Are you really trying to cultivate immortality? Something feels off.

*

The child's cries were piercing, and the sound of the explosion from the alchemy furnace still echoed in their ears.

Shen Chunri covered her ears tightly, her face covered in tears.

She knew she was about to be swallowed by the illusion, and desperately searched her heart for any vestiges of the past she could grasp.

……

Springtime is long, purple flowers bloom along the path, and the courtyard is filled with the faint fragrance of fresh grass all year round.

At that time, her father was healthy and upright, and her mother was gentle and considerate. The two had been deeply in love for decades and managed the clan with composure and moderation, but they indulged her to the extreme.

As a tiny child, I only reached my father's knees. I always loved to cling to his side, my little hands gripping his wide sleeves, as we walked through the herb garden in the clan's territory.

Her mother would bend down and teach her how to identify non-toxic medicinal herbs, gently stroking her brow with her fingertips, and say with a smile, "In this generation of our family, you are the only one with pure Azure Serpent blood. Spring, you are your mother's eternal pride."

The night wind swept through the Hall of Longevity, which was desolate all around, with only the stars in the sky twinkling faintly.

Feng Jilan spoke solemnly and sternly: "Little snake, although your master is a sword cultivator and cannot explain the ins and outs of elixirs, your master knows that poison techniques have no inherent good or evil, but the human heart has good and evil."

Feng Yu, standing beside her, smiled and gently stroked her head with his long, withered fingers: "I am also a well-known poison maker, but have you ever seen me intentionally harm anyone? Xiao Chunri, remember this: the mistakes of a child due to ignorance are the faults of growing up, not the sins of his nature."

Shen Chunri shuddered, his stiff body suddenly relaxing.

Her chest rose and fell slowly, more and more violently.

Finally, he broke free from the black mist surrounding him!

She spoke slowly, her voice trembling: "It was my fault for hurting someone back then, I admit it, but I was only six or seven years old at the time. If it were now, I would never do such a reckless thing."

She gritted her teeth, suddenly raised her hand and pointed deep into the illusion, angrily rebuking, "You're despicable for using a child's unintentional mistake to commit evil, trying to trap me for life!"

The illusion suddenly became entangled, seemingly trying to rush up and devour her whole.

"Come on, I'm not afraid of you!" Shen Chunri gritted his teeth and glared fiercely at it. "My master said that one mistake is not proof of lifelong guilt. I've saved villagers who were bitten by snakes on the mountain, saved children suffering from fever and chills, and even went to see the sick pigs down the mountain!"

Her chin was held high, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Her voice trembled, thick with sobs, yet filled with a girl's unwavering determination: "I'm not the kind of witch you're talking about, I'm not someone who brings misfortune to my family. My mother and father both love me very much! They both love me! I am their daughter, I am Shen Chunri!"

The words fell.

The endless loop of shattered images suddenly stopped, and the mournful cries ceased abruptly.

The surging purplish-black poisonous miasma instantly receded, and the small, fallen phantom gradually faded and disappeared.

Shen Chunri was breathing heavily, standing still, her eyelashes still glistening with a drop of moisture.

The illusion shattered.

*

After Nie Zhao came out, he immediately noticed the awkward atmosphere between the two people in front of him: "What's wrong with you two again?"

Normally when we stand together, we're either holding hands or leaning against each other, but now we're standing so far apart, with our bodies slightly turned back.

She walked over slowly: "You two had a fight? You can still have a fight in such a short time."

Xie Weixing licked his lips but didn't say anything.

Nie Zhaoqi found this strange.

Normally, even if someone makes Xiaolong angry, a few words of coaxing will suffice. Children's tempers come and go quickly, not to mention Xie Weixing, who can apologize in the most flowery way.

This is so unusual; he hasn't said a single word.

Yu Xintang had just come out when she heard this. She stumbled over and leaned against Nie Zhao, saying, "Stop arguing! Do you know what I just saw in the illusion?"

Nie Zhao impatiently moved his shoulder away and clicked his tongue.

Xie Weixing tilted his head curiously: "Hmm?"

At this moment, Shen Chunri also emerged from the illusion, her face extremely pale, groaning pitifully.

Nie Zhao immediately turned around and reached out his hand: "What's wrong?"

Shen Chunri leaned closer, cleared his throat, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I was cursing people in the illusion and my throat got dry."

Everyone: ...

"Let's go, shall we?" Xie Weixing waved his hand. "We'll accompany Dragon Palace to find Feng Lian."

He instinctively reached out to take Tan Suiting's hand, but was pulled away as soon as his fingertips touched hers.

Shen Chunri, standing behind her, raised an eyebrow and quickly turned her head to exchange a glance with Yu Xintang.

Curiosity and schadenfreude both appeared in their eyes.

Oh?

Did these two have a fight?

It's rare to see Xie Weixing unable to soothe Xiaolong.

Tan Suiting's lips were taut, his tone flat and slightly stiff: "Thank you for your courtesy, Senior Brother. I will save these hands for my Daoist partner to wash and cook for in the future, so I dare not trouble myself."

Nie Zhao listened from the side, raising an eyebrow and drawing a question mark above his head.

Yu Xintang was also puzzled.

Saying so much in one breath, in such a sarcastic tone, is this still Xiaolong?

[You can keep thanking Senior Brother here, as if you're afraid Kun'er won't know you're angry, right?]

[Xie Weixing and Tan Suiting, who is gay between you two? Xie Weixing, are you ever going to realize this?]

[I've been dating my partner for three years and we've never argued this passionately.]

[These two are even more exaggerated than acting, I'm telling you. My father has lived a free and unrestrained life, and this is just a young dragon. What good will it do to coax it a little? If you get what you want through trickery and deception, you'll be the one enjoying the benefits later. Father, that's all I have to say.]

Xie Weixing looked at him with her arms crossed, and after a while smiled: "Bad temper."

I don't want to coax him; the more I spoil him, the more unreasonable he becomes.

……

Anyway, I won't coax her now; I'll do it when we go out.

"What's wrong with you two?" Shen Chunri put one hand on Yu Xintang's shoulder and the other on Nie Zhao's shoulder, her eyes full of curiosity. "Aren't you two usually best friends, like conjoined twins stuck together... Xie Weixing, what did you do to make Xiao Tan angry? Xiao Tan, is this the retribution for always calling me 'Senior Brother'?"

Tan Suiting ignored her.

Shen Chunri was really curious, so he started asking Xie Weixing all sorts of questions.

The latter kicked her away.

The group walked forward, playfully bickering.

The chilling sword intent that pierced through the seven layers of the sword mound extended forward, and the passage suddenly opened up at the end, revealing a huge natural stone chamber.

The four walls are densely covered with countless broken swords and old blades, with hundreds of sword marks of varying depths running across the stone walls, and the air is filled with the chilling aura of swordsmanship.

In the center of the stone chamber, a thousand-year-old black jade platform floats in mid-air.

Yu Xintang narrowed her eyes slightly: "It's Feng Lian."

---

There are many comments praising the characters because this story is about childhood friends, so readers have basically watched the characters grow up and might develop a doting affection for them, just like parents. If you don't like praising certain characters, you can use the close button. It's not just praising one character or flattering the main character, the supporting character, or any other supporting character. Please don't argue with these comments; just report them. (And thank you everyone for your support! My cold is getting worse, and I might need an IV tomorrow. I'll try to update as much as possible.)