Minglong

Chapter 299 Wahahaha...

Crackling...

Xie Jinhuan fell straight to the ground, and the valley fell silent.

Coal Ball squatted to the side, tilting its head to examine Xie Jinhuan. It even nudged Xie Jinhuan's arm with its paw, but finding no reaction, it turned its gaze to Little White Hair:
"Guji?"

"Go find him some clothes."

"grumble?!"

Coal Ball's eyes widened in shock, as if to say—"What kind of nonsense is this? Aren't you the one who's going to rob me?"
But the white-haired creature's eyes left no room for doubt. Considering how Ah Huan had just been hung up and beaten, it could only fly into the rain and try to rob the place alone.

After Qixia Zhenren and the others left, a serious expression appeared on her delicate face. She squatted down in front of Xie Jinhuan, covered him with a banana leaf, and looked at Xie Jinhuan's face thoughtfully.

As fellow disciples, Qixia Zhenren's past experiences were almost identical to Xie Jinhuan's, and even their personalities were very similar. The only difference was that Qixia Zhenren pursued becoming a fairy, while Xie Jinhuan lacked the word "become".

Qixia Zhenren was very determined to pursue the Dao. More than a hundred years ago, when she was just a little girl of seven or eight, she would spend all day reading about immortals and heroes. She was fascinated by things like "My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens" and "Golden Core and Nascent Soul, ten thousand years of life". Then she rushed into Zihui Mountain, which had fallen on hard times, and started as a little Daoist. With her intelligence and hard work, she became the inner disciple.

Although her faith was not pure and she didn't have much talent, perhaps her belief moved the heavens, and one night she had a dream in which she saw a distant south where an opportunity to join the ranks of immortals awaited her.

The next day, she packed her bags without hesitation, bid farewell to her teachers, and set off alone to the south. She was only fourteen years old at the time, and the outside world was in the chaos of the late Qi Dynasty. Relying on her ruthlessness and cleverness, she traveled through Ningzhou and Ruizhou, and crossed the mountains and arid valleys of southern Xinjiang, until she reached the coast of the South China Sea, where she could go no further.

At that point, she had no other choice. It seemed that dreams were just dreams and couldn't be taken seriously. But once she turned back, she would become just another ordinary person. Her future would be nothing more than returning to secular life, marrying a boring man to be a wife and mother, or living a quiet life in seclusion on the unremarkable Zihui Mountain until she died. Neither of these was the life she wanted.

Therefore, she made a firm decision and set sail into the vast ocean, determined that even if she could not achieve physical immortality, she would die like a true fairy on the road to exploring the end of the Great Dao.

Fortunately, she later encountered a master who taught her the path to immortality on a secluded island. The training methods were brutal, causing her to wail and beat her chest in despair on the beach countless times.

But she persisted in her belief in becoming an immortal, and became close to her teacher. She even led her teacher out of the mountains, and the two of them became fairies who traveled high and low, stirring up trouble in the world!

That time was happy; she never forgot her original goals and remembered her teachers' wish to regain their freedom.

But on her journey out of the mountains, she witnessed the brutality of the demonic alliance, saw the righteous path's self-sacrifice, met countless fellow Daoists, and personally witnessed the Northern Living Buddha and Ziyang Zhenren choosing martyrdom over retreating, saw Yu Nian Bodhisattva severing her foundation to protect this world, saw Xiao Yezi almost abandoning all personal desires to control the overall situation, and saw the Valkyrie knowing the danger yet still guarding the western front alone...

They were all people with a sense of righteousness in their hearts, willing to risk their lives for the continuation of the common people. It was because of this that she firmly stood on the side of the righteous path, while her master always stood behind her.

She had thought everything would turn out well, but in the end she realized that her seemingly divine help was merely a matter of 'heaven's favor,' and the mentors standing behind her were never just older sisters who loved to watch the drama unfold, but rather the mountains and rivers, the stars and the moon, the rain and dew that she had witnessed...

When the teachers regained their freedom, how will the little insects, who have survived to this day thanks to their kindness and blessings, continue their lineage?

Along the way, she could no longer ignore the relatives and friends she had met on the way there, but she also could not forget her promise. At that time, she did not know what to do.

