"That sun-swapping, heaven-stealing evil art is truly insidious and vicious!"
Meng Han couldn't help but exclaim. Thinking of the Liao siblings, he guessed the two of them had already become spirits slain by Yue Zuan's hand. With lingering fear in his heart, he said, "It's a good thing we eliminated him today.
If this evil art were to spread, who knows what kind of trouble it would stir up!" He then looked toward Zhao Chun and asked, "Are you alright?"
"He..."
Zhao Chun placed a hand on her dantian and said hesitantly, "He extracted my Wood Spiritual Root. I don't know if it will affect my cultivation..." Meng Han's expression turned grave.
He had never seen such a situation either and couldn't make sense of it.
"After we return to the sect, I'll take you to see the elders and see what they have to say."
That was the only option. Zhao Chun, however, was not overly nervous. Just now, when she circulated her spiritual power to hasten the absorption of the medicine, although she could no longer sense any Wood Spiritual Qi, her Metal and Fire Qi showed no signs of weakening.
In fact, they had grown even stronger. A surprising thought arose in her heart, but she didn't know if it was true. She would have to wait until she returned to the sect to find out.
Yue Zuan had once been a great Core Formation cultivator, but he had spent half his life wandering without a home, constantly on the run and in hiding while trying to recover his cultivation base. Most of the wealth he had accumulated had been squandered. Still, a starved camel is bigger than a horse.
The two of them still managed to split twenty Spirit Jades each and over a thousand Essence Stones. It was worth mentioning that there was still a bag of the Flame Detonation Pellets that Yue Zuan had replicated.
These things were useful against cultivators in the early Qi Refining Stage, but were rather ineffective against those in the middle to late stage. Meng Han didn't think much of them, so he gave them all to Zhao Chun. As for the Storage Pouch, that was something used by those in the Core Formation Stage.
If Zhao Chun were to keep it for herself, she might not be able to protect it. So, she spoke up and relinquished her claim. As a thank you, Meng Han in turn gave her all of his Spirit Jades and Essence Stones.
Zhao Chun weighed the cloth pouch at her waist. It was just an ordinary mortal item that bulged when filled with things. Now that she had become rich overnight, she had to consider buying a storage pouch for her own use.
The two of them exited the cave opening, searched around, and turned into a hidden cave where they discovered an honored sharp-horned bronze pagoda. This was Yue Zuan's life-bound magical tool. Since he himself was dead, the pagoda was now useless.
The people inside the pagoda were released by Meng Han. They sat on the ground in a daze, only realizing they had been rescued when they saw the two of them. Feng Sanchu hurriedly thanked the two of them.
When he learned the terrible news of the Liao siblings' deaths, he was overcome with grief. When he asked about Hong Qian, he learned that Madam Hong had been so terrified inside the pagoda that she had gone mad, her delirious whispers incomprehensible. Hong Qian supported her mother, her own expression becoming firm instead.
She gave the two a deep bow of thanks. Overnight, she was completely different from the girl Zhao Chun remembered hanging from the tree. The group hurried all the way back to Ji City.
The Hong family manor had long since been thoroughly ransacked, leaving nothing but a mess on the ground. Standing before the main gate was a tall, round-faced man. It was the steward, Xiao Shuang.
He had actually been guarding this place the whole time. Seeing the Hong mother and daughter return safely, he greeted them with pleasant surprise, "Young Miss!
Madam!"
Madam Hong's eyes were vacant. She nestled in her daughter's arms without speaking, her body only twitching slightly.
"So you're the only one left..."
Sorrow filled Hong Qian's eyes. Without giving a detailed explanation, she led the people into the house. Hong Qisheng's remains had been collected by Xiao Shuang, and the inner chamber had also been tidied up roughly.
Hong Qian had long guessed that her father had been killed, but now was not the time for grief. Holding back her tears, she said, "My father has passed away, and our home has been ransacked. The reward promised to the Immortal Masters cannot be produced for the time being.
However, please rest assured, Immortal Masters. Once the family affairs are settled, the reward will be delivered to the True Spirit Sect without a single coin missing." The three of them, Zhao Chun included, had no heart for this.
Seeing Hong Qian's insistence, they promised to only take the two portions belonging to the Liao siblings and transfer them to their parents.
"My father made many enemies in Ji City. I intend to sell the family residence and seek refuge with his former mortal world family clan, so that I can also take care of my mother. In that case, there is a matter I must entrust to the Immortal Masters."
Hong Qian took off the pendant she was wearing around her neck and handed it to Meng Han, saying, "The gemstone inlaid on it, when shone upon by moonlight, can project text. That is the immortal's Daoist arts, the root of my Hong family's calamity."
"My mother and I are both mortals, and the man selected as my husband has run away. Keeping it would only bring disaster anyway. It is better to gift it to the Immortal Masters, as both an apology and a token of gratitude."
If the three of them presented these Daoist arts to the sect, it would count as a contribution. Meng Han nodded in agreement and put the pendant into his pouch. The trip to Ji City thus concluded with both gains and losses.
