Chapter 38: Come Back Part 2

“Actually, you’re not bad. Everything I said before was just teasing you. You two take care of yourselves!” Moyi Guihua winked at Linlang and smiled. As she spoke, the Golden Core in her Qi Sea spun violently.

“At death’s door, what madness are you spouting? You… you’re insane! You’re actually going to detonate your Golden Core!” Moyi Xiu’er had been wondering what Moyi Guihua was muttering about mysteriously, but then she sensed something wrong around her. Looking at Moyi Guihua’s smile, she suddenly understood.

“If we die, we die together!” Moyi Guihua grabbed Moyi Xiu’er with one hand. The Spiritual Qi fluctuations on her body grew increasingly violent.

Moyi Xiu’er was terrified and wanted to break free. But under the forceful rotation of Moyi Guihua’s Golden Core, her body regained mobility, and her grip was immensely powerful.

Moyi Guihua smiled, ready to face death with equanimity, when suddenly a powerful wave of Spiritual Qi hit, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.

“Big Sister, don’t self-destruct! Take it back quickly!” Huo Zhi’s voice arrived simultaneously. Moyi Guihua and Moyi Xiu’er, locked together, were frozen solid. Struck by the Profound-Grade Superior Freezing Talisman Huo Zhi had bought, they were instantly encased in ice.

There were still a few other cultivators Moyi Xiu’er had brought, who hadn’t been affected by the Nether Soul Thread but were still trying to expel it. Huo Zhi didn’t stand on ceremony, freezing each of them one by one.

This method was the most comfortable for Huo Zhi to use; she could subdue enemies without fighting head-on.

“Sister Moyi, answer me, how are you doing?” Huo Zhi transmitted to Moyi Guihua.

“I… I’m half dead… Don’t lift the seal yet, Moyi Xiu’er is very powerful. Rescue the one in the vines first, then lift the seal so we can deal with Moyi Xiu’er together.” Moyi Guihua’s voice came back, sounding weak.

“That was close, almost too late! You… you’re that 5672. Thank you so much today! Rest assured, your reward won’t be small. We’ll discuss it later. Let me get you out of here first.” Huo Zhi saw Linlang. At the moment, Linlang had the aura and identity of a Bounty Hunter. Having just met her recently, Huo Zhi naturally recognized her.

Huo Zhi cut the vines around Linlang, rescuing her, and immediately applied a Healing Talisman to her.

“One more ‘thank you’. You’re a loyal person. I’ll consider you a friend. If there’s any business in the future, I’ll definitely look after you.” After using one Healing Talisman on Linlang, Huo Zhi applied another and patted her shoulder.

“…” Linlang didn’t speak, just looked at Huo Zhi.

Even though she sent a sound transmission to Huo Zhi, Huo Zhi still came.

Talking about loyalty, Huo Zhi was the truly loyal one.

Come to think of it, whether as a friend, a business partner, or a master, Huo Zhi was truly excellent.

How could Huo Zhi be the same as that selfish, self-serving dog of a man, Mo Zhenfeng?

Mo Zhenfeng would never risk his life to save a friend. Good opportunities, he would only keep for himself, never giving them to others…

Moyi Guihua’s words just now echoed in her mind again, like a powerful torrent of water washing away all the clogs in her brain circuits.

She had been a moron before, timid and cowardly!

Someone so good, why did she leave her?

Why did she think she would re-experience the pain of her previous life?

“Unseal them first. I’ll handle it.” After thinking it over, Linlang had already used another Healing Talisman. Her body felt somewhat better, so she wasted no time and immediately said to Huo Zhi. She didn’t know how to open her mouth and apologize to Huo Zhi for now; she could only resolve the current problem first.

Huo Zhi unsealed the minor thugs one by one. Linlang directly pierced their hearts with a Fire Arrow Talisman, killing them.

Huo Zhi was still not used to the constant life-and-death struggles in the cultivation world, but letting them return alive meant she and Moyi Guihua would have to die. Fortunately, Linlang’s actions were very efficient.

After the minor thugs were dealt with, Huo Zhi released Moyi Guihua and Moyi Xiu’er from the ice.

