The next morning.
The sky had yet to fully brighten, and a faint, indistinct mist lingered over the distant mountain ridges.
Between the peaks, a new sun slowly rose, spreading its pale orange glow over the streets and alleys of Chuyun City in an instant.
Today seemed like it would be a good weather day.
You Su smelled the aroma in the air and felt the same way.
But the weather doesn't follow one's mood. You Su felt today should be a gloomy, cloudy day, which would better match his current state of mind. Unfortunately, the legendary capability to control the weather was at least of the Celestial Awakening Realm, something far out of his reach.
Last night, he hadn't slept a wink, couldn't sleep, and didn't dare to sleep.
He had a feeling that it wasn't a dream; he had truly eaten that piece of corrupted meat. Although he hadn't felt any different since then, he knew he had eaten it.
He shouldn't have acted so vengeful after eating the corrupted meat yesterday—it could have exposed his secret of regaining consciousness in dreams—but rationality doesn't always prevail. He wanted to rescue them, but they only caused chaos. That piece of meat was like a dormant illness, threatening to collapse his plans at any moment.
Yet, when he thought of his junior sister and Master trapped in their struggles, desperately switching between human and monstrous forms, his heart ached too much for him to get angry.
Unlike the troubled You Su, Mr. Ling was already watching You Su from a distance at their old meeting spot.
The newcomer was dressed plainly, but with such striking features—a set of brows like swords, white teeth, and red lips—he seemed like a Divine Son descended to cleanse the mortal world.
Even one as experienced as Mr. Ling was somewhat taken aback by his appearance; the boy's power shown yesterday might have only placed him among the upper tiers of his age group, but his looks were top-notch.
Mr. Ling didn't hide his presence, and as You Su approached him, he respectfully said, "Apologies for the wait, Mr. Ling."
"Have you reached a decision?" Mr. Ling raised an eyebrow.
You Su paused briefly, then took out an Exorcism Order imbued with a faint ink color and handed it to Mr. Ling, declaring firmly:
"I've reached a decision."
Mr. Ling accepted the Exorcism Order, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes, "It's a priceless choice to find your way back from the wrong path. I can't guarantee the success of expelling the entity, but I will do my utmost to protect you. If successful, and you are willing, you may join me at the Divine Mountain."
Upon hearing this, You Su was astonished yet delighted, hurriedly bowing in thanks, "Thank you, Mr. Ling!"
"No need to thank me yet. Those are matters for later; the immediate priority is to eliminate this malevolent entity." Mr. Ling clasped his hands behind his back, turned around, and said, "Follow me."
You Su followed at a steady pace. The two arrived at an old locust tree, where Mr. Ling, with a brush of his hand near his waist pouch, conjured a set of sandalwood table and chairs and sat down first, indicating with a wave for You Su to sit.
"Have a seat."
You Su sat down properly, keenly aware that this spot near the old locust tree was rarely visited by people, so how could there be tables and chairs for shade? Clearly, it was conjured by Mr. Ling.
More surprised now, You Su recognized this as an exceedingly rare storage Magical Treasure, the Qiankun Bag. This bag could open a small realm to store lifeless objects. The Master had once used this very item to "ransack" the Sect before departing.
You Su had asked for it from the Master before, but the Master proudly stated that this treasure was a specialty of the Celestial Revelation Divine Mountain in Nanyang Continent, forged from celestial materials, with its quantity so scarce and circulation so limited, that only upon the Masters's passing might it be passed on to You Su. If You Su wanted it, he'd have to outlive the Master.
Mr. Ling took pleasure in You Su's expression of shock, intentionally revealing his prowess to ensure the young man was entirely impressed by him.
Having achieved his intended effect, Mr. Ling poured a pot of clear tea, filling a cup for You Su.
You Su picked up the fragrant tea and took a gentle sip.
The aroma was pervasive, the cool taste refreshing, and it left a faint floral fragrance lingering at the end.
"Excellent tea."
