Chapter 107 Heartless Love (Part Two)
Qu Fengyu's bloodline method of finding people is complex and consumes a great deal of spiritual energy. It also requires the use of divination. Jiang Gu knew nothing about divination, but after two months he had managed to grasp some of the methods.
In the real world, the art of finding people can only pinpoint a specific location. Wei Feng is currently in an illusion, so we can only roughly determine his location. However, the Song Sui Lou illusion complex has already shattered into a vortex, which causes Wei Feng's location to change constantly. This greatly increases the difficulty of locating him. Even if we determine an extremely specific location, Wei Feng will have already disappeared because the caster cannot arrive in time.
This is why Qu Fengyu couldn't find the person even after searching for two months.
Continuing to search in this way is not a long-term solution.
The night was deep, and the moonlight from outside the window shone in, falling on the red line on Jiang Gu's wrist.
This is the Fire-Separating Rope, a magical artifact forged from half of the Fire-Separating Pill within Wei Feng's body. The rope is split in two, with the other one wrapped around Wei Feng's neck. Jiang Gu's initial intention in doing this was to be able to kill Wei Feng at any time. Even later, when the Primordial Spirit Imprint could completely replace him, he did not untie it from Wei Feng's neck—of course, he does not deny that he had some perverse pleasure in it. The bright red rope wrapped around Wei Feng's fair and slender neck, whether he looked over with tearful eyes or bared his teeth in anger, always brought a bit of joy to people.
Little did he know that this rope would now become the medium through which he searched for people.
Using Qu Fengyu's method of finding people, he determined Wei Feng's location, and then forcibly merged the spiritual power of the two Fire Ropes into one. He could then use his spirit to leave his body and rely on the spiritual power of the Fire Ropes to enter the Songsui Illusionary Realm, which was nowhere in sight, and then... find Wei Feng.
Jiang Gu tried countless times during this period. He was cautious by nature and did not want to spend too much of his primordial spirit. However, his primordial spirit was too small to support him to enter the illusion from a distance. He had no other choice. As he experimented more and more, a little more than half of his primordial spirit was just enough to support him to find people in the illusion and pull them out.
Sending away most of one's primordial spirit, or even entering the vortex formed by fragments of the illusion from afar, is an extremely dangerous thing; a slight mistake could severely damage one's mind.
The last time he entered the fragment vortex, his primordial spirit was injured. If it weren't for the black jade bracelet and the ancient god temple that could repair his damaged primordial spirit, he would probably be mentally unstable by now. And every time he enters the ancient god temple to repair his primordial spirit, he has to pay a considerable price.
The fire rope on his wrist was bright and eye-catching, but Jiang Gu's face was ashen.
If ascension requires overcoming a tribulation of love, and if Wei Feng dies, Heaven will not leave him with a dead end; there will surely be other opportunities. Rationally speaking, he is doing something dangerous and unnecessary... He doesn't necessarily need to find Wei Feng.
A familiar aura flashed by within the search array, seemingly accompanied by a faint sobbing sound. Jiang Gu frowned and separated his primordial spirit to enter the vortex of the Song Sui Tower illusion.
It wasn't until dawn that Jiang Gu's spirit returned to its place.
Still, nothing was gained.
A knock came at the door. "Seventh Young Master, Elder Song and the others from the Spirit Dragon Sect have arrived at the main hall."
Jiang Gu used a water-drawing spell to wash away the bloody smell from his body, then got up and pushed open the door to go out.
When Song Ping saw him, there was obvious surprise in his eyes. He laughed and said, "Is this the sincerity your Jiang family is offering? Isn't this going too far?"
"Elder Song, you flatter me." Jiang Gu nodded in a cool yet polite manner. "Please sit down."
The disciples of the Linglong Sect and the Jiang family lined up on both sides. Even though Song Ping and Jiang Gu had fought each other to the death with swords, they now had to sit down face to face with feigned politeness.
However, when opinions clash, even a few words can be excessive. The Linglong Sect, using the excuse that Lu Zhenyi wouldn't live much longer, made an outrageous demand for Song Suixi. Not to mention that Song Suixi had already been stolen by Lu Liyu, even if it were still in the Jiang family, they wouldn't hand it over so easily. Moreover, two months had already passed, and Lu Zhenyi was still alive.
Moreover, the Linglong Sect's actions this time were truly beneath them, and the Jiang family suspected they had other plans, so they had been observing the situation. Even when Jiang Xiangyun gave orders, they continued to delay. As for having Jiang Gu step in, it was merely to provoke Song Ping.
"You've really gone too far!" Song Ping slammed his hand on the table, causing the entire hall to tremble.
