ah?The palace fighting system can also cultivate immortality

Chapter 246

"Your aunt's pregnancy is not right."

On the return journey in the carriage, after setting up a barrier to prevent eavesdropping, Du Xinghe bluntly told Ji Wuhuo what she had just seen: "The Imperial Preceptor is lying. She is carrying a stillborn child. There is no such thing as 'extraordinary talent absorbing the mother's spiritual power'."

Holding the spices given to him by Consort Ji, Ji Wuhuo repeated Du Xinghe's words somewhat haltingly: "...stillborn?"

Du Xinghe nodded: "Yes, you know what kind of shady things the Samsara Institute can do. I guess the Imperial Preceptor wants to use your aunt's fetus for something, most likely alchemy."

Ji Wuhuo was still somewhat dazed. He murmured softly, "But this is His Majesty's own son..."

Du Xinghe countered, "What if he's the one who's going to take the elixir?"

Ji Wuhuo clutched the brocade box containing spices tightly in his arms.

"...How can I save my aunt?"

Du Xinghe was not surprised by Ji Wuhuo's reaction.

She leaned forward slightly, gently took Ji Wuhuo's hand, and whispered, "Then help me get into the headquarters of the Samsara Academy."

Ji Wuhuo lowered his eyelids, stared at Du Xinghe's face, and squeezed back forcefully.

"it is good."

To Du Xinghe's surprise, the head of the Ji family sent a message on the very night they returned from the palace, requesting to see her again.

In the main hall where guests were received, the head of the Ji family, dressed in formal attire and composed, sat at the head of the table.

Du Xinghe paused after stepping over the threshold. Apart from the Ji family patriarch, there was no one else in the entire hall, not even Ji Wuhuo.

What does the head of the Ji family want to do?
He should know that his cultivation level is lower than hers, right?

Du Xinghe became alert, but he did not stop walking and walked straight to the head of the Ji family.

"Please have a seat, Fairy of the Milky Way."

The Ji family head looked solemn. He gestured for Du Xinghe to sit down and then asked directly, "Wu Huo said that Fairy Xinghe recognized that Su Hua was carrying a stillborn child. May I ask how Fairy Xinghe made that judgment?"

Du Xinghe said, "I have my own secret method, the details of which cannot be spoken of, but I can take responsibility for what I have said."

The head of the Ji family stared intently into Du Xinghe's eyes. At that moment, Du Xinghe realized that Ji Wuhuo did indeed look like him, especially when they were silent, their eyes would shine with an astonishing light.

"I believe in the Star River Fairy."

A moment later, the head of the Ji family said, "Wu Huo told me when he returned that he found Su Hua's health was very poor. She has always been someone who doesn't like to let others see her weakness, and she has always been strong-willed since childhood. If she wasn't really in unbearable pain, she wouldn't have asked His Majesty to send her family to the palace to see her."

The Ji family patriarch slowly clenched his fist on the table, and the spiritual energy around him distorted slightly: "Her entering the palace was a mistake... I couldn't protect her before, but I lied to myself, saying that Su Hua would live well in the palace, just not often able to see her family. Now I can no longer lie to myself. I know what the Samsara Institute and the Imperial Preceptor are doing. I can't watch my sister become their nourishment!"

He took out a palm-sized glass bell from his sleeve and presented it to Du Xinghe with both hands.

"This is the Ji family's most precious treasure, the Cangming Bell."

As soon as the bell rang, Du Xinghe felt a wave of moist air rushing towards her, the power of which was immense and pure. In a daze, she thought she had returned to the palace of the Sea Lord and was swept into a huge wave by her whale tail.

"If you encounter any danger, just ring the bell," said the head of the Ji family. "We entrust Su Hua's life to Fairy Xinghe."

Du Xinghe paused for a moment. She did not immediately go to answer the bell, but asked to confirm, "If I only enter the headquarters of the Samsara Academy, I cannot save the Imperial Concubine."

"I know."

The Ji family patriarch pushed the Cangming Bell forward a few inches: "Fairy Xinghe should understand what I'm saying."

Du Xinghe raised his hand and grasped the Cangming Bell amidst a cloud of pure water vapor.

"It's a pleasure working with you," she said.

Three days later.

The Ji family head acted swiftly. When Du Xinghe arrived at the Ji family after receiving the news, the carriage heading to the Samsara Academy headquarters was already waiting at the gate, with another maidservant accompanying her to fetch the medicine sitting inside.

The head of the Ji family personally came to the gate to see him off. He helped Du Xinghe onto the carriage and slipped a small box through the gap in the curtain, instructing him: "These are tonics I am sending to the Imperial Concubine. They are all top-grade nourishing pills. Please give them to the Imperial Concubine when you return to the palace."

Another maid replied softly, "I understand."

