Lu Feng saw Fu Qingqing about to speak, then abruptly realized that her earlier behavior had been somewhat out of place. Suspicious, he said to Tang Yuan, "Take Qiao Guniang and wait for me over there first."
Tang Yuan's expression stiffened, but after a moment's hesitation, he agreed.
As Tang Yuan reached out to take the Soul Control Lamp, Lu Feng also handed him the phantom longsword.
The stiffness in Tang Yuan's face eased somewhat at once, and a thoughtful glint flashed through his eyes.
Fu Qingqing did not notice this tiny detail. She assumed Lu Feng had done so merely because he did not trust Tang Yuan and feared unforeseen complications, unwilling to let Tang Yuan hear what was said.
She was quite pleased by this. The fewer people who heard it, the fewer troubles there would be.
"Can you speak now?" Fu Qingqing looked toward Lu Feng, calculating how she ought to phrase her words.
Naturally, she could not reveal every last detail of such a secret, but neither could she disclose nothing at all. The key was to strike the right balance, mixing truth with falsehood and muddling her way through.
Seeing Lu Feng nod grimly,
Fu Qingqing pondered before slowly saying, "Your teacher was forcibly restrained by Mo Renshan, who extracted his soul into the lamp and refined it into a Soul Spirit. Soul Spirits created in this manner rather than through voluntary sacrifice generally require a long period of adjustment and taming. Before they have fully adapted to the Soul Control Lamp, they possess no self-awareness, much less can they provide Soul Gouging Lord with aid in cultivation or battle as Xue Er can."
Lu Feng nodded. He had noticed this long ago. He had also secretly sensed the lamp in which Old Book resided.