Realms In The Firmament
chapter-52

The East-rising Purple Qi was about to resume its circulation. But what if, at this crucial moment, the girl picked up on his plan? If she noticed and then set a few more restrictions on him, then he would truly be finished. He would have wasted all the efforts he had put in previously, and the day he could escape his plight would move far into the distant future.

In fact, Ye Xiao had already begun to calculate his means of escape from the moment he had woken up.

But till now, he had still not been given even half a chance to do so. Even though the East-rising Purple Qi’s magical abilities were miraculous and unpredictable and could still circulate slowly when Ye Xiao’s cultivation was limited, his current level of cultivation was still too weak. It would take him quite a long time to break through the restriction.

This girl, Wen-Ren Chu-Chu looked gentle and weak, and her voice was soft and delicate. But throughout their whole interaction till now, she had not given Ye Xiao a single opportunity to escape.

“Brother Feng, do you really possess mysophobia?” Wen-Ren Chu-Chu’s tone was still as soft as it had always been, but the forbidding quality in her voice was now clear as day.

Ye Xiao smiled blandly, “Is it really important right now whether I am mysophobic? The most important thing is that I’m already under your control. Moreover, you have no intention of letting me go. In simpler terms, you have already made up your mind since the moment you saved me.”

Wen-Ren Chu-Chu smiled sweetly, “Brother Feng, you said it yourself that the supreme dan beads you refined are unique in the Land of Han-Yang, far surpassing the rest. How can I miss the opportunity to learn more about someone as awe-inspiring as you? So I thought that I should invite you to the Kingdom of Lan-Feng. Only, for this journey, depending on whether you come along comfortably or under compulsion, the process will be very different.”

Ye Xiao laughed, “Lady Chu-Chu, are you threatening me? You do know how I got through the last day, do you not?”

Wen-Ren Chu-Chu was startled when she heard that.

“That is true. This guy is short and ordinary-looking, but he is a sturdy man with bones of steel.

“Previously, even when he was suffering from such intense pain, he didn’t even make a sound. He is clearly not the right opponent for physical threats to be effective on.”

“You’re right. But no matter what, Brother Feng’s journey to the Kingdom of Lan-Feng… is destined to be unavoidable.” Wen-Ren Chu-Chu smiled sweetly and said, “Brother Feng’s cultivation is superior. To avoid any unpleasant accidents, how about I give your body two additional finger pokes?”

Ye Xiao sighed,”As expected, she has seen through my plan to stall for time.”

He smiled bitterly, “Can I say… no?”

“Of course you can. But I will still give you a few finger pokes.” Wen-Ren Chu-Chu laughed. Her hands moved as fast as wind. - Pah Pah Pah! - She stabbed Ye Xiao’s Jing and Mai with her fingers three more times.

The Qi that he had started gathering just now had been disrupted once again. His Jing and Mai were heavily blocked causing all of his previous efforts to be wasted.

Ye Xiao sighed and said, “This is your territory. As expected, my words have no power here. Right, about the Regeneration Ink Lotus… Lady Wen-Ren, you have spent a fortune to get it but are you sure you know how it should be used? Well, everyone has their own specialisations…”

She replied apathetically, “That… Even if I use it wrongly and waste it, I would rather throw it away than come to beg Brother Feng for help. Brother Feng, you can relax. There is no need for you to worry about this”

Another escape route was blocked.

But, Ye Xiao was not discouraged at all. He smiled and said, “If you gain an object without gaining knowledge on how to use it, then you will have completely wasted it. If you really use this lotus incorrectly and throw it away, it would be such a pity. Lady Wen-Ren, you have sacrificed so much for this lotus so that you can save someone’s life with it. But sometimes, if you use medicine improperly, it can turn deadly instead…”

Wen-Ren Chu-Chu humphed when she heard that. It seemed like she was dismissive of his words.

Ye Xiao ignored her disdain and continued, “But speaking of the main purpose of the Regeneration Ink Lotus, it is not to simply heal wounds… but to save lives.”

Wen-Ren Chu-Chu’s smile was sweet as she scoffed, “Is that so? Brother Feng’s knowledge is truly vast. You know every detail about the efficacies of spirit medicine.”

“Please Lady Chu-Chu, I am flattered!” Ye Xiao smiled blandly, “I wonder, this item that you have spent so much money on, is it really for saving your father’s life?”

“Naturally. My father is fatally ill. Other than the Regeneration Ink Lotus, there are no other materials that can save him!” She spoke gravely.

Ye Xiao chuckled, “Heh heh. Lady Chu-Chu’s filial piety is admirable. The only pity is that I don’t believe you...”

Wen-Ren Chu-Chu was nonplussed, “You don’t believe it. What exactly do you not believe?”

“I don’t believe that you bought the Regeneration Ink Lotus to save your father’s life. Because although the main purpose of the Regeneration Ink Lotus is indeed to return souls and revive lives, it can only save women; it cannot save the life of a man… So, Lady Chu-chu, when you said that you wanted the item to save your father’s life at the auction, I didn’t believe you at all. But I wonder, with regards to what I have said, does Lady Chu-chu believe me or not?!”

Wen-Ren Chu-Chu was still smiling, but her smile had already stiffened. The corner of her lips twitched as she said coldly, “From ancient times till now, it has been said that the Regeneration Ink Lotus is mystical medicine from the heavens with miraculous effects. So why is it that from Master Feng’s mouth, I hear so many misgivings?”

