pertwk Chapter 61 Immortal
Chapter 61 Immortal
Chapter 61 Immortal
Previously: Never mind, if you don't understand, just refer to the previous text.
Under One Person, Country H, 2008.
Before this, for a long time, Lu Linglong couldn't understand why her mother insisted on separating from her father. It wasn't until later, when she entered the Three Truths Dharma Gate by chance, that she gradually learned the cause and effect behind it all. And all of this originated from the Zhouyi patriarch of the Three Truths Dharma Gate, who was known as the master of all methods.
That legendary ascendant...
People call them immortals!
Hebei No.1 Middle School.
The June sunset, like a perfectly salted egg yolk, hung limply on the horizon, dyeing the wispy clouds a lazy orange-red. The bell that signaled the end of the first day of the college entrance exams had already rung, and the campus, silent all day, was now releasing its pent-up clamor.
The school gate was a sea of people. Parents craned their necks, their eyes like searchlights scanning the surging crowd.
The air was filled with the sounds of rushing, shouts, laughter, and the impatient honking of cars, creating a restless yet hopeful wave of summer heat. The smells of sweat, the softened asphalt, and the sweet aroma of ice cream from some child's hand mingled together in the air.
Not far away, the rooftop of a gray-white office building seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier, utterly silent. Only the faint whistling of the wind passing through the gaps in the railing could be heard. Two dark figures, one tall and one short, stood like frozen silhouettes at the edge of the railing.
The taller one was burly, with a slightly hunched back, like a bear poised to pounce. The shorter one was leaner, arms crossed. Their gazes swept down, piercing through the clamor and vibrant colors, and precisely locked onto a figure walking out of the school gate.
It was a pink-haired girl. Her long hair was tied into a neat ponytail at the back of her head, swaying from side to side with her light steps, the ends of her hair shimmering with a warm glow in the setting sun. A simple pink short-sleeved shirt outlined the girl's tall and straight figure, and light blue jeans hugged her long, straight legs. Her face wore a smile that was unique to those who had been relieved of a heavy burden, a smile that was both dazed and irrepressible, as she turned her head to talk to the classmate next to her, her eyes curving into crescents. The slightly heavy schoolbag on her shoulder didn't seem to slow down her almost leaping steps.
"Are you sure it's her? She looks—no different from those girls over there." The tall man spoke in a low, rough voice, tinged with barely perceptible doubt. He simply couldn't reconcile this girl, brimming with ordinary youthful energy, with the secret his elder brother had suggested she might possess "immortal magic."
"Hmph," the short man snorted coldly, his gaze unwavering. "If even you could see through it at a glance, would it still deserve to be called a celestial art? The Three Ones Sect—no, now it's the Three True Arts Sect—those lucky fellows. Do you think we could so easily see through what they've hidden for so many years?"
He paused, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the increasingly crowded people downstairs and the traffic police who were beginning to maintain order, and added, "There are too many people and too much attention; this isn't the time to take action. We'll talk about it later tonight."
"Understood." The tall man said no more, only staring at the girl's back.
The girl was oblivious to the cold, icy stare from above. She waved goodbye to her classmates at the school gate, turned and merged into the flow of students leaving school, walking lightly towards the upscale residential area nestled among the green trees not far away.
Walking through the bustling streets and turning into the community gate, it felt like stepping into another world. The noise was filtered by layers of greenery, leaving only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the faint sound of a fountain in the distance.
The artificial lake in the center of the community shimmered with tiny sparkles in the setting sun, and a few water birds returning home at dusk skimmed across the surface, leaving behind ripples that spread outwards.
Her home is right by the lake. It's an elegant three-story villa with a meticulously maintained little garden.
The most eye-catching feature is the ancient tree in front of the gate, which requires several people to encircle. Its branches are strong and vigorous like dragons, and its canopy is like a canopy. Half of its shadow is cast on the white exterior wall of the villa, while the other half gently extends into the lake. It has been guarding this place for countless years.
Pushing open the heavy solid wood door, a cool aroma mixed with the scent of food and a faint floral fragrance wafted out, instantly enveloping her and dispelling the last trace of heat brought in from outside.
"Mom! I'm home!" Her voice was practically overflowing with joy. She shrugged, casually tossing her schoolbag onto the entryway cabinet with a soft "thump," as if she'd shed a heavy burden. Then, she kicked off her shoes and ran barefoot across the gleaming wooden floor, like a fledgling bird returning to its nest, precisely landing on the large, soft fabric sofa in the living room, sinking deep into it. Reaching for the remote, she snapped the screen on, and the cheerful sound effects of a variety show immediately filled the space.
