Chapter 63 The Medicinal Bath Pool's Spiritual Energy Stagnates
“It’s human skin.” Cen Ying examined the lantern carefully. She hadn’t looked at it closely since returning home that night, but now she saw it clearly. It was indeed a lantern made of human skin. “If you don’t look closely, you can’t tell that the skin of this lantern is human skin. It must have been soaked in something—” she said, suddenly remembering what he had just said, “Perhaps it was the medicinal soup you used to soak it in.”
Goosebumps instantly crawled all over Cui Mingcan's back, and a chill ran down his spine: "So they captured us and brought us here just to skin us and make lanterns?!"
Cen Ying replied firmly, "Yes."
Cui Mingcan felt a churning in his stomach.
"It's time to go out in the late afternoon! Bring them all out!"
As they were talking, a group of men carrying swords and a woman with an expressionless face walked in from outside and said coldly, "Open the door, it's time to go soak in the medicinal pool!"
Bai Yuheng and Cui Mingcan exchanged a glance: "Where are you now?"
Li Tiankuo replied, "If we accelerate at full speed now, we can reach Jiangzhou before dawn tomorrow."
Bai Yuheng nodded and said, "I will tell you about the situation on the island, but before you come here, I think you need to go to the Temple of Sea God."
Cen Ying and Li Tiankuo replied, "We understand."
"Um."
"We have other things to do here, we'll talk later."
People in twos and threes were urged to leave, men and women were separated, and their eyes were covered by others.
"Reply with the cicada if anything happens," Bai Yuheng said to Cui Mingcan while her eyes were covered.
The latter nodded.
They were lined up in two rows, each holding a rope, and walked forward step by step, not knowing where they were going.
The group moved very slowly. The medicine they had taken was taking effect, and the guards were used to it and did not urge them on at all. Bai Yuheng walked slowly, trying to find her way by listening to the sounds, but unfortunately the sea breeze and waves were too strong, making it impossible to really find her way by sound and easy to make mistakes.
Bai Yuheng counted the number of steps they took, and after going around several corners, they finally arrived at a hot spring pool with steam rising from it. The leader was a middle-aged woman with a serious face and a slightly plump figure. She coldly ordered them to take off all their clothes and then step into the hot spring pool in front of everyone.
Bai Yuheng was the last to arrive, looking at the huge, steaming pool filled with thick, white water bubbling up from the center.
The cave was filled with burly women, their eyes fixed on the person soaking in the hot spring. Bai Yuheng slowly undressed and then slowly walked down.
The heavy smell of steam hit her nose, and Bai Yuheng's legs went weak, almost causing her to fall inside. It was the old woman guarding behind her who caught her.
"Be careful, if you fall and get hurt, you'll be in big trouble!"
When the hot water scalded the soles of her feet, she suddenly felt as if her strength was being softened and dismembered. Bai Yuheng tried to mobilize her magic power, but found that her spiritual power became sluggish and slow.
After everyone had gone down into the hot spring, several more women came in carrying large baskets of things and threw them in in twos and threes.
They are all kinds of flower petals.
After the petals were poured out, a leading woman took out a narrow-necked bottle that emitted a faint green light from her bosom and poured a drop into the pool.
The milky white pool water instantly changed color, turning into a vibrant red, and exuding a rich, fragrant aroma.
The heat and the stagnation of spiritual energy made Bai Yuheng feel dizzy and lightheaded. Her eyes rolled back as if she was about to faint.
They didn't know how long they soaked, but they were drowsy and were woken up. They were then dressed and taken back in a daze. When they returned, they were not covered with black cloths.
Bai Yuheng smelled the fishy scent of the sea, and her mind became much clearer. She tried to mobilize the spiritual power in her body and found that although there was a slight delay, it was still usable.
She quickly regained her senses and opened her dazed eyes to look at the dimly lit surroundings.
The place where they soaked in the medicinal bath was only a few hundred steps away from where they were imprisoned. It consisted of small hills, and underground dwellings were dug out from the hills.
