Chapter 66

Lin Du and Xia Tianwu walked side by side for a while.

Suddenly, she spoke, “Can you tell what kind of Gu the Gu master is cultivating?”

Xia Tianwu shook his head. “If a Gu master’s life Gu is discovered, they can be easily targeted. Little poison is hard to cure. The poison on that person’s body is various toxins, not Little poison. I suspect it’s a Gu that thrives on yin and poison.”

Lin Du lowered her eyes, tapping the handle of her fan with her fingers. “When a Gu master is backlashed by their Gu insects, what do they rely on to suppress it?”

Xia Tianwu walked steadily beside her. “If they cultivate yin poison, they use yang poison to suppress the backlash. It’s a common method among Gu masters, using poison to counter poison, but it can damage their foundation.”

“Could it involve a virgin girl?” Lin Du suddenly stopped walking.

Xia Tianwu paused briefly, then shook his head. “Not to the point of consuming flesh and blood, no need for that.”

After all, harming others would incur karmic consequences, and even Gu masters are subject to life tribulations.

She glanced at Lin Du again, carefully choosing her words. “Uncle Junior Master, maybe while you’re reading storybooks, you could also brush up on some basic medical knowledge?”

Other than the evil cultivators from Fanqian City, what decent cultivators still believe in such things as the yang energy of virgin girls?

Lin Du realized she had once again made a mistake, clinging to outdated ideas from modern times. She silently lowered her head. “You’re right. I’ll start studying when I get back.”

“However, that Gu master is indeed a bit strange.” Xia Tianwu furrowed her brow slightly. “His pulse was as regular as what’s described in the medical manuals. I’ve never encountered such a standard case of poison-induced pulses. If I had a disciple, I would definitely have them experience it firsthand.”

Lin Du’s heart stirred, and she gently rubbed the slanted pattern on her folding fan. “What level of cultivation is that person at?”

Xia Tianwu hesitated for a moment. “In his current state, even Yuan Ye could beat him down.”

“And in peak condition?”

“He’d be a bit stronger than Senior Brother.”

Lin Du pondered. Mo Lin has a natural spirit bone. If we compare their ability to absorb spiritual energy, no one can surpass him, so he doesn’t need to spend much time meditating and can focus on other things. His physical skills are top-notch among the hundred generations of disciples.

“But it’s different. Senior Brother excels in physical and spiritual power, while that person’s strength is strange.”

Lin Du understood—one was focused on physical attacks, the other on magical attacks.

The group split up, and Lin Du, accompanied by two junior disciples, was led by the village chief to a field long covered by snow. “This formation is simple, but it requires walking quite a bit.”

“But Uncle Junior Master, at this time, is there anything left in the field?” Yuan Ye looked at the vast expanse of snow.

“Winter wheat, and some spiritual plants sown in autumn.” Before the village chief could answer, Yan Qing blurted out, “A good snow year foretells a bountiful harvest. When the wheat is covered in snow for three layers, people will sleep well next year.”

“You even know that, Junior master?” The village chief glanced in surprise at the youth in blue robes. “I thought…”

“Just because we’re scholars doesn’t mean we don’t know the basics of farming.” Yan Qing glanced at Yuan Ye. “It’s understandable that you royal family members wouldn’t know.”

“Well, not quite. My second uncle loves farming and even tried to get me into it.” Yuan Ye scratched his head. “But I want to learn opera.”

Lin Du confirmed the locations of the fields and the village.

“However, Junior master, the materials for defensive formations are expensive. For us common folks, losing some farmland or livestock is no big deal, but setting up a full formation might not be worth it.”

“I’ve probed the soul of the tiger demon earlier. There’s a group of wolf demons on this mountain, along with a bear demon that hasn’t hibernated yet, and some sneaky rodents that steal chickens.” Lin Du paused. “Besides, don’t three-tenths of your spiritual plants get supplied to our sect? My Senior Brother insisted we must protect your village and fields.”

She smiled. “Don’t worry, since this is our territory, Supreme Sect is obligated to defend it.”

