Chapter 62
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
When they met again after his rebirth, Ning Qingmo was completely different from before. At this moment, Li Fenglan could feel the spiritual energy overflowing uncontrollably and without any pattern from Ning Qingmo’s body.
After the several sword lights flashed by just now, all the ordinary people in Mirror Moon Lake had scattered.
“Your cultivation is not just at the nascent soul stage… Li Fenglan can’t stop me,” Ning Qingmo said softly. As he finished speaking, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Li Fenglan.
“Let go,” Li Fenglan said coldly.
“What are you doing?” Even Duan Wannian was angry at the scene.
Ning Qingmo shook his head and stared into Li Fenglan’s eyes. “I was wrong… I wasn’t wrong…”
Although Ning Qingmo’s mental state was not good at the moment, his strength was still great. Li Fenglan was tightly held by him, unable to move for a while.
Unlike Qiu Wanyou who had done him a favor, Li Fenglan never felt that he owed Ning Qingmo anything, nor did he think it was necessary for them to recognize each other.
—Let Ning Qingmo know that he was Li Fenglan, and then be betrayed by him again?
Li Fenglan whispered “let go” again. Seeing that Ning Qingmo had no reaction, Li Fenglan summoned his spiritual sword once again.
This silver long sword was illuminated by the moonlight and the lotus lamps on the nearby lake, emitting a faint cold light.
The cold light shone on Li Fenglan’s face, making his eyes look particularly cold. Li Fenglan did not hesitate and directly placed the cold sword blade on Ning Qingmo’s hand, saying without any emotion, “I said, let go of me.”
After seeing Li Fenglan’s expression clearly, Ning Qingmo gradually calmed down.
Was Li Fenglan saying that if he did not let go of him, he would use the sword?
Ning Qingmo gave a bitter smile, still holding onto Li Fenglan, and gently shook his head. “I’m sorry. If you want this hand, just let the sword fall.”
Li Fenglan: “…”
After not seeing each other for many years, did Ning Qingmo’s mind become problematic? Li Fenglan’s gaze slowly moved downwards, and he saw that the music cultivator’s hand, which usually held a pipa, was tightly gripping his wrist.
Due to excessive force, Ning Qingmo’s knuckles had already turned white.
“You said that,” Li Fenglan gritted his teeth. As a music cultivator, Ning Qingmo’s most precious possession was his hands. In his previous life, Ning Qingmo never fought with swords against others.
After a thousand years had passed, although Ning Qingmo had taken up the sword, his hands were still very important to him.
Although Li Fenglan was no longer the young cultivator who dared not to take life, cutting off someone’s hand like this still exceeds his psychological tolerance. When Li Fenglan raised his sword, he only intended to scare Ning Qingmo.
But he didn’t expect Ning Qingmo to be completely unafraid.
The man still tightly grasped Li Fenglan’s wrist. Seeing that he didn’t lower his sword for a long time, Ning Qingmo suddenly smiled and whispered in Li Fenglan’s ear, “…little Daoist, aren’t you going to make a move?”
Little Daoist…
Li Fenglan remembered that Ning Qingmo liked to call him that when they first met in the previous life.
At that time, Ning Qingmo was not the ruthless dao cultivator he was now, but a renowned music cultivator who was known for his debauchery. Whenever Ning Qingmo called him “little Daoist,” Li Fenglan would feel embarrassed.
But now, when he heard those three words again, Li Fenglan felt particularly disgusted.
When he was about to die under the Fushen Array, Ning Qingmo had said some extremely disgusting things to him.
Perhaps Li Fenglan didn’t quite understand before, but after experiencing so much, how could he not know what Ning Qingmo really meant, and why he used to call him “Little Daoist.”
In his past life, Ning Qingmo never respected him from beginning to end. He deliberately called him “Little Daoist” to see him embarrassed.
Seeing that Li Fenglan was silent, Ning Qingmo finally continued his unfinished sentence. He smiled and said with some confusion, “I was wrong from the beginning… They, they had already repaired your soul and put you in this body. I was too late.”
After realizing that Li Fenglan’s cultivation was not lower than his own, Ning Qingmo immediately realized one thing – Li Fenglan was the best vessel to accommodate Li Fuyue’s soul. It was not just his own idea, but the person who truly revived Li Fenglan had already targeted this point.
Perhaps he was too late again…
He didn’t even need to guard this body anymore. The person inside this body was already Li Fuyue!
This discovery filled Ning Qingmo with great joy.
In fact, his guess was mostly correct.
As he watched Ning Qingmo’s constantly changing expression, Li Fenglan felt extremely nervous.
However, the other party held him tightly, with a bit of spiritual power in his hand. After all, Ning Qingmo was a cultivator in the immortalization realm, and it was difficult for Li Fenglan to use his own spiritual power to push him away.
