Chapter 26 Shocking News: She Has a Bomb in Her Brain
A plume of white steam rose from his body, and the wounds he had sustained along the way felt as if they were being scorched by a raging fire.
The broken ribs in the chest cavity felt like they were being hammered and chiseled by an axe or hammer, causing excruciating pain.
It hurt ten times more than when she was injured.
Ji Mingran was ashen-faced and covered in cold sweat. He slumped against the doorstep, head bowed.
"Bear with it," Li Sanyang said to her the second thing.
Even if he didn't say it, Ji Mingran could feel that the wounds he had sustained since his transmigration were healing at an astonishing rate.
A shadow fell across the mottled bloodstains and landed on the ground within sight.
Ji Mingran's consciousness was blurred by the burning pain, and he heard familiar voices coming and going.
"Sanyang is not a healer; he can only forcibly heal new injuries through techniques. Please bear with it."
After that, the burning and pain gradually subsided. Ji Mingran looked up and met the gaze of Li Xiaosen, who was squatting in front of him, watching him with concern.
"We meet again, Xiaocan..." she smiled, "Senior brother?"
Li Xiaosen breathed a sigh of relief, helped her up and led her away, his tone cheerful: "Are you tired? I've brewed some tea, come and rest. Thanks to you, I'm no longer afraid of water or fire."
Ji Mingran looked into the courtyard and saw that Li Sanyang, who had been standing, was now sitting under the locust tree in the courtyard.
In front of him was a small, low table with a few teacups and a small stove with flickering flames, boiling spring water.
Li Xiaosen led Ji Mingran to sit opposite Li Sanyang, while he himself sat in front of the tea stove.
A gurgling sound rang out; the water was boiling.
A misty vapor rose up, draping over Li Xiaosen's face like a veil, blurring his features.
Li Xiaosen lowered his eyes, picked up the stove, poured the perfectly boiled spring water into a cup, and handed it to Ji Mingran, saying, "Thank you for your hard work on the way here."
Ji Mingran didn't stand on ceremony. She hadn't had a drop of water since arriving at the sect's territory, and she was very thirsty.
The sweet tea flowed down my throat, instantly quenching my thirst and fatigue.
Ji Mingran's eyes lit up: "Delicious!" The tea contained the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Although it was weak, it was pure enough to be directly introduced into the dantian.
She remembered something, "The sect leader told me to report to Luanfeng. Does that mean I've successfully reported?"
"Success." Li Xiaosen's eyes were full of smiles as he poured Ji Mingran another cup of tea: "Luan Peak is different from other peaks. Disciples entering Luan Peak must pass a trial alone. The trial contains a trace of consciousness left by the ancestors of Luan Peak. Your passing means that you have gained the approval of the ancestors."
He paused for a moment, then said, “Mingran, you are her disciple, but to become a disciple of Dingsheng Sect and Luanfeng, you must follow the sect’s rules. She said that the spiritual cultivation world is vast and the sects are numerous. Even if you fail the trial and choose to join another sect directly, you will still be her disciple. She said you can do as you please. This is also why she did not tell you about Dingsheng Sect.”
At this point, Li Xiaosen said with relief, "I originally intended to tell you about this after arriving in the spiritual cultivation world, but I fell into a coma in the rift between worlds. Fortunately, although you knew nothing, you still made it this far."
Li Sanyang, who had been silent with his head down, looked up at Ji Mingran upon hearing this, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. "Completely unaware...?"
"I wouldn't say I knew absolutely nothing," Ji Mingran chuckled. "The patterns in the shop are exactly the same as those of the Dingsheng Sect! But," she belatedly exclaimed to Li Xiaosen, "you were actually inside the brocade pouch, and you were unconscious inside. Are you sure you're alright?"
Li Xiaosen's smile faded, his expression becoming calm and composed. He countered, "Mingran, do you see any difference between me and before?"
Ji Mingran held the cup and examined it carefully as instructed.
The person in front of me was pale-faced with long hair draped over her shoulders. She leaned weakly against the tree trunk behind her like a boneless beauty, but when I looked into her eyes, they were bright as stars and clear.
“You…” Ji Mingran racked his brains to find a fitting description, and hesitated before saying, “You’re like a person now, no, I should say, you’re a person now.”
In the past, Xiao Can, in his daytime state, had a rosy complexion and moved like an ordinary person, but there was always a kind of stiffness that seemed to be there, much like a human-machine interface that couldn't function properly when encountering a bug. However, his special profession in the coffin shop perfectly concealed this strangeness.
Although he is weak and powerless now, his eyes are sharp and bright, showing a newfound "vitality".
“Yes, I am the real me now.” Li Xiaosen nodded. “Three hundred years ago, my primordial spirit was completely scattered. She did everything she could to collect my remnant soul. Since there was no suitable vessel, she made paper effigy and placed my remnant soul inside it.” Speaking of Jiang Xiaoyi, his eyes were full of tenderness. “My main soul has finally taken shape. Today, my primordial soul has successfully returned to my body. Although it is not a complete soul, it has finally come back to life.”
