After Infusing Love Poison to the Cold Sword Sovereign - Chapter 40

“My clansmen?”

For a moment, Wu Ruo abandoned all thoughts of leaving, casting aside her grievances with Luo Qingyi in an instant. Matters of love and affection were trivial in comparison. Urgently, she asked, “Who are they?”

She grabbed Luo Qingyi’s sleeve, then realized the other might not actually know them personally only deduced through magical means and added, “What are their distinguishing features? How tall are they? What are their personalities like?”

Luo Qingyi replied, “The younger one is slightly taller than you, with a long braid tied at the back. Her temperament resembles Qingbei’s, but even more unrestrained. The older one has a kind face. Both wore the robes of rogue cultivators. I didn’t interact with them much.”

Wu Ruo nodded. The description didn’t help her identify them, but the fact that they appeared as rogue cultivators suggested that some might have escaped the catastrophe.

What about the people she knew? How were Priestess Wu, A-Xiang, and Chuncao faring?

“Let’s go,” Wu Ruo said. “You can teleport can you take me along?”

Luo Qingyi inclined her head slightly and murmured, “I’d need to hold your hand. You.”

She seemed concerned about whether Wu Ruo still harbored reservations, but the latter merely smiled casually and extended her hand openly. “It’s fine, go ahead. By the way, how did you recognize them as my clansmen?”

“The younger one had the mark of a gu practitioner on her wrist. As for the older one.”

Luo Qingyi hesitated here, pausing as if steeling herself before frowning and continuing, “Many people attempt to make wishes at the Red Temple, but the temple only accepts one person per day. The elder seemed to have used gu magic to manipulate someone ahead in line, forcing them to yield their spot so the younger one could make her wish sooner.”

“…?!”

Wu Ruo’s expression darkened. Skeptically, she questioned, “I came from the Red Temple there was no one there. How could there have been a line?”

No. It was true she had emerged from the Red Temple, but what she had seen of the Five Provinces’ Red Temple was merely its exterior. She had no way of perceiving what transpired inside.

Among the elders of the Miao village were Priestess Wu and several senior members of the council people she deeply respected. If one of them had resorted to using gu magic for unethical purposes in the years since the fall of Miaojiang wouldn’t that make them no different from demonic cultivators?

Caution was necessary now.

A peculiar fury surged in Wu Ruo’s heart. She gripped Luo Qingyi’s hand tightly, then immediately released it.

“Do you have any disguise pills? The kind that no one can see through?”

“I do. Taking one will randomly alter your appearance, or you can mimic a specific person. The effect lasts six hours before reverting.” Luo Qingyi handed Wu Ruo several plain white porcelain bottles, then retrieved a pale pink robe from her qiankun pouch, the attire of a Baihua Peak disciple. “Take this too.”

Wu Ruo quickly understood the implication: if necessary, she could disguise herself as the Baihua Peak disciple on the mission, just in case.

She swallowed a disguise pill without hesitation. Her features shifted significantly from her original appearance, and combined with the mortal-style dress sewn by Yu’er’s mother, at a glance, it would be difficult to connect her to the real Wu Ruo.

The moment she was ready, Luo Qingyi grasped her hands and gave her a helpless smile. “Ah Ruo, relax. Don’t resist my spiritual sense.”

They stood face to face, hands clasped. Wu Ruo blinked, still unaware of what was happening, when suddenly the other woman’s cheek pressed close to hers.

The other’s breath was suddenly very near, her exhalation brushing against Wu Ruo’s cheek. She could clearly see the texture of the other’s skin and the fine down on her face.

“You!”

Those dark eyes met hers, their depths like an unfathomable whirlpool, as if encompassing the entire boundless universe, drawing in her consciousness before swallowing it whole.

“Done.”

The dizziness lasted only an instant before vanishing just as quickly. Wu Ruo straightened up, releasing Luo Qingyi’s hands, and reviewed the words that had appeared in her mind the moment she followed Luo Qingyi’s teleportation:

“Two mission operatives from Baihua Peak: Yang Zhiro, Nascent Soul stage, has not yet made a wish and shows no intention to do so. Lu Linhao, Soul Separation stage, has already made a wish but refuses to disclose its contents. In any case, be cautious in all things.”

