Chapter 152: The Great Battle at the Hot Springs (Part 1)
Noticing that Miaofa's face was not right, Qiao Wan whispered, "Senior."
Miaofa said, "Let's go."
He wasn't as fragile as she had imagined, and his heart was not easily moved by the actions of this family.
After returning to the inn, Qiao Wan saw Wang Ruyi and Yu Xingzhi .
"You're back!" Wang Ruyi happily grabbed her wedding dress and took quick steps towards Qiao Wan .
Her gaze naturally fell on Miaofa.
Wang Ruyi widened her eyes, "Isn't this..."
Qiao Wan twitched her mouth and quickly covered Wang Ruyi's mouth!
Wang Ruyi signaled desperately with her eyes, "Isn't this your loved one?!"
Why are you acting so differently? You seem strangely sincere, are you planning something bad!
Through Wang Ruyi's gaze, Qiao Wan seemed to see a hint of genuine admiration.
Well, young man, you're amazing.
Seeing the constipated expression on the boy's face next to her, Miaofa frowned and sternly said, "Why are you making that face? Just say if you have something to say."
"Elder." Qiao Wan gently pulled Wang Ruyi behind her, feeling nervous and uneasy. "Can I bring Miss Wang to the Great Hall of Light?"
Miaofa glanced at the girl behind Qiao Wan, who was clearly not human, and furrowed his brows. "She is your friend, so it is up to you to decide. There is no need to ask me."
Qiao Wan tightened her grip on Wang Ruyi's sleeve, feeling a bit downcast.
The Elder was right, there was really no need to ask him about this. She instinctively wanted to find a different topic to talk about.
Venerable One Miaofa had some things to discuss with Ma Huaizhen and Yan Shiyuan. Qiao Wan, Wang Ruyi, and Yu Xingzhi sat nearby and listened. But halfway through, Ma Huaizhen couldn't stand their mushroom-like appearance any longer and threw them out.
"Why stay here growing mushrooms when the Ghost Market is so lively to explore?"
Although their trip to the Ghost Market was both thrilling and dangerous, Qiao Wan still planned to take some souvenirs back with her when they left.
Elder Martial Brother is not feeling well, so we need to get him a warm jade. But we're not sure when we can send it to him. Senior Ma's wheelchair broke, so we need to get him a new one for now. Senior Li's cloth shoes have been worn out, so he needs a new pair.
Walking on the busy street, Qiao Wan was thinking hard.
As for Miaofa senior...
Regarding Miaofa senior...
Qiao Wan thought for a long time, but couldn't come up with a solution.
She really didn't know what Venerable One likes or dislikes. Usually, monks, especially those like Miaofa, are content and desireless, right?
Wang Ruyi said firmly, "Buy this!"
When Qiao Wan saw what Wang Ruyi was holding, she was surprised.
"A wicked and charming Venerable One"
Why would there be this kind of thing in the ghost market?!
The simple line on the cover seemed to be tempting people to commit a crime.
Maybe her mindset had changed, Qiao Wan felt a jolt in her heart.
Oh no... It's bad...
She was a little curious and wanted to see.
Unable to resist the temptation of the "charming and mischievous Venerable One," Qiao Wan calmly spent some coins and discreetly slipped the book into her pocket, seemingly composed but with a blush on her face. It felt like she was committing a crime.
Yu Xingzhi , who was following behind them, had a displeased expression and sneered, "Why do I have to waste time with you here?"
Wang Ruyi happily raised a silk flower.
"Isn't it pretty? Take a look!"
"Put this on, it looks good on you."
The young man had delicate features, and the silk flower on his temple complemented his beauty even more. The half of his face that was scarred added a touch of thrilling contrast.
And there was Lu Cixian.
Yu Xingzhi looked disgusted.
How did he ever mistake this person for a rival? It turned out that all he could think about were girly things like butterflies.
Even though he resisted, with the efforts of Qiao Wan and Wang Ruyi, it was still impossible for Yu Xingzhi to resist wearing a small butterfly.
