Fighting Soul Clan Demoness

Chapter 471: The Photographic Stone from the Warcraft Mountains
Xingyun Pavilion and Lotus Pond Cave.

As one of the top forces in Zhongzhou, the blessed land owned by Xingyun Pavilion is naturally far beyond the reach of the outside world.

I saw the clear blue night sky reflected on the lotus pond, reflecting the brilliance of a sunny day, as if day and night were flowing endlessly.

In this otherworldly scene, the girl sitting by the pool was surprisingly calm.

"Counting the time, it has been seven years since I left there?" Hun Ruoruo gently picked a lotus flower from the pond, quietly staring at the clear and delicate texture above, and suddenly spoke softly.

Seven years have passed in a flash.

But in the blink of an eye, she had already passed the age of 20 and became a girl who was waiting to be married in the secular world.

Can time and experience really change a person into someone she doesn't even recognize?
"Ruoruo, why don't you go back to your room to rest so late? What's on your mind?"

Yao Lao's voice suddenly sounded not far away. Looking up, the old man's illusory figure had floated to the side of the lotus pond without knowing when.

"Master." Hun Ruoruo seemed a little dazed, then shook her head and forced a smile, "Have you arranged accommodations for Zi Yan and the others?"

Yao Lao smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, Xingyun Pavilion is such a big place, no matter what, there will be room for those two girls. After the new student ceremony is over tomorrow, they will officially become disciples of Xingyun Pavilion."

"Is that so?" Hun Ruoruo said "hmm" softly, and then there was no movement.

For Zi Yan and Xiao Yixian, it is always a good thing to have a place to stay in Zhongzhou.

No longer needing to face life-threatening situations, nor the fatigue of running around all day, with the protection of the Xingyun Pavilion, even if they strayed from their proper growth path, they would not be affected too much.
This is the greatest guarantee I can find for them.

Seeing that the girl was not interested, Yao Lao hesitated for a moment, and suddenly said: "Ruoruo, what happened during the day..."

"Master, are you here to act as a lobbyist?" Hun Ruoruo raised her eyebrows slightly.

Yao Lao sighed helplessly, "After that old fellow learned of my disappearance, simply because he suspected the Soul Palace was behind it, he spent decades secretly investigating and collecting evidence, causing quite a bit of trouble. He was far more sensitive than usual about this matter."

"Add to that the existence of that evil disciple, and this is why he's so rigid in teaching his disciples. Haha, in that sense, it can be considered a mistake I made."

"Ruoruo is not unreasonable. Senior Feng Zun has good intentions, so he naturally won't think of blaming him." Hun Ruoruo smiled. "Besides, I was wrong in doing this."

Yao Lao was stunned. "Are you talking about the 'strong mindset' that old guy mentioned?"

Seeing that Hun Ruoruo did not refute, Yao Lao's brows gradually tightened and he said in a deep voice:

"The so-called strong mindset is to be able to take things up and let them go, to advance and retreat freely. As long as you have your own persistence and goals, no matter how you express them, your master will have no objections. As for that old man's opinion, just listen to it. Why should you hold a grudge against him?"

Yao Lao believed he understood his young disciple's feelings better than anyone else. It was definitely not comparable to Han Feng's. In fact, because of the girl's delicate thoughts, she was able to please him better than any other disciple.
In terms of talent and determination, he even once thought that Hun Ruoruo was even better than Xiao Yan. Why could such a talented girl be affected by a word from Master Feng?

Yao Lao felt that there might be some deeper reason behind this.

After pondering for a moment, he stared at the silent girl in front of him, and his tone suddenly softened: "Girl, are you afraid that you will implicate us because of you?"

".?!"

The sudden words shocked Hun Ruoruo's heart, and cold sweat instantly seeped out of her palms.

She suppressed her composure and raised her head suddenly. After seeing Yao Lao's face full of concern, she calmed down a little.

Fortunately, she was overthinking it.

Hun Ruoruo suddenly realized that she had become so paranoid since when. Even a caring word from Yao Lao could make her subconsciously think of the so-called "established" future.
She bit her pink lips and remained silent for a long time, but finally lowered her head in a compromised manner: "Yeah."

