Chapter 124 - Gripping the Sword Confusedly in All Directions
Chapter 124 of "Red Heart Patrols the Sky" opens revealing: âYou were sleeping at home all night and did not go anywhere.Youâve decided to go... Keep going!
âYou were sleeping at home all night and did not go anywhere.Youâve decided to go monitor Fang Helling tomorrow night, to observe if he exhibits any abnormalitiesâŚâ
Jiang Wang felt himself immersed in warm ripples, the surface of the water strewn with white petals.
The gentle voice seemed to drift from the distant horizon â he was comfortable and wished to sleep forever.
In this infinitely warm world, he let down all his guards, all responsibilities, confusion, and everything else that unsettled him.
âI should listen to this voice,â he thought.
Just as everything was about to end, a lotus bud began to emerge from amongst the petals on the boundless water.
It grew taller and taller until it was level with Jiang Wangâs line of sight.
The lotus bloomed, and at its center stood a black candle.
Woosh~
A black flame ignited in an instant, setting the entire sea of petals ablaze!
The boundless waves of flame swept over everything.
âWhoosh!â
Jiang Wang woke up.
He found himself lying at home in Flying Horse Alley and could also feel Jiang Ananâs steady breathing.
He realized that the memory seal had been completed and he had been sent back to his place by Bai Lian.
However, he remembered everything; he hadnât forgotten a single thing.
No, not only did he not forget what happened on Mount Niutou, but his mind also harbored an additional memory.
It was a secret technique, the Bone Escaping Technique.
The concept was to appease the Netherworld with oneâs lifespan to temporarily obtain the ability to travel between the realms of Yin and Yang.
Similar to the previous instance of acquiring the technique to revive the soul in flesh, the black candle inside Tongtian Palace had also visibly shortened by a segment.
âAm I a disciple of Bone Tao?
Am I a disciple of Bone Tao?â
Jiang Wang stared at his hands, somewhat stupefied.
Yet the sinister escape technique he had just acquired undeniably corroborated Bai Lianâs words once again.
âMy memory wasnât sealed; does that mean, according to Bai LianâŚ
Iâm starting to âawakenâ?â
âFang Helling has undoubtedly colluded with Bone Tao, which likely has some sort of scheme against Fenglin City, possibly for revenge against Wei Quchibi for past slaughters, or maybe thereâs another motive involved.
But even if I go to the authorities with this information now, itâs unlikely to make much difference.
Bai Lian said they would move tonight.
At most, they would catch Fang Helling.
But if they find out I am a disciple of Bone TaoâŚ
Iâm certain to die.â
Jiang Wang tried to comfort himself.
âThe situation now is that neither the Daoist academy nor the Procuratorate suspect me.
Bai Lian thinks my memory has been sealed, and she trusts me completely.
But I havenât lost my memory.
So the best choice for me should be to grab Old Liu, Xiao Wu, and the others immediately and flee with Anan.
After the dust settles in Fenglin City, we can decide whether or not to return based on the situationâŚâ
âNo, if Old Liu learns the truth, heâll never agree to leave.
Xiao Wu probably doesnât care.
AnanâŚ
would she be willing to leave her hometown, to endure the hardships of a life of displacement?â
âMaple Forest City RegionâŚ
Fengxi TownâŚ
Xiaolin TownâŚâ
Jiang Wangâs usually calm Daoist heart was completely in turmoil; the more he thought, the more agitated he became, the more chaotic his thoughts.
He simply lay back down and sank into the Taixu Illusion Realm.
After three consecutive losses, Jiang Wang finally calmed down a bit.
Fighting required total concentration, and within such focus one could neglect other matters and temporarily dispense with those troubles.
But after everything ended, what had to be faced still needed to be faced.
Each activation of the Grade-8 Discussion Platform now consumed twenty points of energy, with a loss incurring an additional cost of twenty.
Jiang Wang looked at the 2680 points of energy he still had and zoned out for a while before preparing to leave.
