Buddhist Practitioners were different from orthodox Cultivators, and Lu Sangjiu had never gone out of her way to learn about them. So even though she could tell something was wrong with Xie Ningyuan, she didn’t know the specifics.
Even so, she shot to her feet and grabbed Xie Ningyuan’s hand as he was in the middle of Sealing.
"That’s enough. Get back, I’ll handle this."
Then, without waiting for a reaction, she yanked him behind her.
Xie Ningyuan was at a loss for words.
’To be honest, I’m actually fine.’
The faint black threads in his Buddha Light were merely the result of him developing worldly attachments.
But after taking Gu Jue’s medicine last time, his condition had temporarily stabilized.
’I have no idea when my cultivation might just dissipate completely. Since I can still fight, I wanted to show off a little in front of Lu Sangjiu.’
But before he could even start, he’d been yanked behind her again.
"Sigh, what’s a man to do when his woman is so assertive? I guess I’ll just have to be the delicate one."
Xie Ningyuan muttered this to himself and then, true to his word, sat down peacefully to watch the show.
Lu Sangjiu didn’t know if the killer was watching from the shadows, so she didn’t dare to casually use the Divine Sense of a Divinity Transformation expert.
She was afraid that any other Divinity Transformation Stage experts nearby might notice, so she constantly reminded herself to hide her true strength.
The strongest move she had displayed at the Sword Seizing Conference was Starry Sky. So, she decided to go all out from the start, unleashing Starry Sky on the group.
The single attack instantly killed two Early-stage Golden Core Cultivators and injured two others.
At the same time, however, she put on a show of being exhausted, as if she were struggling to keep going.
Then, with Duoduo’s help, she "barely" managed to kill two more, leaving one alive.
The last one, a Late-stage Golden Core Cultivator, was very sharp. Seeing things were going south, he fled. Since Lu Sangjiu was hiding her cultivation, she was unable to stop him.
’That’s fine, though. Letting one go back to report will spur the enemy to make their next move. If everyone died without a trace, I’m afraid they wouldn’t dare to try again.’
Lu Sangjiu maintained her "weak" act. Once the battle was over, she held out a hand to Xie Ningyuan, who was sitting off to the side. "Aren’t you going to come help me up? If you weren’t injured and out of commission, I wouldn’t have had to push myself this hard."
She said this as loudly as she possibly could, afraid that any spies lurking in the shadows might be too far away to hear.
’Come on, what are you waiting for? Attack now! I’m weakened from battle, and so is my Spirit Beast. The other guy was useless to begin with. What a perfect opportunity!’
Watching her over-the-top performance, Xie Ningyuan’s mouth twitched, but he played along, getting up to support her.
"You know... you don’t have to keep emphasizing that I’m ’out of commission’."
Lu Sangjiu looked at him with a magnanimous expression. "Mhm, I understand. But you don’t have to be so proud in front of me. I won’t make fun of you."
Xie Ningyuan was speechless.
’Are you sure you aren’t making fun of me right now?’
’But... whatever. If I’m ’out of commission,’ so be it.’
He helped Lu Sangjiu sit back down on her cushion, then turned to the lone survivor, who was frozen in a block of ice and being watched by Duoduo.
Walking over, Xie Ningyuan took a piece of roasted meat from his Spirit Beast Bag and gave it to Duoduo. "Go on and play. I’ll take it from here."
Duoduo took the roasted meat and happily trotted back to Lu Sangjiu. It settled comfortably by her leg and began to gnaw on the meat, holding it with its two stubby little paws.
Lu Sangjiu patted its head. "Now that your cultivation has advanced, living in warmer places won’t affect you much. I won’t send you back to the Spirit Beast Bag for now."
Upon hearing this, Duoduo immediately let out a few happy "CHIRP CHIRP" sounds. It even rubbed against her leg ingratiatingly, which made Lu Sangjiu laugh.
Seeing the Snow Cloud Beast enjoying its meal, Lu Sangjiu couldn’t help but feel a bit hungry herself. She rummaged through her storage bag and started roasting some meat of her own.
Lu Sangjiu acted completely uninterested in the prisoner, focusing only on roasting her meat. She was continuing to play the part of a naive and innocent damsel.
Meanwhile, Xie Ningyuan raised a hand and used his Spiritual Power to melt part of the ice, revealing only the man’s head.
The man had been unconscious, but Xie Ningyuan unceremoniously jabbed a needle into a major acupoint on his head. The man instantly woke up with a yelp.
Upon waking, he instinctively tried to struggle, only to look down and find himself trapped in a large block of ice.
Before him was Xie Ningyuan’s face, etched with a menacing smile. "Awake? Let’s have a little chat, shall we?"
The Golden Core Cultivator was panicking, but he struggled to remain composed. "...I have nothing to say to you. I was captured because my skills were inferior. You... just kill me if you’re going to kill me!"
Despite his righteous-sounding words, Xie Ningyuan could see from his strained expression that he wouldn’t be a tough nut to crack.
Although he could perform a soul search, the method was excessively cruel. Not only would it inflict extreme pain, but it would also destroy any chance of reincarnation. He was reluctant to use it unless absolutely necessary.
So, not minding the trouble, he began to patiently persuade the man. "I’m actually a Buddhist Practitioner. I don’t particularly enjoy killing."
Hearing this, a flicker of joy sparked in the man’s heart. ’That’s right... I saw it just now. When he was about to attack, there was indeed Buddha Light coming from him.’
’They say Buddhist Practitioners are benevolent and averse to killing. Does that mean I might...’
In that moment, a glimmer of hope for survival ignited in his despairing heart.
And Xie Ningyuan, not one to disappoint, continued, "So, as long as you honestly answer my questions, I can spare your life."
As he finished speaking, the Golden Core Cultivator’s expression indeed wavered. Still, he hesitated, not agreeing immediately.
So Xie Ningyuan raised the stakes. "I’ve already checked. You have a Divine Soul Restriction on you, placed there by your master, I presume? Is that what you’re worried about? If so, you don’t have to be. It’s not difficult for me to remove."
"In other words, if you cooperate with me, not only will I spare your life, but you’ll also regain your freedom. Just leave Yuelin City tonight, and after that, the world is your oyster."
"A path to life, and a path to death. The choice should be easy, don’t you think?"
Xie Ningyuan’s words were incredibly persuasive. The man was completely swayed and couldn’t help but ask, "Is... is what you’re saying true?"
Xie Ningyuan’s lips curled into a slight smile, his expression looking all the more compassionate. "Of course. A man of the cloth does not tell lies."
This was, of course, utter nonsense. Buddhist Practitioners weren’t the same as worldly monks.
But even so, the Golden Core Cultivator couldn’t stop himself from placing a little more trust in Xie Ningyuan.
After a long hesitation, he finally gritted his teeth. "Fine... I’ll agree, but you have to remove the restriction inside me first! Only then will I believe you!"
"Of course. No problem."
Xie Ningyuan was very satisfied with his cooperation. Just as he was about to make his move, Lu Sangjiu, who had walked up behind him at some point, spoke.
She reached out and shoved Xie Ningyuan to the side. "It’s a small matter. Let me."
Xie Ningyuan, who had nearly face-planted from the shove, was speechless.
’I know you mean well, but could you please be just a little bit gentler?’
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