After the carriage curtain was lowered, the carriage rumbled forward. Du Xinghe turned to look at the maid sitting opposite her, looked her up and down, and teased, "You have a unique charm even when you wear women's clothes, Young Master Wu Huo."

Having already transformed into a maid, Ji Wuhuo readily accepted Du Xinghe's teasing. He raised his hand to adjust his hair and winked at her: "Does Xinghe like me like this?"

Du Xinghe answered honestly, "It's alright, you looked better the way you used to."

Ji Wuhu smiled, took out a recording stone from his pocket, and gestured for Du Xinghe to look at it: "This is the information of the maid you are going to transform into. I don't know anything about the Samsara Academy either. Be careful once you go in."

Du Xinghe activated the recording stone and casually handed the box containing the pills to Ji Wuhuo: "These are for your aunt, you can take them."

Unexpectedly, Ji Wuhuo pushed the pills back: "These are for our father to use for self-defense."

Du Xinghe didn't refuse anymore. She opened the box and glanced at it, counting the types of pills. Instantly, the whole carriage was filled with the aroma of medicine.

The head of the Ji family clearly went to great lengths to rescue his sister. Even for a reconnaissance mission, he made thorough preparations, providing medicine and precious spiritual artifacts. It was evident that his dissatisfaction with Emperor Xuan had been accumulating for a long time, and it finally erupted at this critical juncture when his sister was in danger.

The carriage traveled for about half an hour, and as it was about to leave Xuandu and reach the foot of the northern suburbs, it stopped at the edge of a cliff.

There was already a monk waiting here.

Du Xinghe and Ji Wuhuo had already completed their transformations and were wearing talismans that fixed their disguises and cultivation levels. The two stepped off the carriage and approached the cultivator.

This Golden Core cultivator had an ordinary appearance and did not show any special reaction when he saw the maids beside the Imperial Concubine, nor did he question their identities.

After Ji Wu Huo explained his purpose in going to the Samsara Academy headquarters to retrieve medicine, the cultivator silently took out a golden seal and gestured for Du Xing He to touch it with Ji Wu Huo.

Du Xinghe asked, "Is the headquarters of the Samsara Academy located here?"

The cultivator shook his head, still pointing the golden seal at them, insisting that they extend their hands. Du Xinghe and Ji Wuhuo exchanged glances. She didn't say much, but gently placed her fingertips on the edge of the golden seal, and Ji Wuhuo followed suit.

After they both touched the golden seal, the guiding cultivator opened his mouth and let out a short, hoarse "Ah".

Only then did Du Xinghe realize that the guide's tongue had been severed at the root in his mouth, making him a mute who was completely unable to speak!

With this hoarse activation command, the spiritual energy surrounding the three twisted and compressed, rapidly transporting them to another space.

When Du Xinghe and Ji Wuhu blinked again, the scenery around them had completely changed.

This is a dark stone palace where the sun never shines.

The entire palace floor and walls are carved from solid black stone. There are no windows inside, and at first glance it looks like the underground palace that Emperor Yingcang built for himself. Only the torches on both sides of the walls provide light and heat to the place.

Du Xinghe felt as if he were locked in a black coffin with no air.

The headquarters of the Samsara Institute is located in this godforsaken place; no wonder they do such inhuman things.

The guiding cultivator gestured for the two to follow him forward. Du Xinghe and Ji Wuhuo stepped forward, and in the empty front hall, the sound of their footsteps echoed particularly clearly, so clearly that Du Xinghe couldn't help but wonder: Are there so few people at the Samsara Academy headquarters?

After passing through a dark corridor, the three arrived at the main gate of the Black Stone Palace. The guiding cultivator grabbed the still-dark door knocker and knocked twice. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the heavy door was pushed open a crack.

An elderly cultivator with prominent cheekbones and a particularly harsh appearance leaned out halfway. Upon seeing the guiding cultivator, he impatiently spread out his hands: "The token!"

The guiding cultivator silently handed a jade token to the old cultivator. The old cultivator picked up the jade token, glanced at it, raised his eyebrows slightly, and cautiously examined Du Xinghe and Ji Wuhuo behind the guiding cultivator.

“I know they’re from the palace,” he said. “You can go now, I’ll take them inside.”

The guiding cultivator turned and left, while the old cultivator pushed the door open even wider, stepping aside to let Du Xinghe and Ji Wuhuo in: "Stay close to me. There are many strange and unusual things here. If you look around or touch anything indiscriminately, the consequences will be worse than death."

The path inside the Black Stone Palace was narrower, and other buildings gradually appeared on both sides. Du Xinghe noticed that almost every building's roof emitted strangely colored smoke, which accumulated on the Black Stone Palace's dome and lingered for a long time, turning into a bizarre, thick cloud that almost blotted out the sky, making people feel uneasy.

