Chapter 96 Fairy or Ghost
Under the water, Lin Luoran’s hand grabs the phoenix sword tighter. Water drops run from her wet hair to her face and into her eyes, which is very uncomfortable. Still, Lin Luoran tries her best to keep her eyes open and stares at the floating shadow — in fact, this shadow over a cloud doesn’t look so much as a human.
This is a slim woman, in yellow palace costume, who wears her hair in a bun. Different from the Tang costume Li Xi’er always wears, her palace costume is graceful. A bright and colorful peony on her hair adds elegance to her — if Li Xi’er always looks like a woman in traditional Chinese realistic paintings, this woman is a beauty who just walks out of an ancient painting because a sense of fresh and lively dignity lingers around her.
“Who are you?” Not all good-looking people are nice, and it’s not true that people who ride on clouds are fairies. Lin Luoran is clever enough not to worship this beauty because of the way she appears. Lin doesn’t bring down even a bit of her guard.
“How dare a junior cultivator in the level of Training Qi act so recklessly in front of me, a fairy! Didn’t your master teach you any etiquette?” The woman in palace costume says with anger in her eyes. She seems to be displeased by Lin Luoran’s contempt.
Lin Luoran ignores her. She has been in the bottom of the valley for a while, and this woman happens to come when she is taking a bath. If the fairy were male, Lin Luoran would be taken advantage of!
“Fairy?”
The woman smiles, “That’s right. Everybody in the previous world of cultivation knows me, the White Fairy. Which school do you come from? Why are you so bold to come into the secret land with such a low level of cultivation?”
The woman rides on a cloud in the air. What level of cultivation may she be in? Didn’t Wen Guanjing say that only cultivators in the level of Training Qi could enter the secret land? So what is going on with the woman in front of her? Lin Luoran finally realizes which part of Wen Guanjing’s description is wrong. He said that there are Foundation-laying boluses… However, if people who came here before were all in the level of Training Qi, how could they leave so many Foundation-laying boluses?
Nevertheless, Lin Luoran has no doubt that she has to get out of the land in a month. After all, this place is filled with pure and peaceful Reiki, and it may be the last paradise on earth for cultivation. Suppose cultivators could stay here, Grandpa Guo wouldn’t ask her for the refined jade. He may as well come here to heal and cultivate.
What is wrong with this place? Why this woman can live here?
Lin Luoran blinks, “The previous world of cultivation? Fairy, how long have you been here? Do you ever come out?” Actually, Lin Luoran wants to ask that dear fairy, if you want to have a conversation, can you let me get dressed first? However, she doesn’t dare to ask the question because of the huge disparity between their powers. Also, the “fairy” here seems to have a bad temper!
The fairy appears to have ignored Lin Luoran’s questions. She says indifferently, “Junior, just get dressed first.”
Dear fairy, you are so thoughtful! Lin Luoran wants to put the sword back into the s.p.a.ce, but she is not sure how deep the cultivation of the “White Fairy” is and whether or not she will see through the secret of the bead — Lin Luoran walks alone on the path of cultivation. The special department only takes her in because they want to take advantage of her, and Grandpa Mu and Guo are kind to her just for now. After all, the bead is Lin Luoran’s root of cultivation, and she must keep it a secret.
Though the White Fairy certainly won’t peep, Lin Luoran directs some Reiki and casts a spell to make a water curtain. No matter whether the curtain can block the view of the fairy or not, it is at least a comfort to Lin’s heart.
Lin Luoran puts on a long dress rapidly. She obviously can’t wear high heels here, and she is glad that she has already taken her flats out of the s.p.a.ce. Just over a minute, she is fully dressed, and she casts a “Water Absorption spell” to dry her hair and body. Cultivation is quite useful.
As for the phoenix sword, Lin Luoran returns it to the hairpin because conflict may be easily caused by a weapon in hand. She makes her hair into a bun and puts on the hairpin.
The White Fairy turns around and looks at Lin Luoran. Though she is aware of her own beauty, she can’t deny that this junior in the level of Training Qi is comely. When she sees the phoenix hairpin in Lin’s hair, the White Fairy hesitates for one moment, which Lin Luoran fails to notice.
“Greetings, fairy.” Lin Luoran makes a curtsey to show her respect. Wen Guanjing once made an ancient salute to her, but his salute was used between peers. Lin doesn’t want to imitate Wen’s moves, so she chooses to behave more respectfully.
The White Fairy is indifferent. Perhaps it is because Lin Luoran is humble, the fairy disperses the cloud under her feet and stands on the round stones. She looks down at Lin Luoran dominantly.
Being stared like this, Lin Luoran feels itchy on her neck. The White Fairy says, “You still haven’t answered my questions before. Why do you dare to come to the Lost Land with your shallow cultivation?”
The Lost Land? Is it the name what cultivators call this secret land?
Lin Luoran keeps her thoughts to herself and answers respectfully, “Fairy, I am only a single cultivator. I don’t have a master, and I come here this time with cultivators from another schools.” The real schools of cultivators that Lin Luoran knows of are the Wen family from the Zu Mountain and the school located on Mount Qingcheng. However, she has no idea what school the White Fairy is from. If she happens to hear about one of the two schools and asks some questions, Lin Luoran’s cover may be blown. Once the fairy realizes that Lin Luoran lies, who knows what will happen? Therefore, Lin Luoran admits that she cultivates alone, and she plans to play dumb.
“A single cultivator?” The White Fairy puts on an unpredictable expression, “A single cultivator can inherit the Sword of Bright Snow?”
Hmm… White Fairy knows about the sword? Bright Snow is such a poetic name. Is it famous in the world of cultivation? Lin Luoran is having doubts on her good luck since she only spends 50,000 Yuan in the phoenix hairpin. By contrast, she’d rather believe the words of the fairy that this is actually a famous sword.
“Fairy, there are things you don’t know. The world of cultivation is declined now, and this Sword of Bright Snow may have accidentally come into the mortal world, and I happened to buy it. I really didn’t inherit it from any master.”
The White Fairy is in doubt, “This sword come into the mortal world… Does it mean that that person is gone?” She mutters to herself. Lin Luoran is confused. Suddenly, the fairy looks up and says in anger, “You are trying to fool me! Just admit it! Which generation of the school of Misty Peaks are you in?!”
Lin Luoran feels like she is. .h.i.t by someone on the head. Misty Peaks? Isn’t it an imaginary mountain in Jin’s Kung Fu fictions? If she is not in a place filled with Reiki, she will doubt that the White Fairy here is an actress who is paid to read lines!
“Fairy, the world of cultivation has declined. Seniors in and above the level of Gathering Vitality went missing a thousand years ago. I have never heard of the Misty Peaks you talked about.” I’ve read about it in novels, but this can’t count. Lin Luoran adds in her heart.
“Cultivators in the level of Gathering Vitality have disappeared? So did that person?!” The White Fairy’s mind is disturbed. She lowers her head as if she is thinking about something.
Lin Luoran secretly checks on the fairy. She has been thinking that the fairy just shows up in such a weird time, and weird things are always monsters. On a second look, the fairy seems to be illusory though she is gorgeous… Lin Luoran thinks twice about the word “illusory” and an idea suddenly comes to her mind. She looks at the fairy’s feet and finally discovers what she has ignored!
Before Lin Luoran makes any moves, the White Fairy has done thinking and looks up. Her beautiful face is twisted like an evil spirit. She says, “Junior, if you lie to me, I will destroy your essence!”
Lin Luoran steps back quickly and stops several meters away from the fairy. She answers with a smile, “Destroy my essence? Just like what has happened to you?”