47 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

Chapter 47 Yan Zhu Guang turned to the side and pulled out the map. “I have no idea what this secret realm is like. Senior Sister, would you accompany me there?” It wasn't that Yan Zhu Guang was scared to go alone; if possible, she would prefer to go by herself. However, she understood that if this secret realm was related to the former sect leader, for safety’s sake, her senior sister would never allow her to venture there alone. Yun Mi Xue nodded. “Alright.” “Just the two of us. I don’t want anyone else tagging along,” Yan Zhu Guang stated bluntly, making no effort to hide her cautious nature. Yun Mi Xue wasn’t wrong; she didn’t trust anyone except for her senior sister, considering everyone else to be burdens. Yun Mi Xue sighed, slightly exasperated. “Alright, just us two. When do you want to leave?” Yan Zhu Guang pondered for a moment, then raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at her red lips. “Why not right now?” Yun Mi Xue shook her head with a smile. “We’ve just returned from Dan Ye City, and now we're leaving already? What about Ning Yan and Chang Yue? Do we just leave without saying goodbye?” “I think it's doable.” Leaving without notice might not be a bad idea, but it wasn’t quite in line with her senior sister’s usual way of doing things. “Alright,” Yan Zhu Guang said, and Yun Mi Xue had no choice but to compromise. “I’ll leave a message for our junior sisters. Once they recover and finish their closed-door cultivation, they can see it.” This statement meant Yun Mi Xue agreed to Yan Zhu Guang's suggestion to head to the secret realm immediately. A deeper smile spread across Yan Zhu Guang's face. “Alright.” Yun Mi Xue quickly left a message on a jade slip and placed it conspicuously on the wooden table in the courtyard’s hall. After setting up a simple protective barrier around it, she left the courtyard with Yan Zhu Guang, heading towards the entrance of the secret realm that Yan Zhu Guang knew of. Once Chu Ning Yan replenished her energy from the long, hurried journey to Dan Ye City with Qiao Zhen Bang's group and emerged from her room, she found Yun Chang Yue standing in the hall, holding a jade slip in her hand, lost in thought. “What’s going on?” Yun Chang Yue handed the jade slip to Chu Ning Yan. “Senior Sister has left. She seems to be investigating a lead related to the late sect leader’s fall.” Chu Ning Yan scanned the jade slip with her spiritual sense, and Yun Mi Xue's message entered her mind. She placed the jade slip back on the table. “Senior Sister would never keep us in the dark about something like this. This must be that little girl Yan Zhu Guang's idea.” That girl is clever and astute, with more than her share of scheming thoughts. She doesn’t disregard anyone except Senior Sister, who considers her a harmless little rabbit. Yun Chang Yue was curious. “Senior Sister Chu, are you familiar with Yan Zhu Guang?” Chu Ning Yan shook her head. “Not quite, but I’ve met her a few times.” Chu Ning Yan prided herself on her keen judgment and sensitivity to people's thoughts. Even though Yan Zhu Guang was good at hiding, she couldn’t escape Chu Ning Yan's discerning eyes. Had she not noticed that Yan Zhu Guang’s nature wasn’t bad and that she bore no malice towards her Senior Sister, she wouldn’t have allowed Yan Zhu Guang to stay by Yun Mi Xue’s side. Nevertheless, Chu Ning Yan didn’t exactly have a fondness for Yan Zhu Guang; she merely treated her neutrally. Yun Chang Yue reflected on this thoughtfully. Chu Ning Yan cast a glance at her and said, “The Qiao family lead has run cold. Since Senior Sister left a message for us to investigate the matter of Su Qi’er from a different angle, let’s not delay and get moving.” “It’s been over a year since the former sect leader’s incident. The longer we wait, the more the information blurs. We can’t afford to keep postponing this.” Yun Chang Yue nodded in agreement. “You’re right, Senior Sister Chu. Let’s depart immediately.” “Good.” Chu Ning Yan turned to leave, but Yun Chang Yue suddenly called out to her. “Senior Sister Chu, with the Qiao family lead gone, we’re like headless flies again. It won’t be easy to gather information from such a vast cultivation world. Why don’t we split up? It’ll be faster that way.” Chu Ning Yan halted for a moment. “You have a point.” Yun Chang Yue quickly added, “Then?” “But,” Chu Ning Yan continued, “considering the former sect leader, a cultivator in the Divine Transformation stage, fell in this matter, our investigation will undoubtedly be dangerous. Splitting up would be unwise.” Turning back to face Yun Chang Yue, Chu Ning Yan cautioned, “Investigating this may be important, but so is our safety. If we act together, we can at least look out for each other. Let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture over saving a bit of time.” Yun Chang Yue pressed her lips together. “I wasn’t thinking it through. I’ll follow your lead, Senior Sister Chu.” Chu Ning Yan nodded. “Then let’s be on our way.” Their departure left the small courtyard belonging to the Feng Hua Immortal Sect empty once more. Though Yan Zhu Guang could fly on a sword, the sect’s awarded standard-issue flying sword, combined with her early Foundation Establishment stage power, made her speed inferior to Yun Mi Xue’s. She wasn’t one to let her pride get hurt over such trivial matters and allowed Yun Mi Xue to carry her along. With Yan Zhu Guang indicating the direction, Yun Mi Xue teleported twice and was already very close to the location of the secret realm. Considering that Yan Zhu Guang’s current strength couldn’t endure the pressure from multiple teleportations, the two switched to traveling by cloud. Flying high above the cloud layer, Yan Zhu Guang held her breath and directed their course. After covering a short distance, they landed in a mountain hollow. This was in the wilderness outside Tian Yu City, where sporadic demonic beasts posed no greater