C7 The Flowers on the Other Side of the River Were Blooming.

Feng Lian, sitting on the rock in the backyard, was shocked when he saw three people suddenly fall from the sky. He was depressed. Seeing that they were wearing night clothes and masks, they did not look like good people. Thus, he revealed an innocent expression and asked, "Are you birdmen? Why don't you have wings? No wonder you fell from the sky."

One of the men with a tall, sturdy body asked fiercely, "Brat, do you know how to write the word 'death'?"

Feng Lian shook his head and said, "Our village is illiterate. Why don't you teach me how to write it?"

The burly man was about to raise the spiritual weapon in his hand when the woman stopped him. She looked at Feng Lian and asked, "Little friend, do you know where this place is?"

Feng Lian nodded and said, "I know."

The woman's alluring voice said, "Then tell me where this place is."

Feng Lian couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Was she attempting the Bewitchment Technique on him? He was immune to such tricks; even Mengjie's innate Bewitchment Technique had no effect. How could this woman's cultivated version stand a chance?

The shadowy presence in his sea of consciousness rendered him impervious to all soul-based attacks.

Nonetheless, Feng Lian chose to feign ignorance. "This place is... where you meet your end," he said casually.

The trio was taken aback by his unexpected reply. By the time they grasped his intention, Feng Lian had already distanced himself by several meters.

"I'll give you guys a present." Feng Lian threw a fist-sized black steel rock towards the woman's forehead.

The woman scoffed. For cultivators of their level, deflecting a simple stone—or even a mid-level explosive spiritual artifact—should be child's play with a spiritual energy shield.

She intended to use the moment to unnerve Feng Lian. Yet, things didn't go as planned. With a muted thud, the rock struck her squarely on the forehead. Dizziness overwhelmed her as a sizable bump began to form.

"What is this place? Where has my spiritual energy gone? My mental cultivation techniques are faltering!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with embarrassment. She had meant to deflect the rock easily, to teach Feng Lian a lesson, but her spiritual energy had failed her.

What surprised her further was Feng Lian's inexplicable strength. Even without her energy shield, her own bodily resilience should have prevented her from being affected by a mere rock.

Feng Lian pretended to imitate the actions of the village priest and jumped up and down in front of them. He chanted, "Spirits from the heavens, return. There is a host that is suitable for you here. I will help you seize their souls and bodies …"

He quietly crushed two Medicine Pills, and the powder of the different medicinal pills interweaved together, immediately emitting a colorful light. Under the evening sunlight, he looked like a demon god that had been released after being sealed for millions of years.

The trio were stunned for a moment. What kind of background did this brat have?

Feng Lian threw out a few crystals and shouted, "I will use the most precious crystals in the world to bring you back …"

The crystals landed near the trio, and immediately, dozens of invisible threads sprang from the ground. Drawn to the fluctuation of Spiritual Qi, they seemed almost sentient.

In the outside world, they would've dismissed Feng Lian as a fool. But here, the moment they touched ground, their Spiritual Qi dissipated and they were left disoriented. The unknown often instills fear—just as a kitchen knife can still be menacing regardless of one's power level.

Now, entangled in these invisible threads, and thrown off by Feng Lian's performance, their panic escalated. They'd even forgotten these were merely Magic Array threads, ordinarily unremarkable. What set them apart here, in the anomalous realm of Unfamiliar Village, was their unexpected durability.

Feng Lian took the opportunity to throw a dozen more stones at them. Seeing that their faces were bruised and their heads were bleeding, he clapped his you hands and said proudly, "Do you like my gift?"

The woman said fiercely, "If you can, come and kill me."

Feng Lian revealed his white teeth and smiled, "You don't need a genius like me to do it. In a while, those extraterrestrial ghosts will come back and take over your bodies."

After saying that, he retreated a few meters and sat cross-legged on the ground. He was not stupid. These people had not adapted to the environment of the Unfamiliar Village yet. Once they did, they could beat him into a pig's head.