The glass sliding door to the kitchen was gently pulled open, and a woman wearing a floral apron peeked out. Her long, pink hair was styled into a gentle bun at the back of her head, with a few wisps of hair softly falling beside her cheeks. Her eyes were gentle, and the corners of her mouth were naturally upturned, exuding a serene beauty that came with the passage of time.
"Linglong, you're back? Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner. I made your favorite bamboo fungus and chicken soup today, and I simmered it all afternoon." Her mother's voice, like her smile, was gentle and pleasant, like a feather lightly brushing against her heart.
"It smells so good!" Lu Linglong wriggled up from the sofa, sniffed, and shuffled towards the dining room in her slippers. Two sets of chopsticks and bowls were already set on the table. In the blue and white porcelain soup bowl, golden chicken pieces and white bamboo fungus floated in the clear broth, and the rising steam made one's mouth water.
She sat down opposite her mother and accepted the bowl of rice. Her mother also sat down, her gaze falling on her daughter's still slightly flushed face, and asked softly, "How did the exam go today? It's the last day, you must be exhausted?"
Lu Linglong picked up a piece of chicken, blew on it, and chewed while reporting in a muffled but slightly smug tone, "Chinese? Not bad, the essay topic was quite interesting. Math! Haha, I felt it was super easy! I even used two different methods to solve the last big problem!" Her eyes sparkled with the confident light of a top science student. "Mom, don't worry, I feel—I did pretty well!" She swallowed her food, sat up straight, and spoke with unwavering conviction, as if declaring some important statement: "Tsinghua University, I'll definitely get in!"
Looking at her daughter's radiant face, the mother's eyes almost overflowed with tenderness. She placed a piece of green vegetable in her daughter's bowl, her voice full of trust and pride: "Of course Mom believes in you. My Linglong is the best." After a pause, she added with concern, "However, this is only the first day. After you finish eating, go upstairs and rest. You have to get up early tomorrow."
Lu Linglong was drinking soup with her head down when she heard this. She looked up, her lips still glistening with oil, but her eyes held a pleading look: "Ah—but I want to watch this variety show before I go to sleep, just one episode! I finished my exams today, I want to relax a bit."
The mother picked up a tissue and naturally reached out to wipe the grease from the corner of her mouth, her tone gentle but firm: "Sweetie, just for a few days. After the college entrance exam, you can completely relax. You can watch whatever you want, play however you want, Mom won't interfere, okay?"
Looking at her mother's gentle yet firm gaze, Lu Linglong knew that "bargaining" was futile, so she had no choice but to obediently nod and draw out her words: "Okay—" But her slightly pouting lips and the way she secretly glanced at the TV still betrayed a hint of childish resentment.
Outside the window, night was quietly spreading, slowly bathing the silent ancient tree and tranquil lake in deep blue. Inside the villa, the lights were warm, the aroma of chicken soup mingling with the soft whispers of the television, creating a simple yet beautiful night scene. However, in the darkness not far away, something was beginning to stir, preparing to shatter this tranquility.
As night deepened, all was quiet.
Lu Linglong was urged to bed early by her mother. The lamp was turned off, the door was ajar, and her mother's footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor. Once she was sure it was quiet, she quietly pulled a small flashlight from under her pillow, snuggled into the covers, and, using the dim light, opened the novel lying face down beside her pillow. This was her secret mental nourishment during her exam preparation; the joys and sorrows of the characters were far more captivating than formulas and theorems. Usually, she could stay up until midnight, full of energy, but today, once her highly tense nerves relaxed, a heavy fatigue washed over her like a tide. The words on the pages began to dance, blurring and overlapping, her eyelids feeling like lead weights, drooping involuntarily. She struggled to turn another page, but couldn't even piece together what it was about. Finally, the beam of the flashlight shone askew on her pillow, her fingers loosened their grip on the book, and she drifted into a dreamless deep sleep.
I don't know how long I slept, maybe only a short hour or two.
"Bang--!"
A dull, unusual sound, like something heavy falling to the ground or wood breaking, abruptly pulled her from her slumber.
Lu Linglong suddenly opened her eyes, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. The room wasn't completely dark; a faint, cold moonlight peeked in through the gaps in the curtains, cutting out blurry patches of light on the floor and making the familiar furniture outlines appear strange and jagged. An eerie stillness permeated the air; even the usual faint chirping of insects had vanished.
"Mom?" she called tentatively, her voice hoarse from just waking up and with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.
There was no response. Only her own breathing amplified in the silence.
Not right.
She held her breath and listened intently. Outside the bedroom door, in the deep darkness, came a faint, rustling sound, not like a mouse, but more like—something was moving slowly, with a deliberate, chilling caution.
