Cheng Yue also felt the atmosphere was a bit strange.
Why did... she somehow sense a hint of jealousy in the air? Who was Second Senior Sister jealous of?
This thought was too absurd, so she quickly shook it off.
In the end, it was the Sixteenth Elder who broke the awkward silence by grabbing Song Yao. “Your master said you are gravely ill. Come with me.”
Song Yao: “...”
You are the one who is gravely ill.
She was dragged into the Ward-Off-Illness Pavilion like a dead fish. Ninth Elder and He Yu rushed over, wailing and shouting outside the doors, “Old Sixteenth, you must cure her! I only have these two disciples! Neither of them can die!”
“Sixteenth Elder, we are counting on you! I only have this one junior sister!!”
Inside, Song Yao was also wailing. “What are you doing with those silver needles?!”
“Isn't this just a checkup?!”
“Put those needles down!”
“I don't want a checkup anymore!”
“Help! Murder!”
She was squirming so vigorously that the Sixteenth Elder felt a strange sense of familiarity. Out of options, he pulled out an immobilization talisman.
Before he could use it, the curtain was lifted, and Zhu Zhao walked in unhurriedly. “I'll help.”
The person on the couch quieted down at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The Sixteenth Elder raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Oh? Old Ninth's new disciple seems to rely on our A-Zhao quite a bit. She stopped being afraid the moment you walked in.”
Song Yao: “?”
Which of your eyes saw me relying on her?
She was clearly just afraid that moving too much would expose her.
Zhu Zhao curled her lips expressionlessly and stood by the couch like a giant Buddha statue.
“Now, don't move. I work very fast. Just pretend you're a dead pig.”
“?”
The moment a long, thin silver needle pierced the top of her head, Song Yao reflexively reached out to grab onto something beside her, seeking a shred of psychological comfort.
As luck would have it, she grabbed a handful of Zhu Zhao's sleeve.
In her past life, if she had grabbed Zhu Zhao like this, she would have been sent flying with a single punch. But now...
Not only did Zhu Zhao show no intention of beating her to death, but she actually held her hand.
Song Yao: “...”
She suddenly felt the benefits of rebirth. If Zhu Zhao knew that the hand she was holding belonged to her rival Third Senior Sister, she would probably want to chop her own arm off.
The more she thought about it, the more amusing she found it. But before she knew it, several more silver needles pierced her forehead, and she contorted in pain once again. “Help! Help! Help!”
This time, neither of them could hold her down, so they had to use the immobilization talisman.
Only after all the silver needles were in did the actual examination begin.
The Sixteenth Elder tapped his finger, and a warm-colored spiritual energy surged out, completely enveloping Song Yao.
The pain gradually subsided, and her body felt nourished, becoming clear and comfortable.
Just as drowsiness washed over her, the Sixteenth Elder withdrew his hand. His brow furrowed deeply, and his expression turned extremely grim.
Song Yao sat up with a head full of silver needles. “What's wrong?”
The Sixteenth Elder let out a long sigh. “Let your master and senior brother in.”
Song Yao: “...”
Why did this feel like a doctor telling her to say her final goodbyes to her family? Did terminal illnesses exist in the cultivation world too?
As someone who had already died once, such things could no longer ruffle her feathers. She smiled faintly. “It's fine. I can listen on my own. Go ahead.”
The Sixteenth Elder was slightly surprised. Just moments ago, this girl was crying and screaming in pain, yet now she was so calm.
With a grave expression, he retrieved the silver needles, gathered his sleeves, and glanced at Zhu Zhao.
Seeing that she had no intention of leaving, he continued, “There is nothing majorly wrong with your physical body, only that it is slightly depleted and weak. However, I suspect... your soul is damaged and missing a part.”
“A missing soul?!”
A startled cry rang out from outside, and Ninth Elder burst through the door with a bang. “She is just a young girl, how could she have a missing soul?! You quack, did you make a mistake somewhere?”
The Sixteenth Elder's face darkened. “I traveled thousands of miles to treat your disciple, and you call me a quack?”
“If you aren't a quack, how could you diagnose something as absurd as a missing soul? Call Shen Queshan here and let him examine my disciple!”