He would play with them first. In any case, this was the backyard, and his Masters would be here soon.

As soon as Feng Lian sat on the ground, he quietly placed a few crystals into the array in his butt. Suddenly, a fragrant black smoke rose from under the feet of the trio.

"Mind-numbing smoke, be careful!" The burly man shouted.

The other two quickly held their breath. However, in the Unfamiliar Village, their mental cultivation method circulation was not smooth. If they don't breathe, they will suffocate to death.

Feng Lian saw their minds slowly becoming muddled, so he got up and carefully approached them.

"Child, be careful!" Wu Yun, hiding in the dark and observing, suddenly reminded him.

Feng Lian also sensed danger. He twisted his body and dodged the Spiritual Energy Sword aimed at his heart. However, his arm was cut open with a deep wound that could see the bone.

Just as the few people landed on the ground, Meng Ying and the others had already arrived. Seeing that Feng Lian could deal with it himself, they did not show themselves. This was a perfect opportunity for him to train himself.

Feng Lian quickly retreated and saw that the one who attacked him was the lean man who had been silent the entire time. He picked up the stone with his left hand and threw it at his face.

However, they had already adapted to the new environment. They activated the barrier and bounced the stone back to Feng Lian. Luckily, Wu Yun had acted. Otherwise, Feng Lian would have smashed him into a pig's head.

Boom! A muffled sound rang out as white-yellow light flew in all directions.

Dao Ba rushed out and punched the lean man. The poor man reacted quickly and swung his fist to meet Dao Ba's attack.

Dao Ba flew back two meters, and the sound of bones cracking came from the arm of the lean man.

"Tell me, who sent you here?" Dao Ba asked as he rubbed his fist that was slightly red.

"Do we need to explain to you when we, the Vast Mist Pavilion, do things?" The woman snorted.

The long sword in Ren Jian's hand flashed with an orange light, slicing at the woman's neck and leaving a thin line of blood.

Dao Ba sneered, "Vast Mist Pavilion? Hehe, the Vast Mist Pavilion never does anything that will make them lose money, and they would never let their disciples die like this. Tell me who sent you here, or you will beg for death."

"I will tell you, I will tell you." The burly man took a deep breath, but he did not continue, as if his throat was stuck.

Taking advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was on the burly man, the woman abruptly crushed two spiritual artifacts. A dazzling white light pierced through everyone's eyes like a sharp blade. Then, waves of soul power spread out, making everyone unable to release their divine power.

After a few seconds, everyone recovered, but the three of them had run a few hundred meters away. However, they were stopped by Meng Ying and Ma Wei.

The situation reached a stalemate. The Unfamiliar Village residents hesitated to strike, knowing that the trio possessed Master Level Two Explosive Spiritual Artifacts, each capable of shearing off half a mountain—a mudslide would decimate their homes. Likewise, the trio was wary; they could ruin the villagers' homes, but not the villagers themselves, lest they invite merciless retribution.

Fu Shi treated Mengjie's injuries and then produced a zither and a bone flute, handing them to Feng Lian and Mengjie. "Let them witness the meaning of slaughter. Play the 'Soundless Music'," she instructed.

Feng Lian reached for the bone flute, but Mengjie swiped it away first. Grinning impishly, she said, "I'm always stuck with the zither, and it's annoying. Your turn, big brother."

Feng Lian fumed internally. He detested playing the zither and dancing, yet Mengjie always managed to impose these tasks upon him.

Helplessly, Feng Lian could only place the zither on his lap.

Mengjie placed the bone flute to her lips. She suddenly remembered that her family was about to leave, and it was hard to tell whether they would be safe or not. She hoped that everyone would be safe and sound.

She blew the first note, but it was not the Soundless Music. It was a song that Feng Lian had casually hummed when they were sitting on the top of a tree in the rainforest.

After striking the first note, Mengjie felt as though an invisible thread guided her thoughts. Her hands moved seemingly of their own accord, yet each note etched itself deeply into her consciousness.

