Shucao immediately took the array disk from Yu Qing’s hand.
She walked in front of the man.
She spoke to him coldly.
“What is your relationship with the Blood Fiend Sect?”
“Blood Fiend Sect? What is that?”
Upon hearing the man’s words, Shucao directly fired a light bullet.
The light bullet flew past the man’s ear.
It left a crater in the ground beside his head.
“Speak. Or don’t.”
“I… I really don’t know!”
“If you have no relationship with them, then why do you have this thing!”
“That… that was given to me by a man in black. He found me at the market and asked me to activate this array disk and bury it in the ruins of a nearby village. He even paid me a reward. Then on the way to that village, I ran into that woman. So I decided to rob the treasure from her body first before completing that commission. Immortal Fairy, I really have no connection to that Blood Fiend Sect!”
Looking at the man’s terrified expression, Shucao sighed.
She believed his story.
She moved the magic wand aimed at his head away.
“Then, what did that man in black look like?”
“I don’t know. His clothes covered his face completely at the time. I couldn’t see his appearance at all.”
“Fine.”
Seeing Shucao walk over, Yu Qing spoke.
“Fellow Daoist Shucao, did you manage to ask anything useful?”
“Not much useful information. However, one thing I’m curious about is why the people from the Blood Fiend Sect wanted to put this array disk back in the village.”
“Is this array disk the demonic path array disk you mentioned wanting this one to investigate?”
“That’s correct. The person from the demonic sect used this array to extract all the blood qi from the people in my village.”
Yu Qing took the array disk and examined it carefully.
She continued.
“The array on this disk is quite complex. It looks like a Foundation Establishment stage array, but something about it feels strange. This one isn’t confident she can fully analyze it. Unless this one can finish refining that spirit object I mentioned earlier in a short time. Perhaps then it could be analyzed faster.”
“What exactly is the Foundation Establishment spirit object that Fellow Daoist Yu selected?”
Yu Qing paused for a moment.
She scratched her head.
She said, “I won’t hide it from Fellow Daoist Shucao any longer. That spirit object is called Spirit Resolution Jade. It is a Foundation Establishment spirit object passed down from this one’s master’s sect. It requires various materials with small arrays inscribed on them before they are assembled and refined. Its greatest feature is accelerating the analysis speed of arrays and automatically deducing formations.”
At this point, she sighed.
“When my master was establishing his Foundation, he failed to refine this item and used a different spirit object instead. That was his greatest regret. Before he passed, he passed on some of the materials and semi-finished products he had collected to this one.”
“He hoped this one could fulfill his wish. However, even with these materials, successfully refining it still requires a considerable amount of resources. For a Qi Refining cultivator, that is a huge expense. Even now, this one is still short some spirit stones to complete it.”
“Do you really need to refine this item, Fellow Daoist Yu?”
“Mm. After all, it is the hard work my master left for me. Besides, I don’t want the inheritance of my master’s sect to be cut off.”
Looking at Yu Qing’s determined eyes, Shucao thought for a moment.
She said, “It looks like this favor is one I have to help with. If Fellow Daoist Yu can succeed, then I will also successfully obtain information on this array.”
Yu Qing cupped her hands toward Shucao.
She said, “Yu Qing thanks you, Fellow Daoist. If it succeeds, this one will certainly not disappoint your expectations.”
“So, roughly how many more spirit stones are you short?”
“Roughly three hundred spirit stones more. Adding the resources my master left behind and what this one has saved, it should be sufficient.”
“That is still quite a large sum. This person’s storage pouch contains about thirty spirit stones. How many can we get from selling those magic tools and materials?”
“Probably around fifty spirit stones. We also have to give Wenqing a share. Keeping a few of the magic tools for our own use would probably be better than selling them. Even so, we are still short more than two hundred spirit stones.”
The materials from a first-rank upper-grade demon beast equivalent to late Qi Refining stage would be worth about twenty spirit stones.
Adding Xiao Simeng’s own share would bring it to roughly forty spirit stones.
The gap of over two hundred spirit stones made Shucao feel worried.
“Um, are you two short on money?”
Suddenly, Hong Wenqing spoke up from the side.
“If you really need spirit stones, I have a Spirit Purification Token here that I can give you as repayment for saving me.”
“Wenqing, you actually have something this good!?”
“Mm. I bought it at the market using all the spirit stones I had saved. I originally planned to use it to find high-grade herbs to treat my grandfather’s illness. But because of it, I was targeted by someone. This item is still too unsuitable for someone at mid Qi Refining stage like me.”
“After thinking it over, I believe it would be better to give it to the two of you. However, this one has only one request. If one of you finds a hundred-year Dragon Blood Vine inside that secret realm, I hope you can give it to me.”