Fortunately, her teachers didn't mind, allowing her to forget everything and quietly become a little fairy, even playing with her in the human world.

She had no idea that her life would end like this, but Xie Jinhuan suddenly appeared.

Before Xie Jinhuan even stepped out of the mountain gate, everything had already been sealed off by her master. It must have been that her master changed his mind and wanted Xie Jinhuan to live out her life as the Human Emperor Martial Ancestor, so that she wouldn't have to fall into the same dilemma as her.

Qixia Zhenren didn't know why her master had made the decision for Xie Jinhuan before leaving the mountain, but it was no longer something she could interfere with. The only thing she could do now was to follow her master's wishes and pretend to be confused.

Therefore, after observing his junior brother for a moment, Master Qixia placed his finger between Xie Jinhuan's eyebrows and tried to rearrange the Soul-Locking Curse.

However, the beating Xie Jinhuan that had stripped away his blood essence had already stirred up the restless demonic nature within him. Now, as he channeled his energy again, golden light shone in Qixia Zhenren's eyes in just a moment, and his gaze became more sinister. He even uttered thoughts like, "Wow, what a strong and muscular man..."

Perhaps fearing that he might completely go astray and turn the warm Xie Jinhuan into a cold, lifeless Daoist, Master Qixia quickly stopped his practice, closed his eyes to suppress his physique, and his appearance began to change. His golden armor began to crumble, revealing the blue constable's robe underneath, and his full head of snow-white hair gradually turned into a wild braid...

At the same time, Master Qixia took out his diary with one hand, and a line of writing appeared on the latest page. Then, his once bright and spirited eyes became lifeless.

Thump~
After a muffled thud, the rainy night fell silent once more...
-
On the other side, Luojing.

While turmoil was raging in Daizhou, the situation in the capital was quite different.

Because the Eight Directions Illumination Pagoda was damaged, the remaining cultivators could not assess the situation outside and focused their attention on rescuing the injured.

He Tianqi and the others were injured but not killed in order to delay the court's manpower and resources as much as possible, making it difficult for them to track down or interfere with the movements in Daizhou. Otherwise, if Wuxin Monk, Xie Jinhuan and the others entered the house and found that Emperor Fan Li had died suddenly, they would have no choice but to hunt him down at all costs. They might not even be able to leave Daqian if they just ran away, let alone have to go to Danyang to dig up a grave.

In order to delay the emperor, the group used a "body-devouring gu" on him, which was the same gu that Huangfuqi had speculated about when Taishu Dan accidentally let the body out of the body.

The fact that the Gu Poison Sect is named after the character 'Gu' is enough to demonstrate the mastery of Gu techniques among its practitioners. Although it is difficult to injure an opponent in a direct confrontation, the poison is never administered face-to-face. If someone is accidentally poisoned, even Nangong Ye had to pay the price of becoming a mistress before he could find a cure.

The Devouring Gu is one of the representative works of the Gu poison school. When the poison takes effect, it causes festering from the inside out, forming worm-eaten holes. The antidote is determined by the method of the Gu maker; outsiders can only guess, and they only have one chance—success means life, failure means death. Because it concerns the emperor's life, the people of the Imperial Hospital certainly dare not gamble. They are preparing to search for the Rejuvenating Herb, which can cure all poisons. However, Lu Wuzhen is in charge of rare and precious materials, and only he knows whether the Great Qian Empire's treasury has any in stock.

Lu Wuzhen's absence has put many imperial physicians in a difficult position, leading to disagreements with the visiting sorcerers and unorthodox alchemists.
"We have a foolproof plan now, so why risk using drastic measures? We should wait for Sect Leader Lu to return before making a decision..."

"The Devouring Gu is designed to destroy a person's body. Although it hasn't fully taken effect yet, the poison intensifies with each passing moment, and the limb damage is difficult to reverse afterward. However, this Gu is Yin in nature, so I can use the Burning Immortal Gu to fight poison with poison..."

"Although His Majesty has practiced martial arts since childhood, he has been preoccupied with official duties in Danzhou and has not had time to practice every day, so his foundation has been neglected. Now that he is already injured, the back-and-forth between Yin and Yang poisons will make it difficult for him to survive..."

