CHAPTER 16

Qin Yan's eyes were already filled with warnings as he said this. Fu Changling answered quickly, "Bundle him up. I'll bundle him up right away."

Fu Changling then pulled out the Immortal-Binding Rope on him and cautiously said to Yan Ming, "Yan Gōngzi, please don't be angry. In fact, we're both good people. We simply want to talk to you."

As he spoke, he wrapped the rope around Yan Ming, who was being pointed at by Qin Yan with his sword. He glared at Qin Yan, his unambiguous eyes blazing with rage.

Only after Fu Changling had tied the person up did Qin Yan put away his sword. He turned around and ordered Fu Changling, "Carry him back."

With that, Qin Yan took a step ahead. Fu Changling turned his head and looked at Yan Ming, whose eyes were filled with warnings, as if he was about to gnash his teeth and kill himself if he took one step closer. With a sigh, he picked up Yan Ming while explaining, "Trust me, I really am a good person. Just trust... ah!!!"

Qin Yan rented a carriage and waited outside the inn. Fu Changling used the invisibility talisman to carry Yan Ming over and throw him inside, before sitting across from Qin Yan and slowly revealing his form.

He had a significant bite mark on his hand and appeared to be in a lot of distress as he lowered his head and blew on his wound. Yan Ming was left in the corner and, this time, had his mouth tied shut as well, so he was indeed "bundled up".

While blowing on the wound, Fu Changling said, "Hiss... this lad, he's really impetuous."

At these remarks, Yan Ming's eyes were instantly filled with rage, and he came over squirming, seemingly wanting to bite again. Qin Yan raised his gaze to Fu Changling and warned, "Watch your words."

"Fine, fine, fine," Fu Changling hurriedly apologised, "I was wrong to say that. I was wrong. However, Daoyou," Fu Changling turned his head and added, "If you're going to bite someone, you must first know how to tell right from wrong. How do you usually get along in the realm of the immortals without giving others any chance to communicate? Have you survived this long without being beaten up?"

"Neither have you," Qin Yan stated matter-of-factly. Fu Changling turned to look back at Qin Yan, ready to curse, but after being met by the latter's clear, icy gaze and seeing the sword in his hand, he held his tongue and finally only said, "I'm good at communicating with others, therefore that's why!"

Also, for the most part, others really didn't dare beat him up.

Qin Yan said nothing, expressing his disagreement through his silence.

It was a bumpy carriage ride back to the Wu Mansion for the three. When they reached the Wu Mansion, Fu Changling brought Yan Ming back to the room and made him get down on his knees across the table, hands and arms trussed up securely behind his back, before the three of them sat face to face. After a long silence, Fu Changling said, "Umm, Daoyou, let me introduce us. My name is Fu Changling, and his is Qin Yan. You should be able to tell that we are both cultivators who unintentionally entered the Xuanji Secret Realm, just like you."

The most noticeable distinction between cultivators who had inadvertently entered the Xuanji Secret Realm and its original inhabitants was in their eyes. People in the Xuanji Secret Realm did not have pupils, but since all three of them clearly had black and white in their eyes, their identities were easily confirmed.

"I know," Yan Ming said, staring fixedly at them. "What exactly do you want to do?"

"We've found a way out of the secret realm, but we need this pagoda you have in your possession. If you are willing to hand it over to us, we can work together to get out of the secret realm," Fu Changling said, trying to sound gentle and calm in order to make a good impression on Yan Ming.

However, when Yan Ming heard these words, the suspicion in his eyes grew rather than diminished. Qin Yan, who was seated to one side, said flatly, "Or we can kill you and keep the Linglong Pagoda, too."

Yan Ming sneered, "Is this a choice?"

"Yes," Qin Yan said, looking up at him, "you can choose to die."

Upon hearing this, Fu Changling placed one palm on his brow and buried his entire face in it.

He felt he was done for and that the impression of him in Yan Ming's mind had been completely obliterated.

But, miraculously, after a brief silence, Yan Ming gave a very tactful nod and replied, "Fine."

Having received this good word, Qin Yan turned to Fu Changling and ordered, "Untie him."

Fu Changling hurriedly stretched his hands forward, and the Immortal-Binding Rope was retracted from Yan Ming's body. After Yan Ming was untied, Qin Yan stared at him as he fixed his clothes and respectfully asked, "May I ask your eminence's name?"

Yan Ming looked up at him and saluted, saying, "Yan Ming."

Qin Yan's countenance twitched, and rarely did he repeat, "Yan Ming?"

Yan Ming nodded, and Qin Yan's expression revealed a certain amount of interest: "May I ask where your Master is from?"

"My Master lives in seclusion in the deep mountains," Yan Ming answered very fluently under Qin Yan's scrutiny, "and I am not at liberty to tell you."

This answer was in line with what he had told Fu Changling back then. Fu Changling noticed Qin Yan staring at Yan Ming. It was clear that the atmosphere was not very good, so he coughed gently and hastily said, "Umm, Qin Xiōng, why don't you go see Wu Xiaojie first, so that we can discuss the rest of the matter?"

Hearing this, Qin Yan turned his head and looked at Fu Changling. He examined Fu Changling for a moment, and then his eyes flashed with a sense of clarity. As if he understood something, he nodded, stood up straight away, and walked out.

Qin Yan exited the room, leaving Fu Changling and Yan Ming alone. After a moment's hesitation, Fu Changling slowly said, "Umm, he doesn't sound very pleasant when he speaks, and he's... not necessarily a good person, but he is indeed a good one now. Please don't take offence."

When Yan Ming didn't say anything, Fu Changling poured tea for him. He pushed it over to him, unsure where to begin.

