Chapter 92 Star Eye Awakening
On Broken Soul Ridge, the mountain wind howls.
The original location of the throat-locking monument is now just a pile of limestone ash.
Lu Yao suddenly felt a lightness in her mind, as if the first shackle that had bound her primordial spirit for thousands of years had finally broken.
Lu Yao looked up at the remaining eight stone tablets, which cast menacing shadows in the moonlight.
If all nine steles are destroyed, will the immortal bond that was severed back then be able to be rekindled?
The thought had barely formed when she shook her head and dismissed it.
More than the elusive prospect of ascension, what troubled her more at this moment was that eight of her benefactors were suffering similar hardships to Wang Ziying in the mortal realm.
Lu Yao clenched the copper coin in her hand.
A thousand-year cycle, a cycle of cause and effect.
Since her benefactors were willing to endure nine lifetimes of suffering for her, she would also seize every second to end this destiny in the tenth lifetime.
Every moment of delay meant an extra moment of suffering for her benefactors.
This thought burned like a raging fire within her.
A mountain mist rose, enveloping her slender figure.
...
When Lu Yao returned to her small house on Jinglan Mountain, dusk had already fallen.
Youqing was curled up in a wicker chair looking at her phone when she saw her enter. She quickly pressed the pause button, and the song and dance on the screen came to an abrupt end.
“Grand Preceptor,” You Qing jogged up to greet him, “the villagers of Qixia Village have brought a lot of fresh seasonal vegetables to thank you for saving their lives.”
She pointed towards the kitchen, "They were so enthusiastic, I just couldn't refuse..."
Lu Yao waved her hand, "Since it's a token of my appreciation, I'll accept it."
She walked to the stove and awkwardly picked up a pot to boil water.
After all that fuss, she was hungry, so she cooked two bowls of noodles and ate with Youqing.
Holding the bowl, You Qing clicked on the talent show called "Starry Eyes Awakening".
Twenty-four beautiful young girls shone on the stage, and comments flooded the screen like snowflakes.
The most popular contestant can become the champion and sign a contract with Chimang Entertainment, the industry's largest star-making factory.
"From ordinary person to superstar—here, every girl can pluck her own star."
The host delivered the opening slogan with great emotion.
"This is the hottest variety show right now, with hundreds of millions of views per episode. The show is now halfway through, and there are still ten girls left," Youqing enthusiastically introduced to Luyao, afraid that she wouldn't understand. "Look, they are all so beautiful, and each of them has their own unique charm."
“I like her the most,” You Qing said, biting the tip of her chopsticks and pointing at the girl with dimples. “Xu Qianqian is so sweet, I hope she wins the championship.”
Lu Yao watched for a while. The girls' singing was moving and their dancing was beautiful. No wonder so many people loved to watch them.
However… Lu Yao stared at the brightly lit stage and suddenly frowned.
She tapped the screen with her fingertip to pause the video.
Lu Yao asked, "Has anything strange happened on this show?"
You Qing tensed up: "Is something wrong, Grand Preceptor?"
Lu Yao stared at the stage. "There's something wrong with the feng shui."
Yu Qing tried hard to recall, "There really wasn't anything strange during the program, everything was normal."
“However,” You Qing suddenly exclaimed, remembering something, “it seems that bad things happened to the girls who were eliminated before.”
Youqing opened the app and searched for several names.
Xuan Qianqian started losing a lot of hair after being eliminated, for unknown reasons. She thought it was because of too much pressure. She even posted a video on a music platform to joke about herself, saying that she had bought a lot of wigs. Everyone in the comments praised her for being strong and optimistic.
Su Ying was a beauty blogger with a fan base before participating in the show. Shortly after being eliminated from the show, she suddenly broke out in acne and her face became severely damaged, almost to the point of being half-disfigured. Her "Challenge" account has stopped updating.
“There are three more contestants who have been eliminated,” You Qing’s voice trembled, “one suffered from sudden tinnitus, another from tenosynovitis in her wrist, and the most unfortunate one is Lin Xiaoman…”
She pulled up a news page: "He was in a car accident on his way home and is still in the ICU."
Lu Yao's pupils contracted slightly.
She pondered for a moment, then pointed to the huge crystal chandelier in the center of the stage: "This lamp is shaped like an inverted sword, pointing directly at the contestant's crown chakra. This is the 'Hanging Sword Sha'."
You Qing gasped.
The expensive chandelier, under close-up shots, did indeed gleam with a chilling light.
“Let’s look at the stage layout.” Lu Yao dipped her chopsticks in water and drew a Bagua diagram on the table. “The east is missing a corner, and the west has an extra piece. The east represents vitality, while the west represents death. This is clearly a variant of the Qi-seizing formation.”
Lu Yao zoomed in on a close-up of Xu Qianqian on the screen, "Look at the blue tinge in the whites of her eyes, that's a sign that her luck has been borrowed."
A sudden gust of cold wind rose outside the window, causing the kitchen curtains to flutter loudly.
The cold light from the screen reflected on Lu Yao's face, casting a frosty glow on her furrowed brows.
The girls' faces flashed through Lu Yao's mind.
The same black aura lingered between their foreheads, as if their vital energy was being devoured by some invisible force.
This was no ordinary bad luck, but a carefully crafted sorcery.
Furthermore, their faces were shrouded in a light mist, making it impossible to discern who the mastermind behind it all was.
Lu Yao slowly put down her bamboo chopsticks, her fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.
There must be some kind of esoteric master behind this show, secretly manipulating it.
However, getting involved in this matter would inevitably delay the search for the other eight benefactors.
Lu Yao closed her eyes and concentrated, as if she could hear Wang Ziying's suppressed sobs on the operating table again.
"What's wrong with me..." she said with a self-deprecating smile.
A thousand years ago, wasn't it precisely because of her meddlesome nature that she was favored by the Heavenly Dao and bestowed with immortal bones?
If we turn a blind eye to the injustice before us today, how are we any different from those hypocritical scoundrels who suppressed her back then?
Youqing looked at her uneasily, "Grand Preceptor..."
Lu Yao opened her eyes, her gaze now clear.
Those benefactors who endured nine lifetimes of suffering for her, weren't they all people she had befriended because of her meddling in other people's business back then?
They probably wouldn't want to see her become a cold, indifferent stranger.
If one goes against one's true nature, even if one searches for all the benefactors of nine lifetimes, it will still be difficult to attain the Great Dao.
Since we've encountered this, it must be fate.
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