Between the low hills, one can vaguely see tall buildings standing, with candlelight emanating from them.
That must have been the priest's residence.
Bai Yuheng memorized the location, lowered her head and pretended to be dizzy, and was sent back to the cages in rows.
Cui Mingcan has not returned yet.
Bai Yuheng estimated the time; she was about half an hour later than them.
Cui Mingcan's condition appeared to be more serious than theirs; they were almost all carried back.
My eyelids are drooping, and I feel drowsy.
Bai Yuheng placed two fingers behind his ears and channeled spiritual energy into his mind, awakening his consciousness.
"How are you? Are you feeling better?"
Cui Mingcan nodded dazedly, "Much better."
He propped himself up, covered his forehead, and still felt dizzy.
"You said their next hot spring bath will be at midnight?"
"Um."
"Alright, when I leave this cage at midnight, I will set up an illusion. However, my spiritual power will be somewhat delayed due to the medicinal soup, so it probably won't last long. If you notice the illusion is about to break, please recite an incantation for me..."
Cui Mingcan regained some composure and nodded: "Go on."
Bai Yuheng whispered a few words in his ear.
Cui Mingcan asked in surprise, "It's that simple?"
"Don't underestimate it. Every time you recite it, it reduces your spiritual power by one point."
"So poisonous!?"
“That’s natural, because you weren’t the one who set up the illusion. Some of the pre-set formations would have backfired,” Bai Yuheng said. “But there’s no other way now, so I’ll just have to trouble you. I’ll have Xiaoying make you a perfect tonic soup later to nourish you up!”
Cui Mingcan resigned himself to his fate: "Alright then..."
At midnight, they were escorted out as usual. Bai Yuheng quickly made a hand seal, and the air paused for a moment. But in an instant, everything returned to normal, except that the people standing at the back of the procession had become dazed puppets.
Bai Yuheng hid in the darkness, watching the group of people lead them to the hot spring, while she went in the opposite direction.
Ronghua Building.
"Boss, let's drink."
A short, thin, dark-skinned man who looked like a monkey with a pointed snout was smiling as he poured drinks for the people sitting at the head of the table.
"The bounty for this batch of goods we sold the other day has been paid out." Xu Huaji had several wooden crates brought to the table, and waved his hand, saying, "You guys take these and divide them up! You've all worked hard, brothers. After we finish this deal, we can take a break and let you enjoy yourselves for a few more days!"
The people drinking at the table had their eyes light up when they saw the glittering gold and silver, and they kept saying, "Thank you, brother! Thank you, brother!"
"We've had a lot going on and heavy workload lately, you've all worked so hard. This drink is for my brothers!"
After saying that, they all stood up with him and drank heartily.
"We should thank our elder brother for giving us the opportunity to make money! Otherwise, we would all be just lousy fishermen! We would never have earned so much money in our entire lives!"
"Yeah yeah!"
"Without you, how could we live a life of luxury and never worry about money!"
"Brother, you are our benefactor in a second life!"
The crowd at the table responded enthusiastically, offering their thanks incessantly. Xu Huaji's vanity swelled, and his face beamed with pride.
"We're all one family, and family members shouldn't speak like strangers. Of course, we should make money together!" Xu Huaji said a few more nice words, which made everyone at the table grateful to tears, wishing they could give their lives for him.
"But speaking of which, why is the Painted Skin Immortal ordering so much stuff lately? It made my second brother and I search all over the country, and we almost got caught!" someone exclaimed.
Xu Huaji's face was flushed as he downed a glass of wine in one gulp. He was praised by the person next to him for his good drinking capacity. While feeling smug, he took the opportunity to reply, "Isn't this just the higher-ups trying to flatter our master? I heard they're making a giant lantern this year, specially for his birthday celebration!"
The man wanted to ask more questions, but Xu Huaji was still somewhat sensible and waved his hand, saying, "Let's not worry about what's going on above. Just do our jobs well, and we'll naturally get our share of the rewards!"
The waiter chuckled and quickly said, "Brother is right, come on, this cup is for you!"
