"Hmm."
Lin Zhao placed the bamboo pole horizontally on the bow of the boat and turned to face Liu Liying, smiling, "Come on, let me see."
"Yes, Young Master."
Liu Liying slowly rose, her red dress shimmering with starlight, exuding a divine aura. With a rustle, she unfurled her fan, which was painted with plum blossoms. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Lin Zhao, she gently raised the fan and then looked towards the dozens of miles of river in Lingze River, smiling, "This time, I'll refine the spiritual energy from these dozens of miles of river water."
As she spoke, the fan trembled slightly, and a golden realm appeared above the fan. As Lin Zhao squinted to observe carefully, he realized that this golden realm was an exact replica of the dozens of miles of the great river they were on. He could even faintly see their figures drifting on the river. Liu Liying's ability to control the landscape with her fan was indeed extraordinary!
The next moment, an even more astonishing scene unfolded.
The golden realm transformed into a mass of golden clouds, which continuously poured down from above into a funnel-shaped cloud over the fan. The funnel grew narrower towards the bottom, and rich golden spiritual liquid flowed out. As Lin Zhao's eyes widened in astonishment, Liu Liying lightly waved her sleeve, and with a rustle, a golden coin fell from the bottom of the funnel-shaped golden cloud. The golden realm on the fan then vanished.
On the fan, there was now a golden Zizhi coin!
Simultaneously, Lin Zhao could visibly feel that the spiritual energy of the surrounding dozens of miles of mountains and rivers had weakened by at least twenty percent. Liu Liying's divine ability, it turned out, was to directly refine the spiritual energy of mountains and rivers into golden Zizhi coins. With this skill alone, Liu Liying was practically a money tree. After all, in the human world, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth nourished all things, which in turn gave rise to spirit crystals. Finally, the Ink Family's ancestral hall refined the spiritual energy from these spirit crystals into golden Zizhi coins. Liu Liying's method bypassed all that, refining directly without any loss!
The Fan Goddess, and the fan concealed such a world-shattering divine ability!
It could be said that any sect on the mountain, if it had Liu Liying, would never have to worry about running out of golden Zizhi coins. Taking her on tours of scenic spots, as long as the spiritual roots of heaven and earth were not harmed, and the water was not depleted, there would essentially be an endless supply of golden Zizhi coins!
"Hoo..."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on Liu Liying, and said, "Liying, do you want to hear my true feelings?"
"Mmm!"
Liu Liying nodded and said softly, "Liying has revealed such a crucial innate divine ability to the Young Master. Naturally, she hopes the Young Master will treat her with sincerity."
"Mmm."
Lin Zhao sat up straight and spoke slowly, "I know that a single Qingfu coin would never be enough to make the Fan Goddess step out of the mural. You followed me because it was part of a larger scheme orchestrated by someone. The ultimate outcome you seek is simple. The pond fish is a lesson from the past. Look at the state of the pond fish now, and you'll have an idea of what Lin Zhao will become."
"Young Master..." Liu Liying's heart trembled.
"Don't speak yet, listen to me."
Lin Zhao rose to his feet and looked at the misty Lingze River, his entire being radiating an extraordinary sword immortal demeanor. He smiled and said, "Actually, you lied to me when we were at Lingze Mountain. You told me you had no connection or ties with the pond fish, but that's not true. I've examined the pond fish's state of mind. You once tacitly agreed to some things with him. You promised to be his Dao companion once he reached the Nascent Soul stage, but in the end, when the pond fish succeeded, you reneged."
"Young Master, I..."
Liu Liying bit her red lip, her eyes filled with urgency as she tried to explain.
"Still, don't speak, listen to me."
Lin Zhao gently pressed his hand down and said, "The reason the emotional trials on the mountain are difficult to overcome is that cultivators on the mountain have long since grown detached from the coldness of human relationships. This is what the Great Dao is emotionless means. Therefore, once a cultivator on the mountain truly falls in love, it's hard to turn back. It's destined to become a heart demon. The most effective way to implant deep roots of affection in a young prodigy isn't by having a dream woman appear, making him pine for her, which then becomes a heart demon. Men will always encounter a few women who leave an indelible impression on their lives, but at most, they'll be unforgettable, not a heart demon."
Liu Liying's gaze was like water, and she sat pitifully at the stern of the boat.
Lin Zhao looked at her and smiled, "The most devastating thing is when a woman you admire tells you she also likes you. When you drop everything and rush to her, she suddenly turns ruthless, ignoring you. This pain of seemingly obtaining something only to cruelly lose it is the most painful. You and that orchestrator deeply understand this, which is why you tormented the pond fish so severely, am I right?"
"Young Master, actually I..." Liu Liying bit her red lip.
"It's actually very simple."
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "Liying, I am very grateful that you were willing to risk your life to help me at Qinglu Inn. Without you, perhaps the outcome at Qinglu Inn might have been different. But if you use your willingness to sacrifice yourself as leverage, to gain my favor, make me dependent on you, and even start to like you, then when I feel fortunate to have you, you suddenly turn heartless to damage my Dao heart, then I won't be as grateful to you."
