Chapter 217: Causes and Conditions in the Dark, the Moon in the Water

Banxia had been too anxious earlier to pay attention, but now she finally realized what the little spirit beast meant by "again"—it was referring to Liu Xia.

The spirit beast, which looked just like a Jiqiu, was now bouncing over to stand before Liu Xia, extending a fat tongue to lick his face over and over, looking extremely satisfied; Banxia felt a sudden chill at the sight.

Yet Liu Xia smiled as he picked up the spirit beast, saying with a straight face, "People are not for eating."

This looked rather comical.

Just as Banxia found it amusing, a sudden tremor shook the earth, accompanied by loud shouts:

"Hug! Hug!"

Banxia looked toward the sound and saw a hulking figure rushing toward her from afar; Liu Xia shouted repeatedly, "Watch out!"

But before she could clearly see the person arriving, she was plunged into a furry embrace.

At first, it felt comfortable, but then a wave of dizziness washed over her, as if she had fallen into the clouds and mist.

Liu Xia, standing to the side, covered his face with his hand; the thing holding Banxia was a massive ball of fur, now rolling around on the ground while emitting a sound like a satisfied purr.

After quite a struggle, Liu Xia finally rescued Banxia, and supporting her as she walked unsteadily, he fled from the chaotic scene.

After resting for only a short while, Banxia could no longer contain her curiosity and asked, "What is this place? How did you end up here? And what is going on with those spirit beasts?..."

She asked a whole string of questions in one breath, and for a moment, Liu Xia didn't know where to begin; however, seeing that Banxia was still her usual self, he just smiled, his face radiant like peach blossoms and his eyes shimmering like water.

After asking for a long while without a response, Banxia poked Liu Xia and said with a look of complaint, "I'm asking you a question, why are you just smiling like a fool?"

Liu Xia clutched his slightly aching ribs and coughed lightly to cover it up, saying, "You've asked such a jumble of questions, where do you want me to start?" As he spoke, he helped the still-breathless Banxia sit down before he began to deliberate.

"This place is the cave dwelling of Fairy Yaoji..."

"Fairy Yaoji!" Upon hearing this, Banxia jumped up in shock, "Isn't she... isn't she..."

Liu Xia hurriedly patted Banxia's shoulder soothingly, nodding to signal her to sit back down. After Banxia sat down, wide-eyed, she blinked and asked in a hushed voice, "The books say she should be at Guyao Mountain, right? Why is she in Yunmeng Marsh?"

Liu Xia did not know about this either; he didn't even know where Guyao Mountain was, but as he had said, this was indeed the cave dwelling of Fairy Yaoji.

After Liu Xia jumped into the Water Mirror, he was immediately plunged into a state of Chaos, and before long, he lost consciousness; when he woke up, he was already here. He only remembered that at the time, a beautiful woman was sitting beside him, feeding him water with flower petals, but that was only for an instant before he passed out again.

Later, when he woke up again, he was surrounded by that group of little things. It was only after those little spirit beasts scrambled to explain that he roughly understood where he was.

The explanation left Banxia speechless; this was essentially the same as knowing nothing at all!

Forget it, forget it! She herself was still confused, so she couldn't blame others.

"Then... where is Fairy Yaoji now?" Banxia asked instead.

"This..." Liu Xia frowned, "It is said she went outside, but there is no way to know what she went to do..."

"If that's the case, let's leave quickly. We don't know where Lingxiang and the others are; it would be better to find them soon."

Banxia was about to stand up as she spoke, but a little ball crawled out from the grass nearby, shook its body, and said softly, "The Fairy has said, you may stay here," then it acted all profound and said, "Ten thousand causes and conditions all have their destined numbers. What is sought and what is requested will come of their own accord in the dark."

Seeing the snow-white ball looking so serious, Banxia and Liu Xia looked at each other.

In front of the Black Wood Forest, several people were sitting cross-legged; according to Lingxiang, meditation was the best way to practice Seeking Qi, but this method required one to pour twelve parts of their energy into it, and once seated, one's five senses would be sealed, making it impossible to perceive anything in the outside world.

Therefore, this method was also the most dangerous; if there was no reliable person to guard them, one must never use it.

Long Qi trusted Lingxiang implicitly, and upon hearing that mastering this method could help him comprehend the Dragon Family Sword Technique, he threw himself into it wholeheartedly. Zhao Wuyang also had a simple mind and did not doubt Lingxiang's words, so after listening to her, he followed her instructions to meditate and seal his five senses.

Admittedly, what Lingxiang said was indeed reasonable; Xin Yi also had some understanding of Innate Qi and knew the gravity of it—if one could truly comprehend even a little, the improvement in cultivation compared to the present would be far from trivial. But he always felt something was strange; their current situation was not very safe, so why did Lingxiang choose this moment to tell everyone about Innate Qi?

Although Lingxiang was somewhat eccentric in her daily behavior, she was by no means someone who couldn't distinguish between what was important and what was not, and she would certainly not treat everyone's safety as a joke. Yet this move truly left Xin Yi unable to understand; it wasn't that Xin Yi didn't trust Lingxiang—having spent a long time with her, he knew her character well—but her actions this time were truly a bit inappropriate.

Not to mention that Guihua was currently lurking and her whereabouts were unknown, the bizarre aura permeating Yunmeng Marsh alone was enough to make one wary.

What exactly was Lingxiang up to?

Xin Yi could not figure it out; although he sat cross-legged like the others, he never relaxed his vigilance, glancing from time to time at Lingxiang, who was closing her eyes to rest.

After the previous incident with the E-beast, Lingxiang's abnormal behavior now made him have to be on guard. But just as he looked at Lingxiang again, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him.

Lingxiang smiled first, then pinched her fingers to form a seal, and after some maneuvering, she set up several layers of Dharma Array around Long Qi and Zhao Wuyang.

Xin Yi was shocked at the sight; could this Lingxiang also be fake? But just then, he saw Lingxiang gently put down Adao, whom she had been holding, and actually walk out of the Dharma Array herself.

"Who exactly are you!" Xin Yi gripped the blade at his waist, looking wary.

He had seen the injury on Lingxiang's foot, which was definitely not something that could heal in a short time, but the person in front of him seemed as if she had never been injured at all, her steps steady, with no sign of limping.

Throughout this journey, they had never been separated; when exactly was this person swapped with Lingxiang?

Where was the real Lingxiang?

Watching the person in front of him walk toward him step by step, Xin Yi already had fine beads of sweat on his forehead, yet he dared not act rashly.

Yunmeng Daze was an ancient land, and the hidden talents within were immeasurable; the fact that this person could swap Lingxiang right under their noses showed her ability, and if he attacked rashly, he would certainly not be able to win.

The person in front of him had no intention of attacking either, nor did she speak; she just stared at him, getting closer and closer, and closer...

Xin Yi had never felt such pressure before; just as he was preparing to strike, the person in front of him pinched her fingers in an instant, and he could no longer move.

It was at this moment that the person raised her hand, pinched her fingers again, and then pointed at Xin Yi's chest...