He seemed to want to say âWu Xingxue,â but because A Yao was by his side, he ultimately didnât utter a word.
Wu Xingxue, who was standing beside the red column, looked at him. Then, after a moment, his face revealed some confusion: â?â
âWhy are you looking at me like that?â asked Wu Xingxue.
Xiao Fuxuan raised his chin, pointed to the blood pool, then at A-Yao, and asked sternly, âWhat is going on?â
âAre you asking me?â Wu Xingxue looked down at Yi Wusheng on the ground and was silent for a moment.
He was still extremely energized and full of spirit when they were leading the devils up and down Peach Blossom Island. Now he seemed inexplicably feeble as he stood next to a pool of blood, his voice low and set against his slightly pallid skin.
Seeing this type of expression, Xiao Fuxuan frowned slightly, then blinked and slowly looked away.
Before Wu Xingxue could reply, he had already said solemnly, âForget it.â
He reached out the unsheathed sword in his hand, then gently knocked it on A-Yaoâs back.
A-Yao suddenly jerked his hand back, dropping the sword from his hand to the ground with a âclangâ, rolling over. The silver tassel and pink jade pendant on the handle of the sword were soaked with blood, yet the word âWushengâ in the middle of the jade pendant seemed to become clearer beneath the winding, bloody trails.
A-Yao stared blankly at the jade pendant, then fell onto the ground as if all his energy had suddenly been drained from him.
Xiao Fuxuan swept his robe up and half-squatted in front of Yi Wusheng. Then, he pressed the back of his finger against the center of his forehead. He was about to check his spirit when he saw the person beside the red column move.
The light cast that person into a gray silhouette. That silhouette moved over from the red column, stopped beside him, then condensed into a lump.
Xiao Fuxuanâs movements were halted. He shot a glance towards his side, only to find Wu Xingxue innocently squatting beside him. He first looked at A-Yao, who was dazed and slumped over, and then turned his head to say softly, âXiao Fuxuan, did you notice something wrong with that lunatic just now?â
Xiao Fuxuan didnât say a word.
âThinkâ? Isnât it obvious?â
His expression started to become indescribable.
But he didnât say anything and only stared at Wu Xingxue, waiting for him to continue.
It turned out that the other party was also looking at him. He seemed to be waiting for a response and not planning to continue. He looked so calm as to be considered âobedientâ.
ââŠâŠâ
Xiao Fuxuan was not moved by this.
After a moment, he moved his lips, âSo what happened during the period I went to look for Yi Wuxi?â
Wu Xingxue thought for a bit, then replied, âHe was originally slumped on the ground, but then he suddenly jumped up, like something shocked him awake. Then he suddenly drew Yi Wushengâs sword and charged over here.â
Xiao Fuxuan: âThen?â
Wu Xingxue: âThen things got even weirder. In one stab, he killed Yi Wusheng.â
Sure enough, there appeared to be a single sword wound on Yi Wushengâs body, right in the center of his heart. It seemed that one stab had ended everything, without any additional movements.
Wu Xingxue: âHave you seen lunatics like this before?â
Xiao Fuxuan: ââŠYes.â
Wu Xingxue nodded, âThen itâs easy to explain. If youâve seen them before, then you must know what I mean. When a lunatic goes into its frenzied state, not only do they become freakishly strong, but they would also be very unsteady. The more excited they are, the harder they will shake. But this lunatic is different. His hands didnât tremble in the slightest. In addition, his face was also completely expressionless. I believe thatâŠâ
He looked at A-Yao silently, as if he had almost spaced out for a bit. Then he looked back towards Xiao Fuxuan and said, âHis body might have been borrowed by someone else for use.â
ââŠâŠâ
âWho do you think borrowed him?â
ââŠâŠâ
Xiao Fuxuan looked at him expressionlessly.
After a long moment, he sneered coldly, âI donât know, perhaps I did.â
After that, he stopped looking at Wu Xingxue, who also seemed to be stunned by his answer and didnât ask anything more.
After a long time, he heard an âohâ from Wu Xingxue.
âŠâŠ
Thatâs right, he dared to sayâohâ.
Xiao Fuxuan knocked Yi Wushengâs head expressionlessly. Sure enough, his body sounded hollow, just like the countless other people who had died before him. But beneath this hollow sound, there also seemed to be an extremely light sigh.
Xiao Fuxuan was stunned for a moment. He almost immediately grabbed Yi Wushengâs left hand, then pushed his thumb into the center of his wrist.
A slight ridge bulged up beneath Yi Wushengâs skin; in the next second, the bulging area squirmed up like a slithering snake, passing through his arms and neck, continuing upward.
Yi Wushengâs hazy pupils suddenly focused again. Immediately afterward, his pupils moved, reflecting a slight smearing of light beneath the lantern flames.
As if⊠he came back to life!
âXiao Fuxuan.â Wu Xingxueâs voice suddenly sounded. He had already forgotten that A-Yao, an outsider, was still present. His gaze was originally downcast, but now he had lifted his head, staring at Yi Wusheng without blinking. After a second, he then stared unblinkingly at Xiao Fuxuan.
Xiao Fuxuan could see him out of the corner of his eye, but he didnât turn around. He just replied with an âmm.â
His hands didnât stop. Just as Yi Wusheng was about to open his mouth to speak, he quickly pulled out two long strips of black cloth from thin air and covered his mouth and nose.
âWhat is heâŠ?â Wu Xingxue asked.
Xiao Fuxuan explained, âThat stab simply dissipated the fumes of the devil inside him. Now, whatâs in his mouth is the final vestige of soul left over after being devoured by a devil.â
One naturally couldnât be resurrected after death. For living beings who were devoured by devils, only death could be considered liberation.
