83 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

Chapter 83: "Qiao Sheng Jiao was possessed by a demonic cultivator?" Yan Zhu Guang emerged wearing a white dress, draping a blanket that reached her calves over her shoulders. It was the same exquisite blanket made from lambswool that Yun Mi Xue had gifted her at the Autumn Ming Dan Pavilion. Seeing her like this, Yun Mi Xue felt satisfied and the two settled under the beautiful Crystal Frost Fruit Tree in the large courtyard to talk. Yun Mi Xue passed on the information she received from Gu Chen to Yan Zhu Guang. There was no need to keep it from her; nothing was too sensitive to discuss. Yan Zhu Guang was genuinely shocked upon hearing it. Initially, she had suspected something was amiss with Qiao Sheng Jiao, even thinking there might be issues with the main Qiao family behind him, but she hadn't imagined he was possessed by a demonic cultivator. From Yan Zhu Guang's perspective, Qiao Sheng Jiao's attempt to prevent her and her senior sister from following seemed to be an act of goodwill. Even if they missed some critical clues, the extermination of the Qiao family branch had no real connection to them, losing out was just that—a miss. On the contrary, by not tagging along, they might have avoided unknown dangers. So Yan Zhu Guang boldly speculated that perhaps Qiao Sheng Jiao was captivated by her senior sister's beauty and wished to keep her from harm's way, thus provoking their departure. However, since Qiao Sheng Jiao was possessed, the reason for stopping them became more intriguing. Yun Mi Xue explained, "Indeed, Qiao Sheng Jiao was possessed by a demonic cultivator, but the entity we interacted with that day might have been his own consciousness." "What do you mean?" Here's how it went. Upon learning of Qiao Sheng Jiao's peculiar behavior from Yan Zhu Guang and her companion, Gu Chen dispatched his spies to investigate this lead concerning Qiao Sheng Jiao. As luck would have it, Yan Zhu Guang and her friend's back-and-forth trips had already delayed them for days, and several more days had passed since Qiao Zhen Bang and his group were mysteriously exterminated, with potential clues now possibly lost. Yet, Gu Chen’s spy found Qiao Sheng Jiao just as a murky black smoke drifted out of him, leaving Qiao Sheng Jiao lifeless on the ground. Though Gu Chen's spy wasn't extraordinarily powerful, his ability to conceal his presence and gather intelligence was unmatched. He hid in concealment and, using a secret technique, overheard a conversation between the black shadow and a person isolated within a formation. It turned out that the black shadow was a demonic cultivator who practiced a special type of magic and belonged to a category known as "You Mo"—a type of demon that parasitizes in the bodies of cultivators, using negative emotions for cultivation. These demons are few in number and possess little offensive power, but their concealment techniques are excellent, usually controlled by larger demonic sects to act as secret agents or carry out unspeakable deeds. Among the You Mo is a special kind that can manipulate the host’s mental state and even alter memories to control them. The You Mo possessing Qiao Sheng Jiao was one such—with an ability to exert some level of control. Qiao Sheng Jiao was the legitimate second son of the Qiao family, with his soul lantern closely guarded. If something were to happen, the Qiao family would quickly respond. The demonic cultivator's unspecified goal couldn’t risk killing Qiao Sheng Jiao and having another demon impersonate him—it would alarm the Qiao family and be easily exposed. Of course, such control cannot last indefinitely; otherwise, the cultivation world would descend into chaos. The spy Gu Chen sent discovered the demon coincidentally because the You Mo needed to leave its host after a certain period to recuperate. If a You Mo stays within the same host for too long, it might get lost in the host’s consciousness and become part of the host’s power. Everything’s influence is mutual, after all. There are many ways to defend against or detect You Mo presence, and even without those methods, if a possessed individual stays with others for extended periods, the You Mo itself becomes anxious and may give itself away. After Qiao Zhen Bang and his group were exterminated, Qiao Sheng Jiao remained with those from the Qiao family investigating the site; hence, even though the You Mo could influence Qiao Sheng Jiao’s actions, it never found the opportunity to appear alone. Only after several days did the You Mo finally slip out for a breather and was then discovered by Gu Chen's spy. And the purpose of the You Mo possessing Qiao Sheng Jiao, in addition to silencing the remaining Qiao branch survivors, surprisingly involved Yan Zhu Guang and Yun Mi Xue as well. "Could it be that the Celestial Heart Lotus news was leaked? Or perhaps the You Mo's master is none other than Di Xie Mo Yu?" Yun Mi Xue replied, "It is related." Yan Zhu Guang frowned, realizing that if the news about her possessing the Celestial Heart Lotus got out, troubles would arise not only from the demonic cultivators but from the celestial ones as well. Take the former head of Feng Hua Xian Zong, for example, who disregarded even his own daughter’s life for the Lotus. "But the mastermind was not Di Xie Mo Yu; it was Shi Tian Mo Men." "Shi Tian Mo Men?" The name was familiar. Weren’t they the ones that, after Su You Mo Jun and the former sect master eloped, opportunistically attacked Di Xie Mo Yu and became mortal enemies? "Exactly." Shi Tian Mo Men learned from unknown sources that Yun Mi Xue and Yan Zhu Guang obtained an extraordinary treasure from a secret realm thought to be extremely useful to demonic cultivators. They tracked the women's movements and calculated that after returning Su Qian Er to Feng Hua Xian Zong, they might investigate the remnants of the Qiao branch. So they had the You Mo-only-influenced Qiao Sheng Jiao stand guard, hoping to lead them into a trap