Beyond the Divine States

Chapter 24 The Fox Chased Closely

It had been nearly four hours since the old fox entered the imperial city and the battle in the imperial palace ended.

In the evening, Lu Jiajia stopped regulating her breath. When she got off the bed, the rain gradually became smaller. The wooden window was shone with the faint twilight.

The battle above the imperial palace lasted very long. Even the ordinary people in the imperial palace could all notice the anomaly of the sky and the earth. She had a deeper feeling.

Ning Xiaoling fetched a basin of hot water for her. Looking at Lu Jiajia's face which had gradually regained some color, she said in astonishment, "You've recovered really fast from such serious injuries. Your physical condition is unbelievably amazing."

Lu Jiajia said, "For a cultivator, the physique is his sword, which is surely unusually tough."

Ning Xiaoling nodded with only a hazy notion.

Lu Jiajia asked, "Where is your fellow disciple?"

Ning Xiaoling said, "He has gone to the prince's mansion to get some medicine. I'm wondering whether Tang Yu has come back."

Lu Jiajia nodded lightly without asking further who Tang Yu was.

Now it was getting dark. There was some coal burning in the room. Her cheeks looked white-skinned, but they were not as ghastly pale as those of a dead person. Instead, her cheeks were as light as the rogue covered with snow, which were just baby-soft.

She curled up her long hair again, put on the jade hat, inserted a silver hairpin and pinned a wisp of her hair back behind her ear. In the faint light, her crystalline and petite earlobes just looked like translucent amber.

She looked at the young girl who stared at her in admiration, saying, "Xiaoling, would you fetch a sheet of paper and a brush pen for me?"

With an unhesitant nod, Ning Xiaoling got what she required and asked, "You are writing a letter?"

Lu Jiajia shook her head faintly, dipped the brush pen into the ink and started writing on the paper quickly.

Ning Xiaoling looked at the elegant and delicate writing featuring continuous strokes, asking, "What are you writing?"

Lu Jiajia answered with a question, "Can you read?"

Ning Xiaoling scratched her head with embarrassment, "My family was rather poor when I was a kid. Besides, as a girl, I couldn't go to school. I do know some of my master's talisman writings but they are mostly written in ancient words, which is not really useful."

Lu Jiajia just kept writing. She seemed to think of something and touched the pretty mole at the corner of her eye subconsciously with the other hand.

She said, "It is not a big problem. There is an exclusive private school in the Oracle Sword Heavenly Sect. The teachers are quite learned. By then I can send you over."

Ning Xiaoling asked curiously, "You seem quite sure that you can get out of here?"

Lu Jiajia said, "Not quite, but I'm 50% sure... Okay, done. Keep it."

The woman blew the ink dry lightly, rolled the paper up and passed it to the confused young girl.

"This is the sword breath inhaling and exhaling method of the Oracle Sword Heavenly Sect, which is the most basic and most profound thing. No matter how you cultivate, you can't avoid it. When you can read, you will be able to start cultivating." Lu Jiajia had already regarded Ning Xiaoling as her future disciple. "Yet, the method is so precious that you cannot leak it out. If you do and get caught, the pertinent people will be killed then."

Confused, Ning Xiaoling fetched the paper with lots of words and asked, "What about Changjiu? Shall I show it to him first?"

Lu Jiajia stayed silent for a while and said, "Actually, Changjiu's qualification is quite poor. This inhaling and exhaling method requires a high level of the constitution. If he practices this recklessly, it will do no good but harm to himself."

Ning Xiaoling said a bit angrily, "Then I have to hide it from him... I don't like it. I'm out then."

Lu Jiajia said, "I wrote it for you in secret now just because I don't want to make him think too much so that you two won't harbor any grudge against each other."

Hanging her head, Ning Xiaoling nodded out of spirit.

Lu Jiajia sighed, "It's meant to be. Since this is the case, you don't have to feel guilty about it. This is the destiny of Taoism. When you reach the realm of Long Life, you will understand more."

"The realm of Long Life?" Ning Xiaoling was slightly shocked. "I can be as awesome as you one day?"

