'It'll be okay,' Xu Luo thought. He pulled Huangfu Shishi into his arms and whispered, "Qiqi, be good. Just go to sleep. Everything... will be all right!"
As he spoke, Xu Luo reached out to his Shaking Light Star Soul. "Shaking Light, help me!"
Shaking Light was silent. But then, a ray of starlight shot out from Xu Luo's body and into Huangfu Shishi. Her body trembled slightly, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Shaking Light's desolate, ancient voice then rang out in Xu Luo's mind, "She's been poisoned. It's very serious."
"Is there a way?" Xu Luo's voice was almost a plea. "Shaking Light, I'm begging you... help me!"
"This poison... I can't help you with it... but..." Shaking Light seemed to hesitate.
"But what? I'll agree to anything!" Xu Luo declared without a moment's hesitation.
"Helping you is what I'm supposed to do, but this poison... is a bit tricky." The Shaking Light Star Soul's thoughts showed this sort of hesitation for the first time. Just then, a cold female voice sounded in Xu Luo's mind, but it was speaking to Shaking Light.
"Though this isn't his problem, it's a problem for the woman he loves. Would I stand by and watch her die?"
"Ah? You... Who are you?" Xu Luo was astonished. The voice was completely unfamiliar and sounded ice-cold, as if devoid of all emotion. Yet, Xu Luo seemed to feel a sense of intimacy from it, one that felt like it came from the depths of his soul, making his heart tremble.
The Shaking Light Star Soul sighed softly and said no more, falling silent.
"Put the girl on the bed." The cold female voice offered no explanation, simply giving a direct command.
Although Xu Luo was filled with countless doubts, at a time like this, he could only do as he was told. He had a faint suspicion that this cold female voice might also be an awakened Star Soul.
'Could it be... Jade Balance?'
Despite his speculation, Xu Luo placed Qiqi on the bed without hesitation and waited for the next instruction.
But he waited for a long time and heard nothing. After a full hour had passed and Huangfu Shishi was still fast asleep, Xu Luo finally couldn't take it anymore and reached out with his mind, "What... should I do now?"
"It's already done." The Shaking Light Star Soul's ancient and desolate voice sounded in Xu Luo's head.
"Done? Really?" Xu Luo's brow furrowed slightly. With Qiqi's life on the line, he was in a state of disarray.
"Yes, the poison in her body has been neutralized. However... Jade Balance, she... um, the Jade Balance Star Soul, has fallen into a deep slumber again. Waking the Jade Balance Star Soul will not only require a massive amount of energy, but also..."
"But also what?" Xu Luo was now certain that the cold female voice belonged to the Jade Balance Star Soul. 'But why doesn't she communicate with me directly like Shaking Light does?'
"And it's possible... that the Jade Balance Star Soul will not be able to awaken for a very long time. This poison is quite peculiar, one of the world's strangest. Even we can't easily neutralize it. We can only use our Origin Power to suppress it, then break it down into its most fundamental components..." The Shaking Light Star Soul's voice sounded somewhat helpless. "The price the Jade Balance Star Soul paid to help you this time is unimaginable!"
"I understand. I will pay any price to reawaken her!" Xu Luo said with determination.
Even if the Jade Balance Star Soul hadn't fallen back into slumber just to help him, that sense of intimacy from the depths of his soul was a reminder to Xu Luo that there was definitely some kind of wondrous connection between them!
Seven Star Souls... It was absolutely impossible that they had appeared in his body by chance!
Xu Luo suddenly recalled the ancient Star Map he had seen in the Earth Palace...
The Shaking Light Star Soul sighed silently in Xu Luo's Dantian and communicated with another Star Soul via thought: "I don't know if what we're doing is right or wrong."
Another voice, which sounded just as ancient but carried a rougher edge, replied slowly, "Everything is fated. There is no right or wrong. Just like... back then."
"Perhaps," the Shaking Light Star Soul replied, then fell into silence.
On his end, Xu Luo racked his brain for a long time but couldn't figure out what was going on. His heart was still worried about Qiqi, so he temporarily pushed the matter to the back of his mind. As long as Shaking Light didn't explain, he would never be able to truly guess the reason for it all.
'In any case, these Seven Star Souls would never harm him!'
'And that... was really enough.'
Xu Luo held Huangfu Shishi's hand, gazing at her affectionately while blaming himself. 'If I had been a little more vigilant, a little more wary of Jiang Tianhai and his people, maybe this wouldn't have happened.'
At this moment, Master Mao, who was at the side, looked at Xu Luo and said, "RAAAWWRR... Xu Luo, are you trying to blame me?"
Xu Luo replied without lifting his head, "I'm blaming myself!"
"Bullshit!" Master Mao leaped up, furious. "You humans have a saying: 'A thief can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days!' Don't you get it, RAAAWWRR? You couldn't have prevented this! Not unless you could chain her to your side and never let her out of your sight for a single moment! And even then, you might run into a powerful enemy and end up getting her killed along with you!"
Master Mao's words struck Xu Luo like a sharp blow to the head.
"Yeah, you're right, but I still hate myself..." Xu Luo murmured.
"What's there to hate? You should be hating the people who hurt her! Didn't you just say you were going to tear those two to pieces? Did you forget so quickly, RAAAWWRR?" Master Mao roared.
"Of course... I haven't forgotten!" Thinking of the Jiang brothers, fury blazed in Xu Luo's heart.
