【Texture】(154, 155)

Author: Wandering Traveler
, September 22, 2016,
first published on sis. Chapter 154:
"What's wrong? Is your wound hurting again?"
Chunri walked to my side and asked with concern.
"No, it's not the wound! It's my Crimson Lotus Flame, all the flames I implanted in other people's bodies
are gone, all disappeared!" I explained incredulously.
"Disappeared? Could it be that those people are all dead?" Guanxue blurted out from the side. And what she said was exactly what
I was most worried about, so when I heard her words, my face turned pale.
"Guanxue, don't talk nonsense. How could that be? They have weapons, and Brother Huang and that Mr. Xiao
are also there. Besides, do you and I not know what Yonghui, Lanjian, and Fanzhou are capable of?
They can fight against Heavenly Demons and Demon Kings! Even if they can't win, at least some of them can escape..."
"Stop, stop talking! Shut up!"
Although Chunri's words were relatively rational, her analysis was still unacceptable to me. I rarely
lost my temper in front of the two of them! Seeing my obvious anger, the two women immediately shut their mouths.
I calmed myself down and focused all my attention on the Crimson Lotus diagram in my mind, once again
beginning to sense and manipulate it!
It's possible that Sun Cong and Zhou Jingyi's group encountered danger and perished. But as Chunri said
, it seems impossible for Huang Yandong and Xiao Suyan's group to be involved! Wang Lie once said that Huang Yandong
has an innate extreme sensitivity to all kinds of sudden dangers, and he acts cautiously. Besides tracking,
his greatest skill is avoiding harm... And then there's Xiao Suyan! That guy is simply a fighting machine!
His mastery of talismans alone shows his superb magic, coupled with his sharp swordsmanship and agility. In close combat
, I estimate that he could easily handle dozens of people by himself. With the two of them leading the team, plus Yonghui and the three
saintesses with special abilities, and the few rifles they possess, I believe they are more than capable of dealing with
the various dangers we encountered here before! Moreover, even with Sun Cong and Zhou Jingyi's team, I don't believe they would really
be wiped out! It's hard to say about others, but just considering Zhou Jingyi, I simply don't believe that someone who has experienced so many dangers would so easily throw her life away in a place like this! Especially 　　given the likely connection
between her and my fairy mother , I'm certain my fairy mother wouldn't abandon her. Reason tells me they shouldn't be in danger, but the reality is that their flames have truly 　　vanished without a trace 　　from my chart … 　　At this moment, I couldn't help but mutter, "Is there any way in this world to prevent me from 　　tracking and detecting the Crimson Lotus Flame?" 　　I said it without thinking, but it struck a chord. While Chunri didn't react much to my muttering, Guanxue looked thoughtful 　　, then, as if she had thought of something, ran up to me and nodded repeatedly. When I looked at her questioningly 　　, she said, "Yes, there should be. I 　　saw a method for evading the Red Lotus Flame's tracking in Zhu's notes." 　　"What did you say?" I looked at Guanxue in surprise, somewhat incredulous. 　　"Guanxue, don't talk nonsense! Master is Yangyan, not Red Lotus. How would he know 　　how to break the Red Lotus Flame's tracking?" Chunri frowned. In her opinion, Guanxue's actions were purely to get 　　my attention and curry favor with me. 　　"Sister Haruhi, if I remember correctly! That guy himself is Yangyan, but he 　　's also spent time researching and analyzing 　　several other well-known special abilities! After all, while Yangyan is incredibly powerful, it's actually quite similar to abilities with their own names, such as Liangyi, Honglian, and Xirang. He researched these other 　　abilities to prepare himself for potential conflicts with these types of ability users in the future, 　　so he could target their weaknesses." 　　"I see? What did he research about Honglian?" Having searched unsuccessfully again, I had to 　　turn my attention to what Miyuki was saying. 　　"Hmm, let me think..." Miyuki said, head bowed, trying to remember. "I remember what he 　　wrote in his notes: 'The most powerful ability of the Crimson Lotus is actually its unique tracking power, which is the Crimson Lotus Flame 　　. The Crimson Lotus Flame is the ultimate source of its power. The Crimson Lotus Flame can perceive and detect the 　　target's every move. If the opponent is strong, the Crimson Lotus can avoid them in advance; if the opponent is weak, the Crimson Lotus can 　　locate and pursue them. In this way, no matter where it advances or retreats, the Crimson Lotus will be invincible.' He believes that the Crimson Lotus's tracking 　　and location power is the fundamental reason for its terrifying and powerful nature." 　　"Hmm, that makes sense!" Although I don't like that guy, I admit that 　　his analysis of the Crimson Lotus Flame's ability in his notes is correct! Just like the importance of intelligence work in war 　　, after gradually understanding and mastering the power of the Crimson Lotus, I also believe that the most important aspects of the Crimson Lotus's ability 　　are the flame and the diagram—two abilities that seem to have no harm to the target itself. It is precisely because of 　　the flames and diagrams that Honglian can often anticipate the enemy's moves, which makes her appear powerful. 　　"Therefore, to defeat Honglian, the first thing to consider is how to deal with the flames that Honglian implanted in the target's body 　　. And he mentioned at least three methods in his notebook to isolate Honglian from sensing and detecting the released flames." 　　Guanxue seemed very happy to see that I agreed with her statement, and quickly moved on to the question I was most concerned about. 　　"The first method is to use internal vision to find the flames in the body. Then, use one's own essence to try 　　to cover and wrap the flames, isolating and shielding the connection between Honglian and the flames. Of course, this method is only suitable 　　for cultivators with profound cultivation and powerful demons. Even if an ordinary cultivator has mastered internal vision and can 　　find the flames in their body, their own cultivation level may not be able to sever the connection between the flames and Honglian; the second 　　method is to use runes, magical artifacts, formations, etc. to disrupt the normal flow of energy in a certain area and range, cutting 　　off or disrupting the connection between Honglian and the flames. This method can even mislead Honglian and affect the target."