Seeing this, Yao Lao couldn't help but laugh and sat down opposite the girl. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the tip of her nose which was a little red due to her loss of composure.

"Look at you, you're already a grown-up girl, why are you still thinking about things you should be thinking about as a child?"

Yao Lao said cheerfully, "When we first met, you were so powerful and imposing that even I, your master, was led by the nose by you. How come your strength is getting stronger, but your state of mind is getting worse? This is not like you."

"This is different." "Different?"

"Yeah, it's really different." Hun Ruoruo responded in a low voice.

She actually doesn't shy away from showing her strength.

Isn't the purpose of cultivating fighting spirit and tempering the soul to fight for life with the heaven and for the hearts of others?
But things never go as planned. Every time she uses her strength, the growth trajectory of the people around her will be affected. The three-year agreement almost caused Yao Lao to be abducted by the guardian Wu, and then when the heart flame broke out, Xiao Yan almost fell into the void and lost his life.

Hun Ruoruo was indeed scared.

So from that time on, she hated her unique and precious memory, and it was also from that time that the conflict between her conscience and her desires gradually emerged in her mind.

One voice told her that this memory was precious and that she should choose to follow the trajectory and reduce her sense of existence as a 'heretic', while another voice told her: "Escape will not solve the problem. You need to rely on yourself to protect the people around you." And so on.

It is clear who is good and who is bad, but the safety of the lives of those around her makes Hun Ruoruo unable to take this step.

She didn't want to let her own choice determine their lives, because there was once such a person who had easily set the tone for her life, which could never be erased.
Looking at the completely confused girl in front of him, Yao Lao couldn't help but sigh. He slowly took out a dark stone from his sleeve, placed it steadily on the bench, and left quietly.

Time passed minute by minute. After an unknown amount of time, Hun Ruoruo raised her head in a trance and pressed her aching temple with some fatigue.

"Master, Master?"

Glancing around, she saw that Yao Lao's figure had disappeared without a trace. Hun Ruoruo withdrew her gaze with a sense of disappointment. Just as she was about to get up and leave, she suddenly discovered a dark stone placed on the bench.

"This is."

By the light of the lotus pond, Hun Ruoruo vaguely recognized the source of the stone—

It was a photo stone, used to record people's images and voices, and she herself had used it before.

As if she knew the other party's intention, Hun Ruoruo hesitated again and again, but in the end, she injected a trace of fighting spirit as if possessed by a ghost and held it in the palm of her hand.

The next moment, the familiar images of the old man and the young man gradually emerged from the shadow stone.

"Why, aren't you happy about the opportunity I created for you?" Yao Lao's words seemed full of teasing, and then he looked at the young man in front of him.

After a moment of silence, the boy suddenly shook his head and said softly, "To be honest, I'm not very happy."

Yao Lao asked curiously, "Oh? Why?"

"Because she doesn't like it."

The boy in the video seems to be still young, with a bit of childishness on his cheeks. His stern face and serious tone make him look mature.

However, it was this serious look that made De Hun Ruoruo stand there in a daze for a moment. She felt that old memories began to surge out like a tide, and her heart was surging.

"What happened in the cave?" Hun Ruoruo's heart began to pound wildly, and she stared at the photo stone in front of her almost intently, trying to find a clue.

The Image Stone naturally had no function to answer, but the boy's words, like a leisurely narration, echoed softly once again:
"Rather than dislike, fear is a more appropriate description. I've never seen Ruoruo show that kind of expression before. Although it does bring us closer, I still feel it's not appropriate."

Xiao Yan in the video smacked his lips and then smiled, "I still like to see her smile. Even from a distance, she should always maintain that relaxed attitude."

"That's her."

The boy's words slowly echoed in the night sky, as if it was an acknowledgement, as if it was an answer.
A problem that still troubles her today.

It turns out that someone had already given the answer many years ago.
-

I originally wanted to delay this transition a bit, but I heard some readers were dissatisfied with it, so I’d like to explain it very sincerely:
Ruoruo is now in a critical period of transition, abandoning the constraints of the original plot and heading towards another beginning. After this, there should be no more unnecessary concerns, so this paragraph is quite important. I choose to write it out in advance in the hope of resolving everyone’s confusion. Thank you very much for your understanding and suggestions!

(End of this chapter)