Moyi Xiu’er was also conscious. She still wanted to resist but was immediately hit by more Nether Soul Thread from Linlang. At the same time, Huo Zhi launched a Sealing Talisman, sealing Moyi Xiu’er’s Spiritual Qi.

“Sister Moyi, how are you doing?” Huo Zhi hurriedly supported Moyi Guihua and asked.

“I… I’m dying. My Golden Core is cracked… Let me meditate and circulate Qi for a bit…” Moyi Guihua said with difficulty, closing her eyes to enter meditation.

Huo Zhi looked at Moyi Guihua’s pale, bloodless face with great worry.

Moyi Guihua had no visible external injuries. The damage to her Golden Core couldn’t be treated by ordinary Healing Talismans; they needed another solution.

First, the meridians were problematic, and now even the Golden Core was in trouble.

“I have a Soul Lamp in the Moyi Family. If I die, the family will definitely avenge me. None of you will escape…” Moyi Xiu’er, bound up, ground her teeth and said.

Linlang, with a cold expression, gagged Moyi Xiu’er and removed her Storage Bag, also taking the talisman she had been halfway through activating.

Linlang knew what Moyi Xiu’er meant. Important members of large families all had Soul Lamps in the family. Once someone died, the family members would know immediately, and they could even pinpoint the general location. Some high-level ones even transmitted a final bit of imagery back to the Soul Lamp.

Moyi Xiu’er’s weak underlings might have had Soul Lamps, but not necessarily the ability to transmit post-death imagery. Moyi Xiu’er had a higher cultivation and was a member of the Immortal Talisman Sect; it wasn’t so certain for her.

The Walking Corpse Talisman Moyi Xiu’er had taken out earlier was a talisman developed by Devil Cultivators, one that shattered a cultivator’s Origin Soul but kept it from dispersing out of their Sea of Consciousness. After using it, the person wouldn’t die, and the Soul Lamp left in the family wouldn’t extinguish, but the person was completely ruined. It was even more vicious than the Soul-Losing Talisman, preventing even reincarnation.

Moyi Xiu’er knew that Linlang had Nether Soul Thread and thought she was a Devil Cultivator. This person absolutely could not be left alive. But since she mentioned the Soul Lamp, wasn’t it perfect to use this Walking Corpse Talisman on her?

Linlang just didn’t know if Moyi Xiu’er would detonate her Golden Core like Moyi Guihua had tried.

Linlang’s eyes narrowed slightly. She knocked Moyi Xiu’er unconscious.

“These people probably all have Soul Lamps. I’ll take her deep into the forest before dealing with her. I’ll take these Storage Bags first, and after removing any tracking marks, I’ll give them back to you. Now, take Moyi Guihua and immediately go into Immortal Talisman City. It’s best to hide within the Immortal Talisman Sect. I’ll find you later.” Linlang said to Huo Zhi, grabbing Moyi Xiu’er and heading for the deep forest outside the city.

“Right, right, right. We need to leave quickly too. Be careful!” Huo Zhi nodded, telling Linlang.

The Moyi Family had lost so many people; this grudge was only getting deeper, impossible to resolve now.

It was too dangerous outside the city. Moyi Guihua couldn’t stay out there. Even inside the city, there wasn’t anywhere completely safe; it was best to bring her into the Immortal Talisman Sect.

Moyi Guihua was still deep in meditation. Huo Zhi didn’t disturb her, covering her with a cloak, carrying her on her back, and quickly entering the city, then the Immortal Talisman Sect.

On the other side, Linlang carried Moyi Xiu’er for a while, then transformed into a Cinnabar Bird, grabbed the person, and flew deep into the forest. After flying for over half an hour, she stopped and threw Moyi Xiu’er into a tree hollow. Linlang sat down beside Moyi Xiu’er, her expression very serious. She first activated the Walking Corpse Talisman and used it on Moyi Xiu’er. Then, more Nether Soul Thread emerged from her fingertips and entered Moyi Xiu’er’s body through various acupoints. Moyi Xiu’er’s body convulsed once and then stopped moving. Dark patterns faintly appeared and disappeared on her body.