"The first is to make a wrong judgment based on the specific situation of the flame. The third is more complicated and requires specific consideration of each situation
..."
I raised my eyebrows and asked, "What do you mean?" "
The result is caused by terrain, environment, and other special factors! Mr. Zhu has consulted many historical
records about those red lotuses. Through his research, he discovered that the red lotus is not as the legend says, where
it can find and kill a demon simply by targeting it. In fact, many demons have
managed to escape the red lotus's pursuit. For example, there was a red lotus in the Tang Dynasty that lost track
of demons that had been implanted with flames several times! And the places where it lost track of them were almost all in areas like swamps, high mountains, and dense forests. Mr. Zhu
investigated a certain area mentioned in the data a few years ago, and..." He discovered it was a swamp, and
through testing, he found that the mud there could, to a certain extent, sever the connection between yin and yang. He
deduced that the demon from back then, while fleeing, was likely covered in mud, unintentionally severing
the connection between its internal flame and the Red Lotus, making it impossible for the Red Lotus to find it. The other locations mentioned in the documents
were similar, all exhibiting various unusual natural phenomena. He believed that these anomalies should also
interfere with the Red Lotus's ability to track and sense the flame!
Hearing Guan Xue say this, my eyes lit up.
"Anomalies? I understand… If we're talking about anomalies, there are anomalies everywhere in this Kunlun Wonderland! So
, the reason I can't detect the flames on other people is probably because they're currently in one of those so-called
anomaly locations or areas!"
I muttered to myself, my anxiety subsiding slightly. Then,
a question suddenly occurred to me, and I couldn't help but ask Guan Xue. "Guanxue, Chunri, like you, is
a Holy Maiden under the Zhu family! Why can you see all of Zhu's files and notes and know so much? She seems completely
unaware of all this..."
Faced with my question, Guanxue was stunned. Then, as if recalling something extremely painful
, she unconsciously lowered her head.
Chunri hesitated for a moment, about to say something,
when Guanxue raised her head again, gestured to Chunri, and explained to me, "Chunri and the others are all more capable than me, so Zhu often sent
them out on errands. As for me, because I wasn't very capable, I mostly stayed by his side serving him.
Spending so much time with him naturally gave me the opportunity to look through his files and notes..."
At this point, Guanxue seemed disheartened and actually turned away from me.
Chunri gently shook her head and asked me. "We can't find any trace of those people. Unless they
've encountered some danger, the only explanation that seems plausible is Guanxue's! So what do we do now?
Should we go out and look for them, or stay here and wait? How's your wound? Is it still bothering you?
I suggest we rest here a bit longer so you can focus on recovering..."
Faced with Chunri's questions and suggestions, I hesitated slightly, turning to look at my bandaged
wound. The pain had completely disappeared. I had tried moving my right shoulder earlier and
found that aside from weakness in my hand and the pain still preventing me from lifting my shoulder, my right fingers and
forearm could move normally. This proved that the bullet hadn't damaged my nerves or most of my muscles;
at most, it had just left a hole. Plus, I have the Crimson Lotus Physique, meaning my body's recovery ability surpasses
that of ordinary people, so I wasn't too concerned about my injury. What truly made me hesitate was
what to do next!
After deducing that Zhou Jingyi might be connected to my wicked mother's schemes, I felt
an indescribable pain and loss! My hopes for love and family crumbled... I don't know
what I've been working so hard for these past few months? What's the point? In the end, it's all
just been working for my wicked mother's "immortality plan"! And even though she's my mother, is she worth
risking my life for?
So when Chunri asked me what to do next, I thought of giving up...
"This is all just my mother's scheme! I didn't know before, and she led me by the nose!
Now that I know, why should I be a fool and play the fool? But what about Wang Lie?"
Thinking of this, I asked Chunri. "Chunri, I want to ask you a question! Although you
've been following that Zhu guy, you should be quite familiar with the rules and traditions of this business
! I want to ask, what happens if you accept a commission and then terminate it midway?"
Chunri's expression was indifferent. "...Well, generally speaking, it will definitely result in a loss of credibility. After all, if someone
lacks credibility, others won't trust them and naturally won't entrust them with work, and they might never receive any more commissions
. Of course, it's not absolute; there are some special cases. For example, if someone accepts
a commission that is clearly beyond their capabilities and terminates it midway, most employers will understand. However, as an exorcist, their reputation
will decline, and even if they get business again, their value will decrease. If this happens a few times,
they naturally won't be able to stay in this profession. In addition, there are
breaches of contract due to special reasons, such as being unable to fulfill a contract due to other important matters. In such cases, if the breaching party
can..." Compensation from the employer can at least somewhat restore their credibility. As for malicious breach of contract, that makes them
the public enemy of this profession! Although the exorcist profession doesn't have guilds or similar organizations, major
sects and exorcist families often organize to punish such exorcists. Of course, this
is just talk; if an exorcist is strong enough, even sects and families might not dare to provoke them! For
example, my master is also in this profession; breaking promises is commonplace for him, but apart from the Liangyi group
, who among the sects and families can do anything to him? So, frankly speaking, in this profession,
strength speaks! Why are you asking this? What, are you planning to terminate your current employment contract with Liangyi?