"Then that's that! We just have to come up with a plan to tear those two bastards to shreds, and it'll be over, won't it? Such a simple thing, and look how worried you are... So stupid, RAAAAAWWWRRRR!"
"Nghh..." Lying on the bed, Huangfu Shishi let out a soft moan. She slowly opened her eyes, and upon seeing Xu Luo's concerned face, she burst into tears. She threw herself into his arms and cried sorrowfully, "I thought I'd never see you again! Waaaah..."
"Ugh, a crying girl is so annoying!" Master Mao grumbled, then zipped out of the room. Out of sight, out of mind.
Xu Luo pulled Huangfu Shishi into his embrace and comforted her softly.
The greatest power of a soul-controlling poison was its ability to control the soul while leaving the mind aware. While under its influence, a person would simply assume that their actions stemmed from their own deepest desires and thoughts.
Just like now. After waking up, Huangfu Shishi remembered everything that had happened with perfect clarity!
"How did you neutralize the poison? Weren't they saying... that there's no cure for it?" Huangfu Shishi looked at Xu Luo, her face tear-stained and pitifully beautiful. "If... if that were really the case, you should have killed me with your own hands. I would never want to cause you any harm..."
"Silly girl, don't say such foolish things. You're... you're fine now. Don't worry. Even if I had to betray the entire world, I would never let you be harmed in the slightest!" Xu Luo said softly, gazing into Huangfu Shishi's eyes.
Huangfu Shishi leaned against Xu Luo's chest and hummed softly in agreement. She felt like she was the happiest person in the world.
After a long while, Huangfu Shishi's emotions finally calmed down. She recounted Jiang Tianhai's plan to Xu Luo, and then her beautiful, crescent-moon-like eyes flashed with towering rage and killing intent. She gritted her teeth and said, "This time, even if I have to betray the sect, I won't let them get away with this!"
"There's no need for you to act. I'll handle it. Leave this to me," Xu Luo said in a calm voice.
「Over the next few days」, Huangfu Shishi and Xu Luo remained in the Imperial Palace, not venturing out and keeping to themselves.
Shangguan Qing took some men and secretly disappeared, their whereabouts unknown.
But Xu Luo had long expected this. He knew that the reason Shangguan Qing had come personally this time was definitely not for the half-year pact between him and Jiang Tianhai, but for that Spirit Stone Vein and that vague, illusory legend!
Shangguan Qing's disappearance was definitely because of the Spirit Stone Vein. He wanted to investigate it personally to see just how much it was worth investing!
'Perfect... Shangguan Qing has left the Imperial Capital. Now... it's my time!' Xu Luo's eyes glinted. He glanced at Huangfu Shishi. "Qiqi, let's go out of the city for a walk!"
"Is everything ready?" Huangfu Shishi was somewhat worried. "Jiang Tianhai is no threat, but his brother... he's an expert at the Seventh Layer of the Transformation Realm. And I've heard he's had many fortuitous encounters and that the Cultivation Technique he practices is extremely domineering..."
"Don't worry. As long as he hasn't reached Shangguan Qing's level, he is sure to die this time!" Xu Luo said with a firm tone.
Almost all of Xu Luo's people were in seclusion at this time. Xu Ji, Xu Su, Sui Yan, and Liu Feng had all seen their strength increase dramatically after consuming the Chaos Peaches. They were all in seclusion to consolidate their realms. At the same time, they were also waiting for Xu Luo to bring them better Cultivation Techniques!
Outside the city, a gentle breeze caressed their faces. A small river flowed slowly by, its banks lined with red flowers and green willows, creating a pleasant scene.
Xu Luo and Huangfu Shishi snuggled together, sitting on a large rock by the riverbank. Huangfu Shishi asked softly, "Brother Xu Luo, you're so powerful. You must have a lot of treasures on you, right?"
"But of course. This time, inside the Small World, I discovered a massive Ancient Ruin and had a huge harvest!" A smug expression appeared on Xu Luo's face as he said with a laugh, "Let me put it this way: right now, it wouldn't be easy for even an expert at the Fifth Layer of the Transformation Realm to kill me! Let alone trash like Jiang Tianhai. I could beat him with a wave of my hand!"
Hiding in the shadows, Jiang Tianhai gritted his teeth and sneered inwardly: 'Xu Luo, enjoy your moment of triumph. In a little while... I'll see if you can still laugh!'
Jiang Hanhai, however, was very calm. He watched Xu Luo from a distance, but deep in his eyes, a look of intense desire flickered. He thought to himself: 'As long as I can get the treasures he has on him, my strength will definitely rise to another level! When that time comes, as long as I can touch that threshold... I, Jiang Hanhai, will become the strongest of my generation in the entire Kaiyang Sect! No, in the entire Sect Realm!'
Huangfu Shishi looked at Xu Luo with a cute, naive expression. "You're that amazing, Brother? Not even someone at the Fifth Layer of the Transformation Realm can kill you? Then... do you think Qiqi could kill you?"
In the shadows, the hearts of the brothers Jiang Hanhai and Jiang Tianhai tightened. 'It's starting!'
Xu Luo roared with laughter and pulled Huangfu Shishi into his arms. "Of course my Qiqi can kill me! If you wanted my life, I wouldn't even blink!"
"Really?" Huangfu Shishi's face was a mask of innocence. "Then can Brother close his eyes for me?"