Yin Soul Wandering

This time, the Azure Radiance Goddess ultimately did not summon the bluebird again.

The bluebird was far too conspicuous.

Zhang Jian had been making ancestral offerings too frequently, so the Azure Radiance Goddess had no choice but to keep a lower profile.

She bestowed the Golden Lotus Seeds through several more channels.

At the county yamen's rear residence, Yang Qing and his son were in discussion when Zhao Xing hurried in shortly afterward.

"Master, something terrible has happened!"

Fatigue showed on Zhao Xing's face. Ever since Duanmu Yan and Gu Xiu'er had failed to return for a full day and night, he had been making inquiries around the Zhang family. Through scraps of information passed out from within the Zhang family, he had finally learned this piece of bad news.

"What? Sister Xiu'er has fallen into the Zhang family's hands?"

Yang Qing had yet to react, but Yang Zhonghuai could no longer sit still. Seeing Yang Qing's unpleasant expression, Yang Zhonghuai's face stiffened slightly. He opened his mouth and said,

"Father, what do we do now?"

Yang Qing's expression darkened. He could see Yang Zhonghuai's feelings for Gu Xiu'er without even using his brain.

But how could the Yang family possibly reach so high as to aspire to a noble young lady like Gu Xiu'er? What was more, Yang Zhonghuai had long since married. To still harbor designs on her at a time like this was simply inviting humiliation upon himself.

"Look at yourself! Instead of caring for your proper wife at home, you spend all day fooling around outside!"

Yang Qing shot Yang Zhonghuai a fierce glare, though he also felt somewhat helpless inside.

Duanmu Yan and Gu Xiu'er were honored guests of the Yang family. Gu Xiu'er was also the niece of his wife's natal family. They had originally merely been passing through this place, but after hearing of his troubles, they had volunteered to help him probe the Zhang family's true strength.

Who could have expected such an accident?

"I'll go see your mother. None of you are to spread word of this!"

Yang Qing hurried toward the inner residence.

Though Yang Qing was greedy and crafty, he held an unusual degree of "respect" for his wife. It was not merely because Madam Gu came from the Gu family, a prominent clan of Fengyang Commandery, but also because her temperament was forceful and she was even more ruthless than he was.

She was not someone easy to deal with.

Over all these years, not a single concubine of Yang Qing's had successfully lived to see New Year's Eve. That alone showed Madam Gu's viciousness.

Within the inner residence, a magnificently dressed noblewoman was reading in the morning light. Her bearing was exceptional, her skin beneath the sunlight as white as jade. Coupled with her serene brows and eyes, she did not look like a noblewoman who had already borne several children, but rather like a quiet young maiden.

Yang Qing hurried in. After hearing his news, Madam Gu fell into brief contemplation.

"It seems the strength the Zhang family has hidden exceeds our expectations somewhat. Things may be turning unfavorable!"

Madam Gu rose to her feet, immediately realizing the danger within the matter.

She was uncertain whether the Zhang family had already sensed the hostility Yang Qing had revealed. If their plan had been exposed, the Yang family would likely face immense peril.

"My lord, can the Five Heroes of the Northern Lands still be contacted? Tell them to stop at once!"

Though Madam Gu was vicious, she was by no means brainless. Otherwise, she could not have kept Yang Qing so firmly in her grasp.

Yang Qing's face darkened as he shook his head. "Those five have their own methods. They are not under our control, and they do not trust us either. I'm afraid it will be difficult to find their traces!"

Yang Qing took a deep breath.

The sword had already been handed out; it would not be so easy to withdraw it.

Madam Gu glared fiercely at Yang Qing and rebuked him, "Every time I tell you to discuss matters with me first, you always insist on showing off your ability. Otherwise, how would we have ended up in such a dilemma today, unable to advance or retreat?!"

Yang Qing seemed long accustomed to such scolding. He gave an awkward smile. "Madam, at this point, we can only ask my father-in-law to lend us a hand..."

Madam Gu's expression turned solemn as she sighed.

"The Gu family is currently facing pressure from the Yu family of the commandery city. That man of the Yu family is bent on suppressing all the clans in the commandery city and making himself a true feudal lord. How could my father have the energy to help you?"

