Chapter 37 Nan Yin Secret Religion
Life in the Lotus Tower was, on the surface, a leisurely time spent brewing tea, admiring flowers, practicing martial arts, and joking. However, after Muwan Villa returned that day, everyone in the building knew that the owner seemed particularly "afraid of the cold." For several days in a row, he wore high-necked clothes and rarely left the second floor. However, the Flute Alliance Leader was visibly cheerful, and even his instructions to the martial arts disciples downstairs were less harsh than usual.
That afternoon, Li Lianhua was leaning on a soft couch by the second-floor window, flipping through an ancient book. Di Feisheng sat beside her, slowly polishing his knife, his gaze drifting from time to time to the faint red marks beneath the slightly open collar of the man on the couch, his eyes dark.
Brisk footsteps echoed down the stairs, and Su Xiaoyong came up with two bowls of freshly cooked rock sugar and snow pear soup. "Brother Li, Leader of the Flute Alliance, try this! It's good for moistening your lungs and relieving your cough!"
Li Lianhua took it with a smile: "Thank you, Xiaoyong." He scooped a spoonful and found it sweet and delicious. He was about to praise it, but he saw that Su Xiaoyong did not put down the food and leave as usual. Instead, he stood there as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"What's wrong?" Li Lianhua put down the bowl and spoon. "Is there something wrong?"
Su Xiaoyong looked at Di Feisheng, then at Li Lianhua, lowering his voice, and said, "Brother Li, a few days ago you asked me to keep an eye out for unusual treasures in the martial arts world, especially those involving Nanyin artifacts... I think I've found something."
Li Lianhua's expression hardened, and she sat up straight: "Speak."
Di Feisheng stopped wiping the knife and turned his gaze to Su Xiaoyong.
"Recently, someone on the black market has been secretly buying up some extremely obscure items at exorbitant prices," Su Xiaoyong pulled a slip of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Li Lianhua. "Here's the list. The buyer is very secretive, using several intermediaries, but I've been following the clues and discovered that the ultimate flow of funds and the source of the instructions seem to point to... a long-defunct Nan Yin secret cult."
Li Lianhua unfolded the slip of paper and saw a list of items: Hundred-Year-Old Blood Jade Gallbladder, Golden Silk Rainbow Grass, Finger Bones of a Drowned Person... The names were bizarre and unheard of. His brows gradually furrowed.
Di Feisheng glanced at the list and said coldly, "These things don't sound like they're used by the righteous path."
"It's truly bizarre," Su Xiaoyong nodded. "What's even stranger is that, based on the clue about the 'Golden Silk Rainbow Grass', I searched through many rare and miscellaneous records and discovered that this plant is very likely to grow in a very dangerous place - the 'Immortal Tears' Canyon deep in the 'Falling Soul Slope', three hundred miles away from here. It's filled with poisonous miasma and the terrain is strange, so almost no one dares to go there. But recently, it seems that unidentified masters have been lurking nearby..."
Li Lianhua lightly tapped the note with his fingertips, his eyes becoming profound: "Falling Soul Slope, Immortal Tears... Acquisition of evil objects, Nan Yin Secret Sect... Jiao Liqiao..." He murmured in a low voice, connecting these fragments together.
Di Feisheng had already stood up and said in a firm tone: "I'll go there."
"No," Li Lianhua objected immediately. "Jiao Liqiao is cunning and cunning. This clue came too easily. It might be a trap. Moreover, if it really is the sacrifice required by the Rama Ding, the place must be heavily guarded and extremely dangerous."
"Precisely because it is dangerous, we must go." Di Feisheng looked at him with a calm gaze, "cut off what she needs before she succeeds." He would never give Jiao Liqiao any chance to increase her strength and threaten Li Lianhua.
Li Lianhua knew his temperament well and knew she couldn't stop him. She pondered for a moment and said, "Even if we want to go, we need to make a careful plan. The poisonous miasma at Falling Soul Slope is very strong, so we need to prepare enough antidote pills. The terrain of the Immortal Tears Canyon is unknown, so it's best to find a map first..."
"I have a map," Su Xiaoyong suddenly said. She then pulled out a yellowed, torn-edged parchment scroll from her sleeve. "This is a rough topographical map of Luohunpo that my grandfather hand-drew when he was traveling around. It's not very detailed, but the main landforms and dangerous areas are marked. As for the detoxification pill..." She looked at Di Feisheng, "The 'Qingxin Bixia Pills' that Mr. Yaomo recently refined should be able to deal with it."