“If you are truly willing to give the Spirit Purification Token to us, then finding a Dragon Blood Vine for you wouldn’t be difficult. We just need to ask Fellow Daoist Shucao’s opinion as well.”
“Really? That’s wonderful! This one thanks Sister Yu Qing and Senior Shucao!”
“Haha, it’s nothing.”
Yu Qing patted Hong Wenqing’s head.
She then turned to look at Shucao, intending to ask her opinion on Hong Wenqing’s request.
But seeing the confused look in Shucao’s eyes, she decided to ask what Shucao was thinking first.
“Um, Fellow Daoist Shucao, is something the matter?”
“I was wondering what that token you two mentioned is.”
Hearing Shucao’s question, Yu Qing explained.
“This is a key to enter a secret realm. That secret realm is located in the northern part of the Qingling Mountain Range. By the way, Fellow Daoist Shucao, do you have any understanding of the Qingling Mountain Range?”
“I don’t.”
Shucao shook her head.
“I only know about your Tianqing Sect. I don’t know about anything else.”
“Then let this one explain the powers in the Qingling Mountain Range to you.”
Yu Qing patted her chest.
She said to Shucao, “The Qingling Mountain Range is divided into four parts: southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest. There are three major sects within it: the Tai Miao Sect, the Tianqing Sect, and the Ling Xu Sect.”
“All three sects have Golden Core experts overseeing them and occupy three parts of the mountain range. The northern part, however, has many demon beasts and has instead become a gathering place for disciples from various sects and loose cultivators.”
“But in the past, there weren’t three sects here. A very, very long time ago, there was a sect called the Taiqing Sect that occupied the entire mountain range. The sect even had a Nascent Soul cultivator. But after that Nascent Soul cultivator died, the sect split apart and became what it is today.”
Then, she took the Spirit Purification Token from Hong Wenqing’s hand.
She pointed at it and said to Shucao, “At that time, the Taiqing Sect discovered a secret realm in the north. It contained many medicinal herbs and demon beasts. They used this secret realm to train their Qi Refining disciples. After the sect was destroyed, the secret realm did not disappear. Instead, it came under joint management by the three sects.”
“Every fifty years, the three sects open the secret realm to let their disciples train themselves and search for high-grade materials. Although it is strictly managed by the three sects, there are still other secret realm entrances in the mountain range. This token is from the Taiqing Sect. It allows a person to locate the secret realm entrance and enter. It is precisely the key that allows us loose cultivators to find the entrance and enter.”
“So that’s how it is. Doesn’t that mean we can enter this secret realm, find precious materials, and sell them to earn spirit stones?”
“That’s right! Many high-grade spiritual herbs that cannot be easily found outside can be found inside the secret realm. As long as we bring out more of them, we can refine the Spirit Resolution Jade much faster.”
At this point, Yu Qing handed the token to Shucao.
“This item should be given to Fellow Daoist Shucao. This one is an array master, so exploring the secret realm puts me at a disadvantage. If we are pursued, I have too few methods to use.”
“However, if it is Fellow Daoist Shucao, that high-speed movement would make it easy to snatch spiritual herbs from the hands of those sect disciples. At that time, everything brought out from there will belong to Fellow Daoist Shucao.”
Shucao took the token and nodded to the two of them.
She said, “In that case, leave it to me. I will definitely earn a lot of money!”
Afterward, Hong Wenqing took out some medicinal herbs and wanted to give them to Yu Qing, but Yu Qing politely declined.
“Little Wenqing, we already took your Spirit Purification Token. That is already enough. You should take these medicinal herbs back for your grandfather. Besides, we still have quite a few resources here.”
“Sister Yu Qing, really, thank you so much.”
Listening to Yu Qing’s words, tears welled up in Hong Wenqing’s eyes.
She thanked her once again.
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Just remember to come take care of this one’s business more in the future.”
“I can’t afford it.”
Afterward, the three of them divided the items from the man’s storage pouch and the longsword.
They threw the now-empty storage pouch in front of the man.
“Hehe, the control of this array will be released in a few hours. You can leave on your own then. However, if we catch you doing this kind of thing again next time, it won’t be as simple as having your storage pouch emptied.”
After fiercely intimidating the man, the three left the place.
Worried that the man might cause trouble again, they had Hong Wenqing temporarily travel with them.
The three soon arrived at the ruins of Qinglu Village.
Shucao looked at the broken walls and crumbling tiles.
Memories surfaced in her mind of living in this village, being cared for by the Bai family, and being scolded by the village chief for her mischievous pranks.
A wave of sadness rose uncontrollably in her heart.
“Is this the hometown Fellow Daoist mentioned that was attacked by the demonic sect?”
“That’s right.”
“Please accept my condolences.”
Yu Qing patted the shoulder of Shucao, who was biting her lower lip tightly, and said nothing more.