The young man, with a small butterfly on his head, had a gloomy face and said, "Why do I have to waste time with this thing?"
Halfway there, there were still people shouting and selling candy.
Wang Ruyi tugged on Qiao Wan's sleeve, and with hopeful eyes, said, "Lu Cixian, I want to eat candy."
After being trapped in the wall, she had not eaten candy for a long time.
Taking a lesson from past experiences, before buying the candy, Qiao Wan and Yu Xingzhi carefully inspected it to make sure it wasn't made of anything strange. After confirming this, Wang Ruyi quickly stuffed the candy in her mouth.
After half a second, the girl's face slightly changed.
"What's wrong?" Yu Xingzhi's face also changed.
They had clearly checked the candy with Lu Cixian. It couldn't possibly be made of ashes, right?
Wang Ruyi covered her mouth with teary eyes.
She had lost her teeth and couldn't chew anymore.
Just then, a hand suddenly reached out and took the remaining osmanthus candy from Wang Ruyi's hand.
Yu Xingzhi looked up and said, "Lu Cixian?"
The young man had no expression on his face, tightly gripped the candy, and suddenly turned around and walked away.
Yu Xingzhi was surprised and frowned, calling out, "Lu Cixian?! Where are you going?!"
Before he could finish speaking, a clear and familiar male voice sounded from behind.
"Yu Xingzhi?"
He turned around and looked at the young man in astonishment.
Yu Xingzhi's face twisted, freeing one hand and tightly pinching Qiao Wan's face.
It was true.
If this person is Lu Cixian now, then who was the person just now?
Yu Xingzhi's face turned pale and Qiao Wan asked, "What happened?"
Yu Xingzhi replied, "Just now, it seemed like a paper figure of you ran by."
A paper figure!
Qiao Wan was shocked and immediately ran after it, finally catching up with the "herself" that Yu Xingzhi had mentioned at the street corner.
The paper figure stiffly turned its head, its dark eyes silently gazing at Qiao Wan.
Qiao Wan stopped in her tracks, a strange familiar feeling suddenly rushed into her heart.
She stared at the paper figure for a while.
It wasn't an illusion, she had definitely seen it somewhere before.
That expression... it was so familiar to her.
Paper figures shouldn't have self-awareness unless something was attached to them.
Suddenly, the shadow puppet that she had seen at Chu's house slipped into her mind, and the image of the shadow puppet and the paper figure gradually merged.
A bright idea popped into Qiao Wan's mind!
"Are you Chu Jiaojiao?" she asked.
Since entering the ghost market, the person attached to her shell had been Chu Jiaojiao?!
Although disguised as Lu Cixian, the stiffness of the paper figure in front of her revealed that Qiao Wan had seen through it.
After a while, Lu Cixian nodded slowly and reached out his hand towards Qiao Wan, his face showing a hint of anxiety and unease.
There were a few pieces of candy lying quietly in his hand.
She didn't mean to steal from the bride, she just wanted to eat candy.
Chu Jiaojiao lowered her eyes.
That day, dad bought her lots of candies, all kinds of them, colorful and vibrant. Before, only her little brother could have these candies. She was so happy at that moment, she gave dad one candy, and held onto the rest, not willing to eat it. She wanted to bring them home to let mom and her little brother taste them too, so they could all enjoy together.
But later, dad took out a knife and stabbed her in the chest.
She lay on the chopping board like a gentle lamb, a knife stabbed into her thigh, cutting and peeling her skin.
It hurt so much, oh, it hurt so much.
She wanted to lick the candy in her hand. But because of the pain, she held it too tightly, and the candy melted in her hand, stained with blood, sticking to her fingers. When it reached her face, the blood dripped into her mouth.
A sweet taste, little by little.
Just like she imagined the candy would be.
Qiao Wan pouted and took out a shadow puppet from her pocket, hesitatingly asking, "Do you want to come here?"
Chu Jiaojiao looked hesitant.
After a while, Lu Cixian suddenly moved.