threat than early Aura Condensation or Foundation Establishment stage; it didn’t seem overly perilous. It made sense, too. With Qiu Qiao and others being at the most at the late Foundation Establishment stage, any secret realm they stumbled upon wouldn’t be located in an area crawling with Golden Core or Nascent Soul powerhouses. Yan Zhu Guang pointed to a dark pit below. “The secret realm is in there. But we might need to capture a few demonic beasts first.” Yun Mi Xue furrowed her brows. Yan Zhu Guang explained, “To activate the secret realm, we might need to perform a life sacrifice or a blood sacrifice.” Qiu Qiao’s illusion might not have been entirely real, but it was better to be prepared than to scramble in panic later. If the conditions for opening the secret realm were truly like those in the illusion, and since it was just her and her senior sister on this venture, she wouldn’t want either getting harmed. Yun Mi Xue thought for a moment, frowning. “Wait here, Zhu Guang.” With that, she vanished. Yan Zhu Guang didn’t ponder where Yun Mi Xue had gone; she remained fixated on the cave’s entrance, trying to discern what lay inside. “Master Host, did you sense anything?” The system noticed Yan Zhu Guang’s serious expression and sensed something important. “My spiritual sense can’t reach the bottom of that cave, so how could I find out anything?” “Oh,” the system admitted, routinely assuming the host knew everything and forgetting her current capabilities had limits. “Have the rewards been redeemed yet?” “They’re all exchanged and in your inventory. You can check them anytime, Master Host.” Having saved Su Qi’er earlier with Qiu Qiao’s help, the system counted that as completing a side quest. Later, uncovering information from Qiu Qiao’s illusion furthered the main quest of aiding Yun Mi Xue in investigating the former sect leader’s demise by several steps. Sticking to her usual method, Yan Zhu Guang had the system convert these rewards into various types of poisons to nourish the Sacrificial Blood Ling Vine and her toxic spiritual roots. These two items practically devoured poisons, making the accumulation process long and arduous, even with the system backing her efforts. Nevertheless, as long as everything progressed systematically, Yan Zhu Guang didn’t mind the slow pace if it guaranteed safety. She retrieved the newly acquired poisons, spread her palm, and a small, emerald-green sprout appeared. Feeding it the poison, the sprout probed the area tentatively before retreating in disappointment, gently nudging Yan Zhu Guang’s heart. “I can’t spare any more blood for you right now,” Yan Zhu Guang said. “You’ll have to make do with this.” The Sacrificial Blood Ling Vine preferred the taste of toxic blood, which the pure poisons didn’t satisfy. But with the exploration of the secret realm imminent, Yan Zhu Guang needed to ensure her strength was at its peak before seeking extra enhancements. If the vine wanted to feed on her blood, Yan Zhu Guang would permit no such thing. The sprout nuzzled for a while before sensing Yan Zhu Guang’s firm resolve, and it reluctantly went to consume the poisons. These bizarrely multicolored and peculiar substances were enveloped by the slits of the Sacrificial Blood Ling Vine, yet no matter how much it devoured, the little sprout remained a mere finger's length and as thick as a soybean sprout, its vibrant, emerald color unchanged. The system marveled at the sight, finding it fascinating every single time. As Yan Zhu Guang was feeding the Sacrificial Blood Ling Vine, a cool fragrance suddenly wafted over, signaling Yun Mi Xue’s return. Signaled by the fragrance, Yan Zhu Guang turned. Yun Mi Xue’s garments showed no sign of disturbance, giving no clue to her recent actions, yet she returned with a few pure white silk ribbons, each binding a demonic beast. These beasts were alive, suspended mid-air by the ribbons' power, and despite their frenzied struggles, they couldn't escape these seemingly fragile bindings. These beasts were cloaked in a sinister aura, likely accustomed to their vicious nature, but now that Yun Mi Xue had captured them, the tables had turned, demoting them from predators to prey. “Senior Sister.” Yan Zhu Guang approached Yun Mi Xue. Yun Mi Xue nodded at her. “Let’s proceed.” Yun Mi Xue wrapped an arm around Yan Zhu Guang's waist and pulled her closer, leaping gracefully into the pit below, like the setting of a silver moon. As darkness enveloped them, both Yun Mi Xue and Yan Zhu Guang furrowed their brows instinctively. Having lived through much in her past life, Yan Zhu Guang was highly attuned to the aura of these uncharted territories. Outside, she sensed little, but once inside the pit, there was a peculiar, dormant sensation that immediately put her on edge. It felt as though some violent energy was trapped within a thin membrane, ominously poised to erupt at any moment. Yun Mi Xue, possessing the heightened awareness of someone at the Nascent Soul stage, also sensed the foreboding nature of the pit. The bottom was deep, and it was a while before the pair finally landed. Down below, there was not a sliver of light. While Yun Mi Xue was unaffected, Yan Zhu Guang could barely see anything. Yun Mi Xue gently set Yan Zhu Guang down and extracted a soft-glowing pearl, instantly illuminating their surroundings. They weren’t yet at the very bottom but stood on a yielding mound of earth. “It seems these are the remnants of soil that collapsed from above,” noted Yan Zhu Guang. Yun Mi Xue nodded. “No wonder this place has remained undiscovered until Qiu Qiao found it. It’s been well-hidden, perhaps until some recent change caused it to be inadvertently exposed.” “What did you discover, Senior Sister?” “There is demonic aura here.” Yan Zhu Guang nodded, not surprised. Though she hadn't directly detected the demonic aura, she had an inkling. No wonder blood sacrifices might be required here; this was a secret realm left behind by demonic cultivators.