Chapter 26: The Unveiling of the Blood Slave Pill and a Drunken Rant

Unbeknownst to him, several kilometers away, Ye Qingfeng was laughing heartily, her face turned up to the sky.

A mere Blood s*ave Sect Origin Reversion Realm cultivator, daring to control her with such an outdated, worthless relic?

While she had indeed swallowed the Blood s*ave Pill, the truth was, this concoction was merely a control-type Gu worm.

Designed to hatch within the stomach, it would then descend into the cultivator’s Dantian, where it would feed upon and grow using the Dantian’s spiritual energy.

However, before the Blood s*ave Pill could even begin its incubation, Ye Qingfeng had already mobilized the spiritual energy within her body.

With the precise cooperation of the Xuan Yin Book Spirit, she had directly frozen the Blood s*ave Pill, thereby greatly retarding its hatching process.

While Chang Heyu could indeed sense the presence of the Gu worm within the Blood s*ave Pill, the timing of its hatching remained entirely beyond his control.

As long as the Blood Gu worm remained unhatched, it could not exert complete control over a cultivator.

Moreover, Ye Qingfeng possessed not just one, but several methods to extract the Blood Gu worm.

Suffice it to say, as a disciple of the Sky Philosophy Sect, she possessed an overwhelming advantage against these lower-realm cultivators of the Blood s*ave Sect; the intelligence gap between them was simply insurmountable.

Excellent.

The advantage is mine; I no longer see any path to defeat.

****

The Xuan Yin Book Spirit offered a timely caution: “Be careful, that old bastard doesn’t seem to fully trust you, Master.”

‘If he were so easily swayed into complete belief, he would scarcely have survived to this day.’

Ye Qingfeng remained unfazed.

Chang Heyu merely needed to believe that, in due time, a group of cultivators would arrive, forming a convenient sacrificial offering.

Her sole task was to provide the precise time and location.

As for the specific methods Chang Heyu would employ, another faction would unwittingly serve to uncover them for her.

The immediate priority was to rendezvous with Quan Haoqing.

****

The two had arranged to meet at a town tavern.

By the time Ye Qingfeng arrived, the establishment was in the throes of its busiest hours, with an unending stream of guests.

In the main hall, diners raised their cups in joyous clinks, savoring exquisite delicacies, while on the stage, a storyteller vividly brought tales from a book to life.

To uncultivated mortals, this was merely a common daily occurrence.

Yet, in the discerning eyes of cultivators, such scenes carried an overwhelming scent of the mundane world.

A mortal’s life rarely extended beyond a few decades.

Cultivators, however, even those merely in the Bone Cleansing Realm, boasted an average lifespan of one hundred and fifty years—a duration sufficient for most mortals to experience two complete lifetimes.

For immortal cultivators immersed in meditation, the passage of days and months often blurred into insignificance.

Like Ye Qingfeng, who had spent over forty years since entering the Sky Philosophy Sect, dedicating the majority of that time to cultivation, it was entirely normal for even her closest Senior and Junior Brothers to meet only once every month or two.

Should one become too deeply entangled with mortals, awakening from a single period of secluded cultivation might reveal a world utterly transformed, leaving only a lingering sense of melancholy.

Consequently, cultivators meticulously avoided forming overly deep connections with mortals, fearing that excessive emotional turmoil might give rise to inner demons.

Quan Haoqing had reserved a room in advance.

Ye Qingfeng, after a brief, fleeting glance at the vibrant scene, proceeded directly to their designated room.

Upon pushing open the door, she found Quan Haoqing already seated within.

Before Ye Qingfeng could utter a word, Quan Haoqing rose to his feet, a warm greeting spilling from his lips: “Ah, Fellow Daoist Ye, you’ve arrived.

I wasn’t late this time, was I?”

Observing Quan Haoqing’s demeanor, Ye Qingfeng paused for a moment, then instantly understood, shaking her head as she replied, “Of course not.

On the contrary, it is I who have kept Fellow Daoist Quan waiting.”

Once they were seated, Quan Haoqing first poured a cup of wine for Ye Qingfeng, then refilled his own, before promptly inquiring, “I wonder, Fellow Daoist Ye, what were your spoils?

Was that Blood s*ave Sect cultivator manageable?”

Ye Qingfeng calmly raised her teacup, taking a delicate sip before speaking: “As I anticipated, he was merely an existence that had just entered the Origin Reversion Realm.

With the extensive intelligence I possess regarding the Blood s*ave Sect, the two of you, if you plan carefully, will certainly be able to subdue him.

You might even acquire a low-grade magic treasure!

Fellow Daoist Quan, do you not still lack a suitable magic treasure?

It shall be yours then.”

Quan Haoqing, a mixture of surprise and delight flashing across his face, quickly demurred, “I merely provided assistance, Fellow Daoist; how could I ever aspire to such a treasure?

This magic treasure should, of course, remain with you.

I would be content with merely a few spirit stones.”

Ye Qingfeng waved a dismissive hand, speaking with an air of magnanimity: “It’s merely a low-grade magic treasure.

I already possess a more fitting one, and that item would be inconvenient for me to wield.

You should take it.

Fellow Daoist, simply exert yourself more when the time comes.”

Quan Haoqing immediately adopted a serious expression, stating, “Then I shall respectfully obey.

Rest assured, I can certainly pin him down for the duration of an incense stick’s burn.

However, what transpires after that, I cannot guarantee.

At that point, Fellow Daoist, you will need to unleash your divine abilities to eradicate the demonic and safeguard the righteous path.”

Ye Qingfeng drained the exquisite wine in her cup, a vibrant flush spreading across her cheeks.

‘Easily done, easily done.

