Chapter 5

The morning mist was like a veil, lingering between the mountains. In the secret port behind the mountain of Bodeng Sect, a large black ship was quietly anchored.

When Lin Yibai and Luoluo arrived, the two elders were already waiting in front of the boat.

Among them stood a man in a grayish-blue robe, his hands behind his back. His expression was stern, his aura as still and tranquil as a deep well. This man, Shen Qing, was one of the sect's foremost mid-stage He Qi masters. He had always lived a secluded life, absorbed in his cultivation. My original self had only met him rarely, growing up. It was unclear why Lin Wuya had sent him along this time.

The other elder was a female, dressed in a red dress as fiery as blood, with a graceful figure. Her eyes were originally cold and distant, but the moment she saw Lin Yibai, the frost in her eyes melted away in an instant, and a genuine smile appeared in her eyes, like spring water breaking through the ice, and she suddenly became charming.

Lin Yibai was startled as memories of his original self flooded back to him—this woman was Su Hong, the older sister of his deceased mother. Since her sister's passing, Su Hong had showered her with all her tenderness, treating her like her own daughter. It had been two years since she'd been in seclusion, striving for the initial stages of He Qi (harmony), and the two hadn't seen each other in a long time. Just before her departure, Su Hong successfully broke through, and upon returning to the sect, Lin Wuya had sent her to accompany him.

Lin Yibai suppressed the gleam in his eyes, put on a perfectly intimate smile, walked forward quickly and called softly, "Auntie!"

Su Hong immediately went forward and naturally embraced her in her arms. After looking at her carefully, she frowned her delicately drawn eyebrows with heartache: "My darling, why have you become thinner again? Is it because those servants in the sect don't serve you attentively?" Before she finished speaking, a sharp glare shot towards Luluo behind Lin Yibai, making the unfortunate maid turn pale and sweat drip.

Just at this moment, a sharp dragging sound broke the greeting between the two.

"Hurry up! If you dawdle and delay the young master's departure, I will throw you to feed the monsters!" A rough scolding came from far away.

Lin Yibai turned around and saw a group of people in tattered clothes, with heavy shackles on their hands and feet, being driven and staggering towards him. They all had pale faces and empty eyes, like puppets without souls.

It is the "medicine man" who is being escorted to the Forbidden Demon Sea this time.

Yan Bujian was among them.

When the team got closer, one of them suddenly stumbled and stepped on a stone, his footing went weak, and he fell heavily to the ground with a thud.

"Waste! Get up quickly!" A familiar hoarse curse sounded.

Lin Yibai looked in the direction of the voice and saw the guard who had taunted Yan Bujian outside the dungeon last night with a ferocious look on his face. He stepped forward and fiercely kicked the fallen medicine man: "Dare to play dead?! Believe it or not, I will send you to death right now!"

The medicine man was so frightened that he trembled all over and kept begging for mercy: "Please spare my life... Sir, please spare my life..."

Seeing this, a trace of cruelty flashed in the guard's eyes. He ignored his wailing and raised the long whip in his hand, which was soaked in dark blood. The tip of the whip broke through the air and swung it down with a shrill scream.

However, the expected flesh and blood did not occur.

A hand covered with shackles but extremely steady firmly grasped the whip in a flash!

The one who took action was the young man who had been silent on the side.

Lin Yibai was shocked when he saw this from a distance: Yan is missing?

Why did he take action?

The guard pulled hard, but felt that the other end of the whip in his hand seemed to be welded to the rock and could not move at all!

He couldn't help but yell in shock and anger, "You little bastard, you're looking for death!"

In anger and humiliation, he threw away the whip, gathered all his strength, and kicked Yan Bujian hard in the chest!

This kick was so powerful that if someone got hit, they would probably die on the spot!

Yan Bujian did not dodge or evade. Just when the kick was about to touch his body, an overwhelming golden energy suddenly burst out from his body!

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, the guard was like being hit by a huge hammer. He screamed and flew backwards, hitting the rocks near the harbor heavily, spitting blood from his mouth and collapsing on the ground.

Su Hong, who had been watching coldly, suddenly had a flash of surprise in her beautiful eyes, and exclaimed softly, "Peak Golden Core?"

——Yes, Yan Bujian has reached the peak of the Golden Core stage at this moment!

How appalling was this? In a world of depleted spiritual energy and scarce resources, this child, without any guidance and even imprisoned, had managed to cultivate to this level on his own...

If such talent is cultivated, he will surely become a pillar of society in the future!

Lin Yibai was also filled with shock, but not because of the talent he displayed, but because of——

In the original novel, when Yan Bujianzuo went to the Forbidden Demon Sea, he was only in the middle stage of foundation building. Why did his cultivation level skyrocket after the plot was advanced?

Before she could figure it out, she heard Su Hong say to Shen Qing, who was as silent as a stone beside her: "Elder Shen, keep this boy in solitary confinement after boarding the ship. I want to test his aptitude personally." There was a hint of cherishing talent in her tone that was difficult to conceal.

Lin Yibai immediately felt alarmed!

The plot has completely deviated from the original storyline! Su Hong and Yan Bujian haven't met since then. It's clear that they shouldn't have had any contact at all!

"System, system! The plot has changed, what is going on?!" she shouted in her mind.

However, there was no response.

Lin Yibai was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, his back already wet with cold sweat: Why did this "plot protection" system choose to remain silent when the plot showed obvious deviation for the first time?

Although no punishment came, this unknown variable also made her nervous!

