The moment Yunxi saw Xia Yiwan's condition, she knew it's the agonizing aftereffect of severe damage to her soul. She let out a soft sigh, then, with clear reluctance, took out a shimmering seventh-tier Soul Replenishing Pill from her storage and flicked it straight into Xia Yiwan's mouth with a practiced motion.
Xia Yiwan was in so much pain that she cried out instinctively, her voice strained, which let the pill go down smoothly. The moment it entered her mouth, it melted into a gentle, warm current that surged straight into her sea of consciousness, soothing the dull, crushing pain there. The tension on her face slowly eased as the medicinal energy began to take effect.
Seeing that she had calmed down for now, Yunxi spoke, her voice calm and grounded.
"Xia Yiwan, sit down and refine the pill first. Absorb it properly. We can talk after that."
After saying this, she picked up Li Li from her arms and left the room together with Yun Po, leaving the quiet chamber to the injured woman.
The pallor on Xia Yiwan's face had eased quite a bit as the medicinal energy circulated through her meridians. She had no idea what had happened after she lost consciousness in the heat of battle, but she could feel that the female cultivator who fed her the pill meant no harm to her. Besides, in her current state, even if the other party wanted to do something, she couldn't resist at all. It was better to treat the damage to her soul first and take things one step at a time afterward.
After thinking it through, Xia Yiwan didn't leave the bath right away. She simply crossed her legs in the warm water and began absorbing the medicinal effects, while also inspecting her body internally to see if anything felt wrong or out of place. Even if she couldn't do much right now, that didn't mean she was willing to hand over her body to others without resistance.
Yunxi and Yun Po were already seated at the stone table in the courtyard, calmly drinking tea while the steam rose in thin curls. Li Li had a small cup of spiritual tea in front of it as well, and it was squinting its eyes in enjoyment as it drank the fragrant liquid.
The easygoing look Yun Po had earlier was long gone. She spoke in a low voice, her expression serious.
"Ran Xi, you heard what Xia Yiwan said just now, right?"
"Of course. Those words came out the moment her consciousness returned to her body, so they're highly credible. I can also roughly guess why she ended up in Dengyun Tower under such circumstances."
Yun Po rubbed the smooth teacup in her hand as she spoke, her eyes thoughtful.
"She said there's a traitor in Yixian Gate. Given her cultivation level, it's very possible she is a direct disciple of Yixian Gate, or she ran straight into that traitor during her travels. That's likely why she was targeted and possessed by an evil cultivator's soul."
Yunxi nodded in agreement, her gaze drifting toward the inner room.
"That matches my thoughts on the matter. Whether that's true or not, we can ask her directly once she comes out. But judging from how guarded she was earlier, it won't be easy to earn her trust so quickly."
Yun Po grinned slyly, a brief return to her usual confident self.
"Don't worry. I'm confident I can make her lower her guard. My reputation as a walking intelligence network is still pretty useful in these parts."
"Absolutely not. You just changed identities. At least until you break through to the Mahayana stage, you have got to keep wearing that face to remain hidden. The fewer people who know your true identity, the safer you're."
Yunxi paused, her fingers tapping against the stone table.
"She can't eat a seventh-tier Soul Replenishing Pill for free. Besides, I do have some ties to Yixian Gate from my past. I was already planning to go there. I just didn't expect to run into Dengyun Tower and you here in Songran City."
Yun Po's eyes flickered with understanding, and she immediately grasped what she meant. She nodded.
"You have got a point. We will do it your way."
She was always good at listening when it mattered most.
An hour later, Xia Yiwan finally finished absorbing the full effects of the pill. Her soul injuries weren't fully healed yet, but they were much better than before. She could control her physical body far more easily now without that crushing weight in her mind. Only then did she climb out of the bath, tidy herself up with a few quick spells, and step outside into the courtyard.
Seeing the two people waiting by the stone table, Xia Yiwan took a deep breath and walked forward, cupping her fists in a formal respect.
"Thank you, seniors, for saving me from disaster. Yiwan offers her thanks for your kindness."
Neither Yunxi nor Yun Po moved to stop her. After accepting the salute, Yun Po spoke, her tone neutral.
