IVYSCP - Chapter 74
Chapter 74
It would take Gu Huai another seven days to finish refining the pill for meridian reforging, and after the meridians were reforged, a period of recovery and recuperation would still be needed. Ling Qingyue had wanted to go to Liuyun Immortal Sect first by herself, but Pei Yin forbade it. That meant it would be at least half a month before they could set out for Liuyun Immortal Sect.
Although Liu Qingtang had begun showing some response to the outside world, her consciousness was still unclear. To dismantle the seal upon her spiritual platform, Chu Qianshan had placed her soul into a temporary slumber, while at the same time standing strict guard against Pei Yin, giving Ling Qingyue not the slightest chance to get close.
Chased out of the East Courtyard yet again, Ling Qingyue sighed and decided to go to Medicine Peak to have a look, and to take the opportunity to ask Gu Huai about the matter of this body of hers.
The moment Pei Xi entered Piaomiao Sect, she was like a mouse that had fallen into a grain jar, gorging herself somewhere in someone's dreams with no way to be found. As long as she didn't harm anyone or reveal her yao form, Ling Qingyue didn't want to bother managing her. Let her do as she pleased. Having her dreams eaten by a dream-eating tapir could be considered beneficial in some ways anyway.
Having no sword at hand was still inconvenient, so Ling Qingyue made herself a wooden sword, shaped to resemble Jiuge. That way, when she retrieved Jiuge later, Jiuge presumably wouldn't throw a tantrum over a wooden sword.
Along the way, Ling Qingyue also caught sight of Pavilion Master Shen of Linglong Pavilion, trailing behind Nie Wenxiao, shaking the round fan in her hand and laughing so hard she was practically swaying like a flower.
The Ancient Yao Forest realm had already closed, and everyone had gone back to their own homes. Only Linglong Pavilion still remained at Piaomiao Sect, ostensibly as guests.
When she reached Medicine Peak, there were no venomous snakes blocking the path this time, and Ling Qingyue made her way to the treehouse unimpeded.
A faint, elusive fragrance of pills hung in the air. Ling Qingyue looked into the distance but saw no sign of Gu Huai, and figured she was likely refining pills. Beside the treehouse was a newly carved-out cave dwelling. Outside the cave dwelling were two people, one holding a book in a state of fluster, the other lying half-dead on a chair.
Ling Qingyue's brow twitched, and her steps shifted toward the cave dwelling.
"Lin Zhao, what are you doing?"
Lin Zhao was so anxious that her forehead was covered in sweat. When she heard someone calling her, she instinctively looked up, and upon seeing who it was, her face lit up with joy. "Ah Xi! You're back!"
Once her delight subsided, she remembered Xue Zizai writhing in pain beside her. Lin Zhao hurried forward and pulled Ling Qingyue over. "Ah Xi, take a look at her, see what's going on. She suddenly vomited blood. I've been flipping through the Little Medical Immortal's medical text but I haven't found any matching symptoms."
She didn't mention that most of what was recorded in the Little Medical Immortal's medical text were poisoning symptoms. Xue Zizai's face was flushed red, and although she had vomited blood, the blood was bright red, clearly not a sign of poisoning.
Ling Qingyue's gaze shifted to Xue Zizai, a faint look of surprise in her eyes. "Qi Condensation stage six."
In just over half a month's time. Such talent, even if placed in Shangtianqiong, would be considered quite good.
Ling Qingyue vaguely sensed something was off. She bent down slightly, turned Xue Zizai's hand over, and clasped her wrist.
The eldest miss had been raised in luxury and comfort, her ten fingers never touching common labor. Now, thick, layered calluses had grown over her fingertips and palms, clearly from skin worn through before it had fully healed, then worn through again.
Remembering what had happened in Linshui Town, Ling Qingyue sighed inwardly. Spiritual energy flowed from her fingertips and probed along Xue Zizai's meridians.
Lin Zhao watched nervously from the side. "Ah Xi, how is she?"
