I've never felt happy to become an immortal.

Chapter 218 Why Should the Qiang Flute Lament the Willows?

That night.

The White Plum Blossom School is under martial law.

It's so bad that not even a bird can get in.

Ning Jianshuang is writing a letter.

She was to send this letter to various parts of the Gathering Righteousness Pavilion.

Looking at the white mist drifting through the mountains outside the window, she couldn't help but feel melancholy.

One unexpected event after another always catches people off guard.

The secret realm of the White Plum Sect disappeared a day ago.

Literally, it has completely disappeared.

The original stone gate has crumbled, and the entrance to the secret realm has disappeared.

The secret realm that had existed here for over four hundred years vanished without a trace, and none of those who entered it ever returned.

This situation was completely unexpected.

Those who entered the secret realm this time were all ranked at the top of the Crouching Dragon List.

Once this news gets out, the entire martial arts world will be shaken, and the White Plum Sect will also be held responsible.

Therefore, the White Plum Faction's first reaction was to block the spread of intelligence.

This point was agreed upon by everyone present.

Once news of the disappearance of everyone who entered the secret realm spreads, it will immediately bring about many unpredictable consequences.

Tuk-tuk-tuk-!
A knock sounded on the door, and Ning Jianshuang said, "Come in." Xi Qingqing pushed the door open and entered.

"The nun Bai Mei is back. It seems there's going to be a meeting over there... You haven't eaten anything either, have you? Go grab something to eat while you're at it."

"Okay." Ning Jianshuang nodded.

She is able to remain calm now because there has been no movement on the Book of Mending the Heavens so far.

The fact that the Book of Mending Heaven remained untouched meant that no one had left the List of Hidden Dragons, and that the person was still alive.

The two women arrived at the banquet hall.

Three elders of the White Plum Sect sat around a round table in the banquet hall, while the White Plum Divine Nun sat at the head of the table; it was essentially an internal meeting.

On the round table was a hot pot, with bubbling bright red broth simmering with shiitake mushrooms, fresh black goat meat, tender white rice noodles, tofu, lettuce, and more. Clearly, the pot had been simmering for a long time, and everyone present had already started eating, chatting as they ate.

Eating hot pot together should be a joyful occasion, but with something weighing on my mind—a group of people missing—even the scalding hot pot tastes bland.

"Have a seat." Jingxuan had someone bring bowls and chopsticks and placed them on the table. "Have something to eat. You all must have been up all night too."

Ning Jianshuang had little appetite. She picked up a piece of cabbage with her chopsticks, looked at the steam rising from it, and asked without taking a bite, "Any news?"

“The true disciple of the six major sects has been found.” Shen Chilian, the deputy sect leader, put down his chopsticks and took out a handkerchief to wipe the red oil off his lips. “He was found near a small fishing village in Yingzhou. He was lucky enough to be rescued by fishermen, who then notified the government and confirmed his identity through the items he was carrying.”

"Yingzhou?" Xi Qingqing took a bite of mutton, burned her tongue, and hissed twice before saying, "Isn't that close to the sea? It's about half the distance of Southern Chu from here."

"Yes," said the nun Bai Mei. "So I rushed there day and night to pick him up and check on his condition."

"How about it?"

"His neck was severed, and he was beaten into paralysis."

Ning Jianshuang's heart tightened: "Who did this?"

“He doesn’t know, he has no memory of it.” Bai Mei Shenni shook her head: “He said that after entering the secret realm, he returned to Qingzhou more than two hundred years ago, and then he said that he was trapped there, experiencing the same day over and over again, and was killed many times. After that, he had no memory of anything else.”

"Has he lost his mind?"

“Not necessarily,” Jingxuan said. “Perhaps all of this is related to the anomalies in the secret realm… However, through this person’s survival, we can at least know two things: first, although the secret realm disappeared, they did not die; second,…”

Bai Mei Shenni raised her hand, and a small square space appeared on her fingertip. She then picked up a spoon and threw it into the space.

"In the process of the creation and destruction of space, the things inside it will not disappear, but will form spatial turbulence. You are not at the Heavenly Rank and cannot understand the intricacies in detail. You can simply understand it as it randomly appearing in every corner of the entire room."

As she erased the space, the spoon disappeared as well. The next moment, it appeared in mid-air five meters away, and before it shattered into pieces, it was caught by someone.

Ning Jianshuang looked at the spoon: "Does this mean that my Erlang is very likely to be randomly sent to any location in Kyushu?"

“Yes.” Bai Mei Shenni nodded: “I can’t say for sure exactly where it is—mountains, vegetation, deserts, grasslands, even the ocean…”

"This is really... both good news and bad news." Xi Qingqing said while eating, "Besides knowing that the person is still alive, there is no way to determine their whereabouts."

"Has the reason for the disappearance of the secret realm been found out?"

"No... we can only find the person involved and ask them," said Bai Mei Shenni. "The true disciple of the six major sects doesn't know anything."

Ning Jianshuang placed her hands on her knees and calmly said, "I think he must have been beaten up like this by one of the other five people."

"How to say?"

"His injury was too coincidental, it happened to be on his cervical spine. It could have been a fatal blow, but it spared his life, proving that the other party did not want to kill him... but did not want to kill him, yet had to do so, perhaps to control him?" Ning Jianshuang's guess was very close to the truth.

"Why is this again?"