Ji Mingran suddenly realized: "So you disappeared just now because you returned to your physical body."
She was genuinely worried for quite a while.
“Sanyang came following my scent. Seeing me like this, he was anxious to protect my main soul and return it to my body, so he couldn’t take care of you.” Li Xiaose reached out and patted Li Sanyang, who was sitting quietly to the side. The latter lowered his head and did not say a word. His dark gray figure intersected with the shadows of the trees and blended into the silent night.
Ji Mingran leaned over the desk and looked up. His second senior brother, with his head down, had a calm and expressionless face, as if he were in a trance. No matter how you looked at him, you couldn't see any trace of anxiety on his face.
Li Sanyang's gaze met that of his newly promoted junior sister, who was staring at him with wide eyes: "..." In silence, he silently raised his head.
“Three hundred years have passed.” Li Xiaosen sighed, oblivious to his fellow disciples’ actions. “I never dared to hope that my physical body would still exist, let alone be intact.”
"You pieced together my remains, recuperated until now, and protected Luanfeng perfectly." He picked up the teapot, his fingers on the handle long and clean, even his nails were neatly trimmed. Tea flowed into the cup, and he handed the cup to Li Sanyang, his eyes showing heartache: "Back then, you had just advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage."
"Junior brother." Li Xiaosen raised his teacup, bowed deeply, and said solemnly and sincerely, "Luanfeng is fortunate to have you."
Li Sanyang stared at Li Xiaosen, seemingly startled by his senior brother's words and actions and unable to react for a moment. After a while, he reached out a hand to help Li Xiaosen up. At the same time, a "clang" rang out as the two cups clinked together. He drank the tea in one gulp and murmured, "Senior brother, you are too kind."
After speaking, he pursed his lips, clenched his fists and placed them on his knees, his eyelids drooped, his eyes lowered, and he remained silent once again.
Ji Mingran propped his head up, his mind churning with thoughts.
Guan Wangzhen told her that three hundred years ago, when the sect was in danger, Boss Jiang severely injured his own disciple Li Xiaosen and fled with the treasure, causing Luanfeng's reputation to fall into disrepair. Later, Luanfeng was supported by his second disciple Li Sanyang.
Judging from the reactions of the disciples of the various peaks of the Dingsheng Sect, it seems that the story of Boss Jiang absconding with the treasure is true. However, the person who was rumored to have been severely injured three hundred years ago told us that in order to save him, his master had been planning for many years in the small world, while his second disciple had been guarding his body in the sect. Today, with the help of both inside and outside, the mission was accomplished, and he was able to be resurrected.
If Boss Jiang really did something underhanded back then, why would he go to all the trouble of saving people?
Did he regret it after making the move? Ji Mingran thought about his boss's temperament and shook his head. Impossible.
Furthermore, why is Brother Sanyang, who has never participated in the events of that year, so certain that Xiaocan will one day be resurrected?
Was it out of trust in his master? Or simply obsession? Ji Mingran tilted his head and glanced at the taciturn Li Sanyang, nodding his head. Both were possible.
She never saw any treasures other than coffins in Boss Jiang's coffin shop, but the conditions Boss Jiang set for taking her as his apprentice were extraordinary.
"Xiaoshen." Ji Mingran's thoughts returned, still lying on the low table, but his bright black eyes turned to stare at Li Xiaosen.
She asked softly, "Mr. Jiang, is your sole purpose in making me cross the Heavenly Gate to bring you back?"
Li Sanyang immediately raised his head.
Li Xiaosen's smile faded slightly, and a hint of reluctance flickered in his gentle eyes: "You noticed?"
"When you came out of the brocade pouch, I sensed the array's intent," Ji Mingran recalled slowly. "It was similar to the Demon-Subduing Array, but gentler."
Li Xiaosen said, "Your feeling is correct. The Demon-Subduing Array is a formation that devours the primordial soul, while the Soul-Binding Array merely binds the primordial soul within it."
“Domain Blessing Array, Soul Binding Array…” Ji Mingran took out a brocade pouch from his pocket, turned it over, and five slightly glowing pebbles rolled out from inside.
“I’ve opened it three times. Once was shortly after Boss Jiang gave me the brocade pouch, on the way to Qiwang Mountain. Once was after crossing Tianmen, on the way to Dingsheng Sect. And the last time was on my way here after you ran out of there. But there was clearly only this inside.”
The brocade pouch was empty, yet something would occasionally slip out.
Li Xiaosen pointed to the few pebbles, "These are the few spirit stones that Master had on him when he was cultivating. As for this..." His fingertip pointed to the brocade pouch.
“The exquisite brocade pouch,” Li Sanyang said in a low, hoarse voice, “is my master’s magic treasure. Unlike ordinary spatial magic treasures, its storage space increases with the user’s cultivation level, with no upper limit.”
"Oh?" Ji Mingran looked at her nominal second senior brother in surprise. This was the first time she had heard him speak a complete sentence.
“She concealed it with spirit stones, beneath which was a domain blessing array, below which was a soul-binding array, and at the very bottom was where my primordial soul was placed.” Li Xiaosen continued, “Your cultivation is limited, so you can only see and take what is on the surface.”
