Yunxi held a high-grade spirit stone in her hand, the cool surface of the crystal resting against her palm, and absorbed the pure energy within it as she weighed her words carefully before she spoke.
"Beast King Lu Zhihui, based on the nature of the energy I sensed, the one who planted the evil seed in you should have been a female cultivator."
After a long while, Lu Zhihui finally replied with a single, muffled "Mm," his expression turning somber as he stared at the wall of the cave, clearly not wanting to say more about the incident.
Yunxi wanted to know more about the individual responsible for such a scheme. After thinking for a moment, she flicked her sleeve and pushed forward a portrait formed from shimmering spiritual energy, one depicting the various female disciples of Dengyun Tower she had encountered. She asked carefully, "Is that female cultivator among these people?"
Lu Zhihui lifted his gaze, swept it once across the flickering images, then shook his head.
"It isn't any of them. Her cultivation was at the late Out-of-Body stage back then, far stronger than these disciples."
After hesitating for several heartbeats, he used a surge of demonic power to sketch another portrait in the air and pushed it toward Yunxi.
"This Lord doesn't know if this was her real appearance, but I vaguely remember she had a pleasant hibiscus scent on her, a floral aroma that was hard to forget."
Yunxi nodded and carefully memorized the woman's refined features and the details he mentioned before dispersing the image with a wave of her hand.
Lu Zhihui pressed his lips together, his expression slightly awkward as he looked away.
"That was the only time I ever had contact with a human cultivator in such a manner. After entering a human city for experience, I ran into her. She seemed to be fleeing from someone in the shadows, and her spiritual energy was probably almost depleted from the journey. After we collided head-on in an alley, she fainted from exhaustion.
"This Lord felt a moment of pity for her plight and took her to a temporary residence. She didn't ake up at all that day, so I meditated nearby to recover my own strength and didn't rashly try to heal her with my beast power.
But in the latter half of the night, the hibiscus scent on her grew stronger, filling the entire room. This Lord lost focus for a moment, and somehow we just, cough."
Lu Zhihui covered the memory with a light cough, his gaze shifting. Yunxi understood the implication instantly. He had dual cultivated with that female cultivator. She just didn't know whether he initiated it, was tempted by the intoxicating scent, or whether they simply went along with it naturally in the silence of the night.
"The next day, when this Lord woke up, she was already gone from the residence. She didn't leave a single word behind for me. I searched the entire city and found no trace of her presence, so I eventually went to other cities to temper myself further. I never encountered her again, and the matter ended there."
After listening to the story, Yunxi analyzed the facts calmly.
"Based on what you said, it should be that female cultivator who planted the evil seed in you during that night. Her cultivation was lower than yours at the time, so she chose to lie low within your core. You didn't notice the intrusion either, which let the evil seed remain dormant and undetected until now.
She controlled you to trigger the beast tide to coordinate with her companions stealing the Yixian Gate's Undying Tree. The massive beast tide was meant to tie down part of Yixian Gate's forces and make their actions within the sect easier."
Lu Zhihui's face darkened at the realization of being used. "That is probably it. It's just that there is no way to confirm it now. If I ever meet her again in the future, this Lord will tear her to pieces for the insult."
Being schemed against like that wasn't something he was proud of as a Beast King.
Yunxi's task was complete, and her spiritual energy had mostly recovered from the spirit stone. She stood up from her seat to leave. This time, Lu Zhihui didn't stop her or try to keep her there. With a wave of his sleeve, he sent her and Bing Li out of the Coiled Dragon Mountain Range and back toward civilization.
After entering Xiaolong City and finding a quiet spot, Bing Li finally asked impatiently, "Ran Xi, was the black aura on the Beast King's inner core completely removed? Who exactly was controlling Beast King Lu Zhihui?"
Seeing Bing Li's gossip-filled face, Yunxi knew her well-informed instincts had kicked in. She shared what she could of the encounter.
