Chapter 161 – Discarded Cultivation Base
Everyone watching expressed anxiousness on their faces as they wanted to save He Xi. But the speed at which Zhu Que unleashed the Dream Travel Lamp was too quick, and they were simply powerless to block it.
As soon it happened, the top of the lamp let out a light that headed straight towards
He Xi. Yet suddenly, a faint white light covered Zhu Que, together with the Dream Travel Lamp.
The radiance surrounding the Dream Travel Lamp was instantly extinguished, once again returning it into a simple and unadorned lamp. Zhu Que then fell towards the ground, landing on her butt. As she gazed at a point not far in front of her, her eyes filled with panic.
He Xi turned around, and saw Nangong Yu unhurriedly walking out. With a straight posture, other than his somewhat pale complexion, he was barely showing any traces of sickness. Yet He Xi could sense the cold energy gradually increasing inside his body.
She frowned and was about to speak, but Nangong Yu spoke first, "I heard that you and Xi Er made a bet. That if she was able to cure me, you would discard your cultivation base?"
Zhu Que had been blankly staring at Nangong Yu with infatuation, but when she heard that, she suddenly returned to her senses. Quickly kneeling, she began to weep, "Master, this subordinate was merely about worried your safety. Every year your illness flares up, and year after year it becomes more severe. Now, in order to save you when you were close to death, an unknown woman was brought in. Seeing that, this subordinate couldn't help but feel distressed and anxious. Therefore, I thought that as long as my Teacher were to come, if my Teacher were to come diagnose and treat you, the source of Master's illness would definitely be completely cured!"
After hearing her remark, he only slightly smirked. So when Zhu Que raised her head and saw his smiling expression, she thought that Master had forgiven her, her heart becoming extremely happy. But it soon dropped as she listened to Nangong Yu indifferently say, "Forget it, whether you made a bet or not doesn't matter. Since you've been disrespectful towards Xi Er, if Xi Er wants you to be punished, then you should discard your cultivation base at once!"
Zhu Que all of a sudden froze and looked up at Nangong Yu in disbelief.
Without waiting for her to react, a white light shaped like a sword flickered on Nangong Yu's hand, and he casually pointed it at Zhu Que.
Zhu Que felt a burst of sharp pain all over her body, then, as if she suddenly sprung a leak, her cultivation base violently flowed out of her body like spring water. Her facial features rapidly aged, and in the blink of an eye, she looked like a forty year old woman.
"Master–!! I've always been faithful and true to you, in my heart I've always regarded you as the sky, so how can you do this to me?!" Zhu Que's voice was hoarse, and with her eyes filled with emotions of unwillingness, despair, and resentment, she hysterically screamed.
Nangong Yu looked down at her. His expression was cold, like he was looking at a powerless and low ant, "I said that Xi Er is my Princess and yet you were still disrespectful towards her, it was unfaithful. Due to your selfish desires you blocked Xi Er from treating me, and that wasn't something a servant should do. Since you've proven yourself to be unfaithful, how do I know that you won't betray my subordinates at anytime? If I discard you, what are you going to do about that?"
Zhu Que dropped to the ground at once, tears and traces of blood across her face, while all hope was wiped clean from her features.
Nangong Yu glanced at Qing Long and the others, then indifferently said, "Bring her to the Spirit Sealing Prison, don't let her easily die."
Qing Long and the others promptly complied, dragging the dazed Zhu Que away.
This time, no one sympathised with Zhu Que. This woman's actions had already crossed all of their bottom lines, and for her own despicable heart, she had put Master's safety at risk. Her crime deserved a thousand deaths!
He Xi saw Nangong Yu's complexion become extremely pale, and quickly walking over to him, she said, "You still haven't hurried back to rest? This time you dared to use spiritual power, do you not want your life anymore?"
Chapter 162 – Jade Fire Toad
Nangong Yu laughed faintly, reaching out his hand in the direction of the Dream Travel Lamp. The Dream Travel Lamp then lightly floated up to Nangong Yu's hand.
He gave the lamp to He Xi, gently caressing her cheek as he said, "Xi Er, these past few days I've been the cause of your suffering, leading you to being wronged. I didn't kill Zhu Que not because I mean to spare her life, but because her Teacher has her Life Lantern. If her Teacher were to know that Zhu Que had died, the Doctors Association will try to find out how, and it will cause you danger instead. Don't be angry, okay?"
"I'm not angry!" He Xi spoke without thinking the matter through, pushing him back into the room.
Just a mere Zhu Que, of course she wouldn't take it to heart! Not to mention, all the weapons in her possession have yet to be fortified. Hmm, at the moment Zhu Que might not feel anything wrong with the wound on her head, but in a few days she will be in so much pain that she will wish she could die.
