Chapter 19

With the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, it took less than an hour to reach Beiliang County. Lin Pei’s divine sense swept the area, immediately sensing Le Li’s presence, but failing to find Yu Sulan’s. He quickly reined in the shuttle and descended from the clouds.

Le Li was currently dealing with Chang Boyu, who had come to inquire about Yu Sulan and her. Only Le Li had come out to speak with him. "Senior Sister is currently unavailable; pray, remain calm and patient!"

A flicker of spiritual light flashed by as Lin Pei appeared beside Le Li. Immediately, a restrictive barrier descended. Chang Boyu blinked, only to find an invisible membrane blocking him from the scene, rendering him unable to see what was happening inside. He widened his eyes, marveling at the wonders of immortal arts.

"This junior disciple greets Martial Uncle!" Le Li hurriedly saluted. Without waiting for Lin Pei to ask, she recounted the events in detail. "There has been no word from Senior Sister until now. I am truly worried she has encountered danger, which is why I reported it to you, Martial Uncle."

"You did exactly right. I shall head to the Chang family ancestral estate now." Lin Pei then realized he had not yet exchanged voice-transmission talismans with Le Li. He had her produce one to exchange. "In the future, send word directly to me if anything happens."

A gentle breeze brushed past, and Chang Boyu suddenly found the membrane had vanished. He could see Le Li once more. From start to finish, he had not even realized Lin Pei had been there.

With Lin Pei headed to the ancestral estate, Le Li felt a sense of relief, a faint smile appearing on her face. "Senior Sister has already gone to your ancestral home. You may return and await news!"

"Ah?! Fairy Yu has already gone? When did she go? Just now? Will Fairy Le not be going as well?" Chang Boyu asked in rapid succession, filled with surprise.

Le Li lowered her gaze and said calmly, "Do not ask what you should not, and you will be told what you need to know."

"Ah, yes!" Chang Boyu departed, looking dejected.

Le Li returned to her room to meditate, waiting for Lin Pei to bring Yu Sulan back.

As for Lin Pei, he appeared in a flash of light upon the roof of the Chang ancestral estate. His formidable divine sense expanded, filling every corner of the residence. Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He leaped down to the mouth of a well in the back garden and jumped in. Following this, he fired a burst of spiritual energy, and the stone slab before him moved aside silently, revealing a passage large enough for a person.

He flew into the passage, his divine sense scanning ahead to find various arrays blocking the path. Lin Pei’s mind stirred as he summoned his spirit sword, breaking the arrays as he moved forward. While these formations slowed his pace, they posed no substantial obstacle.

Near the end of the passage, he finally found Yu Sulan. Beneath a protective light barrier, she sat face-to-face with an old hag. Their palms were pressed together, and Yu Sulan’s face was contorted, her expression vacant as her body trembled incessantly.

At that moment, within the spiritual core of Yu Sulan’s brow, two souls were locked in a life-or-death struggle. One was the old hag’s soul, attacking and tearing at Yu Sulan’s soul like a rabid dog, its vicious appearance suggesting it wished to swallow her whole. The other was Yu Sulan’s soul, struggling desperately to flee and resist, biting back fiercely at the old hag’s soul whenever the chance arose.

Seeing this, Lin Pei immediately understood that Yu Sulan was undergoing a forced possession; the old hag intended to seize her body for her own. He raised his sword, accelerating the destruction of the arrays as he approached the light barrier.

The old hag finally sensed Lin Pei’s arrival and was filled with vexation. She had not expected this girl’s rescue party to arrive so quickly. Fearing Lin Pei’s strength and realizing the mission was doomed, she suddenly withdrew her soul, intending to flee the spiritual core and return to her own body.

Yu Sulan’s soul was startled for a moment, but sensing Lin Pei’s presence, a burst of grief and rage erupted. She turned the tables, giving chase to the old hag’s soul and biting down hard just as it departed the spiritual core.

The old hag’s soul expanded and struggled violently, escaping back into her own physical form. Just before Lin Pei shattered the light barrier with his sword, she unleashed a wind-attribute artifact and fled rapidly in another direction.

Lin Pei tossed out a defensive formation disk to protect Yu Sulan, then flashed away like the wind, pursuing the old hag out of the Chang ancestral estate, out of Beiliang County, and into the mountains.

Yu Sulan’s head felt as if it were splitting; her body collapsed to the ground. Cursing, she pulled out a medicine bottle, swallowed three pills at once, and lay motionless.

After a long while, the pain gradually subsided. She opened her eyes weakly, wanting to stand, but found her limbs unresponsive. This was because nearly half of her soul had been torn away by the old hag. Although she had consumed a portion of the hag’s soul to compensate, it was far from enough, leaving her soul weak and unable to control her body properly.

A disturbance in the formation made Yu Sulan grip her spirit sword alertly, only to find that it was Lin Pei who had returned. "Master, what of that old witch?"

