Chapter 156: You're Even Less Human Than Second Master

Mu Mu Yun Hong kept her divine sense sealed the whole time and did not wake up even after returning to the inn.

Xie Jinhuan leaned against the edge of the bathtub, channeling his icy qi to help drain the fire-heat. Since she was wearing a skirt and there wasn't much to see, he simply listened to the sounds outside the window.

About an hour or so had passed. The immortal officials of Jingcheng and experts from all over had basically all rushed to Yunling County. The streets were full of the sounds of soldiers and horses running, figures occasionally streaking across the rooftops, and one could even hear people outside discussing:

"That great demon seems to be He the Imperial Father-in-law. This is simply…"

"I heard he's old and greedy for life, colluded with the Mingshen Sect, deceived those above and below, secretly harming people to extend his life…"

"Just today alone he killed over a thousand people. Executing nine generations of his clan wouldn't be enough…"

"The current Emperor can be considered an enlightened ruler. He's been badly victimized this time. The Daoist sect is probably in for it too, making such a huge mess…"

……

Xie Jinhuan had seen He the Imperial Father-in-law at the Linde Hall. Because the concealment by secret method was deep enough, he truly hadn't noticed anything off at the time.

This mastermind behind the scenes—from when he had just woken up and gone to Danyang to find Yang Dabiao, encountered three bandits, all the way until today when he finally dug them out—was indeed not easy.

But this definitely wasn't the truth. The Mingshen Sect had laid out such a massive chess game, with inside agents in Wang Fu and the various government office of Jingcheng, even penetrating as far as the Emperor's father-in-law, and in the end they say it was just an old man practicing demonic arts out of greed for life? That's not a joke?

But if the imperial court officially defines the case, it ends at He the Imperial Father-in-law. He definitely couldn't investigate further upward. After all, with his current cultivation, if he really dug up something that shook the Daqian dynasty's mandate, the imperial court would very likely have to painfully eliminate him, the one who raised the question.

The matter of the Hua Yao Dan had come to a temporary end. Next was to go back and watch Immortal Zisu refine pills.

Perhaps he still needed to investigate the ghost bride's origins. If she turned out to be a good wife, with his current merits, he could basically indulge in pleasure and revelry to his heart's content. But Fan Li didn't know either, and others probably weren't sure either…

As he mulled this over in the dark, the body's self-protection after the fierce battle receded, and his arms, shoulders, and back began to ache faintly, as if tens of thousands of needles were stabbing into his flesh—not very painful, but a bit uncomfortable.

Xie Jinhuan frowned slightly, raised his arm to look, took the pre-prepared bruise ointment from beside the bathtub, poured it into his palm with one hand, and then rubbed it on his shoulder.

Sshhh~

He had only just applied a few strokes when a sound came from behind him.

Splash~

Nangong Ye was entirely submerged in the water, seemingly with her eyes tightly shut like unmelting solid ice, but in reality she had been pretending to faint the whole time, to avoid the awkwardness of Xie Jinhuan mentioning the matter of grabbing the dragon sinew earlier.

When she noticed that one hand was channeling qi to her while the other was applying medicine to himself, she couldn't hold it any longer, surfaced, let out a long breath of stale air, and put on the appearance of just waking up:

"Phew… thanks. Does your shoulder hurt a lot?"

Although Xie Jinhuan had been grabbed hard by the venomous-handed sword girl, he had also grabbed the other party for half the day on the road, so they were even, and he didn't bring it up:

"It's alright. How's your body?"

"I'm alright too."

Though Nangong Ye said so, in her heart she was actually very worried.

The Immortal-Burning Gu would corrode part of the qi meridians every time she exerted her qi. Having gone all-out today, she had already reached the limit of what her body could bear. Even with the help of the Soft Maiden Powder, she didn't dare to strike again. Every day from noon to the hour of utmost yang, it would likely act up, growing more and more violent, until sudden death…

Yet the yin-cold qi she had felt on Xie Jinhuan seemed able to dissolve the yang poison…

If dissolved, she wouldn't be at anyone's mercy, and could easily handle that demonic woman who had harmed her to this state…

For that, she still needed Xie Jinhuan's help…

Splish splash~

Nangong Ye flipped out of the bathtub. With just a slight tremor of her whole body, the water on her soaked black dress shook off as mist, restoring it to seventy or eighty percent dry. She took the ointment and helped Xie Jinhuan treat his shoulder, asking in puzzlement:

"Why do you have yin-cold qi similar to that of Queyue Mountain Manor on you?"

