Chapter 150: Breaking the Topic

Lu Jiajia was riding her sword through the wilderness. Her speed was so great that the fierce wind roared like thunder in her face, and her clothes fluttered violently. She was like a sword, leaving behind bursts of air explosions in her wake.

Lu Jiajia wore no hair ornament; her long hair danced wildly. Her gaze swept over the wilderness, fields, and villages, which flashed past in her vision. Thorny thickets couldn't slow her down in the slightest.

Like a white rainbow piercing the ground, her flying sword slowly descended to her side a moment later.

Her sword hung at her side, gently spinning, its tip shimmering like a cold star.

Her wildly dancing black hair gradually stilled. Before her stood the archway of Liantian Town.

Beyond the archway were solid, hard red clay walls. Piled beneath the walls were many animal bones, most of which hadn't been dead long; their bodies hadn't fully decomposed. Many black and red carrion birds pecked at the remaining flesh inside their ribcages.

Lu Jiajia's brow furrowed, feeling something was amiss. Her sword flew to her feet, lifting her body, and she peered over the clay wall into the small town.

In the town, earthen and wooden buildings stood connected. Thick smoke billowed in the distance, as if something was being incinerated.

As Lu Jiajia flew into the town on her sword, an arrow shot from behind the wall. The arrow shattered before it even reached her. Lu Jiajia turned her head to look at the person in the watchtower, whose face was covered in charcoal, and whose finger was on the bowstring.

"Imm-Immortal Master?" The person was stunned at the sight of the beautiful woman standing independently on her sword. He quickly lowered his arrow and exclaimed, "Immortal Master... are you here to help us?"

Lu Jiajia flew to him on her sword and asked, "The Godless Month has passed. Why are there still so many demonic beasts rampant here?"

The man was bewildered for a long time before replying, "Isn't it always like this, year-round?"

Lu Jiajia frowned slightly. "Where are the two disciples who came to your town earlier? A boy and a girl."

The man wiped his dark face, not daring to meet the woman's gaze, only wondering, "Wha... what boy and girl?"

"Hmm?" Lu Jiajia was equally puzzled. "Isn't this Liantian Town?"

The man was stunned for a long time. "Liantian Town? This is Gushan Town. Liantian Town is further north."

Lu Jiajia was about to ask why the archway read "Liantian Town," but she swallowed her words, guessing the reason. She thanked him and flew north on her sword.

Along the way, Lu Jiajia passed dozens of villages and towns. Each archway was identical, bearing the inscription: "Liantian Town."

But the villagers inside each town all claimed that it was not Liantian Town and that the archway must have been altered by demons.

After hitting dead ends dozens of times, even Lu Jiajia felt a little dizzy.

She had rarely descended the mountain, and before leaving, she had only quickly glanced at a map to get a general sense of direction. But after being deliberately confused repeatedly, she was now anxious and found it difficult to discern her bearings.

She calmed her agitated sword heart, recalling the direction of Liantian.

She had initially wanted to ask the villagers, but everyone's description of Liantian Town's location differed, except for the general direction: north.

Lu Jiajia dared not trust anyone, fearing that even an ordinary villager might have been placed there by the mastermind to obstruct her path.

She flew north on her sword.

But how vast was Nanzhou? Finding a small town among countless mountains and remote areas was like trying to find a needle in the ocean.

She had originally thought that with the other three peak masters guarding the Yujian Sky Sect and the sect's protective formation, nothing major would happen. But now she realized that the conspiracy behind it had been planned for a long time, and her ability to instantly kill Nine Umbrellas must have been an unforeseen factor in their plan. If she had immediately returned to the sect then, perhaps she could have spared it a catastrophe.

Yet, she had not chosen that.

A pang of guilt arose in her heart.

Lu Jiajia resonated her sword with a finger, steadying her Dao heart. She knew that no matter which choice she made, she would likely regret it years later.

She stopped overthinking and, following her intuition, rode her sword north.

The sun rose higher and higher, and the world grew brighter.

In Liantian Town, a guest arrived.

It was deep spring, and the weather had warmed, yet the guest wore a thick dark purple cloak, with a hood obscuring their face. Only two strands of white hair escaped from beneath the hood.

Upon arriving in Liantian Town, they put away a small scroll painting.

They walked down the long street, and no one among the passing people noticed them.

The front door of Old Mister Zhang's house opened, and the person in the dark purple cloak stepped inside.

The black cat sitting on the long bench seemed to sense something and looked in their direction, but its large cat eyes reflected nothing.

The person stood in the hall, staring at the painting in the center for a while, then walked straight through the courtyard and into the ancient wooden building.

