The fairy forced me to marry into her family, so I retorted by throwing myself into the Pool of Fate

Inside the room, the candlelight flickered.

Li Ping sat in the chair, his hand on the armrest, his eyes fixed on the ground, seemingly lost in thought.

Mu Fangxu leaned against the wall, arms crossed, brows furrowed, glancing occasionally toward the inner room.

Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like water could be squeezed out of it.

The idea of ​​having Mu Junyi impersonate Ruan Ling'er was Li Ping's, and the choice of the person was made by Mu Fangxu.

At the time, both of them felt that although the method was simple, its advantage lay in its unexpectedness. Neither of them expected that Liu Qi was not there to save people, but to kill them.

Both of them were feeling bad about things having come to this point.

Time passed slowly, and after an unknown amount of time, the curtain of the inner room was finally lifted, and an old man came out.

The old man was thin, dressed in a faded gray robe, with a gaunt face and three long wisps of beard. He was none other than He Jiu, the physician employed by the Mu family.

Li Ping immediately stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Dr. He, how is the situation?"

He Jiu glanced at him and slowly shook his head: "He's still not awake."

Upon hearing this, Mu Fangxu immediately exploded.

"Still not awake?"

"Didn't you say before that there was no serious problem? Didn't you say that the vital energy point was avoided and there was no danger to your life?"

He Jiu raised his hand, signaling him to calm down: "Young Master Mu, please be patient and let me finish speaking."

Mu Fangxu took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing his surging emotions.

He Jiu sat down in the chair, considered his words carefully, and then said, "When you examined my injuries on the island before, my friend Li Ping was right."

The cone tip pierced the left rib, avoiding the heart meridian, and the dantian was not damaged. From the perspective of external injury, it was indeed not fatal.

But upon closer inspection, we discovered that the awl was no ordinary object.

He Jiu paused for a moment, then continued, "The inside of that Mist Shadow Cone contains a bloodthirsty aura, which is extremely insidious."

As the cone pierced Mu Junyi's body, the bloodthirsty energy seeped into the wound, clinging to his meridians and flesh.

Fortunately, we were taken to the hospital in time, and we have used acupuncture and medicine to dispel most of the blood evil energy.

However, a small portion of the bloodthirsty energy had penetrated deep into the flesh and bone marrow, becoming entangled with the meridians and difficult to separate.

Li Ping understood his implied meaning, paused for a moment, and then asked, "What will be the consequences if this bloodthirsty energy is not removed?"

He Jiu sighed and said, "Normally it's not a big deal, but the injury will ache slightly on rainy days or when fighting with others. Besides, it may also affect my future breakthroughs."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent again.

What cultivators fear most is not getting injured, but damaging their foundation.

Skin and flesh can heal, and magic power can be restored, but once the foundation is damaged, it's like someone drilling a hole in the bottom of a wooden bucket. You can't see anything about it normally, but you only find out when you need to fill it with water, and it can never be filled.

Mu Junyi is at the sixth level of Qi Refining and is not yet thirty years old. If this matter affects his future breakthrough, it will ruin half of his future.

Li Ping remained silent for a long time before raising his head and asking earnestly, "Doctor He, is there really no way to remove this bloodthirsty energy that has penetrated deep into our flesh and bone marrow?"

"Of course there is a way." He Jiu stroked his beard. "The blood evil energy is yin and evil, and it needs to be repaired and the remaining poison removed with pure substances. As long as we can find the right medicine, this blood evil energy will not be difficult to remove."

Upon hearing this, Mu Fangxu immediately asked, "Pure things, like what?"

"The root of the cold hibiscus and the lotus of the pure heart," He Jiu explained. "The root of the cold hibiscus is cold in nature and can clear the residual poison in the blood. The lotus of the pure heart is a holy product for purifying lust and evil. One of them is enough to remove that bit of blood evil energy."

If both are obtained, not only will the remaining poison be completely eliminated, but the opportunity will also be used to temper one's strength and might even become a fortuitous encounter.

Mu Fangxu pressed further, "Where can I find these two things?"

He Jiu said calmly, "When I was still in Qingfeng City, I heard people mention these two spiritual items."

Although Cold Pool Root is not common, large pharmacies in Qingfeng City occasionally have it in stock.

As for Qingxinlian…”

He shook his head and sighed softly, "This thing is even harder to find. I've only heard about it; I've never seen it with my own eyes."

The words were left unsaid, but the implication was clear.

The items exist, but they are rare and difficult to obtain.

Li Ping and Mu Fangxu exchanged a glance, but neither of them asked any further questions.

The two thanked He Jiu and turned to leave the room.

Night had fallen, and the Mu family's residence was bathed in moonlight. A sea breeze blew from afar, causing the lanterns under the eaves to sway.

The two walked side by side down the corridor, their footsteps making a distinct sound.

After walking a dozen steps, Li Ping spoke first: "Leave the matter of Cold Pool Root and Pure Heart Lotus to me. Anyway, I was going to ask someone to go to Qingfeng City to buy some things. I will definitely ask around when the time comes."

Mu Fangxu paused, his brow furrowing slightly: "Li Ping, what do you mean by that?"

