6: Life and death together, changing fate against the will of heaven

Lin Feng’s voice was somewhat low in the night: “Phoenix Dance, you asked me, if one truly cannot Cultivate Immortality without a Spiritual Root.”

He paused, looking at the young girl’s tear-filled eyes, which flickered with unwillingness and expectation.

“For the path of Immortality that we Cultivators walk, which involves absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, refining magical power, and pursuing longevity,” he said, carefully choosing his words, “a Spiritual Root is indeed the first threshold, and the most important one. Without it, sensing and absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is impossible, like a tree without roots, or water without a source.”

Mo Fengwu’s heart sank little by little, her fingers gripping the brocade box turning white from the effort.

“So…is it really…impossible?” Her voice was faint, with a broken sob.

Lin Feng sighed softly: “To say it’s completely impossible, in this world, who dares to say ‘absolute’? After all, the world is vast, and full of wonders.”

A glimmer of light suddenly flashed in Mo Fengwu’s eyes, like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood.

Lin Feng caught that glimmer of light, but had to continue: “But Phoenix Dance, if such a ‘miracle’ truly exists, it would probably be harder than a Mortal achieving Immortal Ascension. With my limited knowledge, I have not yet heard of a precedent where someone without a Spiritual Root could embark on the main path of Immortality. Pinning hope on this is like climbing a tree to catch fish.”

That glimmer of light dimmed, but did not completely extinguish.

“The main path of Immortality…” Mo Fengwu chewed on these words. She was intelligent and immediately seized on a loophole in Lin Feng’s words: “Then, are there unconventional…other paths? Even if it’s not for longevity, even if…even if it’s just to let me accompany Young Master for a hundred years…”

Her voice carried a hint of humble pleading, and a stubborn refusal to give up.

Lin Feng looked at her, his heart complex. In his time spent with Mo Fengwu, he naturally developed some affection for her, but his current cultivation was only at Qi Refining, and many System functions were still locked. Was he, a Transmigrator, destined to follow Old Devil Han's old path?

He naturally did not wish for this.

He recalled some novel settings he had read in his previous life; besides cultivating magical power, there were also unorthodox paths like poison Cultivators, ghost Cultivators, and formation Cultivators.

“Phoenix Dance,” he said slowly, “the true path of Immortality, for you, is already hopelessly distant without a Spiritual Root. But if…there are other ways to let you come into contact with the world of Cultivators, or possess some powers that Mortals do not, perhaps there are.”

Mo Fengwu’s eyes suddenly widened, tears forgotten, as she stared intently at Lin Feng, afraid to miss a single word.

“However,” Lin Feng’s tone became serious, “such a path might be even more arduous and dangerous than the righteous path of Immortality, with extremely limited achievements, and even more likely to be unrelated to longevity. It might even require you to pay an unimaginable price.”

He gazed at her, wanting her to understand the difficulty and futility of it, to make her retreat in the face of hardship.

Mo Fengwu, however, seemed to have grasped at a last straw. She nodded vigorously, tears welling up again, this time with a resolute gleam:

“Phoenix Dance understands! As long as there is a glimmer of possibility, no matter how difficult, no matter the cost, Phoenix Dance is willing to try! Please guide me, Young Master Lin!”

At this moment, she was no longer the timid Young Miss of the Mo Estate; her eyes burned with a flame almost like a moth drawn to a fire, and that persistence moved Lin Feng.

Lin Feng looked at her, sighing inwardly.

This outcome seemed even more troublesome than a direct refusal.

But his previous words had already been spoken and could not be taken back.

Moreover, deep down, for such a woman devoted to him, if there was even a sliver of possibility, he was unwilling to completely extinguish it.

“You get up first.” Lin Feng helped her up, his voice softening slightly, “This matter is not something that can be achieved overnight. Allow me to consider it carefully. You must also think clearly; once you embark on this path, there may be no turning back.”

Mo Fengwu nodded vigorously, her tear-stained face, though not yet dry, had astonishingly bright eyes: “Phoenix Dance has thought it through! I will never regret it!”

The flame in her eyes, that desperate stubbornness, caused Lin Feng’s heart to tremble slightly.

Just then, a crisp notification sound rang in his mind without warning.

“Ding! Detected a major turning point in the emotional bond between the Host and [Mo Fengwu]. [Mo Fengwu] has developed a strong obsession with Heaven-Defying Fate Change.”

“Triggering Special Bond Mission: [Mortal World Immortal Fate, Heaven-Defying Fate Change].”

“Mission Objective: Form a ‘Life-and-Death Companionship’ (200/200) bond with [Mo Fengwu].”

“Mission Reward: 1. [Mo Fengwu] obtains [Ordinary Five Elements Spiritual Root]. 2. Host’s Spiritual Root Aptitude improves, from Host’s exclusive [Five Elements Spiritual Root] to [Supreme Grade Five Elements Spiritual Root]. 3. [System Points] +200.”

Lin Feng’s pupils suddenly contracted.

Life-and-death companionship?

It could allow Mo Fengwu to obtain a Spiritual Root! Although it was only an Ordinary Five Elements Spiritual Root, for a Mortal, this was nothing short of an instant ascent to heaven!

And his own Five Elements Spiritual Root could even be upgraded to a Supreme Grade Five Elements Spiritual Root!

Although the Host’s exclusive Five Elements Spiritual Root was much stronger than a pseudo-Spiritual Root, as a Transmigrator, the stronger the Spiritual Root, the better. If he could possess a Supreme Grade Five Elements Spiritual Root, his Cultivation speed would probably surpass even that of a Heavenly Spiritual Root!

Lin Feng looked at Mo Fengwu’s face, tear-streaked yet full of hope, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

In the original story, Mo Fengwu’s inability to Cultivate due to lacking a Spiritual Root moved millions of readers to tears, and Lin Feng was no exception.

If given the chance to change this outcome, Lin Feng was naturally willing to do so.

“Phoenix Dance,” Lin Feng took a deep breath, his expression becoming incredibly solemn, “do you know that to achieve what you desire in your heart, it might require you and I to establish a connection that surpasses ordinary people. That means your fate will be closely intertwined with mine, sharing both fortune and misfortune, life and death.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Fengwu not only did not shrink back, but instead took a step forward, lifted her beautiful face, and looked at him with burning eyes: “Young Master Lin, Phoenix Dance does not understand grand principles. Phoenix Dance only knows that if there is even a glimmer of a chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with Young Master, even if it means a mountain of daggers and a sea of fire, Phoenix Dance will gladly accept it!”

She paused, her voice trembling slightly, yet incredibly clear: “If Young Master does not abandon me, Phoenix Dance…is willing to entrust her remaining life to you!”

The young girl’s confession, direct and fervent, was like the strongest wine, impacting Lin Feng’s emotional defenses.

He looked at her, and in her clear eyes, his own reflection was visible.

After a long while, Lin Feng slowly spoke, his voice carrying a complex and difficult-to-discern emotion: “Mo Estate, it seems we will need to prepare an extra set of chopsticks from now on.”

Mo Fengwu was startled at first, then reacted, and immense joy, like a tide, engulfed her. Tears streamed from her eyes again, but this time they were tears of happiness.

“Young Master Lin…” She was so overjoyed that she cried, not knowing what to say.

Lin Feng raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks, his movements gentle: “Silly girl, from now on, don’t call me Young Master Lin anymore.”

Mo Fengwu’s cheeks flushed crimson, her voice like a mosquito’s buzz: “Then…what should Phoenix Dance call you?”

Lin Feng smiled slightly: “What do you think?”