But legend said that the Immortal Capital had a method in which, by borrowing an immortalâs celestial energy, a bit of vestigial soul could be preserved. As long as that mouthful of celestial energy wasnât expelled, oneâs life could be extended for a period.
Although this method existed, it was seldom used.
This was because as an immortal, he or she could no longer intervene in the affairs of mortals at will.
Immortals had their own rules, whether it was punishment or remuneration, life or death, to save or not to save, all had to follow the Lingtaiâs heavenly way. Or else, if you took care of this one but didnât take care of that one today, if you helped that one but missed this one tomorrow, the realm of mortals would fall into complete chaos.
Yi Wusheng himself was also at a loss.
He freed himself from the diabolical possession and no longer had that disquieting smile. After being cast in warm light, his features could almost be considered gentle. Compared to his muddled appearance from before, he was a completely different person.
He had a deep frown on his face, and he wanted to speak, but his nose and mouth were bound tightly by black cloth.
âOomph, oomphâ Yi Wusheng let out two muffled cries towards Wu Xingxue.
Yi Wusheng reached out his hands to pull the black cloth down, but his hands were slapped away by Wu Xingxue.
After slapping his hand away, he then turned to ask Xiao Fuxuan, âWeâre not supposed to take these down, right?â
Xiao Fuxuan: ââŠâ
He said to Yi Wusheng, âYouâll die if you do so.â
Yi Wusheng made a few more muffled noises. Although it was so tight that it was uncomfortable, he still put his hands back down.
Wu Xingxue suddenly asked, âThen, is he technically alive right now?â
Xiao Fuxuan shook his head.
It wasnât the case. It was just some vestigial soul. Although he had the support of celestial energy, no one knew how much longer he would last. Because of how rarely this method was used, almost no one knew about the details.
âNo?â Wu Xingxue asked again quietly.
Xiao Fuxuan was silent for a moment before replying, âBarely.â
âOh,â Wu Xingxue nodded.
After this series of events, that wave of feebleness from him seemed to disappear.
When Yi Wusheng got up from the ground, Wu Xingxue looked at his wrist, and the thumb hanging by his side seemed to move subconsciously. He didnât even realize it himself.
He swept his robe and stood up.
Just as he was about to check the movements of the Hua Sect members outside, he heard Xiao Fuxuanâs low voice, âWant to learn?â
Wu Xingxue was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at him, âWhat?â
Xiao Fuxuan gave a glance towards Yi Wusheng, then looked back towards Wu Xingxueâs hand.
Only then did Wu Xingxue realize, âAre you talking about the method that can be used to save people?â
âI donât have the slightest hint of celestial power and techniques on my body. â He said after a brief laugh. âIâm not anyone special, I canât learn something like that. Are you just trying to make fun of me? Haha.â
âNo.â
âBesides,â Wu Xingxue continued, âIn the stories Iâve read, they all sayââ
Stories againâŠâŠ
Xiao Fuxuan remained silent, waiting for his next words. But Wu Xingxue suddenly stopped.
âWhat did you say?â
âYou saidââ
Wu Xingxue took a glance at Yi Wusheng and A-Yao, then curled his fingers.
Xiao Fuxuan: ââŠâŠâ
He lowered his head slightly and got slower.
Wu Xingxue said in a low voice, âThe stories all say that immortals are different. They are not allowed to freely save people from the mortal world. You saved Yi Wusheng just now and are also about to teach me, an unintelligent mortal, some celestial powers. Wouldnât that be⊠against the rules of heaven?â
Towards the end, he smiled a bit, and looked up at Xiao Fuxuan.
Xiao Fuxuan was tall. His jawline was slim and sharp; as he looked down, that line became even more prominent, slightly moving as he talked.
Xiao Fuxuan, his appearance mild, only gave an âmmâ after listening to his explanation.
A moment later, he said, âNo. The Immortal Capital is already gone. Iâm not some Celestial Immortal anymore either.â
He glanced at Wu Xingxue, then continued, âIâm just some spiritual consciousness that entered this vessel. Havenât I been turned into a puppet by you?â
Wu Xingxueâs eyes flickered.
âHow can puppets break the Lingtaiâs heavenly laws?â
After that, he grabbed a golden piece of paper from thin air and handed it to Yi Wusheng. âI have some important questions to ask you. When you reply, just hold onto this piece of paper. That way, Iâll be able to hear you.â
Yi Wusheng was stunned for a moment, then took the paper over.
The question he wanted to ask the most was, âWhy save me?â
âThere are still some things I must trouble you with,â replied Xiao Fuxuan.
He pointed to Wu Xingxue, âCan you still practice your Dreaming Souls Technique in your current situation?â
Yi Wusheng nodded.
âThen when you get the chance, take a look at his condition for me.â
He then turned to talk to Wu Xingxue, âHeâs adept at the Dreaming Souls Technique. You might not understand. In short, as long as he reaches out a hand to check, he can clearly determine where this soul of yours is from, and to where it should return.â
Wu Xingxue: ââŠâŠâ
Yi Wusheng nodded, âI⊠I will do my best.â
Wu Xingxue: ââŠâŠâ
For an instant, he showed a wooden-like expression, but disappeared in the next second.
Xiao Fuxuan glanced at him, and then pushed open the door, saying to Yi Wusheng: âRight now, thereâs another matter of urgency. That is, you need to explain the entire story clearly to the people from your sectâfor instance, those rumors of the past.â
Unexpectedly, Yi Wusheng looked at the vast crowd of people outside, then said, âSect Leader is here, I canât.â