The paper figure crumbled from top to bottom, gradually becoming a thin and weightless piece of paper. Qiao Wan held the paper shadow girl in her hand, and suddenly, the girl's eyes moved.
Qiao Wan continued to stare at the shadow, asking, "Do you want to come with me?"
Chu Jiaojiao remained silent for a moment.
After a few more seconds, the shadow figure obediently slipped into Qiao Wan's sleeve.
Chu Jiaojiao thought, "I have seen this big brother before."
This big brother and the strange uncle brought her back home.
Seeing herself spread out on the ground like a pancake was horrifying. Qiao Wan squatted down and rolled up the "self" into her sleeve. She went back to find Wang Ruyi and Yu Xingzhi.
Before taking a few steps, she bumped into Yu Xingzhi, who had hurried over.
Yu Xingzhi frowned and asked, "Did you find it?"
The ghost market is about to close, so let's not have any more complications because of this thing.
Qiao Wan replied, "I found it."
"And the paper figure?"
Qiao Wan pointed to her sleeve and said, "It's a long story, let's talk about it when we get back."
After returning, Miaofa, Ma Huaizhen , and Yan Shiyuan also finished their discussion.
As soon as they entered, they heard Ma Huaizhen's voice saying, "Doesn't Yan taoist friend want to travel with us?"
Yan Shiyuan politely said, "I understand your kind intentions, but I already promised them."
Moreover, the master of Wenshi Hall in Kunshan is not really considering his well-being. If he keeps him close, the master would probably feel more at ease, Yan Shiyuan thought with a bitter smile.
He didn't blame Ma Huaizhen for his thoughts. The war in the northern battlefield under the "Han" flag was even more brutal than Fufeng Valley, and anyone who could survive and leave the northern Snowy Mountains was definitely not just a simple-minded fool.
Ma Huaizhen didn't really expect Yan Shiyuan to leave with them when he casually asked, so he didn't insist anymore.
...
From entering the ghost market to leaving, it took them a whole three days. After leaving the ghost market, they entrusted Chu Jiaojiao and Wang Ruyi to Lü Yao and Li Pan to take care of first, and Qiao Wan spent a full three days lying in bed.
During these three days, people kept coming to visit, whether familiar or unfamiliar, and they crowded the small shack at Buping College so much that it became overwhelmingly packed.
After all, everyone had formed a close bond! The disciples from the three sects were full of enthusiasm and ambition.
In the beginning, it was Taoist Friend Lu who set the example by chopping off his own little finger. He was a friendly and approachable person.
The price of so many people rushing into Buping College all at once was that the pitiful little shacks of the school collapsed.
It turned out that Buping College was so poor, huh? =口=
by the disciples of the three sects, all born into noble and upright families.
On the first day, Fang Lingqing , Meng Canglang , and Qi Feidao came.
At that time, Qiao Wan was sitting cross-legged on the bed, biting the end of her pen, counting the medicine piled up in the corner.
In this story, Qi Feidao went to the Ghost Market but couldn't find the rest of the group. He ended up joining some disciples from Chaotian Mountain. Before anything happened, he was immediately summoned back to the Great Hall of Light. Qiao Wan, Fang Lingqing, and Meng Canglang had a thrilling experience, and Fang Lingqing vividly described it to Qi Feidao afterwards.
Meng Canglang's trustworthy Canglang Sword was naturally with him when he went to visit the sick. It was a pile of medicinal supplies.
Upon entering the house, Qi Feidao put down the medicine he was carrying and cheerfully asked Taoist Friend Lu, "How are you feeling? Are you getting better?"
Meng Canglang and Fang Lingqing followed closely behind.
The young man's arm had been stitched up again.
Fang Lingqing said, "Originally, I didn't plan on bringing Senior Brother with me, but Meng Senior Brother insisted on coming to see you."
Qiao Wan was pleasantly surprised and embarrassed, waving her hands and politely asking, "How is Taoist Friend Meng's hand?"
