Chapter 735

Chapter 735: Wind Blessing and Divine Praise

After the discussion in the shrine concluded, several people left one after another. Jinhua and Yingdeng Shangren entered a pavilion behind the shrine to take a seat.

“It’s been years since we last met, Senior Brother Yingdeng,” Jinhua observed this young leader of the Zhaoye Palace.

“Yes, I never expected so many changes would happen in just a few short years,” Yingdeng sighed. He was around thirty years old, still considered relatively young among their sect.

Recalling when he joined ten years ago, the current leader of the sect was the Copper Candle Shangxian, who belonged to the same generation as his family’s ancestors. The fact that Copper Candle Shangxian was on good terms with Lord Ge Luo was known by many of the younger members of his family. Because of this, Copper Candle Shangxian never married throughout his life.

“Copper Candle Shangxian is an elder in my family, and I was taken care of by him when I was young. Therefore, I will do my best to fulfill Lord Ge Luo’s wishes and ensure that everything goes according to his heart,” Yingdeng explained the reason for agreeing to keep the strange bird.

“And this time, the Zhaoye Palace owes a great debt to that junior sister. If not for her intervention, things would have been unimaginable,” Yingdeng shook his head at this.

After this battle, many excellent disciples of the Zhaoye Palace were lost, and the reputation of the sect suffered greatly, likely affecting them for decades.

“After settling down the Sunset Mountain Range, the Zhaoye Palace will close its doors for ten years, reflect on their actions, and adjust the morale of the disciples to prevent any further incidents,” Shangren Yingdeng spoke about his future plans. Jinhua could only sigh and accept this silently.

“However, before that, our sect hopes that Junior Sister Jialan can visit the Zhaoye Palace. We will treat her with great hospitality and express our gratitude,” after some conversation, Yingdeng brought up the final matter.

“I will pass this message to Junior Sister Jialan, but whether she comes or not depends on her own thoughts,” Jinhua said with a slight shake of her head.

“Then I thank you, Jinhua. If Junior Sister Jialan is unwilling, there’s no need to force her; it should be left to fate,” Yingdeng bowed slightly. They exchanged a few more words before he took his leave.

Standing in the pavilion, Jinhua watched Yingdeng walk away. Although he was powerful, there was a sense of loneliness and desolation in his demeanor.

She couldn’t help but recall the scene from the day before when they first arrived at the Sunset Mountain Range.

Although the Earth and the mountains were lush and beautiful, very few of the elite disciples of the Zhaoye Palace remained. The essence of the sect had greatly diminished, with countless outstanding geniuses perishing in internal conflicts. After this incident, it would be difficult for the Zhaoye Palace to maintain its status as a major sect.

This made her feel a faint sense of sorrow. After all, Senior Brother Yingdeng was someone she knew well. Many years ago, at the Four Sects Conference, she was only seven or eight years old, standing among the people

Among the crowd, the youth stood out as the champion, basking in glory.

Unbeknownst to him, years later when they met again, everything had changed. Over seven years in Zhaoye Palace, three successive leaders took the helm until the position was finally taken by the new generation of Ying Deng. Similarly, the Xiangyu Sect wasn’t faring much better; upon his return, he might have to take over leadership himself.

Jinhua descended the steps beside the pavilion and gazed at the tranquil forest behind, slowly walking towards it.

Unlike the discussions filled with various thoughts within the shrine, here amidst the lush greenery, peace still reigned.

Layer upon layer of leaves shimmered with tender green and light yellow hues, radiant and beautiful under the sunlight, swaying gently in the breeze. Occasionally, some birds would fly through, landing on branches and singing joyfully.

In the grass by the path, crickets and grasshoppers rested on slender leaves, blending perfectly with their surroundings, appearing sporadically. With the rustling of branches in the wind, a clear blue sky appeared, allowing one to relax and unwind naturally.

Jinhua’s dress resembled autumn apricot leaves, or the rosy glow of sunset, its colors dappled and changing under the sunlight in the forest. She slowly walked through a grove of birch and poplar trees, stopping before a golden wattle tree.