But he couldn’t just cut off the man’s arm with his sword either.
In Li Fenglan’s ears, there was the sound of Duan Wannian cursing, while Cheng Huang in his arms was snarling at the man beside him.
At that moment, Ling Buyan, who had been standing beside Li Fenglan, suddenly stepped forward.
He gave Ning Qingmo a cold glance and said, “Ning Qingmo, have you had enough of this performance?”
“Performance?” Ning Qingmo seemed to have just noticed Ling Buyan’s presence and looked up at him.
Ling Buyan smiled and said, “A solo performance. Haven’t you noticed that Fenglan doesn’t want to have anything to do with you?”
Ling Buyan’s tone and expression were both very calm, almost emotionless. But the more he was like this, the more it stimulated Ning Qingmo.
“Who are you? This is between him and me. It’s none of your business.” Ning Qingmo’s emotions suddenly became agitated.
At that moment, Li Fenglan and Ling Buyan both felt that Ning Qingmo’s mind had completely lost control.
Ling Buyan didn’t rush to answer Ning Qingmo’s question. Instead, he said, “Your path of ruthlessness is unstable.”
Ruthlessness is unstable
The path of ruthlessness was Ning Qingmo’s chosen path as a cultivator. In fact, after he had started cultivating it, he already knew that he was unlikely to achieve the dao in this life.
“Hahaha, yes…” Ning Qingmo laughed and looked at Li Fenglan, then said in a hoarse voice, “I know I have no chance of achieving the dao, and I only chose the path of ruthlessness to keep a part of Fuyue’s soul. But now that I know you’re still alive…”
“Ning Qingmo.” Li Fenglan finally spoke up, interrupting him.
Before he had said that, Li Fenglan didn’t want to speak to him as “Li Fuyue.” But now, after hearing what Ning Qingmo had just said, he couldn’t help himself.
He said to Ning Qingmo, “Do you think I’ll be moved by what you said? You’re too arrogant, Ning Qingmo.”
Ning Qingmo’s smile immediately froze on his face.
After hearing Li Fenglan’s words, Ling Buyan, Duan Wannian, and even Cheng Huang, who was being held in his arms, all looked at Li Fenglan in disbelief.
Not sure if it was an illusion, even Ning Qingmo, who was holding Li Fenglan’s hand tightly, loosened his grip slightly after hearing that sentence just now.
Li Fenglan continued, “When I was about to die in my previous life, I knew that you, Ning Qingmo, were a heartless person. And it was from you that I learned that heartless people can live so comfortably in the cultivation world.”
Duan Wannian had also heard some things about Ning Qingmo. Because of the conflict between the demon realm and the cultivation world, many rumors in the cultivation world were spread more widely on their side.
Duan Wannian knew generally that Ning Qingmo had used Li Fenglan in the past.
Therefore, after hearing Li Fenglan’s words, Duan Wannian felt a wave of satisfaction in her heart.
She smiled and said, “Isn’t that right? The one who betrayed his friend for the sake of gaining status in the sect, that’s him.”
Ning Qingmo’s hand trembled slightly.
Ning Qingmo certainly knew what he had done, but at the same time, he silently prayed in his heart that Li Fenglan didn’t know about his actions, or… didn’t understand.
But all of this was just self-deception.
Perhaps Li Fuyue didn’t understand back then, but Li Fenglan, who had died once, would understand no matter what.
“I… ” Ning Qingmo opened his mouth, but didn’t know how to explain.
Yes, all of these things were done by himself.
Even Duan Wannian didn’t know that he had made friends with Li Fuyue back then with a purpose.
Seeing that Ning Qingmo still didn’t let go, Li Fenglan continued, “Ning Qingmo, do you think I’ll be moved by your words? You’re just feeling guilty. Think about it yourself, will I be grateful to you just because you have a little bit of conscience?”
After hearing this, Ning Qingmo finally realized clearly that Li Fenglan had changed.
He was completely different from the gentle Li Fuyue who didn’t know how to fight back in the previous life.
“No, no…” Ning Qingmo had completely lost his words. He just held Li Fenglan’s hand tightly and shook his head.
Ning Qingmo wanted to explain, but had no way to do so.
Seeing him like this, Ling Buyan took two steps forward again.
After delaying for a long time, he finally answered Ning Qingmo’s question from earlier, “Alright, Immortal Ning Qingmo, as a master, I have to take Fenglan back.”
Without waiting for Ning Qingmo’s response, a black scabbard suddenly appeared in Ling Buyan’s hand. Before everyone in the dark night could clearly see what the scabbard looked like, it heavily struck Ning Qingmo’s chest, and in the next moment, it struck towards Ning Qingmo’s wrist.