“This is my guess. I suspect that this disciple may have been bewitched or trapped in an illusion and unable to control himself.” Ning Jianshuang spoke slowly: “He himself has no memory of fighting with the other people. If he fought with the other people without any control over himself, then it can be explained.”

In fact, Ning Jianshuang hadn't gone any deeper. She felt that Bai Xuan was the one who did it. No matter if it was Xu Tingfeng, Zhuquejian, or Fan Qingshuang, none of them could have acted with such restraint.

“That makes sense.” Bai Mei Shenni agreed with this line of reasoning.

“That makes sense, but it’s pointless,” Shen Chilian said. “Let’s focus on finding them. As long as they’re in Southern Chu, that’s fine. I’m afraid they might be somewhere we can’t find or have any informants in.”

These words sent a chill down everyone's spines.

Of the nine provinces under heaven, the Southern Chu only occupied less than a third of the territory. The remaining third was in the Northern Zhou, and the third consisted of various small states and foreign territories.

There is less than a 30% chance that it will land in Nan Chu.

Thinking about it this way, the true disciple of the six major sects was really lucky. He landed in the Southern Chu region, managed to save his life, and was sent back in just one day.

Bai Mei Shenni sighed softly, "Everyone feels the same way. I will try to travel around as much as possible in the next few days."

The meal was finished hastily.

After the meal, Ning Jianshuang immediately went back to her room to pack her luggage, intending to leave the Bai Mei Sect.

"Aren't you planning to stay and wait for news?"

"I'm going to Juyi Pavilion in Qingzhou. It's easier to gather intelligence in Qingyun Tower." Ning Jianshuang asked, "Do you want to come with me?"

Xi Qingqing shook her head, lost in thought for a moment: "No, let's part ways here."

Ning Jianshuang looked away: "Is that so? Then I wish you a safe journey."

There wasn't a single word of attempt to persuade them to stay; in reality, the two women weren't close at all.

They only acted closer when Bai Xuan was around.

Now that this buffer zone is gone, they have become unable to talk to each other.

Xi Qingqing's eyebrows curved into a smile: "Sometimes, I quite like your indifference and ruthlessness... Perhaps this is your true nature?"

Ning Jianshuang said, "You're too kind. Aren't you the same? Isn't it a bit too much to ask a dignified demoness to act so docile?"

"Yes, it's a bit... I've been living too peacefully lately, which makes me feel like my body is getting a little rusty."

Xi Qingqing stretched, and the peach blossom branch in her hand blossomed into peach blossoms, the petals stained with an indelible crimson hue.

"I should go back to the martial world. I'll also ask around the Star Moon Sect. Maybe I can find out where he is."

Ning Jianshuang was somewhat surprised. This enchantress wasn't going back to her old ways as a female bandit, but actually intended to help her find someone.
She blurted out instinctively, "How much do you want?"

Xi Qingqing froze, her eyes revealing speechlessness.

Ning Jianshuang then asked, "Shall we pay on credit first?"

Xi Qingqing rolled her eyes: "You really think you can get me by spending money?"

She jumped out of the window and disappeared into the misty rain.

After watching the former leave, Ning Jianshuang suddenly realized that she was now all alone.

Kagura disappeared from the secret realm and immediately left the place; no one knows where she went.

Now that Xi Qingqing is gone, only Ning Jianshuang is left.

I used to think it was too crowded and lively, but now it's suddenly so quiet, and I'm not used to it.

Composing herself, Ning Jianshuang embarked on her journey down the mountain alone.

Abbess Jingxuan sent a disciple to see her off, but Ning Jianshuang politely declined.

As her figure disappeared into the misty rain, the last guest of Bai Mei Pai also left.

In the attic.

Shen Chilian asked Bai Mei Shenni, "Why did the secret realm disappear? Do you really know nothing about it?"

Bai Mei Shenni raised her hand and cut off three strands of green hair. The hairs that fell into her palm did not change at all. In the past, they would have been burned to ashes in the dark flames.

"I don't know much, I only have some guesses."

"I was originally supposed to do this, but I never expected..."

Shen Chilian asked, "You seem quite happy?"

"Why wouldn't I be happy?" Bai Mei Shenni laughed, revealing crow's feet.

"The White Plum Sect has lost its secret realm and its chance to become immortal; the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts have nowhere to be passed down..."

"Fool." Bai Mei Shenni chuckled softly, "The most important inheritance of the Bai Mei Sect has never been any secret realm or the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique, but people."

"As long as I am here, you are here, they are here, and the disciples are here."

"The lineage of the White Plum School will never be broken."

"because……"

"From the very beginning, this place was not a blessed land created by immortals, but a place of refuge built by generations of predecessors."

All the elders could see that Bai Mei Shenni was very relaxed, as if she had let go of a long-ago event, as if she had removed a knot in her heart that she should have taken to her grave.

They looked at each other, puzzled but not intending to get to the bottom of it.

At this time...

A swift bird came flying by.

Lu Hongchen caught the bird that delivered the message, removed the letter tied to its ankle, opened it, and saw that it was covered with tiny, densely packed characters.

After she finished reading it, she handed it to someone next to her.

"Good news, bad news... Which do you want to hear first?"

"At this point, stop keeping me in suspense and just tell me everything!"

“Alright.” Lu Hongchen said directly, “This letter says that there are suspected signs of the presence of top swordsmen on the Southern Chu Crouching Dragon List, but the source of the information is outside Yumen Pass.”

……

(End of this chapter)