MOF Chapter 80
by Volare“Yes, it’s plum blossom.”
Xie Yiling heard this and bent down to look at the characters he was writing. He saw that the writing on the paper had gone from crooked and messy at the beginning to neat and orderly, just like before. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Si Wumian was really right.”
Nangong Ci asked as he wrote, “What did he say?”
Xie Yiling cleared his throat and imitated Si Wumian’s annoying tone when speaking to him: “Senior Brother Xie, I’m not just saying this, but even if someone wrote your characters with their eyes closed, they’d probably be better than yours.”
Nangong Ci finished the last stroke and stopped, saying, “It just takes practice. Your writing isn’t ugly, it just has a very strong personal style.”
These words were a bit too dishonest, and Xie Yiling laughed, bowing his head.
“By the way,” Nangong Ci changed the subject, “Haven’t you been practicing with Wumian lately?”
Xie Yiling paused, then looked surprised. “Could it be that he ran to you to complain about this?”
Nangong Ci smiled. “It’s not complaining. It’s just that he came to look for you yesterday and said he hadn’t seen you lately, so I found out.”
Xie Yiling responded and explained seriously, “I learned a story some time ago that talked about ‘not crying until one cries, and then astonishing everyone.’ So I wanted to practice alone to see if I could have that effect.”
Nangong Ci smiled and didn’t continue on that topic, changing the subject. “This morning, the Sect Leader made a special trip to recommend someone to me.”
Xie Yiling’s attention was immediately diverted, and he asked, “Who is it?”
Nangong Ci said, “A divine doctor who lives deep in White Bone Mountain, named Qingyi Sanren.”
“The Sect Leader means that this Qingyi Sanren can cure your eyes?”
Thinking of this, Xie Yiling straightened up immediately, almost jumping up. He clapped his hands together, making a clear sound, showing that he was in complete agreement.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Xie Yiling tugged on Nangong Ci’s sleeve. “Let’s go invite him over now!”
Although Xie Yiling had never really been inside White Bone Mountain, he had passed by it during exorcisms and had seen it from afar, so it wasn’t hard to find.
Nangong Ci stopped him. “Don’t be anxious. Since we have something to ask of someone, we should naturally write a letter in advance to inform them and discuss a time.”
“Right.” Xie Yiling came back to his senses and patted his forehead. “I almost forgot.”
After speaking, he took the initiative to grind the ink for Nangong Ci. After watching him finish writing, he curled the tip of his tongue and whistled against his teeth. A snow-white bird quickly appeared in his sight and landed on the windowsill.
The bird was attracted by the plum blossom fragrance and opened its beak slightly, wanting to bite the plum blossom, but Xie Yiling pressed its head with his hand halfway and changed its direction.
After the ink on the paper dried, he neatly folded it twice and put it in an envelope. Then he placed the letter in the bird’s claws, stroked its smooth feathers, and instructed, “Remember, be sure to deliver it accurately to Qingyi Sanren on White Bone Mountain.”
Nangong Ci said, “You’re quite familiar with this Southern Return Bird.”
Xie Yiling replied, “Compared to the green-feathered sparrows, it can be called a divine bird.”
The white-feathered bird grabbed the envelope with its claws, shook its feathers, raised its head, chirped clearly, and flew away.
At noon, Xie Yiling applied medicine to Nangong Ci’s eyes as scheduled. After watching him lie down and close his eyes to absorb the medicinal properties, he slowly retreated and walked into the backyard.
He hadn’t been practicing with Si Wumian lately, and the reason was naturally related to cultivating demonic arts. He had already completely understood and memorized the *Record of Strange Contracts*, so he no longer needed to read it. So he took some time and stuffed the book under Nangong Ci’s bed.
Presumably, no one in Southern Return would dare to rummage through Immortal Lord Fufeng’s bed.
The heavy snow in the morning had become so small that it was invisible to the naked eye. There was no rustling, face-stinging cold wind. Nangong Ci was also resting, so it could be said that the timing, location, and person were all right.
Xie Yiling’s heart grew bolder, and he had the idea of “just practicing in Fufeng Pavilion.”
The bright sunlight gradually dimmed until Xie Yiling was so thirsty that he couldn’t continue practicing. He stopped and muttered to himself, “Why am I so thirsty today?”
As he spoke, he walked towards the stone table where the tea was. As he poured the tea, he saw a figure in the doorway in the corner of his eye. His back instantly tensed up, and cold sweat broke out.
“Nangong, Immortal Lord Shizun, when did you get here?”
Xie Yiling’s mind went blank, and he was so frightened that he didn’t choose his words, not even bothering with the proper honorifics.
Nangong Ci’s expression didn’t change, and his tone was normal as he asked, “Practicing?”
“Yes.” Xie Yiling wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I saw that the weather was good earlier, so I was too lazy to go to the training grounds. And I’m going down the mountain later, so I have to practice more. If I encounter any extremely vicious…”
“How long have you been practicing?”
As soon as these words came out, the entire courtyard became as quiet as a secluded valley.
“From noon until now.” Xie Yiling’s tone didn’t sound unusual. He put down the teacup, his hand unsteady, making a crisp sound of porcelain lightly knocking, and looked up at Nangong Ci somewhat guiltily. “What’s wrong, Shizun?”
Nangong Ci walked over slowly, each step as if stepping on Xie Yiling’s heart, making his breathing gradually tighten.
“If your ‘astonishing everyone’ is this kind of method, then it’s better not to astonish at all.”
