Chapter 38: The City of Falling Snow, Cold Early Spring

Under the immense night sky, the entire Imperial City lay in profound stillness.

The alarming disturbance on the long street had only caused a localized stir, not spreading too far. Many households were still immersed in the joy that the great calamity had passed. The bodies outside the Imperial Advisor's residence had been cleaned up, and the assassins on the Jin Kingdom's assassin list were almost entirely killed or wounded in this battle. It was imaginable that for a long time to come, the assassin organizations in Jin Kingdom would face a severe shortage of new talent.

The Imperial City was vast, and the surrounding Inkstone Mountain Range was even more majestic and upright, like a giant palm cradling the ancient city.

Due to years of continuous warfare, even within the Imperial City, a considerable number of citizens had secretly relocated to other countries. Many large residences had thus become empty. According to folk legends, once a house became uninhabited, its ancient furniture would give birth to spirits. Therefore, for old houses rumored to be haunted, seals were usually affixed to their doors.

In the Imperial City, the footsteps of imperial soldiers sounded once more. The current master presiding over the imperial palace was Zhao Xiang'er, and they were also following her orders.

Although the order was of the highest Class A, it contained little key information, merely stating that fugitives remained in the imperial palace and required their full efforts to search. These empty residences naturally became a key focus of the search.

There were not many available soldiers in the Imperial City now, and combined with the day-long exertion, fear in their hearts and physical exhaustion weighed heavily upon them.

Everyone was waiting for this night to pass.

However, it was not yet Hai Shi (9-11 PM); this night had only just begun.

Ning Changjiu did not choose any of the empty residences. He led Ning Xiaoling into the largest temple in the city. Because of the disturbance in the Imperial City that day, the temple had closed its doors early. The tightly shut main hall was empty, and the faint sound of water being swept could be heard from outside.

Enshrined in the main hall was a large Buddha, golden and solemn in appearance. On the bronze platform in front, four rows of candles burned, their light cool and dimly bright, making the ancient Buddha glow with a brilliant golden radiance. There were approximately sixty-four densely arranged candle holders. In front of them was an altar for incense, on which lay a few offerings and two colorful porcelain Guanyin figures, all with kind and benevolent expressions.

To either side of the golden Buddha statue were many divine figures of various forms. These figures, however, were emaciated, some with three heads and six arms, others holding magical artifacts, or displaying faces of compassion. With the hall now empty and quiet, these divine figures, illuminated by the faint candlelight, appeared quite terrifying.

Yet, the vast Buddhist light accumulated here over a long time had a natural suppressive power against the demon creatures of the world.

Ning Changjiu shook a copper coin from his sleeve and placed it on the threshold. Entering the temple to worship the Buddha and the deities, he knelt briefly on a prayer mat and offered a simple bow.

The coin on the threshold was one Ning Qinshui had used before his death. Such coins were items refined by rogue cultivators and could temporarily isolate a space, preventing evil spirits from escaping from within or yin energy from intruding from outside.

Ning Xiaoling's petite body was wrapped in a translucent white cocoon. Illusory fox tails draped over her. Her delicate and charming face was incredibly calm at this moment, and her skin color had become very pale, with faint blue veins and delicate blood vessels visible beneath. A contradictory sense of allure and holiness simultaneously appeared on the body of this fourteen-year-old girl, outlining her as if she were a spirit from another world.

She was currently trapped in the trial of inner demons.

Her realm had advanced too quickly, skipping directly over the first two realms, 'Entry into the Profound' and 'Communion with Immortals', to reach the astonishing 'Longevity Breaking Purple Court'.

Therefore, she lacked experience in overcoming inner demons, because, in essence, her mind was still that of a fourteen-year-old girl. At a normal pace, she should have left the Imperial City and trained for another half year before breaking through. But now, with Ning Changjiu's 'help,' she had directly arrived at the precipice of this realm.

The trial of inner demons was a test of one's true self.

Ning Xiaoling's cocoon was growing thicker, and her vital signs were becoming weaker, indicating that she was trapped deeper and deeper within this tribulation.

Ning Changjiu took two talismans from his sleeve; one he placed on Ning Xiaoling's cocoon, and the other on his own forehead.

These were the two purple-gold divine talismans Ning Qinshui had retrieved that day. The talismans clearly looked like they were written by a true extraordinary master; their smooth and flowing drawing technique made him feel deeply impressed.

At that time, these two talismans were locks that sealed their bodies. Now, Ning Changjiu had secretly altered a few strokes, distorting their original meaning, and thus these two talismans became a bridge connecting their consciousness.

Before Ning Xiaoling fell into her demonic state, Ning Changjiu had told her that many talismans in the world could produce mysteriously opposite effects with just a few altered strokes.

However, this alteration technique was extremely difficult to master; even a slight mistake or error in stroke force could render the entire talisman ineffective.

Ning Changjiu lit an incense stick on the altar to mark the time, then leaned against the dark red wooden pillar of the main hall, quickly closing his eyes to enter a meditative state.

He used the two purple-gold divine talismans to connect with Ning Xiaoling's consciousness.

He entered her trial of inner demons.

It was an ancient city where snow was falling.

