Chapter 271 - 257: The Document on the Bulletin Board
That sentence was like a switch.
Su Ling’er snapped back to her senses. Seeing the look in Lin Qingfeng’s eyes, her heart skipped a beat.
’Eat... Eat?’
’Was Eldest Brother joking, or was that some kind of... hint?’
’Eldest Brother! A joke like that isn’t funny at all! In demonic sects, "eating people" is meant literally!’
A shiver ran down her spine. She shook her head frantically. "No, no, no! Eldest Brother, you must be joking! I... I would never dare to have such a treacherous thought!"
"I just... I just feel that my humble home is too crude. I’m afraid... afraid it might offend your esteemed eyes! You are the head disciple of a reclusive, prestigious sect, with a brilliant immortal path ahead, shining with infinite glory! My home is but a speck of dust in the mortal world..."
Seeing her terrified expression, Lin Qingfeng sighed helplessly and let out a chuckle. "Alright, alright, what’s the big deal? We’re all on the same side. Why are you acting like such a stranger?"
"Your home is my home, isn’t it? Of course, my home is still my home. What do you call this? In the Great Dao of Cultivation, once you reach a profound level, what matters is ’forgetting the self and the world, where Heaven and Earth share a single root.’"
"You’re always distinguishing between ’yours’ and ’mine,’ between ’mortal home’ and ’sect home.’ You fail to realize that to me, your home is where your karmic ties lie. Since you’ve joined my Guixi Sect, your karma is now linked to the sect, and therefore linked to me. So, your home is my karma. How is that any different from my home? Understand?"
Su Ling’er: "..."
’I think I get it... but then I feel like I don’t get the last part... Cultivation really is difficult...’
’Even though that whole speech was as convoluted as a scripture, is Eldest Brother saying... I’m one of his own?’
She stared blankly at Lin Qingfeng. He had a different face, but it still radiated the same inexplicable confidence. The tightly wound string in her heart inexplicably loosened a little.
’Eldest Brother’s words... the logic is a bit strange, but it seems like he’s... comforting me?’
She took a deep breath and replied, "I... think I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Eldest Brother."
Meanwhile, Lin Qingfeng was mulling over another matter. ’What identity should I use when I go to her house?’
’If I show up as the ’Eldest Brother of the Guixi Sect,’ will that affect my commission from the Cultivation and Spirit Stones of the new disciples I recruit in Anhe City later?’
’But there’s no way to hide my Junior Sister’s identity. How about I just hide mine from her family for now? If her family members don’t have any traits worth recruiting, I’ll just tell them to keep my identity a secret.’
Having made up his mind, he said to Su Ling’er, "Alright, here’s the plan. You continue with your identity as a Cultivator. That black martial arts outfit of yours is fine. It’s got that wuxia vibe, which isn’t too different from Cultivation."
"As for me, I’ll continue playing the part of a wealthy merchant. When we get to your house, you are not to reveal my true identity until I give you the okay. You can just say I’m your... hmm, your friend, or your employer. Either works."
"Only after I give you permission can you vaguely hint at it to them. But remember, once they know, they must not spread the word. Understand?"
Hearing this, Su Ling’er nodded, though she was confused. ’As long as it’s not some identity like "Blood Sacrifice Envoy," anything is fine!’
She also prayed silently in her heart, ’Please don’t let anything happen... Eldest Brother, please don’t stir up any trouble!’
But Eldest Brother being willing to hide his identity was a good thing for her family.
Su Ling’er breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
...
And so, the two of them strolled down the street, heading toward the Su Mansion in the northern part of the city.
When they reached the bulletin board in the city center, a crowd had gathered, pointing and murmuring about a newly posted document.
His interest piqued, Lin Qingfeng squeezed his way in, and Su Ling’er followed. On the bulletin board was a document stamped with the government’s vermilion seal. Both of their eyes fell upon the text.
[An Qinyao, out of intense longing for her mother, hanged herself within the Fulai Inn. The scene’s doors and windows were shut tight, and a suicide note was left behind. The handwriting has been verified. This case is now closed.]
Su Ling’er read the words and sighed. ’How unpredictable life is. Miss An passed away at such a young age.’
The hushed whispers of the surrounding crowd reached her ears. "Sigh, Miss Qinyao of the An Family is gone just like that. What a shame."
"’Intense longing for her mother’? What a load of crap! Wasn’t it all because Mr. An lost his mind and insisted on marrying his daughter off to that storyteller from the Yuelai Inn in the south, Mu Ling!"