Although Ling Buyan was still standing in place and had not moved the scabbard, it was as if the scabbard had eyes and precisely hit several major acupoints on Ning Qingmo’s body.
The next moment, Ning Qingmo, unable to endure the pain, instinctively let go of his hand.
Seeing this scene, Duan Wannian, who had been watching the show on the side, suddenly made a move and used the thirteen-section whip to strike at Ning Qingmo, pushing the man back a few steps.
As a member of the demon race, Duan Wannian had never understood the principle of “not taking advantage of others’ weaknesses.” She only knew that she had been playing well on the water just now but was somehow disturbed by this cultivator.
Now was a good time for revenge.
After Li Fenglan turned around, Ning Qingmo laid on the cold and damp riverbank, watching the other’s back as a clear tear finally slid down his cheek.
Li Fenglan left.
He still left…
It was the Moon Worship Festival again, but the once lively lake was now deserted. And the innocent little Daoist had disappeared forever…
The person who made him disappear was none other than himself.
“Fu Yue…” Watching the other’s back, Ning Qingmo repeated that name over and over again, but on this empty lake, only his voice echoed back and forth.
That night, Ning Qingmo’s thousand-year cultivation of ruthlessness was completely destroyed.
…
After Li Fenglan turned around, he didn’t look back.
Unlike Ning Qingmo, who was full of affection, Li Fenglan now only felt speechless and amused.
In the previous life, he was too naive.
Just as Li Fenglan was reminiscing about the various things from his past life, his hand suddenly felt cold.
“Hiss…” Just as Li Fenglan was lost in thought, his hand suddenly felt cold, frightening him.
And when Li Fenglan unconsciously looked down, he was even more surprised.
“Snake?” The speaker was Li Fenglan.
“What, a snake? Ahhh!” The one screaming was the ancient fierce beast, Cheng Huang.
Even while screaming, Cheng Huang managed to wriggle free from Li Fenglan’s grasp, and stood on his shoulder, stepping on his arm. As its owner, Li Fenglan had no idea that Cheng Huang could be so agile.
Seeing Cheng Huang like this, Duan Wannian, a member of the demon clan, couldn’t help but sneer, “Hahaha, you’re still an ancient fierce beast? That’s so pathetic!”
“Wuwuwu~” Cheng Huang looked genuinely frightened, and rubbed against Li Fenglan before saying in a nasal voice, “I-I’m just a kid…”
Ling Buyan: “…a kid?”
Li Fenglan heard Ling Buyan, who had once seen Cheng Huang’s heroic spirit in his past life, repeat the words with a hint of existential doubt in his tone.
It was rare for his teacher to react this way.
However, the transformation of Cheng Huang from its previous life was remarkable enough…
Li Fenglan had been so focused on Ling Buyan that he had momentarily forgotten about the cold feeling in his hand. It wasn’t until he felt something brush against his hand again that he looked down and saw a black scabbard floating in the air, moving around his hand like a kitten’s tail…
“What is this?” Li Fenglan had just walked into an alley, and the light was dim, so he couldn’t make out the appearance of the scabbard.
As he spoke, Li Fenglan picked up the scabbard.
Then he finally saw what it looked like by the moonlight.
“This… isn’t this the scabbard that Master used to attack Ning Qingmo just now?” Li Fenglan hesitated for a moment, but finally said it.
Upon hearing his words, Ling Buyan, who had just been walking diagonally in front of Li Fenglan, frowned and turned around.
The scabbard, which had been circling and rubbing against Li Fenglan moments ago, suddenly stopped moving in his hand when it was locked onto by Ling Buyan’s gaze.
“It is,” Ling Buyan said.
“Huh?” Li Fenglan had only asked casually earlier, and hadn’t expected that Ling Buyan’s scabbard would actually come here on its own.
As a swordsman, Li Fenglan knew his sword the best.
And in all these years, Li Fenglan had never seen a scabbard that could run around with its owner.
Perhaps this was really strange, so Li Fenglan even forgot about Ning Qingmo.
“Cough…” Ling Buyan took the scabbard back from Li Fenglan’s hand. At this moment, the scabbard tried to struggle out of Ling Buyan’s hand and return to Li Fenglan again.
Ling Buyan said, “This sword has been with me for some years and has a bit of sword spirit. It has been asleep for several years before awakening not long ago. I estimate it finds everything in this world quite interesting.”
“Wow!” Before anyone could speak, Duan Wannian approached first. “There’s actually a sword spirit!”
Duan Wannian couldn’t help but reach out to take the scabbard, but the scabbard that was just rubbing against Li Fenglan’s hand seemed to be very disdainful of her, flipping over in its owner’s hand and dodging Duan Wannian.
