Chapter 39: The Poisoned Investigator and the Determined Sword Child

Murong Fier pushed aside the cave’s curtain, letting out a soft breath of relief as she saw Xian Yuan stirring awake.

“Sister Murong, what did you do to me yesterday?”

“Nothing much, I just saw you were poisoned, so I knocked you out.”

Murong Fier smoothed her dark, lustrous hair, slowly explaining, “I kept the mushrooms you ate yesterday. I figured you’d want to record them, so I didn’t get rid of them.”

“Can I not eat them?”

Gazing at the cold mushroom salad on the table, Xian Yuan recalled the events of the previous day, instinctively feeling an aversion to eating them.

“As an investigator, are you truly going to shrink away from such a trivial difficulty? That simply won’t do.”

“Won’t do?!”

Hearing this, Xian Yuan’s competitive spirit immediately flared; how could a woman be told she ‘won’t do’?

Xian Yuan swung her legs off the bed, approaching the table with a momentary flicker of hesitation in her eyes as she gazed at the bowl of cold mushroom salad. Nevertheless, her body proved more honest, lifting the bowl.

“Come on, All in! Bottoms up!”

Xian Yuan, without another thought, swallowed several mushrooms. Beside her, Murong Fier silently produced her Demon Slaying Spear, ready to strike Xian Yuan’s head at any moment.

****

Outside, Shen Xiulan and her companions had just risen, preparing to make their way to the grand competition venue.

‘Do not inquire why cultivators require sleep; the simple answer is that they, too, relish life’s pleasures.’

“Island Master Shen, someone is looking for you.”

A female cultivator, having found Shen Xiulan’s room number, spoke into the intercom mounted outside the door.

“Let her in, then?”

Shen Xiulan, having just completed her morning ablutions, paused in surprise. Who could possibly be seeking her out at this hour? Could it be Lu Dong from the Heavenly Chosen Palace?

Shen Xiulan approached the door and opened it, revealing a young woman of formidable spirit and grace, a true heroine, standing before her.

“Grand Void Sword Child Jun Jinghong.”

‘How could it be her!’

Shen Xiulan had never imagined Jun Jinghong would be the one to arrive. ‘It shouldn’t be possible; that artifact can conceal one’s aura. How did she find me?’

“Greetings, Island Master Shen.”

Jun Jinghong offered a respectful bow.

“Come in, we can discuss matters inside.”

As Jun Jinghong stepped into Shen Xiulan’s room, a refreshing scent of herbs and wood greeted her. The furnishings were simple yet elegant, and everything appeared meticulously arranged. Nevertheless, Jun Jinghong’s keen eye immediately discerned that many of the decorative items were, in fact, rare and valuable artifacts.

Shen Xiulan, meanwhile, found a stool and began to brew tea.

“Thank you, Island Master Shen.”

Jun Jinghong’s gaze swept slowly across the room as she spoke. “As expected of the Eastern Sea’s most luxurious hotel, the decor truly stands apart.”

‘Do not ask why a cultivation world has hotels; it is because the Qiyuan Realm and the Crow Feather Region are interconnected. The Crow Feather Region is modern, so it is quite normal for the Qiyuan Realm, as its subordinate world, to possess modern elements.’

“Grand Void Sword Child, to what do we owe this sudden visit?”

“Island Master Shen, I wish to know Xian Yuan’s whereabouts.”

“How did you find out?”

The moment Jun Jinghong uttered her question, Shen Xiulan realized there was no longer any point in concealment.

“The Grand Void Sword Pavilion naturally possesses its own methods. I merely wish to inquire, Island Master Shen, as to Xian Yuan’s current location.”

“Xian Yuan has already departed the Eastern Sea, and her whereabouts are unknown.”

“Thank you, Island Master Shen.”

Having gleaned the information about Xian Yuan, Jun Jinghong had no intention of lingering, and she rose, preparing to depart.

“Sword Child Jun, don’t you wish to inquire further?”

Observing Jun Jinghong’s impending departure, Shen Xiulan couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned. ‘Why hasn’t she asked why I saved Xian Yuan?’

“There’s no need for further words. If Island Master Shen does not wish to speak, I will not coerce her. Furthermore, I do not care how many romantic entanglements Xian Yuan has accumulated; all that matters to me is that the final outcome is our joyous union. Everything else is inconsequential,” Jun Jinghong stated calmly.

It turned out that following the Immortal Jade Pavilion incident, Jun Jinghong’s Sword Heart had grown unstable. She had sought a definitive answer: if Xian Yuan chose not to be with her, she would then abandon all emotional attachments and cultivate the Grand Dao of Forgetful Love Sword Art, effectively nullifying their thirty-year pact.

However, this thought was discovered by the Grand Void Sword God, the Old Ancestor of the Grand Void Sword Pavilion, who subsequently offered Jun Jinghong guidance and enlightenment. From then on, Jun Jinghong’s perspective shifted; as long as she could joyously marry Xian Yuan, nothing else held significance. Consequently, her initial desire for a mere answer transformed into an unyielding determination to claim Xian Yuan, no matter the means.