Ye Xiao picked up the teacup and drank. He said, “It is a saying from the ancient times indeed. But I think that there has been no one in this Land of Han-Yang who has actually used it to save lives before… As far as I know, although it is a well-known as death-defying medicine, all those who have ever taken it have eventually died...”

Wen-Ren Chu-Chu’s face finally stiffened.

Ye Xiao pretended to not see her reaction, and continued, “Even though the diseases were initially cured after the lotus was used… but years later, all of them died suddenly due to inexplicable reasons. There has been no exception…”

Wen-Ren Chu-Chu’s eyes were twinkling and she didn’t speak.

“The reason is simple… The Regeneration Ink Lotus is something with an extremely cold attribute. Although it can cure every disease like a work of a god, the frigid energy of the lotus will remain within the patient’s body. The effects are invisible but continuous. Eventually, the patient dies. There is no one in the Land of Han-Yang whose body can possibly survive such extreme effects. So in the end, all those who took the Regeneration Ink Lotus died with their veins frozen!” Ye Xiao stared into Wen-Ren Chu-Chu’s eyes and spoke slowly.

“What an excellent speech.” Wen-Ren Chu-chu’s poker face remained as she clapped her hands, “Now, I am finally starting to believe that you are indeed a supreme dan-maker.”

“However, it seems that Lady Wen-Ren does not feel anxious even after hearing my excellent speech…” Ye Xiao said blandly, “So… this lady must be confident that the patient can surely defuse this power of cold… But there is absolutely nobody in this Land of Han-yang who has the ability to do so. So, this person that you want to save, let me guess -- Could it be that this person is from… above the sky?”

His words were like a thunderous blow to her. Her body suddenly turned rigid. Turning her head, she stared at him with a dark expression. Then, a sinister smile appeared on her face, a trace of killing intent was revealed in her gaze.

“If the person is from above the sky… then my deduction is quite reasonable.” Ye Xiao acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary and went on speaking with fervor, “However, if my deduction is true, then Lady Chu-chu, you indeed intend to save someone’s life. But that person is absolutely not your father or your mother… It must be a woman though.”

“Why do you say that?” Wen-Ren Chu-chu’s slender fingers had already started to turn pale.

“Because even if the person is from above the sky, the ones who are able to make maximum use of this lotus have one thing in common — they are women.” Ye Xiao chuckled, “Moreover, if she wants to cure the disease in her body with this Regeneration Ink Lotus, there is still another condition which remains to be fulfilled.”

Ye Xiao enunciated each word clearly, “That woman has to be a virgin! Women’s natural attribute is Yin, so they can certainly partially disperse the cold. Even so, the risk still remains. When the frigid energy finally explodes, the consequences could be lethal. Only virgins who possess Yuan Yin bodies are able to disperse the cold energy to the maximum extent!”

“But then, how could a virgin possibly bear children? She can’t. So she is naturally not your mother. If it’s neither your father nor your mother, then who else is there for whom you’d be willing to put so much effort into healing? This person’s identity is almost about to be revealed.”

Wen-Ren Chu-Chu clenched her small hands into fists before immediately loosening them. Her chest rose and fell once, before she spoke indifferently, “Go on.”

Ye Xiao had utter confidence that the answer in his heart was correct.

He said blandly, “This woman be must at least an expert cultivator…”

“If she isn’t, she can’t have such profound knowledge, let alone foster such a brilliant heir like you…” Ye Xiao’s narrowed his eyes. Under this woman’s watchful gaze, he could do nothing to escape. So Ye Xiao could only rely on his profound insight so as to make a most shocking conclusion, which was also closest to the truth.

Before this day, the Xiao Monarch had never thought in either of his lives that he would fall under a girl’s control. On top of this, he was being restrained tightly by his opponent and had no means of escape.

When the word ‘heir’ was spoken, Wen-Ren Chu-Chu’s body once again turned rigid. She bit her rosy lips with her white teeth and the coldness in her eyes became deeper.

“And I also know, that even if you feed her the lotus and temporarily bring her disease under control, the woman you are trying to save can at most live for another ten years before she breathes her last... After the ten years, she will definitely perish, that is unless you find a Regeneration Jade Lotus, whose medicinal quality even surpasses the Regeneration Ink Lotus. Only if you find the Regeneration Jade Lotus, can you… extend her lifespan by five hundred years. After that, when the five hundred years have passed… you will need the even higher-classed Renascence Jade Lotus to heal her again and completely solve her life-and-death crisis!

“Otherwise, even if she reaches a much higher level in cultivation, as long as she does not consume that Renascence Jade Lotus, she cannot avoid her fate, which is to die after all her veins freeze completely.

“As far as I’m concerned, everyone, man or woman, supreme master or not, who takes the Regeneration Ink Lotus will die if the last step is not accomplished. There are no exceptions. The only thing that can save her is the Renascence Jade Lotus.”

“Well to be honest, although the Regeneration Ink Lotus is rare, it is possible to find one if you search hard enough. At least you already have one. As for the Regeneration Jade Lotus… I’m afraid that there only exist a few in the entire mortal realm.”

Ye Xiao said nonchalantly, “Even if you are lucky enough to find the Regeneration Jade Lotus, then… Where are you going to find the Renascence Jade Lotus? As far as I know… from ancient times till now, among the whole heavens and earth, there has been… only one!”

The expression on Wen-Ren Chu-Chu’s face instantly changed .

…