Chapter 243. Seed That Suddenly Sprout

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In just one night, Lin Nianci had already recovered to her peak condition, and the fluctuations of her spiritual energy were even more active than before, as if her strength had even jumped a level. However, she herself was still dazed and confused, not knowing what was going on. She was carried outside by Fan Jialuo, and only after being blown by the cold wind did she gradually wake up. First, she looked at her fair and smooth arms, then touched her long, black hair that hung down, and then raised her head, revealing a surprised yet young and beautiful face.

“What happened to me?” She opened her mouth and found that her voice had returned to its usual clear and melodious tone, as if the previous aging, weakness and near-death struggle were just a nightmare, and everything was fine after she woke up.

Overjoyed, she touched her cheek, feeling the delicate and smooth skin, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Judging from her excited yet puzzled expression, she seemed unaware of what had happened last night.

Fan Jialuo observed her intently, and only after she had finished expressing her joy did he say calmly, “Song Enci, stop pretending.”

Lin Nianci then remembered what had happened yesterday, and considering her current situation, she suddenly felt speechless.

Finding her two senior brothers and junior brother Nian’en scrutinizing her with suspicion, and Abbot Changjing even starting to calculate with his fingers as if he too was wary of her, she quickly protested, “I’m not pretending! I really don’t know why I’ve become like this! I’m Lin Nianci! Da ShiXiong, Er ShiXiong, you’ve watched me grow up, surely you wouldn’t fail to recognize me, would you?”

None of them spoke, but the doubt on their faces lessened slightly.

Abbot Changjing continued to scrutinize Lin Nianci with a look of astonishment and uncertainty, for he had never seen or heard of such a situation before. How could someone be resurrected and rejuvenated after a night’s sleep? Unless Lin Nianci was a god, not a human.

If her true identity is Song Enci, then it makes sense. Everyone in the Taoist sects knows that Song Enci and her master are the two cultivators closest to the gods, they must have a way to prolong their lives and achieve immortality.

“Who exactly are you?” Abbot Changjing couldn’t help but ask.

Faced with such skepticism from her kind elder, Lin Nianci was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. Pointing to her chest, she hurriedly said, “I am Lin Nianci, I really am Lin Nianci, Abbot, please believe me. I, I……” Her gaze swept across everyone’s faces, and when she met Fan Jialuo’s unfathomable eyes, she couldn’t help but shrink back. Then, she shouted desperately, “If you don’t believe me, you can look at my memories. I really am Lin Nianci.”

She was so desperate that she said those things, but the composed Chang Sheng immediately stepped in front of her and sternly warned, “ShiMei, don’t let him get close to you, and don’t let him perform channeling for you! He almost killed you yesterday, have you forgotten?”

Lin Nianci then remembered her last breath of life! The desperate memory of being robbed of her life by this person. At that time, she was like a traveler clinging to a rope hanging on the edge of a cliff, with a bottomless abyss below her and an insurmountable precipice above her. Already lonely, fearful, and helpless, she had to watch helplessly as this person took out a file and slowly cut the rope that sustained her life.

At that moment, she was crying inside, but she couldn’t utter a sound. She almost scared herself to death before her life was cut off.

After remembering Lin Nianci cried out in alarm and hurriedly hid behind her two senior brothers. However, she did not expect that the moment she shouted, Fan Jialuo also moved.

Even without Lin Nianci mentioning it, Fan Jialuo wanted to check her memories, so he released a fierce magnetic field like a dragon and tiger, shoving Chang Sheng and Chang Zhen aside. He took a step forward and pressed his palm hard against Lin Nianci’s face, slamming her against the wall.

He always presented a gentle facade, but when it came to Lin Nianci, he showed absolutely no gentlemanly manners. Since he had already decided that this person was Song Enci, and that she had an extremely strong fate, how could he possibly show any mercy?

He exuded a fierce and chilling aura, so much so that no one dared to approach him. Abbot Changjing raised his staff to stop him, but was also sent far away by a vast magnetic field. He pressed Lin Nianci’s head down hard, almost shoving her into the wall, because he was certain that this person could not die no matter what, so she could withstand any brutal methods.

His magnetic field no longer invaded in just a few strands, but crashed over like a tsunami, sweeping away all the memories hidden deep in Lin Nianci’s heart.

