The True Culprit

Feng Wuhen was relieved when he heard that it was harmless.

Just now, he had been afraid there was something wrong with the incense. Since there was no problem, he could finally breathe deeply without worry.

But he had relaxed too soon. Bing Ling had not finished speaking. "Not only is this incense harmless, it can even bring out our potential."

The moment Feng Wuhen heard that, he sensed something was wrong. Holding his breath, he pulled the storage ring he had hidden in his hair from his head. Fortunately, he had thick hair, or there really would have been nowhere to hide it.

"Senior Brother, hold your breath first! There's something wrong with this incense. Forcing out one's potential is bad for the body. Once all that potential is unleashed, a person will be drained dry and crippled!"

Feng Wuhen felt that those people wanted them to unleash their potential in order to ripen them prematurely. Like forcing fruit to ripen, they wanted to make them mature before their time, squeeze every last drop of potential from them, and turn them into better materials.

Hearing his words, Bing Ling hurriedly held her breath as well. Feng Wuhen took out a bottle of pills from his storage ring and poured out two.

They each swallowed one. Since they had not been poisoned, they could not take antidote pills. In this situation, the best option was a Heart-Clearing Pill, which could suppress the effects somewhat.

From the time they entered this room until they woke up, less than one luoyu had passed—around two minutes. That thing should not have taken effect yet.

If they were still uneasy, they could have Shen Ziheng take their pulses after they got out. Though he was a spell cultivator, he had ultimately come from Divine Physician Valley. Ordinary diagnosis through observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking would pose no problem for him.

After taking the pills, Feng Wuhen used spiritual energy to lift the bolt on the other side of the door. The two of them carefully walked out.

Once outside, they saw a long row of side rooms opposite them. Feng Wuhen counted five in total, and there were five side rooms on their side as well.

At the far ends to the left and right stood gray courtyard walls capped with black tiles. The moon gates in both walls were tightly locked, but that was no obstacle for Feng Wuhen and Bing Ling.

However, neither of them was in a hurry to leave. Feng Wuhen headed toward the opposite side. "Senior Brother, I'll check whether there's anyone in these five side rooms. Check the other rooms in the row where we were just held."

The two searched every side room in the courtyard. All ten rooms held people, though the number varied from room to room.

There were not only children, but adults as well. One room even held a pair of twin Demon Cultivators.

Feng Wuhen and Bing Ling stood in the courtyard, looking at the side rooms on both sides. "Senior Brother, there's something strange about this. The mission we accepted only said that children had gone missing in Radiant Moon City. It never mentioned cultivators disappearing, much less the two Demon Cultivators I just found. They were clearly still cubs.

"I remember the Cultivation Guide mentioning that most Demon Cultivators live in the south of Qiankun Continent. Before reaching the Golden Core Realm, they would not set foot in the territory of us human cultivators.

"Moreover, cubs are extremely important to the Demon Race. They could not possibly appear alone in human cultivator territory. These two demon cubs must have been abducted.

"If that is the case, this matter is likely far more dangerous than we imagined.

"They went to such great lengths, gathering children, cultivators, and now even demon cubs. Their scheme must be no small one."

When Bing Ling had heard him mention Demon Cultivators earlier, she had assumed they were Golden Core Realm cultivators like Feng Wuhen, or perhaps Nascent Soul Realm cultivators stronger than him. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected them to be two cubs.

That made her furious, both at the mastermind behind this and at the Demon Race.

After this matter was settled, she decided, she would write back to the Demon Race and curse those demon elders roundly. How exactly were they doing their jobs?

They had let someone abduct cubs right under their noses.

Fortunately, she had gotten involved in this matter and infiltrated the place with Feng Wuhen. Otherwise, these cubs might never have returned home.

"Then what do we do now?"

Feng Wuhen felt that it was too dangerous for only the two of them to remain here. He planned to wake those cultivators. No matter what, those people had to be stronger than them, right?

Even if they could not help, they could at least look after the children so the children would not be caught in the crossfire once fighting broke out.

"Senior Brother, let's wake those cultivators and see whether they still have any combat power. If they don't, we'll leave them some things. While protecting themselves, they can also protect the children who were captured with them.

"Once we start fighting, we may not be able to spare any attention for them.

"After we get them settled, the two of us will use Breath-Concealing Talismans and thoroughly search this residence."

Bing Ling listened to him, so the two brought everyone from the side rooms outside. Not knowing how to wake them, they chose a very practical method.

Bing Ling rolled up her sleeves, raised her hand, and slapped everyone twice across the face with a smack, smack. The crisp slaps rose and fell in succession, like a cheerful melody.

Though it was not exactly a good method, it was highly effective. The unconscious people were all jolted awake by the stinging pain in their faces.

When they awoke, they saw two ordinary-looking children staring at them. The taller one said, "How are you feeling? Can you still use spiritual energy? If not, we'll leave you some things to save your lives.

"But there is one condition. While protecting yourselves, I hope you can also protect these children and the two demon cubs over there."

The cultivators' spiritual energy had all been drained away. Even if they began meditating to recover now, they would not regain much—only enough to activate a single talisman.

The oldest cultivator agreed to Feng Wuhen's request and advised him, "Protecting them is naturally no problem. It is merely a gesture of lifting a hand. But you two—I can see that your cultivation is not very high. You should hurry and find a way to escape!

"If you can get out safely, I must ask you two to find someone to rescue us. It would be best if you could find a great expert of the Body Integration Realm. If we are still alive by then, we will surely repay the two of you for this great kindness one day."

Feng Wuhen felt that he seemed to know something. He focused and looked over. So that's how it is. No wonder this uncle insists that we leave. These cultivators were all lured here, and the Radiant Moon City Lord arranged for people to deceive them.

The cultivators and the two demon cubs heard Feng Wuhen's voice, yet they did not see his lips move. They stared at him in astonishment.

Feng Wuhen was still thinking about the Radiant Moon City Lord and did not notice. Seeing their strange expressions and how they kept staring at Feng Wuhen, Bing Ling understood that they could hear his thoughts as well. She gestured for them to keep quiet.

They did not understand, but they nodded anyway.

After all, being able to hear someone else's inner thoughts was simply too bizarre.

*The Radiant Moon City Lord's lifespan is nearly at its end. He does not want to die, so he has tried every possible method to extend his years.

*A demonic cultivator taught him an evil technique that could extract other people's spiritual energy and lifespans to prolong his own life. These cultivators and those two cubs were prepared for that purpose.

As for the children with spiritual roots who have never cultivated, he killed that demonic cultivator later and found a damaged secret art in his storage ring.

*The secret art said to find children with spiritual roots who had never cultivated, extract their spiritual roots, and refine them into pills. Taking the pills could improve one's talent.

*When the Radiant Moon City Lord saw that, he was tempted. While extending his lifespan, he also wanted to break through to the Body Integration Realm!

*Absorbing other people's spiritual energy and lifespans to prolong his own life would be discovered sooner or later. But if he could break through, he would gain several thousand more years of life.

*When he was extracting that uncle's spiritual energy, his identity was exposed. Thinking that the uncle could not escape anyway, he told him everything he had done and everything he was thinking.

Otherwise, there would have been no way to discover who the true culprit was from this uncle.