Chapter 292: Old Charlatan?

"Fen Tian doesn't know who I am; he values my medical skill and wants to recommend me to the Seek Dragon Gate Sect Master." Chi Nan Yi said seriously, "I've heard my maternal grandfather mention that Seek Dragon Gate was a former‑dynasty force; because its ruler was decadent and unrighteous, the people suffered, and after it was overthrown the remnants remained resentful and still plot restoration."

"Indeed, and under their Sect Master there are eight guardians, all descendants of former‑dynasty ministers, each with profound strength, hard to deal with."

Chi Nan Yi, hearing that, smiled and brushed the tip of her nose: "There should now be only six guardians left."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Bai Lao was startled at first, then exclaimed, "You… you killed two of the guardians?"

"Hmm, that's right."

The Bai father and son exchanged a glance and both inhaled sharply.

"Hahaha, good! Good! Truly worthy of Si Tu Fu's daughter! Well done! Decisive and ruthless—only that way can one achieve great deeds."

"I, the junior, don't seek great achievements; I only wish to avenge my parents and repay the deaths of tens of thousands of fallen soldiers."

Bai Lao patted her shoulder and praised, "Excellent! The old man will join you; we'll cut him down to the bone! For the first strike, we'll start with Fen Tian."

"Achoo!"

Fen Tian, who was waiting for news in the manor, rubbed the tip of his nose—was it a cold from the wind?

"City Lord!" the guard sent to follow returned hurriedly.

"Did you find (him/her)?"

"Returning, City Lord, the trail… the trail was lost."

"What?" Fen Tian's anger flared; he kicked out, "Lost the trail? At your age, you actually lost it?"

"City Lord, calm down; Divine Doctor Si Yi moves incredibly fast, and my men fell farther behind her, eventually unable even to spot her shadow."

"Useless!"

Today, after boasting with the Sect Master's entourage, we angered someone and lost them the same day.

How am I supposed to report this to the Sect Master!

"Keep searching!"

All night, the city was brightly lit, and torches‑wielding guards could be seen everywhere on the streets.

They turned the city upside down, yet not even a trace of the medicine chest could be seen.

At this moment, Chi Nan Yi was searching for herbs in the dense forest outside the city.

The herbs of Xijiang differ from those of Daqi.

Chi Nan Yi observed for a while and found that most of the herbs here are related to gu.

There are herbs for nurturing gu, for dispelling gu—everything you could imagine.

"There are quite a few good things here, and luckily my space lacks herbs for nurturing gu, so this harvest is abundant," she thought, storing the herbs. At that moment, a strong fragrance drifted from deep within the forest.

"What is that smell?"

Looking at the deep opening that resembled a lion's mouth, Chi Nan Yi slightly raised an eyebrow.

The scent seemed to come from there.

It was like a flower but not a flower, with sweet fruit fragrance, intermingled with a hint of raw wood scent.

Could it be the legendary herb?

Her eyes brightened; she drew the whip coiled at her waist and walked deeper into the forest.

The air in Xijiang is extremely humid; Chi Nan Yi had thought the deeper forest would be even more sticky, but as she went further, a series of cool breezes came from within.

"This is…" As she passed the dim path, an expansive valley unfolded before her eyes.

"Who comes?" Before she could step in, an aged voice rang out, the sound waves striking her eardrums, and Chi Nan Yi's heart tightened.

The inner strength of this person far exceeded her own imagination.

"Junior Chi Nan Yi, I have mistakenly entered this treasure land and disturbed your senior's cultivation; please forgive me."

"Chi Nan Yi, is your surname Chi?"

"Yes."

As the words fell, a white afterimage flashed; before she could recover, an elderly man with graying hair stood only half an arm's length away.

"Tsk, not bad, not bad, indeed a descendant of the Chi Family. If I'm not mistaken, you must be the child of that Chi Family girl!"

He recognized her identity at a glance; who exactly is this old man?

"Young one, no need to deny hastily. I have already said that I wouldn't let her marry Si Tu Fu; she wouldn't listen, and I, who has always been strict with fate, knew that if she married him she would only meet a fatal end. However…" The elder examined her with his gaze, counted on his fingers, narrowed his eyes, and a hint of surprise flickered: "Logically, you should already be dead; how are you here?"

Chi Nan Yi's heart sank completely.

"This is…"

Old Charlatan!

The point is, he truly can divine things.

"Staring at me, what are you doing?" the elder stroked his beard, smiled lightly, and said, "Not only you, even your maternal grandfather must behave properly before me. You, a junior, dare to glare at me—aren't you afraid I might throw you out of the valley?"

Chi Nan Yi heard this, smiled, and said, "Since you granted my mother a fate, it shows you are very close with my maternal grandfather; how could you throw a junior out? That would tarnish your reputation if it spread."

"Smooth talker," the elder muttered, turning toward the valley: "Your mother wasn't obedient; had she listened, she wouldn't have met that end."

"Perhaps. But since this is the path my mother chose, I think in her heart marrying my father was even more important."

The elder stroked his beard, nodded, and said, "When mountains have no edges, rivers run dry, winter thunder roars, summer snow falls, heaven and earth unite, only then would I dare to sever ties with you. You, girl, are still young, yet you live so insightfully!"

Chi Nan Yi smiled, "I was not insightful before; after experiencing life and death, I attained great enlightenment."

"What do you mean?"

"Ask what love in this world truly is—so that people pledge life and death to each other. Countless lovers exist, yet only a few achieve it. If one truly finds a soulmate, sharing life and death is a beautiful tale. But if one meets a hypocritical gentleman, no matter how tangled the past affection, one must promptly cut the karmic ties and slay the unfaithful."

"Hahaha!" the elder laughed, "Alright, alright, you girl is far stronger than your mother; I like that. However, I don't agree with the latter part of your words."

"Once the karmic ties are cut, there's no need to cling. If you take their life, the karma isn't truly severed; having been reborn, why involve yourself in another's life?"

"Rebirth?"

Chi Nan Yi's pupils contracted sharply.

He knows!

He actually knows he is a reborn person!

"You..."

The old man smiled faintly: "If you can find this place, it is fate; I will grant you a destiny."

The fingertips flowed, and Chi Nan Yi's brows furrowed slightly.

At this person's fingertips, there seemed to be specks of starlight.

"A soul from another world, defying heaven to change fate, breaking shackles, reborn anew—yet hatred fills the heart, burdening the self." The old man looked at her and said in a deep voice: "If you are too obsessed with revenge, it will do you no good."

Chi Nan Yi heard the words, her gaze dimmed: "Since you know I am a person from another world, I will not conceal it from you—this grudge I must avenge. Having occupied her body, if I cannot avenge her, then in the Nine Springs my soul will not rest; and my parents too—since they were harmed by treacherous ministers, how could the wrongdoers escape retribution? With corrupt officials in power, the realm is unsettled; if all, for their own selfish interests, refuse to step forward, the world will fall into great disorder, bringing the myriad people to water and fire."