He saw her soaking in the water vat, saw her toddling up under her master’s care, saw her learning Taoist arts, acquiring knowledge, and studying abroad…… Finally, he saw her lying on the altar last night, surrounded by monks chanting sutras with their eyes closed. In the middle of the night, her life force slightly returned, her soul and life stabilized, and she was sent back to her room……

Since Chang Sheng and the others were all grown men, it was not convenient for them to take care of her closely. So the two novice monks slept on the floor and watched over her at all times…… Later, all that remained in her mind was a dark fog, she must have fallen asleep.

Judging from these fragments of memory, she did indeed grow up gradually, and truly had no idea what happened last night. It was as if she had simply taken a nap, and her body had automatically regained its vitality.

Fan Jialuo withdrew his hand, and Song Rui immediately handed him a disinfectant wipe.

Fan Jialuo slowly wiped his palms, but his eyes were fixed on Lin Nianci. His gaze, sharp as a knife, cut and searched inch by inch, as if he wanted to peel her skin and dissect her bones to see her clearly.

Finally, he threw away the tissue that wasn’t stained at all and left without saying a word.

As soon as he left, Lin Nianci, who had been standing stiffly against the wall, slumped down like dough, cold sweat beading on her forehead, tears streaming down her face. She hugged her trembling body tightly, feeling both wronged and terrified. The feeling of having her memories extracted was unbearable, as if her very soul had been dissected.

“ShiMei, are you alright?” Chang Sheng and the others quickly gathered around her, their gazes still filled with astonishment and doubt.

Lin Nianci was stunned for a long while before she said in a trembling voice, “Da ShiXiong, is my mother not dead at all? Did she secretly come back to save me last night?”

Chang Sheng was stunned, then a look of sudden realization dawned on him. Yes, his ShiMei was a premature baby, her body was already weak, and with her spiritual energy completely dissipated, she couldn’t possibly have saved herself unless someone had saved her last night. But who could that person be?

Thinking of this, Chang Sheng hurriedly went to investigate whether any strangers had entered Longyin Temple the previous night.

Abbot Changjing glanced at Lin Nianci’s face, then at the direction Fan Jialuo had left in, before returning to his meditation room without a word. He pulled out a yellowed scroll from the bottom of a cabinet, carefully unfurled it, and gently stroked the painting of an old monk and a child being led by the hand.

The child was very young, only about four or five years old, but his expression lacked any childish innocence, instead, he was very peaceful and serene, with extremely handsome features, like a little celestial child under the seat of a Bodhisattva. The old monk bent down and gazed at the child, his eyes filled with kindness and affection. The atmosphere between the two, where they were both teacher and friend, as close as father and son, is vividly portrayed.

In the blank space next to the painting, there is a line of tiny characters——In the month of Jiaxu in the year of Ji-Mao, discussing Zen with a Buddha’s son.

“A Buddha’s son?” Abbot Changjing was completely stunned, his mind replaying his master’s regretful description before his death. Was benefactor Fan the Buddha’s son his Shifu had so longed for? Two hundred years had passed since the year of Ji-Mao, and he was still alive?

Abbot Changjing was lost in thought when his fingertip accidentally pressed against the side of the scroll, causing the yellowed paper to crack softly. This startled him. He rushed out of the meditation room to chase after him, only to learn that Fan Jialuo had already left.

The monk he questioned recounted in detail, “When he left, he asked me if any strangers had entered or left the temple. Since monks don’t lie, I could only tell him that Benefactor Jian and her several assistants were still living there. He asked me to take him to see them. I wanted to refuse, but somehow, I vaguely led him there, only to find that one of Benefactor Jian’s assistants had already driven down the mountain and left not long ago. He then inquired about that assistant! Benefactor Jian couldn’t give a clear answer either. After asking each other, we realized that the person wasn’t an assistant at all, but someone who had fraudulently joined the temple.”

Abbot Changjing nodded and remained silent for a long time.

Chang Sheng said with certainty, “The assistant who ran away must be my Enci Shibo! She’s the one who saved ShiMei.”

Abbot Changjing closed his eyes and recited a Buddhist phrase.——

“From what I’ve observed, Lin Nianci isn’t lying, she genuinely doesn’t know how she recovered. The assistant who ran away is very suspicious. Do you think it could be Song Enci, who isn’t actually dead? Do you remember the seed that Lin Nianci and Lin Nian’en had Bai Mu bring you? They also said that the seed mysteriously appeared in the side room of Longyin Temple, which is somewhat similar to today’s situation. Could the mastermind behind this be Song Enci as well? Besides her, who else would be so determined to target you?” Song Rui speculated.

