Cut It Off for a Lasting Cure

Yuzhou.

On the bustling street, Bingyi Yuanjun, leading her way with her wayward disciple Li Miaozhen, entered an inn amidst the astonished gazes of passersby.

On the wall outside the inn, there is a painting of a nine-petaled lotus flower.

Li Miaozhen was led into the inn. Bingyi Yuanjun stopped in the lobby, her light-colored eyes slowly scanning the second floor, as if searching for something.

A few seconds later, she led her way through the lobby and up the steps.

"Knock knock!"

Bingyi Yuanjun knocked on a door with a clear purpose.

Squeak~

The door opened silently, and Li Miaozhen immediately saw the scene inside. The furnishings were simple, and a middle-aged Daoist priest sat cross-legged on the bed. He had a thin face and a black beard that reached his chest.

"Senior Brother Xuancheng."

Bingyi Yuanjun greeted him with a cold expression.

"Uncle-Master Xuancheng!"

Li Miaozhen's expression was cold, and her tone remained completely unchanged.

Master Xuancheng opened his eyes, his emotionless gaze sweeping over the master and disciple before finally settling on Li Miaozhen.

He nodded slightly. "Not bad, you've already reached the fourth rank and have stabilized your foundation."

"Stabilizing the foundation" means at least reaching the mid-stage of the fourth rank.

"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle-Master."

Li Miaozhen remained expressionless, as if such a trivial matter was not enough to cause her any emotional reaction.

Master Xuancheng immediately looked at Bingyi Yuanjun and said, "Compared to when she came down the mountain, her temperament has changed a lot, which is quite good. Is the Heavenly Venerable's information incorrect?"

Bingyi Yuanjun said calmly, "It's all an act."

Li Miaozhen instantly lost her composure, transforming from an icy beauty into a lively little girl, and rolled her eyes:

"Master, becoming a great hero is just one experience on my path to transcending emotions. I will definitely be able to transcend emotions in the future, so please let me go. If I return to the sect, how can I face the world and seek peace of mind, how can I transcend emotions?"

Bingyi Yuanjun ignored her and sat down at the table. "Is there any news about the Holy Son?"

"According to his lover from the Gu tribe in the Southern Frontier, during the more than half a year he disappeared, he was with the two palace masters of the East Sea Dragon Palace, a powerful force in the Jianghu (martial arts world) of East Sea County."

Master Xuancheng said calmly, "I went to Donghai County, but couldn't find him. I inquired with the disciples of the Donghai Dragon Palace and learned that Li Lingsu had been taken away to Leizhou by the two palace masters not long ago."

Bingyi Yuanjun nodded and asked, "Is the Heavenly Venerable's information accurate?"

Master Xuancheng paused for a moment, then nodded. "More than enough, no less."

The two Daoist priests fell silent for a while, then Bingyi Yuanjun proposed:

"That's easy to solve. Human dynasties have castration as a form of punishment. Men who have lost their genitals will no longer have thoughts of sexual relations. Partial disability will not affect their cultivation."

Li Miaozhen coldly and indifferently echoed, "I think it's excellent."

Master Xuancheng said slowly, "Let's take him back to the sect first and let the Heavenly Venerable deal with him."

Inside the inn.

A delicate, dark gold pagoda sits on the table.

Only Mu Nanzhi and the little white fox were in the room. The former was fiddling with the poisonous herbs and medicines on the ground, as well as the large water vat behind the screen.

The latter sat at the square table, munching on a sweet and sour jujube, occasionally licking a sip of herbal tea.

"Auntie, why does your flower tea seem to have Spiritual Qi?"

The little white fox squinted, enjoying the fragrance between its lips and teeth.

"Perhaps it's because I'm too beautiful."

Mu Nanzhi responded casually.

Inside the pagoda, Xu Qi'an, holding the anklet and cradling the orange cat in his arms, looked towards the distant severed arm of the Divine Being and said:

"Master, do you really know the Mnemonic to unlock the Demon-Sealing Nail?"

"Come closer, and I'll tell you."

The divine voice replied with malice.

"Okay!"

Xu Qi'an tossed out the orange cat, manipulating it to walk in front of the formation, and spoke in human language, "Master, may we speak now?"

The man with the severed arm remained silent for a long while, then sneered, "Little thing, you've got quite a few ideas. Come here yourself."

Xu Qi'an, controlling the orange cat, said:

"I am not Buddhist School, yet I stole the Pagoda. You should understand what this means. For you, this is a golden opportunity. But what about you? You can't control the malice in your heart, and all you can think about is 'eating' me. Heh, an evil creature without wisdom, no matter how powerful, is not worthy of respect."

