Chapter 179 - 155: Matter Resolved

Chapter 179: Chapter 155: Matter Resolved

In the center of Ring Mountain Spiritual Land, inside a small courtyard.

An Escape Light carrying Ma Rong landed in the courtyard, and he quickly entered the house.

Seeing his hurried appearance, Tan Hu’s heart skipped a beat. He stood and asked, "Did Bai Shui escape?"

Ma Rong shook his head and waved his sleeve.

A dry, shriveled, headless human skin fell to the ground.

"Oh..." Tan Hu’s eyebrows rose slightly. After a moment, he shook his head and chuckled. "To think he’d actually get eaten by a demon."

"This is for the best. It saves us a lot of trouble down the line."

A doubtful look appeared in Ma Rong’s eyes. He hesitated, "But isn’t this a bit too coincidental? He just left Ring Mountain Spiritual Land and was immediately eaten by a demon..."

Tan Hu shook his head and said faintly, "His death is what matters. Why worry about the details?" After speaking, he waved his hand to store away Bai Shui’s body, straightened his robes, and said to Ma Rong, "After I leave Ring Mountain Spiritual Land, I’ll have to trouble you to look after Junior Brother Li."

"Don’t worry, Senior Brother." Ma Rong nodded solemnly.

The two exchanged a few more words and walked out of the courtyard.

Tan Hu transformed into a pale cyan Escape Light and shot straight into the Cyan Netherworld.

Ma Rong pondered for a moment, then turned and headed toward Jin Fang’s location.

After Tan Hu left, in the Spirit Field on the mountaintop, Yan Shaoyuan, who was tending to the Water Spirit Flowers, suddenly shuddered. A phantom-like human figure struggled free from his back. Its dark red pupils stared at him for a few moments before it let out a strange shriek and transformed into a ball of black light, flying into the sky.

’Is it gone...?’

A flush of color returned to Yan Shaoyuan’s pale, gaunt face, his expression filled with unconcealable excitement.

Still uneasy, he closed his eyes to feel for it again.

「A moment later.」

Yan Shaoyuan opened his eyes. His dry, bloodshot pupils quickly grew moist.

’My life has been so bitter.’

He had only wanted to capture some snake beasts to cultivate the Water Spirit Flowers. While he did admittedly have the thought of showing off to Li Changsheng, his ultimate goal was to let Li Changsheng see his abilities and use this Secret Technique to befriend a genius like him.

But he never expected things to develop to this point.

Remembering the heart-piercing, bone-gnawing agony that came every night, Yan Shaoyuan couldn’t help but shiver, a look of terror appearing in his eyes.

He remained stunned for quite a while.

Yan Shaoyuan’s gaze cleared. He glanced at the small courtyard not far away, hesitated for a moment, then walked towards it.

Arriving at the small courtyard, Yan Shaoyuan cautiously peered inside.

At the entrance of the wooden house, Li Changsheng squatted unceremoniously, shoveling food into his mouth. Beside him, Xiaobai was tearing wantonly at the flesh of the Leopard Demon, gulping it down.

Yan Shaoyuan swallowed dryly. After a few moments of swirling thoughts, he called out cautiously, "Lord Li, Yan Shaoyuan requests an audience."

Li Changsheng didn’t even raise his head, still wolfing down his food.

Just as Yan Shaoyuan was feeling at a loss, a clear voice drifted out.

"The gate isn’t locked. Come in."

Joy flashed in Yan Shaoyuan’s eyes. He gently pushed open the courtyard gate and, with his body stooped, maneuvered around Xiaohua and her family.

Walking to the entrance, he bowed deeply. "Greetings, Steward Li."

Li Changsheng shoveled down the last mouthful, stood up, placed his bowl and chopsticks aside, and sized up Yan Shaoyuan.

Half a month had passed. Yan Shaoyuan was so thin he barely looked human. With his hunched posture, he had lost all trace of his former style.

Li Changsheng said faintly, "Get up."

"Yes, my lord."

Yan Shaoyuan bowed again and straightened up slightly, but he still didn’t dare to meet Li Changsheng’s gaze.

Li Changsheng asked, "What do you want?"

"This... I..." Yan Shaoyuan looked flustered. He cupped his hands and said, "I came to apologize to you, my lord. That day, I..."

"Say no more."

Li Changsheng cut him off with a wave of his hand and said lightly, "Go back and focus on cultivating your Spirit Medicine."

