“Let’s stop here.” Wen Mingyu turned around, bent down, and took out a Cold Spirit Fruit from her bosom, handing it to Tang Muxi.
Tang Muxi was still immersed in the legend of the Zhan, and was momentarily stunned when she saw this. It took her a while to slowly take it and ask, “Sister Mingyu? What’s this for?” Why give this out of the blue?
Wen Mingyu smiled casually and said, “This is something Bai Ling specifically left for you, entrusted to me to deliver, saying she’s afraid you’ll forget her.”
Bai Ling had been living quite comfortably in the demon realm lately. As a guest personally brought by the Western Demon King’s daughter, and seemingly possessing the bloodline of a divine beast, she was held in high esteem.
Not only did she enjoy good food and drink every day, but many visitors also came to befriend her. If it weren’t for Wen Mingyu shielding her, she might have even had a marriage proposal by now.
Tang Muxi was a bit surprised, holding the cool Cold Spirit Fruit, she put away her worries and asked with a smile, “How is she? Has she hidden her ears and tail well?” In fact, she quite liked those ears and the fluffy tail. If they were on her, she’d be excitedly wagging them every day. She could even hug them while sleeping, warm and cozy, it must be very comfortable.
“The transformation is already complete, she’s now staying in my palace, being well taken care of with good food and drink. In a few days, once my mother figures out her identity, she can return.”
After bringing her back last time, she had already asked her mother to research Bai Ling’s identity, but nothing was discovered.
Bai Ling’s appearance was clearly that of a snow fox, with cultivation only at the Golden Core stage, yet her mother couldn’t see through her demon bones, which was indeed rare.
Her mother’s cultivation was sky-high, and there were only a few in the entire cultivation world who could hide their identity from her.
Now, they had even brought in the knowledgeable Grand Elder to analyze together, and even the demon clan’s divine artifact, the World Lamp, was used. It shouldn’t take many days to get results.
Wen Mingyu speculated that Bai Ling might truly have the bloodline of a divine fox, and not a shallow one at that.
Tang Muxi nodded happily.
Wen Mingyu turned to look at Wen Fei, unable to resist asking again, “Aunt, are you really unwilling to come with me to the demon realm for a look?” Her tone was sincere, seemingly full of expectation.
Wen Fei sighed, stepped forward, and patted her shoulder, “My Dao bones are damaged now, staying here is actually beneficial for recovery. Besides, since I’ve already taken Tang Muxi as a disciple, I can’t just leave. Recently, with the Xia family incident and the emergence of evil spirits, it’s a significant matter. How can I leave at such a critical moment? Don’t bring this up again.”
Wen Mingyu furrowed her brows in silence, then after a while, she smiled and teased Tang Muxi, “I used to always call you little junior sister, never thought it would come true one day. Oh well, I’ll just be more diligent these days.”
Since her aunt wasn’t leaving, she could visit more often. If it weren’t for the sake of face, Wen Mingyu would even consider directly staying on the immortal island.
Tang Muxi laughed, “Don’t worry, Sister Mingyu. Once this matter is over, I’ll find time to take Master back to the demon realm for a visit.”
Wen Mingyu was surprised, “Really?” Tang Muxi nodded.
“Great! It’s a deal!”
*
After dinner, Tang Muxi didn’t retreat to the medicine garden or the alchemy room. She bathed early and then sat on her bed, lost in thought.
Her mind was a bit chaotic, mostly thinking about the Soul Dispersing Pill.
She had never seen a Zhan, only heard about them in various legends. Whether it was their taste for human flesh and souls or their difficulty to kill, they all happened to hit her most feared spots.
What a terrifying monster. If it was truly as Wen Mingyu said, she might really have to refine that Soul Dispersing Pill.
But refining a living person’s soul… just thinking about that scene was terrifying.
Tang Muxi felt a chill down her back, hugging her legs and curling herself into a ball. She turned slightly, falling onto the soft quilt, and let out a deep sigh.
Jiang Yin placed the demon vein on a deserted island first thing, using the Yellow Spring Water to create a place as ominous and dark as a ghost domain.
With these two items, nurturing a drought demon was no longer a distant dream.
Previously, when the Soul Jade Marrow advanced to the heavenly rank, it nurtured quite a few profound and yellow rank soul jades, even a few earth rank ones. Jiang Yin merged some of the lower quality ones into the corpse, using the cold power of the soul jade to nourish the soul locked within the corpse.
After finishing these tasks, the jade pendant in his bosom happened to flicker.
It was Hun Er. It seemed that the task entrusted to him finally had some progress. Jiang Yin connected to the communication jade talisman but didn’t speak, waiting for the other party to talk.
“Honored One,” Hun Er’s voice was slightly hoarse, with a long and soothing breath, indicating he had been doing well recently. “The task you entrusted to me has been completed.”
Jiang Yin responded with a faint “hmm”: “What did Hui Ju say?”
“The Daoist said, ‘The Yellow Springs have no gate, the seal is divided into three, the Nine Fiends are in turmoil, there might be a great disaster.'” Hun Er didn’t understand what Hui Ju and the Honored One were investigating, but recalling the Daoist’s solemn expression that day, he couldn’t help but tremble inside.
Jiang Yin frowned slightly, never expecting this result. The Yellow Springs have no gate, the seal is divided into three—was Hui Ju implying that the Wraith Seal was shattered, and the gate to the ghost realm could never be opened again? Absurd.
But recalling what Wen Mingyu mentioned about the “Zhan,” a thought quickly flashed through his mind. Abandoned by the Six Paths, transformed into Zhan… If this were true, it might be related to Xia Ci’s situation and the closure of the ghost gate.
