Chapter 130: Layers of Mist

Just let it go like that? That guy surnamed Zhang ruined my prospects, stole what should have been ours! Third Granduncle, we can't just accept defeat like this!

Not accept defeat? What do you want to do?" Lin Hai lifted his pair of cloudy eyes, his voice dry and hoarse, "What can we use to fight the Qin family? What can we use to fight that brat who can slap flying corpse puppets with bare hands and move the pill cauldron?"

We could..." Lin Feng gritted his back teeth, "We could go seek refuge..."

Shut up!" Lin Hai let out a sudden roar, cutting him off, "Do you want to drag the whole Lin family into a pit of fire to burn to death?"

In the Lin family manor, despair spread like a plague, hearts wavered, and there were faint signs of division.

A certain dark, damp underground space.

Zhou Qian knelt on the icy ground, his body trembling like chaff in a sieve.

In the darkness before him, that vague humanoid figure emitted a chill that was more bone‑piercing and frightening than ever before.

Trash!" a voice like scraping rusted iron sheets sounded, without hiding its fury and killing intent, "Not only did you fail to get the pill cauldron, you even broke the corpse puppet, and were completely suppressed by a green‑horn brat's Pure Yang Technique!"

An invisible wave of icy cold power slammed hard into Zhou Qian!

Ugh——!

Zhou Qian let out a stifled, extreme wail, his whole body curling up, as strands of black qi frenziedly crawled under his skin, like countless tiny worms gnawing his bones and flesh.

The backlash of the evil technique was forcibly triggered, its taste worse than death.

That… that brat's Pure Yang Technique… is too… too strange… it seems… able to directly stir the core inside the cauldron…" Zhou Qian gritted his teeth in pain, forcing out words from between his teeth.

Pure Yang restrains Yin evil, not strange. But he can draw on the Medicine Sect Core—that's interesting…" The dark figure paused, as if pondering, "Looks like what they hold may be more than we thought."

After a brief silence, that icy‑cold voice sounded again:

Keep an eye on them both. Use every means to dig out the details of their cultivation arts. If we can directly seize their arts, or… seize the people themselves, that would be even better. As for that broken cauldron… hum, whatever's sealed inside should be about time to come out and stretch its limbs.

Zhou Qian lay panting on the damp cold ground, cold sweat soaking his clothes through.

Hotel room.

Zhang Jun and Lin Xue nearly collapsed onto the sofa at the same time, both looking poorly.

Just now, forcibly severing the link with the bronze cauldron, that recoil struck the mind and inner strength heavily.

There's really something inside that cauldron." Zhang Jun rubbed his throbbing forehead; the earlier chaotic, violent surge of consciousness still left him with occasional palpitations.

Lin Xue nodded, her voice a little floaty, tinged with lingering fear: "It's powerful, a chaotic mess… like the grudges and killing intent of countless people mixed together."

She raised her hand, watching her still‑slightly trembling fingertips: "Our technique is incomplete; forcing it will only release that thing."

Neither spoke further.

The Medicine Sect Pill Cauldron is a tempting piece of meat, but the danger hidden inside is also terrifying.

Zhang Jun took out that bronze fragment from his pocket, and Lin Xue also produced that dark‑blue crystal.

The two fragments were placed side‑by‑side on the coffee table, examined under the lamp light.

Hmm?" Zhang Jun leaned in closer.

After being scoured and back‑flushed by that burst of energy from the bronze cauldron, the patterns on these two fragments seemed a bit clearer than before.

Those originally blurry fine lines now looked as if they had come to life, faintly flowing with a thin layer of light.

Moreover, the mutual pull and sensing between them had also grown noticeably stronger.

It was as if something inside had been awakened by that jolt.

The two said no more, each found a spot, sat cross‑legged, and began to circulate and adjust their inner breath.

The pure energy that had poured back from the cauldron, though it made them feel awful, had indeed tempered their inner strength.

Zhang Jun guided the pure yang flow with a hint of profound yin resilience in his dantian, feeling smoother and more rounded than before. That resilience was like a sturdy thread winding around the originally overbearing, rigid pure yang, adding a touch of finesse to the control and use of power.

Lin Xue's profound yin inner strength was also quietly changing.

Within that extreme icy cold, a hint of indescribable warm vitality appeared; it was no longer pure dead‑cold freeze, but carried a subtle flavor that could nurture life.

The night grew ever darker.

Knock knock.

The knocking sounded again.

Zhang Jun opened his eyes and exchanged a glance with Lin Xue.

This time of night…

The door opened, and standing outside was indeed Qin Yueyao.

She had changed into a dark‑blue gown, came late at night, but her expression was even more solemn than in the daytime.

Sorry to disturb your rest." She entered the room and placed a tightly sealed file bag on the table.

This is everything the Qin family could currently find—scattered records about the Medicine Sect, plus the latest movements of the major undercurrents in the capital, especially some speculations about the background of the Zhou family.

She paused, then added, "Regarding the old gentleman at the east alley of White Pagoda Temple, we've uncovered some old tales about that residence. It's said that long ago, that place might have been… a secret outpost of the Medicine Sect left in the capital."

Zhang Jun picked up the file bag; it felt weighty in his hand.

What the Qin family produced this time was clearly much more substantial than before.

Thanks.

Qin Yueyao gave a slight nod: "My father's intention is that our cooperation with you two is sincere. I hope you can see the Qin family's sincerity."

She didn't linger longer, turned and left.

The room door closed gently.

Zhang Jun tore open the file bag's seal, and he and Lin Xue leaned together to flip through it quickly.

The information inside was messy, but the amount of information was indeed large.

Behind the Zhou family, there indeed faintly points to an extremely ancient, deeply hidden evil cultivator gang, whose codename seems related to the character "Shadow".

As for the record of that old residence at White Pagoda Temple, it further mentions that a strange fire broke out there a century ago; after it burned out, the place became especially desolate, and rumors of hauntings spread.

Medicine Sect outpost… evil cultivator organization… hauntings…" Zhang Jun tapped his fingers lightly on the table; the clues were growing more numerous, yet the mist seemed to thicken as well.

What the Qin family gave us—how much is true, how much false? And how much was deliberately mixed in to lure us toward a certain direction?

He raised his head to look out the window; the night was so thick it was like ink that wouldn't dissolve.

"Looks like I have to go again to the East Alley of White Pagoda Temple."

Lin Xue gazed out the window; the city's scattered lights reflected in her icy pupils as fine specks.

She didn't answer immediately; her brow furrowed slightly, as if she were straining to recall something.

Faint light and sound, intermittent noises, began to flash again deep in her mind, bringing a cold that was both long‑forgotten and deeply etched.