Chapter 266: Death In Doubt
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Lin Feng frowned at the sight of Zhu Yi. The person that he knew had always been calm and rational. Yet know he stood motionless, grey empty eyes staring at nothingness. Lin Feng sensed suppressed anxiety.
"You are confused." blatantly said Lin Feng as he approached Zhu Yi.
Zhu Yi returned from his daze and uttered a word of "master". His mouth remaining agape as though he wanted to say something, yet the words never materialized. He ceremoniously lowered his head, not knowing what to say.
"Is it concerning your mother?" sought Lin Feng.
Zhu Yi's eyes widened, his lips pursed together in silence.
"To trouble you this much, if it isn't your father Xuanji marquee Zhu Hongwu, then it has to be the one who perished a tad too early, Meng Bingyun" thought Lin Feng. Apart from his unbreakable resolve, the one thing that Zhu Yi really wanted was to fight for justice for his mistreated mother.
Zhu Yi let out a sigh of despair, "you are right, my mother's making me really, really confused and conflicted.".
Lin Feng thought, "sometimes, knowing more will do no good, in fact, ignorance might just be bliss". Without a word from Zhu Yi, Lin Feng had already understood. Besides, Lin Feng's knowledge was beyond Zhu Yi.
"Your mother Meng Bingyun was from The Great Void Sect. She was the saint before Yan Mingyue, an All-Under-Heavens Strider. She was from the Conservative Party, and was a promising disciple." said Lin Feng.
Zhu Yi's eyes widened and he stared straight ahead.
Lin Feng explained the history between the Conservative and Advance parties. Zhu Yi's eyes darted around, reflecting the multitude of emotions within. Lin Feng's words only confirmed his suspicions.
"The present Great Void Sect is headed chiefly by the Conservative Party. Hence explaining it's quiet and mysterious aura, seen by many the most sacred group in this world. Before Pang Jie, the previous three consecutive All-Under-Heavens Striders were from the conservative side. But because of the misfortune befalling your mother and Yan Mingyue, the Advance Party seized the opportunity to groom and promote Pang Jie." Lin Feng explained.
"The Conservative Party could only concede. The Sect's reputation was under fire due to the accidents, and promoting Pang Jie was the best way to restore the sect to its former glory."
After careful consideration, Zhu Yi wondered aloud, "What would the Great Void Sect do to appease the divine tribe's conflict regarding the mending of the real world?"
"To maximize benefit, The Great Void Sect had to oppress in order to fulfill it's role in resolving the conflict."
Lin Feng smiled and replied, "How could they not oppress? It was just that the Conservative Party was much more subtle about it."
"There was much that happened below the surface. And such is the nature of our complex society."
"As to why your mother chose your father, even I do not have the answer, for only the two of them would know."
Zhu Yi uttered, "perhaps emperor Zhou Liang Pan would know. The Great Void Sect was afterall against the Zhou Dynasty. I'd like to investigate further when I return to the city."
Lin Feng replied, "There definitely are reasons, but if your mother chose not to, not even Liang Pan himself could force her to marry."
"Your mother held her head up high. Your father was one of a kind, but he too, had feelings. Although to many, feelings aren't that important after all. We all have choices to make sometimes."
Zhu Yi nodded in agreement, thanking Lin Feng for untying the knot in his heart. No matter what happened after, he knew that his mother gave his father nothing but happiness in their youth.
Zhu Yi left shortly after. As Lin Feng looked at his disappearing portfolio, his smile faded into seriousness. "Was Meng Bingyun really that simple?" he thought.
Lin Feng wondered, "She was no ordinary person, so how could she die at the hands of just any commoner? She was after all the All-Under-Heavens Strider, the representative of The Great Void Sect itself."
"Unless...she died willingly."
"Herein lies the question, would she have loved Zhu Hongwu that much that she sacrificed herself and die willingly at the hands of his physicians?"
At least after witnessing both Yan Mingyue and Pang Jie, Lin Feng could not believe that Meng Bingyun was that foolish.
Yan Mingyue, after attaining new life, waiting in hiding until Pang Jie stumbled before reappearing to claim her glory. It would be unbelievable to say that Yan Mingyue did not bait Pang Jie.
Conversely, after becoming Yan Mingyue's stepping stone, was it believable that Pang Jie utterly embarrassed himself outside Shazhou city? Besides, he sent an avatar instead of his actual being, showing that he somehow caught wind of Yan Mingyue's intent, and that he himself was plotting something behind the scene. Exactly how much he stood to gain, only Pang Jie himself would know.
Clearly, Yan Mingyue was no pushover. Lin Feng decided that she still had a card or two up her sleeve, but whether the card resided in The Great Void Sect was a mystery.
He gazed upon where Zhu Yi's silhouette had disappeared into and wondered, "could it possibly be there?" and smiled to himself, shaking his head.
Lin Feng exited the cave and sat on the tree outside, giving his clothes a gentle shake and producing a cloud of purple smoke. Inside the smoke was a scene of an empty plot of land, void of anything except a sapling. It was a sapling from the Saros Steel Tree. This tree was extremely selective when it came to where its roots grew, and Lin Feng was very careful about it. Growing in the presence of the Grand Sun Primordial Flame and Grand Moon Primordial Waters greatly nourished its roots.
Lin Feng smiled as he uprooted the sapling, "Sorry, but I can't let you grow all by yourself. I never intended to keep a tree spirit."
Lin Feng did not require even a guardian like that of the Great Thunderclap Temple, for he already possessed the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree. Of course, he had to channel energy to the tree if he really wanted to drive out intruders. It wasn't that the Treasure Tree couldn't care less about the worldly happenings, but it really would not be bothered by anything that was not threatening to itself.
The real purpose of digging out the sapling was to grow an avatar for himself.
Because of the enmity with the Flaming Dragon Celestial Armour, the Avatar of Ares was embroiled within the tension and could not leave. Once it left, the armour would create a spirit of its own and that was not what Lin Feng had hoped for.
If the Avatar of Ares was unavailable, Lin Feng wanted to have another avatar by his side, and hence this alternative. With its all-rounded abilities, it was indeed the perfect choice, though its potential was not yet fulfilled.
Lin Feng injected his Psychic Sense into the Saros Steel Tree, albeit with some difficulty. It was still not yet fully developed, so Lin Feng could still force his way in. The inside of the tree was a complete darkness, only a faint light flickered in the distance. Lin Feng headed towards the light, and slowly the darkness faded away. The light that emanated was bright but not burning, it shone but did not split.
Lin Feng immediately recalled the Celestial Jade Tree and thought of the endless possibilities that was hidden within. It was very different from what he faced now. The Saros Steel Tree only had one aura, yet its presence was overwhelming.
Perhaps, the four celestial trees were more intricately linked than what he had thought.