Du Xinghe looked up at the dark, thick clouds that seemed to be gathering in the sky, and a strange sense of familiarity welled up in his heart.

Occasionally, cultivators would brush past them on the roadside, but these cultivators almost ignored them. The old cultivators didn't even bother to greet them; they just walked straight ahead.

"Are you from Consort Ji's palace?" the old monk asked.

Ji Wuhuo agreed: "Yes, we have come today to fetch medicine for Your Highness."

"Consort Ji, oh, Consort Ji."

The old cultivator repeated, then smiled and said, "No wonder. Consort Ji is very lucky. No concubine in this palace has been pregnant for hundreds of years, and there are very few concubines who are qualified to come to the Reincarnation Academy to ask for medicine."

Du Xinghe, seizing the opportunity, continued following the old cultivator's words: "We in the palace are all happy for Her Majesty. The Imperial Preceptor sent Her Majesty a box of medicine from the Samsara Academy, and Her Majesty's spirits improved considerably after taking it. Before, no amount of tonics seemed to help. It's clear that the medicines produced by the Samsara Academy are even better than Heavenly Grade Elixirs."

The old cultivator glanced smugly at Du Xinghe and said, "What Heavenly Grade? Ha, how can our Samsara Academy's pills compare to ordinary pills? The pills produced here are truly divine pills that can touch the Heavenly Dao! Apart from His Majesty, there are very few people in the entire Xuan Dynasty who are qualified to take them. Even the Crown Prince has to beg His Majesty to bestow the medicine upon him!"

Heaven?

Du Xinghe wanted to ask more questions, but the old cultivator turned and led them to a fork in the road.

This side road leads to a small palace with slightly mottled exterior walls. The palace's exterior walls are made of stone with gray and white patterns, which look like a person with skin disease or insects crawling on a robe, making people feel quite uncomfortable.

But Du Xinghe sensed that the purple scorpion on the back of his neck was becoming restless and couldn't help but want to show itself.

She reached up and touched the back of her neck, calmly asking, "Is the Imperial Concubine's medicine in this hall?"

The old monk casually remarked, "The medicine for the Imperial Concubine was produced in the palace, but I can't guarantee whether it's ready yet."

As you cross the threshold and enter the palace, a chilling aura hits you.

The walls of the main hall were painted with faded patterns. Du Xinghe glanced over them and felt a slight tremor in his heart: These are the Five Poisons patterns of the Wu Clan!

Ji Wuhuo also looked up and examined the murals in the hall. Seeing their curiosity, the old cultivator couldn't help but feel proud: "This is the legacy of the extinct Wu Clan. The alchemists in this hall are all researching the elixirs of the Wu Clan's Gu Cultivation lineage. The Gu Cultivators of the Wu Clan studied evil arts, harmed living beings, and cut themselves off from the world. Our academy found the Gu insects and cultivation legacy they left behind in their ruins, and after some research, we have made some progress."

Du Xinghe felt a surge of anger, not his own, rising from his chest—

What does it mean to harm living beings and isolate oneself from the world?

The Wu tribe was clearly destroyed by the Xuan Dynasty, and its heritage was taken away!

After leaving the hall in front of the Five Poisons mural, they entered a storage room filled with heavy wooden cabinets.

Each cabinet was densely packed with glass jars of all sizes, each containing a single Gu worm soaked in a slightly yellow liquid. There were at least tens of thousands of Gu worms that had been stolen from this hall.

The Gu worms and Gu cultivators coexist in life and death. Since the Gu worms are here, then the Gu cultivators they originally corresponded to...

There are immortal Gu here, and more than one!

The purple scorpion stirred, and even the Thousand Treasures Ice Toad became excited, hopping around in Du Xinghe's collarbone hollow: "Take me to see! Take me to see!"

Du Xinghe secretly reassured the two spirit beasts on her body that had sensed their own kind: "Wait a moment, wait a moment, it's not the right time yet."

Unaware of her distraction, the old cultivator passed through the storage hall and entered the deepest alchemy room.

"Is this batch for the Imperial Concubine ready?"

The temperature in the alchemy room was much higher than that in the storage hall outside. As soon as they entered, Du Xinghe and Ji Wuhuo felt a wave of heat hitting them.

The alchemist, who was tending the furnace and controlling the fire, replied absentmindedly, "Almost there, just one last step before it's ready."

The old cultivator gave Du Xinghe and Ji Wuhuo a forced smile and said, "Then I'll trouble you two to wait here for a while."

After saying that, he turned and left, surprisingly leaving them in the alchemy room without any worries.

There were only three people left in the alchemy room, and the alchemist didn't pay them any attention.

Du Xinghe glanced at Ji Wuhuo, and the two exchanged glances before retreating slightly, leaving behind a stand-in capable of simple actions.

Go to the storage hall and retrieve the Immortal Gu!