It wasn’t until Yu Jun and Zhou Fuying had disappeared from sight for quite some time that Xu Lingguang finally snapped back to reality.
He recalled the black snake he had seen on the day he first crossed over and compared the sizes of the two, silently pondering whether the black snake he encountered today was the same one as before.
Both snakes were black, but their sizes differed significantly. The tip of today’s black snake’s tail was as thick as the waist of the previous one.
Xu Lingguang sighed, glancing at the house next door that had mostly collapsed from being struck by the snake’s tail. He lamented that there wasn’t a single peaceful day in this world of cultivation.
He fetched a broom, intending to clear away the rubble and dust, but once he started, he realized it was a massive task—far beyond what someone as weak and frail as him could handle. So, he tossed the broom aside and went back to his room to pack his things.
—His bedroom was right next to the collapsed house and had unfortunately been affected by the sweep of the snake’s tail. It was likely uninhabitable now.
Cleaning was out of the question. After all, the Qingyu Sect lacked many things, but empty rooms weren’t one of them. He could simply move to another room.
Xu Lingguang returned to his room, gathered his meager belongings, and prepared to move directly to the neighboring room.
While tidying the bedding, he accidentally touched something, and a hidden compartment suddenly popped open at the head of the bed.
Xu Lingguang was startled by the abrupt movement, but after recovering, his face lit up with delight—inside the compartment was a black wooden box. Its sheen alone suggested it was quite valuable, and it was hidden so discreetly that it might very well be the original owner’s secret stash of money.
Finally, he was about to have money.
Suppressing his excitement, Xu Lingguang carefully took out the wooden box and opened it cautiously.
Then, his smile vanished.
Inside the exquisite and valuable-looking wooden box were only a few transparent stones and a horseshoe-shaped pendant.
The pendant was bluish-black, neither stone nor jade, and felt cool and heavy to the touch. One end was threaded with a black cord, allowing it to be worn as a necklace.
Xu Lingguang felt a bit disappointed. The item didn’t seem particularly valuable and was likely just an old keepsake with sentimental value to the original owner. However, the care with which it had been hidden gave him a glimmer of hope. After a moment’s thought, he put the necklace on and tucked it close to his skin.
Once the hidden compartment had inexplicably opened, Xu Lingguang couldn’t figure out how to close it again. It was better to keep these things on him.
Only a few irregularly shaped transparent stones remained in the wooden box. Xu Lingguang picked one up and weighed it in his hand, discovering a warm and soothing energy seeping from his palm into his body. He closed his eyes in pleasure and let out a sigh. When the pleasant sensation faded, he noticed the transparent stone in his palm had disappeared.
Xu Lingguang: ?
He searched through his memory of cultivation novels and guessed that these transparent stones were likely something like spirit stones.
Spirit stones were said to be stones formed from highly concentrated spiritual energy. In the cultivation world, they were generally used as hard currency, exchangeable for cultivation resources or for personal cultivation.
Xu Lingguang carefully closed the wooden box and hugged it to his chest as if he had found a treasure.
If cultivation novels hadn’t lied to him, then he was about to get rich.
Zhou Fuying and Yu Jun chased after Song Nanchu for a long distance but failed to catch up to him.
“He’s heading toward Ailao Mountain,” Zhou Fuying said with a grim expression, gritting his teeth angrily. “When he loses control, he has no sense. Let’s just hope he doesn’t foolishly venture into Ailao Mountain.”
Yu Jun furrowed her brow, scattering a handful of golden bells the size of fingertips. “I’ve sent a message to the puppets, telling them to search.”
After she spoke, the two fell into silence.
A long while later, Zhou Fuying suddenly said in a low voice, “His episodes are becoming more frequent. How many times has he gone berserk this month?”
“Three times,” Yu Jun replied. “Once before Xu Lingguang died, and twice in the half-month after Xu Lingguang’s death.”
Zhou Fuying fell silent for a moment before saying, “About four or five days ago, I saw him go down the mountain to meet someone from the demon race. They were too far away for me to hear what they said, but they fought. It seemed like it wasn’t the first time the demon race had sought him out.”
