Chapter 1272: Chapter 697: Qingying Year 24 (Double-Length Chapter) (Part 2)
She stood still, "How could it be... here..."
Chen Yi suddenly became alert, Sword Intent brewing within, his gaze like lightning swiftly scanning this ancient street.
Even the stupid girl could sense something was off here, she looked around cautiously, closely following behind Chen Yi.
Seeing Yin Tingxue remaining motionless, Chen Yi gently reached out to tap her shoulder. Yin Tingxue instinctively leaned towards him, but as she came to her senses, she quickly recoiled as if electrocuted.
Chen Yi was not offended, and slowly asked, "What’s the matter?"
"N-nothing."
"Do you recognize this place?" Chen Yi said with a slightly solemn expression, "Don’t lie to me, Little Fox."
In just a few words, as if they held some inexplicable magic power, Yin Tingxue was caught off guard and murmured, "I’ve... I’ve been here, this is... Vermilion Bird Street in the Capital City."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi finally understood why the place seemed so familiar. Looking closely at the ancient street ahead, it bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to the streets he remembered in the Capital City.
Only many signs were slightly different, and some details were off.
"Then next..."
Before Chen Yi could finish, the Demon Sect Saintess said:
"Let’s go, don’t worry about it."
Chen Yi narrowed his gaze, feeling slightly uncomfortable for a moment.
Little Fox hadn’t hidden anything from him for quite a while, so he usually didn’t need to notice any signs, and she would obediently speak out. But now, this Demon Sect Saintess Yin Tingxue seemed burdened yet unwilling to reveal anything.
If someone in Great Yin dared to treat him like this, he would probably have long filed it away mentally.
But he had always been very patient with Little Fox, and besides, this place... was truly eerie.
As they walked along, shadows moved on the ancient street, but all the faces were blurred, as if looking at people through frosted glass, giving off an inexplicable eeriness.
While walking, Chen Yi’s gaze swept over a stall by the street, causing him to momentarily pause.
There was a monk dressed in a worn-out monk’s robe, his bald head marked with scars, yet he was striking a small wooden fish in his hand. In front of him was a piece of cloth for divination, painted with the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams, and next to it were several yellowed Buddhist and Taoist scriptures scattered about.
This mixing of Buddhism and Taoism on a seemingly ordinary market street was quite striking. Yet, anyone could claim proficiency in both Buddhism and Taoism, able to recite some Buddhist scriptures and mention a few Immortals, which is very common amongst wandering sorcerers in the Jianghu.
The monk, who was originally lowering his head and muttering while striking the wooden fish, suddenly looked up when Yin Tingxue walked past his stall. A gleam flashed in his murky eyes, and he called out directly: "This female benefactor, please wait a moment!"
Yin Tingxue seemed to have been stung by something, not only did she not stop, but she sped up, wanting to leave quickly.
However, Chen Yi’s steps seemed nailed to the ground. He turned around, gazing sharply at the odd monk.
Yin Tingxue had taken a few steps before realizing Chen Yi hadn’t followed. She had to turn back, only to see Chen Yi already standing in front of the monk’s stall, her brows furrowing and a barely noticeable trace of anxiety flashing in her eyes.
"Master stopped her, for what reason?" Chen Yi asked, his voice steady yet inquisitive.
Putting down the wooden fish, the monk smiled gently with hands clasped together: "Amitabha Buddha, please do not blame me, Benefactor. This humble monk only stops those with whom destiny connects, to foster a benevolent bond."
"Destiny?" Chen Yi’s eyes flickered slightly, not rushing to delve into that elusive concept. He pondered for a moment and abruptly changed the subject, asking a seemingly unrelated question: "May I ask, Master, what year and month is it now?"
The monk kept smiling, answering briskly: "In response to the benefactor, it is currently the 24th year of Qingying."
The 24th year of Qingying!
Chen Yi’s gaze suddenly tightened, waves stirred in his heart.
Qingying was the era name of the former emperor, a period... over a decade ago from now!
Yin Tingxue was born in the 14th year of Qingying, and he celebrates Yin Tingxue’s birthday every year, so he is particularly clear about this.
And in this year, Yin Tingxue was only ten years old.
