Your Recent Yang Qi

With the conversation over, life on Lotus Peak seemed to be back on track.

At dawn, Wangshu Fairy led You Su and Ji Lingruo familiarize themselves with the Lotus Birth Sword Technique.

Ji Lingruo took He Shutong's words to heart. She deliberately made a mistake in her actions, hoping that You Su would correct her.

When it came to teaching swordsmanship, Wangshu Fairy was quite serious and would often personally demonstrate and teach Ji Lingruo step by step, which made Ji Lingruo roll her eyes repeatedly. As a result, when You Su wanted to teach his older sister poetry, Ji Lingruo often retaliate by interfering.

When it was time to eat, You Su would cook, Ji Lingruo help, or they would dine together at Ancient Moon Residence. It is worth mentioning that the Third Elder came again during this period, and she arrived right at mealtime, once again reluctantly squeezing out You Su's seat. She claimed to be there to see Xiao Ling Lingruo, but Wangshu Fairy knew that she was just there to freeload.

In the afternoons, people usually have free time to cultivate, meditate, practice swordsmanship, or read cultivation classics such as sword scriptures. They can even sign up for lectures by elders. However, Ji Lingruo will go to the Lotus Birth Pool in the back mountain on time to perfect her Yang Sword Technique under the personal guidance of He Shutong.

Fang Gong Earth Wood Peak Team came again. Unable to reach Lotus Peak, he waited at the foot of the mountain for a long time. He expressed his appreciation for You Su's design. They had already made a preliminary model, but unfortunately, they still needed to conduct further research before putting it into practice on such a high mountain.

As for the evening, You Su and Ji Lingruo would go to the Lotus Birth Pool together. With He Shutong's explanation, the two gained a deeper understanding of evil spirits. He Shutong felt the warmth in the pond and shared all her knowledge of evil spirits with them in great detail. Therefore, she often taught until very late.

This meant that by the time the two returned to the courtyard after their lessons, the night was already deep and dark. This horrifying knowledge had completely overwhelmed Ji Lingruo; she was lost in shock and horror, and could only helplessly watch You Su return to her room.

Another factor preventing her from sneaking into her senior brother's room was the guardian spirit, Wangshu Fairy, which made Ji Lingruo miss the Mandarin Sword Sect where it was just her and her senior brother.

What's even harder to accept is that You Su seems to have absolutely no interest in that area, as if he has no intention of taking things further with her. She simply gave up trying to figure it out, and, in a fit of pique, decided to wait for this blind man, troubled by yang energy, to come to her on his own.

After cultivating for more than half a month, November arrived in the blink of an eye. Late autumn had passed, and winter on the mountain felt even colder than at the foot of the mountain. Ji Lingruo continued to stabilize her rapidly increasing cultivation, while You Su also surprisingly touched the threshold of the perfect Spirit Platform Middle Stage.

But You Su's uneventful life seemed destined not to last long, First Elder, carrying his so-called 'opportunity,' visited Lotus Peak.

The First Elder remained as kind and approachable as ever, showing none of the airs of someone who was the second-best person in a top-tier sect.

"Hello First Elder."

You Su and Ji Lingruo, and Wangshu Fairy also nodded in acknowledgment.

"This must be Ji Lingruo, the Second Young Lady of the Snake Clan, the new disciple accepted by the Thirteenth Elder?"

The First Elder gave her a gentle smile, and the girl's legs trembled involuntarily when she saw this Venerable Tian Shu she had only heard of in legends.

"On behalf of the Serpent Clan, I extend my greetings to Venerable Tian Shu."

The First Elder stroked his beard and smiled:

"Very well, my Xuanxiao Sect has not had Demon Race disciples for many years. The significance you bear is immense. You have come here to cultivate alone. If you encounter any difficulties, you can come to Tianshu Peak to find me. You cannot say that my Xuanxiao Sect has mistreated a fellow Demon Race cultivator."

"Thank you, First Elder." Ji Lingruo still appeared quite reserved.

"Okay, you and Wangshu can leave now. I need to talk to You Su about something."

"Yes."

Ji Lingruo obediently took her leave, a look of worry flashing in her eyes as she watched You Su's retreating figure. Of course, You Su hadn't hidden anything from her about the matter of the Divine Child.

Only the black-robed youth and the white-robed immortal remained in the courtyard.

"Your chance has come." The First Elder's expression became slightly more solemn.

"So fast?"

"What?" The First Elder gave You Su a deep look, as if trying to see through all the changes in the young man over the past two weeks. "Are you scared now? Or worried that you're not strong enough? Should I talk to them and decline this opportunity, so you can grow a little more?"

You Su pursed her lips and said, "I just think it's too sudden."

