“Ah, those pills.” Meng Youdao pondered for a moment before rummaging through dozens of small porcelain bottles tucked in his robe. “Here, all of them.”
He handed Yuan Ji a white vial containing three unassuming pellets, not once considering hoarding them despite their supposed special effects.
“He gave these to me earlier. I’ve kept them on me ever since.”
Funny enough, he’d only come to the Forgotten River region after hearing the Mu family had deployed extra manpower there—just to satisfy his curiosity. He never expected to stumble upon Mu Danchen’s secret.
Maybe misfortune really does bring fortune.
“I examined these when I first got them. They’re just ordinary medicinal herbs—nothing unusual.”
Ye Wenshu rubbed his chin and sighed. “Good heavens, so the pills aren’t as miraculous as claimed. Young Master Mu, does your family’s second branch make a habit of swindling people like this?”
Mu Chao shot him a glacial look and slowly raised the seed in his hand.
Ye Wenshu: “…” Never mind. I’ll shut up.
Yuan Ji studied the vial, a vague suspicion flickering in her mind. She lifted one pill with a thread of spiritual energy—and immediately sensed a familiar aura clinging to it.
“I see.”
Mu Chao stepped forward urgently. “Sister Yuan, what did you find?”
She passed the pellet to Qi Yan, whose eyes darkened the moment he touched it. “It’s the same,” he confirmed.
“Same as what?” Meng Youdao scratched his head, glancing between them. “Just spit it out already!”
Yuan Ji nodded, took a teacup from the table, and poured water into it. Under everyone’s bewildered stares, she dropped the pill inside.
No one understood why the River God would do this, but they waited silently, craning their necks to peer into the cup.
Before long, their breaths hitched.
The clear water had turned murky. Within the amber liquid, a black thread—thinner than a strand of hair—writhed like a living thing, searching for a host.
Luo Qiushui recoiled, clutching her chest as she stumbled back—then deliberately pivoted to collapse into Yuan Ji’s arms. “River God! What is that? It’s terrifying!”
“A parasite,” Yuan Ji replied flatly, one arm steadying Luo Qiushui’s waist while the other snapped the lid back onto the cup. She snagged the curious fire spirit hopping toward the table and tucked it away. “Don’t eat it. It’s filthy.”
“Ah! River God, I’m scared too!” Huang Li, a step too late, delicately pressed fingers to her forehead, adopting a frail, willow-in-the-wind pose—
Only to freeze under a certain icy gaze. She shuddered, forced a laugh, and fluttered her lashes at Yuan Ji.
“Oh, never mind! Just knowing the River God is here makes me brave again! This courage is surely your doing. Thank you, River God~”
Qi Yan’s molars ground together. Inside his storage ring, Zhijie vibrated with murderous intent: “…”
Yuan Ji: “?”
Goosebumps. Actual goosebumps.
Nearby, Ye Wenshu rubbed his arms, nauseated by the wriggling black thread. He eyed Meng Youdao—who looked equally revolted, as if he wanted to chop off the hand that had touched the pill—and asked, “You’re sure you didn’t eat any, right?”
Meng Youdao’s face paled. “Thank the heavens I didn’t! What kind of lunatic puts that in pills?!”
“He likely planned to spread the parasites through Meng family pills,” Yuan Ji said. Meanwhile, within the Mu family, control would be exerted directly. “His ambitions aren’t small.”
“What is Mu Danchen trying to do?” Mu Chao’s voice was strained. “Control the entire cultivation world? His arrogance knows no bounds!”
Qi Yan summoned a water mirror, displaying the annual pill purchases of the Heavenly Extremes Sect from the Meng family. “Countless sects buy pills from the Mengs. Just this one sect orders tens of thousands yearly.”
The numbers made everyone’s scalp tingle. Even with in-house alchemists, the Heavenly Extremes Sect couldn’t meet demand—hence their reliance on the Meng family.
If Meng Youdao had truly partnered with Mu Danchen… the scale of the fallout was unimaginable.
A’Tong gawked at the figures, then at Meng Youdao. “Yuan Ji, his golden robes must be woven from solid gold, right? If we made the man-eating grass vomit them up, we could trade them for a mountain of spirit stones.”
Yuan Ji vetoed the idea immediately—with extreme prejudice.
“Damn it! Mu Danchen gave these pills to some of our clan’s disciples too. I need to warn the Meng family.”
Meng Youdao’s expression was grave. Though the Meng clan wasn’t affiliated with any sect, many of its members belonged to major factions. If disaster struck, the Mengs would bear the blame.
“Thank you, River God and Master Qi, for revealing the truth. I’ll repay this debt handsomely. Name anything I have, and it’s yours.” He waved a hand grandly.