Di Feisheng took the map, glanced at it, and nodded, "That's enough." He looked at Li Lianhua, "You stay in the building and wait for my news."
Li Lianhua knew that while his internal strength had been restored, he had only just recovered from a serious injury, and following him would only make him Di Feisheng's weak spot. He suppressed his worries, pulled a small jade bottle from beneath his pillow, and pressed it into Di Feisheng's hand. "This is the 'Tongxi Pill' that the Medicine Demon refined specifically for you, using my blood as a guide. If you're ever in dire danger, take this pill and I'll be able to sense your condition."
Di Feisheng held the jade bottle tightly, his fingertips feeling the remaining body temperature on the jade bottle, his eyes softened for a moment: "Don't worry." He turned around and was about to leave.
"A Fei!" Li Lianhua called out to him, stood up and walked over to him, carefully straightened his shirt, which was not messy at all, and whispered, "Be careful. The things are not important, your safe return is the most important thing."
Di Fei looked at him deeply, lowered his head, and placed a solemn and brief kiss on his forehead: "Hmm."
Without any extra words, he turned and went downstairs, and his figure quickly disappeared outside the yard.
Li Lianhua stood by the window, looking at the direction where he went away, her brows slightly furrowed, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the note with the strange sacrifice written on it.
Su Xiaoyong looked at him worriedly: "Brother Li, the Flute Alliance Leader is a martial arts master, he will be fine."
Li Lianhua withdrew his gaze and sighed softly, "It's easy to dodge an open attack, but it's hard to guard against an arrow from the dark. Jiao Liqiao... this time, she's got big plans." He looked at Su Xiaoyong, "Xiaoyong, I'll have to trouble you. Keep an eye on the black market, especially the flow of those other items."
"Okay!" Su Xiaoyong nodded vigorously.
Outside the building, Di Feisheng's figure flew away like a lone wild goose, heading straight for that dangerous place. The battle in the dark had already begun quietly.
Falling Soul Slope, as its name suggests, is shrouded in a gray-green poisonous miasma year-round. The vegetation is twisted and grotesque, and the only sound in the silence is the rustling of venomous insects, creating a deadly and eerie silence. Di Feisheng followed the map's instructions, holding his breath and concentrating, his figure moving like a ghost among the jagged rocks and dead trees, avoiding several areas marked with poisonous swamps and natural traps.
The deeper they went, the thicker the poisonous miasma became. Even after taking the Qingxin Miasma-Removing Pills, their skin still felt a faint tingling sensation. A strange sweet fragrance began to fill the air, almost imperceptible and alluring.
Di Feisheng's eyes glared, and he immediately stopped breathing, channeling his inner energy throughout his body to resist the alluring aroma. He knew this must be one of the natural barriers protecting the "Golden Silk Rainbow Grass."
The terrain ahead suddenly became steep and a bottomless canyon appeared before my eyes. The cliffs on both sides seemed to be cut by knives and axes. The valley was shrouded in clouds and mist, and the sound of water could be heard faintly. This was the "Immortal's Tears".
According to the map, the golden thread grass grows near a cave somewhere on the cliff on one side of the canyon.
Di Feisheng didn't hesitate a moment. He tapped his toes on the ridge of the cliff face and swooped down like an eagle. The cliffs were slippery and the miasma thickened, but he didn't slow down at all, his sharp eyes scanning every spot where herbs might grow.
Finally, on a narrow platform near the bottom of the valley, he saw several strange plants - the leaves were as slender and flexible as golden threads, and they glowed with a faint neon luster in the dim light. They were none other than the golden thread neon grass!
However, the area around the platform was unusually clean, with no signs of any poisonous insects or beasts guarding it. Something was wrong.
Di Feisheng paused slightly, his gaze sweeping around, finally settling on the herbs. He slowly approached, and the moment his fingertips were about to touch the blades—
Something strange happened suddenly!
A large amount of colorless and odorless mist suddenly gushed out from the cracks in the rocks around the platform, instantly enveloping him! At the same time, the platform beneath his feet made a slight sound as if a mechanism was turning!
Di Feisheng reacted extremely quickly, holding his breath and retreating immediately, but the mist could actually penetrate his skin! A familiar, cold, sharp, tingling sensation suddenly exploded from deep within his heart!
It was a poison! The Ziqi poison planted in the Di Family Fort, which he had suppressed for years with his profound internal energy, had actually been triggered by this strange mist!