“But,” Ji Mingran said slowly, holding the round spirit stone, “if you want to survive, you don’t need to put yourself in such a passive situation.” His guess was already eight or nine parts confirmed.
With the activation of the Transcendental Array, chaotic power surged from the rifts in the world. Transcendent beings were already struggling to protect themselves when caught in the turmoil, let alone a mere primordial soul.
To ensure Xiao Sen's soul remains unharmed, Boss Jiang will undoubtedly set up multiple layers of protection.
He might be able to break free of the Soul-Binding Array on his own, but the Domain Blessing Array, the Domain Blessing Array in the brocade pouch, Ji Mingran had personally experienced how powerful the array was.
With such array power, the Soul-Binding Array's power increased several times over, and he could only be suppressed within it, even losing his mind completely.
“Mingran. Even for a Golden Core cultivator, failing to transcend the world will result in serious injury at best, and death at worst. At that time, I was just a wisp of primordial soul. If I had failed to transcend the world, my soul would have been scattered and my fate would have been sealed.” Li Xiaosen looked down at her and smiled calmly. “But you are different. You will be fine.”
Although Ji Mingran was lying face down on the low table, his voice was clearly audible: "If I encounter danger when I cross the formation, activate the Domain Blessing first to enhance the formation I am using. If that fails, release the Soul Binding later."
Li Xiaosen gently stroked the head resting on the low table as if comforting a cub, and continued, "I will lend you a hand before your soul is scattered and protect you. The combination of Domain Blessing and Soul Binding is the only way to both protect me from the power of the World Rift and preserve my intact soul power."
"Did you protect me from the cracks in the world?" She hadn't forgotten the voice that woke her when she fell from the sky.
“I merely awakened you. Of course, without the blessing array, the Soul-Binding Array’s power was greatly reduced, and I fell into a coma after you woke up. I just happened to wake up when you arrived at Spring Peak.” Li Xiaosen remembered something, his eyes filled with a gentle smile, “You used the Vajra Array extremely well, she will definitely be happy.”
Ji Mingran held the spirit stones in his hand and asked another question: "My monthly salary is half a string of coins. How much are these spirit stones worth?"
“I’ve been away from the spiritual cultivation world for quite some time, so it’s really hard to say,” Li Xiaosen said with a smile, looking at Li Sanyang, who was silently listening to the two of them.
"..." After a long pause, Li Sanyang spoke, "Five mid-grade spirit stones are equivalent to five thousand low-grade spirit stones, which can cover the daily expenses of an ordinary person for ten years."
"You're protecting me, yet you're also giving me an advance on my monthly allowance that I could never repay in my entire life." Ji Mingran slowly sat up, propping his head up with his hands, and sighed helplessly. "So, what exactly does Master want from me?"
Mr. Jiang doesn't do business at a loss.
Well, what can you do when he's her master and her boss?
Li Xiaosen replied irrelevantly, "You originally had something else hidden in your brocade pouch. Now that I have awakened and the Three Yangs are present, this item is no longer needed."
What is it?
"A spell. If you choose another sect, the spell will take effect before you reach the Qi Refining stage and erase your memories."
Ji Mingran asked in confusion, "Why?"
"Because" the hand pressing on her head tightened, Li Xiaosen spoke slowly and deliberately, revealing a shocking secret: "The ten-thousand-year heritage of the Dingsheng Sect is all contained within your mind."
"Huh? What? What is it? When?" Ji Mingran was stunned by the sudden news and asked four questions in a row.
Wasn't it the sect's most precious treasure that was swept away? She was already mentally prepared for Boss Jiang to secretly dig out the treasure, and was just waiting for her senior brother's order to set off to dig.
"The inheritance of a sect is not something that ordinary cultivators can bear. If one comes into contact with it casually, one may explode and die because one cannot bear the meaning of the inheritance. Ordinary people's sea of consciousness is not yet open and is still in a state of chaos. Chaos has no wisdom but can contain all things. Therefore, ordinary people can come into contact with the inheritance without any problems. At most, they will not understand its meaning in their lifetime."
"Write it down, memorize each book you've memorized, before you reach the Qi Refining stage and explode and die."
Upon achieving Qi Refining, he exploded and died...
This is explosive news.
Ji Mingran stared blankly, his bright, star-like black eyes blinking very slowly, his hands unconsciously resting on his slightly swollen lower abdomen.
Moreover...
Since arriving in the spiritual cultivation world, she has never stopped for a moment, drawing in qi, condensing qi, refining qi, and channeling spiritual power into her sea of consciousness.
She had already sensed something beneath the Quanfeng Waterfall.
Her sea of consciousness had broken through the turbidity, allowing a sliver of light to shine through.
Advanced Qi cultivation will be achieved soon.
Author's Note: I'm so conflicted! What should I title this story? "The Apocalyptic Boss Comes to Cultivate Immortality," "That Ancestor Came from the Apocalypse and She's Super Strong," "Not a Junior Sister, But an Ancestor"—I'm so torn!
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