Soul-Locking Soup

A man in a black robe leaned on a withered-wood cane, his face deathly pale, yet he was standing not far in front of Lu Xiaotian. When the black-robed man realized there was someone behind him, he turned around first.

The black-robed elder! Lu Xiaotian's hands and feet instantly went cold. The old man seemed to have suffered serious injuries; his complexion was even worse than before, and he had also lost a leg. The only difference from several months ago, when he had left, was that there were several black bags hanging from his waist.

"You're still in the valley? Good, good. Cough, cough..."

The black-robed elder's eyes lit up when he saw Lu Xiaotian. The movement aggravated his injuries, and he began coughing violently, faint traces of blood seeping from his abdomen.

"Geng, Geng Lao!"

Lu Xiaotian inwardly cried that he was doomed. If the black-robed elder discovered that only a few of the little green bugs remained after devouring one another in the cave abode, who knew how great a fury he would unleash? Yet when he saw that the black-robed elder had lost a leg, Lu Xiaotian could not help taking two steps back, seized by the urge to flee.

"Come back!" The black-robed elder's eyes were incredibly sharp. He saw Lu Xiaotian's intention to escape at a glance and beckoned remotely with one hand.

W-what was happening? Lu Xiaotian's heart filled with terror. His body was bound by immense force, and he drifted involuntarily toward the black-robed elder.

The black-robed elder drew Lu Xiaotian to his side and asked, "Why did you want to run when you saw me? Am I frightening?"

"I, I..." Lu Xiaotian stammered several times, not daring to tell the truth.

"Forget it. You really want to learn magic, don't you? Before, I didn't want to take a disciple. But now I've suffered severe injuries and probably won't last much longer. I still need to find someone to inherit what I've learned. Are you willing to become my disciple?" A strange glint flashed across the black-robed elder's face. He gripped Lu Xiaotian's wrist and spoke in a mild, kindly tone.

"Take me as your disciple?"

Lu Xiaotian's face was filled with astonishment. In the past, aside from ordering him to do odd jobs, the black-robed elder had not even been willing to say more than a few words to him. Now, he was actually saying he wanted to take him as a disciple. Joy filled his heart, but deep down, a trace of doubt also surfaced.

"Of course. I won't live much longer. If I don't take a disciple now, am I supposed to carry everything I know into the coffin?"

The black-robed elder coughed up several threads of blood again. That fourth-grade spirit talisman had truly been formidable. He had used every means at his disposal to endure most of its attacks, yet he had still been struck by two arrows. Losing a leg was not fatal; what truly made it difficult for him to hold on was the arrow in his abdomen, which had already injured his internal organs. Let alone a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator—even a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator would die from such an injury without top-grade healing spirit pills.

"Yes, Master. Your disciple pays respects to you, Master." Lu Xiaotian was overwhelmed with excitement. He had never expected the black-robed elder to be willing to take him as a disciple at this point. He bent down to kowtow.

"Enough, enough. Spare me those empty formalities. Quickly take your master back to the cave abode. I don't have much time left. If we don't hurry, I'm afraid I won't have time to teach you anything." The black-robed elder gripped Lu Xiaotian's wrist and did not let him bow.

"Yes, Master. B-but I haven't returned for nearly two days. Those Shadow Ants might..." Lu Xiaotian had originally planned to leave directly, but now that the black-robed elder was willing to take him as a disciple, he no longer intended to hide it and frankly admitted his mistake.

"A few Shadow Ants are nothing. If they died, just cultivate another batch. Let's go back first."

The black-robed elder shook his head. Lu Xiaotian was slightly surprised inwardly. His master's attitude had changed so greatly from before.

"Then I'll carry you back, Master." Though Lu Xiaotian was puzzled, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that being a disciple should be different from being a servant.

"No need. Just come along with me." The black-robed elder shook his head.

Before his words had even faded, Lu Xiaotian felt a gentle breeze pushing against his back. The black-robed elder tapped his cane against the ground, and the two of them floated several zhang away, his movements unbelievably light and nimble.

Lu Xiaotian was secretly astonished. His master really was formidable. Even when he exerted all his magical power, he could only cover about half a zhang in one step. Yet despite being gravely injured and having lost a leg, his master could carry him while covering roughly three zhang in a single step. Since he had become his disciple, Lu Xiaotian felt that their relationship had grown much closer than before, so he asked,

"Master, what magic are you using? It's amazing. Will I be able to learn it in the future too?"

"You'll be able to learn it in the future, and you'll be even more formidable than your master. Your master is injured, so don't talk." The black-robed elder let out a heavy breath as he spoke.

Hearing the weight in his master's voice, Lu Xiaotian hurriedly clamped his mouth shut and kept silent.

The distance of five or six li was not far at such a pace. After a short while, the cave abode, blocked by stones, appeared before them.

The black-robed elder waved his hand, and a whirlwind swept past, blowing the stones in front of the cave abode away one after another. Lu Xiaotian watched with his heart racing and was just about to speak when he remembered his master's warning and hurriedly swallowed the words back down.

"Go quickly. Boil a bucket of water. Once it's hot, pour this bottle of medicine into it." The black-robed elder handed Lu Xiaotian a small medicine bottle, then spat out a mouthful of blood. The journey just now had consumed a great deal of his strength, further worsening his injuries.

Seeing that the black-robed elder's injuries had actually reached such a severe state, Lu Xiaotian hurriedly nodded and did as instructed. Water had already been prepared inside the cave abode. Soon, he had boiled a bucket of water as the black-robed elder instructed, poured in the medicine, and then moved the stones back to seal the entrance.

"Heaven has not forsaken me. I've finally made it in time. If I hadn't run into this boy, perhaps I truly would have perished in this gorge." The black-robed elder let out a sigh of relief and muttered to himself.

"Master, I've finished sealing the cave abode." Lu Xiaotian clapped his hands as he spoke.

"Mm. Get into the bucket." The black-robed elder nodded, his expression kindly.

By the lamplight, Lu Xiaotian hesitated for a moment. He felt that there was something strange about the way the black-robed elder was looking at him, but he could not put his finger on what it was.

"Why aren't you getting in?" the black-robed elder urged.

Since he had taken him as a disciple, there should not be any problem. If he had failed to do the job properly, at worst he would have to endure another beating with the whip. Thinking this, Lu Xiaotian sat into the bucket as instructed. The moment the medicinal water touched his body, he grew suspicious. It felt as though all his pores had been sealed shut. Immediately afterward, his entire body seemed to be pierced by countless steel needles, the pain unbearably sharp. He let out a scream and instinctively tried to stand up and leave the bucket.

At that moment, the black-robed elder's withered finger pressed against his forehead, rendering him unable to move. At the same time, he let out a sinister, cackling laugh. His face twisted into a gloomy, malicious grin as he shrieked, "My good disciple, how does your master's Soul-Locking Soup taste?"

"W-what are you going to do to me?" Lu Xiaotian did not understand what Soul-Locking Soup was. He only saw that the black-robed elder before him had completely changed into a sinister, terrifying figure, and he asked with a shiver of fear. By now, he had also realized that the black-robed elder had probably taken him as a disciple with some evil ulterior motive. He simply had no idea what the other man was plotting.