Meanwhile, Xu Ziqing had been meditating for several shichen. His internal circulation had not yet reached its limit when he suddenly sensed something.
Someone had intruded?
Since that was the case, he could not continue meditating. He opened his eyes and stood.
Listening carefully, he heard sounds approaching from the distance. He was about to send out his spiritual sense to investigate, but the sounds were already drawing closer, so he saw no need.
After three or five breaths, a woman staggered into view. Someone was pursuing her closely from behind. It seemed she was being hunted.
Hatred covered the woman’s face. Suddenly she looked up, her expression desperate, and begged for help.
The middle-aged cultivator behind her shouted fiercely, “Stay out of Grandfather’s business, or I’ll kill you too!” With those words, he launched a conical magical treasure in Xu Ziqing’s direction. It was a ruthless attack full of killing intent.
Xu Ziqing frowned slightly.
Cultivators often fought and killed one another over treasures. He knew neither party and had no idea what had happened between them. It would ordinarily be unwise to interfere blindly in someone else’s dispute.
But the middle-aged cultivator had attacked heavily before even meeting him, which showed he was hardly a benevolent man. His vicious appearance had already made a poor impression. And when Xu Ziqing saw that the fleeing woman’s cultivation was far below his pursuer’s, he knew the man was bullying someone weaker than himself. Xu Ziqing immediately decided to teach him a lesson.
His expression calm, Xu Ziqing pointed a finger. A green vine sprang out, wrapped around the woman’s waist, and pulled her behind him, safely clear of the man’s attack. He did not let her flee, however, but bound her to one side. He then pointed again, releasing a slender flash of green light that flew straight toward the middle-aged cultivator.
The man was only at Golden Core. How could he possibly withstand it? The green light struck him, and a withering force spread instantly outward from the point of impact. Within one breath, his entire body was immobilized, his skin turning into that of an old, dried-out tree. Only his eyes could see, his mouth could speak, and his ears could hear.
In a blink, the situation had changed completely. Both the woman whose life had been saved and the man who had threatened Xu Ziqing were now restrained.
The middle-aged cultivator was badly frightened. He could not help looking again at the man in green.
The young man’s face was youthful, but his eyes held a mild, luminous depth. His aura appeared tranquil, yet behind that tranquility was an elusive, unfathomable mystery. The middle-aged man had scarcely tried to look more closely before dizziness overwhelmed him, preventing him from continuing no matter how hard he tried.
Only now did he realize he had provoked the wrong person. The green-robed cultivator’s realm was unfathomable and clearly far above his own. Even a late Golden Core cultivator could not have reduced him to such a miserable state… Could this man actually be a Nascent Soul expert?
Terror flooded his heart. Remembering his earlier words and actions, he was overcome with regret and begged repeatedly, “Senior, spare my life! Please spare my life! I was only pursuing a thief who stole a treasure. I never intended to offend you. I beg your forgiveness!” He added desperately, “I am willing to offer the treasure to you, Senior. If you dispose of this woman, I will present it to you without fail!”
He spoke as quickly as possible, terrified that Xu Ziqing might kill him.
Hearing this, the woman erupted into furious curses. “Shameless villain! When was that treasure ever yours? You deceived our eldest sister and killed her, then tried to steal what belonged to her! Fortunately, Eldest Sister was clever enough to hold on to her last breath and pass the treasure to us, keeping you from getting it. My sister and I hid for days, but you tracked us down anyway. And now you dare lie so brazenly to this senior and accuse us!”
The middle-aged cultivator immediately protested, “Senior, this woman is twisting the truth and lying through her teeth! The treasure belonged to my beloved wife. Naturally, after her death it became mine. But this woman and her older sister stole it. I couldn’t bear to see my late wife’s keepsake fall into the hands of thieves, so I’ve pursued them all this way…”
The woman grew angrier still. “You’re the villain who’s turning the truth upside down! You… you still dare to lie!”
The two argued fiercely, each seeming to have a plausible account.
Xu Ziqing said nothing, simply listening to their quarrel.
But he had already formed his own judgment.
To his mind, the woman’s story was probably true.
For one thing, the woman spoke with genuine indignation. Her words revolved around defending her eldest sister, while the treasure itself came second. The middle-aged cultivator, however, constantly called the dead woman his “beloved wife” without saying how she had died. He claimed he was pursuing a keepsake rather than coveting a treasure, yet in his desperate attempt to save his own life, he had been quick to offer it away. The emotions behind his words were inconsistent and his claims contradictory.
Moreover, the woman’s eyes held nothing but hatred, but her expression remained upright. The middle-aged man displayed an ugly manner, and deep in his gaze greed and reluctance to give up the treasure outweighed any love or remembrance. He was clearly insincere.
Xu Ziqing needed only to observe calmly to reach that conclusion.
In all likelihood, the middle-aged man truly was a villain who had murdered his wife for her treasure!
Having reached his decision, Xu Ziqing flicked a leaf directly onto the man’s forehead and said, “Tell me the truth.”
This was one of his divine abilities: using the sensitivity of the myriad woods to hear truthful words.
When employed upon a person, however, it required some substance from the myriad woods as a medium and inflicted a certain amount of harm upon its subject.
Thus, he could not use it indiscriminately.
The next instant, the middle-aged cultivator lost control of his speech. Without hesitation or pause, he recounted how he had happened to see three beautiful women using an immensely powerful treasure. He had pretended to meet them by chance, made the acquaintance of the eldest, and spent years using sweet words to win her heart before marrying her. Later, as their affection deepened and her guard against him relaxed, he found an opportunity to ambush her while she meditated and nearly killed her.