Li Ping continued walking, casually saying, "The literal meaning."

Mu Fangxu grabbed Li Ping's shoulder and pulled him to a stop: "It's true that Mu Junyi impersonating Ruan Ling'er was your idea, but I was the one who chose the person. You can't take the blame for this alone."

Li Ping glanced at him, said nothing more, and simply said, "Alright, let's search together then."

Mu Fangxu then released his grip and nodded.

……

……

Meanwhile, outside the seaside courtyard.

Su Mei was flanked by two Mu family cultivators, one on each side, and walked along the stone path towards the depths of the courtyard.

Her dantian was sealed, and there was no fluctuation of magical power around her. Her steps were unsteady, and her face was pale, but her expression was still relatively calm.

Because she sealed her dantian and did not resist, and her attitude was cooperative, Mu Fangxu allowed her to see Ruan Ling'er once.

At the end of the path was a secluded courtyard, guarded by two cultivators from the Mu family.

The monk leading the way exchanged a few words with the guard, who nodded and made way for him.

The courtyard gate opened, and Su Mei stepped inside.

Inside the room, a young girl sat listlessly at the table, one hand supporting her chin, the other fiddling with an oil lamp. The flame flickered as she moved it, casting intermittent light on her delicate face.

"Ling'er," Su Mei called out.

Ruan Ling'er's movements suddenly froze. She raised her head, her gaze falling on Su Mei, somewhat incredulous: "Sister?"

She suddenly stood up and quickly walked to Su Mei: "Sister, what brings you here?"

Su Mei did not answer; she simply looked at Ruan Ling'er, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

Everything is fine, everything is fine everywhere.

Su Mei nodded heavily, but her eyes were red.

Seeing this, Ruan Ling'er's heart tightened, and she quickly pulled Su Mei to sit down at the table, pouring her a bowl of water: "Sister, what happened?"

Su Mei held the bowl but didn't drink. She lowered her head and remained silent for a while before finally speaking.

She recounted everything from being captured by Li Ping, to Xiong Pihai leading his men to the deserted island, and finally the battle on the deserted island. She spoke slowly, as if she were gradually lifting the weight from her heart.

After a long silence, Ruan Ling'er slowly spoke: "Sister, Liu Qi changed his mind at the last minute and wanted to kill me. Was it his idea, or...?"

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Su Mei remained silent for a long while, then said in a low voice, "What's the point of dwelling on this now? Everything is already irreversible."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Ling'er's nose tingled, and her eyes reddened even more: "It's all my fault. If I hadn't taken it upon myself to go find Li Ping, I wouldn't have been captured and brought here. If I hadn't been captured, you wouldn't have been implicated, and none of this would have come to this."

Su Mei raised her head and looked at Ruan Ling'er, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Speaking of which, Ling'er, why exactly are you looking for Li Ping?"

Ruan Ling'er wiped her eyes, took a deep breath to calm herself, and then spoke: "Sister, do you still remember that time when I was injured by my saber and came to Wenxiang Tower to ask for your help?"

Su Mei frowned slightly and nodded: "How did this matter get involved with sabers again?"

Ruan Ling'er said, "It's not him, but the aura on his body."

"breath?"

"Yes." Ruan Ling'er nodded. "When Ma Dao came that day, I smelled an extremely strong aura of a water-based spiritual creature."

Su Mei knew Ruan Ling'er's abilities; she had mermaid blood flowing through her veins and was born with an extraordinary sensitivity to water-based spiritual energy.

"Later, after careful investigation, I discovered that the aura didn't come from Ma Dao himself, but from the traces of magic left by the person who injured him," Ruan Ling'er continued. "I followed this clue all the way, and finally..."

"So you finally found Li Ping?" Su Mei continued her question.

Ruan Ling'er nodded.

Seeing this, Su Mei asked again, "You're looking for him because of that water-based spirit creature?"

Ruan Ling'er nodded gently, then shook her head: "At first, I thought that someone who could possess such a pure water-elemental spirit must have other good things on them. If I could exchange them for it, it would greatly benefit my cultivation. But later, I was overcome by greed and didn't think about exchanging them, and as a result, I was caught."

Su Mei remained silent for a long time after listening.

Ruan Ling'er looked up at Su Mei, her eyes filled with confusion and unease: "Sister, what should we do now?"

Su Mei sighed softly and gently patted Ruan Ling'er's back: "The Giant Whale Gang is gone forever. Now we can only follow the Mu family's arrangements."

Ruan Ling'er bit her lip, remained silent for a moment, and finally nodded.

The two sat side by side like that, neither of them speaking.

After an unknown amount of time, the monk guarding the house gently knocked on the doorframe: "It's almost time."

Su Mei stood up and instructed, "Ling'er, stay put, I'll figure something out."

After saying that, she turned and walked out of the house.

The courtyard gate closed again, and the two guarding cultivators exchanged a glance. One of them whispered, "You two stay here and keep watch. I'll be right back."

The other person nodded.

The cultivator turned and left, his steps hurried, passing through the corridor, around the screen wall, and heading towards the East Courtyard.

He wanted to report everything he had just heard in detail.