"Can't I?" I asked, head bowed, my expression dejected.
"Of course you can! If others are afraid of Ryougi's strength and need to think twice, you really have nothing
to worry about! After all, you are Guren. With this ability, you can walk sideways and no one will dare to say anything against you! Moreover,
Guren's power is undeniable. Even if you breach the contract, no one will question your abilities, so there's no
possibility of losing face. Although Ryougi is strong, your Guren may not be weaker than him. If he wants to cause trouble for you because of this
, the outcome is uncertain. After all, Guren is infamous in this line of work in a certain sense!
Even if they die, they can drag their opponents down with them. So almost every Guren in history has
been an extremely arrogant and domineering figure..." Haruhi smiled faintly, her attitude noncommittal.
"Are you mocking me?" Haruhi's words didn't sit well with me.
"It's not sarcasm, I'm just stating a fact. And now, the five of us sisters
are practically tied to you. Since we've decided to follow you, you're our leader. Any
decision you make, as long as it doesn't affect our fundamental interests, I will unconditionally support." Haruhi paused
, looking at me with interest. "So, have you thought it through? Do you want to terminate the Ryougi commission?"
I pondered for a moment, finally making my decision!
"...Let's go find Huang Yandong and Lao Xiao! If their group is alright, we can regroup and try
to escape from here together! Kunlun Wonderland, Nine Cauldrons... this mission is too complicated! I
'm done. I act according to my conscience, only seeking a clear conscience. What kind of things have I encountered since coming here?
Demons and monsters everywhere, it's chaos right now, and even Gurkha mercenaries and Daye Rinpoche
have shown up! So what if I'm Honglian? I feel this mission is beyond my capabilities
! Now I know your five natal demon lords are also here, it'll be dangerous if we run into you! So
what I want to do now is, within my capabilities,
take as many people as I can with Lao Huang, Lao Xiao, and the rest of you! After we get out, I don't think Wang Lie will have anything to criticize me for. After all,
I've known him for quite a while, and he's not an unreasonable person!"
"Your decision was wise!" Haruhi nodded slightly, clearly indicating
her unwavering support.
Standing at the cave entrance, Haruhi, relying on her previous memory, explained our approximate location
.
"You were injured to the northwest of here. Because we were worried about being followed,
Kanyuki and I carried you a bit further away. Luckily, at least so far,
there doesn't seem to be any sign of those pursuers around here."
"The agreement with Lao Huang and the others was that if Yonghui could successfully lure the pursuers to the Burial Valley in the west,
he and Lao Xiao would cover the rest of the group as they moved southwest of Shibao to create distance and avoid the main force behind the pursuers
. They fired three signal flashes, indicating the plan was successful. Although the three of us couldn't rendezvous with them
, under normal circumstances, they should still proceed as planned to the southwest of Shibao to find
a suitable hiding place. We don't need to follow the original route towards Shibao anymore; we can head directly west.
After entering the western hilly area, we can find suitable hiding and concealed areas, and maybe we'll find
Lao Huang and the others! Although they are capable of self-defense, their group includes women and children. If I were leading the group
, I would definitely prioritize the safety of the team members." I explained my analysis, and
after Chunri and Guanxue agreed, the three of us left the hillside cave where we were hiding and began heading west.
Originally, I thought that Kasuga, with her instantaneous abilities, would be more suited to lead the way and scout, but for some reason
, Miyuki volunteered to walk at the front. So, Kasuga stayed by my side to provide support.
I noticed that Miyuki's mood had become quite low after our conversation in the cave. I couldn't help but quietly
ask Kasuga why. Kasuga, of course, understood the reason for Miyuki's emotional change, but she was unwilling to say it outright. Her
reason was quite valid. "Miyuki and I are sisters, it's not appropriate to say these things in front of you. Let her calm down
and tell you herself!"
Kasuga's statement made me realize that this might involve Miyuki's privacy, so I gave up the
idea of asking. The three of us simply continued on in silence.
When we passed a forest stream, we stopped to replenish our water supply and unexpectedly discovered
an empty metal water bottle on the rocky bank. Guanxue picked it up and examined it, saying, "This looks like a thermos specifically for outdoor use, something that
's only appeared in recent years! It's not cheap, and it's usually used by outdoor enthusiasts with a bit of spare cash."
I walked over to Guanxue, examined the thermos, and agreed with her assessment.
Chunri pointed upstream and said, "The thermos is empty; it must have drifted
down from upstream to the south."
"If that's the case, there might be someone upstream. Should we go check?" Guanxue was downcast
, but her mind was still clear.
"It seems like no one in our group is using this kind of thermos right now. And there's a thick layer of
mud and ash on it; it's been drifting here for quite a while." I became cautious. Besides myself,
Huang Yandong who came to help, and Chunri, who all had their own thermoses, Zhang Lu, Song Kui, and even Xiao Suyan were using
empty plastic bottles from the drinking water I had brought. Clearly, this thermos couldn't have been
left behind by Huang Yandong's group.
"But it's strange that this kettle is here. Shouldn't we investigate?" Guanxue said
, fiddling with the kettle in her hands.
Seeing my hesitation, Chunri said, "How about this, you two find a place
to hide nearby. I'll explore south along the stream and see if I can find anything. If there's nothing to worry about,
I'll come back for you, and we can continue. If there's any danger, I can easily escape unscathed on my own
."
Seeing Chunri volunteer, I nodded. Then, together with Guanxue, we found a place near the stream...
We hid in a densely vegetated area, while Chunri quickly ran south along the stream alone. A little over ten
minutes later, we saw her running back from the south. Having found our hiding place, she
waved to me and Guanxue, saying, "Come with me, I've found something, let's go check it out."