A huge sense of unease weighed heavily on her, making her feel breathless. She was also afraid that if Yan Bujian continued to make a fuss, it would lead to more trouble. She had no choice but to suppress her turbulent thoughts and quickly put on her usual arrogant and impatient demeanor. She tugged at Su Hong's sleeve and said, "Aunt, why are you wasting your time on these chores? It's been such a tiring journey, I just want to finish this and return to the clan as soon as possible. Let's set off now."

Upon hearing this, Su Hong immediately put aside her curiosity about Yan Bujian and cast a cold glance at the group of frightened medicine men. She raised her hand lightly and flicked it into the air—

Suddenly, a strong wind blew up, and an invisible force swept all the medicine men away like picking up grass, throwing them all into the lower cabin of the large ship at the rear.

——This is the terrifying strength of a strong person in the Heqi stage!

This was the first time that Lin Yibai had witnessed such extraordinary power since he entered the book, and he was stunned for a moment.

But this brief absence of consciousness was interpreted differently in Su Hong's eyes.

Seeing the lonely look on her beloved little niece's face, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart. After glancing at Shen Qing beside her, she finally swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

*

The wailing sound of a conch shell rang out, and the runes around the ship lit up. It slowly sailed out of the port towards the rising sun and merged into the vast West Sea.

Inside the cabin, Luoluo was gently massaging Lin Yibai's shoulders.

Inside the cabin, Luluo was massaging Lin Yibai's shoulders. Seeing that she looked thoughtful and worried, she seemed like a completely different person since she fainted in the dungeon that day. She no longer had the innocence she once had, so she tried to divert her attention by saying, "Young Sect Master, this is our first time escorting a medicine man."

"Hmm," Lin Yibai replied absentmindedly, clearly still worried about the plot twist. After a pause, she pulled out a map of the trip from her sleeve and carefully spread it out on the table.

The Bodeng Sect was located northwest of Yunzhou, and the fishing village they were aiming for was to the west. They would need to take a boat into the West Sea, riding the southerly current for about five days to reach their destination.

The dreaded Forbidden Demon Sea lay less than three hundred miles from the fishing village. Their plan was to first feed the "medicine man" in the Demon Sea, then proceed to the fishing village to search for the young man.

"Speaking of these medicine men..." Luoluo couldn't help but gasp. "They're truly pitiful. Life is tough these days. Besides the 'seedlings' plundered from all over by the elders, there are always those families who can't make ends meet and are forced to sell their children into the sect... First, they try every possible medicine for the sect, then their meridians are gnawed by poisonous insects, filling them with mixed demonic energy. Then, when they're 'released', they become the 'food' of the demon masters from all over the place."

Lin Yibai's face darkened, and the description of the tragic fate of the medicine man in the book clearly appeared in her mind.

When she read this passage, she felt it was cruel and could not help but curse Lin Yibai and Bo Dengzong. She never expected that now, she would become the person she hated so much.

"That brat is really weird, though." Luluo smacked her lips, apparently thinking of Yan Bujian. "With such a high level of cultivation, how could he have become a medicine man? But judging from Elder Hong's expression, he's clearly got something on his mind. I'm afraid he won't die this time."

Just then, there was a soft knocking sound outside the cabin door.

"Yibai, it's my aunt." Su Hong's voice sounded outside the door.

Lin Yibai was stunned: Why is Su Hong here?

After realizing what was happening, he quickly signaled Luoluo to open the door.

Su Hong walked in with a plate of spiritual fruits, a gentle smile on her face.

She sat down next to Lin Yibai and said softly, "Just now at the dock, I saw you looked depressed. Are you worried about your cultivation?"

Without waiting for Lin Yibai to say anything, she gently grasped her hand and said, "Silly child, don't dwell on this. Your father arranged for us to come out this time precisely to break the sect's divine punishment. As long as we successfully bring back the sacrifice, we will surely change your fate and help you break free from the shackles. You must not let this cause you any more trouble than you deserve."

Lin Yibai was startled when he heard this, and then he couldn't help but sneer in his heart -

That crazy guy Lin Wuya, how could he do that for her?

Every time a cultivator reaches a new realm, their lifespan increases significantly. A Nascent Soul cultivator's lifespan is no more than 220 years. This year, Lin Wuya is already 215 years old. If he doesn't reach a new level within five years, he'll be dead! Now, he's desperate, desperately seeking help from anyone, hoping to prolong his life!

She came from a world without magic, and had no obsession with cultivation. She just wanted to save her life... But Su Hong's words made her truly feel the other party's care for her, and a thought suddenly emerged -

She put on her familiar, savage expression and angrily said to Su Hong, "Aunt, the boy who made a scene on board the ship offended me in prison before, but I didn't kill him because he was my father's medicine man. Now that my father has sent me to escort them this time, I'm going to torture him mercilessly before he dies."

——She absolutely cannot watch Yan Bujian being chosen by Su Hong, otherwise, not only will the subsequent plot be difficult to complete, but even the current task of "pushing Yan Bujian into the forbidden demon sea" will not be completed!

As expected, Su Hong's face instantly turned cold: "Ever offended you? What did that brat do to you?!"

Lin Yibai's mouth drooped, tears welled up in his eyes, and he exaggerated the incident of being "scared unconscious" in the dungeon.

As expected, she saw murderous intent in Su Hong's eyes after she finished speaking. She calmed him down with some kind words and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

——This unreliable system only knows how to prevent her from OOC all day long, but when the plot really changes, it becomes like a mute person and remains silent!

In this way, the unexpected events before boarding the ship should have been resolved by her.