She mentally processed the information. Back when Jiang Qingbei made his wish, he nearly lost his life. So why were there still so many people making wishes? And how had this Lu Linhao emerged unscathed after making one?

Their surroundings resembled a guesthouse, a spacious room, likely a high-class accommodation. It seemed the disciples of the immortal sects spared no expense when traveling on missions, ensuring they stayed in comfort.

“Peak Master Luo.”

A polite woman’s voice reached Wu Ruo’s ears. She turned to see a rather tall woman with a petite face that made her seem like a junior at first glance. But combined with her height even taller than Luo Qingyi, the sight left Wu Ruo momentarily stunned.

“This is…” The woman glanced at Wu Ruo and quickly corrected herself, her tone certain. “Your Dao Companion, I presume.”

“Call her Wu Ruo,” Luo Qingyi nodded, returning a senior’s greeting. “Where is your junior brother?”

“He said he went to the market to buy some things. It seems he uncovered some information but refused to share it with me.”

Yang Zhiro returned to the table and unrolled the mission scroll issued by Zhiyuan Immortal Sect. “Though you’ve already made your decision, I can’t shake the feeling this isn’t over. While carrying out the mission, I met disciples from other sects they all received identical mission scrolls. It makes me suspect this Wishing Temple is a troublesome matter targeting all sects.”

After exchanging a few more words with Luo Qingyi, Yang Zhiro seemed to remember something. She promptly pulled out a few sheets of paper from her pocket and began scribbling what looked like incomprehensible symbols, as steady as a meditating monk, utterly undisturbed.

Wu Ruo wanted to ask about her clansmen but hesitated since the woman was busy. Then she recalled something Yang Zhiro had said earlier. She tugged at Luo Qingyi’s sleeve, pulling her behind a partition. “Why did she assume I was your Dao Companion? I’ve been secluded in Falling Snow Peak all this time, how would anyone from another peak recognize me?”

Luo Qingyi averted her gaze. “Well, your clansmen are staying in this guesthouse too. The younger one is waiting at the temple, while the elder is in the Lixia Room on the second floor.”

A blatant subject change, a clear sign of guilt.

But Wu Ruo had no time to dwell on Luo Qingyi’s little evasions. For now, she let it slide and began considering how to meet with her clansmen.

Since the other party was intent on using gu sorcery for nefarious purposes, she had to proceed with utmost caution first ascertaining their identity before making contact. This was an inn, and an uninvited intrusion would be both presumptuous and likely to arouse suspicion.

Wu Ruo pondered for a moment before plucking a small spider from the corner. Unafraid, it crawled onto her hand, its eight legs tickling her palm.

She fed the spider a drop of her own blood. “Go.”

The Miao people were skilled at taming insects and treated them as kin. An inconspicuous spider crawling into the other party’s room wouldn’t raise any alarms.

The spider quickly scurried out the window, and Wu Ruo focused her consciousness, emptying her mind as she slowly merged her senses with the spider’s.

This was a fundamental skill for any Miao practitioner empathy with gu creatures. What her eyes now saw was everything the spider saw.

She didn’t need to enter the room physically; seeing the other person’s face would be enough. If she could deduce the identity of the other individual from subtle clues, she could plan her next move accordingly.

But when the spider finally reached the windowsill of the Lixia room, the window was covered with paper, and a curtain blocked her view entirely. Despite it being broad daylight, the room was sealed tight, leaving no opportunity for even a glimpse.

Could it be?

A growing sense of unease tightened in her chest. Gritting her teeth, Wu Ruo commanded the spider, “Squeeze through the window gap. Get inside.”

The spider crept stealthily through the narrow slit, but the moment it stepped inside, a long, crimson tongue suddenly lashed out, whoosh! wrapping around its tiny body.

“Ugh!”

The constriction around her abdomen grew unbearable. The soft, elongated tongue now felt like an unbreakable rope. Wu Ruo struggled desperately through the spider, but the grip only tightened.

The next second, the little spider was swallowed whole by the gaping maw of a toad, its mouth snapping shut.

Darkness enveloped her vision.

“Ruo!”

Upstairs in the private chamber, Luo Qingyi grabbed Wu Ruo’s arm. The latter leaned against the wall, panting heavily, her body and mind utterly drained.