In the past, she really hadn't liked Xue Zizai much. She herself relied on gathering herbs in the mountains to support herself and pay for her mother's medical treatment, while Xue Zizai was a spoiled eldest miss who never lacked for food or clothing. They hadn't had much interaction. But now, with only the two of them left from Linshui Town, watching Xue Zizai train day and night without rest to avenge them, no matter the hardship or fatigue, never giving up, her impression of her had long since changed.
"Nothing serious. Same as Meng Qi, trying to swallow something too big in one bite." Ling Qingyue began to slowly dissolve the several stubborn strands of spiritual energy tangled inside Xue Zizai's body.
"Meng Qi?" Lin Zhao was puzzled for a moment, then suddenly remembered such a person.
"Mmm…" Xue Zizai furrowed her brow, a glimmer of moisture tracing the corner of her eye.
She suddenly reached up and seized Ling Qingyue's hand, crying out indistinctly, "Mother, run, Mother…"
Ling Qingyue withdrew her spiritual energy, glanced down to see her wrist already reddened, and unceremoniously raised her other hand to pat Xue Zizai's face. "Wake up."
Xue Zizai's lashes trembled, then she slowly opened her eyes, a pair of reddened, tear-filled eyes. She froze when she saw the person in front of her.
After a long moment she came back to herself, abruptly let go, turned her head away and said stiffly, "So it's you."
Ling Qingyue raised a brow and deliberately placed her reddened wrist, which Xue Zizai had gripped, right in front of her.
Xue Zizai cast it a glance, naturally knowing she had done it herself. She gave a huff and muttered under her breath, "Sorry."
"What?" Ling Qingyue tilted an ear toward her.
"You!" Xue Zizai lifted her gaze to glare at her, fire in her eyes, and this time shouted it out loud. "Sorry! Satisfied?"
Ling Qingyue nodded at this forceful and thoroughly insincere apology.
Xue Zizai felt rather awkward. She stood up and walked off to the side.
Ling Qingyue asked, knowing full well the answer, "Where are you going?"
Xue Zizai didn't stop walking. "To train."
Ling Qingyue turned around, sat down in the chair, crossed her legs, and said unhurriedly, "If you want to cripple yourself, go ahead."
Xue Zizai stopped at once and turned to look at her.
She understood herself that those words were no idle threat.
"You've been secretly learning Piaomiao Sect's cultivation methods and mental formulas, haven't you? And more than one kind."
Xue Zizai felt as if she had been seen through completely, utterly exposed before her.
She had learned. She had learned many. Sometimes she followed behind Piaomiao Sect disciples and listened to the elders give their lectures. There was far too much she couldn't understand, but her memory was decent and she could retain most of it. She also knew her foundation was poor, that she had only just taken her first step, so she would secretly watch how the newly admitted disciples cultivated and learn from them. Over half a month, even she herself could barely remember everything she had learned, but her cultivation had indeed been steadily improving.
Ling Qingyue saw the disorientation in her eyes. Slowly, that disorientation began to show struggle, and finally turned into an unwilling, grudging resolve.
Xue Zizai strode quickly to the table beside them, poured a cup of tea, then walked over to Ling Qingyue, bent both knees, and knelt directly down.
Ling Qingyue was so startled she shot to her feet. "What, what are you doing?"
This eldest miss kneeling before her, what was the meaning of this.
Xue Zizai lowered her head and offered the tea with both hands. "You said before that I could take you as my master. I want to take you as my master now."
During her days at Piaomiao Sect, she had naturally heard how formidable the Elder Ah Xi of Water Cloud Dwelling was. She no longer arrogantly thought of taking a genius like Ling Qingyue as her master. Now, anyone who could help her increase her cultivation, who could lend her a hand, she was willing to take as a master.
Lin Zhao hadn't expected her to pull something like this either, and nearly dropped the medical text in her hands.
Ling Qingyue asked, baffled, "When did I ever say you could take me as your master?"
Xue Zizai raised her head and looked at her, her tone certain. "You said so."
Ling Qingyue was not accustomed to people kneeling before her like this. She shifted to the side, but Xue Zizai immediately shuffled on her knees to stay in front of her. No matter which direction she turned, Xue Zizai followed on her knees.
