Chapter 62: Qi Mu's Spiritual Root Changes (First Release on Jinjiang Literature City)
Yao Sisi searched aimlessly, dividing her search route into several sections based on direction. She had only completed patrols of two locations so far, and it would take some more time to search the entire area. In her mind, wasting a few more days searching for people was insignificant; her biggest worry was that Ri Jiu's body wouldn't be able to hold on.
She sighed. Before her stretched an endless green forest, with towering peaks layered upon each other, highlighting their vastness and depth. The wind rustled the leaves, as if mocking her for overestimating her abilities to find a needle in a haystack.
Just then, a small communication talisman flew in front of her, like a small lamp breaking through the forest. Yao Sisi's heart skipped a beat. She had a premonition that it must have been sent by Ri Jiu.
On the other side, Qi Mu entered the bathtub filled with a strong medicinal fragrance, and then took out the Cleansing Fruit from his storage bag. He was lucky this time and got two at once. The remaining one was picked by him along with the branch. It was precisely because of the nutrients supplied by the branch that this Cleansing Fruit did not rot so quickly.
He stroked the smooth skin of the Cleansing Fruit, Liu Yuan's words echoing in his ears, "Young Master, even with the medicinal bath, it hurts so much, it really hurts so much, it feels like my bone marrow has been shattered and something has been pulled out from inside..."
Seeing Liu Yuan's anxious expression, he comforted him, "It's okay, I've endured so much pain before, and this time will be no different."
What he fears most is not the pain, but the poor results.
Fortunately, Liu Yuan had already scouted this out for him, and the results were no less impressive than those recorded in the ancient texts, promising a brighter future for them. However, the Spirit Cleansing Fruit is precious and difficult to preserve; most are eaten by nearby spirit beasts as soon as they ripen. He obtained two purely by luck, and it seems this Spirit Cleansing Fruit tree was cultivated by some senior…
He ate it bite by bite, leaving only a greenish-brown pit in his hand, wondering if it could be used to cultivate a new fruit tree.
"The color of this spiritual fruit is much darker than the previous one. I wonder if its effects are stronger."
He closed his eyes and leaned against the bathtub, already feeling an energy coursing through his body, like an inspection and scan, and his meridians began to swell.
To avoid letting out painful groans, he bit a branch of the Cleansing Fruit Tree. From a distance, one could see a gentle young man with rosy lips and white teeth, wearing a thin white nightgown. The clothes were wet with the medicinal liquid and clung to his smooth skin. His black hair was half-combed and draped over his shoulders. His brows were slightly furrowed as he endured the pain, with a dry branch between his teeth.
The veins on his neck bulged, as if something was roaming inside, intensifying his pain. Sweat beaded on his forehead, condensing into large drops that fell into his clothes as the steam rose from his forehead.
Beside the burrow, Rijiu waited quietly. Exhausted, it lay in the grass, occasionally twitching its ears to listen to the distant wind and the morning breeze. It wasn't until the sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn that Yao Sisi arrived, carried by the dew.
Ri Jiu wanted to jump into her arms, but one of his hind legs gave way, and he staggered a few steps toward her.
Yao Sisi jumped off the flying artifact, bent down and opened her arms to pick it up.
Rijiu jumped with his front legs, and used his big tail as a hind leg to forcefully throw himself onto her.
Yao Sisi had been looking for him for several days and had made all sorts of plans. Unlike before, she didn't allow him to snuggle into her arms. This time, she was extra accommodating to him, holding him tightly with one hand and stroking his back, whether to comfort him or herself.
Ri Jiu snuggled happily into her arms, her little fox face full of satisfaction, then said pitifully, "Sisi, I can't turn back into human form, waaaaah..."
Yao Sisi stroked its little head, her fingers running over its drooping ears. "Sorry I'm late..."
Ri Jiu: "I'm so happy that you came. I missed you so much when I was trapped here. I was also afraid... afraid that you would leave and I would be all alone."
Yao Sisi: "Don't overthink it. I've been looking for you these past few days." She picked it up and saw that its hind leg was injured and it couldn't exert any strength, as if it were half paralyzed. She said with concern, "Don't think about whether it's human or not for now. Once the injury heals, you can transform at will. Let me take a look at your leg first."
It was just before dawn, and the sunlight was gradually streaming in, enveloping them like a fuzzy shimmering shield. She said, "Does it hurt? Shall I carry you back?"
Ri Jiu nodded, nestled in her arms and found a comfortable position. He could have gritted his teeth and told himself it didn't hurt before, but now he couldn't help sniffling and lied in a muffled voice: "It doesn't hurt... it's just too ugly. Please don't reveal my identity when we go back, okay?"
I'm not going to be inferior to those fake righteous people.
That's right! That guy who's all show and no substance but is actually ruthless and secretly lewd is a hypocrite. He's a genius for coming up with such a fitting nickname.
Yao Sisi was unaware of his thoughts. She only noticed the little fox's eyes darting around, looking very clever. She continued the previous topic and replied, "I won't reveal your identity. Let's just say you have another opportunity. Otherwise, everyone will worry if we say you've disappeared."
Ri Jiu narrowed her little fox eyes and thought to herself: My silly Sisi, if I really disappeared, Qi Mu, that fake serious guy, wouldn't be worried, he would only be happy.
But he obediently said, "Okay, whatever you say."
Yao Sisi rummaged through her storage bag for pills, took one out, and stuffed it into its mouth. "Eat this to tide you over for now. I'll get some more pills when we get back."
