Chapter 230 He has no hair, did he not convert from Buddhism?
From the moment Yu Sui boarded the ship in the foggy sea, she released five elemental light cores to try and memorize the route to Xuan Kui's stronghold. However, the sea fog was too thick, and all she could see with the five elemental light cores she released was darkness.
It's easy to lose your way at sea, especially when the thick fog obscures the view and you can't even tell what's in the sky.
Even the released Five Elements Light Cores could not capture the scene of how one entered the mirage.
Only after entering the mirage can the light core monitor the people around it as usual.
Yu Sui's first impression of Qin Chongxue standing in the room was not good, because she had sensed someone spying on her from the shadows downstairs, and now she finally knew who was spying on her.
This person looked like a seasoned veteran, with half of his imposing presence hidden and sharp eyes. Unlike the others downstairs, he was not humble and respectful when facing Ou Rushuang.
His strength must be at the thirteenth realm, or even among the best in the same realm.
After listening to their conversation, Yu Sui grabbed her sleeve and raised her hand to cover her face, seemingly to shield herself from the wind and sand outside, but also to obscure the faint light in her eyes.
Nian Qiuyan steadied herself and, seeing Yu Sui raise her hand to shield herself from the wind and sand, said, "Let's go inside."
Yu Sui covered her face and went into the house.
Zhang Xiangyun tried to turn away when Yu Sui couldn't see him, but Nian Qiuyan kicked his leg, causing him to stumble and fall into the house. After regaining his balance, he couldn't help but turn back and glare at him fiercely.
Nian Qiuyan remained unfazed. Zhang Xiangyun tried to run away, but Yu Sui turned around and asked, "Where are you going? Aren't you going to come in and talk to me?"
Zhang Xiangyun's face froze as soon as he turned to the side and heard Yu Sui's words. He had no choice but to turn back and follow Nian Qiuyan into the house.
The majority of people here are men, and when they suddenly see a young girl who is dressed very elegantly and beautifully, they can't help but look in Yu Sui's direction.
Zhang Xiangyun coldly swept his gaze across those people: "What are you looking at? Are you all bored?"
This is a typical case of someone who takes out their frustrations on others.
After he said that, the others didn't dare to look any longer and continued with their work.
Nian Qiuyan originally intended to lead Yu Sui to a quiet tea room to rest, but Yu Sui said, "I'm not tired. I'm actually very curious about how you make orchid poison. The dean told me a lot about it before we came, and now I'd like to see it for myself. Is that alright?"
She asked the question politely and elegantly.
Nian Qiuyan, however, was somewhat troubled.
Zhang Xiangyun looked at him with schadenfreude.
They grew up together and know each other very well.
Zhang Xiangyun easily guessed Nian Qiuyan's embarrassment.
If it were anyone else, Nian Qiuyan would handle these things with ease and without any emotional fluctuations. But the person in front of her was Mei Liangyu's junior sister, who was also a close junior sister of Kong Yiyi.
For Nian Qiuyan, letting Yu Sui see the scene of her making Orchid Poison was as if Mei Liangyu and Kong Yiyi could also see it through Yu Sui's eyes.
Seeing Nian Qiuyan standing quietly without saying a word, Yu Sui smiled and said, "Senior Brother Nian, don't worry, I have no expectations of you whatsoever, so there's no need to feel guilty or embarrassed. Just keep yourself hidden and don't let those who have expectations of you see you."
Although she didn't grow up with Nian Qiuyan, she could accurately guess Nian Qiuyan's thoughts.
These words were like a knife to Nian Qiuyan's back; though painful, they forced him to confront his wounds.
“This will be a quiet period, there’s nothing to see.” Having composed herself, Nian Qiuyan returned the smile and led Yu Sui through another door.
The entrance didn't look big, but the inside was surprisingly spacious. There were many branching passages inside, and the space was much larger than Yu Sui had imagined. It felt like entering an underground palace, and the temperature was even cooler than outside the wooden house.
The interior space was large and dry, and there were no candles lit, relying entirely on the moon pearl for illumination. As a result, the walls and ceiling appeared rich and luxurious. There were also wooden screens as partitions, which concealed the bottles and jars placed on the counter behind the screens.