Jiang Gu remained calm. "Elder Song, Song Suixi is not available every year. Even if it is, it should be reserved for the Jiang family. I advise you to think of another way."
As he said this, Lu Ziming, who was standing behind Song Ping, looked extremely ugly, and Jiang Gu glanced at him.
This time, it naturally ended badly again, and the situation became even more tense when Jiang Guyi showed up.
However, Jiang Gu sensed something strange. After the people from the Spirit Dragon Sect left, he possessed the little wooden puppet and quietly sneaked into the courtyard where they were.
Thanks to his daily practice of using his primordial spirit to search for people, Jiang Gu now has extremely precise control over his primordial spirit. He only managed to send a wisp of his primordial spirit into the puppet, and its spiritual energy fluctuations were not even as high as those of the spiritual plants by the roadside. Although even a mortal could crush this little wooden puppet with a single finger, conversely, even a True Immortal cultivator like Song Ping could hardly detect his presence. It was truly a good method for gathering information, and it could be considered a blessing in disguise.
Jiang Gu pressed himself against the beam in the room, listening to the conversation below.
“Elder Song, the Jiang family has deliberately delayed for so long, they definitely won’t hand over Song Suixi.” Lu Ziming stood in front of Song Ping somewhat timidly and spoke softly.
Since Lu Zhenyi's accident, he lost his greatest support, and his status in the Linglong Sect plummeted. The once respectful disciples and kind teachers seemed to have changed. Even he was able to come to the Jiang family only after kneeling in front of Jingcang's gate for three days and three nights. After arriving, he kept a close eye on Lu Zhenyi, fearing that his brother would die on the way.
Song Ping glanced at him indifferently, "I know they won't hand it over. We're here to negotiate with the Jiang family. Your brother has already lost his innate talent, so even if we save him, it's meaningless. You don't need to put on this act. Since our sect leader has agreed to let me bring him here, do you think he doesn't know that?"
Lu Ziming opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
When his brother was injured, Jing Cang was anxious and heartbroken, and his actions seemed genuine. But now he's using Lu Zhenyi as bait, disregarding her life... He can't accept this from the bottom of his heart.
"If Lu Zhenyi really dies in the Jiang family, it would be a good thing." Song Ping's eyes were unfathomable. Seeing that he still didn't understand, he simply stated it directly, "You don't need to guard him every day, understand?"
Lu Ziming's face turned ashen, and he clenched his fists.
“Zhenyi understands better than you do, but she’s just afraid of hurting you,” Song Ping said in a deep voice. “I don’t mind playing the villain myself.”
Song Ping only kept Lu Zhenyi alive until today out of consideration for their past relationship. Even his own master, Jing Cang, had tacitly approved of it. However, Song Ping also had his own selfish motives. He didn't want to dirty his hands and risk being used against him in the future, which is why he kept delaying until now.
But Jiang Gu's appearance today had already worn down his already limited patience, which is why he made it clear to Lu Ziming that Lu Zhenyi's situation was one of certain death from the moment she came to the Jiang family.
Lu Ziming left dejectedly, and Jiang Gu silently followed him, manipulating the puppet.
The heavy bed curtains were lifted, revealing a young man lying on the bed who was so thin he was just a skeleton. He must have heard footsteps, because he opened his eyes and gave the person a weak smile, "Ziming, you're back."
“…Brother.” Lu Ziming knelt by the bed and grabbed his thin hand.
Lu Zhenyi smiled. "You seem unhappy. What did Elder Song say to you?"
Lu Ziming pursed his lips and shook his head. "It's nothing."
Seeing this, Lu Zhenyi didn't ask any more questions. Instead, she raised her hand with some difficulty and touched his face. "From the day my Dao Heart shattered, I knew I wouldn't survive. The only reason I've been able to prolong this time is thanks to Master's mercy, and also... I wanted to spend more time with you. Before, I was either cultivating or taking on missions and going down the mountain for training, always leaving you alone on the mountain. We only saw each other a few times a year..."
Lu Ziming lowered his head and leaned closer, wanting to make him not have to exert so much effort to raise his hand, keeping his head down as if afraid that he would see his tears.
“I used to always think about when I could protect you. After becoming the chief disciple, I thought about how I could become stronger and provide you with a better environment. You're simple-minded and impatient, and the cultivation world is ruthless, so I have to protect you... I just kept cultivating and cultivating. But when I looked back, the little one I used to hold and feed rice cereal had grown so big and doesn't like to be close to people anymore. She finds fault with everyone…” Lu Zhenyi smiled helplessly. “Actually, it's all my fault. If I had spent more time with you, you definitely wouldn't be this prickly person you are now…”
Lu Ziming gritted his teeth and shook his head.