Fear, like a cold snake, crept up her spine. She threw back the covers, her bare feet touching the cool floor, and silently moved to the door. Grasping the cold metal doorknob, she took a deep breath and abruptly pulled it open—a gust of air, a mixture of night wind and a strange, dangerous scent, rushed towards her.
At the same time, a pair of hands shot out from her blind spot, one tightly covering her mouth, the other gripping her shoulders forcefully! The strength of those hands was astonishing, carrying an overwhelming sense of suppression that left no room for resistance.
Lu Linglong's blood almost froze. The intense horror made her instinctively want to scream, struggle, and scratch the person behind her with her fingernails!
"Linglong! Don't make a sound—!" A voice, extremely suppressed, trembling violently, and filled with indescribable panic, rang out close to her ear.
It's Mom!
Lu Linglong froze instantly, ceasing her struggle. She turned her head with difficulty, and by the faint moonlight streaming through the corridor window, she saw her mother's face so close to hers. That usually gentle and calm face was now bloodless, her lips tightly pressed together, and fine beads of cold sweat even appeared on her forehead. What gripped her heart most was her mother's eyes—the panic and fear within them were so intense, something she had never seen in her eighteen years of life, even shattering her entire understanding of her mother.
Before she could ask any questions, Lu's mother practically dragged her back to the bedroom, gently closed the door, and locked the rarely used inner lock behind her. Her movements were astonishingly fast.
"Mom, what's wrong—" Lu Linglong's voice was suppressed in her throat, leaving only a breathy sound.
Lu's mother didn't answer. Her gaze shifted from the door as if burned, and she abruptly turned to the bedroom window. She released Lu Linglong, rushed to the window, forcefully unscrewed the latch, and pushed the window open completely! The cool night air immediately rushed in, carrying the unique moisture and scent of grass and trees from the lakeside.
"There's no time to explain, let's go!" Mother Lu's voice was extremely low, but it carried an undeniable determination.
She turned back to Lu Linglong's side, and before her daughter could react, she covered her mouth again with one hand to prevent her from making a sound out of fear. With her other arm, she wrapped her arms around her waist with unusual strength and stability, almost carrying her, and then, without hesitation, she jumped out onto the windowsill!
"Whoa—!" The feeling of weightlessness gripped Lu Linglong instantly. The wind howled past her ears, her heart leaped into her throat, and her mind went blank from the sudden fall. She didn't even have time to be afraid; all she could see was the rapidly passing walls of her house and the dark lawn below that seemed capable of swallowing everything.
The expected pain and embarrassment from the fall did not come.
Just as she was about to touch the ground, she felt her mother's arm, which was holding her, subtly pull and twist her, and with an unnatural lightness and precise adjustment, her feet landed steadily on the soft grass, without even making a loud sound. Her knees only bent very slightly, thus absorbing all the force of the fall.
This series of movements was as fluid as if it had been practiced a thousand times, and its agility and skill far exceeded that of an ordinary middle-aged woman, or even an ordinary athlete. In that instant, the mother's tense profile and incredible agility under the moonlight strikingly resembled the secretive characters in the spy movies and novels that Lu Linglong had read.
An absurd yet incredibly clear thought surged into her chaotic mind: her mother, the one who cooked soup for her every day...
The gentle woman who urges her to study may actually be hiding a completely different identity.
Without pausing, the moment Lu's mother landed, she immediately released her hand from Lu Linglong's mouth, instead gripping her wrist tightly, and hissed, "Run!"
The moonlight, cold and frosty, spilled onto the quiet path and the slightly shimmering lake. Her mother pulled her along, like two startled deer, rushing with all their might towards the villa's gate. Behind them, the house where they had lived for so many years stood with its doors and windows wide open, shrouded in deep shadow, like the mouth of a giant beast that had just spat them out, yet might swallow them up again at any moment.
However, just as they were about to burst out of the shadows of the bushes at the edge of the yard and onto the relatively open path outside, a mocking chuckle, with a cat-and-mouse-like playfulness, pierced the brief silence of their escape like a cold metal wire, drilling into their ears: "You think you can escape?"
The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed to ring directly in their ears. Lu Linglong felt her mother's hand gripping hers tremble violently, tighten abruptly, and the nails almost dug into her flesh.
No eunuchs, I'm updating a little late today because a friend is getting married.
Brothers, if you want more updates, you can join the group on the homepage. I'll let you know in the group. The book review section... if others see this, they'll think I abandoned the book.
I'm starting this thread alone, begging for monthly tickets and rewards!!!