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Shen Liuxiang left the mansion with a calm expression and returned to the Cloud Pavilion. After that, he went straight to the alchemy room.
The recipe for the Illusory Pill was incredibly complex, requiring many rare herbs. What he initially thought was half of the recipe turned out to be less than a quarter.
Shen Liuxiang placed the vial of blood aside, sat in front of the alchemical furnace, and pressed his slender fingers against his face. He murmured, “A frog in the well croaks, thinking about deciphering this recipe for the rest of my life.”
With this self-deprecating reflection, Shen Liuxiang regained his focus. He activated his spiritual power to control the heat. Just then, something inside the storage pouch bumped forcefully, making quite a commotion.
Shen Liuxiang looked puzzled as he untied the pouch. Creatures couldn’t be placed in a storage pouch, so what could have caused this commotion?
Upon opening the pouch, a pale jade scroll floated out.
Normally, the jade scroll only moved slightly. However, today, it suddenly seemed agitated. Shen Liuxiang was about to wonder when he noticed there were words engraved at the bottom of the scroll. His heart skipped a beat.
“Em, Emperor…”
He almost forgot that he had mistakenly taken this jade slip that Emperor Yunyu hadn’t asked for back when he left.
The other end of the jade slip responded lightly.
Shen Liuxiang blinked, waiting for Emperor Yunyu to continue. He counted to ten while the scroll remained silent in the air. Shen Liuxiang started to grow impatient, and his face turned red as he bit his lip. Unable to contain himself, he finally asked, “What is it, Father?”
The jade scroll floated and emitted a soft laugh. “You really can’t keep your patience. It seems like you rarely meditate in the Demon Realm.”
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Shen Liuxiang admitted, “…That’s true.”
He added in a lower voice, “But I practice my cultivation every day.”
Emperor Yunyu remarked, “My child is indeed very diligent.”
Shen Liuxiang was surprised, not expecting to receive such praise. His eyes lit up for a moment before Emperor Yunyu continued, “Did you think I would praise you like this?”
Shen Liuxiang was taken aback.
After a brief pause, Emperor Yunyu said, “Enough of this. Let’s get to the point. I remembered who your mother is.”
Shen Liuxiang suddenly looked up at the floating jade slip.
“Your mother was a woman from the world of cultivation named Lan Linlang. She was once the greatest alchemist on the continent and had brewed elixirs for me before.”
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Shen Liuxiang exclaimed, “What?!”
He stared at the elegant and neat handwriting on the scroll. It was obvious that it was written by a gentle and beautiful person.
Emperor Yunyu added, “That’s all I remember. If you want to learn about your origins, you should start by looking for her.”
After a moment of silence, he asked, “Is there anything else?”
Shen Liuxiang hesitated for a moment and then cautiously asked, “Then why is my last name Shen?”
He didn’t share the same last name as Emperor Yunyu, and he initially thought he would have his mother’s last name, like Xu Xingchen and the others. Could it be that the original mother kicked Emperor Yunyu out of the picture and found another father for the original body?!
Emperor Yunyu seemed to sense the underlying question and remained silent for a while. Then, in a low voice that carried a hint of threat, he said, “Perhaps I should check your blood to see if you are truly my offspring.”
Shen Liuxiang shivered in fear.
If he was not, wouldn’t he turn into ashes?!
On the other end, Emperor Yunyu toyed with the jade slip. When he thought he had scared Shen Liuxiang enough, he raised an eyebrow and said in a calm voice, “Put away your foolish thoughts. Even though I may not remember much, our blood connection is undeniable. I knew it the moment I saw you.”
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Shen Liuxiang breathed a sigh of relief. He speculated, “Could it be that Father used the name Shen back then?”
Emperor Yunyu replied, “I have never used an alias throughout my life.”
He paused for a moment and added, “Perhaps it was your mother who used an alias.”
Shen Liuxiang responded twice, about to say something more, but suddenly, the jade slip’s glow dimmed and it fell from mid-air.
Shen Liuxiang: “…”
He reached out and caught it, his gaze focused on the scroll. The previous time when he arrived at the Demon Palace, he had asked about his mother. Emperor Yunyu had furrowed his brow, pondered for a long while, and said, “I forgot. Those who haven’t appeared in front of me for too long, I don’t remember.”
While Shen Liuxiang felt a pang of sympathy for his mother being forgotten, he guessed that Emperor Yunyu might have said this to avoid revealing more.
After all, how could one forget in just a few decades? But today, when Emperor Yunyu said this, it seemed like he genuinely forgot. Shen Liuxiang furrowed his brow deeper.
He clenched the jade slip in his slender fingers.
The original story only mentioned Emperor Yunyu’s fall and didn’t explain why. Emperor Yunyu stood at the pinnacle of the Three Realms and was already invincible. If he had fallen, it could only be due to a problem with himself. He might know, but chose not to speak, leaving others in the dark.
Shen Liuxiang’s heart grew heavy. He placed the jade slip back into the storage pouch and suddenly remembered something.
If Lan Linlang was his mother, then Sword Sect’s Master Lan Xiaosheng would be his uncle!