Unlike him and Yu Jun, Song Nanchu was not purely human—he was a mixed-blood of human and demon.
Over the years, conflicts between humans and demons had been frequent, fostering mutual hatred. Mixed-bloods were naturally discriminated against and despised by both races. Song Nanchu had wandered the mortal world since childhood until, at the age of ten, Xu Lingguang took him in as his first disciple and brought him back to the Qingyu Sect.
As the eldest disciple, Xu Lingguang was exceptionally strict with Song Nanchu. By the time Yu Jun and Zhou Fuying joined the sect, Song Nanchu was already a highly competent senior brother—thorough in his duties, gentle in temperament, his handsome face always wearing a warm smile, earning him widespread praise within the Qingyu Sect.
Of course, this was merely the facade seen by outsiders.
In reality, Xu Lingguang also deeply despised Song Nanchu’s demon bloodline. He had taken Song Nanchu as a disciple only because he needed the blood of the snake tribe in him to cultivate a secret technique. Worried that Song Nanchu’s identity might bring trouble to the Qingyu Sect and fearing criticism himself, Xu Lingguang strictly forbade Song Nanchu from revealing any traits related to the demon race.
However, mixed-bloods did not have the same ease in controlling their true forms as pure-blooded demons. Song Nanchu was particularly weak in this regard. Once a month, he would inevitably lose control, fully reverting to his original form and falling into a state of frenzy.
While Xu Lingguang was still alive, on this day each month, Song Nanchu would be locked in a cage to endure it.
Zhou Fuying had once pitied him greatly.
Later, after Xu Lingguang died, no one locked Song Nanchu in a cage anymore. The first time he went berserk, he destroyed half of the Qingyu Sect.
The Qingyu Sect now had only a few members left—half because Xu Lingguang’s death had scattered the followers, and the other half because they had been frightened away by Song Nanchu.
Zhou Fuying muttered, “If he goes back with the demon race, he can go wreak havoc on them instead.”
Yu Jun glanced at him, the delicate expression on her face fading, replaced by a hint of coldness. “If Senior Brother really leaves, the Qingyu Sect will be left with just the two of us.”
Zhou Fuying listlessly lowered his gaze, his enthusiasm waning. “Let’s head back first.”
Xu Lingguang woke from another nap to find that Yu Jun and Zhou Fuying had already returned.
The two tacitly ignored the nearby ruins, so Xu Lingguang also felt at ease pretending not to see them. He stretched lazily and greeted them, “Why haven’t I seen Song Nanchu?”
Zhou Fuying glanced at him and said, “It’s getting hot. He’s probably sleeping somewhere.”
Xu Lingguang found this explanation a bit odd but didn’t dwell on it. His attention was entirely on the wooden box in his arms. He eagerly stepped forward, happily presenting the box. “Look what I found.”
Yu Jun took a glance and looked surprised. “Master, where did you get this spirit stone?”
After Xu Lingguang’s death, his private stash had been divided among them. Who would have thought there were still some that slipped through the net?
“I found it by accident while tidying up the room.” Xu Lingguang looked at her expectantly. “Is this worth a lot?”
Yu Jun said, “Nowadays, with spirit veins drying up, such a pure spirit stone is rare. It is indeed quite valuable.”
Xu Lingguang brightened up. “Then let’s find a chance to go down the mountain and exchange the spirit stone for gold and silver. With gold and silver, we won’t have to worry about food and clothing anymore. Maybe we can even pay off the debts.”
That way, those creditors probably wouldn’t chase him down, shouting and threatening him anymore.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Fuying’s expression changed. He narrowed his eyes and gave Xu Lingguang a deep look. Only after Yu Jun coaxed him away did he say darkly, “Just after Song Nanchu had an accident, he found a spirit stone and now wants to go down the mountain…”
Yu Jun also felt suspicious, pondering, “Should we let him go?”
Zhou Fuying said coldly, “Let him go. There’s still a group of people waiting to catch him down the mountain. When he reveals his true form, we can settle this sooner and save ourselves the trouble of continuing this charade.”
Yu Jun lowered her gaze and said, “Alright.”