Then someone else asked, "Brother, have you ever met this Painted Skin Immortal? I've always heard of him, but I've never seen him. He's given us so many opportunities to make money; I really want to meet him."
"Yeah, if it weren't for the great immortal of painted skin opening up a way out, we wouldn't have anywhere to sell the goods we collected, and we wouldn't have been able to get such a high price!"
Xu Huaji chuckled: "Want to see the Painted Skin Immortal?"
Several nodded expectantly: "I'm thinking about it!"
"A legendary figure, of course I want to meet him!"
Xu Huaji smiled and put down his wine glass: "Then you can think about it. Who is this great immortal? Is he someone you mortals can possibly meet?"
Emboldened by the alcohol, the fat man joked, "Brother, you haven't even seen me before, have you?!"
Xu Huaji seemed to have been struck by a blow; the smile on his lips faded, but his eyebrows and eyes did indeed curve.
Someone with sharp eyes quickly interjected, "Pang Pan, you're wrong about that! Who is our boss? He's the High Priest under the Sea God! A High Priest who can hear and convey the Sea God's will! Isn't that more powerful than a great immortal?!"
Xu Huaji silently drank a glass of wine without saying a word.
Once Pan Dapang regained his senses, he realized he had misspoke. He chuckled and immediately poured himself a drink, apologizing, "It was my fault for being blind and not recognizing your greatness. You're nothing but a nobody!"
Xu Huaji laughed again: "Big Fatty, you always have a big mouth. I have seen that immortal, of course. He is ugly and plain, but his hands are skillful, like the bright moon, white and smooth."
"Could it be a woman?"
Xu Hua simply smiled and remained silent.
Seeing that he was unwilling to talk more, the others tactfully changed the subject and drank enthusiastically.
The man, who staggered out the door, transformed into a slender and graceful woman after a puff of golden smoke.
As the crowd dispersed, Bai Yuheng hid in the shadows, watching Xu Huaji being helped up, her gaze deep and unsettling.
Bai Yuheng stood for a moment and walked towards the place of imprisonment, but when she passed a certain hill, she stopped and a sudden thought flashed through her mind. She suddenly remembered the conversation between Xu Huaji and the eight-clawed monster when she first arrived at Penglai Island.
"A good lover?"
Bai Yuheng pondered for a moment, then turned and walked towards Xu Huaji.
Inside the bedroom.
The guards put him down, cleaned him up, and then left.
Bai Yuheng jumped in through the window and looked at Xu Huaji, who was fast asleep, in the dim candlelight.
A gentle sea breeze stirred the hanging bed curtains. Xu Huaji, already groggy from a hangover, squinted slightly and vaguely saw a graceful figure reflected on the bed curtains. He suddenly opened his eyes, feeling much more alert.
Seeing that the figure standing in front of the bed did not move, he held his breath and dared not shout, for fear of being killed.
He pretended to be drunk, squinting his eyes, and scrutinized the person in front of him. The bed curtains were blown open by the sea breeze, and that beautiful and pure face came into view. Xu Huaji's breath hitched, as if he felt a sense of familiarity, but at this moment, he was so drunk that he couldn't remember anything.
"Xu Huaji?" The woman before him smiled gently, her voice clear and melodious. "Is that you?"
He didn't know how she knew he was awake, nor why he couldn't move his body. He could only listen to his own voice as an observer and answer her, "Yes."
"very good."
The fairy smiled again.
"Could you answer a few questions for me?"
Xu Hua struggled to shut his mouth, but heard himself reply, "Okay."
The fairy's beautiful face instantly turned serious, her bright, watery eyes fixed on him, her voice like an ice pick piercing through the air:
"Why are you arresting people? Where are you sending them? Who are you selling them to? Who is the mastermind behind this? You? Or that 'Painted Skin Immortal'?"
As questions rained down on him, Xu Huaji broke out in a cold sweat, feeling a strong resistance in his heart, but his mouth betrayed him and blurted out the answers uncontrollably.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