"You've come?" Zhang Qieyu opened his eyes slowly.

The person gradually became visible after entering the room, and a translucent shadow appeared on the ground.

"Shier Qiu," the visitor in the dark purple cloak announced directly, identifying themselves as one of the Four Dao Masters of the Purple Heaven Dao Sect.

Within the Purple Heaven Dao Sect, names from one to nine were common surnames for ordinary disciples, without any particular nobility or rank. Ten was the surname of the Sect Master, and eleven to fourteen were the surnames of the Four Dao Masters, each of whom possessed unfathomable cultivation.

"How is Shi Wu?" Zhang Qieyu asked.

Shi Wu was the name of the Purple Heaven Dao Sect Master. The last time Zhang Qieyu had met him was thirty years ago.

Shier Qiu smiled faintly. He did not sit down, standing quietly to the side, like a living ghost.

"The Sect Master is well," Shier Qiu said with a slight smile. He revealed no other information, only adding, "After nearly sixty years, all the divine bones of Jiuying have been salvaged from the malevolent waters. Only one head is missing."

Zhang Qieyu spoke of an ancient secret from a thousand years ago: "Many demonic beasts from that era were beheaded. Even the divine bone in the Southern Wilderness God's Cavern is a headless deity."

"Headless deity?" Shier Qiu was somewhat interested in this hidden past. Though he found it incredible, he knew that the old man before him was a living history book.

Zhang Qieyu nodded. "The ancient deities killed by a certain great god back then all had headless bones."

Shier Qiu knew that the old man was deliberately bringing this up, perhaps to tempt or scheme something.

He calmed himself and did not press further. The abyss in the center of the Southern Wilderness was said to have driven most of the Yujian Sky Sect's original powerhouses mad, and such terrifying contamination might not even spare the Five Paths. It was certainly not something the current Purple Heaven Dao Sect could covet.

Shier Qiu smiled, getting to the point: "The Jiuying divine bones are complete, except for one part. Thirty years ago, the Sect Master made an agreement with you, sir. Today is the time to fulfill that promise."

Zhang Qieyu sighed. "To watch an old friend become a puppet, my heart grieves."

Shier Qiu smiled faintly. "Over the past thousand years, sir, you've had countless friends, and now you are alone, which is indeed sorrowful. However, from now on, the Purple Heaven Dao Sect wishes to be your Dao companion."

Zhang Qieyu remained unmoved. "We are merely making a transaction."

Shier Qiu's smile grew wider.

Remembering something, he bowed to Zhang Qieyu and asked, "The Lord of the Divine Realm resides beyond the heavens, guarding the human world. If Jiuying reappears, might it attract the gaze of those heavenly beings?"

Cultivators of their level all knew that there were numerous historical instances of the Lord of the Divine Realm intervening in the human world to slay demons.

Zhang Qieyu merely said, "Jiuying is not a demon... If it were any other year, I might be concerned, but rest assured, Lord Sin might even be pleased to see this old acquaintance reborn."

Upon hearing the words "Lord Sin," Shier Qiu's heart was awed.

No matter what storms the Purple Heaven Dao Sect stirred up in the human world, the Lord of the Divine Realm could easily annihilate them. Therefore, whatever they did, they must not cross the bottom line of the laws of heaven and earth.

Zhang Qieyu's words greatly reassured him. Shier Qiu looked up, his pale face beneath the hood bearing a sincere smile: "I respectfully invite you, sir, to the Purple Heaven Dao Sect."

Zhang Qieyu did not immediately rise. He asked, "I heard that the Yujian Sky Sect is holding its Four Peaks Sword Assembly today?"

Shier Qiu said, "Precisely. Although the Dao Sect and the Sword Sect have had grievances since ancient times, we are all esteemed righteous sects. Even if one side is powerful, it would never suppress the other. However, the Sword Sect was so presumptuous as to steal a sacred artifact of our Dao Sect, which is also one of the keys to Jiuying's revival."

Zhang Qieyu wondered, "What? The Heavenly Soul Lamp is lost?"

Shier Qiu did not evade the question, nodding. "Yes, it was lost a few months ago. Perhaps someone in the Sword Sect detected our movements and intended to sabotage us. But it doesn't matter; we have already confirmed the whereabouts of the Heavenly Soul Lamp. This also provides an opportunity to besiege the Yujian Sky Sect and curb their arrogance of the past sixty years."

Zhang Qieyu scoffed, "You're just taking advantage of Grandmaster Han Chi's absence."

Shier Qiu said, "I heard you have some connection with Grandmaster Han Chi?"

