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墨書 Inktalez
The well in the alley was cool, making it a perfect place to escape the heat of summer.
Lingfeng took out a bucket and effortlessly drew a bucket of water, pouring it into the basin filled with Azure Vine's stinky socks. The clear water instantly turned murky, slowly becoming black as if a bottle of ink had been poured in, making it unapproachable.
Lingfeng shook his head helplessly. Azure Vine's socks were covered in essence, which he perceived as demonic energy—very toxic demonic energy. He dumped the socks out and picked up a wooden stick nearby, striking down hard.
"Brother."
Hearing Ling Xueer's voice, Lingfeng quickly turned his head away, pretending to ignore her.
"Brother, what's wrong? Are you angry?" Ling Xueer asked softly, chasing after Lingfeng's gaze like an adult.
Lingfeng propped his hand against his ear and said suspiciously, "Huh? It seems someone is talking, but why can't I see anyone?"
Ling Xueer wasn't angry; instead, she covered her mouth and laughed, moving behind Lingfeng and playfully leaning on his back. "Haha, is brother angry? You look so handsome when you're angry!"
Lingfeng loved being called handsome and preferred to refer to himself as Hero. A smile appeared on his face. "You heartless girl!"
"Brother," Ling Xueer feigned innocence, looking pitiful. "It's not that I don't want to help you; it's just that I want to become a beauty in the future. But how can a beauty have a stinky smell?"
Lingfeng pouted as the stick made a sound of striking against the stones with increased force. Both of them looked down simultaneously and were immediately stunned; the pairs of socks had already been smashed to pieces by Lingfeng.
"Uh-oh, the socks are ruined! What should we do?" Ling Xueer wasn't worried at all; instead, she found it amusing.
Lingfeng also smiled wryly and complained, "It's all your fault for distracting me!"
They all knew that Azure Vine would not blame them. In their memories, over the years, Azure Vine Brother had never been angry or punished them for anything.
As night fell, the stars gradually appeared in the sky. The twinkling starlight resembled blue gemstones, adorning the entire sky. A Jade Belt stretched across the horizon, deep and distant, mysterious yet beautiful.
“Brother, if I decorated myself with stars, would I become very beautiful?” Ling Xueer asked softly as she gazed at the sky.
Lingfeng lovingly hugged Ling Xueer. “You are already very beautiful, but if you want stars, I can pick them all for you!”
Ling Xueer giggled and pointed at a large, bright star above her head. “That star is you, and the one next to it is me!”
Lingfeng nodded. “Yes, we will always be together!”
“Kids, it's time to eat!” Azure Vine called out from outside the door to the two children.
Lingfeng picked up Ling Xueer and walked toward the house.
A shooting star streaked across the sky and disappeared into the distance, next to that large, bright star, which then vanished.
On the dining table were several dishes, all of which the siblings loved. In the center was a cake made of dough, with several candles solemnly placed on top.
“Is this a steamed bun or a baozi?” Lingfeng asked blankly as he looked at the giant dough ball on the table.
“Of course it's a cake! Although there’s no cream or fruit, I worked hard to make it,” Azure Vine said as she moved the “cake” in front of Lingfeng. “Make a wish and then blow out the candles!”
This was indeed a special birthday dinner; the atmosphere was somewhat somber but also deeply touching for Lingfeng.
Lingfeng clasped his hands together and made a wish before blowing out the candle.
"Alright, let's cut the cake!" Azure Vine picked up a greasy kitchen knife and cut a piece of "cake," placing it into Lingfeng's bowl. Then, he cut another piece, intending to give it to Ling Xueer.
"Don't!" Ling Xueer quickly pulled her bowl away, as if Azure Vine was offering her poison.
"Why not?" Azure Vine asked in confusion.
Ling Xueer pouted and said, "It's dry and has grease on it. It's disgusting!"
Azure Vine took back the cake and scolded, "Having something to eat is already good enough; why are you being so picky?" He then took a bite of the "cake," immediately contorting his face in pain.
"Eat, eat, eat! You're the birthday star; you have to eat!" Azure Vine urged, pointing at the "cake" in Lingfeng's bowl.
Lingfeng hesitated and poked at the "cake" with his chopsticks. It was hard and dry. He said, "Brother, I'm losing my baby teeth; I can't bite this!"
The room was filled with a peaceful atmosphere, laughter and chatter echoing from the worn-out house.
"Brother, today is my birthday; please make an exception and do a fortune-telling for us!" After finishing their meal, Lingfeng pleaded with Azure Vine, who was busy cleaning up the dishes.
Azure Vine had a principle: he would not do fortune-telling for family. This stemmed from an experience ten years ago. At that time, Azure Vine had just arrived here and met a girl. They fell in love at first sight and secretly vowed to be together for life. One night, on a whim, Azure Vine did a fortune-telling for the woman he loved, only to find that the reading indicated her life was nearing its end.
