Gu Ningyun's face held self-mockery, a sigh, and the weathered sorrow of someone who had watched times change.
Yet she was actually only a female cultivator in her three hundreds, and already she felt exhausted in both body and mind.
Su Jiu smiled. "Even people who can swim drown. You needn't get so caught up in appearances, Ningyun! The world is vast and full of wonders. As long as we remain in it, we might encounter any sort of bizarre thing."
Gu Ningyun paused, then smiled. "I let appearances cloud my judgment. But I'm still curious, A Jiu. How did you know that combining the scent of jade moonflowers with the Clear Heart Melody would produce such an unusual effect?"
Su Jiu glanced at Feng Qi. "Probably because the Enforcement Hall's records are more comprehensive than those of most places in the world."
Gu Ningyun sighed softly, the envy in her eyes plain to see.
The Enforcement Hall, Shadow Pavilion, and Ghost Market were the finest sources of information in the world, and someone like Su Jiu clearly would not hold a lowly position there. Seen that way, it was hardly surprising that she knew about this.
The conversation returned to the strange cylinder.
Su Jiu spoke directly. "Do you still remember the Secret Realm on the Back Mountain of the Zen Sound Temple?"
Feng Qi lowered his gaze slightly. "That was also a seal over a rift passage. What... happened there?"
"I walked through a very long passage there. There was a mural on either side, and I became so absorbed in one of them that even my divine sense was forcibly pulled out of my body and drawn into the mural.
"If I remember correctly, I think I saw a symbol in that mural similar to the one