After Rebirth, the Love-Struck Cannon Fodder Woke Up - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Emotional Trauma

◎ Earth Core Fire Lotus, Recalling the Past Life Again ◎

After the Purple Luo Heavenly Flame acknowledged its master, the volcano gradually stopped erupting, and everything returned to peace.

With her strength greatly increased, Du Lianxin was overjoyed. She drove her flying sword, bringing Shen Anlan and Feng Ruo back to the ground.

“Staying here, cultivation can advance by leaps and bounds. I really want to build a house in this world and live here forever.”

Seeing the girl’s eyes filled with infinite yearning, Feng Ruo suppressed the melancholy in her heart and said with a smile: “Since you have this idea, why not put it into action?”

For a cultivator, building a dwelling is not difficult, as long as there are sufficient materials.

Du Lianxin looked at Senior Sister. Shen Anlan smiled and nodded to her: “There are still eighty years until the Holy Land opens again. If Lianxin wants to cultivate here all the time, there’s no harm in it. Sect rules do not restrict the length of time sect cultivators spend on external trials.”

“When do Senior Sister and Senior Feng plan to leave?”

No sooner had she spoken than Feng Ruo complained: “Lianxin, are you asking this because you find us an eyesore here?”

The girl quickly shook her head. “No, Senior Feng misunderstood. I didn’t mean that.”

Beside them, Shen Anlan spoke at the appropriate time: “Where Lianxin is, I will be. As long as Lianxin doesn’t leave the Holy Land, I will also stay here.”

“Does Senior Sister have a way to contact the sect?”

“…No.”

Previously, Shen Anlan was able to contact Du Lianxin outside the Holy Land because the girl was wearing the hairpin she had given her in her hair.

Whether in the previous life or this life, she had only given a treasure to Lianxin. Similar voice transmission methods could only be used on Lianxin.

Hearing her answer, the girl’s delicate brows slightly furrowed. “The sect has always valued Senior Sister. If they don’t know Senior Sister’s whereabouts for a long time, they might dispatch a large number of people to search.”

Shen Anlan fell silent for a moment. She had left in a hurry and did not leave any information. What Lianxin said was indeed likely to happen.

The reason she was able to enter the Holy Land this time was a transaction she made with the Heavenly Dao.

If she left before the opening day, she might not be able to enter again.

After experiencing the pain of the previous life, if Shen Anlan had to choose between the sect and Lianxin, she would choose Lianxin without hesitation.

“I have my soul lamp left in the sect. Even if there’s no news for a long time, nothing major will happen.”

Hearing this, Du Lianxin nodded and did not say anything more.

In all honesty, she did not have much sense of belonging to the Clear River Sect.

After all, in the previous life, after she lost her cultivation, she was forced to leave the sect by the Outer Sect Elder.

At that time, besides Senior Sister Ye Qiuwan, who was also in the Outer Sect, no one helped her. She did not believe that the entire sect’s high-level personnel were unaware of this matter.

The Clear River Sect was strictly hierarchical. Logically speaking, an Outer Sect Elder had no power to expel someone from the sect.

If it weren’t for the implicit suggestion or acquiescence of certain elders, why would he do that?

If asked for the reason, it was simply because she had become a mortal, her path to the Dao completely severed, and she held no value to the sect.

Du Lianxin had always been unwilling to delve deeply into this matter.

However, the impact of this incident on her still lingered.

In this life, she became a disciple of Talisman Peak, and her master treated her very well.

If she were to mention a sense of belonging, it would at most be toward her master’s lineage.

Recalling this, Du Lianxin dismissed her complicated thoughts and turned to look at Feng Ruo.

Before she could speak, she heard the woman in red speak first: “I am also planning to stay here long-term. I just completed a mission a while ago. My mother won’t contact me again for a short period. Moreover, I was in seclusion in a secret chamber and was teleported here. My fellow sect members probably all think I am still in the sect.”

At this point, Feng Ruo paused, as if she had discovered something. Her gaze fell on the girl’s right wrist.

“The secret technique mark of the Asura Sect… has disappeared?”

Du Lianxin hadn’t noticed this originally. Hearing the words, she immediately raised her right hand and pulled up her sleeve.

She saw that the dark lotus that was previously on her right wrist had now completely vanished without a trace.

“It’s most likely because of the Purple Luo Heavenly Flame. Exotic flames suppress Demon Faction secret techniques.”

Shen Anlan looked at the girl’s fair wrist, feeling somewhat pleased in her heart.

Although the secret technique was set up to protect Lianxin, it came from a mortal enemy after all. Every time she saw it, it was impossible for her heart to be completely free of reservations.

Now that the mark had disappeared, it was exactly what she wanted.

When her strength recovered in the future, with Lianxin’s consent, she would personally set up a secret technique to protect her beloved.