Duan Wannian didn’t feel angry. She said with interest, “I heard that in this world, there are probably only five or six swords with sword spirits. I didn’t expect to find one here.”
As she said, there were very few swords in this world with sword spirits. If Duan Wannian had seen this scene a few days ago, she might not have believed Ling Buyan’s words at all.
However, after seeing her father Duan Jisu’s attitude towards Ling Buyan, Duan Wannian had already assumed in her heart that Ling Buyan was a powerful cultivator who didn’t reveal it.
Upon hearing this, Ling Buyan smiled but said nothing.
Li Fenglan also walked over, took a look at the black sword body, and said unconsciously, “This sword looks a bit similar to my ‘Finished Karma.'”
He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but Li Fenglan felt that after he finished speaking just now, the scabbard that was quietly lying in Ling Buyan’s hand suddenly became excited.
Wait a minute! How did he know that the scabbard was excited?
Li Fenglan shook his head slightly and threw away the strange feeling from his mind.
He took another look at the scabbard and said regretfully, “Finished Karma is a good sword, but I’m afraid I’m not…someone who can match it.”
Yes, Finished Karma is the best sword in the world. How can its owner be someone like him who hasn’t even ascended?
Li Fenglan’s tone was somewhat desolate.
“Except for you, no one in this world can match Finished Karma.” Ling Buyan suddenly spoke.
And as Ling Buyan spoke, the scabbard actually floated in mid-air and nodded towards Li Fenglan.
This scene was really magical.
Although Duan Wannian knew about the existence of sword spirits just now, when she saw the sword nodding, she still exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Wow! It can nod, how clever!”
Li Fenglan smiled and said, “My Finished Karma also has a sword spirit. Speaking of which, before seeing my master’s sword, I had never seen a sword with a sword spirit other than it. I wonder if the spirits of two swords can communicate with each other.”
Li Fenglan just casually said this, but as soon as he finished speaking, the black scabbard that had just quieted down drew a beautiful arc in the air again. Although the sword spirit cannot speak or express emotions, Li Fenglan interpreted a feeling of “joy” from it.
The appearance of Ling Buyan’s scabbard was only one moment, but it temporarily made Li Fenglan forget about the unpleasantness with Ning Qingmo.
Ling Buyan was not a strict master to his disciples, and coupled with the intentional delay by Duan Wannian and Cheng Huang, this journey that could have been completed in a day was delayed for several days.
Since the few of them had nothing important to do now, they strolled around several towns in the mortal world.
It was also during this time that Li Fenglan learned that besides the demons who caused trouble in the mortal world, many demons also fled to the other side of Duozhi Mountain simply because they could not tolerate the harsh environment in the demon realm.
Whenever Li Fenglan’s group arrived in a town, some demons would come to see Duan Wannian secretly.
At the beginning, they avoided Li Fenglan’s group, but later they became more and more reckless.
—Like now.
The few of them were sitting in a small tea house by the river in the town. Li Fenglan saw several people with demon energy sneaking a peek through the gap in the screen outside.
They thought they disguised themselves well, but little did they know that their whereabouts had been completely exposed as soon as they arrived here with their demon energy.
Seeing this, Li Fenglan finally couldn’t help but put down his teacup. He turned his head and glanced at Duan Wannian, who was pretending that nothing had happened, and said, “Why don’t you invite those people outside to come in and have a cup of tea with us?”
If it were an ordinary person, they would feel very embarrassed when they found out that their subordinates were peeking outside. However, Duan Wannian from the demon realm seemed not to think so. After hearing Li Fenglan’s words, she, who had turned into a small golden bird again for some reason, quickly lifted her head from the melon seeds pile.
“Gugugu!” Duan Wannian’s voice was particularly excited.
Li Fenglan: ?
Although he had always been regarded by Duan Wannian as a senior member of her clan, it did not mean that Li Fenglan could understand what Duan Wannian’s “Gugugu” meant.
So, without waiting for Li Fenglan to react, when she saw that he was not speaking, Duan Wannian suddenly transformed into a human form and said to the people outside, “Come in, come in! Fenglan asked me to treat you to tea!”
In just a few moments, the spacious tea room was crowded with a group of demon clan members.
After sitting down, they didn’t recognize Li Fenglan and Ling Buyan, and couldn’t sense their cultivation levels. However, they didn’t treat Li Fenglan as an outsider and happily ate and drank with him, and even talked about the gossip of the cultivation world.
Li Fenglan himself was not interested in these things, but he didn’t expect that he would accidentally hear some important news from the cultivation world that he didn’t know about.
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 5 more chapters of The Whole Cultivation World Wants To Revive The Venerable right away or get access to early chapters of all the available BL novels! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Thank You for the new chapter (⋈◍＞◡＜◍)。✧♡