With that, he picked up his bowl and chopsticks and walked toward the kitchen.

Just as Yan Shaoyuan’s heart was in a panicked mess, a voice reached his ears.

"Let’s leave it at that. In the future, remember to act with caution."

"Ah?" Yan Shaoyuan was stunned for a moment, then a look of immense joy spread across his face. He bowed and shouted, "Thank you for your forgiveness, my lord!"

Leaving the small courtyard, Yan Shaoyuan’s steps were noticeably lighter. Although his frame was still bone-thin, his spirit and energy had improved considerably.

Li Changsheng watched his receding figure, shook his head, and returned to the wooden house.

’Yan Shaoyuan is different from Bai Shui. The Miscellaneous Peaks need him, the Elders need him.’

’If I were to kill Yan Shaoyuan right now, I probably wouldn’t face any consequences, maybe not even a reprimand.’

’But the consequences of killing him might fill my future path of cultivation with thorns and cages.’

「Back on the third floor.」

Li Changsheng swallowed a medicinal pill, took out the Talisman Bottle containing the Earth Fire Evil, and circulated his Spiritual Power to activate the runes on it, drawing out a wisp of dark red Earth Fire Evil Qi.

As the Evil Qi emerged, the temperature in the room instantly rose by several degrees.

Li Changsheng didn’t dare to be complacent. He circulated his Cultivation Technique and absorbed it into his body.

Immediately, a scorching, fiery sensation spread through his meridians.

The Evil Qi surged into his main Spirit Vein and merged directly into his Blood Sun Spiritual Power. After circulating for one full cycle with his Spiritual Power, they were completely indistinguishable.

Li Changsheng opened his eyes, took out the Yin Blood Jade, and circulated his Cultivation Technique to absorb the frigid blood poison contained within it.

One hot, one cold, cycling over and over.

While increasing his cultivation speed, it was also purifying his Spiritual Power.

「The next day.」

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the early morning breeze carried a growing chill.

Li Changsheng stood at his door, stretched, and looked around.

In a small courtyard not far away, cooking smoke was already rising.

’He’s certainly diligent.’

Li Changsheng smiled, retracted his gaze, and stepped into the kitchen.

In just a little while, cooking smoke slowly began to rise, and the crisp sound of chopping vegetables drifted out.

Little Wooden Head seemed to have been awakened. The frequency of its branches’ swaying quickened, gradually synchronizing with the sound of the chopping.

Inside the kitchen.

’This little guy...’

Li Changsheng glanced at Little Wooden Head, sensing the joyous emotions flooding from it, and shook his head in amusement.

’I have no idea why it likes the sound of chopping vegetables so much.’

「Outside Ten Thousand Serpent Lake.」

As he was busy, Xu Li, Dong Yao, and Wu Yong arrived together. The three of them were chatting and laughing, getting along splendidly.

The latter, in particular, was grinning from ear to ear.

The trio walked across the water to the island.

In a small courtyard on the mountaintop, a man with a plain face showed a slight change in expression. He took a step, and with a few leaps, arrived at the top of the tallest tree.

When he got a clear look at the faces of Xu Li and the others, he waited for a moment, then turned and returned to the courtyard.

「Soon.」

Xu Li’s group arrived at the central courtyard on the mountaintop. He called out, "Lord Steward, Xu Li has come to see you."

After just a few breaths, Li Changsheng’s voice came from the kitchen.

"Come in. Go inside and sit for a bit, I’ll be done in a moment."

Hearing this, the three pushed open the gate, entered the courtyard, skirted around Xiaohua and her family, glanced at the kitchen, and then went into the house.

「A moment later.」

Li Changsheng poured the chopped stinky fern and smelly sock tree leaves into the pot. After adding a few more pieces of firewood to the stove, he washed his hands and stepped out of the kitchen.

When he entered the wooden house, the three of them rose at the same time to greet him.

"Greetings, Senior Brother." "Greetings, my lord."

Li Changsheng waved his hand and smiled. "No need to be so formal. Sit down and talk." He looked at Xu Li and asked, "The Bone Refining Flower and the other Spirit Plants, how much longer until they’re mature?"

Xu Li took out a jade slip and handed it to him, cupping his hands and saying, "My lord, this is the information I’ve gathered."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Li Changsheng nodded with a smile. His gaze shifted to Dong Yao and Wu Yong. Seeing that the two girls weren’t with them, he asked in confusion, "Why didn’t Qing Lan and Qing Yue come?"