Ning Changjiu's consciousness seemed to descend from the sky. In his vision, he overlooked a vast, snow-covered frontier town. Wind and snow filled his sight. The myriad of commoner dwellings, ancient pagodas, old tiles, wine shop banners, and bridge railings in the city were all covered in a fine layer of white.

The white seemed like a brush leaving blank space, generally outlining the city's layout to be square and regular.

The river flowing through the city had frozen over with ice. There were few pedestrians or horses on the main street. Where the heavy snow had fallen, there was mostly a pervasive sense of peace.

His gaze slowly descended, finally landing on a main street. A wine banner stood beside him; its squarely written character for "wine" was now frozen stiff. The boisterous sounds of drinking and clinking cups emanated from inside the building. The sudden appearance of a person on the street outside seemed to go unnoticed by anyone.

After all, many people died every winter.

Ning Changjiu glanced, seeing that the people inside were thinly dressed but all had joyful expressions, as if the wine could dispel all cold. He only took a quick look before walking into the city.

This city should be Ning Xiaoling's hometown.

He had never cared about such worldly clamor in the past, let alone now that he was in an illusory dream within the trial of inner demons.

He needed to find Ning Xiaoling as soon as possible, then suppress her demon seed, and finally sever her inner demons for her.

The time of heavenly tribulation was also when the demon seed was dormant and most vulnerable. This was the best timing he had deduced after countless calculations.

But how could he find a little girl in this vast city?

Ning Changjiu was not in a hurry. His steps were unhurried, and his consciousness spread out like a trickling stream, slowly perceiving this frozen city.

Beyond this long street was a stone bridge. From the bridge, the view became wide. His gaze, sweeping across the landscape, could see a large number of single-story houses and a tall, striking ancient pagoda. They seemed not to be illusions, but carried the simple antiquity left by the erosion of history.

And if his gaze extended further, he could see many areas within the city still shrouded in an unapproachable mist.

That was the missing part of Ning Xiaoling's memory regarding this city.

As he walked forward along the long bridge, the street gradually became more crowded. Merchants pushing their stalls lined both sides of the road, glancing left and right, occasionally shouting out. Women in colorful silk clothes held umbrellas, their delicate laughter ringing out clearly. Large horses pulling carts for goods slowly rolled over the street, leaving two long, deep wheel tracks in the snowy road.

Ning Changjiu's gaze fell on their faces, then quickly moved away. He vaguely felt that something was not quite right with this world, but for a moment, he couldn't find the root of the problem.

He continued forward, and finally, in front of a dilapidated single-story house, he saw a little girl.

The little girl, wearing an old padded jacket, drew water from an ancient well and was walking unsteadily through the snow, carrying a bucket. Several small boys surrounded her.

Then he saw the little girl fall to the ground, the water in the bucket spilling out. She got up from the ground, cursed loudly at the boys who were taller than her, rolled up her sleeves, and fought back. Of course, the little girl couldn't beat them; she relied only on a fierce determination. She knew that if she did nothing, they would only become more excessive next time.

She fell to the ground repeatedly but still stared at them fiercely. The boys' mocking laughter echoed all around, sounding very joyful.

Ning Changjiu looked at the little girl's slightly dark face and confirmed that it was still not Ning Xiaoling.

He did nothing. This was an illusion of inner demons, and it was something that had already happened. Even if he could reverse his thoughts to make time flow back and help the little girl carry the water back into the house, it still wouldn't change anything that had already occurred in the long river of time.

This was like dust blowing before his eyes; no matter how much it blurred his vision, he could only treat it as a fleeting wisp of smoke passing by.

He continued to walk forward.

The city was much livelier than he had imagined, but the heavy snow covering the sky indicated loneliness; it was a thin layer of ice spread over prosperity.

Further ahead was a grand mansion. Its dark red gates were tightly shut, and two majestic stone lions stood at the entrance. Within the high courtyard walls, carved wooden windows, painted beams, and upturned eaves were vaguely visible.

But Ning Changjiu knew that Ning Xiaoling certainly had no connection to this place.

Because he could see that beneath the upturned eaves, curved corners, and carved railings, there was an empty, desolate gray mist.

Separated by the high courtyard walls, Ning Xiaoling, even standing on tiptoes, could only see those things. What lay beneath had never existed in her memory, because an insurmountable courtyard wall always separated her from such a mansion.

He continued forward.

The snow fell silently, covering the ancient city, just like the increasingly thick cocoon on the girl's body.

He gradually realized what was wrong with this city. Most of the trees in the city were withered, but upon closer inspection, he would find that beneath the snowdrifts, new tender shoots were buried.

And many pedestrians on the street were wearing thin spring clothes, as if they felt no cold.

This ancient city should have passed winter by now, and spring should be in full bloom.

Many people didn't even seem to notice the heavy snow.

Because this was the snow in Ning Xiaoling's heart.

Falling profusely, drifting through the air.

Ning Changjiu searched all around the city. The areas shrouded in gray mist were unreachable and impenetrable; his footsteps left traces in all other places.

But he couldn't find Ning Xiaoling.

Finally, after much wandering and searching, he returned to the mansion, gazing at the pair of bronze rings on its gate, lost in thought.

After a while, the gate suddenly opened, and four people carried out a bridal sedan chair.

The cold wind stirred the sedan curtain, faintly revealing a little girl's delicately carved, jade-like face.