Chen Yi looked around once more, suddenly having an epiphany, this ancient street before him... could it be unconsciously conjured within Yin Tingxue’s mind?
But why here, could it be... something happened today in her memories?
Chen Yi knew quite a bit about Little Fox’s past. Initially, their relationship was strained, and she would only occasionally mention things. Later, as they grew closer, they talked much more. However, it’s impossible to cover every detail when recounting one’s memories, especially when she tends to share only the pleasant memories. The scene before Chen Yi now held no familiar traces.
Seeing Chen Yi standing still, Yin Tingxue became even more anxious. She abruptly returned, grabbing his sleeve, her voice carrying a barely noticeable urgency: "Let’s go! It’s not safe here!"
But the monk seemed unfazed by her stern look and instead brightened up, raising his voice: "Female benefactor! Since you returned, the affinity is not severed! Allow this humble monk to cast a divination for you, it won’t take long!"
Yin Tingxue truly had no interest in engaging, pulling Chen Yi along to leave.
Yet the monk moved with astonishing speed, somehow managing to flick his fingers rapidly over the divination cloth. He then closed his eyes slightly while muttering, suddenly opening them wide and looking intently at Yin Tingxue, proclaiming loudly: "All composed phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, like dew or a flash of lightning; thus should you meditate upon them! Amitabha Buddha!"
The Buddha’s verse, seemingly ordinary, struck Yin Tingxue as if by a thunderbolt, making her whole body abruptly freeze. She looked up, eyes now filled with murderous intent.
Chen Yi furrowed his brows, pondering the meaning of this Buddhist verse in the current situation, still unable to figure it out when he caught a flash of sword light in the corner of his eye!
Buzz!
A muffled sound of sharp metal tearing through flesh, and the long sword in Yin Tingxue’s hand had already unhesitatingly pierced through the monk’s throat!
The smile on the monk’s face hadn’t even fully frozen, his cloudy eyes widened in utter disbelief, seemingly wishing to chant one last Buddha’s name but could only force out a broken "A...mi..." from his throat before he went silent forever, collapsing to the ground.
All those blurred-face pedestrians around seemed as if pulled by invisible strings, they instantly radiated silent terror. Like a startled flock of crows, they vanished without a trace, leaving only deeper deathly silence.
Yin Tingxue jerked the sword back suddenly, not even glancing at the fallen monk, turned to Chen Yi and shouted sharply: "Go!"
She didn’t even care for anything else, gripping Chen Yi’s wrist tightly with a surprisingly strong force, practically dragging him as she rushed towards the depths of the ancient street.
Donggong Ruoshu, scare-stricken, soul and body floated, hastily following along.
After the initial shock, Chen Yi’s gaze fell on Yin Tingxue’s pale profile and the pair of eyes filled with unsettled fear, pondering.
Her extreme reaction, it couldn’t be just because of a Buddhist verse... That verse, it must have touched upon something deeply buried in her heart, even she was reluctant to face it.
And perhaps... the former Little Fox never noticed it, for her future had been altered by himself, she was no longer the same as in her past life.
The three of them fled all the way, yet this ancient street seemed to come alive, silently extending and twisting behind them.
The shop doors and windows on both sides became increasingly blurry, the pathway appeared never-ending, only the slick muddy road beneath their feet extended infinitely.
Yin Tingxue was visibly losing control, like a headless fly trapped in a bottle, agitatedly trying to smash through this suffocating cage, the sword’s edge occasionally slicing through the void, only slicing deeper into confusion.
Finally, at yet another corner, Yin Tingxue abruptly stopped in her tracks, inertia almost making her stumble.
She looked towards the end of the alley, her back visibly stiffening, trembling slightly as if meeting the inevitable despite her strenuous struggle.
Chen Yi followed her gaze,
At the end of the alley, a woman stood silently.
She wore a plain elegant dress, her figure slender, face shrouded under dim light, slightly vague, yet naturally carried an indescribable tranquility, completely out of place in this eerily bustling ancient street.
Was that... Yin Tingxue’s mother?
Chen Yi’s pupils contracted slightly, he had seen her in Little Fox’s dreams, unmistakable, it was undoubtedly her mother’s appearance.
But in a moment, he tightened his eyes, his heart alert.
No, it wasn’t...
That was... Medicine Buddha...
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