By the time Zi Yuan returned to the residence, Li Yundong had already been waiting in the living room for quite some time.

The young and handsome Sect Master sat on the living room sofa like a statue, quietly contemplating something.

The moment Zi Yuan spotted Li Yundong, she immediately asked, "How was it? Did you find Second Martial Uncle?"

Li Yundong raised his eyes, glanced at her, and replied, "Found her. It was Cao Yi!"

Zi Yuan started slightly. "It really was her? Where is she?"

Li Yundong sighed softly, his brows tightly furrowed. "She escaped!"

Zi Yuan was shocked. "Escaped again? This is terrible!"

Li Yundong looked worried. He pondered for a moment and said, "My only comfort now is that before Yan Fanglin fled, I heavily wounded her Yang Spirit body with the Great Hand Seal. Even though she has escaped now, she absolutely won't be causing trouble anytime soon."

Zi Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Then did you figure out why Second Martial Uncle insists on killing Cao Kefei?"

Li Yundong shook his head. He said, "The only thing I can determine is that Yan Fang will definitely reappear. What we need to do now is devise a method to capture the Yang Spirit of a cultivator! Otherwise, if she shows up again next time and we can't seize her Yang Spirit, it will all be for naught!"

Zi Yuan’s dark eyebrows knitted together. She glanced around, gave Li Yundong a meaningful look, and upon his nod of understanding, they ascended to the open expanse of the rooftop. After confirming they were alone, Zi Yuan whispered, "You know about Zhang Boduan, one of the Five Southern Patriarchs of the Daoist school, right?"

Li Yundong nodded. "I know. You mentioned him before—the Grand Master of the Southern School of the Golden Elixir tradition, who advocated for 'Cultivating Both Nature and Life,' and also the founder of the Daoist Ziyang School."

Zi Yuan nodded slightly and said, "Zhang Boduan’s Wuzhen Pian once stated: 'If you don't know the topsy-turvy within the profound, how can you know the lotus thriving in the fire? Lead the White Tiger home for nurturing, and give birth to a bright pearl round as the moon. Folly to guard the medicine furnace watching the heat, just calm the spirit and let nature be. When all the Yin is stripped away, the Elixir ripens, leaping out of the cage for ten thousand years of life.' Now that you are considered a master in the cultivation world, you should know what this poem on cultivation means, right?"

Li Yundong found it strange that Zi Yuan suddenly began discussing a cultivation poem seemingly miles away from the topic, but he answered anyway, "I do. The first two lines refer to the foundation-building stage of cultivation: refining an Inner Elixir within the True Fire of the Dantian, much like a lotus produces a seed. The next two lines describe the practice after foundation is built, refining the Inner Elixir. And the final line points to when a cultivator's Yin Spirit reaches a certain stage, the Inner Elixir fully matures, reaching the peak state—the Yang Spirit realm."

"Once a person cultivates to the Yang Spirit realm, they can leap out of the cage, unbound by birth, aging, sickness, and death, capable of living for ten thousand years, their lifespan equal to Heaven’s."

Zi Yuan smiled with slight admiration. "Well said. You too have reached the Yang Spirit realm. Since you understand the principles of cultivating the Yang Spirit, you should know that the Yang Spirit is the sublimation of mixed spirit and qi, ethereal yet substantial, capable of 'condensing into form and scattering into qi.' It can manifest or hide at will, splitting and transforming endlessly! For someone at this level, trying to capture their Yang Spirit is harder than ascending to heaven! Unless..."

Li Yundong, who had been feeling discouraged, instantly perked up at the end and quickly asked, "Unless what?"

Zi Yuan paused, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Unless there is a special magical artifact, and a special magical formation!"

Li Yundong pressed, "What kind of special artifact and formation?"

Zi Yuan replied, "Actually, you have seen this artifact before—it is the Burning Finger Alms Bowl that Du Fei once tried to exchange with you for the Human Essence Golden Elixir!"

Li Yundong started slightly. "The Burning Finger Alms Bowl? You mean Fahai’s magical artifact?"

