Understanding the full picture, Nie Kong sighed inwardly. In this whole affair, neither Meng Feiyang nor Madam Lin was at fault; it was only because of the daughter who remained in a deep sleep that things had escalated to this point. ShuShuNet could only be said to have played a cruel trick of fate. Fortunately, Meng Tianjun was now out of danger, suggesting there might be a chance for things to turn around. Of course, this was no longer Nie Kong’s primary concern. At the moment, Nie Kong was instead curious about Meng Feiyang’s peculiar ailment.
Meng Feiyang had been afflicted for over twenty years, yet remained uncured to this day. He couldn't fathom what made the condition so intractable. In terms of refining medicine, Spirit Domain City was second to none on the Celestial Spirit Continent. The outstanding Spirit Alchemists in this sect were certainly not limited to just Gu Changgong, the Hall Master of the Medicine Heart Hall, and Sha Yan, his Deputy Hall Master.
Yet, Meng Feiyang, just like his daughter Meng Tianjun, had shown no improvement over all these years. When Meng Tianjun was possessed by the Soul Hawk King’s spirit, her cultivation was still below the Spirit Control realm, making the possession somewhat understandable. But Meng Feiyang was a Celestial Spirit expert; one couldn't tell if his strange illness stemmed from an old injury or some other cause. If the opportunity arose in the future, he might as well visit the City Lord of Spirit Domain City, Nie Kong decided quietly to himself.
At this moment, Madam Lin spoke, “Young brother, since you have urgent matters requiring your return to Spirit Domain City, I won't detain you further in Fallen Goose City. How about this: I will travel with you, bringing Tianjun along. That way, if any issues arise with her again, there will be time for treatment. What do you think?”
No longer bearing any resentment toward Spirit Domain City, and having learned Nie Kong’s identity, Madam Lin felt a certain closeness toward the young man who had successfully cured her daughter, and spoke without reservation.
Nie Kong couldn't help but smile, “Madam, Miss Meng has only just awakened and requires rest; long-distance travel is not advisable. Truly, you don’t need to worry about her ailment relapsing. If you are genuinely uneasy, please give me a spirit slip. You can contact me anytime if a problem occurs.”
“A spirit slip? Very well then.”
Madam Lin gave a slight nod, then looked somewhat embarrassed, “Young brother, please forgive my display. It’s not that I doubt your methods of healing, but I have been utterly terrified by these past fifty years. If Tianjun were to suffer any further complications, I fear I wouldn't have another fifty years to care for her.”
“……”
Madam Lin’s anxious and fearful state was only natural. Having practiced medicine for so many years in his previous life, Nie Kong had seen such things countless times and understood completely. If conditions permitted, spending a few days allowing her to settle her nerves was not out of the question, especially considering she was the City Lord’s wife.
However, Nie Kong had already spent over half a year since entering the Yin Ruins Spirit Vein, so the sooner he returned to Spirit Domain City, the better. Any further delay, and if they assumed he had met with misfortune, or if Patriarch Xuba’s body showed signs of deterioration, making suppression of the spirit veins impossible, it would create immense trouble.
About half an hour later, Nie Kong finally left the Lin Manor late that night, taking the spirit slip and five medicine boxes prepared by Madam Lin, accompanied by Mu Lengxing. Before departing, he did not meet with Tai Lanxiang, the others, or his old acquaintance Cheng Zixuan. As soon as they left the city, Mu Lengxing lifted Nie Kong high into the sky, and they traveled at immense speed. Inside the room atop the Medicine Platform in Fallen Goose City, the lights burned brightly.
“Senior Brother Yan Kang, this is the information just transmitted via spirit slip from the Medicine Platform in Jiyang City.”
Lü Jun pushed open the door, hurried in, and handed the few pages in his hand to Yan Kang, who was seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion. “After the Thousand Spirit Medicine Convention ended years ago, the Medicine Platform in Jiyang City recorded Nie Kong’s file. Today, upon receiving our message, they simply conducted a quick re-verification, which is why they could reply so swiftly.”
“Hmm.”
Yan Kang responded lightly, quickly skimming the text on the papers. Then, he frowned slightly with confusion. “They couldn't find out anything about Nie Kong’s mother?”
“No,” Lü Jun shook his head. “Over twenty years ago, Nie Kong’s father, Nie Qingyang, went traveling. Several years later, he suddenly returned to Jiyang City with Nie Kong and his elder brother, Nie Qiong. However, the mother of those two children never appeared. According to Nie Qingyang, she died after giving birth to Nie Kong. Yet, there are many suspicious points about this, and unfortunately, Nie Qingyang has already passed away, so it’s likely no one knows the circumstances of his wife now.”
Yan Kang nodded, suddenly seeming to recall something. “At the start of the Appraisal Assessment, I heard Nie Kong call that woman ‘Third Aunt.’ I wonder if they are direct maternal aunt and nephew, or if Nie Kong was just calling her that casually? They left the Medicine Platform today and went to the Lin Manor. Junior Brother, have someone investigate further—see if they can trace the origin of that woman. Since we intend to recruit Nie Kong, we must thoroughly investigate everything about him.”
“Understood, I’ll go now.”
“……”
After Lü Jun departed, Yan Kang gazed at the papers in his hand, gradually falling into deep thought.
Less than an hour later, Lü Jun rushed back into the room, his expression having turned rather strange. “Senior Brother, it seems we underestimated that woman. When she entered the Lin Manor with Nie Kong, it caused quite a stir. According to Madam Lin, that woman is a Celestial Spirit Master.”
“Celestial Spirit?”