“I understand. In the coming days, keep an eye on any wandering spirits or lonely ghosts in Youming City. If you encounter them, do not make it public, and closely monitor if anyone is deliberately guiding them,” Jiang Yin instructed further. “Especially pay attention to the movements of the ghost clan in the city. If necessary, you may capture one or two.”
“Understood,” Hun Er replied.
“Previously, I ordered you to recruit useful people. Is there any progress on this matter?”
“There is, but…” Hun Er hesitated.
“What is it?” Jiang Yin asked.
“To be honest, most of the people recruited are involved in shady dealings, cunning and deceitful, driven by profit, and may have ulterior motives.”
When he first arrived in Youming City, unfamiliar with the place, he recruited a group of people, only to later discover that most were professional thieves or involved in murder and robbery. However, with too many enemies, they couldn’t continue to mix in and turned to others for protection.
Jiang Yin was unconcerned and laughed, “No matter, those driven by profit are more loyal. I’m only worried if they want nothing.”
“In the coming days, I will send some magical artifacts and money over. You should secure a residence in the city…” After instructing Hun Er, Jiang Yin got up and returned to the room.
Pushing open the door, he saw Tang Muxi, freshly bathed, lying obediently on the bed. Somewhat surprised, he smiled and said, “I didn’t expect Junior Sister to be so eager to be punished, neglecting cultivation and going to bed early.”
In fact, when he saw her worried expression, he knew she was likely thinking about the Soul Dispersing Pill. Jiang Yin felt there was something fishy about it and didn’t want such a heavy burden on her, so he deliberately changed the topic.
Tang Muxi’s mind was still in disarray. Startled by his words, she sat up quickly, hugging her bare legs, and said, “Punishment? What punishment? Senior Sister, don’t joke around. Muxi is concerned about the world and has no mood for trivial matters.”
As she spoke, she swallowed and instinctively kicked her feet, moving towards the inner side of the bed.
So foolish, she didn’t even know how to escape.
Jiang Yin, in a good mood, smiled and leisurely walked over, blocking the outer side of the bed.
Now all the exits were sealed by her, and it was too late to run even if she wanted to.
“Concerned about the world?” Jiang Yin leaned closer but always looked down at Tang Muxi, like a condescending monarch, with a slightly teasing smile, “I didn’t expect Junior Sister to have such a grand sense of justice, truly a heroine.”
Tang Muxi, pressed back half a step by her, had her entire view occupied by Jiang Yin, feeling a bit intimidated, but still managed to retort, “Of course, Muxi is kind-hearted, pure, and simple, a rare good child, never petty.”
Between the lines, she subtly mocked that if Jiang Yin still punished her, it would be petty and unworthy.
Jiang Yin chuckled, leaned closer, and affectionately pinched her thin earlobe, “Since Junior Sister is a good child, you wouldn’t shirk responsibility, right?”
“Today, Junior Sister used an illusion to deceive Senior Sister, causing her to worry and fear, unable to eat. Do you think you should be punished?” As she spoke, Jiang Yin took Tang Muxi’s soft hand and placed it on her own heart.
“Listen, it’s aching and throbbing, beating non-stop.”
Tang Muxi rolled her eyes hard.
The first half sounded sincere, even making her feel a bit guilty. But hearing the latter half, she wished she could give Jiang Yin a good hit.
What does it mean to hurt so much that it throbs continuously? If the heart stops beating one day, that’s when there’s really a problem!
This is a determined punishment for her, not even pretending anymore. Tyranny! She wants to appeal! However, Senior Sister’s chest is so warm and soft… An inappropriate and unhealthy image flashed through Tang Muxi’s mind.
“Junior Sister even called Senior Sister an old fox, a big demon, Senior Sister is so heartbroken,” Jiang Yin approached again.
She was already very close, her ink-like hair falling near Tang Muxi’s mouth, slightly swaying with her movements, tickling the corners of her mouth with a tingling sensation.
Now, closing the distance even more, her lips were almost touching Tang Muxi’s ear, her breath like orchids, the moist air spraying into her ear, entering her body along with the soft whispers, stirring her mind into chaos.
Tang Muxi’s heart was pounding wildly, like a fawn running amok. Instinctively wanting to escape, but the only exit was blocked by Jiang Yin.
She swallowed, noticing a narrow gap under the big demon’s fair arm. In a moment of heat, without thinking, she quickly darted through, attempting to escape from the other’s grasp.
However, Jiang Yin seemed to have anticipated this, shifting her body and capturing Tang Muxi in her arms.
Due to the force of the impact, she couldn’t steady herself, her body trembling lightly as she fell sideways onto the quilt.
Jiang Yin smiled, “I never thought Junior Sister was so eager, couldn’t wait to throw herself into my arms. Rest assured, Senior Sister will treat you well.”
Tang Muxi was completely panicked now, struggling wildly with her limbs, “Let me go! Let me go! I’ll call Master, you’re bullying me!”
However, Jiang Yin remained unmoved, “Go ahead and call, see if your beloved ‘Master’ will pay any attention to you.”
Tang Muxi did call out, shouting loudly, crying and wailing, but no matter how much noise she made, the door outside remained still.
Jiang Yin smiled, not telling her that she had already set up a formation in advance, ensuring that no sound from inside would escape.
She cast a spell to fix Tang Muxi on the bed, turning to bathe while contemplating how to “tease” her later.
Tang Muxi was the type who would cause trouble if not disciplined for three days. Give her an inch, and she’d take a mile. Recently, Jiang Yin had been too indulgent with her, to the point where she was getting out of hand.
This wasn’t good.
The dignity of Senior Sister must not be compromised.
Otherwise, if she got too bold, she might really leave one day.
She promised to accompany her for the rest of her life, yet whether unintentionally neglectful or deliberately evasive, Jiang Yin had never heard Tang Muxi swear to never leave her side.
Her heart was always uneasy.