Guanxue and I left our hiding place and followed Chunri south along the stream.
After running two or three miles, a relatively flat clearing appeared beside the stream. But what came into view next
made my heart sink…
In the small clearing, there were two or three collapsed camping tents scattered about. And around the tents, there
were more than ten corpses, some lying, some reclining! The scene was extremely gruesome and terrifying.
The dead had clearly been dead for quite some time. When the three of us arrived, almost every body
was reduced to naked skeletons. Scattered around the skeletons were various personal belongings and fragments of clothing,
the scene a chaotic mess.
"They're all bones now, and it doesn't look like natural decay! The muscles look like they've
been gnawed clean by demons or wild beasts."
To my surprise, despite her delicate appearance, Guanxue showed no
fear or apprehension in this situation. Instead, she walked among the skeletons, examining the deceased's condition. This 　　was a stark contrast to the behavior of
Zhu Yu and Zhang Lu when Song Kui, Xiao Suyan, and I examined the two unfortunate victims of the Baihui Group . 　　As I also examined the deceased and the scene, I couldn't help but say, "Guanxue, I 　　didn't realize you were so brave! I get chills just looking at all this, aren't you scared at all?" 　　Guanxue paused, her head drooping even lower, her mood clearly sinking further 　　. Realizing I might have said something wrong, I looked at Chunri. 　　Chunri calmly began to explain. "If we're afraid of these things, then we sisters 　　wouldn't have needed to stay by Master's side in the first place. Master's blood sacrifice rituals and experiments back then 　　were at least ten times more terrifying than this." 　　Chunri's words explained why she and Guanxue remained calm despite their shock. But I still didn't understand 　　the source of Guanxue's current low spirits… 　　"Huh, what's this? A card?" Chunri had just finished speaking to me when she found 　　something on the ground, picked it up, and looked at it with great surprise. 　　"This… isn't this an ID card? Let me see, Liu Ye, male, Han ethnicity, date of birth 198x 　　year x month x day…" 　　Hearing Chunri read the information on the ID card, I immediately realized what was going on, rushed to Chunri's side 　　, and took the ID card from her hand. I blurted out as I looked at it. 　　"Liu Ye? Isn't that one of the members of the missing expedition team?" 　　Regardless of Sun Cong and the others' true purpose in entering this area, at least on the surface, it was a search 　　and rescue operation, targeting the expedition team including Sun Chengzhang. Therefore, before setting off, 　　everyone confirmed to be entering the search area had reviewed the list and information of missing persons provided by Baihui Group 　　. As a "special personnel" ensuring the smooth progress of the search and rescue work, I 　　had already seen this list and information while escorting equipment and supplies with Yu Mingchun. 　　Including Sun Chengzhang, the entire expedition team consisted of fourteen people. Not many, so even though I had only seen 　　the information on missing persons once, I roughly remembered the names and basic information of some of the missing persons. 　　And Liu Ye was one of them. According to the information provided by Baihui Group, Liu Ye was a young paleontologist 　　and geologist. He is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in a related field at a prestigious university and 　　has maintained academic exchanges and contact with Sun Chengzhang. Therefore, he accepted Sun Chengzhang's invitation to join his expedition 　　team. 　　After confirming the information on the ID card, I was certain of my judgment. Without a doubt, Zhang Ye had 　　become one of the skeletons present. The fact that such a 　　young scholar in his prime, with a bright future and promising academic prospects, had tragically perished here silently made me feel a profound sense of the 　　impermanence of life! 　　At this moment, Haruhi had roughly finished surveying the scene and said, "It seems that 　　the people who died here should be the expedition team that Baihui Group is looking for. This place is 　　quite far from the Baihui Group's previous search area, no wonder they didn't find any trace of the expedition team in their first two search operations 　　!" 　　"Yes, it looks like they were attacked by some kind of monster while camping here! Even their flesh was eaten by those 　　demons. That's why we only see skeletons now." I sighed 　　. 　　"It's true that their flesh was eaten by demons, but whether they really died from a monster attack 　　is still uncertain! Haruhi-nee, look at this skeleton, the color of the bones is abnormally black. This is clearly 　　the condition of poisoning, where the toxin corrodes the bones!" Kanyuki offered her opinion from the side. When Haruhi and I looked at her with astonishment 　　, Kanyuki simply pulled a gleaming silver needle from her pocket, 　　touched it to the skeleton in front of her, and then gestured to Haruhi and me with the needle. 　　"Look, the silver needle changed color almost instantly! It's clearly poison!" 　　Kanyuki wasn't in a good mood, but she wouldn't be so foolish as to lie about something like this. Realizing this, I 　　was quite surprised. 　　"You mean, they weren't bitten to death by monsters. They died from poisoning, and then the monsters ate their corpses 　　?" 　　"Kanyuki is an expert on poisons! She judged that these people died from poisoning, so she shouldn't be wrong! It seems they 　　accidentally ate poisonous plants... Hmm, this should be the makeshift cooking stove they built. There are still remnants of burning materials inside. 　　They must have been cooking or boiling water before they died." Haruhi, while confirming Kanyuki's 　　speculation about the cause of death of the expedition members, walked to the round mud stove in the center of the open space to examine it. 　　"How could this happen? I've looked at the personnel information for the expedition team; out of the fourteen members, one seems to be..."

They specialize in botany. And the entire expedition team, except for a few who previously worked in historical research
, all possess extensive experience in wilderness survival and exploration. Would they really make
such a basic mistake as accidentally ingesting poisonous plants under these circumstances? I frowned, quite surprised.