Inside, people were coming and going, all dressed in white robes, unlike those outside who had no time to peek at the new pretty girl. Everyone was focused on their own tasks.
"The orchid poison here contains resurrection incense and wax apple. The production process is also very dangerous. Before it is refined, the orchid poison is extremely dangerous. Even if you accidentally touch it, you will be infected."
Nian Qiuyan led Yu Sui through the central passageway. The partitions on both sides of the passageway were divided into upper and lower sections, revealing the upper bodies of people who were busy inside, and it was also clear what they were doing.
"On the left, we'll first use the poisonous beasts from the farm to extract the venomous fur and blood, then refine it to further refine the toxins." Nian Qiuyan's gaze swept lightly across the two cubicles on either side. "On the right, we'll use the poisonous herbs and flowers from the medical family to neutralize the toxins and keep them within a suitable range."
Yu Sui followed behind him, glancing at the house on the left and then at the house on the right.
Poisonous insects, snakes, and ants can be seen everywhere on the left; some are kept in bottles, while others have been released and are crawling all over the room.
The entire right wall is covered with colorful medicinal herbs and flowers, with climbing vines winding around the pillars in the room, and the vines are bursting with small pink, white and golden orchids.
Yu Sui quietly observed the scene; it certainly had the atmosphere of "drug production."
Nian Qiuyan said, "The better the effect of the orchid poison, the higher the purity of the toxin required, and the more dangerous it is. It is a great test of the refiner's ability."
Yu Sui asked, "How do you refine it?"
“It depends on the person,” Nian Qiuyan said. “Sometimes, the extraction of orchid poison can be seen as a matter of probability.”
"Probability?" This was the first time Yu Sui had heard of it.
Zhang Xiangyun couldn't hold back any longer and said in a sarcastic tone, "In this world, only those skilled in magic can manipulate the concrete probability of 'qi,' but in terms of the probability of producing the finished product of orchid poison, in addition to us magicians, medical practitioners can also do it."
He just didn't want Yu Sui to think that only Nian Qiuyan could do such a thing.
Nian Qiuyan's expression didn't change when she heard Zhang Xiangyun's sarcastic words, but Yu Sui looked at Zhang Xiangyun with a smile: "So that's what a master of magic can do. Aren't you envious?"
Zhang Xiangyun said with a forced smile, "What do I have to envy?"
Yu Sui: "Since you're so envious, why don't you just let Nian Qiuyan teach you?"
Nian Qiuyan then chuckled softly, "This is talent; he wouldn't be able to learn it even if you taught him."
Zhang Xiangyun: "..."
Those two who are singing in unison deserve to die.
Nian Qiuyan led Yu Sui to the end of the passage and walked towards the small house on the left. He reached out to unlock the door and opened it. The faint fragrance of orchids that wafted out made people feel momentarily dazed.
"If it's your first time in a place like this, it's best to hold your breath the whole time," Nian Qiuyan said.
Yu Sui glanced at him, then grabbed her sleeve to cover her nose.
Nian Qiuyan added, "We cannot use the Five Elements Qi here. The Orchid Poison Resurrection Incense is still unstable at this time. If it is affected by the Five Elements Qi, it will cause chaos."
Yu Sui stood at the door, her dark eyes reflecting the scenery inside the room. The three walls of the room were divided into hundreds of small squares, which looked just like the walls of the Panlong Grottoes that she had seen in the underwater mechanical city.
However, the shrine in front of them contained a golden-brown incense stick about two inches long.
Yu Sui covered her nose and asked in a muffled voice, "Isn't this the finished product yet?"
“We still have to wait three more days,” Nian Qiuyan said. “We need to check if the shape is damaged and observe whether the gas or toxins condense and do not disperse.”
"Aren't you very capable?" Yu Sui asked quietly, "Didn't you do all of these in one go?"
Nian Qiuyan said, "That would be boasting, and I'm not good at that kind of thing."
Zhang Xiangyun sneered, "Shameless."
Nian Qiuyan ignored him.