Yan Kang could no longer remain seated. He stood up abruptly, muttering, “That Madam Lin is the wife of the current City Lord of Spirit Domain City. She was already at the peak of the Spirit Penetration realm fifty years ago. Although her cultivation progress has been extremely slow over the years due to her daughter’s condition, she only reached the first grade of the Celestial Spirit realm a few years ago. However, her spiritual sense is incredibly powerful. If she says the woman is a Celestial Spirit Master, she absolutely cannot be mistaken.”
After a moment of silence, Yan Kang suddenly declared, “Junior Brother, did you manage to ascertain her identity there?”
Lü Jun shook his head. “No! I only heard Nie Kong mention her name when introducing her to Madam Lin; it seemed to be Mu Lengxing.”
“Mu Lengxing?”
Gently speaking the three syllables, Yan Kang’s brows furrowed tighter. “This is strange. We at the Medicine Platform keep records of all Celestial Spirit experts, yet we have never heard of a female Celestial Spirit Master surnamed ‘Mu,’ not even among the Spirit Penetration masters. Could it be that some branch of our Medicine Platform missed her?”
“That’s unlikely. The Medicine Platform spans the entire Celestial Spirit Continent. For a Mu-surnamed female Celestial Spirit Master to reach the Celestial Spirit realm, she couldn't have been hiding and cultivating in an uninhabited wilderness all this time.” Yan Kang paced back and forth in the room. After a long moment, his steps abruptly halted, and he exclaimed in a sudden realization, “Could she be from that place?”
“Where?”
Lü Jun asked curiously.
“The Yin Ruins!”
Yan Kang spat out the two words. Without waiting for Lü Jun to press further, he continued speaking to himself, “That place is extremely mysterious. Legend has it that everyone there is surnamed Mu, and the vast majority are women. Furthermore, it is said that the place harbors many strong individuals, and they possess an ‘Ancestral Celestial Divine Luo Tree’ that survived since the Illusory Spirit Era. The humans in the Yin Ruins are said to be descendants of that ancient, millennia-old tree. Because the old tree cannot take human form, its descendants are called the Half-Spirit Race.”
“The Yin Ruins Half-Spirit Race?”
Lü Jun was dumbfounded by Yan Kang’s statement. “An ancient tree that cannot assume a human form can actually bear offspring?”
“There are countless strange things in this world,” Yan Kang sighed. “That old tree has lived for over ten thousand years; its strength is likely already at the Spirit God realm. On the entire Celestial Spirit Continent, the only place that makes even our ‘Spirit God Palace’ feel wary is likely the Yin Ruins, which is famous for its abundance of beautiful women.”
“Senior Brother, should we still try to recruit him?”
“Of course, we must. If he is truly connected to the Yin Ruins, recruiting him into the Spirit God Palace would be our best opportunity to understand that place. The Spirit God Palace has been established for so many years; we even managed to locate the position of the Flower Spirit Race’s ‘Flower Butterfly Secret Realm,’ yet we have never found the location of the Yin Ruins. Currently, our understanding of the Yin Ruins is limited to mere rumors. We still have no idea how powerful they truly are.”
“……”
In the Inner City of Spirit Domain City, within a courtyard on the west side.
The snow here had long since melted, and the several bare trees in the courtyard were beginning to show signs of vibrant new life. Beneath the trees, Gu Changgong leaned back on a reclining chair, facing the blood-red setting sun, rocking gently, appearing quite leisurely.
However, the two tightly knitted brows betrayed that his thoughts were far from as relaxed as his outward demeanor suggested.
“Great-Grandpa, I’m back…”
With a crisp and pleasant laugh, Gu Lian’s delicate figure scampered in, followed by dozens of small spirit beasts puffing and panting behind her. Over half a year had passed, and the little loli’s youthful body had matured somewhat; at the very least, the two rounded mounds on her chest were beginning to take definite shape.
“Mm.”
Gu Changgong replied absently, narrowing his eyes.
The little loli pouted slightly in dissatisfaction, tugged at Gu Changgong’s beard, causing him to open his eyes reluctantly. “What is it now?”
“Great-Grandpa, where did Brother Nie Kong go to cultivate? Sister Yuqing, Sister Miao Ge, and Sister Taiji have all asked me again today. And when I went to Spirit Domain City the day before yesterday, Sister Yanyan and Sister Tingting also kept asking me when Brother Nie Kong will emerge from seclusion to bring them back.”
The little loli mumbled sullenly.
“Soon! Soon!”
Gu Changgong spoke words that contradicted his heart.
This little girl was getting anxious from the questions asked by her older sisters, but Gu Changgong was even more anxious than she was! The little girl was anxious because she didn't know how to answer, whereas Gu Changgong was anxious for the foundation of Spirit Domain City and the safety of so many people. It had been over half a year since Nie Kong entered the Spirit Vein, yet that little fellow hadn't appeared. He couldn't tell if he was delayed by something inside, or if something unexpected had happened.
If it was just a delay, that would be manageable. If something had happened, it would be a headache. If Nie Kong didn't appear within another two or three months, they would have no choice but to move Spirit Domain City away from the Heavenly Wolf Mountain Range, as the city could not afford to select another outstanding Wood Spirit Master to venture into the Yin Ruins to investigate the situation again.
“That sentence again.”
The little loli was even more dissatisfied, her cheeks puffed out stubbornly.
“This time, it really is—”
Before the final words “soon” could leave his mouth, Gu Changgong’s voice abruptly cut off. His eyes fixed on the direction of Spirit Domain City’s outer district. Initially, a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes, but that astonishment was instantly replaced by sheer delight a moment later. “I said soon, and now he’s back, isn’t he?”
Gu Changgong let out a burst of hearty laughter, and his figure vanished from the courtyard instantly…