83 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

After Mingzhu finished speaking, Baifan glanced at her. She couldn't tell what race this girl belonged to, as her appearance was almost indistinguishable from that of a human. “What race are you?” “I am of the Ling clan.” “Ling clan?” This was the first time Baifan had heard of this race. It seemed that there was no mention of such a clan in the world of cultivation. “But the Mortal Realm probably no longer has any members of the Ling clan. Besides, we don't actually belong to this world.” Mingzhu led Baifan through a dark passage. When Wudaoshu mysteriously emerged from the secret realm, he realized he had ended up here again. Sweeping her gaze around, Baifan noticed that Heyiman was no longer there. However, she heard Mingzhu's voice by her ear. “Little Bodhi Tree, how have you grown so big?” Little Bodhi Tree? Baifan wondered if her ears were playing tricks on her. The tree standing before them was enormous, yet Mingzhu addressed it as 'Little Bodhi Tree.' Hearing the familiar voice, the face of an old man slowly emerged from the tree trunk. Upon seeing Mingzhu, a nostalgic expression formed on his face, “So it’s Princess Mingzhu. Even after tens of thousands of years, you remain as young and beautiful as ever.” Mingzhu covered her mouth and laughed gracefully, “Little Bodhi Tree, you always know how to flatter. I am now but a wandering spirit; my true form has long since been lost. I wanted to ask you what happened in the underground palace over these millennia. How come when I awoke, everything had turned to ruins?” Wudaoshu shook his head, finally casting a glance at Baifan, whose brow slightly furrowed. “Little tree has no clue. I have not left this secret realm for thousands of years. I only occasionally heard from cultivators who came to pick the Dao Fruit that this place was once invaded by the Ghost tribe. Fortunately, my Bodhi nature kept those ghosts at bay, allowing me to survive until now.” “I see.” Mingzhu looked up at the leaves on Wudaoshu and asked, “Little Bodhi, why are your leaves so sparse? Is it pest infestation?” Wudaoshu shook his head frantically, “No, they were plucked by someone.” Mingzhu, feeling sorry for the tree, asked, “Who did it?” After hesitating for a while, Wudaoshu replied, “It was that little snake beside the princess. But why is the princess with her? That little snake is greedy and full of lies. Princess, don’t be deceived by her.” “What? Yehuo did this?” Mingzhu looked at Baifan in surprise. Baifan's face turned red as she tried to justify herself, “I only picked them to make tea. I stopped when it refused to give me more. Moreover, leaving too many leaves here to decompose into the soil is wasteful. It's better to use them for tea.” Mingzhu nodded in agreement, “Yehuo is right; we shouldn't waste them.” Wudaoshu grew anxious, “Princess, don’t be fooled by her appearance. She may look pleasant, but she tricked another girl here not long ago, and that girl just left.” Baifan immediately thought that Heyiman might have stayed here waiting for her. She asked Wudaoshu urgently, “Is that true? Did she really just leave?” “Yes, she waited for you for over half a month, thinking you had left.” Wudaoshu looked at Baifan disdainfully, still holding a grudge over the leaf incident. If Princess Mingzhu weren’t here, he would have likely ignored this long-tailed snake entirely. Mingzhu looked slightly aggrieved, turning towards Baifan, “Yehuo.” Baifan was stunned by her expression and didn’t know how to explain herself. But why should she explain? She hadn’t done anything wrong. “Um, I...” Wudaoshu let out a few snorts, sighing deeply, “People should know contentment.” Baifan’s face flushed with embarrassment. If Mingzhu weren't there, she might have scolded the tree. Mingzhu stared blankly at Baifan, lost in thought. Just as Baifan was about to speak, Mingzhu’s previously aggrieved expression softened into a forced but sweet smile, “No matter what choice you make, Yehuo, I will wait for you.” Baifan felt like sighing to the heavens. What was happening? Why was she suddenly made out to be the villain? “Actually, it’s not what you think...” Mingzhu waved her hand, stepping back, “Yehuo, you don’t need to explain. Mingzhu understands. It’s almost time for us to leave, so let’s go now.” Mingzhu left first, leading the way, leaving Baifan behind, biting her lip in frustration. She finally turned to Wudaoshu and said, “You’ll get yours.” Wudaoshu shook his tree leaves, indifferent. Burning with anger, Baifan turned and hurried to catch up with Mingzhu. The passage Mingzhu led Baifan through was the same dark one Heyiman had taken. Upon finding the exit blocked, Mingzhu turned to