Accompanying Zheng Yan into the room was none other than Yu Ci. After extricating himself from the chaos of the Demons, he wasted no time in ascending towards the peak of the valley. With the Divine Map at his disposal, he was able to choose the shortest and safest route, while the others at the White Sun Mansion were still struggling to find their way upwards, entangled with the ferocious Birds of Prey. His speed was more than tenfold faster.
Thus, despite setting off nearly a day later than Huang Tai and the others, he arrived almost simultaneously.
For this reason, he was able to witness the conflict at the valley's peak.
However, Tu Du's appearance was too sudden, and his attack was swift and ruthless. Yu Ci didn't have time to employ his "Three Calls in One Breath" technique before the two sides separated. He was not entirely clear about what happened in between, but he had a clear view of the peculiar conversation between Ming Lan and Zheng Yan.
For some reason, he took the initiative to greet Monk Zheng Yan, asking him to lead the way to the dwelling of the Thousands Spirits Sect. To his surprise, Monk Zheng Yan readily agreed, resulting in the scene that startled Cheng Rong.
"Is your health improving, Daoist Cheng?"
Yu Ci's demeanor was much more amiable than when they first met. After all, he was not unrelated to the day's events, not to mention the innocent young girl who was harmed by the monstrous Tu Du because of him.
Cheng Rong glanced at Monk Zheng Yan, understanding that Yu Ci was already aware of the inside story. He naturally claimed to be unharmed, but Yu Ci did not exchange pleasantries with him any further, directly asking:
"How is Little Nine?"
Cheng Rong had only just woken up and had only briefly seen the young girl. Besides worrying and sighing, he couldn't say much, so he simply invited Yu Ci and the others to visit her together.
In Little Nine's sleeping quarters, there was only one maid from her family, whose cultivation level was mediocre. She was at a loss, as the young girl was delirious, her face pale, mumbling incoherently, and restless. The maid was in a panic when Yu Ci and the others entered the tent.
"Little Nine." Cheng Rong's concern for Little Nine was undoubtedly genuine. Seeing her in such a state, he was so shocked that his soul nearly left his body. He rushed over to comfort her, forgetting about his two guests.
Yu Ci remained silent, walking to the bedside, half-kneeling, and gently touching the girl's forehead. It was cold to the touch.
Behind him, Zheng Yan spoke in a low voice. His voice was even more serpentine, eerie and terrifying. "She appears to have been harmed by the Yin Spirit's Demonic Nature, damaging her Divine Soul. It's not too serious, but she will need to recuperate for a year or half a year. She must not be frightened again."
What Zheng Yan said was of utmost importance.
The Yin Spirit is obtained by cultivators refining their hidden consciousness and purifying their Heart Demon. But the Heart Demon of a person is born and dies with them. Even after achieving the Yin Spirit, it does not rest. Ordinary cultivators would constantly refine it to achieve Yin Spirit purity. However, some would use certain methods to subdue the Heart Demon for their own use, releasing it on their enemies, damaging their Divine Soul, which is extremely malicious.
Perhaps it was Tu Du's practice of such methods that after the transformation of the Yin Spirit, he was entangled by the Heart Demon, his aura oppressively cold. Against a young girl with such a shallow cultivation level, there was no need for any tactics. As long as the Yin Spirit touched her, the Heart Demon would instantly possess her, damaging her Divine Soul.
Cheng Rong's teeth gritted so hard they squeaked, "I swear, I will never coexist under the same sky with Tu Du!"
Yu Ci didn't say anything, but Zheng Yan snorted derisively, clearly disdainful of Cheng Rong's tough talk. He probably didn't mean any harm, it was just his nature to be like this. Cheng Rong knew this, but seeing Little Nine in such a state, how could he bear it? His eyes were already bloodshot from anger.
Zheng Yan wasn't afraid of him, he cast a sideways glance, curious if this guy would dare to start a fight inside the tent?
Before Yu Ci could speak, the little girl beside him suddenly stopped moving. Her eyes widened in terror and then she started screaming.
The atmosphere inside the tent was disrupted by the scream, instantly becoming tense. By the time the three men recovered, the little girl had already grabbed onto Yu Ci's arm, clinging to him like a drowning person clinging to a piece of driftwood.
Her mind was clearly somewhat confused. One moment she treated Yu Ci as a safe haven, crying into his arms, the next she treated him as a mortal enemy, scratching and biting. After a long struggle, she finally calmed down a little.
Cheng Rong, on the other hand, was both heartbroken and embarrassed. Afraid to speak and disturb her, he could only express his gratitude to Yu Ci with his eyes.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Before Yu Ci could respond, the little girl, who had buried most of her body in his arms, seemed to wake up a little. She opened her eyes in a daze, her gaze moving past his chest to his face. She clearly recognized him, but for some reason, she called him by this name:
"Brother Fishbone?"
Her soft call, as delicate as a lamb, echoed in Yu Ci's ear, slowly spreading out, as if it had been dispersed by a wind from a long time ago.
Yu Ci was stunned.
A long time ago, many people called him that, but almost every one of them ended up falling or even dying in the bottomless demonic cave of the Twin Immortal Sect. All the bright memories eventually became shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to breathe.
When he was chatting with the little girl on Sky Rift Valley, he mentioned some things about the Twin Immortal Sect, but he didn't expect Little Nine to use that name first. Of course, there was a bit of the little girl's silly thoughts in this, but this call seemed to bring the sunlight back into his life!