“Based on the limited clues available, your judgment should be correct.” Fan Jialuo tapped his temple with his fingertip and shook his head, “But I don’t need these clues and evidence. I trust my intuition more. The moment I saw Lin Nianci, I knew she was Song Enci.”

“If you say she is, then she is.” Song Rui echoed without any principles.

Fan Jialuo, who had been frowning and looking serious, was suddenly amused by him. He smiled as he faced the rising sun, his eyes crinkling, and said firmly, “Once everyone who is supposed to come has arrived, I will make the whole truth come to light.”

Suddenly blood splattered across the windshield, blurring Song Rui’s vision and nearly causing him to drive the car off the cliff. He was frantic, but dared not slam on the brakes. He could only turn the steering wheel left and right, constantly adjusting the car’s position, and then slowly reduce speed, pulling the car toward the side of the road.

A few minutes later, Song Rui parked the car in an open space, while Fan Jialuo was still vomiting blood and clutching his abdomen tightly.

“What’s wrong with you?” Song Rui tried to hug him, but he was pushed away by him forcefully.

“Stay away from me, it’s dangerous.” Fan Jialuo warned, panting heavily. As soon as he finished speaking, a green vine sprouted from his abdomen and pierced his palm like an arrow. Several thin vines probed the bloody wound before burrowing deeper into the flesh.

Song Rui could clearly hear the sound of them piercing bones, and it wasn’t hard to imagine how they would wreak havoc inside Fan Jialuo’s body.

“It’s that seed!” In a flash, he grasped the truth.

Fan Jialuo was covered in blood and sweating profusely from the pain, but he showed no fear on his face. Instead, he chuckled briefly a few times, “It’s that seed. It turns out that only anger can make it sprout. No wonder it hasn’t moved for so long.”

Song Rui! What an astute mind. Hearing those words allowed him to instantly comprehend the whole story from beginning to end. Fan Jialuo’s body is a soul vessel that feeds on yin qi or evil thoughts, so his body is full of the aura of death. It was impossible for him to provide the conditions for that seed to take root and sprout, so it remained dormant.

Unfortunately, Fan Jialuo absorbed Lin Nianci’s life force yesterday, which ironically put him in a dangerous situation.

“I’ll take you to the hospital right away.” Song Rui immediately started the engine and drove off. He knew he couldn’t help in any way, so he naturally wouldn’t touch the vines recklessly. If he got infected too, who would be able to get Fan Jialuo back to safety?

“Going to the hospital is useless.” Fan Jialuo leaned back in his chair, a smile still playing on his lips, as if he were in a good mood, “I plotted against Lin Nianci, yet in a flash, the tables were turned, and I became the one being played. This is karma. I’ve said it before, everything in this world is predetermined, and no one can escape the arrangements of fate.”

Looking at his tense profile, Fan Jialuo chuckled softly, “You may not believe it, but I do. Karma is the natural law of cause and effect, the truth and driving force behind reincarnation. Every action we take, even the smallest one, will, under the impetus of karma, brew into cause and effect, which is what is commonly known as retribution.”

Song Rui retorted in a hoarse voice, “You saved so many people, you deserve blessings and longevity, not retribution.”

Fan Jialuo coughed up a mouthful of blood, panting heavily, so weak that he could no longer speak.

Song Rui desperately wanted to look directly at him, yet feared that his lack of focus might cause a car accident and inflict even greater harm on him, so he could only stare intently ahead. But he was trembling all over, his shoulders, his hands, his lips, and even the tears welling in his eyes, looking as if he would break down at any second.

“You can still smile?” Song Rui simply couldn’t understand his thought process.

After resting for a while, Fan Jialuo said with difficulty, “I have never done anything evil in my life, so naturally I will not suffer any retribution.” He ran his palm over his body, and the vines writhing in his flesh were blocked by an invisible wall of energy, as if they were being tightly gripped by two hands and slowly pulled back, gradually being drawn into his dantian, rolled into a ball, and finally completely imprisoned in a small, square space.

Only then did Fan Jialuo exhale and chuckle, “Every sip and every bite is preordained, every cause and effect has its reason. If it weren’t for Ma You’s gift, I would be dead by now.” He turned to Song Rui and comforted him, “You’re right. I’ve saved so many people, Heaven will reward me.”

Song Rui looked him over carefully and, finding that he was truly safe and sound, said with a wry smile, “What you were saying about fate and retribution was just to scare me!”

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