"Mm… I separated it out using 'Reverse Dragon Parting the Sea.' At first I wanted to use it to detoxify you, but this stuff isn't easy to give you."

Utmost yin qi, within the scope of yin-yang and the five elements, could theoretically be separated out by pouring wax backward on a candle, but purifying and filtering it to such a pure state was extremely time-consuming and laborious.

Nangong Ye had actually already noticed earlier that the yin-cold qi was locked within her body. To get it, simply pulling it with qi wasn't enough—Xie Jinhuan had to actively force out the yin-cold qi, and she had to absorb it quickly, otherwise the endlessly generating yang qi would soon erase the yin-cold qi.

That's not right…

From Xie Jinhuan's situation, actually as long as Xie Jinhuan could be made to force out the yin-cold qi, she could use it. It wasn't necessary to cross the line…

But even if Xie Jinhuan forced out the yin-cold qi, she had to stay nearby, otherwise the contamination of the world's utmost yang astral wind would quickly dissipate the yin-cold qi…

What a mess this all is…

Nangong Ye felt that the methods of the Wu Sect demonic girl truly harmed people. She didn't say more at the moment, just slightly furrowing her brow as she carefully applied the medicine to his shoulder, back, and arms, her expression like an icy female ancestor helping her little disciple bathe.

Xie Jinhuan always felt that Seeing Bing Tuozi's aura was too strong, with a sense of treating him like a little kid. But the feeling of a small pony pulling a big cart was also rather fun. He thought about it, pressed his lips together, and began to whistle:

"Doo-woo-woo~…"

The whistle wasn't lewd; its rhythm was light and gentle, giving the silent, wordless atmosphere a touch of the warm coziness of a young husband and wife, the man tilling and the woman weaving.

Seeing that this kid was starting to flirt with her again, Nangong Ye's movements paused. Her slightly upturned phoenix eyes were very stern.

Xie Jinhuan's whistle stopped:

"Just bored, don't misunderstand. As the saying goes, if one's own heart isn't proper, everyone looks crooked. Miss Mu, don't go getting paranoid."

Nangong Ye knew this principle, but you—a lone man and a lone woman—blowing "Butterflies Love Flowers" late at night, how could the intention be proper?

"If you're bored, then cultivate."

"No matter, I can blow while cultivating. When I learned my craft before, it was like this—practicing calligraphy while playing a tune, and at the same time standing in horse stance to cultivate…"

"?"

Nangong Ye frowned: "With your mind split like that, can you achieve anything?"

"Can't, so I'm not skilled at anything, but it's enough."

Xie Jinhuan smiled, then continued amusing himself:

"Doo-doo-woo~ doo-woo…"

Nangong Ye had nothing to say, and could only be forced to listen to the tune while seriously treating the wounds…

——

Weizhou, Sancha Ridge.

Dense forest blotted out the sky; no one for several li around.

In the woods, He Can wore a bamboo hat, skewered a roasted snake on a wooden stick, and held it over a campfire to smoke. He looked toward the southeast and asked:

"Why do I feel a chill down my back? It feels just like at Huaijiang Bay—where the young master was turned into an orphan in the blink of an eye..."

Zhang Chu, with his sword hanging at his waist, sat opposite, holding a wineskin:

"You're sitting upwind; how could your back not feel chilly? The smoke is blowing straight into my face..."

"Couldn't you just move closer?"

"Don't think I don't know your thoughts. Tai Shu Dan has killed more teammates than you can count..."

He Can had nothing to say, so he changed the subject and asked:

"Did Xie Jinhuan's father meet his end at this very spot three years ago?"

"Yes."

Zhang Chu scanned the forest: "Back then, Xie Wen was seen as merely a sixth-rank martial artist, traveling with only servants. The sect just sent someone to silence him. Who would have thought they wouldn't kill him, but instead bred such a huge vicious tiger?"

