Chapter 1: Ling Luo Yu and Tong Xian Ling

  As long as we live, there is hope!

  Ling Luo slowly sat up from the bed, dragging her exhausted body.

  "This body, ah! Lately, the time it takes to recover from each episode has been getting longer and longer, and the pain during those episodes has also become more and more intense. I don't know when this will all end!" Ling Luo Yu let out a sigh, got down from bed, slowly walked over to the bookshelf not far away, picked up a book, and headed out of the room.

  The sun was high in the sky, exactly at three o'clock in the afternoon. The door of the room opened and sunlight poured in, shining on Ling Luoye's white clothes, making his already pale face look even whiter, and his whole person appeared sickly.

  As she stepped out of the room, Ling Luo took a deep breath. The sky was still as blue as ever, with gentle breezes blowing across, and all sorts of flowers, grasses, and trees in the courtyard were dancing in the wind, showcasing their elegant movements and exuding vibrant vitality.

  "Perhaps, in just two more years, this world will no longer belong to me! Perhaps it won't take many years for myself to turn into a cup of yellow earth too!" Ling Yun thought of the Nine Yang Pulse on his body and let out a soft sigh.

  Since records began, those with the Nine Yang Pulse have had more innate talent than ordinary people. However, what's the use of that? Not a single person with the Nine Yang Pulse has ever lived past eighteen years old. Moreover, starting from ten years old, every day at noon when the sun is high in the sky, their entire body feels like it's being roasted alive in an oven. Their meridians, flesh and blood, bones, every inch of their body becomes scorching hot, as if they're being slowly grilled to death. The feeling is simply indescribable, making it even harder to endure.

  Ling Luo Yu was already sixteen years old, and that pain had been with him for six whole years. Moreover, as his age grew day by day, the time of the unbearable torment that occurred once a day also grew longer and longer. He simply didn't know when it would end; perhaps he could only wait until the day his life ended.

  Ling Luo's feathers gently floated down to the courtyard in the middle of the yard, where she sat on a stone bench surrounded by flowers and grass. She placed the book in her hand on the stone table, lightly wiping off the dust that had accumulated on it for some time.

  "The Lotus Sutra."

  This was the name of the book in Ling's hand, and several Sanskrit characters written on the cover of the book emitted a faint golden light under the scorching sun, looking sacred and solemn.

  "In the Jetavana monastery, in the hall with seven stories, the Buddha told all the Bhikkhus: 'Three months from now, I will attain Parinirvana.' Venerable Ananda rose from his seat... " The clear voice came from Lingluo Yu's mouth as he chanted. Every time at this moment, Lingluo Yu felt that his soul was sublimated, forgetting the pain on his body, forgetting the troubles, forgetting everything. At this moment, the whole world seemed to exist only for him."

  Perhaps because of the existence of Jiu Yang's pulse, apart from martial arts, Ling Luoyu learned everything at a speed much faster than ordinary people. As for Sanskrit, she had already mastered it by the time she was eight years old.

  Due to the Jiuyang pulse, Ling Luoyu was weak and sickly since childhood, and his physical condition also made it impossible for him to learn any martial skills.

  As the second young master of Lingxue Mountain Villa, the number one villa in Jianghu, Ling Luoye had access to a vast array of martial arts manuals. Although with his innate talent, he could comprehend these manuals extremely thoroughly, but he was fundamentally unable to put them into practice. Because no matter how hard Ling Luoye tried, he simply couldn't cultivate the foundation for using these techniques - internal energy.

  Ling Luo Yu had tried many times, although each time she sat in meditation for a whole day, she could feel some hot flow surging, but unfortunately, every time it was dissolved clean by the pain that occurred at noon, and there was no way to retain it.

  After trying many times, Ling Luoyu thoroughly lost hope in practicing martial arts. Although as the young master of the number one manor in the martial world, not knowing even a bit of martial arts was somewhat embarrassing, but what could Ling Luoyu do? This was fundamentally something he couldn't control.

  Since it can't be done with martial arts, then it can only be done with literature! Fortunately, Ling Luoyu showed extraordinary talent in this aspect. No matter how obscure and difficult the classics were, Ling Luoyu could understand and remember their contents clearly after reading them once. The library of Piaoxue Manor was quite rich, but within a few short years, Ling Luoyu had read all the books clean.

  Ever since three years ago, Ling Luoyu occasionally discovered this Lotus Sutra and knew that immersing himself in the book's atmosphere could actually alleviate the pain that occurred once a day. After that, Ling Luoyu spent most of his time every day on this Lotus Sutra.

  Feeling the grandeur and profundity, feeling the philosophical connotations of life, each time reading the Lotus Sutra brings a different feeling to Ling Luoye, making him feel the beauty of the world, and filling his life with hope.