In the moment of his daze, the slightly sober little girl finally realized that the person in front of her wasn't in her dream. She let out a soft gasp, a faint blush rising on her pale face. Children have their own thoughts, soft and messy, like a ball of cotton stirred together, but in the end, it was diluted by pure joy:
"Mr. Yu, it really is you!"
Little Nine's eyes sparkled, the radiance seemingly permeating her entire face, rousing her to full wakefulness and infusing her with vitality. "Looking at the pallor of Huang Tai's face, I knew Mr. Yu must be alright. Not to mention them, even..."
Before she could finish, the most level-headed among them, Monk Zheng Yan, coughed, "Your Divine Soul is still injured, avoid extreme emotions!"
Yu Ci quickly understood, gently soothing Little Nine and coaxing her to rest with her eyes closed.
Little Nine, however, was clearly not in the mood to sleep. She glared at Monk Zheng Yan, but upon seeing the monk's unattractive face, she became frightened and buried her head in Yu Ci's chest, refusing to move it.
Cheng Rong finally caught on. If half of the "Rotting Soul Fire" technique of the Thousands Spirits Sect was used on the Divine Soul, he understood it better than Yu Ci and Zheng Yan. Knowing that none of them were skilled at healing Divine Soul injuries, he sent for Elder Yu Xuan.
The elder, though a calm and composed man, was highly skilled in techniques of calming the mind and bewitching the soul. Upon entering the tent, he cast several mind-calming talisman spells, which proved to be highly effective. After a few mumbles, Little Nine finally fell asleep in Yu Ci's arms. Yu Ci did not let go immediately. Only after confirming that Little Nine was sound asleep did he carefully settle her down. The others in the tent exchanged glances and then left.
Outside the tent, Cheng Rong first expressed his gratitude to Yu Ci. However, after this ordeal, his spirit seemed even more wilted. Elder Yu Xuan also said that Cheng Rong's Divine Soul injury was much more severe than Little Nine's. If not properly treated, it might not fully heal even after several years, and his cultivation level might even regress significantly. This was indeed a serious problem.
But at this point, Cheng Rong seemed to have accepted everything. Regardless of how Zheng Yan might react, he apologized, forced himself to stay alert, pulled Yu Ci aside, and said in a low voice:
"Mr. Yu, with Tu Du present in the Sky Rift Valley, no one can compete unless the Sect Master or Uncle Hu personally comes. Staying here will only lead to humiliation. Furthermore, Little Nine's Divine Soul is injured and needs to be treated. What I mean is, we should break camp and return today..."
At this point, Cheng Rong no longer addressed Yu Ci as "Daoist friend," but followed Little Nine in calling him "Mister," which was more intimate. Yu Ci understood this, but didn't understand why Cheng Rong was telling him all this.
Cheng Rong promptly said, "After our encounter, I brought up the matter of the Ghost-Face Flower to the Clan Leader. He immediately agreed to gift the two Ghost-Face Flowers from our Sect's collection to you, sir. They are currently en route, and I will have someone in the camp keep watch and receive the items. You can collect them at your convenience. Please accept this humble gesture."
This proposition was unexpected. Yu Ci was taken aback, surprised at how readily the Thousands Spirits Sect had agreed to this, their intentions of cooperation clearly evident.
Cheng Rong continued unabashedly, his voice deep and resonant, "Sir, you are a discerning man. You can see the state of our Sect and understand the arrogant and overbearing ways of the White Sun Mansion over the past few decades. We and the White Sun Mansion are irreconcilable enemies. But our current lack of strength forces us to bide our time, awaiting the right moment to fight, even if it means mutual destruction. We ask only that you take care of yourself and avoid any retaliation from the White Sun Mansion. When we meet again, we shall stand side by side against our enemies!"
With that, he bowed, turned, and left.
Shortly after, the encampment was bustling with activity as the members of the Thousands Spirits Sect stationed there began to break camp and prepare to move out. Little Nine, who had been sound asleep, was among them.
Yu Ci stood outside the camp, letting out a sigh. Truth be told, no matter how impassioned Cheng Rong's speech was, it was hard for it to move him. A grand Cultivation Sect, instead of pursuing the path to immortality, was fighting tooth and nail over some inexplicable benefits, their vision locked onto this corner of the sheer cliff city. This narrow-mindedness was disappointing.
On this point, both the White Sun Mansion and the Thousands Spirits Sect were cut from the same cloth, neither deserving of sympathy.
However, there was Little Nine...
As he was deep in thought, someone behind him chuckled. Recognizing the sound, he knew it was Monk Zheng Yan.
Monk Zheng Yan's laughter was not meant to show off his broken voice, but rather to challenge others' tolerance with his sharp tongue, and he found great amusement in this.
“Look at you, all filled with righteous indignation...”
“Righteous indignation?”
Yu Ci wondered which of Monk Zheng Yan's eyes saw him as indignant. Then he realized this was likely a test and didn't mind it. He had nothing to hide:
"Should the Thousands Spirits Sect reach the White Sun Mansion's position, they may not necessarily do a better job."
Yu Ci pointed out the reality of the situation succinctly, then shook his head, "I just find it strange. Old Monster Tu Du is a well-known figure. Why would he want to trouble a child?"
Zheng Yan's laughter became even more obnoxious, "You want to reason with a madman?"
“Oh?” Hearing Zheng Yan's interest in elaborating, Yu Ci listened attentively.
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Important characters are making their appearances, and the supporting roles are also stepping onto the stage. We seek your clicks, bookmarks, votes, and praise.
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