Chapter 221: One Hundred Years of Solitude
“Aah, Ning Cheng really did not come out?” Xiang Zhilan finally found that Ning Cheng had really not come out, rather it was only herself and Yan Ji who had managed come out.
“I’m afraid that using the Spiritual Sacrifice method will only work on two people, it seems that Senior Apprentice Brother Ning has given the opportunity to both of us.” Yan Ji having said that immediately went silent. Ning Cheng had continuously saved her twice, and she had also tried to save Ning Cheng once, but instead had ultimately ended up blocking Ning Cheng’s way out.
Xiang Zhilan pulled Yan Ji’s hand and spoke, “It should not be so, it might be because the Spiritual Sacrifice method encountered some sort of problem. Let’s first leave the Blood River Mountains, and wait for him outside.”
Yan Ji suddenly asked, “Senior Apprentice Sister Lan, one can only enter the Blood River Mountains in the first three years, then shouldn’t we not have arrived up here? This time, once we get out, then it should not be possible to come back here, right?”
Xiang Zhilan nodded, “That’s true, only those people who have entered the Law’s Way for less than three years can enter the Blood River Mountain, but once in here, they can stay for as much time as they want in here. But once you come out, you would not be able to re-enter this place. But you do not have to worry about him, Junior Brother Ning Cheng is not only a good man, but is also a genius. I have been living at the bottom of the Blood River for many years, and have seen quite a few people down there, but as to the people who were able to figure out such a way out, perhaps he is the only one to do so. If he could find a way out once, then he could definitely be able to find a way out a second time.” Xiang Zhilan tried to comfort Yan Ji.
Yan Ji shook her head, “Senior Apprentice Sister Lan, just finding a single Best Quality Spirit Stone in that kind of a place is already something that can be said to be heaven defying, how could he be able to find two? Even if he has a way out, without having any Best Quality Spirit Stones it might not be possible. Moreover, he and that Feng Yushan are already on fighting terms with each other, even Grey Toottoot has come out with me, if he remained inside then he is destined to be alone……”
Seeing Yan Ji keep glancing at the Blood River Peaks, Xiang Zhilan’s heart was immediately tied up in knots as she thought, Junior Apprentice Sister Yan Ji does not really want to re-enter the bottom of the Blood River, right? If she really was thinking of doing such a thing, then it was too crazy.
“Junior Apprentice Sister Ji, let’s first get out of this place. With our current ability. We are simply unable to save him. Junior Apprentice Brother Ning had finally sent us out with great difficulty, we have to cherish such an opportunity.” Xiang Zhilan quickly tried to persuade her with this one phrase, as her tone became even more mellow.
Yan Ji sighed, and did not speak for a long time, “Senior Apprentice Sister Lan, I always felt that I owed him. I do not like owing something to other people, let alone something as big as saving my life, but, but….”
Xiang Zhilan thought for a moment and finally spoke up, “Junior Apprentice Sister Ji, in fact, by the looks of it, it looks like it was Ning Cheng who was feeling that he owed you something, as such you don’t have to think about it too much. On the path of practicing cultivation, one should avoid this kind of mentality the most.”
“Senior Apprentice Sister Lan, counting the time he saved me from the hands of that Feng Yushan. Ning Cheng has saved me three times already. It is also highly possible that it was also because of me, that he did not manage to come out, how could he feel that he owed me?” Yan Ji was completely not able to understand as she stared at Xiang Zhilan.
Xiang Zhilan’s face turned slightly red and spoke, “Ning Cheng, in order to check that your body did not have Feng Yushan’s Spiritual Consciousness tag, should have used his Spiritual Consciousness to scour your body. This thing is only known to me and Ning Cheng, but now that Ning Cheng had not come out, at least I can say it to you, but you should not take this to heart.”
In Xiang Zhilan’s opinion, this girl Yan Ji had an extremely bright future ahead of her, as such for a rogue cultivator like Ning Cheng to spy on her body, it can be clearly said that Ning Cheng was the one who profited.
Yan Ji’s complexion was also becoming sanguine; however, she did not feel too surprised about it.
“Junior Apprentice Sister Ji, were you already aware of this thing?” Xiang Zhilan seeing Yan Ji did not appear to be too flustered, couldn’t help but suspiciously ask about it.
Yan Ji nodded and spoke, “I had guessed some of it, but was just not sure at that time, and now that you said it, I have already made sure of that possibility.”