"There's nothing in this world that you can face prepared for." The First Elder said meaningfully, "The stronger you are, the harder the mission will be. Facing it sooner might make it easier."

"So what exactly do I need to do?"

"Wipe your senior sister's butt."

???

"Ha?"

You Su didn't react for a moment, his expression stiffening. If he didn't know that his senior sister was already at the Feather Transformation Realm of the Absorption and Exhalation stage, he would have almost thought it meant literally.

"You think it's beneath your status to clean up your senior sister's mess?"

"N-no."

"There have been signs of evil spirits causing trouble in Moxie City recently. Moxie City is not far from Henggao City and is a relatively prosperous city. I didn't expect it to be infiltrated by evil spirits. Moxie City has a cultivator at the Feather Transformation Realm stationed there, but the evil spirit is extremely good at hiding, and the local cultivators have no way to deal with it."

The First Elder explained in detail, "Therefore, the Evil Warding Department has decided to send you to slay this evil spirit, to prove that your eyes can indeed see things that shouldn't be seen. As for the strength of that evil spirit, it's roughly at the Water Condensation Realm. If you were truly born to slay evil, then you should be perfectly capable of facing it independently."

"Then why are you saying you're cleaning up your senior sister's mess?" You Su asked, puzzled.

"Last time your senior sister left, she went to Moxie City to exorcise evil. The exorcism went smoothly, and we thought everything was fine, but it turns out the evil spirit wasn't completely eliminated. Some cultivators in the city asked your senior sister to stay a little longer, just in case, but she didn't agree and rushed back. Although this evil spirit wasn't very strong, it still caused a death. This has damaged your senior sister's and the reputation of the Evil Warding Department in Moxie City to some extent. So, you not only have to successfully kill this evil spirit, but you also have to leave the credit to your senior sister. Do you understand?"

You Su didn't mind giving the credit to his senior sister, after all, it was already agreed that he would remain hidden in the shadows as the Night God Son. Moreover, the reason his senior sister was so eager to return to the sect was very likely because of him...

Then the responsibility of 'cleaning up after his senior sister' should naturally fall on his shoulders, and he has no choice but to do so.

"Understood. First Elder, is there any information about that evil spirit?"

"Flesh and Blood Type, capable of possessing a human body. It is long, red, and extremely adept at escaping and concealing itself. Its purpose and reason for appearing in Moxie City are still under investigation. Currently, one death has been confirmed to be related to it. As for the others, once you arrive in Moxie City, secret agents from the Evil Warding Department will meet with you."

The First Elder slowly explained, then handed You Su three jade Jade Bead, saying, "To demonstrate your abilities, you need to investigate as independently as possible, without relying on the local cultivators. Of course, you have three chances to ask for help if you encounter unsolvable problems. Crush one, and someone will come to your aid. This is directly related to the degree to which the Evil Warding Department recognizes your performance in this assessment."

You Su took the three cool, icy jade Jade Bead and held them in her palm.

Even though he was the most likely candidate for the Night God Son, all he could sense from the Evil Warding Department, this mysterious organization that occupied a place even higher than the Xuanxiao Sect, was arrogance.

His expression suddenly turned cold and stern, and he asked the highest-ranking leader of the Evil Warding Department a highly disrespectful question:

"The Evil Warding Department shouldn't be incapable of finding that evil spirit, yet they insist on leaving it for me to test. That evil spirit still poses a danger of killing people in Moxie City; how can the Evil Warding Department sit idly by?"

The First Elder was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, looking at the resolute young man. Even he himself had never thought deeply about this question.

"The deaths of one or two people mean nothing to them. Killing an evil spirit that has devoured one person is essentially no different to them than killing one that has devoured three. To prove that a divine child can slay three great Evil God, ignoring a few lives is worthwhile. If you don't want to see innocent people continue to die, all you can do is complete this task faster."

The First Elder tried to speak in a gentle tone, explaining that many people joined the Evil Warding Department out of a burning desire to vanquish evil and protect all living beings. However, as time passed and their spiritual level increased, their blood could grow cold.

"But if someone dies during this period, is it my responsibility or the responsibility of the Evil Warding Department?"

You Su had personally experienced the despair of being threatened by evil spirits. At that time, he desperately wished that someone from the Evil Warding Department would come to his rescue. But now that the Evil Warding Department was clearly aware of the situation, they were doing nothing, which made him feel like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

The First Elder looked at You Su in astonishment, his white eyebrows furrowing slightly, making the withered wrinkles on his face appear even more pronounced.

"You Su... your awareness has already proven your destiny."

"Please enlighten me, First Elder." You Su bowed his head and clasped his hands, sincerely seeking guidance.