Shen Queshan was the vice pavilion master of the Ward-Off-Illness Pavilion, and also Song Yao's eldest senior brother. He had always been extremely sharp. Song Yao was quite afraid of meeting him.
Panicking for a brief moment, she forced herself to stay calm and interrupted, “Sixteenth Elder, what kind of impact does a missing soul have?”
“Naturally, there are effects.”
The Sixteenth Elder gave Ninth Elder a thoroughly annoyed glare before looking back at her. “First, you will be prone to sleepiness and palpitations. It must be related to why you faint whenever you attend lectures. Second, it depletes your lifespan, making your life expectancy shorter than others. However, if you cultivate diligently, you should be able to extend it. Third, you might lose your seven emotions and six desires.”
He then comforted her, “But everyone's situation is different. These effects might not necessarily manifest, so there's no need to be too anxious.”
He Yu, who was following closely behind Ninth Elder, asked anxiously, “How can she recover?”
The Sixteenth Elder shook his head. “A missing soul cannot be cured. But if you can find where that part of your soul was lost, there might still be a way to restore it.”
Song Yao lowered her head in thought. Where could her soul have been lost? Could it have been left in the Earth Realm before she died in her past life?”
She didn't dwell on it for long and instead comforted Ninth Elder and He Yu. “Master, Senior Brother, it's fine. As long as my life isn't in danger, it's okay.”
Ninth Elder shook his head sorrowfully. “Even if your life isn't in danger, no amount of nourishing seems to work on your body. It won't do to stay this weak forever.”
No wonder those miraculous elixirs and medicines had such a negligible effect on her. Anyone else would have become as strong as an ox by now.
“I'm fine.”
Song Yao hopped down from the couch. “I'll just eat more. Don't worry.”
Ninth Elder nodded. “That's all we can do for now. However, the Hall Master might have a way to locate your missing soul. Once he comes out of seclusion, I will go and ask him.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Go on. You and your senior brother head back to Baicao Peak first. I will catch up with Old Sixteenth and join you later.”
Stepping out of the Ward-Off-Illness Pavilion, Song Yao weighed the sword in her arms, plotting where would be the best place to sell it. Suddenly, a hand ruthlessly grabbed her collar and threw her onto the Black Bird. “Come here.”
The only thing left in her ears was the howling wind and He Yu's frantic scream, “Second Senior Sister! Where are you taking my little junior sister?!”
-
This was the second time Song Yao had entered Zhu Zhao's room.
The last time she came in, she had brought forty-nine fair-faced gigolos into Zhu Zhao's room.
When Zhu Zhao walked in, the room was filled with the clamor of male escorts, causing her fire spiritual root to erupt in a fit of rage on the spot.
She had thrown all the gigolos hundreds of miles away, and then chased Song Yao for ten days and ten nights while literally breathing fire.
In the end, she spent a fortune setting up a barrier that banned both the gigolos and Song Yao from entering.
Revisiting the old place, Song Yao was no longer the peerless expert who could match her blow for blow. She could only stand obediently in a dark corner of the wall and ask tentatively, “Second Senior Sister, is there something you need from me?”
Second Senior Sister stood close to her, wearing dark inner robes, her black hair half-bound, exuding an incredibly oppressive aura. “Why did you lose your soul? Where was it lost?”
Song Yao answered honestly, “I don't know.”
Pausing, she made up a lie. “Perhaps it was lost to those evil cultivators. They captured me before to refine me into pills.”
Zhu Zhao stared at her, seemingly weighing the truth of her words.
After a moment, she took half a step back. “Understood. You may leave.”
Song Yao: “...”
She had dragged her all the way to the main peak just to ask this one question?
Completely bewildered, she quickly made her exit.
Behind her, Zhu Zhao's gaze suddenly turned freezing cold. A transmission jade token shattered in her hand. “Bring over all the evil cultivators Xie Zhou captured during his suppression. I will interrogate them personally.”
The disciple on the other end of the transmission talisman was clearly startled by her tone, stammering, “B-but...”
“But what?”
“But after they were interrogated by Fourth Senior Brother that day, they somehow... all suddenly died.”
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