He Xi will naturally take revenge by herself on those she has hatred for. To use other people's hands to get revenge for her is simply not her style.
After Nangong Yu returned to his room to rest,
He Xi sighed. Yet just as she was about to leave, she was stopped by Qing Long and the others.
"Princess, may I ask, do you have a way to completely cure Master's illness?"
He Xi stared blankly once she heard this, then the light in her eyes slightly flashed.
In regards to this problem, she had also been pondering over it, but when she was in the room before she had finally recalled something. After searching her memory, she finally found one type of poison herb that elicited similar symptoms to Nangong Yu's.
In the All Living Things Record there is a highly graded cold poison, called Ice Star Seed. If absorbed, the Ice Star Seed would cause the Yin energy in the body to reach its peak, inside and outside, freezing and stiffening the blood and inner organs. For an ordinary people to take the Ice Star Seed, if the opposite object wasn't immediately found, it would be inevitable that the first time the illness flared they would die.
With these kinds of symptoms, it can be said to be a very similar situation to the cold poison in Nangong Yu's body.
And in the All Living Things Record, it was recorded that the Ice Star Seed's nemesis is the Jade Fire Toad. The Jade Fire Toad is different to common Yang objects as it is a kind of spirit pet. In itself it doesn't have a fierce Yang attribute, but its nature is to absorb cold energy, dissolving the cold energy without corrosion. Therefore, in the All Living Things Record, it was documented that people who suffered from the Ice Star Seed, as long as they kept a Jade Fire Toad by their side, every time the illness flared up it would absorb the cold energy, relieving any pain.
This process would continue until the effectiveness of the Ice Star Seed was depleted, then the illness will be completely recovered.
Only, was the cold poison Nangong Yu bore caused by the Ice Star Seed? She couldn't wait to discuss this because if she was able to procure a Jade Fire Toad, at least his body wouldn't receive such damage caused by continuously entering the Flame Cave, while the risks to his health would also be reduced.
He Xi hesitated a moment before answering, "Do you know what a Jade Fire Toad is?"
Jade Fire Toad? Qing Long and the others looked at each other in dismay, their expressions revealing their confusion.
Qing Long even called a fourth ranked doctor in Hell King Manor to come over. He was a grey haired old man, and although his rank wasn't as high as Zhu Que, his knowledge was vaster than hers.
But when he heard this, he also repeatedly shook his head, "Jade Fire Toad? What magic pill is that? This old one has seen all of the lists describing Mi Luo continent's magic pills, but has never heard of that one. Young Lady, are you sure you haven't heard the name wrong?"
He Xi helplessly shook her head. It seemed that the things in the All Living Things Record really couldn't be found in this world.
Seeing He Xi's helpless expression, Qing Long couldn't help but to anxiously ask, "Is there no other way besides the Jade Fire Toad?"
Chapter 163 – Secret Territory?
"I haven't yet thought of another way." He Xi pondered for a moment, then suddenly took out a blank Jade Slip. After pouring her divine sense into it for a quarter of an hour, she then threw it to Qing Long, "Here's a detailed description of the Jade Fire Toad's characteristics, growth habit, and appearance. In the future when all of you go out, pay a lot of attention when looking for it. If you can find a Jade Fire Toad, I guarantee that Nangong Yu will no longer need to enter the Flame Cave."
At first Qing Long and the old doctor had thought that He Xi was only speaking nonsense, but when they saw the detailed descriptions vividly imprinted on the Jade Slip, they couldn't help but somewhat believe her.
If it was only nonsense, it wouldn't be possible to compile such detailed information in such a short amount of time.
Thinking that finding the Jade Fire Toad could cure Master's illness, Qing Long became excited, "I'll immediately convey this information to everyone we know! I will use Hell King Manor's influence and try to find the Jade Fire Toad with all my strength. Master's illness, we entrust it to Princess."
He Xi waved her hand, before turning around and leaving Hell King Manor.
The moment she passed through Hell King Manor's gate, she suddenly stopped with an annoyed expression on her face. Why was she becoming more and more accustomed to the title of Princess? She was now starting to feel that it was proper and to be expected! This is simply not scientific!
He Xi refused Qing Long's offer to arrange guards to accompany her home, hurriedly walking in the direction of her courtyard since Flying Swords weren't allowed to be used in Yan Jing city. Before leaving her courtyard, although she alone had led those assassins away, she couldn't be sure whether or not the Drought Demon Organisation had sent other people to follow Wet Nurse Chen and the others. Therefore, He Xi was now very worried about the safety of Wet Nurse Chen, Xiao Li, and the rest.
