Chapter 74 Woman, I Know Her

Li Sha led his demon soldiers to quickly retreat and reinforce the Demon Capital's defenses. Fu Yunshu and the others were relieved of their pressure and, without any further obstacles, successfully broke out of the Demon Realm and arrived at the temporary camp set up by the cultivation world's allied forces on the border.

Seeing the four return safely, Song Wenzhuo's tense expression finally relaxed a bit, and he quickly stepped forward.

He first bowed to Fu Yunshu and Yin Lisheng, saying, "Grandmaster Uncle, Junior Uncle, thank you for your hard work." His gaze then fell on Gu Zhinan, and seeing that although Gu Zhinan's breathing was unsteady and his robes were dusty, he was not seriously injured. Only then did the worry in his eyes completely disappear.

Finally, Song Wenzhuo looked at Yan Nanqiu, who was being half-supported and half-dragged by Gu Zhinan, with her eyes closed and her breath weak, and frowned almost imperceptibly.

"How could you be so badly injured? Thank you for your help, Junior Sister Ning." Song Wenzhuo turned to Ning Xuexi, who was already prepared behind him.

Although Ning Xuexi still harbored resentment towards Yan Nanqiu, her compassionate heart as a healer disregarded everything else at this moment. She stepped forward and took Yan Nanqiu's pulse. As she probed with her spiritual energy, her expression gradually turned serious.

"His soul is severely damaged, and his meridians are broken in many places. He is difficult to treat."

Fu Yunshu said in a deep voice, "Take him to heal his injuries first. Get the necessary medicinal materials from the sect's warehouse. Do everything you can to save him."

"Yes, Grandmaster Uncle." Ning Xuexi nodded, signaling the medical cultivators behind her to step forward and carefully lift Yan Nanqiu onto a stretcher, sending him into the medical tent specially set up in the camp.

After everyone dispersed, only Fu Yunshu, Yin Lisheng, and Song Wenzhuo remained in front of the camp gate.

"Grandmaster Uncle, was the trip successful? What about Yanji?" Song Wenzhuo asked.

Fu Yunshu briefly recounted what had happened, his brows furrowing slightly: "It's strange, Yan Ji didn't show up."

"In any case, we have achieved our goal for this trip. It's good that the person was rescued," Song Wenzhuo sighed.

"However, the allied forces will not return for the time being. Yan Ji has returned to the martial world, so we must give him a good warning and let him know that the cultivation world is not something he can control at will."

Fu Yunshu nodded: "It's good that you have a plan. You are in charge of this battle. If necessary, I will step in."

He paused, then said, "Right now, I have something else to verify."

"Please speak, Grandmaster Uncle."

Fu Yunshu looked toward the Demon Realm and said in a low voice, "I am concerned about Yan Nanqiu's birth mother. I want to look for more clues and find out the exact location where that female cultivator was imprisoned back then."

Yin Lisheng said, "Master, I will go with you."

Fu Yunshu glanced at him but did not object. Song Wenzhuo then said, "Grandmaster Uncle, be careful. The Demon Realm is certainly more heavily guarded now."

"It's alright, we'll be right back."

They infiltrated the Demon Realm once more, only to find the defenses more stringent and the atmosphere tense due to the impending great battle. However, Fu Yunshu possessed exceptional cultivation, and Yin Lisheng had the jade talisman to disguise him. The two avoided the main battlefields and patrols, quietly returning to the vicinity of the alley from that day.

The middle-aged demon was indeed still active in the area, and it seemed he hadn't told anyone about his previous encounter.

As he turned into a small alley, Fu Yunshu appeared silently opposite him, while Yin Lisheng blocked his way.

Upon seeing the two, the demon was so frightened that he dropped his wine bowl on the ground with a clatter, his face ashen: "M-My lord...you...you're doing this again..."

"Let me ask you a few more questions." Fu Yunshu's voice was calm but contained a hidden pressure. "Where exactly in the Demon Palace was that human female cultivator imprisoned back then?"

The middle-aged demon trembled, his face contorted with grief: "My lord, I really only know the general outline! It's a forbidden area within a forbidden area of ​​the Demon Palace, I... I dare not say."

Yin Lisheng drew his sword: "Tell me and you'll have a chance to live; don't, and you'll surely die."

The middle-aged demon's legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with sobs: "I'll talk! I'll talk! My lord, spare my life! That place... that place is a palace at the westernmost part of the Demon Palace."