Zhang Qieyu replied blandly, "I have connections with many people."

Seeing him still not rising, Shier Qiu urged with a smile, "Do you have anything else to attend to, sir?"

Zhang Qieyu said, "There are two insects from the Yujian Sky Sect hiding from me in Liantian Town. Can you help me find them?"

Shier Qiu gradually frowned. If Old Mister Zhang, the true master of Liantian Town, couldn't find them, why should he waste his effort? Moreover, he absolutely did not believe that anything at this moment was more important than the revival of Jiuying.

"Since they are mere insects, let them be," Shier Qiu said.

Zhang Qieyu thought for a moment and said, "That's true. Let's go to the Dao Sect first. That old friend is indeed missed."

"Senior Brother, how much longer do we have to wait?" Ning Xiaoling looked at her Senior Brother's tired, delicate profile, asking for what felt like the umpteenth time.

They were currently in a strange place, surrounded by green mountains and clear waters, with woodcutters and farmers passing by, completely unlike Liantian Town.

Ning Xiaoling still found it incredible in retrospect.

Previously, they had entered the room. Her Senior Brother ground ink, picked up a brush, and added two insignificant small figures to a hanging scroll painting on the bedroom wall. Then, astonishingly, they walked into the painting.

Ning Changjiu explained to her that all of Zhang Qieyu's paintings were either black and white or colored. All colored paintings created things outwardly, while all black and white paintings created space inwardly.

Ning Xiaoling immediately realized that the small town layout map in the center was black and white ink wash, while the portraits drawn for them, even though they had white clothes and black hair, had their skin and pupils meticulously adorned with other colors.

"So, that black cat?" Ning Xiaoling suddenly remembered the black cat hanging on the wall.

Ning Changjiu said, "Qiusheng said Xiao Lian is two years younger than him. This year Xiao Lian is eight... Eight years ago, something major must have happened in Liantian Town, affecting the newborn Xiao Lian and nearly killing her. Zhang Qieyu, not having lost his humanity, did not want his granddaughter to die. He painted a black cat. This black cat is both a physical object and a container. It helped Xiao Lian collect her soul and stabilize her life. The only drawback is that this black cat is symbiotic with her. So, even though Xiao Lian is eight years old, her true mental age is only that of a four-year-old child. The black cat is the same; its intelligence is also similar to a four-year-old infant. That's why Xiao Lian appears somewhat clumsy as a person, while the black cat appears very intelligent for a cat."

Ning Changjiu added after speaking that these were just his conjectures.

But Ning Xiaoling believed him. She was flabbergasted, recalling various details and feeling that her Senior Brother was telling the truth! Then, she remembered the kitten's wailing cries, like an infant's, and a chill ran down her spine.

"Is there a way to help her?" Ning Xiaoling asked.

Ning Changjiu gently shook his head. He also wanted to help the girl, but certainly not when he himself was in such peril.

He was trying to solve the problem, and Zhang Qieyu was waiting for him to solve it.

This was a game of chess without clashing swords.

Ning Changjiu knew that even if he correctly guessed the "title" of this "poem" (referring to the painting as a poem/puzzle), a butcher's knife might be waiting for him at the exit.

He had to come up with a solution Zhang Qieyu wouldn't expect.

And Zhang Qieyu, even if he was within the town, was by no means omniscient or omnipotent, otherwise he wouldn't have failed to find them for an hour.

Ning Changjiu waited quietly, biding his time.

"Senior Brother, have you thought of a way to solve the puzzle?" Ning Xiaoling asked worriedly.

Ning Changjiu didn't answer. At that moment, a cat's meow suddenly sounded, as if from another world, distant.

Ning Changjiu gently exhaled. "Let's go."

They exited the painting.

In the clean and tidy room, the black cat obediently watched him.

Ning Changjiu stroked the black cat's soft fur and quietly thanked it.

In those days, while Ning Changjiu was deep in thought, the black cat often leaped into their room. Ning Changjiu had then sweet-talked this innocent "little girl" of only four years old.

When the cat's meow sounded, Ning Changjiu knew that Zhang Qieyu had finally left.

Ning Changjiu glanced at the azure bird on the table, whose eyes had not yet been dotted, and remained unmoved.

He and Ning Xiaoling left the room and entered the main hall.

Qiusheng, who had been tidying the house, stared at the two immortal masters as if he'd seen a ghost: "Wha... where did you two go? Grandpa was looking for you and was so worried."

Ning Changjiu didn't answer. He was fully focused on the painting in the center.