Feng Lian closed his eyes and gently plucked the zither's strings. While the bone flute typically led the melody, it was soon overtaken by the zither under Feng Lian's touch. His tune brimmed with a longing that was palpable, as though dark elves were leaping from leaf to leaf, pirouetting on running water, drifting through clouds, and serenading the night sky.

It was as if Feng Lian had stepped into a celestial river, walking towards the other side lit by twinkling stars. Yet as near as it seemed, it remained elusive, forever beyond his reach.

Fu Shi was astounded. In her eyes, Feng Lian—bereft of any artistic aptitude—had conjured a melody woven as seamlessly as silk. The music glided past her skin, sank into her heart, and floated skyward, as though it carried away some ineffable part of her, while leaving her whole all the same.

Everyone who heard the melody was brought into a strange state of mind. It was very peaceful and serene, like a long lost dream.

For Feng Lian, it was his first time playing this particular piece, and he found himself wholly engrossed in the emotional landscape of the music. Visions flooded his mind: his absent father appearing at his wedding, Mengjie emerging from the shadows carrying a bowl of aromatic soup, and his mother standing before a grand mountain gate, her clothes dancing in the wind.

People and moments flashed by, brief yet vivid, etched indelibly into his soul.

Yet, he saw no trace of himself.

The melody also enveloped the three listeners, drawing them into a different kind of reverie. Influenced by their unique mental states, they didn't see tranquil scenes but instead witnessed images of violence and chaos—blood splattering, limbs severed, cries of agony filling the air.

"Master, I've finished playing. I—I'm sorry," Feng Lian stammered.

His emotions ebbing as quickly as they had surged. He saw Fu Shi lost in thought and feared that he had not met her expectations, filling him with a sense of unease.

Fu Shi would not punish Feng Lian like Dao Ba and Ren Jian. The way she punished Feng Lian was very simple. She did not let him continue to attend Qiu Shaan's class, but let him and Mengjie learn embroidery. That was even more painful than killing him.

"Ah …" Fu Shi came back to her senses and quickly regained her calm. She asked, "What song did you play?"

"The Resurrection Lily." How could Feng Lian know what song it was? It was just that the scene he saw just now seemed to be real. It was like the scene of the Resurrection Lily, which was neither a flower nor a fog, and it was hard to see clearly.

"The Resurrection Lily sighs for the years to come, and the Resurrection Lily hates loneliness. What a good name. In the future, you have to practice this Resurrection Lily …" Fu Shi did not continue because she saw the three corpses of the trio just now were highly terrifying.

Only a few tendons and muscles remained on the skeletal frames, disfigured by the mystical process known as the "Resurrection of the Flower of the Other Shore." Ultimately, the bodies had been transformed into horrifying shapes.

Fu Shi couldn't stomach the gruesome scene. She covered her mouth, fighting the urge to vomit. Dao Ba promptly used his cultivation techniques to bury the remains, along with the blood and flesh scattered on the ground.

"What song was that just now?" Ren Jian inquired, leaping to Fu Shi's side.

"After some thought, Fu Shi replied, "Feng Lian said it's called 'Resurrection of the Flower of the Other Shore.'" She then reached out to gently smooth Feng Lian's disheveled hair.

"No, you're mistaken. The song is called 'Soul Anchor Song.' It's an ancient melody sung by formidable cultivators to honor the departed," Qiu Shaan clarified after pondering for a moment. "I've never heard of it before, but according to the records, it embodies the concept revealed in the song we just heard."

"When did he learn such a song without us knowing?" Dao Ba exclaimed, bewildered.

Wu Yun felt a mix of joy and concern. "These kids never cease to surprise us," she remarked.

Meng Ying then interjected, "The engagement ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow. Everyone should start preparing."

With that, he took Mengjie's hand and turned to Wu Yun. "Sister, you and Feng Lian should come as well."