"Aside from those who were executed, were there any survivors among those who guarded that female cultivator back then?" Fu Yunshu asked.

The middle-aged demon shook his head vigorously: "It's all gone! His Majesty the Demon Lord was furious back then and almost everyone involved was killed!"

Fu Yunshu gave him a deep look, confirming that he wasn't lying, and then cast an even more concealed restriction: "Remember, keep your mouth shut."

The demon kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "I understand! I understand!"

Leaving the alley, Fu Yunshu and Yin Lisheng stealthily made their way towards the northwest corner of the Demon Palace.

"Master," Yin Lisheng thought for a moment before asking, "Do you have any guesses about Yan Nanqiu's mother's identity?"

Fu Yunshu nodded heavily. "I hope my guess is wrong."

The northwest corner of the Demon Palace was even more desolate and dilapidated than imagined. Although the tall palace buildings still stood, their walls were mottled and covered with thick cobwebs, exuding an aura of death.

The palace the middle-aged demon mentioned was located in an even more remote area, almost right next to the outermost high wall of the Demon Palace. There wasn't even a proper road around it, only wildly growing, dark red thorn bushes.

The two landed silently in front of the palace's tightly closed, rusted gates.

Fu Yunshu raised his hand to push the door open, but Yin Lisheng stopped him: "Master, let me do it."

He paused for a moment, and the tall young man took advantage of that brief moment to push open the door. Dust fell from the door, and the heavy hinges creaked under the weight, slowly opening a crack inward.

Well, Fu Yunshu blinked, feeling that Yin Lisheng was like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

I hadn't thought about it much before, but now I'm tasting something different.

"Let's go, Master."

The young man's eyes were so bright and sparkling, they were probably more beautiful than the most beautiful gemstone in the world.

The hall was pitch black. With the faint light filtering in from outside, all that could be seen was the empty hall and the mess on the floor—broken tables and chairs, overturned screens, and torn curtains... It must have been the site of a violent destruction.

A soft white sphere of light appeared at Fu Yunshu's fingertip, illuminating the hall.

Wherever the light reached, there was devastation. Deep scratches were left on the walls, and there were dark red, dried bloodstains on the ground. In some corners, there were even broken, rusty chains scattered around.

Yin Lisheng felt a heavy weight in his heart as he read this. It wasn't hard to imagine the despair and struggle that those who were imprisoned here back then had gone through.

Fu Yunshu's gaze slowly swept over every corner, finally settling on the inner hall. He took a step forward, his footsteps light, yet remarkably clear in the deathly silence of the space.

The inner hall was slightly smaller than the outer hall, and its furnishings were equally dilapidated, but one could still vaguely discern its former layout. There was a toppled dressing table, a shattered bronze mirror, and a canopy bed with only its frame remaining... Near the window, there was a small hut made of pebbles and withered grass.

Here... there once lived a woman and a child.

Fu Yunshu closed his eyes, his divine sense spreading out like a tide, carefully sensing the extremely faint fluctuations of energy remaining in this space. Time had passed too long, and most traces had been erased, but certain deep-seated obsessions and intense emotions still left their mark.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked at Yin Lisheng: "Lisheng, take out the jade talisman from your body."

Yin Lisheng did as instructed and took out the black jade talisman. The talisman warmed slightly in his palm, and the demonic energy flowing on its surface seemed to be drawn to the atmosphere of the place, becoming more active.

“This jade talisman is something Yan Nanqiu keeps close to his body. He wears it all year round, so it must have been imbued with the aura of him and his birth mother,” Fu Yunshu explained. “This place is where they lived for a long time, and their aura remains. Using this as a guide, along with a specific ‘Tracing Shadow Array,’ we might be able to glimpse some fragments of the scene from back then.”

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gestured in the air. A spiritual light flowed from his fingertips, forming mysterious runes that eventually coalesced into a pale silver array.

"Place the jade talisman at the core of the formation," Fu Yunshu said.

Yin Lisheng carefully placed the black jade talisman into the center of the formation. The moment the jade talisman landed, the entire Shadow Tracing Formation suddenly lit up and emitted a soft hum.

Immediately afterwards, the aura at the center of the formation began to fluctuate violently, and some blurry light and shadow gradually appeared and coalesced in the fluctuations...

