Since the dishes would no longer be delivered, and she had finished the pot of tea, Hong Jingfei threw a piece of copper coins onto the table, before leaving her seat. As she left, the crowd gradually parted, opening the path for the terrifying girl.
Hong Jingfei walked through the new path very naturally. She seemed to move very slowly, yet she did not need much time before she arrived at the restaurant entrance.
These people seemed not to have entered Hong Jingfei’s sight as she left the restaurant. It was as though the world had nothing but dead people in her eyes.
The crowded street before has been completely emptied; even those with a great sense of curiosity no longer dared linger around such a dangerous girl. Only Wang Zhixin remained, her eyes staring at Hong Jingfei with a great deal of shock.
Wang Zhixin quickly motioned, why did you kill them? How do you have such a high cultivation?
Hong Jingfei smiled.
But there was scarcely any emotions in her eyes. Perhaps it could be described as indifference.
After seeing Hong Jingfei kill so many experts without blinking, Wang Zhixin felt it was truly a strange matter. Since Hong Jingfei killing cultivators above Heart Purification, and do so without any remorse, why did she not kill Jing Wen that time in the backside building when she was strangling him? And why did she not intervene when Jing Wen had killed Hong Fu, her own father?
But upon seeing that cold smile, she knew it would not be her place to ask these questions.
As Wang Zhixin was plagued by these questions, Hong Jingfei raised her hand to untie the button on her collar.
Wang Zhixin exited her state of contemplation and watched Hong Jingfei’s finger moving. She understood there were no strange emotions behind this action… but to keep something at such an intimate place meant it held great importance.
Hong Jingfei took out a piece of paper that stuck close to her skin. Ripping off a tiny portion of it at the edge, she handed it to Wang Zhixin.
Then, she left.
---
In Jing Wen’s bedchambers, one could see the descent of birds and the collapsing snow piles brought about by their landing on the branches.
Accompanied by the faint smell of incense, Jing Wen intensely observed the paper.
Mingzhu was not present this time, but rather Wang Zhixin, who had already told him what had occurred at ‘Peaceful Pavillion’. This information was something truly shocking, and somewhat difficult to understand. Hence, Jing Wen wanted to observe if the paper held any secrets.
Rubbing his fingers against the paper subconsciously, Jing Wen felt the faint, lingering heat within it.
Considering that the paper had come from Hong Jingfei’s breasts, this movement appeared rather obscene, but Jing Wen had no time to think of such thoughts.
He simply wanted to calm his mood by rubbing it.
The paper was very thin and felt rather ordinary. It was only about the size of a thumb and was poorly torn. There was a strange pattern, which Jing Wen, naturally, could not decipher.
However, Jing Wen did not need sight to understand the significance of the paper. The lines drawn were, in reality, relatively poor and uneven, but when observed with Qi, felt like the sharp blades of a sword. Only a true expert above Qi Manifestation state could do such a thing.
The paper appeared yellowish, though it may be due to the dim light.
Jing Wen felt the patterns on the paper and his face became even more serious and tense.
It was night, and Lin’an was experiencing an exceptionally cold winter, yet there was sweat on his face, which gradually flowed down along his cheeks.
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He precipitated more and more. Sweat dripped from his back and legs, wetting his clothes. And when his clothes could no longer hold the water, it flowed down the legs of the chair, and to the ground.
His body was akin to a puff of cotton soaked in water, and after being squeezed by the strange patterns on the paper, it started to drip water constantly.
Jing Wen had not felt his mental state being so strained since he had lost his cultivation. The small piece of paper was akin to an endless pit, consuming his sense of perception without limit.
But Jing Wen could sense his lost cultivation slowly returning. The pattern was akin to a great door that connected the mortal realm to the heavens, allowing one to connect with their past and future selves.
Abruptly, the door seemed to rapidly open, colliding with his body and slamming his sense of perception. It was so strong that it appeared to be capable of crushing his entire body and rushing past it, out into the courtyard outside.
Jing Wen could not even observe what was on the other side of the door due to the speed at which it opened. He felt like a man that had been expelled from his own home. He was pale and panting heavily. His sweat poured out like a waterfall.
---
Jing Wen quickly cut off his introspection of the piece of paper.
There was a puddle that gathered beneath the chair he was sitting on.
The liquid seeped through the wooden floorboards.
The paper between his fingers were also soaked by his sweat and even become slightly transparent. Yet the pattern atop it was still so clear, as those the ink used this not come from this realm and could not be affected by any substance from Earth.
Perhaps this piece of paper was why Hong Jingfei had suddenly become an expert of the Qi Manifestation state?
Judging by its extraordinary properties, this should be something Hong Fu had stolen from Tianmen Sect. It may even be the sect’s most sacred treasure that they had spent the past decade to find. What Jing Wen had was a small piece of it, while Hong Jingfei possessed an entire sheet - her speed in advancement must be something out of this world.