"She dared to attempt to possess you; how could I allow her to live?" Lin Pei still carried the murderous aura of one who had just taken a life. He stepped forward and handed her a medicine bottle. "Quickly, consume the pill within and refine it to nourish your soul."

Yu Sulan opened the bottle. The mere scent of the pill brought comfort to her soul. Inside was a snow-white, warm, and lustrous pill. After swallowing it, she hurriedly circulated her spiritual energy to accelerate the medicine’s dispersal. She immediately felt waves of warmth surging toward her spiritual core; her soul felt as if it had encountered the warm sun, feeling heated and moist.

Once the pill was refined, Yu Sulan felt refreshed and invigorated, her soul stronger than before. She stood up with a start, full of energy. "Master, what is this pill? The effects are so potent!"

"This is a fourth-tier superior-grade Snow Soul Pill, used by that wretch to stabilize her soul after a possession. You have truly gained fortune out of misfortune this time." Lin Pei had already dispersed his murderous aura and put away the formation disk. "There is nothing more to do here. Let’s go; Le Li is still waiting for you."

Yu Sulan followed closely behind Lin Pei. "Master, how did you arrive so quickly? Was it Junior Sister Le who sent the message?"

"It was Le Li. When she did not receive your message of safety, she realized you might be in trouble and sent word to me, which is why I arrived with such urgency. You must thank her well. If not for her keenness, even if I had saved you, your soul would have inevitably suffered fundamental damage that a single Snow Soul Pill could not have mended." Lin Pei felt fortunate that Le Li had sent word early; had he arrived later, this young disciple would have suffered greatly, and it is possible that by the time he arrived, the person inside might have been someone else entirely.

"I will certainly thank her. It is thanks to Junior Sister Le’s thoughtfulness in making me report my safety every hour that we avoided disaster." Yu Sulan wrinkled her nose, her face full of disgust. "That old witch was truly cunning. I was extremely careful, yet I still fell into her trap."

"That old woman was originally at the early Golden Core stage, but after suffering heavy injuries, she fell to the late Foundation Establishment stage. She is older than you and has experienced more; consider this a lesson learned." Lin Pei used magic to seal the passage beneath the well, checked the estate for other issues, and brought Yu Sulan back to the new Chang residence in a few breaths.

Le Li’s brow smoothed only when she saw Yu Sulan return safely. "Martial Uncle, Senior Sister Yu, is everything alright?"

"It is fine, Master resolved it all." Yu Sulan took Le Li’s hand. "Senior Sister, you must thank her."

"Why would Senior Sister need to be so formal with me? You always take care of me when we are out, and it is rare that I could finally be of help," Le Li said half-jokingly.

Seeing the two of them getting along so well brought Lin Pei great comfort. He took out a spirit beast bag and placed it before them. "This is that woman’s spirit beast bag. Inside is a Shadow-Eating Bat, but the bat is already dead."

Yu Sulan took the bag and poured out the Shadow-Eating Bat. "Indeed, it was this wretch causing the trouble. We can use it to complete the mission."

She looked at Lin Pei. "Master, Junior Sister Le is raising a Cloud Mink cub. Why not give this bag to her? It would save her from having to carry it all the time; it is so inconvenient."

"That would be excellent!" No sooner had Lin Pei spoken than Yu Sulan stuffed the bag into Le Li’s hand. "Take it quickly. This is a high-grade spirit beast bag; the space inside is quite vast. It will be very useful once you contract a spirit beast."

She tapped her own waist. "You may not have a spirit beast yet, but you must have a spirit beast bag prepared. It is better to be safe than sorry!"

"Senior Sister is right. Thank you, Martial Uncle, thank you, Senior Sister!" Le Li accepted it, refined it on the spot to recognize her as its owner, and placed the Cloud Mink cub inside. It was indeed convenient, comfortable, and safe—perfect for the cub to rest and recover.

However, regarding the matter of contracting spirit beasts, whether in her previous life or this one, Le Li held the attitude of letting things happen if fate allowed, and not forcing them if it did not. She was not opposed to it, but she would not seek it out; she was content to let everything be governed by fate.

"Are you two returning to the sect with me, or will you go back on your own?" Lin Pei asked.

Le Li and Yu Sulan both chose to return on their own, as Le Li was still mindful of the affairs at Pingyao Valley.

Seeing them in agreement, Lin Pei did not insist. He instructed them to be careful, released the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, and headed back to the sect first.

Yu Sulan and Le Li took the corpse of the Shadow-Eating Bat to find Chang Boyu, telling him that the culprit had been dealt with and that his family could move back into the ancestral home.

At the earnest invitation of the Chang family, they stayed until the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month. The evening was calm and peaceful. The next day, amidst the family’s thousand thanks, Le Li and Yu Sulan departed Beiliang County.