"...Wait, fourteen people? Are you sure you're not mistaken? I just counted, there are only thirteen skeletons here
!"
At this moment, Guanxue questioned from the side.
Chapter 155
"Ten, thirteen?" I looked around and quickly counted the number of skeletons at the site again.
As Guanxue said, there were only thirteen skeletons in different positions lying scattered throughout the open space. I realized the number
was wrong and was about to leave the open space to expand the search area when Chunri made a new discovery.
"I take back my previous guess! They didn't accidentally ingest poison; someone deliberately poisoned them!" Chunri
said, picking up a small pot from the edge of a collapsed tent and beckoning Guanxue and me to her
side.
The remaining contents of the pot, mixed with the ash and other substances that had accumulated over the past few months, had formed lumps. I didn't notice anything unusual
. After observing the lumps for a while, Guanxue stirred them a few times with a silver needle and then sighed softly.
"A mixed poison. I can't say for sure what the exact composition is, but it clearly contains strychnine and possibly realgar. The poisoner
was a master, adding some kind of solvent and fragrance to mask
some obvious characteristics that would occur when the poison was boiled. Those monsters obviously don't have this ability; only a human could do this!"
After confirming with Guanxue, Chunri threw the pot on the ground. "So, it seems we don't need to look for the fourteenth skeleton
either. The only people who initially entered this place were the fourteen members of the expedition team! The missing one
must be the poisoner."
"What would be the motive for poisoning? Someone would have the mind to poison and kill in a place like this? I really admire this guy
. Could he be so confident that he could escape unscathed from all those zombies and demons?"
Guan Xue's initially low spirits lessened considerably with the mystery she was facing .
"The motive? Look at all those open bags and backpacks around these skeletons, it should be clear!"
I said, unconsciously touching my chin. I hadn't shaved since going to Nanjing to receive supplies, and
the stubble was still a bit prickly. From the moment I entered the "murder scene," I noticed that
almost all the packages around these skeletons were open. Now, with this analysis, I roughly understood the poisoner's purpose
!
Data! These were
the analyses, inferences, notes, and materials accumulated and compiled by other members of the expedition team over a long period in their search for the Nine Cauldrons !
During their second search of this area, Guan Yueran's search and rescue team unexpectedly discovered
the backpack lost by one of the expedition members, and found the notebook that Sun Ming later showed me as evidence.
While not all expedition members necessarily carried notebooks and kept handwritten records, it's clear that
most people engaged in field research and exploration have this habit. Now,
in these opened backpacks and bags, I saw almost no notebooks or even paper.
It seems that the written records and materials carried by the deceased expedition member had been
completely looted! Thinking of this, my gaze focused on a skeleton!
This skeleton lay slumped beside a collapsed tent in the center of the clearing, next to the only stool in the entire site
!
Noticing my particular interest in this skeleton, Chunri walked straight to it, bent down
to examine it, and then turned to another skeleton to the side. After comparing them, she said, "This one
must be quite old; the bones are noticeably more porous than the others. Could it be Sun Chengzhang?"
"Possibly! Sun Chengzhang is the oldest in the entire expedition team! Besides him, the
oldest member seems to be only in their early forties. He must be sixty-three this year!
Much older than the other members. That stool must have been brought for him by the other members, considering his age
!"
I said, slowly walking to the skeleton. I bowed slightly to the remains, as a sign of
respect for the deceased.
Regardless of his true motives for searching for the Nine Cauldrons, in my opinion, a person of such advanced age who could still be so devoted to his ideals, putting them into practice, and even sacrificing 　　his life for them, deserves respect for
that alone ! 　　After paying my respects to the deceased, I knelt down and picked up 　　the satchel that had been in front of the victim, who was likely Sun Chengzhang. A quick examination confirmed, in a sense, my earlier suspicions about the poisoner's motive. 　　Inside the satchel were several pencils and a ballpoint pen, but no notebooks or other paper items 　　. Since he had a pen, it must have been used for recording and drawing. The paper in the satchel had clearly been looted by 　　the poisoner. 　　I stood up and sighed. The Sun brothers had organized hundreds of people to venture into this mysterious 　　area, ostensibly to find these unfortunate victims! And now I had actually 　　found them, but finding them was almost meaningless. 　　If nothing unexpected had happened, I could, of course, use this as a reason to rightfully demand that the Sun brothers end 　　this adventure. Ending the adventure would also allow me to fulfill Wang Lie's request. If the Sun 　　brothers refused, I could simply leave and incite Xiao Suyan to leave with me. Without us 　　exorcists protecting her, Guan Yueran naturally wouldn't risk going with Sun Cong. 　　But this ideal ending is clearly impossible now! 　　After a brief sigh, I unconsciously shifted my thoughts to 　　the question of who murdered the entire expedition team, muttering to myself, "The poisoner is obviously one of our own! 　　Who could it be?" 　　"It definitely can't be this Liu Ye! Besides him, the other thirteen could be! After all..."

"They're all just skeletons now. Unless we can send the remains out for DNA comparison,
we'll never know who the last survivor is! Even Sun Chengzhang himself is a suspect. Although we speculate that the skeleton is his
, that's just speculation! As for Liu Ye, I don't think any murderer would
leave their ID card at the murder scene! Based on that, Liu Ye should be the only one who can be ruled out!"
Guan Xue shifted her attention to the question I raised and analyzed it logically, showing off her
"detective talent." However, I didn't care much about her analysis at the moment.