The day we slay that Origin Reversion Realm cultivator, transcending realms, will be the very day we forge our legends!

Come, let us raise a toast to our glorious immortal path!’

Quan Haoqing rose, refilled Ye Qingfeng’s cup, then lifted his own, declaring, “Excellent.

If Fellow Daoist possesses such confidence, then I am greatly relieved.

Should there be no other pressing matters today, we shall not return until we are utterly drunk!”

Ye Qingfeng, her spirit equally soaring, also rose to her feet and clinked her cup against Quan Haoqing’s, proclaiming, “Indeed!

We shall not return until we are utterly drunk!”

****

As Quan Haoqing and Ye Qingfeng raised their cups and drank within the room, in the pavilion opposite, You An sat at a table laden with wine and dishes.

He leisurely sipped his drink, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the movements inside the room.

Though the cultivation technique he practiced was not particularly formidable, it significantly enhanced his sight and hearing.

Consequently, he could clearly discern the conversation within the room, even across the boisterous street.

His current vantage point, thoughtfully arranged by Quan Haoqing, required no intense scrutiny.

A mere glance from the corner of his eye was enough to clearly observe every detail within the room.

This was hardly an assignment for surveillance; it was, in essence, an opportunity for pure indulgence.

However, upon hearing Ye Qingfeng casually bestow a low-grade magic treasure upon Quan Haoqing, You An suddenly found the exquisite delicacies before him tasting like chewed wax.

Never one of virtuous inclination, he immediately began to scheme how he might claim the treasure for himself.

Yet, the moment his thoughts turned to the integrity of his own boss, he deflated like a frost-bitten eggplant, unable to even lift his head.

How could such a windfall ever fall to him?

He would be fortunate to receive a few spirit stones after the task was completed.

The magic treasures, undoubtedly, would be divided between the boss and the second-in-command.

A wave of dissatisfaction and vexation immediately surged through his heart.

Immediately thereafter, he overheard the two individuals inside the room discussing matters pertaining to their gang.

He heard Ye Qingfeng, seemingly emboldened by the wine, ask Quan Haoqing, “Fellow Daoist Quan, have you ever heard of the Mighty Tiger Gang?”

Quan Haoqing shook his head.

“Never heard of them.

Are they particularly renowned?”

Ye Qingfeng, swirling her wine cup, scoffed, “Hmph, a pack of scoundrels who raid homes and engage in banditry; they certainly possess a notorious reputation.

I, too, have recently found myself targeted by them as a ‘fat sheep’.”

“That truly is an unfortunate turn of events.”

Ye Qingfeng chuckled, “It’s nothing, truly nothing.

What was their boss’s name again?

Oh, Rong Guangliang.

He’s nothing more than a disorganized rabble, silent as a muffled gourd all day long, never uttering a word.

He’s as stubborn and foul as a stone in a latrine.

He simply adores having his unlearned, fawning lackey convey his intentions, believing this somehow upholds his authority.”

“But consider this: for the fox to assume the tiger’s might (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to use someone else’s power to intimidate others), there must be a genuine tiger lurking behind it, mustn’t there?

He himself possesses meager abilities, merely fortunate enough to have gained some power through betraying his own brothers.

We’ve privately ridiculed his entire charade countless times.

Besides tormenting his own subordinates, can he truly intimidate us?”

“And furthermore, tell me, are those who follow him truly demented?

If aligning with him meant acquiring a few spirit stones or perhaps a magic treasure, then perhaps it would be understandable, for we are all rogue cultivators, intimately familiar with each other’s arduous struggles.”

“But the crux of the matter is, by following that scoundrel, apart from him and his lackey reaping benefits, aren’t the rest merely pigs and dogs, exploited without mercy?

Oh, and I even heard some individuals have to pay money to join, hahahaha, truly ‘qila monkeys’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘qí lā hóu,’ referring to someone who is foolishly exploited or a clown)!”

Crack!

Amidst the sharp crack of shattering porcelain, the wine cup in You An’s hand instantly exploded, its fragments scattering like deadly darts throughout the room, embedding themselves deeply into the wooden boards.

Fortunately, the room was empty save for You An, whose face was a tempest of dark, fluctuating emotions, a mottled blend of green and purple.

Had Ye Qingfeng not been ostensibly unaware of his presence, he would have been convinced her words were a direct, scathing insult aimed squarely at him.

You An gritted his teeth in a paroxysm of rage, abruptly rising from the table, consumed by a fierce desire to immediately charge forth and tear Ye Qingfeng limb from limb.

Yet, the moment he considered the repercussions of such an action, he deflated like a punctured football, sinking back into his chair.

He savagely ripped open a wine jar and began to violently pour its contents down his throat.

Quan Haoqing had prepared only the finest wines for him, but You An’s reckless consumption caused more than half of the precious liquid to cascade down his neck, thoroughly drenching his clothes.

Before long, the room was thick with the potent scent of alcohol; indeed, a single spark might have sufficed to ignite a fiery inferno.

You An had utterly lost all inclination for surveillance; his sole desire was to drink himself into oblivion.

It seemed Quan Haoqing had anticipated this very scenario, for he had prepared no less than ten jars of wine specifically for him.

Without employing spiritual energy to dispel the alcohol, You An had already passed out by the time he had poured the third jar down his throat.

What You An did not know was that after he fell into a drunken stupor, a figure quietly pushed open the door and entered.

Upon seeing You An sprawled across the table, snoring loudly, the newcomer cursed under their breath, “You An, you little scoundrel!

I’m down there drinking plain water, and here you are, feasting and drinking to your heart’s content.

Not only that, you’ve even passed out!”

The newcomer was Xie Xiang, who was supposed to be secretly monitoring.

He had originally intended to diligently carry out his surveillance duties.