one after another.

If it were her...