Half a month later, Wu Ruo and Yu Lin returned from Tianhe Water Mansion, weary from travel.
Xinyou District, Lu Ku's residence.
"Yinfiend Dust." Wu Ruo handed Lu Ku a fist-sized clay pot.
Yu Lin followed close behind, his grayish-white robe still speckled with black-red bloodstains.
Clearly, their lavish spending spree to buy Yinfiend Dust had drawn some trouble.
"Thank you for your hard work." Lu Ku spoke solemnly.
The two nodded slightly and took their seats.
The others also looked at the clay pot with delight in their eyes.
"Gongsun Sheng can only use the Heart-Linking Rope to connect one person at a time. His control over it is still shallow."
"As long as we consume half of this Yinfiend Dust, we may be able to break free from his control."
"The pain of bone erosion and heart-piercing agony will be unavoidable during this cultivation. But we only need to endure it for a while."
"The scales of victory have already tipped in our favor." Lu Ku spoke confidently.
"Wonderful!" Ai Ji slapped the armrest of his chair and burst into laughter.
"If Gongsun Sheng learns that we've escaped his control and brought Lin Su before him, his expression will surely be a sight to see."
"Haha..."
The others' expressions also eased.
Bzz!
A faint hum, like the fluttering of bee wings, suddenly sounded in the room.
Everyone turned toward the doorway in unspoken accord. A cold, stern-faced young woman sat there expressionlessly.
Ai Ji's eyes went wide. "Shi Xian, you..."
The indifferent girl with her hair in a bun parted her lips slightly. "Ah, I seem to see a black rope."
"Is that the Heart-Linking Rope?"
"It would make a pretty good hair tie."
The faces of everyone in the room immediately darkened.
"Gongsun Sheng's Heart-Linking Incantation has