Shucao walked to the tombstone they had erected for the villagers that day.
She bowed.
Then she found the spot where she had killed Lin Han that day.
The corpse had already been dealt with by the people from Tianqing Sect at the time, but the traces of the battle still remained.
She searched around on the ground and finally found a fragment of the array disk she had shattered back then.
Comparing the fragment with the blood-red array disk obtained from the man, they confirmed that the arrays on the two array disks were indeed identical.
“Why would the people from the Blood Fiend Sect put this array disk back here?”
Shucao said in confusion.
“Since it is an array used to absorb blood qi, and there are no living people left in the village, putting the array back would be completely unnecessary, wouldn’t it?”
“Unless this array has other purposes. After all, if it was only to absorb the blood qi of mortals, there would be no need for such a complex array.”
After the two speculated for a while, they decided to first go check another village where the villagers’ blood qi had been drained.
With Hong Wenqing held in her arms in front and Yu Qing carried on her back, Shucao flew in this state for some time before arriving at the village Huang Chengli had mentioned.
The streets in the village were empty.
Just as Huang Chengli had said, the place was filled with an aura of death.
After exploring the village, Shucao confirmed that the deaths of these villagers were identical to those of the Qinglu Village villagers after their blood qi had been extracted.
“It seems the same array caused this. Damn demonic cultivators. How many more people do they want to kill?”
“My grandfather’s condition is somewhat similar to theirs.”
Hong Wenqing suddenly spoke.
“He had a large amount of his blood qi drained, and his foundation was damaged. He has never been able to recover. He can only barely stay alive by relying on some blood qi supplementing medicines.”
Hearing Hong Wenqing’s words, Shucao asked her, “Who is your grandfather?”
“He is also a loose cultivator from Ningzhou City, at mid Qi Refining stage like me. His name is Hong Feng. He was captured by a certain demonic cultivator organization back then. Later, Senior Bai Yumo destroyed that organization’s base and rescued him.”
“He has been in this state ever since. Senior Bai Yumo said that only a pill refined from a hundred-year Dragon Blood Vine can repair his foundation. Other medicines can only barely keep him alive.”
“After the medicines Senior Bai Yumo gave ran out, I felt too embarrassed to ask her for more. So I have been continuously taking commission tasks in Ningzhou City and the Qingling Mountain Range to find materials and earn spirit stones until now.”
As she spoke, a trace of sadness appeared on Hong Wenqing’s face.
She knew that even if she could keep her grandfather barely alive now, it was not a long-term solution.
That was why she kept earning spirit stones.
That was why she took the risk to buy that token.
That was why she kept chasing that sliver of hope.
Looking at the strong young girl before her, Shucao’s eyes softened.
She patted her head and said, “Little Wenqing is really working hard. Don’t worry. I will help you find that Dragon Blood Vine and cure your grandfather. After all…”
Shucao paused slightly.
She adjusted her posture a bit.
Then she declared loudly, “After all, I am the magical girl who can bring about miracles!”
Hearing Shucao’s words, Hong Wenqing couldn’t help but laugh.
She said, “Haha, what is a magical girl? Still, thank you, Senior Shucao. You look about the same age as me, but you’re surprisingly mature.”
“I can’t pretend I didn’t hear that!”
Suddenly, Yu Qing, who had remained silent since entering the village, spoke up and interrupted their conversation.
“There is still an array operating underground in this village, but it has no effect. The location is right at…”
The three arrived at the center of the village, where a water well was located.
“Here.”
Upon hearing this, Shucao leaped down directly.
She dove into the underground dark river connected to the well.
At the bottom of the river, she discovered a blood-colored array disk emitting a scarlet glow.
“Another one?”
Shucao picked up the array disk.
She then swam back up to the surface of the well water.
“Fellow Daoist Shucao, are you okay!”
Seeing Shucao surface, the two threw down a rope and pulled her up.
“Sister Shucao, why did you just jump down like that? Won’t your clothes get completely wet… Eh, they’re actually fine.”
“After all, it is a magic tool. Fellow Daoist Shucao, did you find anything?”
Shucao took out the array disk she had retrieved from below.
She said to them, “It’s the same array disk again.”
Yu Qing took the array disk and examined it.
She said, “This array disk seems to be in some kind of dormant state. It probably only activates under the controller’s command.”
“Then the array disk that person wanted to place in Qinglu Village should have the same effect.”
“Mm, it should be like that. However, placing so many array disks—what exactly is it for? What is the purpose of the Blood Fiend Sect extracting so much blood qi?”
The mystery was layered upon mystery.
The repeatedly appearing array disks made all three feel that something was off, as if a hidden undercurrent was gathering force behind these array disks.
“It looks like we need to quickly finish refining that spirit object of yours, Fellow Daoist, in order to figure out the purpose of these array disks.”