After arriving in the Jin Capital, Feng Lingshuang was not as eager as her fellow disciples to rest or sightsee in the bustling southern city.
She handed over the leadership duties to a steady junior nephew to manage temporarily, while she immediately began a secret investigation.
She visited every bookstore inside and outside the capital, flipping through countless ancient texts and miscellaneous records detailing the history of the cultivation world in the Jin Kingdom.
She sought out several elderly scattered cultivators known for their vast knowledge, asking questions indirectly.
She even used some of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s influence to consult certain secret scrolls held by the Jin Royal Family…
All of this was done solely to find any trace of the “Extreme Emotion Sword Dao” from her dreams, or that blurry immortal mountain.
However, the results were disappointing.
Whether it was official history or wild legends, there was no mention of any inheritance called the “Extreme Emotion Sword Dao.”
As for that mist-shrouded immortal mountain that felt dilapidated yet warm, it was like Jinghua Shuiyue, impossible to find any corresponding description.
It was as if everything truly was just a Heart Demon illusion born from her intense desire for power or her Natural Sword Bone.
Several days of fruitless effort caused the sense of emptiness in Feng Lingshuang’s heart to grow stronger.
Her sword heart faintly stirred with an irritation she was unwilling to admit.
As time passed, the Dharma Assembly hosted by the Jin Royal Family began as scheduled.
Young cultivators from all over gathered at the martial arena to compete and showcase their sects’ prestige.
As an invited guest, the Heavenly Sword Sect naturally drew much attention.
Feng Lingshuang, acting as the leader of the Heavenly Sword Sect, participated in the Dharma Assembly under the name Jian Mingzi.
Then, during the assembly, she suddenly noticed a small seating area for a minor Sect near the edge.
Three people were sitting there.
One was a handsome young cultivator with a gentle temperament; judging by his cultivation, he should be in the Nascent Soul Stage and was their Master.
Behind him stood two young disciples.
One was tall with pink hair and pink eyes, his features refined to the point of being almost demonic.
The other was slightly more slender with black hair and Purple Eyes, his head lowered submissively and quite quiet.
What attracted Feng Lingshuang was not the appearance of these three, but the extremely faint fluctuations of Jianyi that unintentionally radiated from that young Master when he occasionally stood up to guide his disciples or spoke with others!
That Jianyi… it was not as grand and sharp as the orthodox Jianyi of the Heavenly Sword Sect she practiced, nor was it any sword dao inheritance she knew.
It was a… strange flavor that contained some profound emotion within its restraint, as if thousands of feelings had been melted into the sword!
This feeling… was actually somewhat similar to the blurry “Extreme Emotion Sword Dao” in her dreams!
Feng Lingshuang’s heart skipped a beat, and she almost held her breath as she sensed it carefully.
Yes, although it was extremely weak and seemed to have been deliberately suppressed or even twisted, that unique “intent” bore a striking resemblance to the lingering feelings from her dreams!
At the same time, the way the cultivator and his disciples interacted actually felt familiar to her.
She immediately stood up and went to ask her junior nephew about the origins of those three.
Her junior was very straightforward with her.
The Master leading them was the Peak Lord of Duanqing Peak from the Xuling Sect, Lu Li.
He was also the powerful cultivator who had recently cracked the major case of the Yin Corpse Sect in Yanzhou.
The two beside him were likely his disciples.
Hearing this introduction from her junior, Feng Lingshuang’s heart could not help but waver.
She was desperate to meet that Master Lu Li to see if he was truly the Master from her dreams.
However, when her gaze fell upon those two “male disciples,” her movements froze.
In her dreams, her junior sisters were all charming and lovely young girls.
Although the two in front of her were exceptionally handsome—perhaps even excessively so—their clothing, hairstyles, and faint skeletal structures clearly marked them as young men.
‘That’s right… I must be going mad with longing and perceived it wrong,’
Feng Lingshuang thought with a bitter smile.
‘The Extreme Emotion Sword Dao might not even exist; it’s just my imagination.
These three in front of me are clearly men, completely inconsistent with the scenes in my dreams.
How could there be a connection?
If I rush over, I might just be rude and make a fool of myself.’
She forcibly suppressed the throbbing and longing in her heart and sat back down, yet she could no longer take her eyes off that Master and his two disciples.
On the way back from the Dharma Assembly, she was somewhat distracted, her mind repeatedly replaying that faint Jianyi and the images of the three of them together.
These memories intertwined and collided with the fragments from her dreams, leaving her restless.
After the assembly ended and she returned to the inn, Feng Lingshuang remained somewhat out of sorts.
The brief discovery during the day and the subsequent massive disappointment left her mind in turmoil.
That feeling of something being within reach yet separated by an invisible barrier was more agonizing than having no clues at all.
A few perceptive junior nephews noticed her low spirits and cautiously suggested, “Senior Feng, we heard there is a Lantern Festival in the city tonight, and it’s quite lively. You have been working hard for days, why not go out and clear your head? It might help you forget your worries.”
Feng Lingshuang did not originally intend to go, but considering her current state of mind was indeed unsuitable for quiet cultivation, she nodded.
As night fell, it was The First Lighting of Lanterns.
Feng Lingshuang wandered alone through the bustling night market of Yicheng.
The colorful lanterns, the noisy crowds, and the tempting aroma of food… all this vibrant life temporarily dispersed the gloom in her heart.
She forced herself not to think about those ethereal dreams or dwell on that suspicious Jianyi.
She just aimlessly followed the flow of the crowd, admiring the rare and magnificent night scenery.
She passed through a corridor filled with prayer plaques, walked past stalls selling all kinds of novelties, and unknowingly arrived near Vajra Temple, which was drawing much attention due to the blooming Bodhi flowers.
The crowds in the woods were shoulder-to-shoulder, the lights were brilliant, and Buddhist chants echoed faintly.
Feng Lingshuang置身于这片光影交错、人声鼎沸的祥和之中，仰头望着那棵被无数红色祈愿布条和灯笼装点得如同梦幻的 Thousand-year Bodhi Tree, sensing the air of peace and fulfillment.
Her troubles from earlier in the day seemed to fade significantly.
‘Perhaps… Master was right. Everything from my Former Life is like smoke. Since I have joined the Heavenly Sword Sect, met a great teacher, and possess the Natural Sword Bone, I should focus on my current sword dao and stop indulging in those useless dreams.’
She let out a soft breath, attempting to exhale the last shred of distracting thoughts with it.
However, the arrangements of fate are sometimes quite mocking.
Just as her mind relaxed slightly and she prepared to continue her stroll and completely forget the day’s troubles, a slight commotion broke out in the crowd not far ahead.
A figure seemed to be pushed by the crowd, stumbling back a few steps and landing right in front of Feng Lingshuang.
Feng Lingshuang, who was wearing a bamboo hat with a veil to hide her face, also slipped and crashed directly into the man’s back.