Zi Yuan nodded. "Exactly. It is an exceptionally powerful and famous artifact of the Buddhist school. Du Fei offering it to you for exchange was quite cunning of him. Since he is a Daoist cultivator, he cannot use Buddhist artifacts, so he offered it to you as a cheap bonus. For him to possess this artifact was like casting pearls before swine, and it easily attracted the covetousness of powerful Buddhist masters. But if this artifact falls into your hands, it is truly like adding wings to a tiger!"

Li Yundong wondered, "After all that talk, you still haven't said what this artifact does, or how it captures the Yang Spirit of a cultivator?"

Zi Yuan chuckled. "The Burning Finger Alms Bowl was the treasure Fahai used in the past to subdue demons and vanquish evil. When activated, it not only releases immense Buddhist power to awe demons and evil qi, but it also captures the spiritual energy of heaven and earth! Fahai relied on the Alms Bowl’s ability to suppress evil spirits and absorb worldly spiritual energy to subdue the thousand-year White Snake!"

Li Yundong couldn't help but ask, "Didn't Du Fei say last time that was just exaggerated fiction? But the way you describe it, it sounds like a real event?"

Zi Yuan smiled faintly. "The Legend of the White Snake is fictionalized, portraying Fahai as the great villain. But in reality, within the history of the cultivation world, Fahai was a renowned demon-slaying master. During the Tianbao era of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Prime Minister Pei Xiu wrote a poem saying: 'Sending my son to the monastery with sorrow, long devotion should sow good roots.' This poem records his son, Fahai! Thus, his son Fahai was also known to the world as Pei Tuotuo. These records are cited from Monk Yingzhi of the Southern Tang’s Tuotuo Yan Ji: 'Mount Jinshan was formerly named Fuyu, because Pei Tuotuo found gold by the river. In the twenty-first year of Emperor Dezong of Tang’s reign, the military governor Li Qi reported this, and it was bestowed the name Mount Jinshan.'"

"Furthermore, the Jinshan Zhi recorded: 'The Python Cave, beside the Right Peak, is steep and perilous, penetrating four or five zhang deep. In the past, a white python emerged from here, devouring people. Coincidentally, Pei Tuotuo subdued it and acquired gold, then rebuilt the refined temple.' The Song Dynasty poet Zhang Shangying had a poem: 'Half a stone chamber for Zen meditation, the fame of an age is not easily worn away. The white python transformed into a dragon and returned to the sea, leaving the old Tuotuo in the rock.'"

Saying this, Zi Yuan smiled and continued, "From this, it is evident that the matter of Fahai subduing the White Snake is indeed factual!"

Li Yundong watched Zi Yuan recount these historical anecdotes one by one, as if reciting treasures from memory; her profound knowledge was astonishing.

He inwardly marveled at Zi Yuan's erudition and said, "I understand! The Yang Spirit is a spiritual body, its qi extremely powerful, and the Burning Finger Alms Bowl possesses the power to capture the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. So, as long as the Yang Spirit approaches it, its spiritual energy will be automatically absorbed?"

Zi Yuan nodded approvingly. "Exactly! However, relying solely on the Burning Finger Alms Bowl is insufficient. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth is often scattered and diluted, making it easy to seize. The evil qi of demons and evil ways is naturally suppressed by the Buddhist power of the Alms Bowl, so their spiritual energy is also easily captured. But the Yang Spirit of a cultivator is an extremely powerful mental energy body, without a trace of evil qi permeating it, naturally not suppressed by the Alms Bowl. Moreover, the Yang Spirit’s energy is often condensed and potent. Relying only on the Alms Bowl's power to capture it is quite strenuous. Even if you fully activate it, you may not have a 100% chance of securing the opponent's Yang Spirit."

Li Yundong asked again, "Is there any other method?"

Zi Yuan replied, "There is!"

Li Yundong inquired, "What method?"

Zi Yuan said, "Last time you mistakenly trespassed into Xiyuan Temple and broke a formation, releasing two golden snakes—do you remember?"

Li Yundong’s eyes lit up. "Ah, you mean..."

Zi Yuan nodded. "Exactly! The formation you broke last time was the Buddhist Eight Directions Demon Subduing Grand Array! This formation possesses an extremely powerful confinement effect. As long as the cultivator operating the array is not less than half the cultivation level of the person entering the formation, it is sufficient to restrain them!"

