Chapter 197 Returning to Qingliang Cave "You've really had a tough time lately..."
"You've been really hard to get a hold of lately," Ruoyin said, sipping her milk tea and glancing at the bodyguard not far away.
Sang Zhitao tilted her head and glanced at the bodyguard before saying to Qingyan, "There's nothing I can do, I've been quite busy lately."
"What exactly are you busy with?" Qingyan asked, her face full of confusion.
Sang Zhitao's education level wasn't high, and the company she used to work for was a small company. She really wondered what Sang Zhitao was busy with, as she never had time to go out and have fun.
Sang Zhitao shook her head: "It's a long story, let's talk about it later."
Seeing that she was unwilling to discuss the matter in detail, Ruoyin could only sigh and stop paying attention to it. Instead, she brought up the game: "You've been so busy that you haven't even logged into the game. I'm almost in the top 100 on the leaderboard now."
Thinking of that game, touted as the first truly holographic game on Earth, Sang Zhitao pouted sadly, "There's nothing I can do about it..."
Ruoyin guessed that this matter probably had the same answer as the previous question, and couldn't help but sigh as she took a bite of Black Forest cake.
Taking this opportunity, Sang Zhitao quickly changed the subject: "By the way, what did you want to see me about?"
Ruoyin suddenly clapped her hands: "The orphanage mom asked me to ask you: In the past year or two, the orphanage has frequently received large amounts of donations, and many children with poor health have been sent to the hospital for treatment. Was that your doing?"
Sang Zhitao was taken aback, then shook her head blankly: "No, I didn't do it, but it's possible that my family did it."
Ruoyin frowned slightly after hearing this: "Then ask them later, and tell them that they don't need to send money anymore. They have enough money now. Remember, a little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment."
“I’m not a child anymore, I know that,” Sang Zhitao waved her hand dismissively.
Before Ruoyin could say anything, Sang Zhitao suddenly remembered the abnormality she had sensed in Ruoyin earlier.
She lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then directly took Ruoyin's hand.
Ruoyin was startled by her actions.
"Let's go shopping." Sang Zhitao didn't think anything was wrong at first, but she felt it was strange to keep holding Ruoyin's hand, so she could only make up an excuse.
If Ruoyin had no doubts, he nodded in agreement.
The two walked hand in hand.
"You said you were working overtime! But you ended up shopping with her?!" A loud commotion suddenly came from ahead.
The two looked at each other, curiously took a few steps forward, and then realized that many people shopping were looking in their direction, and quite a few even came over to see what was going on, after all, curiosity is human nature.
What happened was exactly what they had expected; it was indeed a matter of emotional conflict.
A woman wearing a long dress and a long coat, with her hair up, who looked very gentle, had tears in her eyes. She was holding a little girl's hand and glaring angrily at the man in front of her who was protecting another woman.
The woman behind the man looked young and dressed in a trendy style, embodying the currently popular "pure and alluring" aesthetic.
She peeked out from behind the man and gave the woman in front of her a smug smile.
The man looked at his wife impatiently and pulled his mistress back a little: "Alright, you eat my food, drink my drinks, and live in my house, can't you just turn a blind eye?"
"I met you when I was fifteen, married you at twenty-five, and gave birth to our daughter at twenty-six. We haven't even reached the seven-year itch yet, and you've already betrayed me. You expect me to tolerate this? Have you no shame?" His wife was so angry that her face turned red, and tears streamed down her face.
"If you can't stand it, then get a divorce." The man glanced at her with displeasure, then pulled his mistress away.
"Don't go!" His wife rushed forward to try and stop him.
"Ah!" But the man threw her to the ground.
"Mommy!" The five- or six-year-old girl was so frightened that she rushed to her mother's side, crying uncontrollably.
The direction the man led his lover away was exactly where Sang Zhitao and Ruoyin were.
The other onlookers all left as if it were none of their business, only Ruoyin frowned and looked at the wife and man with displeasure.
As the man walked past her, she suddenly grabbed him and said, "Didn't you see your wife is injured?"
"What's it to you?!" The man frowned, looking at Ruoyin with a puzzled expression.
Sang Zhitao quickly gave the bodyguard a wink.
She knew best what a chivalrous and righteous person her friend was, so she naturally instructed the bodyguards to protect the two of them to prevent them from getting hurt.
The man tried to break free from Ruoyin's grasp, but to no avail.
"What...what do you want to do?!" The lover looked at the man with pity, raised her chin, and looked at Ruoyin with a fierce but cowardly expression.
Ruoyin turned her head and gave her a cold look.
The lover, having seen something in Ruoyin's eyes, was so frightened that he took a step back and said nothing more.
Sang Zhitao touched her chest and felt the familiar warmth coming from there.
The man tried to break free again, but upon seeing Ruoyin's face, the resentment on his face suddenly vanished, replaced by a moment of emptiness before he quickly regained his calm demeanor: "Let me go first."
Ruoyin gave a soft snort and then pushed the man down next to his wife, who had finally managed to stand up.
The man glanced awkwardly at his wife and daughter, then at his mistress, and remained silent for a moment before saying, "You go back first, I'll take Miaomiao to the hospital to get checked out."
The young lover looked at him in disbelief, then suddenly turned to look at Qingyan. She opened her mouth but didn't dare to say anything. She stomped her foot angrily and turned to leave.
Sang Zhitao touched her chest with her fingertips turning white, feeling the warmth of her palm, and looked at the faintly visible figure behind her.
After a while, Ruoyin turned to look at her as if she hadn't noticed anything: "What's wrong?"