  Perhaps it is precisely because of this book's company that these years' fallen feathers can persist.

  No joy, no sorrow, no love, no hate.

  Ling Luo Yu even had an illusion, feeling that she wanted to merge with the entire world, the serenity of clouds, the elegance of wind, the melancholy of flowers, grass and trees, Ling Luo Yu seemed to be able to feel it all.

  Father, brother, and that mother he had never seen before, could he really let go of all this? Ling Luoye often asked himself.

  As the master of Wulin's first estate, his father Ling Canghai's burden is absolutely the heaviest. The survival and honor of the entire Piaoxue Manor depend on him alone. Moreover, Father also has to face various challenges that come knocking from time to time. Father is very bitter, very bitter.

  Many times, Ling Luoyu found that his father often drank alone in the backyard, and often heard his father sighing sorrowfully by himself.

  But what about myself? For the martial arts world and the Jianghu that Father mentioned, I'm just a useless person who can't even help with anything!

  The nineteen-year-old brother Ling Luoyun has been helping his father with some of the mountain villa's affairs over the past year or two, and often follows his father to deal with some trivial matters outside the mountain villa. With his brother's help, his father's burden has indeed become much lighter!

  As for himself? For the entire Snowy Mountain Manor, he was basically a useless person. With a belly full of knowledge and a heart full of passion, this might be just a mere trifle for a martial arts family like Snowy Mountain Manor.

  Although this is the case, my father and brother have never complained about me, still doting on me excessively. Whatever I want, Father and Brother will help me get it without hesitation, even if I don't ask for it. Every time they come back from going out, they'll bring back some new and interesting gifts for me. Can I really forget all this? Ling Luoye doesn't want to forget, nor is he willing to forget. If even familial love can be abandoned, then what am I? Am I still human? Perhaps I'm just a walking corpse.

  "Second Master, Second Master! Just now someone brought a box and said it was to be handed over to the Eldest Master! However, the Old Master and the Eldest Master have gone to Cangzhou on business. When they left, the Old Master said that this time they might not return for about half a year. What should we do?"

  A voice entered Ling Luoyu's ears, interrupting his contemplation.

  "It's you! Uncle Ling San, since big brother is not here, I'll receive it on his behalf then! Is that person still there? I'll go take a look!" Ling Luo Yu raised her head and saw butler Ling San anxiously looking at her with a worried expression. Ling Luo Yu slowly stood up and smiled as she spoke to Ling San.

  "Second Master, your old illness has relapsed again, is it better now? You'd best sit down, sitting is more comfortable! The person who delivered the box has already left, I've already helped you bring the box over!" Seeing Ling Luoyu get up, butler Ling San hastily went forward to support him and asked with concern.

  "Ling San Shu, it's nothing serious, after resting for half a day I'm much better! Where is the box? Let me take a look first and see what kind of gift big brother received?" Ling Luo Yu smiled slightly, also wanting to know what was inside the box.

  Although the person who delivered the box specified that it had to be received by Ling Yun himself, given his relationship with his brother, he believed that even if he took a look at it first, it wouldn't matter and his brother definitely wouldn't blame him.

  Although Ling Luo Yu still looks a bit sickly, her mental state seems fine, and she doesn't appear to be uncomfortable at all.

  Seeing Ling Luo Yu like this, Guan Jia Ling San put down his heart and nodded slightly towards Ling, slowly taking out an ancient-style box from his bosom.

  The entire box is carved out of a single piece of sandalwood, with ancient and elegant floral patterns engraved on its surface.

  Ling Luo Yu picked up the box and examined it carefully. At this time, Butler Ling San tactfully bid farewell to Ling Luo Yu and retreated.

  A gentle breeze blows by, bringing with it a subtle and refreshing fragrance of sandalwood that fills the air, leaving one feeling carefree and joyful.

  "What's inside the box? It's actually worth using this hundred-year-old sandalwood to carve out a box. You know, hundred-year-old sandalwood is more valuable than gold, and just this box alone is worth at least hundreds of taels of gold." As he smelled the faint scent of sandalwood, Ling Luoye quickly distinguished that the faint scent was unique to sandalwood over a hundred years old, but also became somewhat hesitant because of it.

  Just by looking at the box, you can tell that the items inside are extremely valuable. Moreover, the other party specifically instructed to hand it over to Big Brother, so is this good or not? Ling Luoyu hesitated.

  If it were an ordinary item, Ling Luoye would definitely not have hesitated and immediately opened the box to take a look.

  "Just open it and take a look, just a glance, big brother will definitely not say anything even if he knows!" After all, Ling Luoyu was only 16 years old, although compared to ordinary people, she was considered relatively mature, but still had some childishness. After thinking for half a day, curiosity finally overcame rationality.