She was the genius disciple of the Blue Cloud Academy, even if at that time she was anxious and lost in her own thoughts, she simply did not think too much of this matter. It was only later that she guessed, that because Ning Cheng had looked at body, which was why he was certain that there was no other Spiritual Consciousness tag on her.
If Yan Ji had not known Ning Cheng, then she would have certainly shouted out loudly about this unjust perverted behaviour. Although she had also guessed it that he had seen Xiang Zhilan’s body, but she still had a vague feeling that he not checked Yan Ji’s body.
“Senior Apprentice Sister, the reason you held onto my hand is because you are afraid that I would suddenly rush towards the Blood River Peaks and then deliberately try to enter the bottom of the Blood River, right?” Yan Ji suddenly asked.
Xiang Zhilan awkwardly let go of Yan Ji’s hand and spoke, “You think that I am thinking too much, but even so you must not do such a crazy thing. Even if it’s you, if you once again go into there, you may not necessarily find Ning Cheng, moreover there is an even greater possibility that you will fall into the hands of that Feng Yushan.”
Yan Ji spoke with a hint of sadness, “Senior Apprentice Sister Lan, do you think that I completely lack any gentleness, and that I am too blunt and not careful enough? And that I speak without care as to other’s feelings?”
“Although I may seem like that sometimes, however even if all these things were taken into account, it isn’t of any concern for you. Cultivating the Dao, nevertheless is something that is to be practiced in accordance to one’s foundation and heart, it does not necessarily mean that we have to care as to what the others think about us.” Xiang Zhilan really had felt that Yan Ji was lacking a girl’s modesty, and would sometimes speak out words that did not suit a young maiden like her.
“Senior Apprentice Sister you should be aware of the Gui Yuan City, right? It has one of the Le Continent’s three 9 Star Academies, and stands side by side to the Wu Nian Academy and the Dragon and Phoenix Academy.” Yan Ji did not want to continue this topic, instead used her words in such a way as to turn it into a different direction.
“I know it.”
Yan Ji once again spoke with a sigh, “In the Le Continent there is actually a saying, the first four sentences are, ‘Twin Lotus Flowers On One Stalk, Sea Apple Blossoms, Heavenly Star, Riding Half a Cloud’.”
“What do you mean?”
“It refers to the nine genius disciples, the ‘Twin Lotus Flowers On One Stock’ refers to me from the Blue Cloud Academy and Nalan Ruxue from the Wu Nian Academy. The ‘Sea Apple Blossom’ refers to the Gui Yuan City’s trio of siblings Gui Yuhai, Gui Yutang and Gui Yuhua. ‘Heavenly Star’ refers to our Academy’s genius Senior Apprentice Brother Kui Tian and Dragon and Phoenix Academy’s Bei Xingjin, while ‘Riding Half a Cloud’ refers to Wu Nian Academy’s Cheng Yixiao and Dragon and Phoenix Academy’s Luo Banyun.”
TL Note: Hai 海 here refers to ‘Sea’, Tang 棠 here refers to ‘Apple’, well more specifically ‘cherry apple’, Hua 花 here refers to ‘Blossoms’. Tian 天 here refers to the ‘Heavens’, Xing 星 here refers to ‘Star’. Cheng 乘 here refers to ‘Riding’, Banyun 半云 here refers to ‘Half a cloud’.
Xiang Zhilan immediately understood it, as she gave a wry smile and spoke, “It looks like during the one hundred years that I have been living in solitude, a lot of geniuses have emerged in the Le Continent.”
Yan Ji continued to speak, “Senior Apprentice Sister Lan do think that these people’s origins are fixed? They are from three colossally huge 9 Nine Star Academies and our Blue Cloud Academy. Even a fool would know that our Blue Cloud Academy would soon become a 9 Star Academy.”
“Our Blue Cloud academy already had the strength and qualifications to advance to a 9 Star Academy a hundred years ago, as such for it advance to a 9 Star Academy at this time is not unusual aah.” Xiang Zhilan certainly did not feel that her Blue Cloud Academy was ineligible to advance to a 9 Star Academy.
“In fact, these three 9 Star Academies have been keeping each other in check and created a power balance in the Le Continent, but at the moment the strength of the Wu Nian Academy is declining severely. Therefore, they do not wish to see our Blue Cloud Academy become the fourth largest 9 Star Academy in the Le Continent, because of which they wish to join forces with the others to suppress our Blue Cloud Academy.”