"Who exactly it is isn't important, but the poisoner's purpose is obviously to seize the Nine Cauldrons! Sun Cong, and
these suddenly appearing pursuers, are all like that. Of course, besides these two groups, there's one more person..."
At this moment, I thought of my fairy mother!
By connecting and analyzing my experiences in the Phoenix Mountain prison and Xia Yucheng's series of encounters, I can basically
confirm that the person who delivered the clues and information to Sun Chengzhang was my mother! This was obviously a series of carefully planned schemes she had devised
.
Initially, I also suspected Daye Rinpoche, who was currently chasing us with pursuers. However,
considering that Daye and her group weren't involved in the Prison and Xia Yucheng incidents, they couldn't be the ones delivering information to Sun Chengzhang!
Only someone who knew the conditions for opening the secret passage to the Burial Valley would orchestrate
the series of events in the Prison and Xia Yucheng, while simultaneously inducing Sun Chengzhang to complete the preliminary work of finding the secret realm and solving the maze!
Therefore, I began to suspect that my mother might also be behind this poisoner!
At this point, I finally couldn't help but say angrily, "This is too much... providing clues, directing
others to work for her, and then killing them to cover it up!"
Hearing this, Guanxue and Chunri were somewhat confused!
"Brother Yan, what are you saying? Do you already know who the poisoner is?" Guanxue quickly asked
.
"More or less! I don't know which member of the expedition team was the poisoner! But it's obvious that
the mastermind behind this must be the one who provided Sun Chengzhang with the clues and information! Based on the information she provided, Sun Chengzhang painstakingly
searched for and opened this secret realm called Kunlun Wonderland. Once it was no longer of any use, she
abandoned it without hesitation!" I grew angrier as I spoke, my voice unconsciously rising.
Unexpectedly, just as I finished speaking, I heard a melodious female voice ring out in my ear.
"...Is that so? So, in your mind, I'm this kind of ruthless person?"
My face immediately turned deathly pale, and I looked in the direction of the voice…
A slightly fluttering overcoat, a wide cloak lowered to cover most of her face! My mother's unforgettable
image appeared in my sight!
At this moment, she stood on a tree branch at the edge of the clearing, arms crossed, her posture languid, the only exposed
half of her face showing a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, clearly smiling!
"Watch out..." I was startled and was about to step forward to shield the two women when I suddenly felt
a heavy blow to the back of my neck, right at the location of my Naohu acupoint! The blow also aggravated
the wound on my shoulder, and I collapsed to the ground in excruciating pain.
"Haruhi-nee, what are you doing?"
Hearing Kanyuki's exclamation, I realized that Haruhi had attacked me! But it was too late
. Under the combined effects of the intense pain and the severe injury to my acupoint, I lay on the ground, completely unable to move!
"No, no, I didn't mean to... my body just..."
Haruhi was also unusually panicked at this moment!
"Hehe, hehe, hehe!" My mother let out a seductive laugh as she gracefully landed on
the ground from the tree branch.
"Alright, look how nervous you two little girls are. Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you! On the contrary,
I should thank you both for saving this boy and bandaging his wounds!" My mother said
, walking lightly towards me.
At this moment, I couldn't even move... and she clearly knew
the conditions for my Crimson Flame implantation and activation. The path she took was along the side of my brain. In this way, my original plan to implant
the flame in her body and guide the sparks to attack her was completely impossible. Because the flame implantation required visual
guidance, it couldn't be done at all if I couldn't see her!
To my surprise, Guanxue bravely rushed out and blocked
the position between my mother and me, raising the rifle in her hand at my mother.
"If you want to touch him, you'll have to get past me first..." Guanxue didn't finish her sentence, and I don't know what kind of
magic my mother used, but Guanxue instantly collapsed to the ground with a thud.
At the same time as Guanxue fell, I also heard a sound from behind. Unsurprisingly, Chunri and Guanxue
would likely meet the same fate.
"Hehe, I only thought you were a bit of a flirt before. Now you're acting quite brave?" Mother's words were flippant
, clearly directed at Guanxue.
Guanxue struggled to ask, "You...you're our destined demon lord?"
"Yes, you guessed right! So, none of you have any power to resist me!" Mother
said, seemingly casting some kind of spell. The exposed bones on the open ground began to
burn fiercely, turning into piles of ashes in a very short time.
Then I heard Mother sigh and say, "I have to thank you for finding their remains. My
main purpose in coming here is to collect their bodies!" At this point, Mother's tone shifted, clearly addressing me.
"You're smarter than I thought, you actually guessed that I've been providing clues and information to Sun Chengzhang! But
you've also guessed wrong about one thing. Their poisoning has nothing to do with me! I never expected that guy
could actually infiltrate Sun Chengzhang's expedition team. I always thought he went into hiding after being injured by Liangyi
!"
"Injured by Liangyi?" Hearing this, Chunri, who was also slumped on the ground helplessly, seemed to have thought of something and
couldn't help but exclaim softly.
"Hehe, I almost forgot, all five of you have met him, and you've had quite a bit of contact with him in the past!
If I remember correctly, you, Chunri, slept with him too, and more than once!" The mother
seemed rather unrestrained at this moment.
"You...you mean, the one who poisoned him was Lord Ruizong?" Chunri's voice trembled slightly, whether
from shock at learning the poisoner's true identity or anger at her mother exposing her private affairs.
"Anyway, I'm just saying this; you'll understand the details in the future! Now, you, yes,
you, get up and help me collect their ashes! After all, they were indirectly helping me.
I can't bear to leave them lying dead in the wilderness like this. Collect them and put them in Chuandeng Valley; that's my
minimum obligation!"