  Ling Luo Yu was just about to open the box in her hand, but after searching for half a day, she couldn't find any way to start. The entire box seemed to be a complete whole, without even a tiny gap.

  Hold up the box against the sunlight and observe it carefully with Lingluo's feathers.

  "Impossible! How can there still be no gap at all? Then how is this box supposed to open?" Ling Luoyu muttered to herself.

  Ling Luo didn't notice that when the scorching sun's rays approached the box, they transformed into tiny light dots and quickly seeped into the box, soon disappearing from sight.

  After carefully observing for half a day, Ling Luoyu didn't find anything, and was about to put the box away in disappointment.

  Just then, a sudden change occurred, and the box in Ling Luoyu's hand suddenly turned into shards of light that flew out of his hand and scattered quickly. Immediately afterwards, those scattered lights began to combine in mid-air.

  "Snowflake Manor, Tong Xianling appears, August 8th, by the side of Canglang River."

  Sixteen golden characters appeared in front of Ling Luo Yu, and then the sixteen golden characters slowly transformed into a cluster of light points that gathered together.

  "Bang..."

  A golden token condensed from a point of light and fell onto the bluestone floor, making a crisp sound.

  Ling Luo got up and walked slowly to the place where the token had fallen, bent down, picked it up, and examined it carefully.

  Not metal, not wood, not jade, not stone.

  This was Ling Luoye's first feeling when she touched the token, gently stroking the uneven patterns on the token, and slowly bringing it to her eyes. On the front of the token, three ancient seals were engraved with the words "Tong Xian Ling", emitting a faint glow, looking mysterious and solemn. The front of the token was carved with the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, even though it was carved on this small token, it gave people a sense of grandeur.

  "This is the Tong Xian Order! The legendary Tong Xian Order that appears once every hundred years?" Ling Luo Yu took a cold breath, having read many accounts of the Tong Xian Order in ancient texts.

  Tong Xian Ling, it is said that every hundred years, there will be an appearance. At the beginning of its emergence, each time it caused a great stir, as rumors had it that obtaining Tong Xian Ling could lead to eternal life and immortality, achieving enlightenment and becoming a deity.

  Even if one is a stunning beauty, they are but a painted skull; even if one is a proud son of heaven, in the end they will be reduced to nothing more than a cup of dust. The temptation of eternal life is just that - a temptation. How many people can truly escape this fate?

  Every time the Tongxian Order appears, it attracts countless young talents. Because each Tongxian Order only has ten faces, and to enter the legendary Tongxian Mausoleum with the Tongxian Order requires an age of thirty or below. Although the Tongxian Order initially appears in a fixed person's hands, if it is seized by someone else during this time, no one will intervene. The Tongxian Mausoleum only recognizes the Tongxian Order, not people.

  However, after several people who entered the Tongxian Tomb were never heard from again, no one dared to take the Tongxian Order lightly. The three words "Tongxian Order" meant death in the martial arts world. Some people who received the order would either throw away the token or ignore it altogether, but those who did so all ended up with the same consequence: their entire clan was exterminated, leaving no one behind.

  Because of this, for the past thousand years, throughout Jianghu, it can be said that at the mere mention of these three words, "Tong Xian Ling", the color would drain from one's face, and it has become a legend, a taboo.

  But now, this legendary Tong Xian Ling is actually in the hands of Ling Luo Yu, and Ling Luo Yu can truly feel its existence.

  His elder brother, Ling Luo Yun, is a master of the family's legendary Floating Zero Swordsmanship, and his skills are unmatched among his peers. He is known as the "Floating Zero Young Master" and is considered one of the top four young masters in the martial arts world.

  But now, this Tongxian Order has appeared, and it's actually aimed at my own brother. Entering the Tongxian Tomb means certain death, which is acknowledged by the entire martial arts world. But can the Snowflake Manor afford to lose its master? In these two years, thanks to my brother's help, Father has finally been able to relax a bit, and the number of times he drinks alone in his room has decreased. If my brother were to disappear, what would happen to Father then?

  All these years, Father alone brought up the two brothers, and also single-handedly supported the entire Snowy Mountain Villa. Father's temples have already turned white, and he is getting older day by day. How can I bear to see him continue to work so hard?

  "No, big brother must not have any accidents, and he absolutely cannot enter the Tong Xian tomb. This Snowy Mountain Manor can do without me, but it absolutely cannot do without big brother! It's still more than two months until August 8th, and father and big brother might be gone for half a year before they return to the manor. These two months are enough time for me to make all the arrangements!" Ling Luo Yu furrowed his brow, finally making up his mind to keep the events surrounding the Tong Xian token a secret from his father and the others, and instead take the Tong Xian token himself to the Tong Xian tomb.