"Ugh!" Di Feisheng groaned, falling to one knee. Veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of his shirt. The insect, like a reawakened demon, gnawed furiously at his meridians, inflicting excruciating pain. His internal energy surged violently, nearly losing control!
He suddenly looked up and saw Jiao Liqiao's figure slowly walking out from a hidden cave on the opposite cliff like a ghost in the dark night, with a triumphant and crazy smile on his face.
"Hehehe..." A charming yet venomous laugh echoed from the shadows of the opposite cliff. Jiao Liqiao's figure slowly emerged, clad in a concealing dark purple outfit. Her face was filled with an almost insane look of pride and fascination. "Your Majesty... I have expended countless painstaking efforts to find the formula for this 'Yin Xi Xiang' from ancient Nan Yin texts, and then refined it especially for you... Do you like it?"
She stepped closer, admiring Di Feisheng's pale face and the slight trembling of his back due to extreme pain. A twisted light flickered in her eyes. "Do you think you can rest easy just because you can suppress it? This incense can directly awaken Ziqi's essence... Today, I will make you the cornerstone of my Rama Cauldron!"
Di Feisheng gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the raging poison with his internal energy, but the incense seemed to penetrate every pore, constantly stimulating the insect. The more he circulated his internal energy, the more violent the backlash! Blood flowed from the corner of his lips, and his vision began to blur.
"You think... I didn't know you were here?" Jiao Liqiao stepped closer, admiring his painful struggle, her eyes filled with twisted pleasure. "That bitch Li Lianhua didn't come with you? What a pity... But it doesn't matter. I'll capture you first, use your blood and inner energy to irrigate my Rama Cauldron... and then I'll deal with him!"
Before she finished speaking, a cold light flashed in Di Feisheng's eyes. He forced his last breath of true energy and fiercely struck out with a white palm! Even though he was poisoned, the power of this palm was still earth-shattering!
Jiao Liqiao's face changed slightly. She didn't dare to take the blow head-on, so she dodged it. The palm wind slammed into the stone wall behind her, sending gravel flying!
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Di Feisheng suddenly turned around and jumped into the bottomless fog of the canyon without hesitation! He would rather die at the bottom of the canyon than fulfill Jiao Liqiao's conspiracy!
Jiao Liqiao rushed to the edge of the cliff, looking at the swirling clouds below. His face turned ashen with anger and he screamed, "Chase him! I'll find him alive or dead! His poison has erupted, and his internal energy is backfiring. There's no chance of him surviving! We must find him!"
At the same time, Li Lianhua, who was far away in the Lotus Tower, was absent-mindedly flipping through the pages of a book, feeling inexplicably uneasy in her heart.
Suddenly, the Tongximu Pill in his arms suddenly became extremely hot without any warning, and a piercing pain and a strong feeling of suffocation suddenly grabbed his heart!
"A Fei!" Li Lianhua's face turned pale instantly, and she covered her chest with her hands, cold sweat pouring down!
The sensations transmitted by the Tongxidan were chaotic and terrifying: the excruciating pain of tearing meridians, the shock of the crazy backlash of internal energy, and... that cold and evil, poisonous aura like a maggot in the tarsal bone!
It's the poison from Dijiabao! It's actually taking effect?! And it's accompanied by such severe internal injuries!
Li Lianhua understood instantly—Jiao Liqiao's goal wasn't just a sacrifice; what she really wanted was Di Feisheng's life! She even wanted to use him as a sacrifice!
The overwhelming panic was like a scalding icy water pouring over his head, but he forced himself to calm down. The Tongxi Dan's induction, though intense, hadn't completely ceased, proving Di Feisheng was still alive, but his life was definitely hanging by a thread!
He stood up suddenly, his vision blacking out from the speed of his movements, but he forced himself to shout downstairs, "Wu Yan! Prepare the horses! Gather all available men! Head to the Immortal Tears Valley at Luohunpo immediately!"
His voice trembled slightly due to extreme worry and fear, but it was full of unquestionable determination.
"Master, your health..." Shi Shui, who rushed over after hearing the news, said worriedly.
"Go!" Li Lianhua's eyes were filled with unprecedented anxiety and sharpness. "If anything happens to him, I will tear down the Fallen Soul Slope!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already grabbed the Young Master's Sword and, regardless of his own weakness, rushed downstairs like a gust of wind.
The Lotus Tower instantly entered the highest alert, and the sound of horse hooves rang out rapidly, breaking the false tranquility of the afternoon and rushing straight towards the extremely dangerous place.
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