Under her mother's command and urging, Guanxue struggled to her feet and then, unwillingly,
began collecting the ashes of the deceased, one by one, according to her mother's instructions! Haruhi was still firmly
pinned to the ground by her mother, and I remained immobilized. Even so, I felt
her approach. She seemed to bend down, tugged at my collar, exposing my bandaged wound
.
"Tsk tsk... the wound has reopened like this. It's heartbreaking to see... Hey, even though you can't move, you
should be able to talk. What, we've finally met again, don't you want to say a few words to your mother?"
Hearing her mother's words, Haruhi, pinned to the ground, and Kanyuki, who was obediently
sorting the deceased's ashes in the backpack left behind by her mother's tyranny
, both gasped in disbelief. Her mother's self-reference in front of me completely shocked them.
But her mother was right; although I couldn't move, I could still speak. I hadn't spoken before because
of anger and regret! I only knew that Guanxue, Chunri, and the other three's natal demon lords were currently in this Kunlun Wonderland
, but I never imagined that their natal demon lord was actually my own demon mother! Considering
all the past events, I felt I should have guessed this, but I completely overlooked it
… This left me with a profound sense of powerlessness! Despite trying to understand
the ins and outsmart my mother, I ultimately couldn't escape her schemes!
I spat forcefully and coldly replied, "Anyway, you've already manipulated me completely, what's there
to say!"
"Why are you talking to me like that? Although we're somewhat distant, I don't recall ever
having any irreconcilable conflicts between us. Do you hate me?" My mother's tone was somewhat surprised
.
I snorted, then gritted my teeth and remained completely silent. After I stopped focusing on talking to my mother
, I vaguely smelled a very familiar scent...
a faint, sandalwood-like fragrance!
My heart skipped a beat as I recalled it. This scent was unmistakably familiar.
Xia Jiang seemed to smell like this, and my grandmother from my childhood also seemed to have
a similar scent. You could say I grew up smelling this faint fragrance. As an adult, I
had forgotten this scent for a time, but seeing Xia Jiang brought back those childhood memories with her similar scent
!
And now, without a doubt, this scent also came from my mother beside me, and my pupils involuntarily
contracted.
"What's going on? How can I smell this scent on my mother too? And compared to Xia Jiang,
this scent seems closer to my grandmother's scent when I was a child—no, not just similar, but exactly
the same!"
But just as I realized this, my mother seemed to press down on the back of my neck twice, and
I immediately blacked out and fainted.
"Since you don't want to talk to me, then just sleep quietly for a while." My mother's tone was incredibly
gentle, but I couldn't hear her anymore.
After knocking me unconscious, my mother stood up from beside me and turned her attention to the still-shaken Haruhi and Miyuki
.
"Alright, don't look at me like that. You heard our conversation just now.
You must know about his relationship with me. Although we don't get along very well, the mother-son relationship between us
is real. Based on that, you don't need to worry about me doing anything to harm him. However
, because of my personal reasons, my original plan has some flaws, which forces me to
make temporary changes. So, I'm looking for some helpers to make up for my previous oversights!"
"You, who exactly are you? What are you planning? And you said you're his mother and you're looking for helpers! Should
n't you be looking for him?" Haruhi, whose body was being restrained, looked at her mother with confusion after she knocked me unconscious, and threw out several 　　questions
in a row ! 　　"You'll find out who I am in the future! For now, all you need to know is that I'm this guy's mother! 　　I'll explain my plans to you later! As for this guy, you've seen it yourself. He acts 　　like he's seeing an enemy whenever he sees me. I asked him for help before, but he refused! So now I have to find 　　someone else to help!" Their mother's answer left Haruhi and Miyuki completely bewildered. 　　"You are our destined demon lord, you can directly control our bodies, you can do whatever you want with us 　　!" Haruhi and Miyuki exchanged a glance before replying. 　　Their mother shook her head. "No, no, no, you've misunderstood me. Like you said, while 　　I could certainly control your every move, even your thoughts and consciousness! But doing so 　　would be incredibly exhausting. And simultaneously controlling five clones plus myself would quickly lead to a nervous breakdown, and I 　　might even develop mental illnesses like schizophrenia. I'm not a Soul Shaper or Puppet 　　Master like you, with specialized mental training. Directly controlling you is simply not worthwhile for me! So 　　, I actually prefer to make a deal with you!"

"A deal?"
Faced with their mother's words, both Kanyuki and Haruhi were taken aback.
"Yes, a deal! I have no interest in erasing your self-awareness, nor do I want to manipulate your
bodies like puppets. I just want you to wholeheartedly help me this once, so I can successfully complete my
planned task." Their mother seemed very serious.
"As far as I know, deals always involve sacrifices. Even if you and he are mother and son,
it seems that helping you will inevitably cause his displeasure. And right now, the lives of the five of us sisters are in his
hands!" Haruhi said, gesturing towards me, who was lying unconscious on the ground.
"Hehehehe..." Their mother laughed. "You reacted quickly, getting right to the point
. You're right, a transaction must be two-way. I know exactly what you need most right now, and you
're very smart, knowing that what you need most is exactly what I can give you!"
Guan Xue blinked first, then realized something, and finally couldn't help but ask,
"Could it be... could you..."
"You're right. For others, separating that blood from your bodies might be
difficult! But that blood originally belonged to me, so I naturally have a way to separate it from your bodies, relieving you of
the pain of continuous mutation. And I also want to tell you that even if I take the blood from your bodies,
the special abilities you've already awakened won't disappear. After all, the main purpose of my blood was only to
stimulate your own potential abilities. It's just that after they were stimulated, they couldn't be separated, so they temporarily merged with your own
blood." Saying this, the mother smiled at Chun Ri.