Lu Jiajia said with a nod, "If you cultivate diligently, maybe you won't even need ten years."

Ning Xiaoling asked, "What about Changjiu?"

Lu Jiajia said, "The cultivation of Taoism is cruel. He can always be your senior fellow disciple, but he can't be your companion forever. You two will gradually drift apart, which is bound to happen."

With her chin rested on her hand, Ning Xiaoling looked at the paper with lively sword intent, floundering.

She suddenly thought of something and asked, "What is your innate spirit?"

Taken aback for the moment, Lu Jiajia replied with a frown, "I don't have an innate spirit... Even one out of 10,000 cultivators can't have an innate spirit. No more than ten people own an innate spirit in our sect. My master also once regretted it. If I could have an innate spirit, together with my talented constitution, I would have entered the primary stage of the realm of Purple Court."

Lu Jiajia didn't tell her the unity of sword and soul was even rarer and stronger than the innate spirit.

Ning Xiaoling nodded her head and seemed somewhat disappointed.

Lu Jiajia felt quite puzzled and then asked, "Why did you ask?"

Ning Xiaoling said, "My master talked about it before. I don't understand what it is so I asked you about it."

The woman nodded her head. She didn't think too much or ask further.

Before Ning Changjiu came back, she flicked the paper that recorded the sword breath inhaling and exhaling method into Ning Xiaoling's sleeve, slightly surprising the latter. Yet, Ning Xiaoling still accepted it without saying anything.

...

After coming back, Ning Changjiu put the umbrella aside and said with a stern face, "Outside the imperial palace, the old fox should have fought with Zhao Xiang'er. The result is unknown."

Lu Jiajia mulled it over and then guessed, "I guess the old fox hasn't conquered the imperial palace. Otherwise, it wouldn't be so peaceful now."

Ning Changjiu said, "I'm a bit curious about who released this monster."

Lu Jiajia said with a frown, "Was it the assassins of the state of Jin?"

Ning Changjiu guessed some anecdotes about the imperial city and said, "If that's the case, they would be digging their own graves."

Lu Jiajia was bewildered and then asked, "Not many people can do that. Was it done by Zhao Xiang'er?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Why not?"

Lu Jiajia said with a bitter smile, "You mean she causes a disaster that could annihilate her state, then gets herself into mortal danger and still does her best to fight back. How can it make sense?"

"It does not." Ning Changjiu pondered over it and thought of the scene where Zhao Xiang'er came holding an umbrella that day, asking, "I wonder whether you have met her before?"

Lu Jiajia said, "I've heard of her occasionally while I was cultivating. Today, I came here in a rush so I haven't got to meet her. Why did you ask?"

Ning Changjiu grinned. "I've met her once. To me, she feels like..."

"Like what?"

"A sane crazy girl," Ning Changjiu said.

Ning Xiaoling chimed in, "That girl is quite good-looking too but somehow she just gives a distant feeling though she is smiling."

Lu Jiajia hadn't met her before but upon thinking that this young girl could defend the imperial palace alone for nearly four hours, she couldn't help having respect for her. Surely, she wouldn't look down upon the young girl.

"Now, there is no point in discussing who did it," She laughed at herself and said slowly, "I thought the trouble was caused by an evil sparrow at the realm of Long Life but it turned out that this place was actually hell to me."

Ning Xiaoling listened to them talking and also frowned nervously.

Ning Changjiu asked, "Did you regret it?"

Lu Jiajia asked with a determined look, "Why would I?"

Ning Changjiu looked at her and said, "Miss Lu, you don't look well."

Slightly shocked, Lu Jiajia still asked calmly, "Oh? What's wrong with me?"

Ning Changjiu said, "You are breathing a bit more heavily and the sword intent you give off is somewhat scattered. I guess it is because your two acupoints--Yunqi and Baifu of your back were shattered due to the severe shock. If you cannot repair them as soon as possible, it will pose considerable latent problems for your future cultivation."