Flap, flap, flap.
A chubby paper crane fluttered over.
Naturally, it was a message from Zhen Wudi: Brother Dugu, Iâve also reached Perfection and have formally stepped into the Zhou Tian Jing, soon to reach the Grand Circulation!
How about it, care to spar?
For a cultivator with deep roots like Zhen Wudi, lingering in the Circulation Realm was not due to insufficient accumulation.
Instead, he had been waiting for the most perfect Zhoutian structure that belonged to him.
These families usually had experts who would formulate the most suitable advancement path for them based on their accumulated experience and immediate feedback.
So, when he said he was about to reach Perfection in the Grand Circulation immediately after attaining Perfection in the Small Zhoutian, it wasnât all talk.
His path had surely been laid out for him, a smooth and unobstructed one.
Jiang Wang had no intention of replying initially, and he wasnât in the mood for another fight.
But after some thought, he chose to spend ten points of energy to enter the Star River space.
It was again a pavilion amid the Star River.
Jiang Wang had just arrived when Zhen Wudiâs plump figure appeared opposite him.
âWhatâs up?
Itâs rare for you to seek me out for a chat, and such a lavish one at that?â Zhen Wudi looked around in amazement for a while.
By now, the two were very familiar with each other, largely thanks to Zhen Wudiâs âchatterboxâ nature.
He would send a paper crane over to chat with Jiang Wang whether or not there was something important.
Whenever Jiang Wang replied, there would be no end before twenty back-and-forth messages.
He was also the only acquaintance, or perhaps friend, that Jiang Wang had in the Taixu Illusion Realm.
Because it was in such a place, and because Jiang Wang had never exposed his real-world identity, he suspected that even if he told Zhen Wudi, he wouldnât know where Maple Forest City was.
Because they were here, Jiang Wang didnât need to be so tense.
He carefully thought out his words, then asked, âDo you know about the Bone Respecting God?â
âWhat God?â
âItâs, uh, supposedly a deity worshipped by a sect called âBone Tao.'â
âWhat kind of mess is that?â Zhen Wudi shook his head dismissively, âA cult, right?â
âPerhaps.â
âLet me tell you, Brother Dugu, donât get involved with those messy evil cults.
In the current world of cultivation, the reason why those heterodox paths are considered such is because they have already been eliminated.
There are so many orthodox schools, why not learn from one of those?â Zhen Wudi seriously advised, âIf youâve encountered some trouble and want to quickly enhance your strength, itâs better to participate in the Heavenly Abode Secret Land!
I have two extra spots on my team, and Iâm looking for partners.
How about it, want to give it a try?
Although thereâs some danger, itâs definitely more reliable than an Evil God.â
Something seriously brought up by Zhen Wudi must be significant.
The so-called spots in the Heavenly Abode Secret Land must also be precious.
He probably didnât go into detail because the Heavenly Abode Secret Land was well-known.
He assumed Jiang Wang knew about it.
This chubby fellow may be a bit boastful and talkative, but he wasnât a bad person.
Thatâs why Jiang Wang had maintained contact with him.
But now, Jiang Wang truly couldnât afford to be distracted.
âLetâs talk about it next time.â
He forced a smile, âI have things to do, I must go now.â
Without waiting for Zhen Wudi to persuade him to stay, he exited the Taixu Illusion Realm.
Sometimes, Jiang Wang felt that the Taixu Illusion Realm was like a dream.
When awoken from the dream, everything might turn to nothing.
He might be like the beggars outside the real Huanzhen View, already buried in the yellow earth.
Or he might lie at the bottom of the small river in Fengxi Town, never having been rescued.
What was the purpose of cultivation?
Was it to live longer, or to live in a more meaningful way?
The room was very quiet; one could hear Jiang Ananâs fine, even breathing.
This sound brought him peace.
Jiang Wang knew that, before dawn, he needed to make a decision.