Although Yu Sui covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, she could still feel the rich fragrance of orchids approaching her nose and permeating her heart and soul. At first, the scent would refresh the mind and instantly cleanse the body of impurities, making one feel clean from the inside out, and even giving rise to a sense of holiness, surrendering to this fragrant power.
Seeing Yu Sui staring intently at the half-finished Resurrection Incense in the stone wall compartment, Nian Qiuyan reminded her, "You should go outside for some fresh air; it's dangerous for the poison to enter your body."
Yu Sui said "oh" and turned to leave.
She turned back to look at the rooms on both sides where the orchid poison was being refined, and only returned to the ground when someone came to inform her that Ou Rushuang was looking for them.
Back on the ground and stepping out of the wooden door, Yu Sui immediately saw Qin Chongxue and the others standing on the sandy ground opposite, reflecting the firelight. There were quite a few people standing around, all seemingly listening to Qin Chongxue's instructions.
"Why is he here?" Zhang Xiangyun was stunned. He didn't know that the person who was supposed to meet Ou Rushuang tonight would be Qin Chongxue.
Nian Qiuyan wasn't too surprised. He said, "Didn't you send a message to Qingyang?"
“I was just giving a routine report on Luo Fu’s affairs, I didn’t mention anything else.” Zhang Xiangyun glanced at Yu Sui out of the corner of his eye and immediately lowered his voice, “I was just giving a routine report on Luo Fu’s affairs, I didn’t mention anything else.”
Yu Sui looked at him with a smile, and Zhang Xiangyun turned his face away, feeling a chill run down his spine, unable to look at her.
He really didn't tell Qingkui about Nangong Sui. (Yue Xia Li Mu Ge)
At this moment, Ou Rushuang walked over, and Zhang Xiangyun greeted her, then asked, "Has anyone from Qingyang come?"
Ou Rushuang glanced at him and said calmly, "He wants to withdraw Qingyang's people from Taiyi."
Zhang Xiangyun was stunned when he heard this, but quickly realized what Qingkui meant. She felt that Ou Rushuang had failed to control the situation in Taiyi, causing one bad thing after another, and was afraid that the losses would be too great, so she took precautions in advance.
He was, after all, one of Qingkui's people, so he couldn't show anything in front of Ou Rushuang. He kept a straight face and didn't dare to speak, but his eyes kept glancing at Qin Chongxue.
More than the withdrawal of Xuan Kui members, Zhang Xiangyun was concerned about Qing Kui's other decision.
“They can take the people from the outer city away now, but not the people from the academy,” Ou Rushuang added, her gaze sweeping over Zhang Xiangyun and Nian Qiuyan.
Nian Qiuyan was not surprised by the decisions of both sides at all. He reached out and gently twisted his neck, making a crisp cracking sound. He did not look at Qin Chongxue's side, but said to Ou Rushuang, "The toxicity of the three-generation orchid still needs to be neutralized and reduced. I will try again and go back after dawn."
Ou Rushuang nodded in agreement.
Yu Sui raised her hand and asked, "Can I watch from the side?"
Her eyes were filled with curiosity.
Ou Rushuang said, "The unneutralized orchid poison is very dangerous, and you will be in danger if you are nearby."
Yu Sui regretfully withdrew his hand.
Ou Rushuang didn't pay much attention to Zhang Xiangyun and the others. He took Yu Sui to another place and taught her to distinguish between poisonous plants from farms.
Only then did Zhang Xiangyun have time to go find Qin Chongxue.
Qin Chongxue was counting the number of people, and his expression didn't change when he saw Zhang Xiangyun coming over.
"Uncle Qin," Zhang Xiangyun greeted him, "I didn't know it was you who came today."
Qin Chongxue was still looking at the list in his hand, and without looking up, he said, "You've heard about it?"
"About the evacuation? I heard it from the dean." Zhang Xiangyun paused, then said softly, "Taking precautions in advance is indeed a good decision."
The recent changes at the academy made him feel somewhat threatened.
Qin Chongxue's words contained a veiled warning: "It's not up to you or me to guess the meaning behind Miss's decision."