Lu Jiajia asked in astonishment, "Have you ever learned about medical skills?"

Ning Changjiu shook his head and said, "No. I can only see through your problem but I cannot help you."

Lu Jiajia was still confused. She didn't believe that ordinary people could see through her health problem so she asked further, "You were born with good eyesight?"

Ning Changjiu, "Not really. I've only read some books in this aspect. I watched you regulating your breath in meditation for quite a while before I dared to make this preliminary conclusion."

"You are already quite extraordinary." Lu Jiajia complimented and then asked curiously, "What are you good at then?"

Ning Changjiu thought about it and said, "I'm good at fishing."

"Fishing?" Lu Jiajia looked quite confused.

Rather than explain further, Ning Changjiu kept quiet for a while and suddenly said, "Miss Lu, you were at the realm of Half Step Purple Court. Now that you've been reduced to the middle stage of the realm of Long Life. Maybe you will be unable to break through for your whole lifetime. How do you feel?"

This time, Lu Jiajia was really shocked. Her voice became a bit cold, "How dare you say you don't have good eyesight?"

Ning Xiaoling could tell her voice was cold so in a hurry, she interrupted, "Changjiu, stop talking nonsense. You are so annoying."

Ning Changjiu simply stared at her quietly, seemingly still waiting for an answer.

With a proud look, Lu Jiajia said, "I won't just stay in the realm of Long Life or Purple Court. I may be worried about the current safety but I won't be perturbed by my future cultivation."

Ning Changjiu nodded his head and continued asking, "If you are reduced to the Profound Realm from the realm of Long Life or directly become a wreck who cannot continue cultivating, how will you feel by then?"

Lu Jiajia was quite astonished. When she heard him talk about being reduced from the realm of Long Life to the Profound Realm, strangely, she felt pain in her heart, which was the pain that a cultivator could feel.

After quite a while, she finally spoke, "If possible, I'll start over, but normally, one can only live for 100 hundred years or so. Lack of time will be my only concern."

While speaking, she observed the young man with her sword eyes but she didn't find anything wrong. She couldn't help wondering whether it was only because he had a gift for that.

A glint of pain and grief flashed across the depths of Ning Changjiu's eyes. After being silent for a while, he gasped in admiration with a smile, "Miss Lu does have a clear sword mind. Impressive."

Lu Jiajia always considered herself lofty and paid no attention to affairs of human life. Now, praised by an ordinary young man over ten years younger than her, she felt somewhat strange and said, "I can't see through you. I can tell you are a proud man. Although I don't know where the pride comes from, you are quite unusual."

Ning Changjiu said, "There are a lot of strange people and things in the world. If you can get away this time, you may as well go down the mountain and see the world."

Lu Jiajia nodded and said, "My master once told me that cultivators shouldn't live in the secular world but after this incident, I would like to give it a try."

Ning Xiaoling listened to them quietly and felt that she couldn't cut in at all. When they almost finished chatting, Ning Xiaoling grabbed Ning Changjiu's arm, saying, "Changjiu, how about telling stories to me? Last time, you said you would tell me a story about a poor young man being made to break off the engagement. Yeah... By the way, in the story about the young Taoist priest you told before, the Taoist priest seems to be single too. Can't one really make a horse drink?"

Lu Jiajia was slightly astounded and then gave a faint smile with her eyes becoming cold again.

As to the affairs of the secular world, she was not interested at all, let alone the romantic affairs.

Ning Changjiu sighed with emotion, "If the young Taoist priest can choose again, maybe he will agree to get married as required."

Ning Xiaoling asked, "Why?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Because he has experienced the loneliness of cultivating for more than 20 years. Being away from the normal life of the secular world too long will be boring somehow."

In fact, in his memories of last life, sometimes, it was a scorching summer day; sometimes, it was a snowing winter day. On countless nights of the dull cultivation life, for many times, he did think of going back to the year when he was 16 years old and choosing again.

After all, he could have someone to keep him company.

However, bygones were bygones. He never heard from the girl who he never met.

Now he came back to life in this body by fluke and had no idea how long it had been.