Her heart pounded violently, as if shattered by stormy waves into countless fragments. After gasping for a long while, Wu Ruo weakly waved her hand and murmured, “I… I’m fine.”

This was the downside of empathy with gu creatures. If the host died, it took a severe toll on her spirit.

She had miscalculated. She had only intended to peek through the window gap to identify the other party, never expecting they would station a gu creature by the window, a toad that fed on spiders.

The mental strain was immense, but she had gained something. In the split second before the toad’s mouth closed, she widened her eyes and finally caught a glimpse of the person’s profile.

For a moment, she felt relief, but it was tinged with a peculiar sorrow.

Among all the elders of Miaojiang, the one she admired and felt closest to was her teacher, the Witch Envoy. Entrusted by her mother, the Witch Envoy had raised her since childhood, imparting boundless knowledge and wisdom. Moreover, the Witch Envoy was compassionate her dearest friend, A-Xiang, had been an abandoned orphan whom the Witch Envoy had found at the foot of the mountain and raised as her own.

When she heard the word “kindly,” an uneasy suspicion had gnawed at her could it be her teacher? But now, with her own eyes, she saw that the person in the room was not the Witch Envoy, but another elder of Miaojiang: Jin Ruyun.

She didn’t have a favorable impression of this person, after all, this woman was the mother of her classmate Jinhua, who constantly picked fights with her and often bullied the gentle Axiang. She truly couldn’t bring herself to like either of them.

But occasionally, she envied Jinhua for having a mother, a sect elder to protect her.

Wu Ruo held her head for a moment, then noticed Luo Qingyi sitting beside her, seemingly waiting for her to say something. She asked, “Are these the only two of my clansmen left?”

“Only these two. But according to Zhiruo, these two mentioned ‘that lord’ in their words, saying they had to make their wishes before his arrival to break free.”

At this point, Luo Qingyi paused and looked at Wu Ruo. “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”

Wu Ruo understood. Though emotionally, she didn’t want to be entangled with Luo Qingyi, their thoughts were unexpectedly in sync. The unspoken words were clearly the same as what she had in mind.

Her two clansmen were likely under the control of a demonic cultivator.

Though using gu techniques for wicked deeds was despicable, if these two were being manipulated by a demonic cultivator, it made logical sense. Few could remain untainted while living day and night in the demon realm, infamous for its malevolence they would inevitably adopt its ways.

“Then, the younger one’s wish isn’t hard to guess to break free from the demonic cultivator’s control. Though I don’t know what method the demonic cultivator used to bind them, the power of the Wishing Temple should be able to fulfill it.”

“Mm.” Luo Qingyi frowned slightly. “Will you reveal yourself to them? Something feels off about this situation.”

“Let’s observe first.” Wu Ruo made a quick decision. “Come on, let’s go inside the temple. I want to see who the younger one is. If she was once a good person, I’ll reveal myself and discuss things with her. If she’s not well.”

Luo Qingyi gave a slight nod, knowing Wu Ruo wouldn’t easily abandon her clansmen. She opened the door and leaped down from the other side of the corridor. “Let’s go.”

The sun had already set at some point, leaving the sky half-dark. Luo Qingyi was familiar with the route, and the two hurried along, soon arriving at the entrance of the Red Temple.

“Hello.” Wu Ruo knocked politely on the door, then pushed firmly.

Thwack. A moderate force struck her wrist not too painful, likely proportional to the strength of her push. Just like the time she had tried with Jiang and Yue, she was repelled.

A line of large characters appeared on the temple door:

“Those whose wishes have been granted may not enter again.”

Helpless, Wu Ruo glanced at Luo Qingyi. The nun had previously said Luo Qingyi left without making a wish, so she should be able to enter, right?

Luo Qingyi sighed, stood before the door, and just like Wu Ruo, pressed her palms together before pushing.

A sudden, inexplicable force lashed out, striking Luo Qingyi’s hand hard! Despite being a Mahayana-stage cultivator, she was forced back a step by the backlash, clearly suffering a severe repulsion.

“You too?”

Before Wu Ruo could ponder why Luo Qingyi also couldn’t enter, the same line of characters slowly reappeared on the temple door:

“Those whose wishes have been granted may not enter again.”

The next second, the words suddenly dissolved, transforming into a mess of nonsensical symbols as if.

As if representing an unknown error that had never occurred before.

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