Panicking at that moment, Azure Vine thought of many remedies, but nothing worked; he could only watch helplessly as his beloved left him. Since then, Azure Vine decided never to do fortune-telling for family again.
As soon as Lingfeng finished speaking, there came the sound of dishes being placed down in the kitchen—heavy and somewhat impatient.
"I've had enough! If you have the ability, learn divination yourself. I won't do it for you!" Azure Vine shouted amidst the sound of quickly washing dishes.
"But you won't teach me! How can I learn divination?" Lingfeng replied softly.
The sound of washing dishes stopped. Azure Vine walked out of the kitchen, wiped his greasy hands on his clothes, and said unhappily, "What do you mean I won't teach you? It's clearly that you haven't grasped the essence of divination. If I hurriedly teach you these abilities, it will only help you and harm others!"
Lingfeng was taken aback; he hadn't expected his voice to be heard. Still, he retorted, "I don't steal or rob; how could I harm others?"
Azure Vine shook his head and fell silent.
Lingfeng was intelligent. Although he disliked studying, Azure Vine could see that Lingfeng possessed extraordinary abilities. At just ten years old, his martial arts had already reached the beginner level among adults. If Azure Vine were to teach him the art of divination, he would surely achieve great things. However, Lingfeng was too young to comprehend the essence of self-cultivation and was only interested in playing. Naturally, Azure Vine was reluctant to pass on such knowledge to him.
The night was eerily quiet. Even the crickets were too lazy to chirp, perhaps because something was about to happen.
A beam of white light descended and landed in the courtyard where Azure Vine was. The white light transformed into a human figure—a Taoist priest slightly younger than Azure Vine. Compared to him, this priest was well-dressed, with flowing robes and a radiant demeanor.
"Junior brother, what brings you here?" Azure Vine's voice came from inside the house as he stepped out.
The one called junior brother was named Qingzhi, who was indeed Azure Vine's fellow disciple. Although his cultivation level was not as high as Azure Vine's, he had reached the early stage of Spiritual Tranquility. The figure before them was not Qingzhi himself but an illusion he had conjured.
Lingfeng took a glance at Qingzhi. With a flicker of spiritual energy in his hand, a slender beam of white light pierced through Qingzhi's form. Qingzhi's figure wavered slightly, like a shadow in water.
Azure Vine was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Junior brother, you've reached the early stage of Spiritual Tranquility!"
Qingzhi nodded with a beaming face but soon added, "Senior brother, I can only maintain this illusion for a short time. To keep it brief, the sect leader plans to hold a Cultivation Conference at Demon Suppression Mountain and has sent me to invite you back."
Azure Vine listened to Qingzhi finish speaking, and his expression changed immediately, filled with anger. "Back then, I begged him to save my wife, but he was cold and unfeeling, saying that fate cannot be defied. If that's the case, let him follow his fate; why must he call me back!" The sect leader was the eldest disciple of the Demon Suppression Daoist Temple, making him Azure Vine's senior brother. Due to his profound cultivation and kind heart, he passed the position of sect leader to him after the previous leader, Ascended Immortal.
Years ago, when Azure Vine's beloved was on the brink of death, he had sought help from him, but the sect leader only replied, "Fate cannot be defied!" Holding a grudge, Azure Vine left the Cultivation Realm in anger and came to the Mortal Realm. Five years after arriving in the Mortal Realm, he discovered the spiritual light within Lingfeng and intended to teach him the path of cultivation.
Qingzhi anxiously stomped his feet and said, "Senior brother, why must you be so stubborn? If we defy fate, during the tribulation we will suffer greatly, perhaps even lose our souls. But if you cultivate to become a Celestial Immortal, what is there to worry about in saving sister-in-law?"
Azure Vine remained silent; he spoke the truth. Cultivators would not face punishment for their actions before the tribulation, but during it, all punishments would converge. The power of that tribulation would double, far beyond what an ordinary person could endure.
"Senior brother, my time is up. Please think carefully about this. Remember, August fifteenth!" Qingzhi said one last thing before his body shattered like broken glass and dispersed silently.
Azure Vine sighed deeply, feeling as if his heart was a tangled rope, filled with turmoil.
"Brother, what smells so good?" In the morning, with the sun high in the sky, Lingfeng rubbed his sleepy eyes as he walked out of his room.
Azure Vine forced a smile despite his worries and softly said, "Wake your sister; I made Braised Pork!"
Having not slept all night while gazing at the starry sky and struggling internally, Azure Vine contemplated. The Cultivation Conference was a grand event held once every fifty years. Anyone who had not ascended to immortality in the Cultivation Realm and held a higher status would attend. Among them were some deeply cultivated beasts that took human forms to cause chaos, killing and devouring souls and golden cores to enhance their own power. For the sake of humanity and the immortal realm, Azure Vine ultimately decided to return. However, he couldn't shake off his concerns for these two children.
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