Chapter 203: Sui Spirit Pearl

"People's hearts are easily changed, and no one knows what will happen in the future, but at this very moment, the bond of brotherhood between you and Fairy Ruan remains strong. Since Fairy Ruan is willing to disregard her own safety to save you, what harm is there in the Young Master saying a few words that please her?" Cang Lin was still earnestly trying to persuade Qintai He.

In all fairness, although Cang Lin felt Ruan Xing was mysterious and dangerous, compared to the Qinghong Zhenjun from the distant Central Province whom he had never met, Ruan Xing felt much closer.

After all, it was she who brought the Young Master back, allowing the old mistress to be reunited with her grandson before she passed, preventing her from dying with regrets and eyes left open.

She also gave him the opportunity to break free from Qintai Mo's control.

Regardless of what Ruan Xing's purpose was, Cang Lin harbored a trace of gratitude toward her deep in his heart.

Cang Lin could not understand; Ruan Xing hadn't even asked the Young Master to swear a Heavenly Dao Oath, it was just a few words, was it really that hard to say? If Ruan Xing truly turned against the Young Master's master in the future, it wouldn't be too late to think of something else then!

Qintai He slowly shook his head, "I will not lie, and I do not wish to lie to my Junior Sister. Although she has deceived me, I cannot deceive her. How can I give a promise for something I cannot do?"

Ruan Xing had already finished looking through the few remaining rooms.

To her great disappointment, aside from some furnishings that could weakly gather Spirit Qi, there was almost nothing inside.

As a Clan Leader, did he really have no private assets at all?

After thinking for a moment, Ruan Xing took out Qintai Xiao's Storage Ring and shook the tiny Nascent Soul of Qintai Xiao in her other hand.

After the explosion, Qintai Xiao's last shred of hope had been extinguished. Being held in Ruan Xing's hand like a kitten or puppy was already humiliating enough, so he made no reaction at all, letting Ruan Xing do as she pleased.

Squinting her eyes at him, Ruan Xing threatened, "If I wanted to kill you, wouldn't it be more convenient to just scatter your Divine Soul right now? Do I really need you to unlock the restriction on the Storage Ring?"

A glimmer of spirit appeared in the eyes of the tiny Nascent Soul, and he asked hopefully, "Will you let me go?"

"Of course not," Ruan Xing said decisively, then smiled with some malice, "If you listen obediently, I will consider your wishes. If you want to live, I will refine you into a Puppet to serve as my subordinate. If you want to die, I can give you a quick end in a few days. But if you intend to work against me, perhaps I will turn you into food for one of my Puppets, or use you to experiment with a new pill formula I've been developing. Which one do you like?"

The tiny Nascent Soul couldn't help but shiver, trembling in terror, "Such a cruel Demon Cultivator..."

"Enough nonsense, are you unlocking it or not?" Ruan Xing said impatiently.

The tiny Nascent Soul immediately caved, "... Unlock."

He obediently removed the restriction on the Storage Ring.

Ruan Xing's Divine Sense probed inside to check the contents.

She frowned as she looked; the items in the vast ring space were pitifully few.

They might not even add up to ten thousand Spirit Stones in total.

Her tone turned unfriendly, "A Spirit Severing True Monarch, a Clan Leader, and this is all you have in your pocket? Is it your personal hobby to protect four-digit assets with a six-digit space Dharma Artifact?"

She felt an absurd sense of having been played.

The tiny Nascent Soul hurriedly began to defend himself. Seeing that Ruan Xing was already angry, he didn't dare call her a Demon Cultivator anymore, "Fairy, spare me! It is not that I intended for it to be this way!"

They had been fighting for a long time earlier, and he and Cang Lin had been cursing each other for quite a while, yet he had never seen Ruan Xing's expression change.

How was it that as soon as she saw his Storage Ring was empty, she seemed like a completely different person?

She already had two Spirit Tools, why would she care about these peanuts?

Qintai Xiao couldn't fathom it, but he still explained to Ruan Xing in a panic, "Although the family treasury is nominally under the full control of the Clan Leader, the previous Clan Leader abdicated because his lifespan was coming to an end. Although I successfully took over the position of Clan Leader, he did not give me everything a Clan Leader should have! He didn't even let me see the Sui Spirit Pearl, the Spirit Tool passed down through generations of Clan Leaders, let alone anything else!"

"I am just a wooden Puppet in his hands as Clan Leader, but I just held my nose and endured it for the sake of the few decades he had left to live."

The chubby tiny Nascent Soul trembled with indignation.

Ruan Xing suddenly thought of something and asked, "So, the problematic Psychic Jade you gave to Qintai He was also approved by the previous Clan Leader?"