Besides, these simple, low-level formations are so easy that they don’t require precise calculations. The materials and resources have already been provided to her, so it’s not a big deal.

Under the village chief’s nervous and grateful gaze, Lin Du retrieved an iron lion from her storage ring.

The iron lion landed heavily on the thick snow, sinking several inches deep.

The village chief stepped back. “Junior master, surely our village doesn’t need an iron lion to ward off beasts?”

“Oh, no.” Lin Du reached out, gripping the lion’s ear, and slowly applied force, tearing off a piece of the black gold metal.

The village chief’s pupils trembled, and he watched as the earless lion was stored away again.

Lin Du weighed the piece of black gold. “This should be enough.”

She began swiftly breaking the black gold into smaller pieces.

The village chief was stunned.

“Pardon me, this black gold block is a bit large, so I made it into a lion for fun. It’s just a hassle to use.”

Yan Qing, standing nearby, hesitated. Hadn’t He Gui provided materials for a beast-repelling formation? Those materials weren’t particularly valuable. Why was Uncle Junior Master using black gold, which is reserved for high-level formations?

But Lin Du had already started setting up the formation. Yan Qing and Yuan Ye followed her instructions, running around to assist. They finished just as night began to fall, and the formation was activated.

The village chief thanked them profusely. “We’ve prepared a simple meal with local dishes and some modest wine. I hope you won’t mind.”

Yan Qing was about to decline, but Lin Du said, “Thank you for your kindness. We cultivators have small appetites, so we’ll just eat a little. There’s no need to prepare too much. We’ll stay for one night and head back to the sect tomorrow after ensuring everything is fine.”

The group walked back to the village chief’s courtyard.

Yan Qing approached Lin Du and, using his spiritual sense, asked, “Uncle Junior Master, isn’t the formation you set up more than just a beast-repelling one?”

Lin Du smiled at the tall young man. “It’s just in case. The materials are trivial.”

No matter what the market price, once something was in Lin Du’s hands, its value was only one thing: expendable.

Only those who can set up formations are truly valuable.

Moreover, those two iron lions would last her until the end of time, and she could even sell a few dozen pounds of them to make some extra money.

The three others had returned to help, and Lin Du exchanged a glance with Xia Tianwu. Without even using spiritual sense to communicate, she understood that Xia Tianwu had discovered something odd at the scene.

“There is indeed a faint trace of Yin Sha energy, very subtle. I also noticed a small amount of poison residue by the window frame.”

Lin Du’s hand, which had just picked up the chopsticks, trembled slightly. Had she washed her hands? At the crime scene earlier, it seemed she might have touched something.

Before Xia Tianwu could finish speaking, she saw her junior master aunt awkwardly casting the cleansing spell twice, even forming an ice crystal in her hand to scrub with. Then she swallowed a Five-Flavored Detox Pill.

That was close—she almost got poisoned.

Lin Du quickly resumed her smile and calmly explained to the village chief, “It’s nothing. I’ve always been weak, so I need to take medicine before meals.”

The group tactfully avoided the topic, except for Shao Fei, who quietly asked the seemingly innocent girl beside him, “Why is your junior master aunt naturally weak? Was she born with an illness? Can she still cultivate like that?”

Ni Jinxuan felt a bit upset, though not at Shao Fei. Normally, Lin Du was carefree and uninhibited, like a winter snowstorm—she had never seemed this unwell. Her pale face just now might have been from using too much spiritual energy in the fight with the tiger demon.

Out of politeness, she replied, “Of course! Our junior master aunt is the most gifted of all, and among the new disciples, she has the highest cultivation level.”

“But being so frail, can she still practice those techniques and physical skills?” Shao Fei added. “I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just that since all of you listen to her, she must be very powerful.”

Ni Jinxuan instinctively felt something was off. Her junior master aunt had taught her that when people say, “I don’t mean anything by it,” they usually do mean something, and it’s rarely something good.

She was about to say something when a familiar, smiling voice echoed in her spiritual sense: “Tell her, aside from my high cultivation, I can’t practice anything else. That’s why I’m only responsible for giving orders, as I’m weak and helpless, relying on you all to protect me.”