Zhang Xiangyun smiled wryly, scratched his head, and seeing that no one was around, lowered his voice and said, "I want to know something else, about Mei Liangyu, is she...?"
Qin Chongxue looked up, his sharp gaze sweeping over him: "I already said that."
This means they don't intend to tell him.
Zhang Xiangyun had a bad feeling.
"I..." Zhang Xiangyun began to speak, but Qin Chongxue interrupted him coldly, "Your recent performance in Taiyi has greatly disappointed Miss, and Luo Fu's death is an even greater disgrace to her. Miss dislikes nothing more than someone taking things from her, and you should know that better than anyone."
Zhang Xiangyun dared not refute a single word Qin Chongxue said, partly because of Qin Chongxue's own imposing aura, as if anyone who disobeyed him would be killed on the spot.
On the one hand, Qin Chongxue is right.
He knew Qingkui's temper best; it was a miracle that he had tolerated Mei Liangyu for so long.
Besides, he also harbored resentment towards Luo Fu regarding this matter.
Zhang Xiangyun also wanted to kill Mei Liangyu. He had been traumatized by Yu Sui before, but now, facing Qin Chongxue, his fear of Yu Sui had lessened considerably, and hatred took over. So he swallowed all his words of persuasion.
He wanted to ask Qin Chongxue what to do, but Qin Chongxue showed no intention of telling him. Zhang Xiangyun then understood that this time he would have to do it himself.
By dawn the next day, a large number of people had gathered on the beach, most of whom were members of the Qingyang Xuankui group that Qin Chongxue was going to take away.
Small boats arrived at the shore one after another, filled with people, and then left, disappearing into the thick fog.
Yu Sui looked up at the still dark sky, where a strong wind was blowing. She reached out to press down the strands of hair that were being blown by the wind. Time seemed to stand still in the mirage.
Ou Rushuang was talking to Qin Chongxue in front, while she and Nian Qiuyan stood at a distance behind.
Nian Qiuyan rubbed her temples, looking somewhat tired, when she suddenly heard the girl beside her ask softly, "Is he very powerful?"
who?
Nian Qiuyan looked up and saw Qin Chongxue in front of her. She then understood and replied after a moment of thought, "His name is Qin Chongxue, a master of the thirteenth realm of military strategy. He almost broke through to sainthood with the help of the Soul-Returning Incense."
That's really impressive.
Yu Sui asked in a light tone, "Since Orchid Poison can enhance the five elements, has no one successfully broken through to sainthood using Orchid Poison?"
“Yes, there have been.” Nian Qiuyan pursed her lips and said, “But the moment they broke through the realm, they died from the poison. Even so, it is very difficult for anyone to achieve this. Not everyone can improve their strength through the Orchid Poison. Many people are devoured by the Orchid Poison before they can improve, becoming puppets who can only use Qi circulation by relying on the Orchid Poison.”
Yu Sui: "He doesn't look like someone who uses orchid poison."
“This person is rather special,” Nian Qiuyan pondered. “Qingyang has sixty-seven states. He was once a military general in Binzhou State. After Binzhou State was destroyed, he became a bandit. I heard that Qingkui saved Qin Chongxue’s life, and since then he has been loyal to Qingkui and works under her.”
But that's not what's special about it.
Nian Qiuyan said, "Qingkui seems to have a way to control the orchid poison in Qin Chongxue's body and minimize its impact."
He only discovered this two years ago.
Yu Sui sighed softly, "That's really amazing."
Nian Qiuyan listened to her sentiments but didn't think it was genuine praise. However, as he looked at Qin Chongxue ahead, he also had something on his mind.
He continued, "Standing to Qin Chongxue's left is Geng Hanfu, one of the thirteen masters of the Ming family."
The man in the white robe had a gentle face and a long, black beard. He would occasionally stroke his beard and was now listening attentively to the bald man beside him.
Nian Qiuyan's gaze then fell on the bald man: "On the right is Wenren Xu, the thirteenth realm of the Ghost Daoist School."