Only then did Qiusheng notice that Ning Changjiu held a brush in his hand, its bristles already saturated with ink.

"You... Immortal Master, what are you trying to do?" Qiusheng asked in surprise.

The Golden Crow was summoned, pecking at his shoulder and flying upward. Ning Changjiu hovered in the air, his raised brush descending towards the painting.

"Immortal Master, what exactly are you doing? Grandpa said only he can manipulate these paintings, and his brushwork is unique in the world; no one else can imitate it in the slightest." Qiusheng went to get a ladder, wanting to stop him.

But Ning Xiaoling pressed his shoulder, holding him in place.

Ning Changjiu had thought for a long time these past few days.

Zhang Qieyu knew he was trying to solve the puzzle, but he would never have guessed that Ning Changjiu had studied painting with him for three months in his previous life. The brushwork in those paintings was indeed extremely complex, but because he had studied it, he had a slight understanding.

And Zhang Qieyu clearly didn't want anyone to learn his brushwork, so after Ning Changjiu had studied for three months in his previous life, he had used the excuse of "lack of talent" to send him away.

In his Senior Sister's understanding, there was no Dao art or sword technique that couldn't be learned in three days. Ning Changjiu taking three months just to get started was certainly considered untalented, so she hadn't let him continue studying either.

These were all things Zhang Qieyu could not possibly know.

His slight understanding of the brushwork wasn't enough to create a complete painting to deceive the town, but it was enough to make some discordant alterations.

This painting was called "Liantian Town."

But this "poem" had no title.

He would no longer guess the answer.

Since it was untitled, he would title it himself.

Ning Changjiu raised his brush and brought it down.

Although he was titling it himself, the title still had to fit the meaning of the "poem" and also account for his painting skill.

Ning Changjiu held his breath and began to write.

Outside Liantian Town, Zhang Qieyu's expression suddenly turned stern. He roared, "Go back!"

Shier Qiu frowned in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Zhang Qieyu said, "I've seen those two insects."

Shier Qiu thought that crushing two insects wouldn't take much time. He didn't object, smiling and nodding: "I am willing to be your sword, sir."

No sooner had they spoken than, in Liantian Town, space rippled like waves, and many people walked out of the town.

"This... how am I here? Where's the town?" A blacksmith held his hammer, looking around.

"I don't know, I was just looking at the painting on the wall, and in a blink, how am I here?"

"I was looking at the painting too..."

"Isn't it Ghost Festival in town? No one ever goes out during Ghost Festival. What... what happened?"

The rabbit spirit carrying three carrots also appeared outside the town. It hopped around, seemingly also confused about what had happened.

Shier Qiu and Zhang Qieyu arrived outside the town. Dozens of people had already gathered there, without anyone noticing.

"How is this possible?" Zhang Qieyu looked at the scene before him in horror.

He knew that the small town had been breached, with countless breaches.

He also guessed what word the white-robed youth had written, but he couldn't understand how he had done it. He believed that in this world, absolutely no one else could imitate his handwriting; no one could.

Yet, such a person had appeared before him.

"Those two insects might have disguised themselves among these people," Shier Qiu said coldly. "Should we kill them all?"

Zhang Qieyu sighed. "The Purple Heaven Dao Sect is a righteous sect, and I am not a demon."

Shier Qiu said, "A god's throne is inherently built upon the lives of ants."

He did not give Zhang Qieyu time to lament or hesitate.

Shier Qiu's Dao sword unsheathed and he struck directly. The sword qi, like a massive scythe, swept down upon the crowd outside Liantian Town.

Ning Changjiu put down his brush.

One word had been added to the title of the "poem": "Painting" (画).

The structure of this character consists only of horizontal and vertical strokes, making it extremely simple. And it could also correspond to the meaning of the "poem," which originally depicted a picturesque landscape.

Thus, this "Painting" character (画) affected the entire town. In the town, all paintings created by Old Mister Zhang, whether on paper or walls, became doors.

Many people, upon inadvertently approaching a painting, were absorbed into these tiny, mustard-seed-like doors and exited Liantian Town, which was in the midst of its Ghost Festival.

This was his trick to create confusion.

But he also hadn't expected Zhang Qieyu to be so ruthless.

The moment he and Ning Xiaoling stepped out of Liantian Town, the sword qi happened to descend.

Ning Changjiu had originally intended to summon the Golden Crow to fully block this sword strike, but his golden pupils, which had just lit up, quickly dimmed.

A white figure landed behind him, and the sword qi shattered like an avalanche upon impact.

"Disciple greets Master," Ning Changjiu said with relief, smiling and bowing to the beautiful back before him.