At this moment, Feng Ruo felt very depressed.

The black lotus had vanished without a trace, and no sign of its existence could be seen anymore.

She had truly believed that the Heavenly Dao brought her to the Holy Land because Lianxin was also here, intentionally bringing them together. Now, it seemed more like the Heavenly Dao was toying with her.

Knowing that exotic flames were her greatest weakness, yet still allowing the legendary Purple Luo Heavenly Flame to acknowledge Lianxin as its master, everything she had done earlier seemed like a joke.

Du Lianxin noticed Feng Ruo’s low spirits and quickly guessed the reason, but she did not say much.

The two sides were inherently in different camps. They could still coexist peacefully in the Holy Land, but the situation after leaving was truly unpredictable.

Building a dwelling required gathering enough materials. Du Lianxin did not immediately start this task but prepared to first explore the volcano crater.

Shen Anlan and Feng Ruo could not use spiritual energy. To be on the safe side, she did not take them with her.

She sped along the path, approaching the volcano, and could clearly see the scorching lava slowly flowing down the ridge.

Everywhere it passed, grass, trees, and rocks were all reduced to ashes.

The nearby sky was faintly dark red, and ashes occasionally drifted down, covering the ground.

The closer she got, the stronger the searing heat became.

Du Lianxin released her divine sense, covering a radius of several tens of li. After a while, she made a discovery and continued to fly toward the volcano crater.

There were several Earth Core Fire Lotuses there.

This was a fire-attribute spiritual plant and also a sacred medicine for healing.

When she was besieged by demonic beasts and severely injured and dying, the Bl00d Coagulation and Spirit Restoration Pill that Shen Anlan gave her was refined from the Earth Core Fire Lotus plus ten auxiliary spiritual plants to neutralize the fire attribute.

She carefully harvested them, then collected some fire-attribute ores that had slowly solidified and could be used for artifact refining.

After completing everything, she quickly left the area covered by the volcano and began collecting the auxiliary spiritual plants needed for refining the Bl00d Coagulation and Spirit Restoration Pill in the Holy Land.

Along the way, she would cut down any suitable green bamboo for building a dwelling and put them into her storage bag…

About five zhuxiang later, Du Lianxin returned to the original spot and reunited with Shen Anlan and Feng Ruo.

“My luck was good on this trip. I have gathered all the materials for refining the Bl00d Coagulation and Spirit Restoration Pill. I can attempt to start the elixir refining. If successful, Senior Sister and Senior Feng can also recover from your injuries sooner.”

Hearing this, Feng Ruo said with some regret: “I did have an excellent alchemy furnace in my original storage bag, but unfortunately, it was destroyed by the Heavenly Thunder Pellet. Does Lianxin have an alchemy furnace with you?”

“Yes, although the grade is relatively low, it will not affect the quality of the finished elixir.”

Du Lianxin waved her sleeve and took out an entirely gray alchemy furnace. She skillfully cast a spell, controlling the furnace to hover in mid-air, and then summoned the Purple Luo Heavenly Flame.

Exotic flames could also be used for alchemy and were more likely to improve the quality of the finished elixir.

When the furnace fire reached a suitable temperature, Du Lianxin immediately took out the eleven spiritual plants and began the first step of alchemy: purification.

After the impurities were removed, she sequentially added the materials, cast the Fire Control Art, and completely melted them into a liquid state.

The final step was elixir condensation, which was performed with exclusive nine-step condensation spells and precise control of the furnace fire temperature simultaneously.

Every step required extreme caution. A slight mistake would lower the quality of the finished elixir or even directly lead to alchemy failure.

The entire alchemy process lasted about five zhuxiang.

The moment the elixir was complete, a rich medicinal fragrance instantly wafted out.

All sixty elixirs in the furnace were successful. High-grade ones accounted for the majority, and there were even two exceptional-grade ones.

Feng Ruo watched from the side, clicking her tongue in wonder. “I heard Lianxin became a disciple of the Clear River Sect’s Talisman Peak. I didn’t expect your talent in alchemy to be excellent as well.”

The girl’s eyes drooped slightly. She put away the elixirs and slowly replied: “Whether in the previous life or this life, I have studied the methods of elixir refining. It’s not a matter of talent; it’s just practice makes perfect. Moreover, the higher quality of the finished elixirs is also related to the Purple Luo Heavenly Flame.”

Hearing this, Feng Ruo’s curiosity grew even stronger.

“Since you have studied the art of alchemy, why did you eventually become a disciple of Talisman Peak?”

Du Lianxin’s face showed no sign of emotion. She only replied flatly: “The reason is simple. Pill Peak was not suitable for me.”

Shen Anlan gazed intently at the girl, a trace of distress showing in her eyes.

