Chapter 51 Just Friends
When Jiang Zhaoyu said, "You don't have the Dao bone," Xiao Zhiyu would normally think that this person was implying something about him. But this time was different. Xiao Zhiyu couldn't help but think that Jiang Zhaoyu wouldn't bring up "Dao bone" for no reason. If he said it, then someone must have the Dao bone.
Of all the people the two had just met, there was only one whose background they didn't know.
Xiao Zhiyu couldn't help but recall Ren Yi's usual behavior.
Based on what he had seen in the past few days—he hadn't paid special attention, but had just accidentally stumbled upon him—that person (Ren Yi?) was indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun, neglecting his cultivation. Yet, he still possessed his current level of cultivation, which meant he must have exceptional talent.
What talent can compare to being born with the spirit of Tao?
If that makes sense, then it's no wonder he doesn't care much about spiritual roots.
Despite this suspicion, Xiao Zhiyu originally wanted to confirm with Jiang Zhaoyu after his junior brothers and sisters left. However, after waiting for a while and seeing that Xiao Zhiyu seemed to be alright, Jiang Zhaoyu took her leave.
With his fellow disciples present, Xiao Zhiyu couldn't ask directly, but he also couldn't find some other small talk to keep Jiang Zhaoyu around until his junior brothers and sisters left. He could only watch helplessly as Jiang Zhaoyu walked away without looking back.
Xiao Zhiyu "..."
This person is so annoying!!
Xiao Zhiyu confirmed the matter of the Dao Bone with Ren Yi in person when he took Ren Yi to finalize the date for exchanging spiritual roots with Bai Jinliu for the second time. Xiao Zhiyu did not notice Ren Yi's momentary hesitation and his evasive response. Upon receiving the affirmative answer, he felt as if the heavy stone that had been weighing on his heart had been lifted, and he felt completely relieved.
No wonder this person promised the spiritual root so easily; it turns out he possesses the Dao bone.
Xiao Zhiyu felt that he had been a fool for worrying about the other party's path.
This person might even be watching and laughing at him!
Thinking of this, he was so angry that he couldn't help but grind his teeth.
Not only that, Xiao Zhiyu quickly connected it to himself.
He needed to work a thousand times harder to compensate for his slightly inferior talent, yet he didn't cherish his natural gifts and squandered them recklessly. Even with a Daoist bone, losing one's spiritual root would ultimately hinder cultivation, yet he was willing to exchange it for a Daoist partner who was merely a figurehead!
Xiao Zhiyu felt a surge of anger rising within him, but that anger seemed to dissipate when he met the other person's indifferent expression. Xiao Zhiyu was still angry, of course, but he was also somewhat confused about why he was angry. And for whom was he angry?
Xiao Zhiyu gritted his teeth, and finally snorted coldly in his heart, "So be it, we're not on the same path after all."
He gradually concealed his outward expression and led the way with a blank face.
Ren Yi?
What happened now?
Ren Yi found the boy's sudden change in temperament, like the weather in June, quite strange. However, things were progressing smoothly, and he was in a good mood. He only had a slight doubt about this trivial matter and did not intend to investigate it further.
The situation did indeed go extremely smoothly. The past that the Mirror of Cause and Effect returned to actually had a spontaneous tendency to proceed according to the original trajectory of events. It was not difficult for Ren Yi to follow this guidance and push things back to the original trajectory. On the contrary, it was more difficult to change it.
When Xiao Hanzhou changed his spiritual root last time, he was in the secret realm.
This time, Xiao Hanzhou had no intention of changing his spiritual root, nor did he plan to leave Tianhuan City. Ren Yi was originally thinking about how to keep it from him (after all, he would have to leave the Xiao family after changing his spiritual root), but Xiao Hanzhou received a distress message from several Xiao family disciples who were trapped outside, and had no choice but to leave Tianhuan.
This was clearly due to the binding force of the causal mirror, which ultimately made Ren Yi's actions much easier.
