A Woman of Such an Age

Unbeknownst to Qin Jianghe and his group of Liu Yunan's good brothers, the Spirit Stone in their pockets had already been temporarily placed in a 'pending filling' state.

Later that evening, it was the time when the Finance Hall, who were responsible for managing the Spirit Stone mine, were conducting their daily patrol of Spirit Stone mine.

When he discovered that Dayi area of his Spirit Stone mine, which had been thriving just yesterday, was suddenly empty, he thought it had been robbed and rushed back to report to Qin Jianghe.

Qin Jianghe also rushed over to check and confirmed that the large area that should have contained Spirit Stone had indeed become empty. He assumed that someone from the sect had secretly broken through the sect's defenses and sneaked in, so he immediately summoned the sect's elders to explain the situation.

Fortunately, Liu Yunan explained in time that the Spirit Stone had been used by Lin Xiao's control panel to upgrade the Heart-Questioning Road, and the misunderstanding was cleared up.

The protagonist, Heart-Questioning Road, who was caught in the misunderstanding, had leveled up, but from the outside, nothing seemed to have changed.

But people from the foot of the mountain kept coming in.

However, those who were watching or accompanying others near Heart-Questioning Road noticed that those who had been standing there in a daze as soon as they entered Heart-Questioning Road suddenly became somewhat transparent.

Moreover, as the number of people entering increased, they seemed to overlap one another.

By the time most of the people who came to take the entrance exam had gone inside, the room was already packed with people.

From one position, you can see the outlines of many people.

The people around had never seen anything like it before and exclaimed in amazement.

As agreed with Sun Yigao beforehand, Tong Jialiang was also led by Baojian and followed the crowd into the Heart-Questioning Road.

The sun was gradually setting in the west.

The once bustling Xiushui Village has finally quieted down.

Only at the foot of North Mountain remained a crowd of people, gathered in circles to watch the spectacle.

The academy also gave its students a holiday during this period.

Firstly, this area at the foot of North Mountain is bound to be bustling with people and noise during this period. Secondly, the students of the Lingxian Academy also want to participate in the Lingxian Sect's new member recruitment conference.

The academy naturally wouldn't stop students from wanting to join the Lingxian Sect.

Therefore, the academy is quiet right now, unlike the usual sounds of students reading aloud.

Not long after the entrance to the Heart-Questioning Road was reached, people were seen being escorted out.

The onlookers, seeing that they had only been inside for a short while before being Heart-Questioning Road out by Wenxinlu, remembered that the immortals had said that morning that passing the test would allow them to go directly up the mountain.

After these people came out, some looked ashamed, raised their hands to cover their faces with their sleeves, and left quickly, while others angrily flung their sleeves and left.

That tells you that these people didn't pass.

Some people in the crowd couldn't help but boo.

Although there are many high-ranking officials and nobles among those who want to join the Lingxian Sect, who cares? Anyway, there are many onlookers now, and these people can't cause trouble for so many of them.

What's more, this is right at the entrance of the Lingxian Sect!

Some of them, who were booed after coming out, were indignant and said:

"If you're so capable, why don't you go in and try? Let's see how long you can last. You don't even dare to go in, all you do is laugh at others. What despicable people!"

Of course, most people didn't argue with these onlookers and troublemakers; they just wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

As night fell, onlookers who had been watching the situation closely saw a tall, broad-shouldered man helping a hunched old woman walk over among the people who were still entering the Heart-Questioning Road.

After confirming with someone that the Peach Blossom Mountain Path ahead was indeed the entrance to the Lingxian Sect, they walked in together.

"I never imagined that a woman of her age would still dream of seeking immortality and enlightenment," someone in the crowd muttered to Zuo Jin.

"It's true that the older you get, the more you want to live."

This constant coming and going of Heart-Questioning Road continued until midnight.

Until the entrance to the mountain path, a faint light curtain appeared, completely blocking the entrance to the Heart-Questioning Road.

The Heart-Questioning Road One's Heart in the Lingxian Sect has become a place where one can leave but not enter.

This signifies the end of this recruitment process.

After that, we just wait and see how those who have already entered the Heart-Questioning Road behave.

Late at night, people couldn't stay awake any longer and all went home to sleep.

The area at the foot of North Mountain finally quieted down.

Only occasionally do two or three night owls come and wander around here.

--

Shen Yingzi opened her eyes and saw her bedroom.

He felt like he slept for a particularly long time, and his head felt a little heavy.

He had long forgotten what he had dreamed about; at that moment, he only felt a little thirsty, so he got up to pour himself a glass of water.

In a daze, he felt as if he had forgotten something.

Until a servant's question came from outside the door:

"Is the young master awake? Master said that if the young master is awake, we should set off early, and he will be waiting for you ahead."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yingzi was somewhat puzzled.

Departure? Where to?

What day is it today?

After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly remembered, "Oh right, today is the anniversary of my mother's death. How could I have forgotten something so important?"

So he quickly put down his water glass, stood up, and Outer Dao:

"Okay, I'll be right there."

However, when he finished washing up and went to the front hall, he found that an official document from the imperial court had summoned his father to the palace.

"Yingzi, if this succeeds, the Zhao Imperial Clan will have hope of restoring their kingdom. You go see your mother first; I'm going to the palace and will be there later."

Shen Yingzi watched her father's hurried departure, praying in her heart that the Zhao Clan would soon restore their kingdom.

In this way, Father won't have to work so hard every day.

He traveled alone by carriage to his mother's grave.

The weather wasn't very good today; thick, dark clouds completely blocked out the sunlight, making everyone feel gloomy and depressed.

Shen Yingzi was kneeling before his mother's grave, with incense burning in front of him, and wisps of white smoke rising and swirling around him.

He held the bamboo flute in his hand and spoke to the tombstone:

"Mother, I wrote a few more pieces this year, which I really like. Shall I play them for you?"

Faced with her mother, whom she had never met before, Shen Yingzi was at a loss for words.

His father told him that his mother was an ordinary person, a very gentle person, and someone who loved the sound of the flute.

While pregnant with her, she often played the flute for her unborn child.

So every time he came, he would play the flute.

He brought the bamboo flute to his lips, closed his eyes slightly, his long eyelashes obscuring his expression, and the melodious flute music dispelled the gloom of the overcast day.

"Yingzi... Mother is so sad..."

Amidst the melodious flute music, a gentle female voice, tinged with melancholy, suddenly drifted softly into Shen Yingzi's ears.

The sound seemed both very far away and right in front of them.

He opened his eyes and saw the faint outline of a young woman on his mother's grave.