Mr. Ling regarded You Su with satisfaction. That You Su was willing to drink the tea indicated he had gained the young man's trust, which was undoubtedly a good thing for their collaboration.
"The Magnolia of Beiao Continent is pure and clean; the Northerners there don't drink the floral tea made from it, but elsewhere it is prized for quenching thirst in the heat."
Mr. Ling also took a light sip, then moved his lips gently as an invisible barrier instantly enveloped the two.
"Alright, tell me about your encounter with the malevolent entity. No one else can hear us." Mr. Ling had great confidence in the soundproof barrier he had set up.
To illustrate this trust, a few sparrows flitted across the treetops. You Su was surprised to find that even as they flew overhead, he couldn't hear the rustling leaves, and so he began his narration.
Today was clear and cloudless, the breeze light and the clouds pristine. Amidst the shadows of swaying trees by blue-tiled roofs, the mentor and student faced each other—a picturesque scene of imparting knowledge and deep mentorship, yet their discussion concerned the most malevolent, sinister matters between heaven and earth.
"So your meaning is…" Mr. Ling sat upright, his eyes gleaming, "You suspect that both your junior sister and Master are possessed by the malevolent entity?"
You Su nodded, "Indeed."
"Based on your description combined with the Exorcism Order's detection, it is indeed possible that both are possessed. Do you remember what your junior sister and Master looked like in their corrupted states?"
"I can't…remember clearly. The more I try, the harder it is to recall, as if something is preventing me from thinking of them…but I do remember their eyes!"
"That's normal, many Exorcism Bureau's evil illustration artists often can't recall the entities they've seen. It's one of the entity's characteristics, always shrouded in an unknown mist." Mr. Ling set the teacup down, sitting upright as he asked seriously, "What did their eyes look like?"
"Pure white, looking at them felt like…seeing the world's darker side."
"That might be their source of disruption. Unfortunately, there are many types of such entities, and I can only determine for sure after seeing them myself. Fortunately, these types aren't considered too powerful. Does your junior sister and Master have any daily routines or habits?"
"My junior sister and Master generally don't like talking to others, don't like going out, and usually stay in their own rooms. They only come out when I've prepared meals."
"People who don't interact much with the outside world are the hardest to detect when invaded by malevolent entities. Are you certain, before yesterday, you didn't notice any anomalies with your junior sister and Master?"
"I'm sure."
"Then it seems it's not too late; they have been corrupted only recently." Mr. Ling nodded, "And now, the next target of corruption is you."
Suddenly, Mr. Ling leaned forward, his tone chilling, "You just said, your Master also comes out to eat?"
You Su appeared startled, leaning back slightly, trembling as he said,
"Of course, everyone eats, don't they?"
Mr. Ling retracted his aura, stroking his graying beard, seemingly lost in thought.
"Do you know what cultivation level your Master is?"
"Condensed Water Lower Realm."
"And your Master?"
"Master, she should be a mortal."
"A mortal?" Mr. Ling appeared incredulous, "Even though your Mandarin Duck Sword Sect is not well-known, your master is a Sect Leader; their partner shouldn't be without cultivation."
"Perhaps not, but…I'm blind." You Su seemed remorseful, yet questioned, "Mr. Ling, is my Master's cultivation very important?"
Mr. Ling squinted at You Su, "Of course it is. First, malevolent entities rarely possess mortals since they lack pure Profound Qi—mortals often willingly become believers of Evil Gods, offering their flesh for cheap power."
"Secondly, the level of cultivation in a possessed host to some extent affects their strength when possessed, so your Master's cultivation is crucial!"
"But I really don't know." You Su dropped his head.
"No worries." Mr. Ling comforted him, "Even if your Master is hiding her cultivation level, she shouldn't be above your master's, I'm confident."
"Mr. Ling, why did it specifically target us?" You Su clenched his fists, his eyes full of confusion and resentment.
"It," naturally referring to the malevolent entity.
"Fate is unpredictable, and malevolent entities are like a cloud hanging over everyone. The only one who can save them is you."