The Yan Ming in front of him was Yan Ming, yet he wasn't the Yan Ming he remembered either, and he found himself suddenly unsure of how to deal with him. He simply kept silent until he heard Yan Ming across from him say, "You really seem to know me."

Fu Changling looked up in astonishment, and Yan Ming gazed at him quietly, as if reading the doubt in his heart, and said calmly, "The expression in your eyes is very obvious. Have we met before?"

Fu Changling fell silent. It took him a while before he finally struggled to answer, "We have met... a long time ago."

He then smiled and said, "You saved my life."

"I don't remember," Yan Ming said, frowning as Fu Changling poured himself some tea. "It's understandable that you don't remember."

Yan Ming remained silent but appeared to be thinking hard. Softly coughing, Fu Changling shook his fan. "How did you enter the secret realm?"

"I was simply carrying out my sect's task," Yan Ming said unequivocally, "with no intention of entering."

Fu Changling nodded at this, and this was indeed in line with what he had said back then. He talked to Yan Ming for a little longer, and although he was very cautious in his responses, what he said was in fact consistent with what he said back then. After the final check, Fu Changling finally exhaled a sigh of relief, convinced that the person in front of him was the same person from his previous life.

But now that he was certain, he became somewhat confused. Even if this person was Yan Ming, so what?

His feelings for Yan Ming were more about his own past feelings than for Yan Ming himself. After all, it had been forty-two years. Yan Ming, in comparison to Qin Yan, was even less familiar to him.

Fu Changling failed to figure it out, so instead of reflecting on it, he sought to strike up a casual conversation with Yan Ming as Qin Yan led Wu Sisi in.

As soon as Wu Sisi entered the room, she cast an enchantment to keep anyone from prying. When she saw the sandalwood box on the table, she was instantly pleased, saying, "You got it back?"

She then went up to the box and quickly opened it to reveal what was inside.

Inside was a bronze pagoda, which looked very old. Looking at the pagoda, Fu Changling immediately noticed that this Linglong Pagoda was the Spirit-Gathering Pagoda that he had desperately snatched back in his previous life.

He never imagined that the Spirit-Gathering Pagoda would still end up in his hands after going in circles. It became evident that fate will always strike—whether sooner or later.

Just like the Xuanji Secret Realm, he'd always end up entering it sooner or later.

As Fu Changling watched, Wu Sisi was happily fiddling with the Spirit-Gathering Pagoda, her hand propping up her chin and gently tapping on the table. After examining it for a while and confirming its authenticity, Wu Sisi finally said, "Since the Linglong... no, actually this thing is called the Spirit-Gathering Pagoda, but the name Spirit-Gathering Pagoda is too ostentatious, so it is called Linglong Pagoda outside. But since we're all on the same side, I'll tell you the truth. This magic tool was originally owned by my master, and it could gather all the spiritual energy in a short time for the bearer to use. The bearer will have a continuous source of spiritual power as long as they are of the Jindan or YuanYing level and are capable of purifying enough spiritual energy for their own use. That means," Wu Sisi raised her gaze to look at Fu Changling, "even if you are merely a Jindan, you can still possess the spiritual power of the Tribulation Transcendence stage."

As Fu Changling listened to Wu Sisi speak, he kept getting the impression that her words meant something.

Wu Sisi was right.

However, both Jindan and YuanYing have their limitations. If someone at the Jindan level forcibly used the amount of spiritual power that could only be used at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, then the Jindan wouldn't be able to be preserved. For example, in his previous life, this was what happened to him, resulting in the shattering of his Jindan.

"So I've brought this thing here mainly to seek your help, Fu Daoyou." Wu Sisi handed the Spirit-Gathering Pagoda to Fu Changling. "You're good at formations, right?"

Fu Changling gave a nod. Surrounded by three sword cultivators, he was naturally the only one here who was skilled with formations as the only spellwork cultivator.

"I have here a 'Ten Directions Gods-Slaying Formation', which you may need to manipulate with the help of the Spirit-Gathering Pagoda," Wu Sisi said, handing Fu Changling a scroll. He took the scroll and heard Wu Sisi say, "This formation was given to my master by Venerable Ye back then, saying that it was to be used in case of emergency. I can only give it to Fu Daoyou because I don't know how to use it. It takes three people to activate this formation. In a few days, on the day of the ritual, this Venerable One will come to the sacrificial altar to be worshipped, and at that time I will draw his attention, and you will take the opportunity to set up the formation."

Fu Changling said nothing. With only one glance, he understood that the formation was indeed a great one that had been left behind from the past and that activating it wouldn't be easy.

"You might have to form a Dān first." Wu Sisi frowned and appeared worried. After a moment's thought, Fu Changling understood what Wu Sisi was worried about and said directly, "Are you concerned that my forming a Dān will alert that Venerable One?"

Wu Sisi nodded.

"The spiritual energy within the Xuanji Secret Realm is relatively low. You will inevitably need to use the Spirit-Gathering Pagoda to form your Dān. If he finds out about it beforehand, all of our efforts will be in vain."

"Not now, then," Fu Changling said decisively, "let's start by preparing what we need to set up the formation."

"You don't have a Jindan," Wu Sisi was slightly worried, "how will you be able to manipulate such a large formation when the time comes?"

"It's just a Jindan," said Fu Changling, waving his fan with a nonchalant look on his face. "It's fine to form it when the fight starts."

Everyone: "..."

Wu Sisi turned to Qin Yan and said, "Qin Daoyou, why don't we discuss this separately? The two of us might also be able to succeed with an extra effort on our part."

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