"Young Master, it's not what you think..."
Liu Liying looked pitiful.
"Is that so?"
Lin Zhao let out a cold laugh and suddenly, his flying sword Haoran surged out of the Jianyun Lake. With a "swish," it enveloped the great river within a radius of hundreds of meters in the Haoran small world. In this moment, Lin Zhao was like a deity within the Haoran small world. Behind him, five immortal swords and twelve great desolate ancient swords were arranged neatly, all pointing their tips at Liu Liying. Behind Lin Zhao, a military banner appeared, with countless armored and murderous cavalrymen lining up on horseback. Even a towering scholar's dharma image, dressed in a gray-white robe, appeared behind Lin Zhao. He was radiant with golden light and exuded a Confucian aura, his mere presence capable of crushing those in the middle five realms.
Liu Liying was terrified. Within the Haoran small world, she felt as insignificant as an ant. If Lin Zhao were to move a finger, her life might vanish into thin air.
"Tell me!"
Lin Zhao's eyes held a hint of anger, "You damaged the pond fish's Dao heart with this method, didn't you?!"
Liu Liying's tears streamed down her face as she knelt at the stern of the boat, "Yes..."
"Tell me again!"
Lin Zhao's body radiated an otherworldly aura, like the master of a realm, "You came out of the mural and came to my side, also trying to disrupt my Dao heart with this method, trapping me in the Nascent Soul realm for eternity, didn't you?!"
"Yes..."
Liu Liying's tears flowed, and she cried, "Young Master, I'm sorry... I..."
"Then!"
Lin Zhao's voice was icy cold as he asked, "If that person wanted to kill me, you would have also acted with them, wouldn't you?!"
Liu Liying trembled. She had originally planned to disrupt Lin Zhao's Dao heart, but she hadn't expected Lin Zhao to suddenly initiate a question of the heart. In an instant, Liu Liying's Dao heart was almost shattered. She knelt at the bow of the boat, tears streaming down her face, and looked up at Lin Zhao. Her eyes held a stubbornness as she cried, "It's true that Liying was willing to be a pawn in the scheme, but Liying has followed the Young Master for a long time and knows his character well. I have never intended to harm the Young Master. If that person insists on taking the Young Master's life, Liying is willing to die alongside the Young Master!"
...
"Swish!"
The Haoran small world disappeared. Liu Liying looked up and saw that the young swordsman had put on his bamboo hat again and was sitting at the bow of the boat, fishing. As he cast his line, he even said, "Go!" with immense grace.
"If you get hungry later, we'll go ashore and make fish soup, the翘嘴 and white fish soup you like," Lin Zhao said without turning his head, as if nothing had happened.
"Young Master."
Liu Liying still had tears on her face, looking beautiful.
"Crying and sobbing is undignified. We cultivators who roam the jianghu must be free-spirited," Lin Zhao turned and smiled.
"Mmm, mmm!"
Liu Liying quickly knelt and sat up, wiping the tears from her cheeks with her sleeves. She forced a smile through her tears and said, "Young Master, Liying is not hungry yet. We can talk about it later."
"Mmm."
Lin Zhao smiled and nodded.
Liu Liying sat at the stern of the boat. Although her heart was still turbulent, it had finally settled. At this moment, Liu Liying's state of mind had truly opened up. After Lin Zhao's question of the heart, Liu Liying actually felt at peace. From now on, even if Mr. Wu really wanted to kill her, so be it. It was better than being a pawn for someone her entire life, especially after meeting someone like Lin Zhao who imprisoned himself in his own mind. Liu Liying became even more resolute in her decision. At worst, she would die and her Dao would vanish. The Young Master's words were excellent: we cultivators who roam the jianghu must be free-spirited. The previous Liu Liying was not free-spirited at all!
...
Not long after, a sword light flashed across the sky, followed by a figure skimming across the river's surface. With a "splat," he sat in the center of the small boat. There was nowhere else to sit except a crossbar, so the newcomer was a bit awkward. With little of the demeanor of a chivalrous young hero, he straddled the crossbar and grinned, "It's been many days, have you two missed Chi Mouren?"
It was none other than Chi Zhongyu.
However, Chi Zhongyu at this moment looked utterly miserable. His left half of his body appeared as if it had been soaked in blood. His blue long robe was tattered, and his arm, shoulder, and leg were all injured.
"So badly injured?" Lin Zhao turned back and asked.
"Mmm, a bit badly."
Chi Zhongyu didn't even look at Lin Zhao. His eyes were fixed entirely on Liu Liying. "Liying seems to have been crying just now. What's going on? Did Lin Zhao bully you?"
Lin Zhao trembled. How should he answer? Yes or no? He had used the Haoran small world to conduct a question of the heart for Liu Liying, terrifying her and forcing her to reveal her true feelings. Did that count as bullying?
Forget it. A scholar doesn't lie.
"Yes, I just bullied her. What are you going to do about it?" he said.
"???"
Chi Zhongyu drew his long sword and shakily stood up, "Lin Zhao, if that's the case, Chi Mouren will challenge you to a sword duel immediately!"