As for the thirty-year pact, its terms had been drastically altered: if she were to lose, she would marry Xian Yuan; if she were to win, Xian Yuan would marry her—and even if Xian Yuan were unwilling, the Old Ancestor had promised to personally ensure their forceful union!

Xian Yuan’s potential thought: ‘Oh no, they’re coming for me.’

‘Xian Yuan, you’d best pray for good fortune; the Grand Void Sword Child is veering dangerously close to yandere tendencies,’ Shen Xiulan muttered inwardly. While she could understand Jun Jinghong’s perspective, such a forceful display of affection was ultimately ill-advised. Furthermore, Xian Yuan’s true gender was female! Given the Grand Void Sword Child’s current state, her Sword Heart would likely shatter the moment she discovered Xian Yuan was a woman.

“In that case, I shall not see Sword Child Jun out. The Eastern Sea Secret Realm still requires our stewardship, after all.”

“Then I shall accompany you, to observe the demeanor of the disciples from the various great sects of the Eastern Sea.”

“Uh… wasn’t Sword Child Jun in a hurry to find Xian Yuan?”

“No hurry. My Grand Void Sword Pavilion possesses its own methods for locating Xian Yuan. Today, I merely came to confirm if Xian Yuan was with Island Master Shen; if she were, the Old Ancestor of my Grand Void Sword Pavilion would personally retrieve her and bring her back to the Grand Void Sword Pavilion.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Xiulan genuinely wanted to slap herself for her loose tongue. ‘And for Xian Yuan’s sake, did you truly need to invoke that woman, Xi Chaoyuan? If I were to admit today that Xian Yuan is on Heavenly Gate Island, Xi Chaoyuan would undoubtedly arrive personally tomorrow to issue threats, wouldn’t she?’

A bitter pang twisted in Shen Xiulan’s heart. There was a profound reason Xi Chaoyuan was hailed as the Grand Void Sword God; had it not been for Green Lotus Sword God Yun Yi’s superior prowess, the title of Sword God would have undoubtedly been hers alone in those days. Nevertheless, Shanzhou still acknowledged Xi Chaoyuan’s Sword God title, proclaiming her and Yun Yi as the “Twin Sword Gods of the World.”

“Well then, Sword Child Jun, please make yourself at home.”

Shen Xiulan’s inner thought was a silent plea: ‘Xian Yuan, just don’t expose yourself.’

****

Within the secret realm, Xian Yuan lay utterly limp on the bed, a portrait of utter despair. Foam frothed at her lips, her eyes rolled back, and she appeared on the very brink of death.

“It seems this one is highly poisonous.”

Murong Fier was diligently recording notes on Xian Yuan’s phone. While Xian Yuan should have been the one documenting, it was hardly appropriate to make someone write while poisoned and delirious. Thus, Murong Fier proactively offered her assistance.

Murong Fier observed the poisonous mushroom Xian Yuan had bitten halfway through. Stepping forward, she took it in her hand and then used her spiritual energy to cut an incision into it. As the mushroom was sliced open, its white inner flesh was revealed, yet the moment the incision was made, that pristine white began to slowly transform into a deep purple.

“Let’s call this unknown fungus ‘Purple-Hand Mushroom’.”

Gazing at the mushroom as it gradually turned purple, Murong Fier recalled another type of fungus, the Green-Hand Mushroom. Both species changed color upon being cut. However, the Green-Hand Mushroom served as the primary ingredient for refining Nascent Soul Pills. ‘Could this Purple-Hand Mushroom possess a similar efficacy?’

As practice reveals truth, Murong Fier retrieved a small alchemy furnace from her spatial ring. Though exquisitely small, this was no ordinary cauldron for concocting medicine; instead, it was the “Thousand Jade Cauldron,” an Immortal-grade alchemy furnace passed down through her family. It was widely known that artifacts and pills in the Qiyuan Realm were categorized into six grades—Divine, Immortal, Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow—with Divine-grade items being exceedingly rare and Immortal-grade ones also few in number. Originally, Murong Fier had not intended to employ the Thousand Jade Cauldron for refining a Nascent Soul Pill, a medicine suited for the Nascent Soul stage, but for the sake of the person lying incapacitated on the bed, she ultimately opted for the Thousand Jade Cauldron.

As Murong Fier was not a professional alchemist, she could only follow the rudimentary alchemy knowledge stored in her mind. First, she placed the Purple-Hand Mushroom over the flames within the alchemy furnace. As the fire intensified, the mushroom’s color slowly transitioned from its original vibrant red to a translucent hue. She then carefully removed the Purple-Hand Mushroom, added several other medicinal ingredients, and once the Purple-Hand Mushroom had completely melted, she commenced the purification process…