"You were brought out of Dengyun Tower by this Lord. Your abnormal soul was what caught our attention in the first place, so we spent a considerable amount of spirit stones to get you out."
As he spoke, she gestured for her to look at her own wrist.
Xia Yiwan lowered her head and saw a black storage bracelet she hadn't noticed before. She swept it with her divine sense and found it filled with various cultivation resources. She sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes widening, and immediately tried to remove it to return the wealth.
Yunxi spoke calmly, stopping her movements.
"No need to rush to return the bracelet. We have things to ask you. We hope you will explain everything clearly, from beginning to end, without omission. After that, we plan to take action against Dengyun Tower, and there can't be even the slightest mistake in our information."
Xia Yiwan pressed her lips together, her expression pained, then finally she nodded.
"I'm a direct disciple of Yixian Gate. I discovered that Elder Liang Xiao was secretly selling Yinxi agents to evil cultivators in the shadows. I accidentally exposed them when they were trading in Xiaolong City near Yixian Gate. I planned to return and inform the other elders of his crimes, but I was attacked by a high-level cultivator and lost consciousness."
She took a shaky breath and continued.
"When I regained awareness, I realized an evil soul was gnawing at my own soul, trying to take over. I refused to hand over my body, so I struggled against it with everything I had. But I woke up too late and couldn't gain the upper hand.
To leave myself a chance to survive, I had no choice but to sever my own soul. I abandoned most of it so the evil soul would think the possession had succeeded. Then I hid the remaining fragment deep within my sea of consciousness and was forced into a deep sleep."
Recalling the agonizing pain of her consciousness being devoured made her body tremble despite herself.
Yunxi and Yun Po exchanged a quick glance. What she said matched their earlier deductions almost perfectly. Yun Po asked,
"What was your cultivation level when you were possessed?"
"Mid Out-of-Body stage."
"And now you're already at the early stage of Void Refinement. It looks like that evil cultivator did you a favor by raising your level."
Xia Yiwan shook her head, her face turning pale at the thought.
"I'm an alchemist of Yixian Gate. My breakthroughs are tied to improvements in my alchemy and understanding, not brute force. Cultivation gained through such evil means is unstable and hollow. I will probably have to disperse a layer of my cultivation and start over from a solid foundation."
Yunxi silently nodded. This woman had principles, at least. She hadn't been dazzled by the rapid advancement and was still willing to walk a steady, honest path.
Seeing that both seniors were approachable and hadn't harmed her, Xia Yiwan finally asked carefully,
"How did you rescue me from Dengyun Tower?"
This time, Yun Po gave a rough, abbreviated account of what had happened.
She said that he suspected Dengyun Tower had ties to evil cultivators, so she deliberately approached them to investigate. Yunxi also discovered that several disciples within Dengyun Tower had been possessed by evil souls. The two hit it off immediately and decided to investigate the organization together. Using cultivation breakthroughs and stabilization as excuses, they repeatedly went to Dengyun Tower to select cultivators to take away. That was how they got the chance to bring her back here.
After hearing this explanation, Xia Yiwan's breathing grew heavy with emotion. She felt utterly humiliated by the situation. She was the senior direct disciple of Yixian Gate. If she wanted cultivation resources, she never needed to sell herself or her services. A few batches of her pills would have been more than enough to gain anything she needed. Wherever she went, people treated her with the utmost respect. How could she have fallen to such a state?
"Too much. This is beyond disgrace."
Those four words were squeezed out through her clenched teeth.
Only after she calmed down slightly did Yunxi speak again.
"We saved you because we sensed that you had two souls in one body and deduced that you had been possessed. But if we want to take down Dengyun Tower from both the inside and outside, you'll need to go back. Are you willing to take that risk for us?"
Xia Yiwan took a deep breath, her eyes clearing with resolve.
"I'm willing. But I'm not the Xia Yiwan who was possessed by an evil cultivator. I don't remember anything from after I lost consciousness, and I know nothing about what's happening inside Dengyun Tower right now. If I go back like this, it will be easy to expose myself to them."
Yun Po chuckled, a confident glint in her eyes.
"Don't worry. This Lord has a way to send you back to Dengyun Tower without a hitch."