"The Evil Warding Department does indeed aim to eliminate evil, but no one can stipulate that this is Evil Warding Department obligation. The Evil Warding Department could easily turn a blind eye to evil spirits and remain uninvolved. But Evil Warding Department hasn't done so. It has been able to continue for thousands of years, losing countless cultivators in the struggle against evil spirits, always eliminating evil for the people free of charge, solely based on the sense of responsibility of its Evil Warding Department. But you can't expect this sense of responsibility to extend to everyone, because we don't have the destiny to eliminate evil. Do you understand?"

You Su remained silent, even though he did not agree with the First Elder's views. In his opinion, power and responsibility were symbiotic and could never exist as one.

The First Elder sighed softly, then looked away, gazing at the rolling sea of clouds below the hillside.

"An ancient book once held the view that immortals are not born of heaven. Mystic Qi is a product of heaven and earth; humans steal Mystic Qi to become immortals, therefore immortals are thieves and bandits. While this is a harsh statement, it reveals a truth—those who become immortals are all selfish. The Evil Warding Department was never an official organization; it was initially just a gathering of like-minded individuals. Therefore, you cannot blame every death caused by evil spirits on the Evil Warding Department."

"So, First Elder, you mean that if anyone in Moxie City dies at the hands of this evil being during this period, it will be my responsibility?"

You Su stared directly at the First Elder, even though he couldn't see anything.

"That depends on whether you accept your destiny."

The First Elder responded to You Su's gaze indifferently.

"But this destiny was imposed on me by you."

"But you have no choice." The First Elder put his hands behind his back. "If you don't want this to happen again, take this position and make the entire Evil Warding Department your asset."

You Su suddenly opened his palm, revealing three Jade Bead that shone with a milky white light.

The First Elder's eyes flashed with a sharp light, as if he could see through You Su's thoughts, but he did not continue to persuade You Su, because this was the indifference that every person in a high position should have, and he hoped that You Su could realize this as soon as possible.

"Alright, instead of worrying about that, let's get that evil spirit out of the crowd as soon as possible. Once you leave the Xuanxiao Sect, someone will take you to Moxie City. She will only wait until Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow; if you're late, it will be considered that you've given up."

The First Elder patted You Su on the shoulder, giving him his final words of advice before leaving:

"If someone must be chosen as the chosen one, I hope it is you. Because you are more like a human being than an immortal."

A misty haze filled the air, and iridescent light surrounded her flawless, stunning figure.

He Shutong frowned slightly, looking at the boy on the other side of the mist with a worried expression.

She could tell that You Su was in a very low mood.

After parting ways with the First Elder, You Su came in as promised to inform He Shutong about the assessment, hoping that this gentle Mistress could help him resolve his doubts.

"Mistress ...those people have nothing to do with me, yet I worry about their lives and even disrespect the First Elder because of it. Don't you think I'm ridiculous?"

You Su's lowered eyelids and gloomy expression made He Shutong feel heartbroken. She only regretted that she was powerless to protect this boy.

Why is it laughable?

He Shutong would never bear to see this young man think of her that way, even if everyone else thought You Su was just making a fuss over nothing, she would never think that way:

"The First Elder's last words were an affirmation of your thinking. Don't belittle yourself. I can imagine that if anyone were in your position, they would only think about how to pass the test smoothly, and wouldn't even consider the possibility of someone dying at the hands of evil spirits during the test. And that is precisely what makes you different."

You Su raised her head in a daze, and a light seemed to appear in her dull eyes.

"That's why he said your awareness has already proven your destiny. Only those truly burdened with the mission of vanquishing evil would feel remorse for failing to save them from evil spirits, especially since this is something that hasn't even happened yet. You haven't become a divine child yet, but you already consider yourself one."

"I... I really..."

"Don't doubt yourself, just be yourself. You're not slaying evil to become a god's child, you're slaying evil to save those who shouldn't die at the hands of evil. So you are the most suitable person to become the Night God Son, understand?"

He Shutong smiled gently, wanting to cheer You Su up, like a kind mother guiding a young, bewildered child.

He Shutong's encouragement finally helped You Su sort out the mess in his mind. He didn't need to worry about whether it was the responsibility of the Evil Warding Department or his own. If he didn't want innocent people to sacrifice themselves, then he would go and save them.

"I understand, thank you, Mistress!"

After Qingming Festival her You Su felt energetic and vibrant.

He Shutong smiled with relief upon seeing this, but her sorrow quickly returned. Over the past few days, she had subtly inquired about Ji Lingruo, but the two still hadn't engaged in dual cultivation.

Haven't the two managed to overcome their differences yet?

But You Su is about to face a formidable enemy; how could he, in his ailing state...?

Has your yang energy... diminished recently?