At this moment, Yan Jing city was full of clamouring. Wherever she passed, she now and then heard the lamenting of families; spiritual plants were withered, the crystal stones that weren't placed in storage tools had turn into dust, and even high level magical items were damaged…
Cold sweat dripped down He Xi's forehead. She really hadn't expected that what she and Dandan did last night would lead to such a big commotion now. Let alone those spiritual plants, even all the flowers and grass that she passed along the way seemed to have lost their vitality. Their leaves drooped, all dull and listless.
Now what she had done was the talk of the town!
But, when He Xi passed the city's most prosperous East Street, she found that the atmosphere here and its surroundings were somewhat different. The street was filled with anger, irritability, and disappointment.
Some time overnight, every hotel and restaurant had had a sudden influx of unfamiliar martial artists. The average cultivation base was Foundation Establishment stage, but there were also quite a lot of Meridians stage too. Even He Xi, as she weaved through the crowd on the second story of the Intoxicated Immortal restaurant, could detect several strong Gold Core Stage martial artists.
These martial artists' faces showed both nervousness and excitement. Occasionally they would glance to the west, their eyes filled with determination, greed, and desire.
He Xi frowned slightly, her pace somewhat slowing. Why had those martial artists gathered here?
Concentrating her spiritual energy to her ears, she could faintly hear the dialogue of a few people downstairs.
"In my opinion, that was not the arrival of the demon day and night, that was clearly the secret territory coming into being…"
"Our sect has already ascertained…that it's in Cang Mountain…so this time we must be faster than the other families…"
"Once we get the secret territory's magical item, our sect will certainly be able to become Jin Ling's number one sect…"
"What is the use of this Jin Ling country's group of trash? Even a few Nascent Soul stage martial artists can't be found here, the hidden treasure is ours…the country is beyond…"
Chapter 164 – At The Base Of Cang Mountain
Cang Mountain? Hidden treasure? Wasn't my courtyard exactly at the base of Cang Mountain? If all the high level martial artists proceeded towards Cang Mountain, then the safety of Wet Nurse Chen and the others…He Xi's complexion changed slightly, and not in the mood to eavesdropping anymore, her pace suddenly accelerated as she headed downstairs, rushing as fast as lightning towards her courtyard.
In the blink of an eye He Xi reached the base of Cang Mountain, discovering that as expected, martial artists swarmed the surrounding area, forming a large crowd.
But fortunately, many people probably felt afraid of this secret territory with a hidden treasure, so at this point, most were still busy preparing manpower.
What alarmed He Xi the most though, was that she momentarily couldn't find her own courtyard.
It hadn't been razed to the ground, leaving only ruins for everyone to see, rather, there was now an ordinary meadow where the courtyard had originally been standing. It was impossible to tell that there had previously been a building there.
Just when He Xi was starting to be overcome with worry and bewilderment, her ears suddenly heard Xi Jia's pleasantly surprised voice, "Miss, you've finally come back!"
He Xi turned her head, noticing a sweat covered
Xi Jia approaching with a relieved expression. Once a proud looking man, he now cut a sorry figure. His body was covered with dust, sweat dripped from his forehead, and his eyes were somewhat red. He was almost crying tears of joy when he saw her.
He Xi quickly stepped forward and asked, "What happened? What about the courtyard? Are Wet Nurse Chen and the others still safe?"
Xi Jia nodded repeatedly, and pointing at the original position of the courtyard, he said, "Miss don't worry, the courtyard is still there. Xiao Li used her Smokescreen Technique to conceal the place. Only a martial artist of Foundation Establishment stage and higher will be able to find it, as long as they gather their spiritual energy to their eyes. When so many martial artists suddenly came here, we were really afraid we were going to be found, but fortunately Miss, you came back!"
In the beginning, Xi Jia and the others had regarded He Xi as a man. After all, female cultivators were rare in Mi Luo continent, preferring instead to get married. Therefore, they didn't doubt He Xi's gender at first. But later, after staying in the courtyard for awhile, seeing and experiencing He Xi's methods and abilities, they immediately discovered that she is a woman. Yet to them, it was irrelevant.
Being able to follow such a Master is the greatest luck of their lifetime, so as for whether their Master is a man or a woman, they really didn't care. All of them firmly believed that one day, Master's radiance will shine in front of all the martial artists in Mi Luo continent.
After listening to Xi Jia's words, He Xi used her spiritual eyes, and sure enough, she discovered that her courtyard stood perfectly fine in its original place. It was only then that she heaved a sigh of relief.
This was beyond her expectations, Xiao Li actually had this kind of ability? She was able to use her Smokescreen Technique to deceive martial artists below Foundation Establishment stage?
He Xi hurriedly rushed to the courtyard, where Wet Nurse Chen and the others were anxiously waiting for news from her.