He Can said, "So, your Mingshen Sect handles things crudely. But it's understandable; demon cultivators who focus on body cultivation never train their minds. Even if they did, it would be useless."

"Hmph..."

Zhang Chu didn't refute this. After all, minds are what ghost cultivators train. Body cultivators go berserk as soon as they fight; intelligence and combat power are inversely proportional. What's the point of being so smart?

Originally, Zhang Chu wanted to lift the wineskin for a drink, but as he raised his hand halfway, he suddenly noticed his left hand trembling slightly. He couldn't even hold it steady. His eyes instantly changed:

"You?!"

He Can, turning the roasted snake, shrugged slightly:

"This snake is from 'Heishan Shanfeng'. It governs the Five Elements of Fire and Wood. I didn't remove the venom sac. Once roasted, the potency is so strong it could knock a bull unconscious. Add the strong liquor bought from Huang Tong Town, and the alcohol masks the numbness. By the time you realize it, you won't be able to stand."

Thump~

Zhang Chu grabbed his sword and tried to rise, but stumbled, collapsing into the leaf-littered forest. He tried to activate his half-demon body, but found he had no strength.

He Can tossed the roasted snake into the fire, stood up, and looked on with a sigh:

"Knowing my master is the rebellious disciple of Master Sikong, you still dared to sit upwind and eat. It's no small feat you lived this long. Since we've known each other, I won't refine you into a puppet ghost. Let's part on good terms. If you're found dead here, it's not my fault. After you die, remember to pray for me so that fellow doesn't hunt me down again. I'll burn plenty of paper money for you."

"Heh~"

Zhang Chu's face turned red. He propped his head against the ground, trying to rise, but after struggling twice, he rolled back onto the ground.

He Can approached, picked up the sword, took out the money bag and banknotes, bowed with clasped hands, then turned and left.

However, after taking just two steps, he noticed a shadow floating beyond the range of the bonfire's light.

The shadow was wrapped entirely in black smoke, like a flame drifting through the forest. Its form and face were completely invisible; one could only see that it seemed to be holding something in its hand.

"Oh my! Third Master!"

He Can clapped his hands loudly, so happy he almost jumped up. He quickly returned the sword and banknotes to Zhang Chu, helped the man up, and said:

"As expected of the Mingshen Sect, truly deep and calculating. I guessed it would be like this. I was just joking with Zhang Chu, Third Master, don't take it seriously..."

"Heh..."

Seeing the dark figure in the distance, Zhang Chu actually thought it was Wei Yunya. But this ghost envoy in front of him was clearly different from Third Master. Third Master's smoke was pure black, governing the Five Elements of Water.

This ghost envoy's black smoke leaned red, indicating proficiency in Fire techniques.

Each region has only one ghost envoy, responsible for recruiting new members and enforcing discipline. This ghost envoy was clearly not from the Jingzhao Prefecture area.

Zhang Chu wanted to ask, but was too poisoned by that bastard He Can to speak.

The ghost envoy in the forest didn't speak either, simply raising a hand to signal them to follow, then turned and drifted toward the depths of the forest.

He Can felt this time the odds were truly against them. He hoisted Zhang Chu onto his shoulder, staggered toward the woods, and after thinking for a moment, said:

"Xie Jinhuan has set his sights on me and Zhang Chu. If you recruit us, it might be inviting a wolf into the house."

The shadow ahead replied, "The sect has an order: the Jingzhao Prefecture branch has been eradicated. The remnants are to be accepted by the Northwest Branch to fill vacancies in the capital. You know too much. If you don't come with us, you will be dealt with according to sect orders."

He Can was baffled: "I'm not even part of the Mingshen Sect. I asked you for information, you were evasive and wouldn't say anything, and now I know too much?"

"You know the Mingshen Sect still has a Northwest Branch preparing to fill the Jingzhao Prefecture vacancies."

Damn it...

He Can was stunned. He opened his mouth, then finally nodded:

"Makes sense! How should I address you?"

"Xue Chanzi. I hold the third seat in the branch. According to sect tradition, you may continue to call me Third Master."

"Oh... Xue Laosan, you're even less human than Second Master..."

"Demon cultivators always make full use of everything. Get used to it..."

———

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(End of Chapter)