But why would she tear off a piece of paper and hand it to Wang Zhixin? Was she so naive as to think Wang Zhixin would keep it a secret for herself? Certainly not; Wang Zhixin was a person without any cultivation, and owned Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin a life debt for saving her from Mo Xi. So…
Suddenly, Jing Wen felt that the significant weight of the paper had become exceptionally heavy.
Could it be that Hong Jingfei wants him to return to his previous cultivation before killing him? He had allowed her to attempt to take revenge on him after reaching Qi Manipulation - even allowing her to remain at Jing manor, so now she wants him to first return to Qi Manifestation before enacting her vengeance?
Thinking about it, Jing Wen found the answer more and more likely. Judging by Wang Zhixi’s account, Hong Jingfei had only killed those who attacked first - even the young master who made advances on her only suffered a broken nose.
Feeling the faint warmth on his skin, Jing Wen realised it was already morning.
Wang Zhixin had already left. It was surprisingly Zhou Aimin who was looking at him with a face full of worry.
Jing Wen ‘looked’ at him, calmed down his mind and said with a forced smile, “I’m fine.”
Jing Wen realised his voice had become extremely dry, as if he had been in a desert for days without water.
Naturally, this was because he was dehydrated. He was about to open his mouth to ask for porridge, but before he could, Zhou Aimin had already brought out a porcelain bowl, from the table, which was preserved in well water.
Faintly, he teased, “Fellow Jing, do you still have the strength to eat? Maybe you need me to feed you?”
---
After regaining his strength, Jing Wen quickly washed and changed into a new set of clothes. After observing the piece of paper, Jing Wen understood that it was impossible for his cultivation to soar to Qi Manifestation state as Hong Jingfei had, even if he had the entire sheet, so he was not in any rush to exploit it… for now, he will just do his best to imitate its essence to refine his cultivation.
Zhou Aimin had been inspecting the piece of paper while Jing Wen was gone. Placing it down onto the table, he opened his mouth.
“I’ve seen thousands of spiritual patterns in the collection of my master, but this piece of paper could rank among the top five in the world for the past and future thousand years.”
Jing Wen was not as shocked as Zhou Aimin. He had already experienced the capabilities of the strange pattern the previous night and had come to similar conclusions. Before long, he told Zhou Aimin his deductions from the last night.
Zhou Aimin, after absorbing the information given by Jing Wen, said, “Hong Jingfei should have some sort of technique to exploit the potential of that treasure fully, or perhaps it is something to do with her body. Although Hong Fu had betrayed Tianmen Sect three years before her birth, her special nature may have been predicted using divination.”
Jing Wen was startled by Zhou Aimin’s train of thought. “Fellow Zhou, you’re saying that Hong Jingfei is akin to the holy lady of the Tianmen Sect?”
Zhou Aimin nodded, but a heavy frown appeared on his face. Looking at Jing Wen, he said, “Indeed, that would make the most sense. Most importantly, Hong Fu made you look after Hong Jingfei. He is undoubtedly aware of Hong Jingfei’s talent and intended for his daughter to take advantage of the environment of Jing manor, and advance with the sheet of paper without any restraint.”
Jing Wen said, “But Hong Jingfei should be fourteen this year. Even if she has unparalleled talent, she shouldn’t be capable of reaching Qi Manifestation. Even Tang Hong and Xiahou Jie are still in Heart Purification state.”
A smile emerged on Zhou Aimin’s face as he said half-jokingly, “Maybe she’s borrowing power from the heavens. After all, it is Tianmen (Heaven’s gate) Sect; such an act would fit its name quite well.”
Jing Wen almost choked hearing Zhou Aimin’s joking answer. He said, “If that’s the case, then will I see monks leaping into the manor whenever I eat ‘Buddha Jumps Over The Wall’?”
---
As Jing Wen continued to inspect the piece of paper, he did not notice that Zhou Aimin had already quietly slipped away.
Jing Wen did not really mind this sort of solitude. During his youth, Jing Ping had frequently placed him in confinement after slapping his hands with a ruler for disobedience during classes. It was at these times that Jing Wen’s mind was at its keenest.
Jing Wen’s hands itched. It was an itch that had accompanied him in these silence for many years. It was beaten so deep in his veins and bones that he can only get rid of it through one method.
Jing Wen walked from the bed to the table. From the table to the shelf containing the three weapons.
The faint scent of Huizhou ink stick on the shelf made him itch. The sensation of the jade inkstone made him itch. The sound of the slight crumbling of xuan paper made him itch. When Jing Wen picked up the ink brush, the itch made his hands sweat and his face scrunch up.
The only way to remorse this itch was to write.
He ground a small puddle of ink and dipped within it the brush. Finally, the brush landed on the xuan paper.
Jing Wen had forgotten how many times he had copied down the Four Books and Five Classics. Although he had lost his sight, the calligraphy of his strokes was still perfect.
But it was did not contain the essence of that piece of paper.
Before long, the harsh sound of tearing paper resounded throughout the room.