Once Wet Nurse Chen saw He Xi, she was almost crying as she rushed over to her. Examining He Xi up and down, she then wiped her tears, "Miss, how could you do this, risk your valuable self to…if you were to die, in the future when I go to the underworld, how could I explain this to Madam?!"
"Alright, Wet Nurse, don't cry. In the future, I won't do this again." He Xi helplessly repeated this to appease Wet Nurse Chen, while inside, she felt a burst of warmth that she hadn't felt for a very long time.
In this shabby courtyard there were people that worried about her, cared about her, trusted her, and they treated her genuinely. For her rely on their trust, this is a feeling that she had never experienced before.
Obviously she has a bunch of cumbersome people shadowing her, but she wasn't sick of them in the slightest, instead, she was full of hope for this life.
Chapter 165 – Nine Tailed Fox
When He Xi inspected her surroundings, yet didn't see Xiao Li, she couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Where's Xiao Li?"
It can be said that whenever she returned home, usually Xiao Li was the first person to pounce on her, acting like a spoiled child.
After hearing her question, Wet Nurse Chen's face immediately changed into a grateful, yet worried expression, "Miss, you wouldn't know this, but it was thanks to Xiao Li's actions last night that we can now be safe. But after that she shut herself in her room, and no matter what we say, she still refuses to come out. Miss, you better go and quickly see her."
Last night, after He Xi had left to distract the assassins, Xiao Li, Xi Jia, and the others had been worried about He Xi, so they secretly snuck back into the courtyard.
However, they didn't even see the single silhouette of a person in the courtyard. They only found
He Xi's room filled with blood, and an unfamiliar man's body.
On one hand, they were frightened of someone breaking into the courtyard. While on the other hand, they were anxious about He Xi's safety. They didn't dare leave, so they could only wait in the courtyard, hoping that they would be able to see He Xi's safe return.
Who would have thought that when they were waiting, the spiritual energy in the surroundings would suddenly riot. Normally, the spiritual energy at the base of Cang Mountain is scarce, so even the spiritual energy vortex couldn't spread to here. Yet unexpectedly, the originally desolate Cang Mountain suddenly experienced a strange change, and a portion of tremendous power caused rare beasts to stampede down from the top of the mountain. Out of all the beasts hiding in Cang Mountain, a great number of them flowed like waves as if they were chased by something, frantically fleeing in disarray.
And that portion of tremendous power pouring down from the top of mountain also spread to their small courtyard. The moment it almost came into contact with the edge of the small courtyard, Li Si and several others puppets, as well as other servants waiting outside, died instantly without a peep, blood dripping from every pore in their body.
Just when everyone in the courtyard was in imminent peril, Xiao Li suddenly used up all her spiritual power to form an empty spiritual barrier, keeping them all safe in the courtyard. Although the force of stampeding beasts only lasted for a moment, in order to maintain the empty spiritual barrier, Xiao Li ended up vomiting out a big mouthful of blood. Afterward, she shut herself in her room and refused to come out.
He Xi arrived alone outside of Xiao Li's room and knocked on the door, "Xiao Li, it's me, can you open the door?"
In the room, the low sound of something banging could be heard, but soon after, silence. Then, a soft sobbing sound was faintly heard.
He Xi's brows furrowed slightly, and gathering her spiritual energy into her hands, she placed them on the door, lightly pushing on it. Soon after, the tightly closed door easily opened.
Walking into the room in large strides, she saw
Xiao Li crouched in a ball on the corner of the bed. Wrapped up in a quilt, not even her head was revealed, her small body trembling incessantly.
He Xi shut the door, and walked slowly to the bedside, "Xiao Li, come out and speak to me!"
Xiao Li's body shook inside the quilt, and she tearfully said, "Miss, don't come near me, I'll scare you…huaa…I don't want Miss to hate me…"
He Xi frowned, wanting to remove the quilt. But just as her hand was about to meet the quilt, Xiao Li quickly dodged. With her body still shaking, her weeping became even more sorrowful and despair filled.
Yet just when Hexi felt helpless, Dandan's childish voice sounded in her ears, "Mother, Mother, I smell a Nine Tailed Spirit Fox's scent, humm~ Is a Nine Tailed Spirit Fox's meat delicious? Mother, roast it for me to eat?"
Nine Tailed Spirit Fox? He Xi startled when she heard this, immediately recalling the information recorded in the All Living Things Record.
The Nine Tailed Spirit Fox is one of the ancient beasts. The fox's body is strong and full of vitality, each time it advances, it will grow another tail. Each tail possesses one kind of magic power, and once it grows all nine tails, it will have the power to turn the world on its head.