The large canopy of the tree spread like clouds, scattered across the branches, filled with slender young leaves and dotted with small golden flowers, resembling tiny pale yellow pom-poms that trembled in the breeze.

On a horizontal branch of the golden wattle tree, a pure white-dressed young lady slept against the trunk, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling gently. Occasionally, a gust of wind would lift her white chiffon skirt, revealing her fair legs, creating a dreamy and beautiful scene.

This child—

Jinhua shook her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. The sorrow she felt earlier seemed to have dissipated, replaced by this gentle tranquility.

Perhaps yesterday was filled with sorrow and regret, but at least today, the sun would rise once more, and the morning breeze would still be full of life.

—

A few days later, Lolan Hill woke up from a peaceful and comfortable sleep.

Her mind still felt a bit drowsy, but she could now rise and do other things.

Beside her lay soft, pristine white bedding, with a gauzy curtain hanging above, adorned with a few light yellow leaves, making it less monotonous.

Lolan Hill rubbed her eyes, sat on the bed for a while, and then cleared her head enough to part the gauze curtain, searching for her shoes before slowly standing up.

Chirp chirp—

Familiar bird calls sounded nearby, two little creatures, one yellow and one blue, perched on a wooden stand, chirping happily, their wings opening occasionally, as if quite delighted.

“Alright, no need to worry anymore,” Lolan Hill said, wearing her nightgown and approaching the wooden stand, stroking

Two birds, then scratching their bellies.

Lolan Hill couldn’t help but speak as she felt the fluffy feathers.

“You’ve been eating well lately; you seem even fatter.”

Chirp chirp—

Dai Ju seemed to want to argue, saying that someone else had been feeding them too well.

“So, are you mine or someone else’s?” She rubbed the bird’s head and wanted to pick it up to feel how much heavier it was.

Dai Ju struggled, not wanting to be held by little Lolan, because the young lady had been using it as a pillow recently. However, in the end, it still gave in and lay quietly in Lolan Hill’s arms. The other blue raven perched on the young lady’s shoulder and followed her out.

Lolan Hill took the two birds out of the house and into the courtyard. It was very quiet here, though it seemed cleaner than before, as if it was regularly cleaned.

She pushed open the door, and the sound of delicate music drifted from the shrine in the distance.

Following the light jingle of the copper bell and the crisp sound of wooden plates clashing in the wind, the young lady gradually approached the side door of the shrine.

A shrine maiden dressed in green robes was performing a blessing ceremony in the main hall below. They were all newly appointed members of the Yikui clan, dressed in black robes with a red dot on their foreheads. They chanted in harmony with the shrine maiden above.

These people were also newly appointed shrine maidens and celebrants of the Yikui clan. They would carry the skills and knowledge passed down through the ages to various villages and dwellings in the Ximu mountain range, establishing new shrines to soothe the newly formed dragon veins and bless this land with favorable weather.

Morning star sparse autumn wind blessing god’s praise

Silver radiance gleams brightly

Unaware of autumn’s crimson mountains

Looking up, the rhythm remains unchanged

Walking alone, the fallen petals return home with fragrance

Continuous smoke rain falls

The ancient melody of the harp plays

The song of the sacrificial dance is far-reaching and gentle, quite different from the heavy solemnity of days past. In the center of the shrine, the ceiling wall was already open.

A gentle breeze entered through the main door of the hall, passing through the closed-eyed and chanting shrine maidens, reaching the wide window connected to the sky. There, the wind chimes swayed, and several golden star pendants collided, producing a clear and pleasant sound.

On the altar, there were no more miscellaneous items, only pure white flowers blooming in the wind, their fragrance spreading far and wide.

Outside the shrine, a lush and verdant world lay beyond.

Robust trees grew inside and outside the ravine, adorned with flowers of varying sizes. When the sunset came, the setting sun shone directly into the ravine, dyeing the verdant hills and fields layer by layer until the red clouds spread across the land, turning the dark robes into a sea of flames.

Hi hi ~

(End of Chapter)