What confused him most was why some unique familiar Qi was coming through the temple door in the imperial city vaguely.

Was it the last disciple newly recruited by his master who happened to be in the imperial city?

If that was the case, it was quite a coincidence...

He started wondering how the new disciple was compared with the old him back then...

Ning Changjiu was immersed in deep thought.

Listening to his words, Lu Jiajia shook her head lightly.

"I don't find anything good about getting married," Ning Xiaoling mumbled. Looking at Ning Changjiu suddenly fall into a trance, she waved her hand before his eyes.

Ning Changjiu said, "I just thought of something else."

Ning Xiaoling frowned and said, "Changjiu has been always mysterious..."

"Oh right, are you thirsty? Let me make a pot of tea for you."

Lu Jiajia wanted to decline the offer.

Yet, Ning Xiaoling had got up and walked out of the room.

...

...

Outside the imperial preceptor's mansion, there were carcasses and blood everywhere with a rich blood smell.

The old imperial preceptor had finally come around after being unconscious for a whole day since he learned that the seal of the state had been stolen.

The maid helped him up staggeringly. The old man crossed the threshold and looked at the sky that seemed unable to clear up forever. He practiced the divination and put on a grieved look.

He knew that the old monster in the underground palace had been released because he could feel that the state's fortune undertaken by him had been transferred elsewhere. There seemed to be a mountain lifted away from his body. He felt much more at ease.

However, what was done was done. He felt even heavier.

When he woke up, the m******e outside the imperial preceptor's mansion had come to an end. When the guards told him what had happened outside the gate in fear, the old man still felt astonished though he had experienced so many things.

"Those people you mentioned...are all dead? You didn't make any mistake about their identity? Even Motley Ghost is dead?" The imperial preceptor felt he hadn't been completely sober.

The guard said, "No mistake. It is said that they were.killed by a flame."

"A flame..." The old man ruminated for a while and said, "Is the wizard patriarch still alive?"

The guard answered, "There is a body on the ground whose identity is hard to tell but it is preliminarily judged that the body belongs to Lord Wizard Patriarch."

The imperial preceptor gave a glimmer of a bitter smile out of self-mockery or sarcasm. "He fought with me for almost a lifetime. Now he should have advanced with the blessing of luck. However, he just passed away ahead of me... By the way, what about the other people? Any casualties?"

The guard replied, "It was the assassins from the state of Jin and the cultivators from the state of Rong who died. The other people, including the nobility and the ordinary people, are all safe and sound."

The imperial preceptor nodded his head and didn't feel happy at all because he was sure that the old umbrella had been swallowed.

Three wisps of souls were released now...

According to the ancient book, if the old monster got four wisps of souls back, its power would essentially be elevated. By then, perhaps no one in the whole South Continent could stop the disaster that was coming.

"Xiang'er, how on earth do you plan to kill it..." The old man sighed and couldn't help thinking of the fire in the Qianyu Palace a month ago.

The fire kept lingering in his heart. It was also because of the fire that a lot of people had gone mad.

The old man heaved a sigh and said, "Count the carcasses and then remove the formation of the imperial preceptor's mansion. Don't waste the state of Zhao's fortune anymore. Save it for Xiang'er."

The guard took the order and left.

Outside the mansion, it was a field of great c*****e and the old fox had disappeared.

On the lips of the ridge beast at the corner of the eave of a tower, the old fox loomed up again. This time, he chose the body of the man with the saber.

This was a wisp of soul it dispatched and the other two wisps of souls went into the body of the female assassin, guarding at a proper position outside the imperial city and confronting Zhao Xiang'er quietly.

Now this figure standing at the top of the eave was staring with a brutal smile at the clouded city from afar.

It had suppressed the urge of killing for 500 years. Although it had killed those famous assassins, how could it truly vent its killing desire?

Today, all the people in this city except the Zhao residents must be dead.

Of course, the first one must be the woman of the immortal sect who had disappeared after entering the imperial palace.

She did hide quite well but...

"Found you."

The old fox grinned.