His voice didn’t seem to change much, and it was difficult for others to detect the anger in it. However, when Xie Yiling heard it, it was as if a cold dewdrop had fallen on a thin blade of grass, sinking heavily downwards.
Afraid that he would say the wrong thing, he instinctively closed his lips and waited in silence.
Nangong Ci continued, “The aura of your spells is fierce, with signs of baleful energy. Where, and with whom, did you learn these heretical ways?”
His secret deeds were bluntly exposed by Nangong Ci, and Xie Yiling felt as if he was standing naked in front of him, a chill rising from his back.
In the courtyard, several birds on the equally bare hibiscus tree flapped their wings and flew away. In the next moment, a cold wind suddenly rose.
The wind picked up in the evening, chilling to the bone. Xie Yiling’s back was hot and cold for a moment, and the sweat that came out dried quickly in the wind.
“Are you,” he opened his mouth, his teeth chattering first, “going to hand me over to the Sect Leader?”
Nangong Ci only said, “Tell me everything from beginning to end, without missing a word.”
Xie Yiling closed his eyes and confessed everything about the *Record of Strange Contracts*.
*
Cold window, yellow light, shadows standing on the wall, two people sitting silently at a table in the room.
After a long time, Nangong Ci said, “Are you really not going to stop?”
Xie Yiling’s thoughts were complicated, and he forced himself to answer, “No.”
Previously, he was still far from the Ascending Immortal Realm, and he was stuck at a crucial point in his cultivation, neither up nor down. So he had a thought and came up with a method of cultivating both immortal and demonic arts.
Cultivating both immortal and demonic arts sounded absurd, and if it were spread out, it would cause a thousand waves in the immortal sect. But Xie Yiling’s first attempt was extremely smooth, and his power increased greatly.
If he stopped at this time, wouldn’t all his previous efforts be wasted?
But his identity as a disciple of the immortal sect was right in front of him, and Nangong Ci would never turn a blind eye to this matter. What should he do?
After thinking about it, Xie Yiling decided to appeal to his emotions and reason. He said directly, “Shizun, I know you must be very disappointed in me now. Before doing this, I considered it for a long time.”
The night wind blew outside the house. Xie Yiling rubbed his cold fingers and continued, “Later, I understood that good and evil reside in the person, not in the path they cultivate. Even if I cultivate the ghost path, as long as I use it well, it won’t cause any harm, right?”
Nangong Ci’s breathing became heavier. He turned his head slightly towards the candlelight in the room, his facial features clearly and dimly, falling into Xie Yiling’s eyes.
“Do you know that the immortal and demonic paths are like the power of water and fire, incompatible with each other? If you are not careful, you will destroy yourself.”
The lack of vision made Nangong Ci’s hearing more sensitive. After saying this, he caught Xie Yiling’s gasp of shock and the sound of his heartbeat, which was heavier than the other.
Xie Yiling was first afraid for a while, and then opened his mouth in confusion. “But when I practice, the progress is very smooth, and I don’t feel that there is any problem.”
Nangong Ci was silent for a while, then raised his wrist and said, “Put your hand on it.”
Seeing that he was going to take his pulse, Xie Yiling stretched out his hand and placed it on the table.
The moment the warm fingertips touched his skin, Xie Yiling shuddered unconsciously.
After a moment, Nangong Ci’s fingers moved. “There are indeed two auras hidden in your body. Although they are calm for the time being, it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no accidents later.”
This meant that he still wanted him to stop in time and turn back.
Xie Yiling didn’t respond.
Nangong Ci didn’t get his response and asked, “Where is that book?”
Xie Yiling’s expression stiffened for a moment, and he stood up and said, “I’ll go get it.”
He walked to Nangong Ci’s bed, turned his head and glanced at Nangong Ci, who was facing away from him, and began to rummage under the bed.
Hearing the movement, Nangong Ci frowned in confusion and turned to ask, “What are you doing?”
“Wait a moment.” Xie Yiling bent over and finally touched the *Record of Strange Contracts*. He quickly pulled it out and replied, “Just in case, I hid it under the bed before.”
He couldn’t look at the book if he gave it to Nangong Ci. Xie Yiling hesitated for a moment and handed it over. Nangong Ci took it and put it away directly, uttering two words, “Confiscated.”
Xie Yiling quickly curled the corner of his mouth, and a few lucky rays of light floated in his eyebrows and eyes. “Shizun, what do you mean by this?”
Nangong Ci said with a bit of command in his tone, “It’s late, go rest.”
Xie Yiling watched Nangong Ci’s figure walk out of the door. He followed two steps out and stopped. A few remaining lamps outside were still lit, but there was no moon.
The white shadow disappeared into the depths of the night, passing through the bamboo forest, to the stone path, and through the veranda.
Nangong Ci’s steps were steady and calm, his hair tied up with a silver crown, and his eyes covered with white silk. The night wind blew, and among the fluttering of his immortal robes, he had passed through many courtyards and stopped in front of an elegant and quiet residence. A black plaque on the door was engraved with Qingfeng Pavilion.
Those who cultivate immortality to a certain realm are not afraid of the changing seasons, nor are they afraid of severe cold or heat.
Nangong Ci stood outside Qingfeng Pavilion, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, the wind unable to smooth them out.
He stood there for half the night, but he still didn’t knock on the door.
When he returned to Fufeng Pavilion, the room was empty, with only a lamp about to go out. The person who had been in the room had already returned to his residence.
Lying on the bed with his eyes closed, Nangong Ci kept thinking about Xie Yiling’s words – good and evil reside in the person, not in the path they cultivate.