and capture them. Yet, when Qiao Sheng Jiao saw Yun Mi Xue, his subconscious inexplicably cleared. Sensing something wrong with himself, he didn’t want Yun Mi Xue in harm’s way and intentionally provoked their suspicion, making them leave. Qiao Sheng Jiao was astute enough that the You Mo didn't initially notice, and by the time it did, it was too late. "It’s no wonder the demonic cultivators could so easily destroy Qiao Zhen Bang’s entourage, with an 'inside man' aiding them." Yun Mi Xue nodded. "Demonic cultivators dare not be too conspicuous in the celestial domain, but with You Mo possessing Qiao Sheng Jiao, it gave them a chance." As the legitimate second son of the Qiao family, Qiao Sheng Jiao could easily direct Qiao Zhen Bang's group, simplifying the demonic cultivator's task of luring prey to the trap. “But, what grudge does Shi Tian Mo Men hold against the Qiao branch to warrant total annihilation?" Yun Mi Xue observed, "They seem to be looking for someone; the intelligence gathered was: 'Better to kill a thousand innocents than to let one slip away.'" Yan Zhu Guang contemplated, "No wonder they used the sacrificial method to annihilate that entire parcel of land to eliminate any survivors." In large families, there are always hidden chambers and secret passages to preserve life. Even a formidable divide-established cultivator might fail to prevent escapes if forewarning aids escape tactics. Using a sacrificial technique, wiping out the entire land, can boost a demonic practitioner’s power by forbidden methods and ensure none can escape silently—a seemingly flawless move for demonic beings. Yan Zhu Guang mused to Yun Mi Xue, "The back of this is likely tied to Di Xie Mo Yu." Yun Mi Xue was astonished. "Why do you think so?" Yan Zhu Guang stated, "Besides Di Xie Mo Yu, only the headmaster and some elders were aware of our journey to that secret realm, as well as two senior sisters. Among them, the only ones knowing of us acquiring the Celestial Heart Lotus were members of Di Xie Mo Yu and the former headmaster. The chance of them informing Shi Tian Mo Men seems inevitable, making Di Xie Mo Yu the most likely." If Gu Chen were interested in the Celestial Heart Lotus, surely there were hundreds of ways to obtain it without looping it through Shi Tian Mo Men. However, the possibility of Su You Mo Jun from Di Xie Mo Yu acting here seems very high. He might have leaked some ambiguous information to Shi Tian Mo Men, inciting conflict between them and Feng Hua Xian Zong. Regardless of which side suffers, it benefits him. Additionally, he likely set contingencies to ensure the Celestial Heart Lotus ends up with him. Yun Mi Xue concurred, "Indeed, the headmaster thinks the same." Yan Zhu Guang rested her chin on her hand, "What’s the master's plan?" "The news about Shi Tian Mo Men came by chance, so the master cannot expose it directly yet. All he can do is guide the investigation in that direction." "However, the master has already made public Di Xie Mo Yu's malicious deeds towards the former sect master, and started collaborating with the Qiao family in the investigation." Yan Zhu Guang quickly grasped Gu Chen's motive. The Qiao family suffered due to demonic cultivators whether or not they're the direct cause. By tying these events together and pinning the blame on Di Xie Mo Yu, it no longer becomes a personal vendetta of Feng Hua Xian Zong—stirring it further could inflame the whole cultivation world. At that point, who would have the time to use this incident to suppress Feng Hua Xian Zong? One must admire, the male lead’s ability to strategize surpasses expectation, truly having the makings of a ruler. "Perhaps the Qiao family’s decimation truly relates to Di Xie Mo Yu as well." Yan Zhu Guang’s mind raced swiftly. "Originally, after Su Qian Er ingested the Celestial Heart Lotus, she should have begun her cultivation journey." "She isn't part of the Qiao family, and might not be suited to practice the Qiao's cultivation techniques. Once she starts cultivating, the Qiao family may notice something is amiss, and if it becomes a public issue, Su Qian Er's true identity could be exposed to everyone." "When trouble befell the Qiao branch, naturally, Qiao Zhen Bang would be compelled to find a solution for Su Qian Er. As an outsider, she couldn't be sent to the main family. At that point, us, the ones who administered the Celestial Heart Lotus to Su Qian Er, would naturally come to Qiao Zhen Bang’s attention." "Given that we're capable of treating Su Qian Er, it's only logical that Qiao Zhen Bang would trust us with her care. In reality, we’re aware of Su Qian Er's lineage, as the daughter of the former sect leader, and if Qiao Zhen Bang entrusted her to us, we certainly wouldn't refuse." "This way, Su Qian Er could be smoothly integrated into our Feng Hua Xian Zong." "Now, with the entire Qiao branch wiped out, the main Qiao family isn’t likely to take Su Qian Er back. Consequently, she stands no chance of cultivating the Qiao's techniques, and her identity remains unquestioned." "As for Feng Hua Xian Zong, considering its reputation tied to the former sect leader, as well as avoiding a potential feud with the main Qiao family, we wouldn't publicly reveal Su Qian Er’s true parentage... or else, it would be like announcing to the world that the Qiao family had been unwittingly raising the progeny of the previous sect leader." Yan Zhu Guang recalled how conveniently timed the Qiao branch's demise was, occurring right after her senior sister exited the secret realm and while she was undergoing her inheritance within it. Su You Mo Jun certainly had the means to know when they would emerge, and there was ample time during which he could arrange his plans. Shi Tian Mo Men, being a nemesis of Di Xie Mo Yu, could easily be swayed with a bit of provocation, and if things played out as expected, Su You Mo Jun wouldn't need to lift a finger to reap the rewards. Hearing this, a chill ran down Yun Mi Xue's spine. "Such scheming is truly terrifying."