Inside the outpost, Qi Muyao changed the water in the bath tub countless times. He kept enduring it. When he was conscious, the effects of the Cleansing Fruit were better than when he was unconscious, but it was also more painful. The bath tub was stained with blood, with no unscathed spots. Even the twig he was biting was stained red.
He felt as if his body had been thrown onto a chopping board, with sharp blades slaughtering him, cutting him into countless pieces, and the pain assaulting him like a tidal wave.
After an unknown amount of time, he felt his body become lighter and more sensitive. He even saw his own body slumped in the bathtub, the twig he was biting in his mouth had disappeared, and his lips were bluish-purple as if he had been poisoned.
Qi Mu froze, looking at himself in disbelief. He then realized that he had separated from the person in the bathtub. He was floating in the air like a ghost, his entire body semi-transparent. "Could it be... that I'm dead?"
On the other side, Yao Sisi carried Ri Jiu back to her residence. After passing through the formation, she brought Ri Jiu into her room. "You stay here for now. I'll go tell them."
Rijiu sat cross-legged on the futon and instructed, "Okay, whatever you do, don't tell them I'm a fox!"
Yao Sisi nodded and left the house. When she got close to Qi Mu's room, she found Liu Yuan guarding the door. He seemed a little uneasy when he saw her.
Liu Yuan said, "That... Young Master is cultivating."
Yao Sisi smelled a strong medicinal fragrance on him. She wondered what good things Qi Mu had found in the secret realm for him to use. Then she thought that he might be using it himself right now and was too busy to bother him. "Alright then, I won't go in. I just came here to let you know that Ri Jiu has other opportunities outside and it's inconvenient for him to come back. We don't need to worry about him anymore."
Liu Yuan: "Young Master was injured before and blamed himself for not being able to go out and look for him. I am relieved to know that he is alright. I will pass on the message to Young Master."
After delivering the message, Yao Sisi turned to leave, but after a few steps, she suddenly turned back and said, "I've been so busy running around these past few days that I don't even know how well his injury is healing."
Liu Yuan's breath hitched, thinking she had discovered something, so he quickly perked up and said, "I'm much better now, I'm fine, don't worry!"
Having received the answer, Yao Sisi returned to her room, picked up the little fox with the hind leg injury, and said, "We'll go out and get you some pills, but the matter of the secret realm just ended not long ago, so we don't know if they'll be easy to buy now."
Ri Jiu suddenly felt a bit attached to her embrace, and even had the thought that it wouldn't matter if his legs moved a little slower. He couldn't help but cover his face with his little fleshy cheeks. Good heavens, he was really shameless...
"Let's...let's go take a look first..."
After Yao Sisi left, Liu Yuan hurriedly entered Qi Mu's room, but was stunned when he saw the scene before him. His young master was dressed in dark purple clothes and appeared in front of him in a few flashes. His eyes were very sharp and one hand was tightly gripping his neck, making it difficult for him to breathe.
"Young...Young Master...cough cough..."
"Let him go!"
Seeing that the young master didn't speak, and that the voice came from behind him, Liu Yuan was stunned, not understanding what was going on. But when the hand on his neck loosened, he suddenly took a deep breath and looked towards the source of the voice...
How come...there are two young masters?
The two people looked at him at the same time, making him think he was hallucinating.
"Young Master?"
Qi Mu got out of the bathtub and performed a cleansing spell on himself: "I also find it strange, but aren't there many strange things in the cultivation world?"
Confused, Liu Yuan asked hesitantly, "Then...then...should I call him Second Young Master?"
Qi Mu shook her head: "No need, he won't show up often. Just pretend today's events never happened."
Liu Yuan: "Yes, I will keep what I saw today buried in my belly and never let it see the light of day again."
Qi Mu: "Hmm, you don't need to refer to yourself as a slave outside. I don't treat you like a servant. By the way, what brings you in?"
Liu Yuan: "I... am used to calling you 'slave' and can't change it in a short time. Um... I came in because Fellow Daoist Yao said there was news about Ri Jiu."
Qi Mu waved for Liu Yuan to leave first, "I understand."
He didn't have time to waste. After Liu Yuan left, he sorted out his thoughts on his own. He originally wanted to wash away the dark spiritual root, but he didn't expect this situation to occur. It turned out that the Cleansing Spirit Fruit was not only precious, but the branches bearing the Cleansing Spirit Fruit were even more precious, as they had the ability to support spiritual roots.
The human form that the branches transformed into was only temporary; to preserve it permanently, one would need to consult ancient texts.
But at the same time, he seemed to have gained another life, and it was this earth-shattering secret that made the separated body of Dao have the urge to kill Liu Yuan to silence him.
Qi Mu closed his eyes and tried to sense the spiritual energy to cultivate. He found that his meridians seemed to have been cleared, and the speed of absorbing spiritual energy was much faster than before. This time, risking his life to take the Cleansing Spirit Fruit was the best decision he ever made.
Yao Sisi was unaware of Qi Mu's situation, and even if she did, she wouldn't take it seriously. She had only intended to travel with them to find a more suitable cultivation site, and they might go their separate ways once they arrived. What did such a private matter have to do with her? She couldn't be bothered to think about it.
In the days that followed, nothing seemed to change. Yao Sisi focused her attention on collecting resources, as they would soon set off again. However, something had quietly changed.
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Author's Note: Wow, this chapter was really hard to write. It had two parallel storylines, and I wrote it quite late, so I lost the emotions I had developed and lacked motivation. Besides, the writing style was also difficult, similar to an ensemble piece. It was my first time writing something like this, and I was completely confused. But I'm in the dark right now and don't know exactly how well it turned out. If it's not good, please bear with me, dear readers. If my writing skills improve after I finish writing, I will come back to revise it.
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