She had also heard about the Pill Peak assessment in the previous life.

However, at that time, she still did not understand her own feelings and did not intervene, allowing Lianxin to suffer much injustice.

Whenever she recalled this, she would self-deprecatingly think that everyone said she was noble and pure, but in reality, she was also a selfish and indifferent person at heart…

Because Feng Ruo asked about alchemy matters, the joy Du Lianxin felt from her cultivation advancement was significantly diminished.

She took out several of the refined elixirs, controlled them with spiritual energy from a distance, and handed them to the two women respectively. Her gaze landed on the woman in purple.

“The elixir tastes bitter. There is no spiritual honey in the Holy Land. Senior Sister will just have to endure taking it directly.”

Looking at the elixir handed to her, Shen Anlan was momentarily stunned.

In this life, when she first met Lianxin and saved her, she also handed her a similar elixir.

Comparing the past and the present was like a cycle of reincarnation.

In the previous life, she clearly remembered Lianxin frowning beautifully when she took the elixir. In this life, however, her expression was unchanged.

Shen Anlan took the elixir. After a long hesitation, she asked the question in her heart: “Did Lianxin recover her past life memories before she first met me?”

The girl gazed at her. “I was reborn exactly at the moment Senior Sister was slaying the demonic beast.”

Shen Anlan still wanted to say something, but the girl continued: “Everything is in the past. Lianxin has long come to terms with it. I will not cling to Senior Sister as I did in the previous life.”

Shen Anlan felt a pain in her heart. “But what if… I like you clinging to me?”

“Is Senior Sister teasing Lianxin? There are many ways to show you like someone, but none of them would be the way Senior Sister reacted in the previous life.”

As she spoke, Du Lianxin’s mind uncontrollably flashed back to the figure that left without a second thought, and the cold, unfeeling “thank you.”

Even if there was a tiny bit of liking, how could she treat her like that?

After she sacrificed her Dantian and changed her meridians to save her, she left her alone in that courtyard, asking nothing and offering no care.

Initially, she held a sliver of hope, perhaps Senior Sister had only temporarily left and would return.

But she waited day after day, from hope to complete despair.

After casting the forbidden technique, she became a mortal, suffering backlash day and night. That inhumane pain and torture, she never wanted to experience a second time.

Sometimes, she couldn’t take it anymore and even contemplated suicide.

But she also felt a sense of unwillingness. It was that unwillingness that supported her return to the Clear River Sect.

She desperately wanted to see Shen Anlan one last time. She wanted to ask her face-to-face if she truly detested her so much.

Only by hearing the person say those words herself would she completely give up.

However, she did not expect that after enduring countless hardships and returning to the sect, she did not see Shen Anlan. Instead, she was met with the Elder’s expulsion.

She clearly remembered the Elder’s words.

The person said: “What is the status of Immortal Shen? How could a useless person like you, who has lost her cultivation and become a mortal, be allowed to see her?”

The condescending tone and utterly disdainful expression are still vivid in her memory.

As she was forced to leave the sect, she glanced at Falling Cloud Peak from afar.

It was sunset, and the afterglow illuminated the mountain peak. Cranes flew back and forth, shrouded in a thin mist, displaying the complete atmosphere of a celestial home.

She had always known the difference in status between herself and Shen Anlan. At that moment, she realized it with unparalleled clarity.

On the road away from the sect, Du Lianxin had wondered: If the person who saved her from the demonic beast’s jaws had not been Shen Anlan but someone else, would she still be infatuated with them as she was now?

Was her love for Shen Anlan love at first sight, or was it influenced by the life-saving grace?

Before her life ended, she learned the answer: it was both.

Love at first sight was the foundation, and the life-saving grace deepened her affection for Shen Anlan.

If only one of the two had existed, she would not have been so utterly obsessed.

Recalling the various experiences of the previous life, Du Lianxin’s tears uncontrollably streamed down her cheeks.

At this moment, both Shen Anlan and Feng Ruo were shocked by the despair revealed in her eyes.

They rose simultaneously, moving closer to the girl, only to see Du Lianxin regain her composure and retreat several zhang away.

Looking at the worry in their eyes, she said calmly: “I just remembered some past events.”

Shen Anlan guessed the general situation. After taking the exceptional-grade Bl00d Coagulation and Spirit Restoration Pill, her injuries had mostly recovered, and she could use some spiritual energy.

She had originally planned to wait for Feng Ruo to leave before explaining the matters of the previous life, but now she changed her mind.

She waved her sleeve, taking out the artifact Spirit Suppressing Pagoda. Before Feng Ruo could react, she quickly trapped the woman in place. Then, she stepped forward, swiftly arrived beside the girl, and rushed away with her.

“Lianxin, I have something to tell you…”