"Shhh! Keep your voice down! That Mu Ling is no pushover!"
"No pushover? He’s a good-for-nothing who’s full of hot air! If you could believe a word he says, pigs might fly! He doesn’t have an honest bone in his body!"
"Mr. An should have never agreed in the first place. How could a fine young lady from a good family fall for a piece of trash like that?"
"Even though the doors and windows were locked and there was a suicide note... this conclusion from the magistrate’s office seems a bit too hasty."
"Yeah, ever since the Immortal Masters from the Celestial Furnace Sect left, the officials in the magistrate’s office have all gotten extremely lazy."
"I saw Miss Qinyao from a distance a few times. She was always smiling. I heard she even embroidered her own wedding dress for the marriage and was incredibly excited... It’s hard to say, really..."
All sorts of voices—suspicious, regretful, and gossipy—rose and fell around the small bulletin board.
Lin Qingfeng listened to the conversations, but his ears caught a key phrase.
’The Celestial Furnace Sect?’
’So this city used to be the Celestial Furnace Sect’s territory?’
His gaze unconsciously shifted to Su Ling’er beside him. ’Wait, why didn’t you go to the Celestial Furnace Sect? Why did you come to our Guixi Sect instead?’
Lin Qingfeng looked Su Ling’er up and down. ’Oh, right. You have a Pseudo Spirit Root. No wonder. With talent like that, the Celestial Furnace Sect probably wouldn’t even give you a second glance. Only a sect like our Guixi Sect, which selects talent without regard for convention, would give her such an opportunity.’
’And that Mr. Huohua who got sent flying with a single slap in the canyon... could it be... that because their sect’s elder got beaten up, they pulled their forces out of this place?’
’Whatever. Thinking about this now is pointless. The most urgent task is to have my Junior Sister take me to her house. That way, I won’t have to stay at an inn; I can just live at her place.’
’I’ll see what kind of nice spots her house has. At worst, if the living quarters are no good, I can always renovate them myself. That’s an option.’
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!
’I’ve discussed some matters regarding self-built housing with the Sect Leader of the Earth and Wood Sect before. I’ll use Su Ling’er’s house to test out some ideas.’
Having made up his mind, he reached out and patted Su Ling’er, who was still staring blankly at the bulletin board. "The dead can’t be brought back. Let’s not dwell on it. Come on, let’s hurry home."
At his words, Su Ling’er turned her head and gave Lin Qingfeng a strange look.
’Wait... that’s *my* home, not *your* home, hey! How can you say that so matter-of-factly, as if you were going back to your own house...?’
’Sigh, forget it. As long as you don’t kill anyone or hurt anyone, I’ll go along with it! Whatever makes you happy, Eldest Brother!’
But in the end, she just sighed, left the crowd with Lin Qingfeng, and continued walking toward the north of the city.
At some point, a light drizzle had begun to fall from the sky.
The continuous threads of rain dampened the ground and draped a damp, cold, grey veil over the entire Anhe City. They turned a corner, and the sight ahead made Su Ling’er stop in her tracks.
A large mansion with white funeral banners appeared at the corner of the street. The white mourning silks fluttered in the wind and rain, creating a dividing line with the surrounding gloomy buildings.
This was the An Mansion.
Su Ling’er’s gaze fell on the lintel and window lattices of the An Mansion. There, remnants of red decorations that hadn’t been taken down yet remained. The faded paper-cut "double happiness" characters on the corners of the windows, the red silk under the eaves soaked by the rain, all came into view alongside the glaring white banners.
Su Ling’er stood in the rain, looking at the wide-open gates of the residence. She could hear waves of crying coming from within the courtyard. Su Ling’er wanted to go in to pay her respects, but after a glance at her Eldest Brother beside her, she dismissed the thought.
’Now doesn’t feel like the right time to go in.’
Lin Qingfeng had also stopped. His gaze passed over the high walls and into the main hall of the An Mansion. Inside, a Spirit Hall had already been set up.
A black coffin rested in the center. A few family members in mourning clothes knelt before it. A man in white was kneeling beside the coffin, putting on his performance.
This was a professional mourner.
"My lady—! How could you be so heartless and leave us behind—!" the mourner wailed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.
His voice was loud, but it lacked any real grief. It sounded more like he was reciting a well-rehearsed line. After all, the An Mansion hadn’t paid him much, so he was only forcing out the tears out of professional duty.
"My lady—! Why was your fate so bitter—!"