"Of course. Ever since Qintai Gu refused the marriage arranged by the Clan Leader and acted on his own to marry a female Cultivator from the Central Province, the previous Clan Leader had been dissatisfied with that branch. I had only just become Clan Leader at that time, how would I have the heart to care about a child whose parents were both dead? Leaving Qintai He in the Central Province was a tacit decision they made; in their hearts, they never considered the son of the rebellious Qintai Gu as one of their own!"

Qintai Xiao said indignantly.

It seemed the story of Qingping Xianzi and Qintai Gu was only beautiful on the surface.

In reality, this Immortal Couple was something the majority of people in both factions did not wish to see succeed.

"Then what is the Sui Spirit Pearl?" Ruan Xing asked.

"It is a Spirit Tool passed down by the Qintai Clan, its origin is untraceable. But as far as I know, the Sui Spirit Pearl contains a Small World within it, with infinite space beyond imagination, and it can store living things. It is not considered an offensive Spirit Tool, nor is it defensive. Successive Clan Leaders have always used the Sui Spirit Pearl as a treasury; it is not only convenient for storage but also easy to carry around."

Ruan Xing understood after hearing this.

Isn't this just like the spirit spring spaces mentioned in various novels from her past life?

She wondered if there was a spirit spring inside the Qintai Clan's Sui Spirit Pearl.

She felt tempted. Hearing Qintai Xiao say it could be carried around, she figured the previous Clan Leader wouldn't just leave such a treasure lying around randomly; perhaps it was truly on his person.

She hurriedly went to look among the pile of corpses outside.

But with various severed limbs mixed with flesh and soil piled together, it was impossible to tell who was who. Ruan Xing could only search according to the positions they were standing in before the explosion.

After searching for a long time without finding it, Ruan Xing used a Divine Ability, silently chanting "Sui Spirit Pearl" in her heart, wanting to grab it over.

However, she had never seen what the Sui Spirit Pearl looked like, so obviously, the Divine Ability failed.

She thought about waking up the previous Clan Leader's remaining Nascent Soul... but looking at the dying, muddled state of the one in her hand, she figured it wouldn't be able to recover to normal without resting for a period of time.

She sighed and walked out of the room.

She had delayed here for long enough; after dawn, the time for the Real-scene Simulation would increase by another day.

Because the Array Boundary of Qintai Manor had been destroyed, she could now even sense many unfamiliar auras around the perimeter of the manor.

They were hesitating and did not dare to approach.

It was likely that Cultivators from other families within a hundred miles had heard the commotion and come to check the situation.

Ruan Xing walked up to Qintai He and asked indifferently, "Have you decided?"

Qintai He had tidied his clothes, but his whole person was filled with a gloomy, dispirited air.

He lowered his head and said, "I have no way to choose. I can only tell you that I will never let my master hurt you, nor will I let you hurt my master."

This was the best solution he could think of.

"It's fine." Ruan Xing stood on tiptoe and pinched his face, smiling at Qintai He's surprised and bewildered gaze, "If you could think of some perfectly flawless approach, then you wouldn't be you."

She waved at the gloomy young man before her, "Goodbye."

【Simulation Ended】

Returning to one day prior, Ruan Xing faced Qintai He, who was oblivious to everything at this moment, her expression somewhat complex.

"What do you mean?" Qintai He looked blank.

"Nothing." Ruan Xing said, feeling a bit listless.

Qintai He didn't mind, instead happily draping an arm over Ruan Xing's shoulder, "Then come back with me first."

Qintai He brought Ruan Xing back to Qintai Manor; the things the two chatted about had basically all been discussed during the Simulation, so Ruan Xing couldn't help but be a bit perfunctory in her attitude.

The slow-to-realize Qintai He noticed something was wrong with her and asked with some concern, "Did you suddenly come back this time because you're out of Spirit Stones again?" He hesitated for a moment before saying, "When you leave, I'll give you another eight thousand Spirit Stones to use."

The Spirit Stones he could control and distribute were only enough to last him until the Nascent Soul stage, and he held no official position in the Qintai Family, so the people of the Qintai Clan would not provide him with an excessive amount of resources.

He was worried that Ruan Xing would run short of Spirit Stones while traveling, and he was also worried that Ruan Xing wouldn't come to see him for three or five years.

He no longer had anyone particularly close to him in this world; his master counted as one, and his junior sister counted as another.

He wouldn't be able to see his master for a long time, so seeing his junior sister was the only solace that could make him happy.

Ruan Xing was stunned for a moment, then lowered her eyes and said, "Okay."

That night, Ruan Xing went out of the courtyard quietly, all by herself.

The route she had taken during the last Simulation was still fresh in her memory; Ruan Xing did not encounter any obstacles along the way and arrived once again outside the Clan Leader's courtyard.

She already had some understanding of Qintai Xiao, so even if she came alone this time, she could handle him.

Calling for Sword to enter the Invisibility Channel, she passed through the Array Boundary in the courtyard but did not rush to come out.