Although Wenren Xu was also dressed in a white robe, his male appearance was exceptionally refined, making it impossible to guess his age. His reddish eyes were bewitching, and when he smiled at people with his eyes narrowed, he looked just like a laughing snake, cold and eerie.
Nian Qiuyan said in a low voice, "I heard that Wenren Xu was once a disciple of another family who switched to the Ghost Dao, but no one knows what he practiced before that."
"Isn't it easy to guess?" Yu Sui raised her hand and touched her head. "He has no hair, so he must have converted from Buddhism?"
Nian Qiuyan: "..."
“Buddhist sorcerers are very rare,” Nian Qiuyan explained. “It is a school of thought that has disappeared from the Xuan Gu Continent.”
Yu Sui stared ahead without answering.
She recalled Lin Chenghai, whom she had met on the island of mechanisms. Lin Chenghai had used the Buddhist Heavenly Secrets Technique to steal souls and possess Wen Yangzhou, taking him away. She still didn't know where he was.
Lin Chenghai had a full head of hair, unlike Wenren Xu in front of him, who was bald.
“If it was just about evacuating people from Taiyi back to Qingyang, there was no need for Uncle Qin to personally take action, and he even brought a lot of thirteenth-realm masters with him…” Nian Qiuyan pondered, an answer about to emerge in his mind, but the person beside him spoke the truth before he could, “It was for Senior Brother.”
Yu Sui glanced casually at Zhang Xiangyun not far away. After hearing her words, Nian Qiuyan also frowned and looked at Zhang Xiangyun.
Zhang Xiangyun suddenly felt uncomfortable all over, as if he had thorns in his back. He turned his head and met the scrutinizing gazes of two people not far away, and his nerves immediately tightened.
Why are you looking at me?
I didn't do anything.
Yu Sui glanced at it twice and then looked away. It was normal for Zhang Xiangyun to harbor resentment towards his senior brother because of Luo Fu. When people are driven by hatred and anger, they can indeed do irrational things.
However, Qin Chongxue and his group are indeed a bit troublesome.
They were seasoned veterans of life-or-death battles, skilled at killing and utterly fearless.
“I will remind Meimei,” Nian Qiuyan said with a slight frown, “to tell him not to leave the academy for the time being. They won’t be able to get back into the academy anytime soon, and they certainly won’t make a move inside the academy.”
Yu Sui didn't speak.
My senior brother goes out every night because of the sea eye.
He also brought Yan Xiaochuan with him.
If you want him to stay in the academy, you'll have to tell him the truth.
But given his senior brother's personality, he wouldn't be afraid after learning the truth; instead, he would go out and wait for Qin Chongxue to come to him.
Ou Rushuang gestured for them to go over, board the boat, and leave. Only then did Yu Sui step forward.
The small boat entered the foggy sea and could not see anything. Strangely, the Five Elements Light Cores that Yu Sui released to follow Qin Chongxue and the others also got caught in the thick fog.
Even if the Five Elements Light Cores were hidden close to their bodies, Qin Chongxue and the others could not be seen.
Is this the reason for the foggy sea?
Yu Sui waited until the small boat emerged from the thick fog and reached the shore, but saw no one else. She lifted her skirt and disembarked, asking in confusion, "Haven't the others arrived yet?"
Ou Rushuang said, "They will go somewhere else."
Yu Sui didn't ask any more questions at this moment, intuitively feeling that even if she asked, Ou Rushuang wouldn't tell her.
By the time Yu Sui returned to the academy, it was already broad daylight. He headed towards the Ghost Path Holy Hall, sending a telepathic message to Mei Liangyu with the Wind Listening Ruler along the way. The message was answered as soon as it rang.
There was no response from the other end. Mei Liangyu had just slumped back into her chair, intending to take a nap, and wouldn't have bothered to answer if she hadn't seen Yu Sui's telepathic message.
"Senior brother." Yu Sui knew that he had just returned to the Ghost Dao Holy Hall not long ago, but changed her mind before saying it, "You continue to sleep."
After saying that, he hung up the telepathic message.
Mei Liangyu glanced at the Listening Wind Ruler, then sat up from the chair expressionlessly.
How can he sleep if he stops halfway through a sentence?
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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