Given the current situation, Ren Yi couldn't help but sigh. If the plotline had the same level of self-restraint as the Causal Mirror, their work at the Book Bureau could be reduced several times over.
Ren Yi, a healer who had undergone a spiritual root transformation, was acquainted with him.
Since it was to save his true love's life, Xiao Hanzhou would naturally seek out the most skilled medical practitioner within his trusted circle.
Danhe comes from the most famous medical and cultivation family in the Eastern Continent, the Jiuli Mingdan Clan.
This healer was the one who pulled Xiao Hanzhou back from the brink of demonic possession.
Upon seeing Ren Yi, Dan He raised an eyebrow, seemingly wanting to express surprise, but his face clearly said, "Just as I thought." He struggled for a moment, then quickly abandoned any normal way of expressing himself. His expression towards Ren Yi was one of sighing, confusion, and a blatant, almost indistinguishable, desire to dissect him.
Ren Yi: "..."
Those who are on good terms with the Chosen One cannot be ordinary people. Just look at how casually this person proposed the method of "changing spiritual roots" to know how unorthodox he is. However, most madmen will try to hide it, but Dan He is really quite blatant about his madness—to be precise, he didn't hide it at all in front of Ren Yi.
Ren Yi could only sigh at this, wondering what he had done to deserve this?
If you're so capable, go and act crazy in front of the chosen one. What kind of ability is it to act like a tool?
Seeing that the other party was about to speak, Ren Yi's eye twitched, and he quickly replied before he could, "I'm not under the influence of Gu, it's not poison, I'm conscious, and there's no illusion."
Danhe's change in attitude towards Ren Yi stemmed from Xiao Hanzhou's qi deviation.
Ever since Ren Yi unhesitatingly dug out his Dao bone, the other party's gaze towards him became strange. Several times, he suspected that Ren Yi had been poisoned by some rare Gu poison, or that his consciousness was being controlled by someone. He was also extremely curious about this "Gu poison" that even he himself had not seen. After that, every time he looked at Ren Yi, his gaze became more and more blatant—the kind of "blatant" gaze that really wanted to dissect a person.
Upon hearing Ren Yi's words, Dan He chuckled softly and looked at him with a strange expression. "I know you are 'devoted'."
Ren Yi's character in this story is that of a tool, so open and honest with the chosen one. But now that Dan He has specifically pointed it out, and in such a strange tone, it makes people feel uneasy.
Ren Yi couldn't stop the goosebumps from popping up on his arms.
However, Ren Yi had experienced many worlds and encountered quite a few people with mental illnesses, so he had considerable experience in dealing with them. For example, right now he didn't want to delve into Dan He's thought process at all, and directly asked, "Should we change the spiritual root or not?"
Danhe laughed again, "Of course it's been replaced."
Ren Yi: "..." This laugh is so weird.
The thought of losing consciousness in front of this person when I change my spiritual root makes me feel a little unsafe.
Although Danhe was a bit abnormal, his skill in medical cultivation was unparalleled. Changing his spiritual root was not a big deal for him, and he quickly came out of the inner room.
Upon seeing the other party, Xiao Zhiyu, who was waiting outside, hurriedly went to greet them and anxiously inquired about the situation of the person inside, but he didn't know which one he was worried about.
When Danhe was not having an attack, he was an extremely patient doctor. He answered Xiao Zhiyu's questions in great detail, without showing any impatience on his face.
Xiao Zhiyu breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that both of them were in good condition.
Noticing the overly impolite distance he had created when he rushed closer, he quickly stepped back, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Senior Dan."
As the tension subsided, Xiao Zhiyu's mood became conflicted and complicated once again.
Logically, he should be happy. His Uncle-Master Bai was saved, and although that person lost his spiritual root, he still possessed the Daoist bones, ensuring his path of cultivation wouldn't be severed. It was truly a happy ending for everyone. As for the future, since that person didn't cherish his talent, he probably wouldn't be very attentive to cultivation. Even if he encountered difficulties, it would truly be his own fault…
Xiao Zhiyu found various reasons in his mind, but he couldn't help but keep his expression tense.