Listening to the sound of flowing water beside her ears, Ruan Xing walked directly to within three feet of Qintai Xiao along with Sword.

And Qintai Xiao still had no awareness of it at all.

Ruan Xing couldn't help but look at the words on the paper in front of Qintai Xiao.

It was just a pity that Qintai Xiao flipped the page too quickly; before she could see the specific content, the paper was wiped away and destroyed by Qintai Xiao using Spiritual Power.

She only saw the last line.

Offer the Spirit Pearl to obtain extended life.

"Damn liar!" Ruan Xing couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Qintai Xiao had even said things like he couldn't touch the Sui Spirit Pearl at all and that he was just a Puppet for the previous Clan Leader.

No, he was already at death's door, what was the point of lying to her? This bastard was truly bold.

But fortunately, the last time was a Simulation, and this time she had caught him in the act.

Ruan Xing didn't wait any longer and struck directly, her palm gripping and tightening the invisible thin thread! Having gained experience, finding the thread of a living person was much faster than last time.

Qintai Xiao suddenly felt as if his heart had been grabbed by someone; he couldn't breathe and his eyes widened.

Sword appeared behind him at the same time, five fingers forming a claw and grabbing toward his back.

And A Jiao also suddenly flew out, piercing through his chest and dantian while Qintai Xiao was struggling to resist the unknown power and trying to turn back to counterattack.

Ruan Xing released the thin thread, then gripped her palm again.

Qintai Xiao's Nascent Soul miniature figure appeared in her palm.

The Nascent Soul miniature figure shouted in panic: "Who are you! What are you doing!"

"You must pay the price for your deception." Ruan Xing walked out of the Invisibility Channel and said coldly.

Qintai Xiao, regardless of the fact that he was now a fish on the chopping block, was stunned.

"What did I lie to you about? I don't even know you!"

"Don't worry about that." Ruan Xing hummed, "Where is the Sui Spirit Pearl?"

Qintai Xiao's eyes rolled, and the chubby face of the Nascent Soul miniature figure wrinkled into a miserable expression, wailing: "Fairy, did you come for the Sui Spirit Pearl? But you've found the wrong person! Although I am the Clan Leader of the Qintai Clan, I am just a marionette; the person behind me..."

Slap! Ruan Xing was impatient to listen and directly slapped the Nascent Soul miniature figure across the face.

Qintai Xiao swallowed the words he hadn't finished.

He fell silent.

Ruan Xing slapped him again, smacking the miniature figure's chubby face until it was crooked on one side.

The Nascent Soul body is a combination of Divine Sense, soul, and Spiritual Power, so naturally, it is not as solid as a physical body.

His head was only distorted for a few seconds before it quickly recovered.

"I get beaten if I speak, and I get beaten if I don't speak..."

Qintai Xiao said with grief and indignation.

Who is this person? She's too unreasonable! She ran into someone else's house to kill their physical body and still wanted to torture the other party's Nascent Soul!

"I'll ask you one last time, where is the Sui Spirit Pearl?" Ruan Xing asked sinisterly.

This was reality now; she didn't have that much time to play mind games with Qintai Xiao.

It was just that what she found incredible was why Qintai Xiao wasn't afraid of death.

His life was still in her hands, yet he dared to lie to her.

He shouldn't have any trump cards or methods, otherwise, he wouldn't have been easily killed by her twice.

Qintai Xiao curled up in a wronged manner, lacking the tyrannical appearance he had when facing Cang Lin and Qintai He in the Simulation, "I didn't lie to you, it's really not in my hands, but I can take you to find it..."

The Nascent Soul miniature figure raised his hand to swear in her palm, "Fairy, my life and death are in your hands, how would I dare to lie to you? I only ask that after you find the Sui Spirit Pearl, you can leave me a way to survive."

He spoke very humbly.

Although Ruan Xing didn't believe him, she felt it was worth a try.

With a turn of her mind, she opened the Real-scene Simulation.

【In Simulation】

"Lead the way." Ruan Xing released her hand, lifted her chin, and commanded.

The Nascent Soul miniature figure floated to the side to guide Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing's thoughts drifted away.

In the last Simulation, from going to Qintai Manor with Qintai He to pretending to be in seclusion and almost being possessed by the Psychic Jade, a total of seven or eight days had passed.

This time, after she entered the manor, she found Qintai Xiao on the very first day.

Perhaps it was the difference in time that allowed her to see that letter in Qintai Xiao's hand.

However, who exactly wrote that letter to Qintai Xiao? The final two words, "life extension," made Ruan Xing's heart feel heavy.

Could it be... related to a Demon Cultivator?

She could not help but recall that in many previous Simulations, regardless of whether Xie Yao attacked Nanzhou or Central Province, Xizhou was almost never affected.

Outside, the various Immortal Sects fought to the death, while inside, the families of Xizhou remained in complete harmony.

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