Chapter 11 - Reconstruction
"Void Lock! Secure!"
Just at the moment when Xie Zhao's rune chain locked the explosion point!
Chu Linyuan's sword finger, wrapped in cold and precise murderous aura, was like the sharpest scalpel, stabbing quickly, accurately and fiercely at the core node locked in the Moon-Eating Rabbit's abdomen!
No earth-shattering explosion!
There was only a sound like a deflated gasp! A concentrated, dark red column of evil spirit, filled with violent energy, suddenly spurted out from the point where Chu Linyuan's sword finger had penetrated, like a precisely guided fountain! It was directed directly to the southeast corner of the deep pit!
A column of evil energy burst forth from the Moon-Eating Rabbit's body, impacting the hard rock at the bottom of the pit with a dull thud. The rock in that area was instantly eroded and softened!
The Moon-Eating Rabbit, like a popped balloon, shrank visibly, returning to its original fluffy, snow-white form. It was listless, limp in the white deer's arms, cooing miserably. The white deer held it lovingly, soothing it gently with its small hands.
At the center of the impact point of the evil energy column, the eroded and softened rock peeled off, revealing something hidden inside -
A fist-sized, perfectly round jade stone with a warm, milky white hue! Within the jade, a milky mist seemed to slowly flow, emanating a pure, gentle, and vastly relaxing spiritual energy! It formed a stark contrast to the violent and murderous surroundings! The spiritual energy was so rich that even Su Tang, who was close by, felt a sense of comfort throughout her body, and even Xie Zhao's languid aura was lifted!
It was exactly what Xie Zhao's hexagram indicated—Sha Ning Chalcedony! The Earth's Heart Chalcedony!
Chu Linyuan retracted his sword, and the murderous aura from his fingertips dissipated. Xie Zhao also removed the Void Chains, his face paling even further. He stared at the chalcedony, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "In this deadly southeastern land, extreme evil gives rise to wisdom... It truly is the essence of the earth! Such pure spiritual energy!"
Tie Niu came over, looked at the chalcedony, and sniffed innocently: "Hmm... It smells quite fragrant, like the scent of young mushrooms that have just grown after the rain!"
Luo Hongyi had come over at some point, holding a soup spoon in her hand. She glanced between the chalcedony and the wilted Moon-Eating Rabbit, thoughtfully saying, "This chalcedony... stewed soup should be able to neutralize the rabbit's temper."
Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaolu immediately hugged the rabbit in her arms tighter and looked at Luo Hongyi warily. "Senior Sister, don't joke..."
"Hahahaha, just kidding."
Chu Linyuan bent down and picked up the warm chalcedony. As his hand sank slightly, a pure and gentle warmth spread along his arm, calming the restless dragon spirit within him a little. He glanced at Xie Zhao's pale face, then at the chalcedony in his hand, and his cold voice rang out:
"It's yours. Heal."
With the nourishment of the Earth's Heart Jade during his recovery, Xie Zhao recovered much faster. The pure and gentle spiritual energy was like a top-grade tonic, continuously nourishing his damaged Origin Symbol Sea. Although he still lazily occupied Chu Linyuan's stone bed, his complexion was noticeably rosier, and the energy he had used to harass Chu Linyuan had largely recovered.
When Chu Linyuan wasn't refining the dragon evil within him, he spent most of his time confined to the stone chamber, a chill shrouding him like a silent iceberg. Whenever Xie Zhao attempted to use the chalcedony's spiritual energy to draw some "unorthodox" talisman, like the "Dream Talisman" that turned Chu Linyuan's hair pink, a stream of icy evil energy would precisely freeze the talisman paper to pieces. The two of them, one trying to stir up trouble while the other ruthlessly suppressed it, became a regular "entertainment" during their recovery period.
Su Tang's photo stones recorded a lot of her "daily recovery":
- Xie Zhao tried to trick Chu Linyuan into peeling the spiritual fruit by pretending to be a "sickly handsome guy," but Chu Linyuan used his evil spirit to freeze the fruit into a lump of ice and handed it to him. (Su Tang: What? You guys like frozen pears too?)
Xie Zhao complained that the stone bed was too hard and jarring. Chu Linyuan was silent for a moment, then stood up and went outside to bring in a relatively flat boulder. He used the Frost Silence Sword to whittle it down into a shape that could barely be considered a bed board. Then, pointing at Xie Zhao expressionlessly, he said, "Move." (Big Brother's tsundere demeanor has been retired! No, this is an ice sculpture.)
Xie Zhao coughed up blood from internal injuries caused by drawing the talisman. Chu Linyuan's expression remained stern, but his hand, offering the water, moved a fraction faster. A subtle wisp of evil energy flickered across his fingertips, quietly dissolving the blood from Xie Zhao's lips. (Su Tang: So why did he continue drawing talismans even when he was sick?)