Sang Zhitao frowned slightly and shook her head: "It's nothing."
Seeing this, Ruoyin didn't pursue the matter and pulled her to continue browsing in the store.
Because of the development of virtual networks, there are very few people browsing in online stores now, so even though this online store is very large, it is actually extremely empty.
After browsing through a few shops and grabbing a bite to eat, they decided to head straight home.
Just as she stepped out of the mall, Ruoyin suddenly exclaimed softly.
Sang Zhitao quickly looked at her: "What's wrong?"
Ruoyin waved her hand and looked down at her feet: "The new shoes are no good after all, they've worn out."
"Since we're in the mall anyway, let's buy a new pair." With that, Sang Zhitao pulled her into the women's shoe store next door.
Carefully remove the old shoes; faint traces of blood are already visible on the heel of the foot.
Seeing the bright red blood, Sang Zhitao's pupils contracted; this aura...
She looked at Ruoyin in disbelief, feeling as if her mind was a complete mess.
"Alright, I've sent someone to pick me up. It's getting late, you should go now," Ruoyin said to Sang Zhitao after checking the time.
Sang Zhitao hesitated, unsure whether to proceed with the confirmation or go back and think it over.
"It's alright, let's go quickly," Ruoyin urged again.
The bodyguard came over and whispered a few words to Sang Zhitao, after which she decided to go back to the base first.
“Ruoyin’s aura is the same as Qingyan’s. I suspect they are related.” Sang Zhitao rubbed her temples and looked at Team Leader Sheng An.
"So she might have come from the world of cultivation or Qingyan?" Team Leader Sheng An looked at her in disbelief.
"I can't be sure. In my memory, she's a friend I've known since childhood. I..." Sang Zhitao frowned, her face full of worry.
"If she has a connection to that world, is it possible to bring her into the world of cultivation?" Sang Lezhi, who was standing next to her, suddenly had a wild idea.
Sang Zhitao shook her head repeatedly: "If we can't bring it out, it will be a huge problem."
“That’s true.” Sang Lezhi nodded and said nothing more.
"Leave this to us for now, you can go back over there." Team Leader Sheng An rubbed his temples, gave a few more careful instructions, and then left.
Sang Zhitao thought of what she had talked to him about before, and a thought flashed through her mind, but before she could grasp it, the thought disappeared again.
When she returned to Qingliang Cave, Elder Qing and Qingyan were already waiting for her outside the cave.
"You went back? How was it?" Qingyan looked at her curiously.
Sang Zhitao turned to look at Elder Qing: "I discussed it with my compatriots on Earth, and we think it may be related to the Heavenly Dao."
"The Way of Heaven?" Elder Qing looked at her in confusion.
Sang Zhitao nodded: "Elder Qing, have you noticed anything wrong with the Heavenly Dao over the years?"
After thinking about it carefully, Elder Qing shook his head and said, "I don't feel anything."
“I see…” Sang Zhitao murmured softly, “If it’s not a problem with the Heavenly Dao, then where does the crisis lie?”
“Perhaps…” Elder Qing twirled his fingers, hesitated for a moment before saying, “Perhaps it has something to do with the old Realm Master.”
"Old Realm Master?" Sang Zhitao and Qingyan looked at him in surprise.
Old Master Qing closed his eyes and nodded emphatically: "In a way, it's a tragic tale..."
"I was young at the time and only heard some rumors, but I didn't know the specifics. However, it's not impossible that the crisis came from that person."
As he spoke, Elder Qing raised his hand and gently tapped the air, and a terrifying scene immediately appeared in the sky.
Blood red and green intertwined, life and death merged, severed limbs and remains flew up and fell in mid-air, flesh and blood grew from white bones, and the eyes of the bewitching beauty were full of murderous intent.
This scene depicts the tragedy that occurred beside Demon Moon Lake.
"The Demon Realm just sent this to me." Elder Qing sighed again. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the resurrected old Realm Lord. She will definitely cause unrest in the Three Realms."
Qingyan frowned, full of confusion: "Isn't it said that the bottom of that lake is inhabited by cultivators from the Cloud Sea Realm? To me, they look more like demonic cultivators?"
Old Master Qing looked at her with surprise before realizing, "That's right, you're quite young, so it's even more difficult for you to understand."
He then gave a brief introduction to the people in the picture.
Her name was Qingyue. She was a member of the Spirit Clan who chose to cultivate the path of demons and monsters. Later, she became the ruler of the demon realm. However, one day she suddenly gave the position of ruler to her Daoist partner and then disappeared.
At that time, many people spread rumors that the old master had forced his wife to her death in order to seize the position.
However, as time has passed and the old master has brainwashed the public, many people now believe that what is buried under Demon Moon Lake is the old master's lover, not the old master himself.
"So, she must have a blood feud with the old realm master. Then why would she be so determined to take revenge on the three realms?" Sang Zhitao looked at Elder Qing with curiosity.
Elder Qing shook his head: "It's hard to say. All I know is that she was sealed in Demon Moon Lake with immense resentment."
As he spoke, a sigh flashed across his face: "Back then, the former Realm Lord listened to slander and joined forces with the Three Realms to seal her away. How could he not seek revenge once he gained power?"
"What do we do now? There are evil gods outside and the former realm lord inside. With my and Tao Tao's abilities..." Qing Yan looked at Elder Qing with worry.
Elder Qing sighed helplessly: "If the Lord of the Three Realms were still alive, I could confidently say that everything is alright with our Lord, but now..."
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