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Ji Linglong covered her face, feeling a bit regretful. If she had known it would turn out like this, she would have listened to him earlier.
On the flying boat, Qi Xiao had asked her if she wanted to take a disguise pill to mask her age, but Ji Linglong shot him a disdainful glance.
"I'm a young maiden! You want me to disguise myself as an old woman? They must be blind if they can't see through that!"
"Look at my skin and my figure—where do I look like I'm getting old?"
Qi Xiao thought she made a valid point, but when he prepared to eat, Ji Linglong swatted his hand away.
"If you want to pretend to be in your forties or fifties while being with me, do you expect me to call you 'uncle' or 'dad'? Don't think you can take advantage of me!"
"And with that little frame of yours, how can you even pull off a disguise?"
Ji Linglong gave him a strange look, and in that instant, Qi Xiao understood her implication. He silently withdrew his hand.
Sometimes, being too young isn't a good thing either.
So he complied and created a youthful face that matched his actual age. It was hard to spot any flaws, but he still looked quite young.
Lying on the bed, Qi Xiao casually tossed a throwing knife at Ji Linglong.
"A young maiden wanting to disguise herself as an old woman really tests their eyesight."
Ji Linglong was momentarily taken aback and shot him an exasperated glare.
"So what should we do next?"
"One of us should investigate Xunjiang while the other looks into Yungong. Which one do you choose?"
Ji Linglong frowned, feeling somewhat reluctant. Although she didn't want to admit it, it seemed that in these matters, she was indeed less experienced than Qi Xiao.
"I'll go outside the city to gather information about Xunjiang. You stay here and follow up on things."
Tongling.
After several days of attempts, Shu Qingyao finally had some leads.
"Come quickly, I have an idea!"
Shu Qingyao wiped the sweat from her forehead, her face filled with joy.
Upon hearing her voice, the small room was immediately filled with people. She pinched a piece of Soul-Condensing Grass between her fingers and squeezed out its juice. As soon as the colored liquid touched the water, something began to stir within it.
Shu Qingyao couldn't see it, but Shen Weixue and the others could clearly see the tiny creatures in the water rushing towards the colored juice! It was as if someone had thrown food by the pond, scattering fish feed, causing the hidden little fish at the bottom to swarm out, eager to eat.
These transparent little creatures were similar; they fed on souls, but ordinary cultivators' souls were plain and unrefined—nowhere near as delectable as the Soul-Condensing Grass! The moment they sensed food, they rushed out eagerly.
Seeing the astonished and excited expressions on everyone's faces, Shu Qingyao knew her idea was correct. She pointed at the person on the bed and said, "Just now, I had a sudden inspiration. I squeezed a bit of Soul-Condensing Grass juice onto her lips." The girl’s eyelids trembled slightly.
"I thought these little creatures wouldn't be able to resist the taste of Soul-Condensing Grass. If we use it as bait, we might be able to lure them out."
Everyone looked over and noticed that the girl on the sickbed occasionally fluttered her eyelids or furrowed her brows, as if trapped in a nightmare, trying to wake up but unable to do so.
Meanwhile, more and more transparent little creatures were emerging from her mouth, gathering around the Soul-Condensing Grass juice and greedily licking it up.
The Third Elder's eyes lit up with delight as he exclaimed, "This method is effective! Squeeze some more and see if we can draw these creatures out completely."
With the Third Elder's affirmation, Shu Qingyao's eyes sparkled with joy; she could no longer hide her smile. She squeezed out a couple more drops near the girl's lips, causing the swarm of creatures to surge even more vigorously. In less than half a stick of incense's time, all the creatures clinging to the girl's soul were completely stripped away.
Her eyelids fluttered once more before she fully awakened. Weakly opening her eyes, she spotted Zhao Ke in the crowd and suddenly felt tears welling up in her eyes as she choked out, "Uncle, I had such a long nightmare. I dreamed that I was being eaten but couldn't move at all; I just had to endure it."
Hearing her words made Zhao Ke's eyes turn red with pain. He stepped forward and immediately embraced the girl in his arms, gently patting her back while soothing her softly.
"It's okay now, it's okay now. Uncle is here; you won't have nightmares anymore."
The girl buried herself in his embrace and began to cry uncontrollably.
"Uncle, I almost thought I would never wake up again."
This scene moved everyone present deeply. However, while this method was effective, it required the use of Soul Condensing Grass as a catalyst. At that moment, Miaochun Valley found itself unable to gather such a large quantity of the herb, and they could only seek assistance from the other three major sects. They also contacted Linglang Pavilion, asking them to purchase all available Soul Condensing Grass on the market.
On the other side, Yu Guan sighed softly upon hearing the news and addressed the female cultivator who had come to report.
"Wait here for a moment; I will consult with the Pavilion's opinion."
Yu Guan walked slowly to a small room at the end of the third floor of Linglang Pavilion. He knocked on the door, and a hoarse voice responded from within. An old man draped in a black robe sat in a wheelchair, quietly watching him.
The old man looked as withered as a piece of decayed wood—thin and frail, his eyes clouded as if he might pass away at any moment. It seemed he was still alive only by sheer willpower.
He stared at Yu Guan with a stern expression. "Did I not tell you before? Unless it's something major, do not come looking for me."
Since the incident in Pingjin City, Yu Ming had been hiding from the quiet and unremarkable Linglang Pavilion branch. Although the matters concerning Floating Island and Pingjin City had not implicated Linglang Pavilion directly, Yu Ming was still afraid. He feared that one day he would open his eyes only to find himself pursued by members of the four major sects, branded as a demon and executed on the spot.
Seeing his anxious yet forced calm demeanor, Yu Guan felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. Once, Yu Ming was a figure who commanded respect in the cultivation world, roaming freely and knowing all the heroes of his time. But when did he become this frail old man hiding in a dark attic?
He spent his days coiled up and surviving in obscurity.
With a soft sigh, Yu Guan said, "Uncle, it seems that Miaochun Valley has found a way regarding the situation in Tongling. They are actively collecting Soul Condensing Grass and have approached us for purchases."
"Uncle, do you think we should agree to this?"
Yu Ming fidgeted in his wheelchair, feeling increasingly irritable. "Our family is truly useless! Not only did we fail at Floating Island, but after so many years of secrecy, we were still completely wiped out! Truly the most useless among the useless!"
Yu Guan sighed again. "But this has already happened. Even if Linglang Pavilion refuses, it will only delay matters."
The influence of the four major sects in the cultivation world was immense; as long as they leaked even a little benefit or casually made some promises, gathering enough Soul Condensing Grass would not be difficult at all.
"What are you trying to say?"
Yu Guan hesitated before speaking again. "Uncle, even if we refuse, it won't help with the larger issue at hand. Moreover, it might arouse suspicion from the four major sects. Perhaps we should temporarily agree?"
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