At this, both Yan Ku and A’Tong’s eyes gleamed.
Mu Dezhong hurried forward and bowed. “River God, this matter concerns the Mu family as well. Brother Meng may not understand the parasite’s nature. I beg permission to accompany him!”
“Uncle Zhong, thank you.” Mu Chao’s voice thickened with emotion.
As the two turned to leave, Guan Muping opened his mouth—but Yuan Ji cut in.
“Wait.”
Mu Dezhong paused, then bowed again. “Does the River God have a better plan?”
A’Tong clung to Yuan Ji’s shoulder. “Yuan Ji, what’s the move?”
She blinked slowly. “Investigating now would take too long. It’s faster to just ask.”
“Ask who?” Meng Youdao’s confusion deepened as Yuan Ji beckoned—and a red glow flew from Mu Dezhong’s arms into her palm.
“Xiao Chuan?!” Mu Chao recognized the soul pearl instantly. “Of course! He must know something. But without a body, how can he tell us?”
Meng Youdao, impatient by nature, frowned. “Xiao Chuan’s the pearl’s name? River God, you can divine answers from it too? Damn, most fortune-tellers need coins or turtle shells. You’re next-level!”
Everyone: “…”
Yuan Ji massaged her temples. No wonder this guy can’t find allies.
Mu Dezhong, who’d been anxious ever since Yue Tianchuan was reduced to a soul pearl, finally relaxed slightly. “River God, do you need the Crimson Lotus—?”
She raised a hand. “No. A simple question today. Just feed him some spiritual energy.”
As everyone puzzled over how to “feed” energy, Yuan Ji closed her eyes, her lashes casting delicate shadows in the sunlight.
Then—
Her ink-black hair stirred without wind. A tsunami of spiritual energy erupted from her, flooding the courtyard.
If normal ambient energy was a trickling stream, Yuan Ji had just dropped an ocean on them.
The sheer force left everyone dizzy.
But as the energy poured into it, Yue Tianchuan’s soul pearl began to glow. Soon, a faint spiritual silhouette materialized above it.
Yue Tianchuan blinked groggily. “River… God?”
“Xiao Chuan!” Mu Dezhong’s voice trembled with joy. He reached out, afraid to scatter the apparition, and bowed repeatedly. “Thank you, River God! Thank you!”
Mu Chao’s eyes shone. “We’re in your debt, Sister Yuan.”
She shrugged. It was just excess energy—hardly an effort.
The others maintained composed expressions, but internally, their minds were reeling.
Did you see that?! The River God just casually unleashed enough power to flatten ten Golden Core cultivators!
I’ve never been beaten up by spiritual energy before. Kinda refreshing, ngl.
Same! That energy surge healed some of my old injuries!
The River God’s mercy is boundless! My chronic pain’s gone!
Meng Youdao prodded his own face, convinced the energy blast had ironed out several wrinkles.
The unluckiest was Ye Wenshu, who’d been knocked flat by the energy wave. Too embarrassed to stand, he stayed prone on the ground.
When Yuan Ji opened her eyes again, the crowd’s eager stares unnerved her. She cleared her throat. “Speak.”
Yue Tianchuan’s voice wavered at the sight of his foster father. “Father…!”
Mu Dezhong cut straight to business. “Enough. Explain how you got tangled up with Mu Danchen.”
Yue Tianchuan’s tearful reunion speech died in his throat.
“River God, Young Master… I don’t know how I was ensnared.”
“After we were separated, I was chased until I blacked out. When I woke, the Crimson Lotus was withering.”
“I thought it was from my injuries. But that night, as I closed my eyes… I heard a voice in my mind.”
Mu Dezhong pressed, “What did it say?”
Yue Tianchuan hesitated. “It claimed… my parents were killed by the family head for discovering the Young Master’s secrets. It ordered me to kill the Young Master… and the River God.”
“Bullshit!” Mu Dezhong exploded. “I was there when your parents died! They—!”
“I know, Father.” Yue Tianchuan whispered. “I didn’t believe it. But I couldn’t stop myself.”
His body moved on its own—drugging the tea. Every time he resisted, control was wrested from him, as if his strings were being pulled.
Unable to harm Mu Chao, he’d handed the tea to Yuan Ji, hoping she would end him.
Instead, Mu Danchen took him away.
The memory filled Yue Tianchuan with shame. He should’ve spoken up sooner.
“But after I was captured… I saw someone!”
“Who?”
“The missing heir of the Xuan family.”
“Xuan Changsheng.”
At the door, Xuan Chengren jolted. “You saw who?!”