The first thing that appears is a silhouette from behind.

It was the back of a woman, dressed in a plain white dress, slender yet standing ramrod straight. She stood by the window, gazing out—where there were only towering, black stone walls covered with restrictions, and a small patch of perpetually gloomy, gray sky above them.

Her long hair was not carefully combed; it was simply loosely tied up, with a few strands falling over her shoulders.

The scene shifted slightly, the perspective seemed to drop, and it became the viewpoint of a child. A small, somewhat dirty hand timidly tugged at the woman's skirt.

The woman turned around.

Her face was somewhat blurred in the halo of light, but her extremely beautiful features were still discernible. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her eyes were like cold stars. However, those eyes, which should have been bright, were now filled with unfathomable weariness, sadness, and disgust.

The disgust was so clear that it even stung the eyes of onlookers. However, the child seemed oblivious to that emotion; he simply tilted his head back, opened his dirty palm, and inside was a small, dark red stone, smoothed by being rubbed and bearing some patterns.

He held the stone up high as if presenting a treasure, his eyes filled with a cautious, ingratiating, and expectant look.

The woman suddenly flicked her sleeve, and a force that wasn't strong but carried annoyance and resistance brushed away the child's hand!

"Don't touch me!" Her voice was dry and hoarse, filled with suppressed disgust and... self-loathing.

The small stone fell to the ground with a "thud," rolled twice, and came to rest in a dusty corner. The child froze, his hand, which had been raised in mid-air, remained still, and the expectation on his face gradually faded, turning into confusion and hurt.

He stared blankly at his empty palm, then at the rolling stone, and finally could only timidly look at his mother's cold and disgusted profile with tearful eyes.

The woman turned her head away, avoiding the child's gaze, her chest heaving and her shoulders trembling slightly. She closed her eyes tightly, as if using all her strength to suppress some kind of impending emotional collapse.

Just then, the palace doors were violently pushed open, breaking the suffocating stalemate.

Yan Ji, dressed in the magnificent robes of a demon lord, strode in, followed by several obsequious demon servants. His face carried his usual arrogance as he scanned the hall, his gaze lingering on the woman for a moment before a disturbing smile curled at the corner of his lips.

“Nan Qing, I’ve come to see you,” his voice mocking, yet unable to conceal his domineering and possessive nature. “Song Fu is dead, so why are you always so stubborn? As long as you are willing to submit, I can give you the best of everything.”

Nan Qing turned around abruptly, her eyes, once filled with weariness and sorrow, now burning with fierce anger, sharp as swords, piercing Yan Ji: "Get out!"

Her voice rose with emotion: "Yan Ji, you took advantage of my misfortune, killed my husband, slaughtered my clan, ruined my reputation, and imprisoned me here. This is an irreconcilable hatred! Even if I die, even if my soul is scattered, I will never bow down to a scum like you!"

Yan Ji's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a dark and angry expression: "Nan Qing! Don't be so stubborn. I've only tolerated you out of consideration for our past relationship. Do you really think I can't do anything to you?"

"Old feelings?" Nan Qing laughed as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. Her laughter was shrill and full of irony. "Between you and me, there is only hatred and enmity. How can there be any old feelings? My husband is only Song Fu!"

"Fine! Very well!" Yan Ji laughed in fury, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. "Since you are so ungrateful, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

He suddenly raised his hand, and a dark demonic energy transformed into a sharp claw, carrying a foul wind, and went straight for Nan Qing's face!

This attack was extremely vicious, clearly showing that the attacker was truly enraged. However, the scene abruptly ended at that moment.

The light of the Shadow Tracing Array quickly dimmed, and the black jade talisman in the center fell into the dust with a soft "ding," its surface radiance subdued, as if it had exhausted its power.

The hall returned to deathly silence and darkness, with only the orb of light at Fu Yunshu's fingertips illuminating his extremely solemn face.

“I…” Fu Yunshu began, his voice hoarse, “I know that woman.”

"Her name is Nan Qing, and she and her husband Song Fu are both disciples of my senior brother, Master Liushuang, making them my junior disciples."

"They are also Song Wenzhuo's parents."

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Author's Note: I'm late today. It seems no one guessed the female cultivator's identity correctly. Actually, the first chapter of the side story collection mentioned Xiao Song's parents a few times, but I bet no one connected that to what I'm saying. [Facepalm and peeking]