"Did Buddhist School go to such lengths to seal away fools like you? Or do you understand these principles, but can't control your malice?"

Shen Shu, with his severed arm, scoffed, "A low-level provocation."

Xu Qi'an took out the fragment of the Earth Book and poured out a small black sword that looked like iron but wasn't.

The moment the sword appeared, Shen Shu, who had severed his arm, stopped roaring, and the old monk Ta Ling also opened his eyes and looked over.

The sword that Sun Xuanji gave him was specifically for breaking seals.

The reason we stormed the Floating Pagoda that day was to seize the dragon's energy and break the seal on the severed limbs of the deity. The necessary items were prepared long ago; otherwise, how could we possibly break the seal on the deity?

The reason he didn't take it out last time was because Xu Qi'an felt that his left arm was too evil, and instinctively resisted breaking the seal.

"If you don't want to come out, I'll leave now and won't bother you any longer, Master." Xu Qi'an's expression was calm, even somewhat cold.

This time, Shenshu showed no mockery or disdain. After a long silence, it spoke in a malicious tone:

"There are nine Demon-Sealing Nails, and the Mnemonic to remove each one is different. I only remember two: one is 'Qi Hai' and the other is 'Bai Hui'."

The Qi Sea is the Dantian, and the Baihui is on the top of the head, where the Primordial Spirit is sealed. Xu Qi'an's eyes lit up.

If these two seals are broken, a portion of my combat power will be unleashed, which, combined with the power of the Seven Deadly Gu, will be incredible!

Xu Qi'an turned to look at the old monk, who clasped his hands together in confirmation. "The nine Demon-Sealing Nails require different Mnemonic."

This message is fine, but the tower spirit knows it too. However, the tower spirit doesn't know the Mnemonic to unseal the seal. It's hard to say whether Shenshu is lying to me. Hmm, I'll treat it as a backup plan for now.

Xu Qi'an suppressed his excitement and said:

"Thank you for informing me. I will make a deal with you in the near future."

Then, he turned to the old monk and said, "Master, will you stop me?"

The tower spirit shook its head.

Phew! The old monk is unexpectedly Buddhist. Xu Qi'an was secretly delighted.

Chai Mansion.

Li Lingsu lay on the bed, Erlang crossed, hands behind her head, pondering the intelligence she had gathered that day.

"On the day of the incident, many experts from the Chai family sensed the fluctuations in energy. When they arrived, they found that the patriarch had been murdered by Chai Xian in his bedroom. Seeing that his evil deeds had been exposed, Chai Xian manipulated the iron corpse to kill his way out."

"Here, Xing'er and Chai Xian's accounts differ slightly. Chai Xian says that Xing'er and the Chai family immediately identified him as the murderer and wanted to capture him. Xing'er, on the other hand Principle that Chai Xian went berserk and stormed out of the Chai residence."

"The Chai family's account is basically consistent with Xing'er's. There are only three possibilities regarding this: First, Xing'er colluded with the people in the mansion; second, Chai Xian is lying; third, Xing'er has an accomplice who impersonated Chai Xian to kill Chai Jianyuan, and then committed multiple murders in various places in Zhangzhou to frame Chai Xian."

"Chai Lan has disappeared. She disappeared the night Chai Jianyuan was killed. Chai Xian said someone framed him, and that person must be proficient in corpse control, and it can't be Xing'er herself."

Could it be Chai Lan?

Once the idea took hold in Li Lingsu's mind, it became unstoppable.

"Hmm, there's no evidence, this won't do."

Just then, a maid from the manor came in to bring hot tea. She was a pretty young maid with a slender figure and a small but round bottom.

She picked up the scalding hot teapot with its long spout, opened the lid of the porcelain teapot on the table, and poured the hot water into it.

Li Lingsu casually asked, "What's your name?"

The young maidservant replied softly, "Reporting to you, sir, my name is Du Juan."

She lowered her head slightly, not daring to look at Li Lingsu's face.

"Raise your head and speak," Li Lingsu said.

The maid, Du Juan, hesitated for a moment, then raised her head and bravely met Li Lingsu's gaze.

"How many years have you been staying at the manor?"

"This servant was sold into this household when I was a child."

Li Lingsu immediately sat up in bed and looked at the little maid:

"Then let me ask you, what is the relationship between the young lady and the head of the family?"

PS: This is yesterday's short and weak chapter.