"Don't be afraid, everyone! I happen to have a 'Death-Inescapable Pill' here, which can save your life..."

"So, the price is..."

"It can unleash a person's potential to prolong life, simultaneously enhance their six senses without causing unconsciousness, and allow them to clearly perceive the poisoning process of the Body-Devouring Gu and the Immortal-Burning Gu..."

"That might hurt a bit..."

"That's why it's called 'unable to die'..."

……

The side hall was packed with people. Several imperial physicians were gathered together, discussing with Bu Yuehua who had rushed over. Zisu Wanyi and her daughter were also among them, as well as Lin Fangzhi, the patriarch of the Lin family.

Bu Yuehua has found her father, but she hasn't fully grasped the situation yet. She didn't want to go out, but the Emperor of Daqian has been poisoned by a strange poison, and she happens to be the leader of one of the three giants of the Gu Poison Sect. Who else should she turn to if not her? So, she was dragged along by the flirtatious Taoist nun.

At this moment, Bu Yuehua was standing in the crowd, originally watching Zisu and many imperial physicians explain pharmacology, when suddenly a voice echoed deep in her mind:
"howl--"

The dragon's roar was soul-stirring and soul-piercing, causing people to instinctively feel a chill.

?

Bu Yuehua shuddered in surprise, her brows furrowed as she looked around. She found that no one present reacted strangely, and everything seemed normal in the imperial city outside the window. Feeling bewildered, she turned and went to the window to look north.

Lin Wanyi, dressed in a dark green dress, stood behind Zisu. Because her expertise lay in treating women and children, she couldn't get a word in edgewise. Noticing the graceful lord of the manor suddenly running to the window, she followed him.
"Master, what's wrong?"

As she looked up, she found that her master seemed to have become a different person. His beautiful peach blossom eyes exuded an aura of dominance over the world, his pupils were like black abysses, and his expression was somewhat solemn.

"That brat, he started demanding things without my supervision, and now look what's happened..."

"Ok?"

Lin Wanyi was somewhat bewildered. She looked out the window but saw no one. However, the "brat" she was referring to was probably her man. She glanced back at Linghu Qingmo, who was comforting the princess outside the hall, and whispered:
"At a time like this, Xie Jinhuan and Sect Leader Nangong are still outside... um... pfft pfft?"

Although the description is subtle, the adjective itself is quite straightforward...

Ye Hongshang understood instantly. She had just sensed that Xie Jinhuan was acting strangely, and seeing the Fantian Umbrella begin to move, she turned her gaze back to him.
"They've never always been like this. You too, the first one to walk in, couldn't even hold a man's hand. You can make a flirtatious nun bewitch a man's mouth. If this continues, you'll end up sitting at the same table as a lump of coal."

Lin Wanyi blinked, feeling that her master's words were a bit too harsh, and replied:

"I've been busy managing the family business all these years, and can only practice my skills secretly. My cultivation level can't keep up with others. How can I be like my master, following him around whenever I want..."

Ye Hongshang gently shook her head: "For a woman to capture a man's heart, it's not about following him around; she needs to have methods. Do you know how that seductive Taoist nun managed to keep Xie Jinhuan hooked?"

Lin Wanyi pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses, looking a little curious:
"How was it secured?"

Ye Hongshang took out a small bottle from his bosom, poured out half a bottle of medicine, and handed it to Wanyi:
"I can't bring myself to talk about those methods, but you should read more of 'Yangchun Yan' and learn from it. Also, take this elixir; it can help with skincare and beauty..."

Lin Wanyi looked at the pills and said blankly:
"Isn't this a fasting pill? I haven't even reached the first grade yet. It would be a waste to just use it to nourish my skin."

"Sigh, a woman's looks are her capital. If you don't spend your money on yourself, how can you compete with the Nangong master and his disciples? That slutty nun has reached the highest level and is constantly taking pills. I won't even mention her purpose..."

"Yeah……"

Lin Wanyi blinked, thinking that her master wouldn't lie to her. She nodded to thank her master for his teachings, quietly put away the pills, and returned to Zisu's back.

Bu Yuehua stood by the window, and after a moment a fleeting look of bewilderment crossed her eyes. Then she looked around inexplicably, her gaze filled with confusion...

(End of this chapter)