"Actually, I could also erase your awakened special abilities while extracting your blood! However,
considering that you offended many people while working for that scholar, and now that
news of his death has spread, his enemies, unable to find him for revenge, will inevitably vent their anger on
the five of you. Out of goodwill, I'm simply taking back my blood while allowing you to maintain your own abilities for
self-defense. How about that? I've considered everything thoroughly, and I'm thinking of you! Are you interested in
forming a contract with me?" Her words were full of temptation.
Her mother temporarily relaxed her control over Haruhi's body, allowing Haruhi to get up from the ground and sit down,
staring intently at her mother's face, which was mostly covered by her cloak. After staring for a while, Haruhi suddenly asked
, "Is he really your son?"
Her mother solemnly nodded at Haruhi. "He's the real deal, he's my own flesh and blood. He was
only this big when he was born...and his cries were so loud!" She gestured with her hands to show
his size.
Seeing her mother's gesture, Haruhi lowered her head and thought for a moment, then asked her second question.
"Your plan won't harm him, will it?"
Her mother seemed taken aback, a slight smile playing on her lips. "In a place like this,
there's always some risk involved in doing anything. But I can assure you, everything I plan won't harm him. He
's my son, I love him dearly, why would I think of hurting him?"
"But you just controlled Haruhi and knocked him to the ground! And now you've knocked him unconscious!"
Kanyuki couldn't help but shout.
Her mother turned her head, seemingly glancing at Kanyuki, who, having experienced losing control of her body before, instantly trembled
with fear.
Seeing Kanyuki's fear, her mother chuckled softly. "Don't think I don't know
what's going on in your head, you little brat. Because of the blood in your veins, I can even sense your thoughts and consciousness. I hit him,
and you felt sorry for him. Now that you've resolved your mutation issue, you can't find any reasonable reason to stay by
his side and cling to him anymore. That's why you're dissatisfied with me, isn't it? And I also know that you were depressed before because you were
afraid that A-Ping would look down on you if he knew your specific abilities and your past experiences, right?"
Guan Xue's eyes widened suddenly, and for a moment she even forgot her fear of her mother.
"Hehehe, surprised that I saw through your little scheme?" Her mother completely stopped
suppressing Guan Xue and Chun Ri, her tone extremely relaxed, even starting to tease them.
Guan Xue showed a dazed expression in front of her mother.
"Alright, stop making that face! Let me put it this way, from the day you merged with my blood,
I can say I was there every time you saw, heard, or experienced anything! I even know who you
slept with, what positions you used, what you were thinking during sex, whether you had an orgasm, and how many times you had one
. To me, the five of you have absolutely no privacy. And because of this
, I know everything you've done over the years! Even this morning, when the two of you were giving A-
Ping oral sex, discussing ending the commission Liangyi gave you, and A-Ping calling for his grandma in his sleep—
I know it all through your sight and hearing! The reason I was able to find A-Ping, to put it bluntly,
is because the two of you brought me here!" The mother said, walking to Guan Xue's side and
touching her cheek with one hand.
"Girl, if you like my Aping, go for it! I love seeing good girls chasing after him! To be honest,
I've never worried about anything else about him over the years, but he's completely clueless when it comes to relationships. There's nothing I can do about it; what can I do
? He has such low emotional intelligence. He doesn't know how to appreciate good girls, and instead, he gets played and used time and time again. He's
almost just like his stupid father, which forces me to..." At this point, the mother seemed to realize she'd said
too much and paused before changing the subject.
"...Anyway, Aping is my precious son. In a mother's eyes, her son will always be the most outstanding
and the best! I wish all the good girls in the world would revolve around him! What you've done these past few years
was all at your master's behest. I know you're actually a very good girl. Don't worry
, I'll keep it a secret from Aping. So, now, can you give me a clear answer as to whether you're willing to sign
the contract I proposed earlier?"
"I...I..." Guanxue was clearly shocked by her mother's words, stammering and unsure
what to say.
"...I agree! Even if you didn't agree, you could still control our every move! You are
our destined demon lord; we have absolutely no bargaining power in front of you!" Chunri stood up,
her eyes bright but filled with helplessness.
"Hehe, that's good! You know, I really had to use a lot of persuasion on you two today!
This is because you two have already gained some standing in Aping's heart, and I didn't want to force you
and upset him in the future." As she spoke, her mother came to my side again, unwrapped the bandage
, and placed her hand on my exposed shoulder wound. With puffs of white smoke rising, my wound
began to heal rapidly at an astonishing speed visible to the naked eye.
All of this left Chunri and Guanxue speechless!
After healing my wound in a very short time, her mother stood up and gestured for Chunri and Guanxue to leave.
"Leave him here alone?" Guanxue, who had originally wanted to carry me on her back, looked
puzzled after her mother stopped her.
"Of course! A child who disobeys his mother needs to be taught a lesson. Let him reflect on his actions here alone
!" Her mother's lips curled up again, revealing a hint of mischief.
"But..." Guanxue wanted to say something, but her mother quickly interrupted her! "Girl, I know you're
worried about him! But let me tell you, I'm his mother. If you want to be a daughter-in-law of the Yan family, you'll have to get past me!
Do you dare challenge my authority as your future mother-in-law now?"
Guanxue was stunned, but ultimately shut her mouth, because she knew that she had no
room to resist her mother!
Under her mother's orders, Chunri and Guanxue carried the ashes of the expedition team members and disappeared into
the forest with her...

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