"Hm? What happened? Can't find that woman?" The monster had only flown a dozen or so yards when the aged voice spoke in surprise.
"Grr!" Black mist shot out from the monster in all directions, but it still seemed unable to find the mistress of Lin Family Manor. It flew another dozen miles ahead, yet still found no trace of the Lin Family head.
"Tch, useless!" the aged voice cursed. Then, after a pause, it muttered, "Never mind. We've gathered enough golden cores anyway. This fellow was rather badly hurt this time, though. Let's go back first."
The monster turned and shot off toward the east.
What neither of them expected was that, several miles behind them, a tiny green speck almost invisible to the naked eye was slowly following the monster.
"Ah! From what you've told us, the murderer was a monster that looked human but wasn't?" By this point, everyone understood the murderer's true nature, and Liu Zhengran hurriedly spoke.
"Yes. That monster was truly formidable, but it's seriously injured now. Unfortunately, I was in the Mind-Mystifying state at the time and couldn't attack it. What a wasted opportunity!" The Lin Family head nodded and sighed.
"Mind-Mystifying? I was wondering why your physical body was in such a state. So that was it!" Zhang Cai said in sudden realization. He paused, then took a small bottle out of his Storage Pouch and handed it to the Lin Family head. "That technique does far too much damage to a cultivator's primordial spirit and body. There's a Spirit-Nourishing Pill in here. Take it in a little while. It'll help you recover."
"Thank you, then." The Lin Family head hesitated before accepting it and offering a bland word of thanks. Her attitude thoroughly displeased Dong Santong, who pulled a sour face,