Baifan. “Yehuo, can you help me?” “How?” Baifan stared at the blocked exit, unsure. “Blast it open.” “Oh, then step back.” Though the opponent was a ghost and wouldn’t get hurt, Baifan still warned her. Mingzhu's eyes shone brightly, feeling content, and shook her head, “Yehuo, you don’t have to worry about me. I won’t get hurt.” Baifan didn’t say anything more, raising her hand to strike the stone slab in front of her. The slab shattered, and light flooded into the dark passage, making Baifan shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. “Yehuo.” Baifan withdrew her hand and looked up, seeing that Mingzhu had already exited. She leaped up to follow, realizing they were back at the grand hall where they had initially entered. They emerged behind the high seat of the crystal skeleton. Before Baifan could leave, Mingzhu called out. “Yehuo, wait a moment.” “What is it?” “Can you help me unlock these shackles?” Baifan looked back and saw Mingzhu pointing at the shackles on the crystal skeleton. “Why do you want to unlock these?” Mingzhu’s face blushed, her hands rubbing together shyly. “You’ll understand soon, Yehuo.” Baifan sighed. She could have simply left Mingzhu behind, but the girl had helped her along the way. Leaving her now seemed heartless. Taking out a black sword from her storage bag, Baifan struck the shackles, generating sparks. “Clang, clang, clang.” The black sword chipped away at the shackles, and after some effort, the first shackle fell with a thud, creating a small pit in the ground. “Three more to go, Yehuo, keep going.” An hour later, all the shackles were finally removed. Exhausted, Baifan sat on the ground, clutching the now-damaged black sword. “Done.” “Thank you, Yehuo.” “No problem.” Baifan looked pained at the sword in her hand, now half broken. It had come from Qingxu Sect’s secret collection. Gasping for breath, Baifan watched Mingzhu float towards the crystal skeleton, uncertain of her intent. Surrounded by a hazy aura, Mingzhu's appearance was blurry. She hovered above the crystal skeleton and reached out to touch it. As soon as her unclear hand made contact, her entire body was absorbed in an instant. Baifan was startled. “Mingzhu!” Soon, the crystal skeleton began to tremble, startling Baifan again. She hesitantly asked, “Is that you, Mingzhu?” The crystal skeleton suddenly sat up, shakily walking down. Its jaw moved up and down, making Baifan retreat cautiously. Then the crystal skeleton turned red, like a fine blood-red gemstone, transforming from ethereal to menacing. Organs and muscles grew over the skeleton, forming a complete body. As the figure stood within two meters of Baifan, it completed its transformation. The once bare skeletal frame was now entirely covered in fair skin, resembling mutton-fat jade. Her flat, taut belly accentuated the adorable, round navel. Two slender legs crossed modestly, while her ample chest seemed like jade rabbits held close, with her arms covering the essential parts. When Baifan's gaze reached the face, she let out a startled scream. “Ah!” “Yehuo.” Mingzhu, at this moment, was entirely unclothed, with her long hair trailing behind her, and her face flushed red as she looked at Baifan. “How could it be you?” “My skeleton was hung here, so I had to ask Yehuo for help just now.” Baifan's face burned with embarrassment at the sight, reminding her of her own awkward transformation years ago. The shame was almost unbearable to recall. “Hurry up and put on some clothes.” “Yehuo.” Mingzhu took two steps forward, startling Baifan, who quickly stripped off her outer garment and handed it over. “Put on some clothes first.” “Alright.” Baifan only sighed in relief after watching Mingzhu dress. However, Mingzhu then started sniffing the clothes she had just put on. “This smells like Yehuo.” Mingzhu displayed a satisfied expression, leaving Baifan feeling creeped out. She had witnessed the entire grotesque transformation of the crystal skeleton into a beautiful woman, and the memory of the crimson agate bones and the organs beneath made her unable to appreciate Mingzhu's exterior beauty. “Let's leave here quickly.” Baifan turned around to look at the grand hall behind her, hoping Heyiman had left earlier than she did. Mingzhu skipped over, hugging Baifan's arm. “Yehuo, let's go.” “Let go first, Mingzhu, it's uncomfortable for you to hold me like this.” ******* Thank you to all the beautiful angels who cast their precious votes or nourished my growth with nutrient solutions~ Thank you to the angel who nourished me with [nutrient solution]: Friend, 1 bottle; Thank you all for your support, and I will continue to work hard! Previous Chapter Catalog Next Chapter Home Desktop Library All Novels Popular Serials