Congealed Fat Peak, inside the Daoist Temple.
As that wisp of Divided Soul whooshed into his body, Limuqun’s eyes flew open.
The first thing that met his gaze was the large crimson bridal bed and a room full of flickering candlelight.
This is… Am I back?
With a swift motion, he flipped upright from the bed like a carp, sensing the Immortal Foundation within his body.
After confirming it several times, he was finally certain he had returned to the Real World.
The memories of the Divided Soul surged up—absurd playacting, wild ensemble performances, and finally, Luo Dan’er’s crazed, frenzied look.
Recalling that flashing blade, Limuqun hurriedly glanced about in panic.
Thank goodness, Luo Dan’er wasn’t here.
He let out a sigh of relief, and in the next instant, delight blossomed across his face.
“Hahaha, Immortal cultivation world, I’m back!”
Limuqun couldn’t help but want to share his joy. He immediately shouted into his Sea of Consciousness:
“Zuo Qiuli, did you see that? We did it, we’re back!”
But the voice that always liked to crack jokes and banter with him didn’t appear.
He frowned slightly and peered into his Sea of Consciousness.
The once-dazzling, bewitching purple radiance that filled the Sea of Consciousness had vanished, leaving only his own faint yellow spiritual aura drifting silently.
Of course, if one looked carefully, one could see a faint wisp of green mixed within the yellow, spiraling and condensing deep in the Sea of Consciousness, transforming into a small green fox cub, sound asleep.
“Hey, hey, Zuo Qiuli, wake up!”
“I mean, seriously, Zuo Qiuli—at your age, at this stage, how can you still sleep? Don’t you have any ambition?”
Seeing his calls were useless, the chibi Limuqun formed by his spiritual sense walked over to the sleeping little fox and reached out to poke its
tiny, pointy, adorable nose.
But Zuo Qiuli remained unmoved, even snoring softly and steadily along his finger.
What’s going on? Isn’t there a saying, ‘There are only overworked cattle, never ruined fields’? How come I’m awake and she’s still sleeping like a pig?
Hmph, looks like I need to use some special methods on you.
He reached out, pressing his hand on the furry belly of the little fox—
Zuo Qiuli, take my Chaotic X Wind Hammer Technique!
As he raised his hand and started poking away, a cool, clear female voice suddenly rang out in his Sea of Consciousness, stopping him in his tracks.
“This little fox’s soul has been depleted too much. She won’t be waking up anytime soon. Don’t disturb her.”
At the sound of this voice, Limuqun outside the Sea of Consciousness shuddered all over. He looked up to see Luozhilan standing at the entrance of the Daoist Temple, her gaze calm and deep as she watched him.
This Pill Fragrance Immortal Fairy had, at some unknown time, already shed the
extravagantly bright wedding dress and donned her usual pure white Daoist robe. The heavy makeup had also been wiped away, revealing the natural, breathtaking beauty of an immortal fairy, even without a trace of powder.
She stood at the temple threshold, her expression serene. The breeze stirred her robe, creating gentle folds, making her seem a flawless statue.
“M-Master.”
Limuqun hurriedly bowed with hands clasped, his voice half-nervous and half-awkward.
He was nervous because he wasn’t sure about Luozhilan’s current state. If she still harbored thoughts of refining him into a puppet, there would be no Zuo Qiuli to bail him out this time.
As for the awkwardness…
Now, whenever Limuqun saw Luozhilan, he couldn’t help but remember her passionate singing and the fervor she’d shown for the sake of “art” during that ensemble.
He simply couldn’t meet her eyes!
But compared to Limuqun’s swirling thoughts, Luozhilan acted as if nothing had happened, only giving a gentle nod
and offering no further response.
She entered the Daoist Temple, jade hand waving, sending forth streams of spiritual power.
At once, everything inside the temple changed rapidly under the power of her spiritual energy. The red paper charms and lanterns vanished, the candles casting ambiguous glows shifted to their normal hues, and even the lavish, enchanting crimson bridal bed returned to its original form—a Qingxin Meditation Mat.
Once again, a faint pill fragrance filled the air.
Luozhilan’s figure flickered. When she reappeared, she was already seated gracefully upon the Qingxin Meditation Mat.
She pointed to the chair in front of her, indicating for Limuqun to sit. “Sit.”
“Oh, oh.”
Limuqun nodded and hurriedly stepped forward, sitting somewhat awkwardly on the chair.
Sensing his unease, Luozhilan spoke softly: “No need to worry. The ‘Heavenly Demon Heart-Devouring Great Pill’ within your body and the ‘Jade Sea Proliferating Mist’ you absorbed—I have already helped you dispel them. They will not affect your future cultivation.”
“Yes, this disciple understands.”
Limuqun nodded and finally let out a small sigh of relief.
Looks like things are back to normal.
But Luozhilan’s next words made his heart
tighten again:
“And that little fox in your Sea of Consciousness—the Qingqiu Fox—is quite rare. Without her, I really couldn’t have been awakened from the Seven Emotions and Six Desires.”
She tapped her fingers gently on her knee, speaking thoughtfully:
“I have no special relationship with her, so it’s not appropriate to reward her directly.
How about this? Don’t reward her openly. In secret, give her this ‘Zijin Condensed Soul Pill.’ This pill is derived from Qingqiu and shares the same root as her. I believe it will be of great use.”
“Yes, disciple will remember.”
A streak of flowing light shot from Luozhilan’s hand. Limuqun quickly got up and caught it, and it instantly turned into a green pill in his palm, its fragrance permeating the air. The pill glimmered with a faint, dreamy radiance, as if it didn’t belong to the real world—a true rarity at a glance.
He carefully stowed it away, but his anxiety only grew.
Luozhilan wants to reward Zuo Qiuli?
Is that right?
That can’t be right!
He was so on edge that he didn’t even care if he’d get a reward himself. Limuqun could barely sit still, finally unable to resist asking, “Master, may I be so bold to ask—what exactly is your current state?”
Luozhilan smiled slightly and countered with a question: “Why? Do you find me strange now?”
Limuqun scratched his head and nodded sheepishly.
From his perspective, Luozhilan’s state truly was strange:
If she’d returned to the cold, immortal fairy she was before, she wouldn’t be so gentle or caring.
If she was still under the backlash of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires,
how could she have taken the initiative to remove the ‘Heavenly Demon Heart-Devouring Great Pill’? She would probably have seized him at once and refined him into a puppet.
So Limuqun honestly couldn’t figure out what Luozhilan’s current state was.
If he had to say, she now resembled a mix between the young Luozhilan he saw in the memory world and the past Pill Fragrance Immortal Fairy—
an upgraded ‘plus’ version.
Cold, but with warmth.
Transcendent, but not aloof.
Most importantly, the look in her eyes held neither the feverish fanaticism from when she was consumed by emotions nor the deep-seated revulsion from before.
She truly seemed like a proper Immortal Master now!
Luozhilan covered her mouth and laughed softly, as if seeing right through Limuqun’s thoughts, then gently explained, “In the past, my Seven Emotions and Six Desires were sealed by the Jade Heart Elixir Mind Technique, so I was always a bit cold to you—perhaps even somewhat repulsed.”
“After that seal broke, my emotions exploded in the other extreme—Five Yin Excess, extreme behavior, and I wanted to turn you into a puppet.”
“As for now—”
“I suppose, you could say I’m just an ordinary person?”