Inquiry

Inquiry

Several squads of patrolling disciples crossed paths near the Black Palace, keeping a close watch over the area.

"Come with me." The blue-robed man returned the Green Giant Eagle to his Spirit Beast Bag, ordered Shi Yue, then set off toward the Black Palace.

Shi Yue followed close behind the blue-robed man, heading for the Black Palace.

Before long, the two entered the hall.

An old man in a yellow robe with a jade belt and a gaunt, gray-robed elder sat in chairs, sipping tea and chatting.

"This disciple pays his respects to Sect Leader Martial Uncle and Martial Uncle Li. I have brought Shi Yue." The blue-robed man bowed, his expression exceedingly respectful.

"This disciple pays his respects to both Ancestor Masters." Seeing this, Shi Yue hurriedly bowed.

"Mm. Shi Yue, if I remember correctly, you're a descendant of Junior Brother Shi. How come you're only at Qi Refining Level Four?" Sect Leader Zhou Tongtian looked Shi Yue up and down and asked, a strange expression on his face.

"Reporting to Sect Leader Martial Ancestor, this disciple is dull-witted, which is why I'm only at Qi Refining Level Four," Shi Yue answered honestly.

"Forget it, Senior Brother Sect Leader. Let's get down to business!" The gray-robed elder waved his hand, then asked Shi Yue, "Shi Yue, I heard that the Spirit Herbs and Spirit Grains belonging to many disciples developed Blackening Disease, and you cured them all. How did you do it?"

"This..." Shi Yue's face showed a hint of reluctance.

The two Ancestor Masters before him were old monsters who had lived for several hundred years and weathered every kind of storm. Shi Yue wasn't confident he could deceive them, but he was unwilling to reveal the method for curing the disease just like that.

Seeing this, the gray-robed elder raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't worry. Only the four of us will know what was said today. Many disciples' Spirit Herbs and Spirit Grains in the sect have Blackening Disease. If your method can really solve the problem, the sect will reward you with a thousand Contribution Points. If it can't, you won't be blamed. But you must tell the truth. You should know the consequences of deceiving your sect's elders, right?"

Shi Yue was visibly moved. If he could get a thousand Contribution Points, he could immediately have Spiritual Patterns carved at the Hall of Rejuvenation to prevent Body Seizure. That would give him more confidence when facing Xiaoyaozi, too.

"What? Are you treating my words like wind in your ears?" Shi Yue had taken so long to answer that the gray-robed elder's expression darkened with displeasure.

"Shi Yue, answer Martial Uncle Li's question! Do you want to die?" Seeing this, the blue-robed man hurriedly shouted.

"This disciple wouldn't dare. I was just so happy that I forgot to answer for a moment." Shi Yue hurriedly explained.

At that, the gray-robed elder's expression softened.

"That's more like it. Hurry up and tell us how you cured the Blackening Disease." Zhou Tongtian nodded and urged him.

"Mm, this disciple used urine to water them. Well, I diluted it with a little clean water. The best ratio of urine to water is one to three," Shi Yue replied honestly after a brief hesitation.

There was no way to lie about this. If the two Ancestor Masters tried Shi Yue's method and it didn't work, he would be saddled with the charge of deceiving his sect's elders.

Taixu Sect had one hundred and eight sect rules and nine major commandments. Breaking any sect rule brought punishment: light offenses meant confinement, while severe ones meant having one's magical power abolished and being expelled from the sect. Breaking any of the nine major commandments meant immediate execution at best; at worst, one would suffer Soul Extraction and Refining, wishing for death but unable to die.

Shi Yue was a law-abiding disciple. He didn't want people from the Law Enforcement Hall showing up at his door.

"Urine? The liquid you used to water those disciples' Spirit Herbs was all urine?" Zhou Tongtian's face was full of disbelief.

The gray-robed elder looked puzzled. He had spent many years studying the cultivation of Spirit Herbs and Spirit Grains, but had never heard of using urine to cure a disease.

"Yes. This disciple discovered that only the urine of virgin boys and girls works." Shi Yue nodded.

"So the plant essence, Earth Spirit Art, Spring Rain Art, and the rest were all a ruse?" Zhou Tongtian's eyes shifted as he asked in a low voice.

"Exactly." Shi Yue nodded honestly.

"Do you have that gourd with you? Take it out and let me have a look." The gray-robed elder's expression shifted as he asked.

Shi Yue nodded, took the gourd magic tool from his sleeve, and handed it over.

The gray-robed elder impatiently snatched the gourd magic tool from Shi Yue's hand, pulled out the stopper, and held its mouth beneath his nose to sniff it several times.

"Mm, it does smell a bit like urine. I'll go try it and see if it works." With that, the gray-robed elder's figure blurred, and he flew out of the Ancestral Master Hall in a streak of green light.

"Shi Yue, how did you know urine could cure Blackening Disease? Who told you?" Zhou Tongtian asked with a frown.

In his view, even a whole group of Core Formation Cultivators had been helpless against Blackening Disease. It was astonishing that an obscure Qi Refining disciple had found a way to solve it.

"This disciple discovered it by accident. My Spirit Grains had Blackening Disease too, and quite a few died. I thought they couldn't be saved anyway, so I simply urinated in the Spirit Field. Who would have thought that once the urine soaked into the Spirit Grains with Blackening Disease, they would recover?" Shi Yue said, wearing a nostalgic expression.

Shi Yue had known all along that the secret of the urine would eventually be exposed. He had already prepared an excuse, and now it came in handy.

"Really?" Zhou Tongtian asked skeptically, his gaze fixed on Shi Yue.

"Really. Every word this disciple says is true. I haven't told a single lie." Shi Yue nodded solemnly.

Just then, delighted laughter came from outside the hall. The gray-robed elder strode in and exclaimed, "Senior Brother Sect Leader, urine really can cure Blackening Disease! I tested it myself."

"Junior Brother Li, is that true?" Zhou Tongtian rose to his feet, his face alight with joy.

"It's true. I used my own urine to water some Spirit Herbs with Blackening Disease, and they recovered on the spot. It's truly incredible!" The gray-robed elder said excitedly. Then, remembering something, he turned to Shi Yue and asked,

"Shi Yue, how did you discover that urine could cure Blackening Disease?"

"He stumbled upon it by accident. Here's what happened: Shi Yue..." Zhou Tongtian repeated the excuse Shi Yue had made up.

"I see. I was wondering how a Qi Refining disciple knew how to cure Blackening Disease. So he stumbled upon it by accident." The gray-robed elder understood.

"Shi Yue, take your things back." The gray-robed elder returned the gourd magic tool to Shi Yue.

"All right, Shi Yue, Nephew Li, you may leave. By the way, Nephew Li, remember to transfer a thousand Contribution Points to Shi Yue. Also, both of you must remember: what we discussed today is absolutely confidential. No one is to leak it, especially Shi Yue. You absolutely must not tell anyone that urine can cure Blackening Disease. Otherwise, you'll be punished as a traitor to the sect. Understood?" As he spoke, a murderous glint flashed through Zhou Tongtian's eyes.

"This disciple obeys." Shi Yue's heart tightened, and he hurriedly agreed.

The blue-robed man didn't dare object either. He answered and led Shi Yue away.