Meng Canglang, a serious and upright man, replied conservatively, "Please ask Taoist Friend Xie and Little Fang to help me retrieve my severed arm. Although it is not very flexible right now, it is not a big problem."
To demonstrate the truth of his words, Meng Canglang took off the big blue sword on his back and switched it to his left hand.
As soon as he held the heavy sword, his arm trembled.
Thump-
Clang-
The sword fell to the ground.
Qiao Wan, Fang Lingqing, and Qi Feidao were shocked, "Senior Brother (Taoist Friend), are you alright?"
Meng Canglang blushed slightly, "I... I'm fine..."
After a second, he added, "Probably..."
Qiao Wan exclaimed, "What do you mean by 'probably'?"
The next day, Bai Shanhu and Xie Xingzhi unexpectedly sent someone to send their regards.
Liu Xinwen was seriously injured and didn't get up until the third day.
As for Venerable One Miaofa, Qiao Wan hadn't seen Miaofa since they parted in the ghost market.
But Qiao Wan could understand the current situation of the Great Hall of Light.
Before signing up for the Three Teachings Law Meeting, disciples from each sect had to sign a life and death agreement. After all, this is a serious gathering of cultivation practitioners from the realms. It's not just a simple exchange of skills within the sect. Without experiencing life and death struggles, how can one progress on this path in the long run?
Driven by this belief, each sect also tacitly agreed that there might be a few promising talents in each session of the Law Meeting.
However, the casualties this time were extremely severe. Even if they had signed the life and death agreement, it was really difficult to explain.
The flowers that each sect carefully nurtured became bundles of cheap vegetables. The elder leaders of each sect were heartbroken.
In order to appease the disciples of the Three Teachings and to make time to deal with these matters, the Great Hall of Light made a decision.
The Great Hall of Light, together with the sects, decided to postpone the third round of the Law Meeting. Before the third round begins, they gave everyone a break and opened up the healing springs on Jiuyue Mountain for everyone to soak in together!
A group of disciples from the three sects who had forgotten their past injuries rushed towards the spiritual spring, weapons in hand.
When Fang Lingqing and Qi Feidao mentioned this, Qiao Wan decisively chose to refuse.
She's now wearing this disguise, whether she goes to the men's bath or the women's bath, it's very strange!
Qi Feidao raised an eyebrow, "The Great Hall of Light's spiritual spring is rich in spiritual energy, it can nourish the body. Little Taoist Friend Lu, are you really not going?"
Qiao Wan hinted, "My injury hasn't healed, so I won't join in the excitement." And she had a sense of foreboding.
This ominous feeling became true one day.
When Qiao Wan was lying in bed contemplating life, Meng Canglang entered the room.
"Taoist Friend Lu," the young man stood hesitantly by the door, "How are your injuries?"
"With Taoist Friend Xie's concern, they're not serious anymore."
Meng Canglang looked hesitant and said nervously, "Can I speak to you privately, taoist friend?"
Without suspecting anything, Qiao Wan put on her clothes, picked up her sword, and followed Meng Canglang out of the thatched hut.
"Is this the way to Jiuyue Mountain?" Qiao Wan asked, looking at the scenery along the way.
Meng Canglang walked beside her, standing straight and tall.
They turned around a mountain wall and revealed a small spiritual spring. The wall was smooth and surrounded by mist.
A group of elite disciples from the three religions were leaning against the wall, bare-chested and content.
When they heard footsteps, they all turned their heads.
Qiao Wan: ...
Disciples: ...
Their eyes met, and a cry of surprise rang out.
"Taoist Friend Lu?!!"
"Taoist Friend Lu came? Wasn't he not supposed to come?"
Immediately, the disciples hurriedly climbed out of the spring with wicked smiles.
"We finally tricked Lu Cixian into coming! Don't let him escape!"
"Hold him down! Hold him down!" A young man slapped his thigh and jumped out of the spring, full of excitement. "Iron-blooded hero Lu Cixian! Today, let the taoist friends witness his power!"
"Taoist friends, attack!"
Qiao Wan stepped back, holding her waist tightly: !!! She knew it!