Li Yundong realized suddenly. "I get it. If we lure Yan Fang into this Eight Directions Demon Subduing Grand Array, and then use the Burning Finger Alms Bowl to siphon her spiritual energy, she’ll have no choice but to surrender?"

Zi Yuan nodded slightly. "That is the idea!"

Li Yundong clapped his hands and exclaimed loudly, "Then that's settled! I'll go find Du Fei immediately, and then go see Master Puren at Xiyuan Temple! I will exchange the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art with Du Fei for the Burning Finger Alms Bowl—a straight swap. I believe he will agree. And Master Puren at Xiyuan Temple is a man of great righteousness; he will surely lend his aid!"

Seeing Li Yundong speak with such confidence, Zi Yuan suddenly hesitated and said, "Li Yundong, may I ask you for one thing?"

Li Yundong had known Zi Yuan for some time. It had always been him seeking favors from her, never the other way around. He immediately tensed and said seriously, "Zi Yuan, just say what you need. If I can do it, I will certainly do it!"

Zi Yuan gazed steadily at Li Yundong, her heart in turmoil. She had practically watched Li Yundong grow from an amateur. At first, he was just a reckless youngster she hadn't paid much mind to.

But now, Li Yundong’s rate of growth was astonishing; even his Martial Uncle had fled in panic without daring to fight him!

Zi Yuan knew that the plan she suggested was akin to placing a noose around Yan Fang's neck. All that was needed was for Yan Fang to deliver herself, and then Li Yundong would tighten the rope, leaving her with no chance to escape.

Even though Zi Yuan was certain that Yan Fang had fallen into the demonic path, blinded by hatred in both eyes and mind, she still felt a pang of reluctance. After all, this was her own Martial Uncle!

Zi Yuan whispered softly, "Li Yundong, can you promise me that if Yan Fang is willing to cast aside past grudges, and if she hands over Ao Wushuang, you will spare her life?"

Although Li Yundong had somewhat guessed what Zi Yuan intended to say, he still hesitated when he heard the words. After a moment, he raised his eyes and said seriously, "Zi Yuan, you could be considered half my teacher. If I truly capture Yan Fang, and if she truly agrees to stand down and hand over Ao Wushuang, then I can spare her life. This can be considered repayment for the kindness you have shown me as a teacher."

Zi Yuan sighed softly. "Then I will thank you on behalf of the Ling Gong Sect. No matter what, she is still my Martial Uncle. I am very grateful that you are willing to let her go."

Li Yundong chuckled, "However, I suspect she is someone who won't shed a tear until she sees the coffin. She might not stop her actions!"

Zi Yuan was filled with worry, her dark eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Then there is nothing to be done. This is her fate, and the fate of our Ling Gong Sect!"

Seeing Zi Yuan looking dejected, her brows tightly knit like Xi Shi clutching her heart, Li Yundong’s heart unexpectedly softened. He sighed, "Forget it. As long as she agrees to hand over Ao Wushuang, regardless of whether she repents, I will let her leave. But this is a one-time exception, never to be repeated!"

Zi Yuan knew the enmity between Yan Fang and the Fox Zen Sect was deep. Li Yundong offering this much was the greatest concession he could make. She felt a surge of emotion and said softly, "Then I thank you."

Their eyes met, then quickly darted away, like two tiny sparks suddenly colliding in the darkness, igniting a brief flicker of light that swiftly died down.

Li Yundong felt the atmosphere was becoming awkward. He coughed dryly and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Right, I have another very important matter I need to trouble you with!"

Zi Yuan had been deeply concerned that Li Yundong and her Martial Uncle would fight to the death, putting her in a difficult middle ground. Having received Li Yundong's promise, she felt a great weight lift from her shoulders, and she relaxed considerably. She smiled slightly and said quietly, her voice as serene as an autumn leaf, "What command does Immortal Li have? This humble girl will obey without question."

================================================= Ah, I got back to Suzhou today, and I am utterly exhausted~~~ Completely worn out! On the 14th, my mother-in-law is scheduled for surgery, and I'll have to run to Shanghai to take care of her then... I'll try to make up for this tomorrow or the day after... Sigh~ D