Danhe glanced at Xiao Zhiyu's expression and revealed a thoughtful look.
After a short while, he smiled at Xiao Zhiyu and said, "If you find the materials for the Spirit Shaping Pill, you can come and find me."
Xiao Zhiyu was stunned, his expression blank.
Danhe continued, "I also have some acquaintance with Fellow Daoist Ren. If Fellow Daoist Ren really wants to embark on the path of cultivation again, he can come and find me directly."
He paused for a moment, then emphasized, "...as long as he comes in person."
If Ren Yiren were here now, he would probably spit in his face.
What good could he possibly be thinking? He must be crazy to willingly offer himself up as a guinea pig!
Xiao Zhiyu, of course, was unaware of Dan He's thoughts and would not doubt this senior medical cultivator who had a past relationship with the family head. At the moment, he was not in the mood for this.
Understanding the implied meaning in those words, Xiao Zhiyu looked up at Danhe with a somewhat bewildered expression, "He... doesn't he have the bones of a Daoist?"
Danhe raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know? He didn't tell you?"
Xiao Zhiyu felt as if something was stuck in his throat, and after a long while, he managed to say with difficulty, "What did you say?"
Danhe observed the expression on the other person's face, a fleeting interest crossing his own, but he quickly suppressed it, maintaining his compassionate and benevolent expression as a healer, and said softly, "Three years ago, Patriarch Xiao suffered a qi deviation and needed a Dao bone as a catalyst..."
Xiao Zhiyu could no longer hear what Danhe said after that. He felt his head buzzing and the scene in front of him spinning, making him dizzy.
For Ren Yi, with his spiritual root replaced, he had accomplished most of what he needed to do. All that remained was to "leave a letter and leave Tianhuan City." Even the letter he left behind had been prepared in advance. After all, with his spiritual root destroyed, he was now just a mortal and unable to communicate telepathically, so he naturally had to make preparations and reserve spiritual power in advance.
Ren Yi checked the letter one last time to make sure there were no omissions.
Just as he was about to turn the letter back, he suddenly heard a voice behind him, "What are you doing?"
Ren Yi was startled by the voice and almost thought he was going to be caught if he tried to run away.
But he quickly identified the speaker.
—It's Xiao Zhiyu.
Ren Yi breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but complain to the system, "[Xiao Yi, why didn't you remind me?]"
The system explained: [He's been here from the beginning; he just went to the outer room.]
Since it's not someone who suddenly appeared, and given the system's current simplified assessment that many functions have been removed, there's no need to make a sound or disturb the host in this situation.
However, the system is a good one that admits its mistakes and corrects them immediately. It apologized and entered the relevant scenario into the database: [Host, I'm sorry, I will pay attention next time.]
Ren Yi: [Never mind, it's not that important.]
Ren Yi knew the current state of the system; its functions were fragmented, and the storage area was limited, so it was best not to waste it on it.
But then he thought about what the system had just said: Xiao Zhiyu hadn't been guarding his Uncle Bai, but had been staying here the whole time?
Ren Yi's feelings were somewhat complicated.
Xiao Zhiyu continued, "Are you leaving?"
Although he phrased it as a question, the expression on his face was one of absolute certainty, clearly indicating that he had seen the contents of the letter.
If it were Xiao Hanzhou who came at this moment, Ren Yi might worry about whether he would be stopped, but with Xiao Zhiyu, he really didn't have that worry.
Ren Yi even had the leisure to laugh, teasing the other party with the harsh words he had said before, "If I don't leave, are you really planning to make a cripple the matriarch of the Xiao family?"
Based on Xiao Zhiyu's consistent behavior, this person probably wished he would go far away a long time ago.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Xiao Zhiyu's face turned deathly pale, and it took him a long time to say with difficulty, "...You have done a great favor for the family head."
These words sounded all too familiar. Ren Yi raised an eyebrow and blurted out without even thinking, "Taking advantage of someone's kindness? Shameless?"
Xiao Zhiyu froze, his body suddenly swaying precariously.
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