The rest of his confession matched the fleeing woman’s account. He even admitted that he had wanted to force the two younger sisters into becoming his concubines, revealing lewd and repulsive intentions that made his words sickening to hear.
When Xu Ziqing had listened to everything, his gaze turned cold.
What a sly and filthy scoundrel! Deceiving a woman’s affections and then ambushing his own wife was truly intolerable!
The middle-aged cultivator was more frightened than ever after involuntarily confessing.
Xu Ziqing gave him no further chance to speak. He merely spread his five fingers.
The man’s face, which had not yet been immobilized, immediately turned to wood as well. His entire body became a wooden carving. Then, as Xu Ziqing closed his fingers, the wooden figure seemed to be struck by an invisible force and shattered instantly into a cloud of powder!
The middle-aged cultivator was gone without so much as a bone remaining!
Xu Ziqing did not spare him another look. He turned and approached the woman.
She glared bitterly at the scattering sawdust, her eyes reddening, then said, “Thank you, Senior. All my family died at that evil man’s hands. Had you not acted, today I would have…”
Xu Ziqing swept his hand and recalled the vine, releasing her.
The woman wiped away her tears, forced herself to calm down, and bowed earnestly to him before raising her eyes to thank him again.
Xu Ziqing said only, “You may go.”
But just as he finished speaking, he paused in surprise.
He had not paid attention before, but now that he could see her face clearly… He had never met this woman, so why did she seem vaguely familiar?
The woman was anxious. As soon as she heard she could leave, she hurried back the way she had come, almost frantic.
Xu Ziqing suddenly remembered that she had mentioned a sister. Perhaps her sister had made some decision to sacrifice herself so that she could escape, explaining her urgency.
If he had not felt that odd sense of familiarity, Xu Ziqing would have left. But since he had noticed it, he followed his instincts and went after her.
At the very least, he wanted to discover the reason for it.
Before long, the woman reached a clearing and found another woman lying beneath a tree. She appeared to have been struck and thrown there. Her body was covered with dreadful injuries.
The younger woman rushed to her, gathered her sister into her arms, and began sobbing. When she checked her breathing, she found none. Originally the three sisters had depended on one another and lived a reasonably peaceful life. Yet one villain’s greed had reduced them to this… Now she was all alone, with no one to rely on.
Then a gentle breeze passed by.
The woman looked up in alarm and saw the green-robed cultivator who had rescued her standing beside them. “Senior…?”
Xu Ziqing sighed. “Your sister’s life force has not entirely faded. There’s no need to cry like this.”
The woman was overwhelmed with sudden joy. She understood immediately and dropped to her knees. “I beg you to save my sister, Senior! I’ll work like an ox or horse to repay your great kindness!”
Seeing the strength of their sisterly bond, Xu Ziqing’s gaze softened. “Move aside for a moment.”
It was rare to witness such deep affection. The elder sister had been willing to sacrifice herself so the younger could escape, while the younger was willing to humble herself and beg for her sister’s life. Saving her would take only a small effort; Xu Ziqing had no reason to refuse.
He raised one finger and touched the older sister just above the center of her brows. In an instant, a streak of green light entered her Purple Palace.
One finger could bring life or death; in the space of a single touch, he could cause either to arise.
Having formed his Nascent Soul, Xu Ziqing had naturally acquired this divine ability. A little earlier, a single gesture had turned the middle-aged man into withered wood and killed him. Now a single gesture could restore the life force of anyone weaker than him who was on the verge of death.
The green light rose from the Purple Palace and circulated directly through the woman’s body.
In an instant, all the vitality in her inner world seemed to rejoice and answer the green light. After a short while, her life force returned.
Although her vitality had fully recovered, however, her actual injuries were healing slowly.
After considering it, Xu Ziqing took a small bottle from his robes and sent it through the air to the younger sister. “Give the pills inside to your elder sister.”
The younger woman saw that her sister’s complexion had already improved and was filled with gratitude. Without the slightest hesitation, she hurriedly fed her the pills.
Sure enough, before much longer, the elder sister regained consciousness.
The younger woman was overjoyed. She embraced her sister and explained what had happened. Having both escaped death by a hair’s breadth, they were overcome with emotion.
Then the two helped each other stand, turned toward Xu Ziqing, and bowed together in thanks.
Their voices were choked with emotion.
“This junior is Chen Ni…”
“This junior is Chen Shang…”
“Thank you for saving our lives, Senior! Even if our bodies were ground to dust, we could never repay your kindness!”
Only after completing their deep bows did the sisters rise.
Seeing both their faces clearly, Xu Ziqing felt that faint familiarity deepen into something much stronger.
He searched his memories carefully.
From his birth to his first steps on the path of cultivation, he recalled the people and events he had encountered…
One by one, he considered them all.
Finally, he vaguely remembered a pair of sisters and asked hesitantly, “Ghost Yin… Ghost Yang?”
He had it! If one cheek of each of these two lovely faces were slashed by a knife, and a spider tattoo marked the other cheek, would they not look exactly like the Ghost Yin-Yang Sisters he had met over a hundred years earlier? Their appearance had been restored, which was why he had only found them familiar instead of recognizing them immediately.
The Chen sisters’ faces changed drastically. “Senior… who are you, Senior? How do you know…?”