Shen Liuxiang rubbed his forehead. He remembered that when he was trapped by nightmares that night, the original body often visited Sword Sect, and Lan Xiaosheng would secretly give him many treasures, including magical weapons, spirit swords, and even mundane trinkets.
No wonder, after learning that his original self liked Ye Bingran, Lan Xiaosheng repeatedly acted as a spy in the Sword Sect, leaking his disciple’s whereabouts.
This was his way of helping his nephew.
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Shen Liuxiang chuckled softly, shook off his thoughts, and placed the herbs into the alchemical furnace. He poured the vial of blood onto the grass, focusing his mind on the task.
Alchemy required the utmost concentration. Outside the alchemy room, Xu Xingchen stood vigil. He had waited from daytime until nighttime, almost falling asleep, when he suddenly caught a whiff of a refreshing and delightful aroma of elixirs.
Startled awake, he raised his head, and the door creaked open.
A disheveled Shen Liuxiang emerged from the room, his eyes reddened, and his fingers trembling. He stammered, “I…”
It seemed he had failed. However, Xu Xingchen didn’t have time to express his regret. Instead, he rushed to comfort Shen Liuxiang, who looked like he had been struck hard. Frantic, he said, “No problem, I can sneak into the mansion tonight and steal the scroll for you! Don’t cry; I stopped crying when I was as old as you!”
Shen Liuxiang: “Huh?”
Who exactly is the elder brother here? This kid has no hope for him in his heart! Shen Liuxiang spread out his palm and said, “Who’s crying? I succeeded.”
Xu Xingchen blinked as he looked closely, then back at Shen Liuxiang. “Then why are your eyes red?!”
Shen Liuxiang rubbed his eyelids and replied, “Smoke.”
Xu Xingchen: “…”
So, Xu Xingchen decided to ignore him. Shen Liuxiang chuckled to himself and then headed for the Seventh Demon King’s mansion.
The mansion was brightly lit, and alone in a pavilion, Wenren Qin sat with a wine jug. When he saw Shen Liuxiang, he lifted the jug and waved it at him. “Coming here so late at night, aren’t you afraid I won’t be able to resist keeping you here?”
Shen Liuxiang raised an eyebrow and said, “I don’t think you can stop me if I want to leave.”
Wenren Qin’s expression was inscrutable, and he smiled faintly, “What’s the matter?”
Shen Liuxiang replied, “I successfully concocted the Illusory Pill.”
Wen Renqin’s hand, which had been moving the wine jug, paused for a moment. His eyes changed subtly as he peered through the dark night. “Is it true?”
Shen Liuxiang, “First, the scroll.”
Wen Renqin smirked, placed down his wine cup, and with his right hand, retrieved a scroll encircled by a faint golden glow from his clothing. “I was thinking of keeping it with me until you arrived, but you came sooner than I expected.”
Shen Liuxiang tossed the freshly made pill into the air with one hand and pointed a strand of Emperor Yunyu’s hair at the scroll to test it.
Wenren Qin examined the Illusory Pill, raised an eyebrow, and said, “The formula?”
Once they were certain, the two exchanged their respective items.
In Shen Liuxiang’s hands, the scroll appeared dull and ordinary, but when he activated it with spiritual energy, it once again radiated a brilliant light.
Shen Liuxiang put the scroll away, turned, and left the mansion. He had spent the entire day making pills and hadn’t had a chance to give them to Zhou Xuanlan. He wasn’t sure where Zhou Xuanlan was now, and he was also worried about Ye Bingran, who was unfamiliar with the area. He wondered if they had found any clues about the sect’s disciples.
After Shen Liuxiang left, Xiong You appeared, wearing a joyful expression. “Congratulations, City Lord. With these pills, you can use those people without reservation.”
Wenren Qin copied the formula and handed it over to him. “Have those useless alchemists replicate this.”
Xiong You took it carefully. “How many should they make?”
Wen Renqin rubbed his chin, his eyes appearing eerie and cold in the night. He poured another cup of wine. “One hundred thousand.”
Xiong You nodded. “Understood.”
He hesitated and continued, “The Ninth Demon King has taken an interest in the Spectral Inferno on the city walls. It seems they’ve discovered it. Also, there’s a cultivator named the Beilun Sword Sovereign that has also found it. Should we send someone…”
“Ye Bingran has a high level of cultivation, you won’t be a match for him. Don’t act recklessly,” Wenren Qin cautioned. “As for Zhou Xuanlan…” He raised his wine cup, “I received news from the Eight Wastelands. Zhou Xuanlan has revealed himself.”
Xiong You’s expression changed. “Isn’t he in Qilin City?!”
“I was deceived,” Wen Renqin said as he drank from his cup. “No matter, since they’re investigating, make sure they don’t escape.”
Xiong You’s expression turned serious. He asked, “Last night, Zhu Yan seemed strange. Our men who were sent to pursue him were all shaken off.”
“It wasn’t Zhu Yan, it seems he disguised himself as Zhu Yan.” Wenren Qin stood up on his own and walked towards the door. “Two years ago, the Sixth Demon King had a sudden change in behavior. This may be related to him. Send people to investigate, but first, keep a close eye on Shen Liuxiang. I don’t want him to leave the city before I even blink.”
Xiong You acknowledged the orders and left.