Bing Li clicked her tongue in amazement and sent a voice transmission. "I didn't expect even Beast King Lu Zhihui couldn't get past a beauty. He ended up dual cultivating in a daze and got an evil seed planted in him. Luckily his cultivation was high back then; otherwise, he would have been controlled by an evil soul on the spot."
Yunxi sighed as well, her eyes scanning the crowd. "You're right. That's why you can't just pick up cultivators you find on the roadside. Who knows what their background or intentions are."
Bing Li nodded in agreement, then said, "Can you show me that female cultivator's portrait? I might know who she is."
She didn't refuse the request. After avoiding the gaze of others, she used spiritual energy to sketch the portrait again in the air and pushed it toward Bing Li.
When Bing Li saw the face, surprise flashed in her eyes. She looked twice more to be certain and asked, "Ran Xi, are you sure it's this female cultivator?"
"I'm sure. Beast King Lu Zhihui drew it himself. You know her?"
Bing Li nodded, her expression turning complicated. "She is Sheng Xia, the first companion of Su Jing, the eldest young master of the reclusive Su family. She grew up alongside the Su brothers as childhood friends."
This time, Yunxi was stunned by the connection. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure. You previously asked me to look into Su Miu, so everyone related to him was within the scope of my investigation. Sheng Xia is like a white moonlight in the hearts of both Su Jing and Su Miu. There's no way I would remember her face wrong."
Yunxi's eyes shifted slightly as she thought. "Interesting. It looks like this Lord definitely has to visit the Su family."
Bing Li caught the implication and sent another voice transmission. "That Feng Jiayun is related to you."
It was a statement, not a question. Yunxi replied with a faint smile, "Bing Li, you're the Spirit Region's well-informed one. You should already know what her relationship to this Lord is. There's no need to test me on this."
Bing Li laughed softly. "When you asked me to gather information, I also checked Feng Jiayun's background. I found out she isn't a cultivator originally from this realm. You also asked about her specifically. Combined with the earlier ascension of the entire Wei Yu Realm, I had a guess. After following that lead, I actually found something. I didn't expect her to be your mother."
"Yes. It's just that our bond as mother and daughter is shallow. She went missing while exploring a cultivator's cave with my father long ago. When my father returned, he told me she had fallen. I was only five back then.
Later, I retrieved her soul lamp from the Feng family's Soul Lamp Hall and learned she hadn't fallen. But because it crossed realms, the soul lamp was extremely weak. Knowing she was still alive put my heart at ease. As for whether we could meet again, that depended on fate and cultivation.
What I didn't expect was that after ascending to the Spirit Region, the soul lamp couldn't guide this Lord to her. It wasn't until Su Miu came knocking that I learned my mother was in the Su family and had a new partner and children.
That's why this Lord could never use the soul lamp to find her. Last time, this Lord and Su Miu parted on bad terms. I planned to visit the Su family after settling Yixian Gate's matters. Now, it seems this Lord has no choice but to go. I just don't know whether Sheng Xia planted the evil seed into anyone else in the Su family."
Bing Li's eyes rolled as she said, "Ran Xi, I have got a way to pass this news to the Su family and make them come to see you themselves. What do you think?"
Yunxi smiled warmly at the suggestion. "Sure. That way, it becomes them begging this Lord, not this Lord having to go to the Su family."
"Hehe. Don't worry. I'll make sure it's done properly."
Bing Li wanted to watch the drama unfold, so not long after returning to Yixian Gate with Yunxi, she sent the news back to the Su family using her own channels.
-
At that time, Su Miu had already returned to the Su family lands, his clothes torn and his body covered in injuries from their clash. The first thing he did was meet the Su family Ancestor and disparage Yunxi from head to toe. After that, he went to see Feng Jiayun.
"Feng Jiayun, I went to bring your daughter back to the Su family so you could reunite. Not only was she ungrateful, she even turned her blade on me. She said she doesn't want to see you again. I think you should stop trying to warm a cold face with your own enthusiasm.
Wei Yunxi isn't a five-year-old child anymore. Her cultivation is on par with mine, and she doesn't need your protection. You should put all your attention on Zisheng instead."