"Junior Sister, is there anywhere you would like to go?"

"Yes, Senior Sister. I have heard that Yu-Xiang Mountain is suitable for the growth of Dan-Zhi, and that someone once harvested a thousand-year-old Dan-Zhi there."

"I have heard of it too, but have never been. Yu-Xiang Mountain is not far from here. Let us search in the mountains; if we cannot find a thousand-year-old one, finding one of three or five hundred years would be quite nice."

Le Li nodded with a smile. Pingyao Valley was located at the boundary of Yu-Xiang Mountain and Liuyun Mountain; once they reached Yu-Xiang Mountain, they would be able to see the landscape of Pingyao Valley.

Gazing into the distance from atop their flying swords, the floating clouds drifted by. The mountain peak opposite them vaguely resembled the head of a monkey.

This was Monkey-Head Peak, the highest peak of Yu-Xiang Mountain, standing nearly five thousand meters tall. At the summit, massive trees reached into the clouds, lush and verdant. A long, white waterfall cascaded down from the heights, its roar like thunder, forming a surging river below that rushed toward the Xizhou Sea.

Yu Sulan brought Le Li directly to the mountainside. If they wanted to find century-old Dan-Zhi, they had to look higher up; below the mountainside, even mortals without cultivation could climb, making the existence of such herbs highly unlikely.

The mountains were dense with trees, and the low shrubs and ground-covering herbs were layered and intertwined, concealing demonic beasts and countless insects, with a smell that was less than pleasant.

Le Li took out two small pouches, giving one to Yu Sulan and hanging the other at her own waist. Inside were insect-repellent and miasma-repellent incense pellets she had made. The scent was extremely faint, yet it was enough to ward off most insects.

The two walked forward, holding their magical tools to clear the path, releasing their divine sense to the maximum extent. They remained constantly vigilant against attacks from demonic beasts, and perhaps even ill-intentioned cultivators hidden in the shadows, watching their movements.

Le Li’s purpose in coming to Yu-Xiang Mountain was to monitor the situation of Pingyao Valley. Pingyao Valley was filled with fierce miasma-beasts; if she told Yu Sulan she wanted to go there, Yu Sulan would certainly refuse and might even take her far away. That was why she had claimed to be coming to Yu-Xiang Mountain under the pretense of looking for Dan-Zhi.

Although Yu-Xiang Mountain was rugged and continuous, it was mostly inhabited by low-level demonic beasts, with very few signs of powerful ones. While Foundation Establishment cultivators did come to the mountains to hunt for treasure, most were merely Qi Refining cultivators, so Yu Sulan was naturally not afraid to take her up the mountain.

As Yu Sulan had a higher cultivation, their route was mostly determined by her judgment. Le Li always found opportunities to guide them toward the direction where they could see Pingyao Valley.

"Senior Sister, let us circle a bit further ahead. I think I smell the scent of Dan-Zhi."

"It is not just a feeling; it is truly there," Yu Sulan said, her divine sense already having detected it, even if Le Li’s had not. "There is a Dan-Zhi that has just reached a hundred years."

Unlike the Zhu-Kui herb, which is born as a spiritual plant, Dan-Zhi is merely a common medicinal herb when it first grows. For mortals, it is an excellent tonic, but it contains no spiritual energy and is useless to cultivators.

However, once a Dan-Zhi reaches a hundred years of age, it automatically begins to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, transforming into a medicinal herb that cultivators can use to concoct pills.

Most spiritual herbs emit an exotic scent when they reach maturity, attracting people and demonic beasts from the surrounding area. When a Dan-Zhi undergoes its qualitative change at a hundred years, it also releases a faint, woody fragrance. Le Li had caught a whiff of this scent for an instant and used it as an excuse, not expecting that there would truly be one.

The two rose instantly, using the Flying Smoke Step to tread quickly across the grass and trees. Since the scent could be noticed by Le Li, it would certainly be picked up by other demonic beasts coming to compete for it; the sense of smell of demonic beasts is often even sharper than that of cultivators. They had to dig up the Dan-Zhi before the beasts arrived.

Yu Sulan’s speed was incredibly fast. With a spin, she flicked her sword light and gathered the Dan-Zhi into a jade box. Not far away, a fierce black demonic wolf was rushing toward them, but sensing the chilling sword intent displayed by Yu Sulan, it wisely turned around and retreated, knowing it was no match.

The spiritual energy contained within a hundred-year-old Dan-Zhi was of little use to a Foundation Establishment cultivator; at least two hundred years or more were needed for Yu Sulan’s purposes. She raised her hand and tossed the jade box to Le Li. "Junior Sister, this one is for you!"

Le Li did not decline and accepted it with a smile. "Thank you, Senior Sister!"

Having reached this point, the scene of Pingyao Valley finally entered their line of sight. Le Li immediately climbed up and stood on a mountain rock to look down.