Old Liu, ecstatic, took out the scroll. He frantically unrolled it, the sliver-like script seeming to have completely overrun its surface. "Quickly, read it!

What in the world is going on?" Ye Xiu also leaned in, eagerly watching Old Liu. Regardless, the woman who emerged from the bone jar after Hong Ling entered it was clearly Mo Shu from the Xia Dynasty, a fact that was simply unacceptable. "Yao Tai was the place of pleasure King Jie of Xia built for Mo Shu.

Because Mo Shu enjoyed drinking and equally enjoyed punishing anyone who defied her, the torture of the Fiery Pillar was also established there," Old Liu glanced at Ye Xiu as he read this. "Didn't you say the Fiery Pillar torture only existed during the Yin-Shang period? Why was it invented as early as the Xia Dynasty, and the inventor was Mo Shu herself?" Historical matters were inherently murky, and on top of that, Mo Shu was the incarnation of the Black Lotus; they knew nothing of her actual abilities.

Ye Xiu pursed his lips, signaling Old Liu to continue. "The Ghost Lotus and the Black Lotus Mo Shu endured the same baptism of blood and gore, which produced hallucinatory abilities. Mo Shu transferred the Ghost Lotus into the Wine Pool precisely to make King Jie hallucinate, ensuring he would be forever lost in Yao Tai." Old Liu narrated the story completely, yet the more complete the translation, the more bewildered he became.

He asked Ye Xiu, "Inducing hallucinations in King Jie—does that mean the King Jie resurrected by the Corpse Flower? Or did the Earth Worms Mo Shu used earlier have no effect at all?" The Birdman, having studied the scroll earlier, analyzed: "The Earth Worms should have worked. It's just that some other factor intervened, which is why the Ghost Lotus was necessary.

Does this scroll mention the Bone Gatherers at all?" Old Liu quickly scanned everything, shaking his head. "There is no mention of Bone Gatherers or the bone jar. The Earth Worms recovered King Jie's memories, but a problem arose; King Jie only remembered his days of slaughter and conquest, yet he couldn't recall this Mo Shu standing before him at all." "So, Mo Shu, in order to hold onto King Jie’s heart, made him drown in illusions..." The Birdman's thoughts were filtering the descriptions on the scroll.

He looked doubtfully at Mo Shu before them. "If Mo Shu intended to keep him, she wouldn't leave out mentioning the Bone Gatherers. Why is there nothing about them here?" "You confirm it yourself..." Old Liu, face dark, tossed the scroll to the Birdman.

He turned to look at the prone Mo Shu. "If Mo Shu never considered the Bone Gatherers' path to eternal life, could there be someone else causing trouble here? Who exactly found this bone jar?" Ye Xiu lowered his head, unable to reconcile the facts before him.

The eternal life of the Bone Gatherers was an eternal enigma, yet why was it Hong Ling who entered the jar, only for Mo Shu of the Xia Dynasty to emerge? What was the connection between them? What was Mo Shu's link to the Bone Gatherers?

"She's moving. Is she waking up?" The Birdman slightly turned his head. Though his eyes were covered by a blindfold, his vision was unaffected.

He stared downward and murmured, "Who do you think she will be?" "Old Liu, Old Liu, what's wrong?" Mo Shu stretched her smooth arm, and the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes was Old Liu. She greeted him as if he were an old friend. "You're all still alive, aren't you?

What happened to me? Why are you all looking at me like that?" "Hong... Ling..." Ye Xiu whispered her name.

He felt an intense familiarity with Hong Ling, even though she now wore a completely different face. "Oh! How am I wearing my clothes like this..." Hong Ling jumped up in annoyance.

As she spread her arms, Xiao Sha, who had vanished, suddenly reappeared, instantly growing immense to shield Hong Ling. "You perverts! How dare you be so rude to this lady!" "Ouch!" Old Liu, closest to Hong Ling, was flung aside by Xiao Sha's sudden push.

He looked at her helplessly. "Are you really Hong Ling? Hey, is that you?" "If not me, then who else!" Hong Ling furiously pulled on her clothes.

Mo Shu's figure was undeniably alluring, so every movement Hong Ling made was no longer the petulance of a girl, but the sensuality of a woman. She pointed at Old Liu. "Keep looking!

Are you done staring?" "Hey, Bone Gatherer!" The Birdman's cold, sharp voice froze the entire scene. "Haven't you felt the changes in your own body? Haven't you noticed you've grown taller, or perhaps...

slimmer?" Hong Ling, prompted by this, also felt something amiss. She looked at her skin, perplexed. "It seems my skin has gotten much fairer.

What's going on? What do you all mean..." Ye Xiu looked at the dazed Mo Shu before him, unable to bear telling her the truth. "Hong Ling, you died just a moment ago, did you know that?" Hong Ling flinched as if shocked, remembering something quickly.

She nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes! I clearly fell into a sea of fire, and Xiao Sha too.

We both died, didn't we? So why are we fine now..." Ye Xiu licked his lips and carefully reorganized his words. "The sea of fire was just an illusion caused by the wine we drank from that pool.

You really did die just now." "I died... You're lying!" In terms of temperament, Hong Ling was still somewhat girlish; how could she accept the reality that she was dead? "You had already turned into a skeleton, didn't you know that?" Old Liu finally couldn't hold back and roared at Hong Ling.

"What is the secret of your Bone Gatherers' eternal life? Why can you resurrect after dying, and why do you... and..." Ye Xiu immediately clamped his hand over Old Liu's mouth, for he noticed the expression Hong Ling wore upon hearing those words was one of a child's helplessness.

Perhaps she only knew her identity as a Bone Gatherer, but was utterly ignorant of the Bone Gatherers' true abilities, especially the secret of their immortality. Conversely, the Birdman was calm about people and events; he lacked such emotional complexity. He walked around behind Hong Ling and said coldly, "As a Bone Gatherer, you truly did die just now, turning into a pile of white bones.

For some unknown reason, you were drawn by the Ghost Lotus into this specific bone jar. When you emerged, you were completely transformed." "Transformed..." Hong Ling's eyes widened in disbelief, yet she couldn't deny the fact, as the Birdman raised his wings, sharp as metal, which reflected the light like a mirror, standing directly in front of Hong Ling. "Who is this person..." Hong Ling, terrified by her own appearance, collapsed onto the ground.

She continuously touched her face; this face was not hers, yet why was it on her body now? She couldn't comprehend anything and began to weep softly. "How could this happen?

What's wrong with me? Where is my father? I want to find my father, he will surely save me!"

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