"Don't cry." Lu Zhenyi reached out and wiped away his tears. "Ziming, you must remember this: you must never let anyone else know that I gave you my root bone and the rest of my cultivation, not even your master, understand?"
Lu Ziming choked up and said, "No, I'm not good enough. They must know something's fishy. Brother, you have to stay alive to help me."
Lu Zhenyi smiled and said, "There are countless extraordinary encounters in the world. Just pick a secret realm to go into and come out, and say that you have found a great opportunity. Now that you have the cultivation of the Mahayana stage, no one will dare to say anything."
Lu Ziming gripped his hand tightly, his voice trembling with tears, and said, "I don't want cultivation, brother, I just want you to stay by my side."
Lu Zhenyi no longer had the strength to speak, but he still forced himself to say, "After I die, while my primordial spirit is still intact, refine it into your natal magic weapon... at least... let me protect you the most..."
Before he could finish speaking, his last breath dissipated in his chest.
"Brother, brother! Brother!" Lu Ziming cried out in despair, shaking his shoulders desperately. The blanket covering him slipped off, revealing a blood-soaked chest and a Yuan Dan Zi Fu that had been forcibly ripped out, on which Lu Zhenyi's last trace of soul was concentrated.
When a cultivator dies, he leaves behind his Purple Mansion. Obviously, Lu Zhenyi didn't intend to let anyone else benefit from it, so she cut it out in advance to leave it for him.
Jiang Gu, who was on the roof beam, frowned as he watched.
Lu Zhenyi stared blankly at the Yuan Dan and the Purple Mansion inside, remaining stunned for a long time before murmuring to herself, "No, this can't be, brother, you can't leave me alone, I won't let you go, I don't want to..."
As he spoke, his gaze became urgent and frantic. Taking advantage of the fact that the Yuan Dan was still fresh, he directly set up an array with his bare hands, locking Lu Zhenyi's primordial spirit and soul, which were about to collapse. Then, he directly opened his own dantian, pulled out his own Yuan Dan, and replaced Lu Zhenyi's Yuan Dan with it.
His spiritual root had long been replaced by Lu Zhenyi's own, so connecting with Lu Zhenyi's primordial core was effortless. Then, he used his primordial spirit to leave his body and enter the soul-locking array, intending to fuse his primordial spirit with Lu Zhenyi's.
Jiang Gu narrowed his eyes. This was definitely not an orthodox array technique; it was more like the method of demonic cultivators possessing bodies. However, this was the first time he had ever seen someone actively seeking to possess another's body. In this situation, as long as he interfered slightly, he could make Lu Ziming fail at the last minute and eliminate this potential trouble.
However, this would inevitably alarm Song Ping.
After careful consideration, Jiang Gu ultimately abandoned this unprofitable option.
"Cough cough cough—" After an unknown amount of time, Lu Ziming, who was kneeling by the bed, suddenly coughed violently, and blood gushed out from his lower abdomen.
Lu Zhenyi instinctively reached out to cover her aching abdominal wound, then stared in horror at her own corpse on the bed. "Ziming, what did you do?!"
The boy kneeling by the bed grinned, raised his blood-stained hand to touch his face, and uttered the same words from the same mouth: "Brother, your Dao Heart is broken, so just use mine. Anyway, you saved my life, and my roots and cultivation are yours... Besides, this way you can continue to live, and no one can separate us."
"Are you insane!" Lu Zhenyi shouted angrily, "Where did you learn this evil art? Do you know that going against the heavens comes at a price? You're ruining yourself!"
Lu Ziming laughed, "Brother, it sounds really strange when you speak in my voice. I can sense that you're very angry and energetic—"
"Lu Ziming!" Lu Zhenyi interrupted him angrily, "Release my primordial spirit and soul, and refine them into your natal sword, do you hear me!?"
Lu Ziming slowly turned his neck, picked himself up from the bed, and carefully touched his face. "No."
Lu Zhenyi reached out to retrieve the Dan Yuan, but her wrist was grabbed by another hand. The scene looked rather comical, as if a person's left hand was grabbing their right hand, as if they were struggling with themselves.
“Brother, your primordial spirit is still too weak. I am the one in control.” Lu Ziming said in a low voice, “You should get some sleep first. After a while, when your primordial spirit has completely merged into my body, I will release you. You can punish me however you want then.”
“Lu Ziming—” Lu Zhenyi shouted his full name sharply, but as Lu Ziming said, he was now in a vulnerable position and was soon forced to lose consciousness.
Lu Ziming lowered his head and wrapped his arm around the wound on his abdomen, muttering to himself, "Brother, I will help you take revenge. None of those who hurt us will escape."
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