After the mind-reading cripple junior sister, the entire sect rose to prominence.

Chapter 153 Taoist Companion
But there was no one here; it was empty everywhere.

However, unlike the previous room, this room was clearly frequently occupied.

"A room for two?"

Du Yue looked around the room and, recalling what the women had said about Feng Qing never touching them, wondered, "Could this be where Feng Qing and his Daoist partner live?"

But Mo Jiuwei's gaze was fixed on one spot.

Du Yue noticed her gaze and followed it, only to find a bed there, and besides the blankets and pillows, there was another object on the bed—

It was a dark brown box, rather large, about a foot or two wide.

It's made of some unknown material, but it looks like a special magical artifact.

This is also the only item in the room that seems somewhat out of place.

Judging from the material, this should not be an ordinary item, but strangely, Feng Qing did not put it into his Qiankun bag, but just left it on the bed.

Is it because the things inside are worthless, or is he completely at ease here, believing that no one will touch it?

"What's in that box? I'll go open it and take a look."

Du Yue reached out her hand as she spoke.

"Wait, don't touch it with your hands," Mo Jiuwei quickly said.

【My dear senior sister, you're really reckless! You dare to touch anything with your bare hands!】

Du Yue smiled somewhat awkwardly, said "okay," and then switched to a different sword to open the box.

The moment the box was opened, black tassels fell out, and then, in a flash, the first thing that caught their attention was the firelight.

A flame burst forth from the box, bringing unbearable heat—arguably the hottest fire Du Yue had ever felt in her life.

But what followed was a woman's scream.

The voice was shrill and mournful, yet extremely weak, like that of someone bedridden and nearing death, sending shivers down one's spine upon hearing it.

Du Yue's face immediately showed a look of horror. Her first reaction was, "Where did that woman's scream come from?" Her second reaction was...

She saw everything clearly.

Along with the flames, the interior of the box was revealed.

When Du Yue saw what was in the box, her heart skipped a beat, and she took three steps back in shock, covering her mouth tightly with her hand.

Good heavens, what did she see?!
The box's "opening" resembled a cloth bag, covered with dense stitches. However, the "thread" used was not ordinary thread; Du Yue recognized it as extremely resilient snow spider silk.

But that bag wasn't a real bag; it was... human flesh.

Although the skin was jet black and had many wrinkles that resembled the bark of a dead tree, it was undoubtedly human skin.

Inside the lid of the box was... a woman's head.

Her hair was loose and, although it was a bit short, it didn't look messy at all. Instead, it looked smooth and silky, as if it had been regularly combed.

What Du Yue previously thought was a tassel was actually this hair.

The eyes on the person's head appeared to be blind, but the mouth was moving; it was from there that the scream had just been heard.

Du Yue felt a chill run down her spine and her hair stand on end. She never expected that there would be a person in this box!

If she could still be called human. This woman had no legs or arms, only the upper part of her body, but her body was so thin that almost no flesh could be seen.

Her body had also been cruelly treated; her dantian was cut open, and there was a bright flame inside.

If everything is pitch black, no one would think it's a person; they would only think it's a container holding a box, or... a candle.

But this is indeed a person, and a living woman at that!
"...Who?" The woman's scream stopped abruptly. "You're not Feng Qing."

"I...we're not Feng Qing." Du Yue was still trembling slightly; she didn't dare approach the box at all. "Feng Qing is dead. Did he do this to you?"

If Du Yue was angry when she saw the victims before, now she was so angry she wanted to kill them.

How could Feng Qing be so cruel!
"died?"

The woman was clearly stunned upon hearing this, her voice filled with immense hesitation, "You mean, he's dead?"

"Yes, he's dead. He just died." Du Yue swallowed hard and silently took two steps back.

Her gaze was fixed on the flames in the woman's dantian.

She didn't know how this woman had survived, even though her body was already...

But Du Yue is a worldly person now. She has seen not only Mo Jiuwei's Black God Spirit Fire, but also Feng Qing's Pill Fire, which is a fusion of spirit fire. Neither of them are ordinary fires.

But even those two kinds of fire weren't as scorching as the fire here. Considering that the woman was so close to the fire yet not a single hair on her head was harmed, it's not hard to guess what this fire was.

It must be the Crane's Cry Spirit Fire!

It is also the original form of the spiritual fire that was merged with Feng Qing!
"You are Feng Qing's Daoist partner, right?" Mo Jiuwei suddenly asked.

The woman was somewhat surprised to hear a child's voice, but she quickly became absorbed in her own emotions again.

“Feng Qing… is dead, he actually died… Haha, he finally, finally died.”

The woman cried out in a terrible voice, almost unable to breathe.

But Du Yue clearly saw two lines of tears rolling down her cheeks.

"She's Feng Qing's Daoist partner?" Du Yue looked at Mo Jiuwei in astonishment.

But as soon as she finished speaking, she remembered.

The room's layout does indeed resemble a couple's living space, except...

This woman, in such a terrible state, is actually Feng Qing's Daoist partner?!
"No wonder Feng Qing fused with a portion of the Crane Cry Spirit Fire; it turns out he used you as a vessel to store the fire." Mo Jiuwei sighed softly, her eyes filled with pity.

A spirit fire either recognizes a master or it doesn't; it rarely shares a portion with someone else unless the spirit fire's host is willing.

However, this is tantamount to making the spirit fire serve two masters. The spirit fire is already proud, and this will undoubtedly anger it even more, and it might even devour its master.

Therefore, those who are willing to do this are usually blood relatives, or the owner of the spirit fire who knows that his days are numbered and wants to pave the way for his descendants, so he tries his best at risking his life.

Mo Jiuwei originally thought Feng Qing was in the same situation, but now it seems that things are far more complicated than that.

"It seems that Feng Qing tried to steal your Crane Cry Spirit Fire, but failed. In order to suppress the strength of the Crane Cry Spirit Fire and make it easier for him to forcibly fuse with it, he made you into this half-dead state."

The host's strength and the spirit fire's strength complement each other. If this woman is powerful, then the Crane Cry Spirit Fire will be even more lethal.

Similarly, if she is half-dead, the Crane's Cry Spirit Fire will also weaken.