frightfiction Chapter 284: Life is at stake
Chapter 284: Life is at stake
Li Feiling stood with his hands behind his back in a room that was so simple that it could hardly be called a "hall", gazing at the plaque written by Liu Xiahui himself and hanging at the top. The three large, twisted characters "禾道盟" with majestic and righteous spirit made this illiterate swordsman able to glimpse some meaning from them, and it was more than just "good-looking".
In addition to the plaque at the top, there is also the central hall painting hanging on the middle wall of the main hall, and the two couplets next to it, all of which are very exquisite.
The central hall painting is a painting made on a whole piece of rice paper several feet long. On it can be large characters with auspicious meanings such as "Fu" and "Shou", or famous sayings, ancestral teachings, statues of ancestors, or paintings of animals such as tigers. However, the painting hung in the Hedao League is not the kind of painting commonly seen in wealthy families, but a picture of sea waves with a perfect balance of movement and stillness.
This painting is about six feet in size, with the most common "water dyeing method" and "water outlining method" as the background color. In the representation of reefs and waves, in addition to the boneless method, blank method, snow-playing method and other techniques in traditional ink painting to express the turbulence of waves, it also flexibly integrates the outlining, texture and breaking techniques of many famous artists, depicting the reefs on the coast as extremely hard and steady, with a kind of courage that will not deviate at all despite the wind and waves. The combination of movement and stillness between waves and rocks highlights an excellent picture of sea waves on this six-foot drawing paper!
This painting alone makes the entire hall look several notches higher, and it's obvious that it was designed by an expert.
"Come to think of it, Junior Sister An has a teacher from the academy as her master, no wonder she is so particular." Li Feiling shook his head helplessly.
Li Feiling then looked at the couplet next to it:
The first couplet reads: "Holding the righteousness of heaven and earth and the people, moistening the fields and making the crops abundant."
The second line reads: "The killing of Qiankun Lingwu brings peace and tranquility to the great road."
The two words "禾" and "道" happen to form a couplet in the eleventh word. Li Feiling stared at them for a while and couldn't help laughing. It turned out that Junior Sister An had hidden a name in the couplet!
Just as Li Feiling was admiring the calligraphy hanging on the wall of Hedaomeng, An Ling also hurriedly walked out of the study. Li Feiling turned around when he heard the footsteps, and an awkward atmosphere came over them when their eyes met.
What else can be said between the two of them?
They were once senior and junior brothers and sisters, and now they are the leaders of their respective forces. But no matter what, when they meet again, it should not be like today.
Because something most fundamental has changed, just like a person's composition has changed from a carbon-based organism to a silicon-based organism. Although the appearance has not changed, can the essence still be the same?
An Ling quickly adjusted her mood and said with a formal smile: "Brother, you are here. Please take a seat!"
Li Feiling sighed and replied, "You know, we Canglan people are not bound by conventions, so you don't have to be so particular."
"So what is the purpose of your visit this time, Senior Brother?"
Li Feiling looked at the alienation between An Ling's brows, and for a moment, he didn't know whether he had done the right thing or the wrong thing. However, this doubt only lasted for a moment. He was different from others. Once he made up his mind, he would stick to it firmly.
From this perspective, he is actually somewhat similar to An Ling.
Li Feiling pondered for a moment and said, "We have a big move recently, and I would like to ask if you, the Hedao League, would like to participate as well?"
"Can you tell me more about this?"
"Have you received any updates on the latest movements of the Futian Army?"
An Ling was silent for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I don't know."
Seeing An Ling's expression, Li Feiling did not force her anymore, but continued to talk to himself: "At the end of last month, the Ghost Skeleton Corps of the Futian Army was suddenly paralyzed and stopped about ten miles outside the imperial capital. Fellow Taoists also investigated through various means, and finally came to the conclusion that the command core of the Futian Army, that is, the Great Bei State Master, suddenly disappeared for some reason, and he was the only one in the Futian Army who could drive the Ghost Skeletons, so the Futian Army's vanguard troops were paralyzed."
An Ling listened to Li Feiling's words very carefully, integrating and comparing the information Li Feiling brought with what she knew.
Li Feiling continued, "It's strange to say that in the area actually controlled by the Futian Army, a new religion suddenly appeared, called the Crescent Moon Religion. I think Junior Sister must have some impression of this name."
An Ling nodded gently and said, "Yes, the Crescent Moon Cult pretended to pray to the gods, but in fact they were collecting a lot of money, making the people of Liyang City live in misery. I happened to be passing by here at that time, so I took action to eradicate the Crescent Moon Cult entrenched in Liyang City. Fortunately, this evil cult has not been established for a long time, so it is not so deeply rooted."
An Ling is lying again.
Li Feiling said helplessly: "Well, you are right. You also 'happened' to destroy the ceremony of connecting the New Moon Sect with the dragon vein, which greatly delayed the time for the New Moon Sect to change the world."
Now An Ling was really surprised. Apart from being taken to the sky by the Crescent Moon Immortal and seeing the scene of thirty-two light pillars all over Daxuan, she really didn't know that it was also related to the dragon veins!
An Ling knew that the Crescent Moon Immortal was Hu's alias, but she originally thought that Hu only wanted to become a god, but she didn't expect that he was also coveting the Daxuan Dragon Vein!
"Hu has already arranged his plans in various places. Once he gives the order, the hidden agents across the continent will rise from the ground and completely overturn the world."
"For this, I don't know how long it has been waiting in the dark. It is so scheming!" Li Feiling cursed.
An Ling sighed: "Fortunately, its evil plan was destroyed by 'accident', and we managed to get a chance to breathe."
"Yeah, it was really lucky," Li Feiling said doubtfully, "but I always feel like there's another non-existent person behind Hu stirring up the storm."
An Ling's heart skipped a beat, and she said with a smile, "Hu's wisdom is unparalleled in the world. Who else in the world can be on par with him, or even surpass him?"
"Even if there is, can only gods do it?"
"Forget it, let's not talk about the past, let's just talk about the past month," Li Feiling continued, "most of the ghost skeletons parked outside the imperial capital were destroyed by our fellow Taoists from the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. Although the cultivators of the Futian Army are also fighting hard, when it comes to fighting alone, when have the disciples of the Immortal Sect ever lost to anyone?"
"It's a pity that they are too united, and we can't get much information from them. But there is one stubborn guy who refuses to reveal the information about the Futian Army no matter how much he is tortured."
"It's fate, that person seems to be from the same hometown as you, both of us are from the East China Sea."
An Ling suddenly had a bad feeling.
"What's that man's name?"
"Well, he said he was Tang from Qingfeng Temple... Tang something, oh, Tang Feng."
An Ling was stunned as if struck by lightning.
Li Feiling felt something was wrong when he saw An Ling's appearance. Could this person be An Ling's friend?
"Is he...dead?"
"Ah."
"How did you die?"
"Committed suicide. He learned a method from the Futian Army to self-destruct his soul and completely wipe himself out from the world."
"Is there... a body?"
"Dust returns to dust, and nothing remains."
"..."
"Junior sister, don't be resentful. Hu's deception is unparalleled in the world. Your friend might just be..."
"I'm fine." An Ling raised her bloodshot eyes, looking like a demon. She suddenly smiled, which made Li Feiling feel uneasy. An Ling continued, "Isn't this good? You can die completely, and you don't have to be extracted and refined by others after death."
Li Feiling's face changed instantly.