Zhao Chun bought some small items for Zhou Pianran, and also entrusted Meng Han with five Spirit Jades, asking him to help her buy a storage pouch. She had no background and her cultivation base was low.
Not only would it be difficult to find a channel to buy one, but she also understood the principle of not flaunting one's wealth. It was five days later when they returned to True Spirit. The three of them each received five hundred Essence Stones for turning in the Hong family's Daoist arts.
Only then did Zhao Chun realize that this technique, while precious in the eyes of rogue cultivators, was not particularly rare in the True Spirit Sect. It was rated as Mortal Grade - High Tier and placed in the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
Feng Sanchu was going to pay a visit to the parents of the Liao siblings, while Meng Han took Zhao Chun straight to Elder Lin of the Outer Sect. He seemed to be quite familiar with Elder Lin, entering without being announced.
"Weren't you going to Huiming Mountain Villa to retrieve spiritual fruit? Why are you back so quickly?"
Elder Lin asked in surprise, stroking his long beard. Meng Han had Zhao Chun sit down with him and said, "Something came up, we nearly lost our lives. Let's talk about the spiritual fruit later.
I only recently advanced to the ninth layer, so I'm not in a hurry."
"You are of the Earth Attribute. It's difficult for cultivators of the same stage to even injure you, let alone kill you," he said with a frown.
"Did you encounter someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage?"
"We encountered a madman!"
Meng Han didn't hold back and told him about the matter with Yue Zuan. Elder Lin was so shocked he jumped up from his seat.
"The heavens have blessed you two, causing that evil cultivator to lose his life! This matter must be reported to the sect, to let the Sect Master and the Inner Sect Elders know!"
He paced back and forth, then pulled Zhao Chun over.
"If an ordinary person's dantian is broken, their cultivation base would have long been lost, yet you survived. This old man has never seen such a situation..."
"He only took the Wood Spiritual Root... Are there any other abnormalities?"
Zhao Chun replied, "When Yue Zuan tried to take another spiritual root, he suffered a backlash from my Metal and Fire Spiritual Roots and was subsequently killed by Senior Brother Meng." Everything she said was true; she only concealed the matter of the bead's mutation.
"A backlash? Is there anything different about your usual cultivation?"
"This disciple's Metal and Fire Spiritual Roots are perfectly balanced, and they even show a tendency to merge."
After careful thought, Elder Lin sighed, "These two types of spiritual roots are both fiercely offensive. Perhaps after losing the balancing effect of the Wood Attribute, they mutually fueled their violent tendencies, causing that evil cultivator to bring fire upon himself."
"Although I don't know what effect this will have on you, if it has turned you into someone with a Metal-Fire Dual Spirit Root, it can be considered a blessing in disguise."
He led the two to the Spirit-reflecting Shadow Screen and said, "Come, this old man will test you again and see what the result is." It was still the familiar gold and red colors, but this time, the light green was gone. Two equally dazzling colors, without one overpowering the other, split the shadow screen evenly.
Elder Lin was both happy and worried. He patted Zhao Chun's shoulder. Having another seedling with a dual spirit root was a good thing for the sect, but this dual spirit root came about differently from others.
He didn't know if there would be complications in her future cultivation, so he didn't dare to be too optimistic.
"I will report your matter with Yue Zuan tomorrow. Logically speaking, someone with a dual spirit root should enter the Inner Sect, but the specifics still depend on what the Sect Master says. You should wait for the news first, and don't get your hopes up too high."
Zhao Chun nodded. Entering the Inner Sect was for the best. If she didn't make it, it wasn't as if she couldn't cultivate anymore.
In the future, once she broke through to Foundation Establishment, she could also become an Inner Sect Disciple.
"It's been a rule since the sect's founding that dual spirit roots enter the Inner Sect. A rule is a rule, how can it be easily changed?"
Meng Han smiled at her and raised an eyebrow, "I think Junior Sister Zhao will definitely make it. When that time comes, I'll have to rely on Junior Sister to look after me!"
"Senior Brother Meng and I have a life-and-death friendship. After Senior Brother reaches Foundation Establishment, you'll be a proper Inner Sect Disciple. No matter what, it is I who will have to rely on Senior Brother's care."
The two exchanged a few more words, then bid farewell to Elder Lin and went their separate ways. The group in the Daylily Garden had been waiting for Zhao Chun for a while. Seeing her push the door open and enter, they immediately surrounded her, asking in detail what had happened.
It turned out that news of the Liao siblings' deaths had spread, giving them a huge scare. They first asked others about Zhao Chun's whereabouts and learned that she was still alive. But they were still afraid she might be injured, so they had taken leave and waited for her in the courtyard.
Zhao Chun selectively recounted the events, which scared the four of them so much their faces turned pale. Although they marveled at how she had gained a dual spirit root from this misfortune, they were also afraid that Zhao Chun could have lost her life.
They advised, "Whether you enter the Inner Sect or can reach Foundation Establishment are things for the future. You must never again gamble with your life!" She agreed on the surface, but inwardly she sighed a long sigh.
The path of cultivation was a struggle against the heavens and a struggle against people. If one did not fight, how could there be a path forward?
(End of Chapter)