She set down the book in her hand. After pondering for a moment, she said,

"Xiu'er is, after all, a disciple of the Upper Origin Sect. I will write a letter at once and have it rushed to the Upper Origin Sect on a fast horse, asking Wang Yuanlang to step in. Duanmu Yan and Xiu'er are both disciples of the Upper Origin Sect. Since the two of them have fallen into the Zhang family's hands, it would be more appropriate for the Upper Origin Sect to intervene. I will also write to my father. Perhaps this is an opportunity to help you uproot the Zhang family once and for all!"

"Hmph, a mere local clan dares detain members of my Gu family!"

"Also, make further inquiries. It would be best if you could find out exactly how Xiu'er and the others fell into the Zhang family's hands. They are both experts at the Essence Nurturing stage, trained by famous masters, and not without experience. How could some ordinary place trap them?"

A trace of doubt appeared in Madam Gu's expression.

The Zhang family was merely a local great clan. To put it bluntly, it was only somewhat stronger than an ordinary wealthy local landowner. It should not have been capable of trapping two internal martial artists at the Essence Nurturing stage.

At the mention of Wang Yuanlang, Yang Qing looked uncomfortable, his expression somewhat gloomy.

Madam Gu saw it too, but paid it little heed.

With such limited ability, whatever grievances he had, he would have to swallow them.

Enough. She immediately began writing the letters, then had Yang Qing send men on fast horses to the city of Fengyang Commandery.

At the Zhang family residence, the night was cool as water.

Within his dream, Zhang Jian was much clearer-headed this time. He felt as though he had suddenly left his body, his soul naturally drifting into an area thick with incense offerings. From afar, he saw a majestic stone mirror. Figures emerged one after another from ancestral tablets all around it, smiling at him. A moment later, those figures vanished one by one.

"It seems to be the ancestral hall. Could this be Yin Soul Wandering?"

Thoughts raced through Zhang Jian's mind, and shock filled his eyes. He had seen descriptions of such things in miscellaneous records. It was exceedingly strange.

The radiance shifted, and before him remained only that majestic golden female statue. It slowly transformed into an incomparably graceful figure. Then a streak of golden light flew from it and merged into his body.

He vaguely saw that it was a glittering golden lotus seed, its fragrance overflowing. Once it entered his body, it refreshed his heart and spleen, as though even his soul had gained warmth.

At the same time, a message entered his mind.

"This is a Jade Lake Golden Lotus Seed. It can nourish the physique, enhance spiritual wisdom, nurture the soul, and has a certain chance of fusing with a 'fragment of Dao resonance' naturally conceived by the Golden Lotus Seed, branding itself upon the soul. There is a one-in-a-thousand chance of obtaining one innate divine ability from within!"

He vaguely saw that incomparably graceful figure reveal a faint, hazy smile toward him. Those eyes, like stars, were branded upon the lake of his heart.

Within the canopy bed, Zhang Jian seemed to sit upright naturally. The Heavenly Dipper Boy Skill within him began circulating on its own. He faintly sensed a gentle spring flowing continuously through his body, enhancing his five senses.

In but a moment, his expression shook. He felt his "soul" break free from the restraints of his physical body, as though he had gained a pair of movable eyes. His flat one-hundred-and-eighty-degree field of vision gradually became a three-dimensional three hundred and sixty degrees.

Through this ability, even in the darkness of night, everything several meters around him became exceptionally clear.

The warmth, the red-trimmed bedding, the snow-white mosquito net, the canopy bed exuding a faint fragrance.

The tall crane-beaked candle stands on either side of the bed were also crystal clear.

This feeling greatly resembled what Zhang Yi had described after opening the two bridges of Heaven and Earth: being able to faintly sense the spiritual currents between Heaven and Earth through one's five senses and spiritual perception, and discern the might of Heaven and Earth.

The internal cultivation Essence Nurturing stage required one to continuously nurture essence, qi, and spirit until they reached balance. In the end, one would comprehend the might of Heaven and Earth, open the bridges of Heaven and Earth, and borrow the innate to nourish one's own three treasures!

"I must have broken through to the Innate stage!"

"But according to Uncle Yi, even after breaking through to the Innate stage, one's five senses merely become sharper. It should be impossible to perceive every minute detail of the surrounding things so completely!"

"Mine seems different!"

In the darkness, Zhang Jian opened his eyes. He faintly felt as though one foot had already stepped into an entirely new world.

However, he did not sense the innate divine ability that the "ancestor" had mentioned!