32. Conspiracy?
For the book spirit and Gong Yiling, this was just the beginning.
Closing her eyes, she found herself in a bamboo forest.
A gentle summer breeze rustled through her hair, stirring her spirit, and she felt a sense of enlightenment.
Suddenly, she grabbed the sword in her hand and, as a bamboo leaf fell, swung it horizontally, splitting the falling leaves in half and even severing a nearby bamboo stalk.
In the blink of an eye, she took out the fan she often used for posing.
Her figure moved, her dress swirled, and as she turned, her sleeve caught the wind, a strand of hair brushing against her cheek, a dreamlike image accentuating her unique fan technique.
With a wave of her hand, a drop of dew from a bamboo leaf landed on the rotating fan, and as she turned, she flicked it onto a nearby wooden table, splitting a drop of ink into two.
Throughout the process, her fan…
Remained completely dry.
The next moment, she held a long spear.
She demonstrated various spear techniques, each move filled with a sharp and powerful intent, the shockwaves alone wreaking havoc on the surrounding bamboo forest.
And this was just the beginning. For the next hour, Gong Yiling practiced the “Hundred Paths to a Single Source” in this mystical state, her progress so rapid it almost scared the book spirit to death.
Incredible… truly incredible!
Although it couldn’t see what she saw, it couldn’t comprehend how she could perform so many techniques with just a pair of chopsticks, even imitating the unique martial art of the fan, and making it look so authentic.
But when Gong Yiling finally opened her eyes, she was stunned.
The surrounding bookshelves were no longer recognizable as bookshelves.
Fortunately, they were empty, just dusty old shelves. If they had been filled with books…
—She would have had to sell her pants to pay for the damages.
Gong Yiling sighed in relief. Just as she was about to continue her practice, she heard voices nearby, getting closer.
“I think I heard someone practicing here.” The voice was angry. “Whoever it is, if I catch them, I’ll make them regret it!”
“Pfft…” Gong Yiling almost spat out blood—”Speak of the devil and he shall appear!”
She quickly ducked behind a bookshelf, holding her breath, trying to remain undetected.
When the person arrived, they saw the vandalized bookshelves. “What the hell!!??”
“First, those guys from Ye Ao Daoist Mountain take over the attic, and now this! Damn it, don’t let me catch you!”
This made Gong Yiling pause.
—The people from Ye Ao Daoist Mountain are in the attic?
Instead of using the wide open space outside, they chose to hold their meeting in the small, cramped attic of the library. Something was definitely not right.
She probably wasn’t mistaken earlier. It must have been someone from Ye Ao Daoist Mountain who slipped through the side door. Such secretive behavior…
Since she was already here, it would be rude not to “greet” them.
Gong Yiling’s eyes flickered. After the staff member searched around and left in a huff, she quietly emerged from behind the bookshelf.
“The attic, is it…”
She clicked her tongue, then walked to the third-floor staircase, located the attic, and used her long-dormant demonic technique in a corner.
“Hunyuan Demonic Art: Shadow Deception.”
This technique was different from conventional illusions. As a top-tier demonic concealment art, its activation was almost undetectable, and after use, the user would be hidden in the shadows, virtually undetectable by any detection-type spiritual arts or barriers.
So, Gong Yiling easily slipped up the stairs and to the attic door.
She took down the “In Use” sign, imitated the staff member’s voice, and knocked loudly, shouting, “Someone complained that you didn’t hang the sign! Can’t you follow the library rules!?”
The people inside were confused. A man opened the door, but saw no one, only the sign on the opposite windowsill.
He picked it up, hung it on the door, glanced around cautiously, then closed the door.
“What was that?” The woman in the main seat asked calmly.
“Probably the wind blew the sign off. That annoying woman deliberately put it on the windowsill for us to hang.” The man said, “Nothing else.”
“Hmm.”
Their meeting was highly secretive. Although the knock was sudden, they had been watching the door and were sure no one had entered.
Just an accident.
“Now, let’s continue our discussion.” The woman in the main seat said, “The Divine King Gu, how is the distribution going?”
“Reporting to Your Highness,” a woman Gong Yiling didn’t recognize stood up and said, “In the Dream Channel Sect, I’ve already distributed the Divine King Gu to over a dozen disciples and made them swear a heavenly oath not to reveal anything.”
“Reporting to Your Highness,” another person, seemingly eager to report, said, “It’s the same in the Qingya Daoist Sect. And among those who have used the Divine King Gu are two guest elders. With their help, the Gu will soon spread throughout the sect.”
“Reporting to Your Highness…” “Reporting to Your Highness…”
Voices echoed one after another, and Gong Yiling, hiding in the shadows, felt a chill run down her spine.
She didn’t know what this Divine King Gu was, but she could guess it was some kind of Gu with a fancy name.
This unknown Gu had infected so many cultivators, and no one had noticed anything wrong. This was a serious matter.