Xie Zhao's lazy expression as he held the chalcedony and absorbed its spiritual energy, his eyes narrowed in comfort. And after he fell asleep, Chu Linyuan silently channeled his own pure evil energy into the chalcedony, then channeled the chalcedony's gentler spiritual energy back into Xie Zhao, silently protecting him. (...Su Tang was speechless.)
Until Xie Zhao had basically recovered his strength and was able to continue to harass Chu Linyuan with full vigor, and Chu Linyuan had completely suppressed the dragon evil in his body, and the dragon pattern on his right arm glowed inward.
Both of them had almost recovered. Looking at the huge deep pit that was trampled out by Tie Niu during the "clearing of the land" in the sect, they finally convened the first (and possibly the last) formal reconstruction meeting of Guixu Sect.
Participants: All disciples including Moon-Eating Rabbit.
Meeting place: at the edge of a deep pit, with a few black stones that had been washed relatively clean by the fierce rain serving as seats.
Meeting chairperson: Xie Zhao, self-appointed.
Meeting minutes: Su Tang.
Meeting atmosphere: very "warm".
"Everyone! Fellow disciples!" Xie Zhao stood on a high rock, full of vigor and energy, as if commanding an emperor. "Now is a golden opportunity! The sect is in need of reconstruction, funds are in place, and people are united!" He patted the bulging storage bag beside him. "Chu Linyuan closed his eyes to rest, Luo Hongyi stirred the unknown liquid in the small ceramic pot he carried, Tie Niu was pulling spiritual mushrooms from the cracks in the rocks, and Bai Xiaolu was feeding the rabbits!"
He cleared his throat and pulled out a wrinkled "plan" covered with crooked symbols:
"First priority! The sect's facade! The main gate! I propose using a structure of 'Black Iron' mixed with 'Star Iron'! Black Iron as the main body, with key stress points inlaid with Star Iron that Moon Rabbits can't chew! Our most professional construction quality inspectors, Moon Rabbits, will oversee the entire process! Budget: 10,000 Spirit Stones!"
The Moon-Eating Rabbit squatting in the white deer's arms: "Guju?"
Su Tang silently recorded: Ten thousand spirit stones are used to buy materials, of which three thousand spirit stones worth of materials may end up in the rabbit's stomach.
"Second! The sect protection formation!" Xie Zhao looked at Uncle Chen who was quietly sweeping the floor in the corner. "Uncle Chen is highly respected and experienced. This important task is best filled by you! The budget... uh..." He glanced at the half-baked broom in Uncle Chen's hand. "... ten spirit stones to buy you a pack of good tobacco?"
Uncle Chen didn't even raise his head, and muttered hoarsely: "It doesn't cost much to enclose a piece of land..." He continued to slowly sweep the gravel on the ground.
Xie Zhao: "...That's settled! Budget: ten spirit stones!" (Actual expenditure: zero)
"Third! Expand the martial arts arena!" Xie Zhao looked at Tie Niu, "Junior Brother Tie Niu has unparalleled power. Splitting mountains and splitting rocks is no problem for him! That bumpy slope is now in your hands! The budget..."
Tie Niu scratched his head in a simple and honest manner and said in a muffled voice, "No need for money, I have legs."
Xie Zhao readily agreed: "Budget: Zero!"
"Fourth! Core building - cafeteria upgrade!
Xie Zhao: "Senior Sister in Red! The development of the sect depends on the disciples! Now that I'm well, the disciples' health is paramount, and food is the most important thing! I observe this chalcedony, it is full of spiritual energy, boundless vitality, imbued with evil spirit patterns, and a harmonious balance of yin and yang! It is truly a supreme sacred ingredient for soups and stews! If I use this as the main ingredient, supplemented with Senior Sister's unparalleled poison... ahem, unparalleled cooking skills, I can make a pot of 'Ten-Ingredient Guixu Health-Preserving Soup', which will surely strengthen our bodies, nourish our souls, and enhance the sect's overall combat effectiveness! Budget: One piece of chalcedony! And some additional ingredients!"
Luo Hongyi paused stirring the pottery jar and looked up, a hint of "finally getting to the point" crossing her beautiful face. She opened the jade box she had just received, and a rich, pure spiritual energy, mixed with a strange vitality, instantly filled the air, making the edges of the deep pit seem to come alive. She weighed the jade-like, dark-gold dragon-patterned chalcedony, as if weighing a piece of fine pork belly.
"Evil spirit as the guide, spiritual energy as the soup, jade marrow as the bone... The fire requires the Nine-Turn Evil Wind, supplemented by Green Phosphorus Toad Cloth, Rot Heart Grass, and Seven-Step Snake Saliva..." She muttered to herself, her eyes gleaming with the fanatical gleam of a master of poison cuisine. "The taste... should be able to penetrate the soul and linger for three days!"
"Wait!" Before Xie Zhao could say anything, Chu Linyuan's icy voice suddenly rang out. He had opened his eyes at some point, his deep, cold gaze fixed on the chalcedony in Luo Hongyi's hand. "This thing is useful to me."
"Hmm?" Luo Hongyi raised her eyebrows.
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