Ling Qingyue: "…"
"You don't have to do this." Ling Qingyue truly couldn't bear it. With a wave of her hand, she sent out a thread of spiritual energy to support Xue Zizai's legs and make her stand up.
Xue Zizai still held the teacup aloft, bent deeply at the waist in a grand bow, and declared with ringing conviction, "Master!"
Ling Qingyue stared at her in shock. When had she ever agreed?
Gu Huai emerged from the treehouse just in time to witness this scene. She raised a brow.
So she was taking disciples now.
"Master!"
Another cry, but it wasn't from Xue Zizai.
Gu Huai: "…"
Out of the corner of her eye, Ling Qingyue saw Lin Zhao dart out, heading straight for Gu Huai.
She blinked. Gu Huai had taken Lin Zhao as a disciple?
Gu Huai was shorter than Lin Zhao. She tilted her head up to look at Lin Zhao, her pitch-black eyes fixing on her as she said coldly and heavily, "What are you shouting nonsense for? Call me that again and I'll throw you out."
Ling Qingyue: "…"
She couldn't help but think of Meng Qi, who also seemed to have done the thing of kneeling down without a word and calling her master. What was with these three and the same affliction?
Gu Huai looked at Ling Qingyue, left a single "Come in," and then returned to the treehouse.
Ling Qingyue glanced at the teacup in Xue Zizai's hands but didn't take it. She did, however, offer a word of caution. "In a bit, I'll help you disperse your cultivation. Don't go around training recklessly before I'm back."
Xue Zizai nodded. "Yes, Master. Thank you, Master."
Ling Qingyue looked at Xue Zizai wordlessly for a long moment, then could only say, "I can help you, but I won't take you as a disciple."
Xue Zizai smiled. "Whatever Master says, goes."
Ling Qingyue: "…"
Seeing she couldn't get through to her, Ling Qingyue went into the treehouse.
The treehouse was piled with quite a number of spiritual herbs. Ling Qingyue swept her gaze across them, most of them sent by Shangtianqiong.
Gu Huai stood before the pill furnace, controlling the spiritual fire with one hand while observing the refinement of the herbs inside the furnace.
"Here to deliver Bai Ze's Tear?" Gu Huai asked without turning her head.
"Mm." Ling Qingyue placed the porcelain bottle on the table. "And to ask you a few things along the way."
Gu Huai's tone carried a note of surprise. "You really managed to find it after all."
Ling Qingyue looked toward the edge of the table and said idly, "That tone of yours, did you think Pei Yin wouldn't bring back Bai Ze's Tear? If she hadn't found it, would you have refused to refine the pill for her?"
Gu Huai let out a laugh, raised her hand to summon the porcelain bottle from the table. The bottle was transparent, and within it a single drop of silver liquid could be seen floating.
She opened the bottle, extracted half a drop, and guided Bai Ze's Tear into her mouth. In an instant, a bright white glow emanated from her body, and the dark circles around her eyes slowly faded to a light, pale gray.
Had she consumed the full drop of Bai Ze's Tear directly, the demonic qi inside her body likely would have been completely purified.
Ling Qingyue was somewhat curious as to why she had saved half a drop.
"Why not finish it?"
Gu Huai's hand paused as she put away the porcelain bottle. "Bai Ze's Tear is precious and rare. I have to study it thoroughly."
"All right." Ling Qingyue didn't think much of it.
After setting down the spiritual herbs, Gu Huai stood up and dusted off her hands. "What do you want to ask me?"
Ling Qingyue first told her about the Linshui Town wood carvings, Liu Qingtang, and the four demonized Shangtianqiong disciples in the Ancient Yao Forest. Only after that did she voice the question she wanted to ask. "That wood carving was stained with my blood, and there might be my blood on the four corpses too. As far as I know, only the blood of a Blood Demon can demonize corpses. You've researched Blood Demons before, so I wanted to ask you, this body of mine is half-human, half-demon. Could that demon half be a Blood Demon?"
"Who says only the blood of a Blood Demon can demonize people?"
Gu Huai's gaze fixed directly upon her. "The Formless Demon Lord's blood can do it too."
Comments
Post a Comment