Around this tree hollow, many avian creatures circled, but none of them dared to come close.

“What is the Boss doing?” A gray Vulture Beast rumbled in a muffled voice.

“Don’t worry about it. Just follow orders and guard this place; don’t let anyone disturb her!” An Eagle Vulture Beast beside it said with sharp eyes. The Vulture Beast immediately became docile and obedient.

These few low-level avian Demon Beasts were all ones Linlang had rescued while doing tasks, giving her a small foothold in the Demon Race’s territory within this forest.

While Linlang was dealing with Moyi Xiu’er over there, Huo Zhi brought Moyi Guihua into the Immortal Talisman Sect. Huo Zhi handed her Attendant Token to Moyi Guihua so she could enter as well.

Afraid of being discovered by the Moyi Family, Huo Zhi naturally concealed both of their auras.

To enter Wenren Sumian’s courtyard, Huo Zhi was even more cautious, using her best Stealth Talisman.

Wenren Sumian was Moyi Guihua’s enemy, after all.

Actually, she could also take Moyi Guihua to Beimen Duoduo or Ji Shuling’s place.

But Huo Zhi didn’t want to drag them into this. If the Moyi Family found out, these two young people with no real background would suffer calamity along with her.

After Huo Zhi, panting heavily, carried Moyi Guihua into Wenren Sumian’s courtyard, Wenren Sumian had already emerged from her cultivation and was sitting upright in the courtyard. Seeing Huo Zhi carrying someone inside, her gaze towards Huo Zhi was like frost.

“Two hours have passed. Where are the talisman materials I asked for?” Wenren Sumian asked slowly and deliberately.

“Well, Head Seat Wenren, something urgent came up. I didn’t buy the materials. I even used your Spirit Stones to buy some talismans! I’m sorry, I will definitely repay you. Please forgive me, Head Seat Wenren, and allow my friend to stay here with me for a few days.” Huo Zhi said as politely as possible.

It seemed Linlang had taken all the Storage Bags earlier, worried there might be tracking marks on them that would lead directly back to Huo Zhi.

It was for Huo Zhi’s own good. However, now Huo Zhi was penniless, which was awkward.

“…Preposterous!” Wenren Sumian slammed the table and looked at Huo Zhi. She had never seen such an insolent attendant, not only spending all the Spirit Stones she gave her for talisman materials, but also wanting to bring an outsider in to live here!

“Head Seat Wenren, I was indeed in the wrong. But it’s a matter of life and death. This friend is someone very important to me, extremely important! Now she’s severely injured; I can’t just leave her alone. For the sake of the fact that I helped Head Seat Wenren repair the talisman rune earlier, please help me out! In the future, whatever talismans Head Seat Wenren needs repaired, I will do my utmost to assist.” Huo Zhi quickly said.

Wenren Sumian was obsessed with talisman arts; considering what happened earlier, she shouldn’t be so adamant, right?

“The validity of that talisman from before has yet to be verified. You certainly boast boldly. If someone so young could actually repair all my broken talismans, not only would I let you bring her in, I would even bow to you as my teacher! Don’t overstep your bounds. Now, throw the person on your back out of here. Use the Cleansing Talisman on yourself three times before coming back in to receive your punishment! Get out!” Wenren Sumian snorted coldly, saying this while coughing. She pointed outside, and a wave of Spiritual Qi surged, pushing Huo Zhi and Moyi Guihua several meters back with a boom.

Huo Zhi failed to maintain her grip on Moyi Guihua, and Moyi Guihua slipped off her back.

Heart sinking, Huo Zhi rushed forward to wrap Moyi Guihua in the cloak again.

Moyi Guihua’s face wasn’t disguised and had been covered by the cloak just now. Now it was fully exposed.

Wenren Sumian was Moyi Guihua’s enemy. She wouldn’t recognize her, would she?!

Huo Zhi looked at Wenren Sumian. Her previously cold, indifferent, and utterly dejected expression now looked utterly shocked. She had clearly recognized Moyi Guihua.

It’s over, Huo Zhi thought, holding Moyi Guihua tightly.