“Moreover in the recent years, a lot of geniuses have started appearing in our Blue Cloud Academy, making it even stronger and fiercer than before. Our Blue Cloud Academy’s Senior Apprentice Brother Kui Tian is less than 50 years old, but has already reached the Soul Essence Realm in his cultivation, other than Dragon and Phoenix Academy’s Luo Banyun, there is no one else better than him. Our Blue Cloud Academy, in order to win the support of the Gui Yuan City, had even proposed a marriage between the Blue Cloud Academy and the Gui Yuan City, with the hope that Gui Yuhua and Senior Apprentice Brother Kui Tian can become Dao Companions.”
After listening to Yan Ji’s words, Xiang Zhilan immediately spoke up, “This is a good thing aah, so what’s wrong with it?”
Yan Ji became even more depressed as she spoke, “Wu Nian Academy knows their strength is not better than our Blue Cloud Academy, as such it also wanted to draw in Gui Yuan City, and even took the initiative to voluntarily give Nalan Ruxue to Gui Yuhai. Blue Cloud Academy was afraid that the alliance between the Gui Yuan City and the Wu Nian Academy would be demerital for our Blue Cloud Academy’s advancement to a 9 Star Academy, so……”
Xiang Zhilan immediately understood, it should be because the Blue Cloud Academy, in order to win over the Gui Yuan City, had also wanted to promise Yan Ji to Gui Yuhai. If this had happened to her, then she certainly would not have any means to resist it. For a genius disciple like Gui Yuhai, his qualifications would certainly be heaven defying. Presumably this man’s status in the Gui Yuan City was also not low, as such for a person like her to become Dao Companions with him, there would be nothing wrong. It was just that it had to be Yan Ji. In her heart she had already come to understand Yan Ji’s viewpoint.
Yan Ji also knew what Xiang Zhilan meant, as she once again spoke with a sigh, “Originally, I had trained and cultivated in the Blue Cloud Academy, and the Blue Cloud Academy has also always been good to me, although they have not yet put forward this matter. But after coming out from the Law’s Way, they will certainly bring it to the front. I know that Gui Yuhai is fond of sweet tempered and gentle woman, because of which I deliberately spoke and acted in an unconventional manner, it was because I wanted him to choose Nalan Ruxue over me. And now, Ning Cheng he….”
“Junior Apprentice Sister Ji, I understand.” Xiang Zhilan once again grasped Yan Ji’s hand, she knew what Yan Ji wanted to say, and also understood what Ning Cheng had meant.
Ning Cheng was not yet dead at present, and yet he had also seen Yan Ji’s body, moreover Yan Ji also had a heavy crush on Ning Cheng, what’s more he had even saved Yan Ji several times. In such a case, for a woman like Yan Ji, to marry another man, it would indeed be unfair towards Yan Ji.
In the Yi Xing Mainland, although men can marry three wives and have four concubines, but when it came to Dao Companions there can even be more than one, however for a woman to stay virtuous, she must always fulfil her duties as a wife and stay true to her one man until her death. Ning Cheng had seen Yan Ji’s body, in a sense, Yan Ji was already a person of Ning Cheng. Moreover, since she herself had took care of Ning Cheng’s body, it also should be as is.
Seeing her Senior Apprentice Sister understand her meaning, Yan Ji gave a faint laugh and spoke, “Don’t forget Grey Toottoot is still here with me. Senior Apprentice Sister you have experienced a hundred years of solitude in there, presumably you should know that that kind of suffering is something that I almost could not endure for even just the past three years that I was inside. Now that I have already made my decision, as such I don’t want him to also go through this kind of hundred years of solitude, that kind of feeling, for people who have not experienced it by themselves, would not realize just how frightening it would be.”
Saying that, she gave a slight pat on Grey Toottoot’s chest, as she slowly turned and once again began to walk towards one of the Blood River Peaks.
Xiang Zhilan looked at the lonely back of Yan Ji, when she suddenly felt her throat jamming, only now did she fully understand Yan Ji’s words, she realized that Yan Ji was definitely not doing anything wrong. If she had replaced her in such a situation, then perhaps she would have also made the same choice. However, with her cultivation practice at present, other than looking for a symbolic Dao Companion, she had never really went out and liked a man, let alone love a man.
But even if that was the case she understood Yan Ji’s feelings, and the reason she understood this, was because she herself had lived almost a hundred years in solitude.