Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 23: Knowing Xia's Secret, A Visitor in a Dream
In the front hall of the official residence, Nan Zhixia, dressed in a moon-white long dress, stroked a celadon teacup and smiled as she told Zhao Wuji about the clues she had obtained regarding the Moon Dew Grass.

"This is the information I learned from a traveling merchant when I passed by Yangfeng Inn."

I've heard that this herb grows in the rime cave behind Hanshan Temple outside the city, and it's very similar to the moon dew grass you mentioned. See?

She placed a wooden box containing a piece of dried grass on the table. "This is a piece I bought from that peddler. I hope it will be useful to you."

Zhao Wuji picked up the wooden box and examined it, his expression changing. "Although it's dried out, it does indeed resemble moon dew grass."

He then brought it to his nose and sniffed the scent to confirm it. He immediately thanked Nan Zhixia and asked about the peddler's current location.

“I invited that man to your place for a small gathering, but he was cautious and unwilling to come, so I let him leave.”

Nan Zhixia's eyes flickered, and suddenly she said with some worry, "Wuji, I've heard that there are five poisonous creatures in that frost cave, so it's quite dangerous. You'd better not go and take the risk."

Moreover, I found that the peddler rather strange; he was loitering near Yangfeng Inn, which had been shut down, supposedly a stronghold of the Supreme Cult.

"Oh?" Zhao Wuji looked surprised. "You mean, that peddler might be a member of the Supreme Cult?"

"I'm just guessing."

Nan Zhixia shook her head, her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhao Wuji, and asked with concern, "You once said that you were invited by Minister Bu to perform acupuncture on that protector of the Supreme Sect, which means you had contact with the people of the Supreme Sect."

I'm worried that some members of the Supreme Sect might blame you for their defeat.

"You've been searching everywhere for rare herbs lately. Could they use this as an excuse to lure you in?"

"That shouldn't be the case. I was treating that protector, I didn't harm him."

As Zhao Wuji spoke, he was also somewhat uncertain in his heart.

It was indeed too much of a coincidence. Nan Zhixia had just agreed to help him find clues about medicinal herbs, and a peddler had already sold her the clues near Yangfeng Inn.

If the Supreme Sect has its eye on him, then it is very likely that someone already knows what information Protector Xu gave him, or even suspects that the sacred artifact is in his hands.

Just like when Master Yang sent a steward to test him.

"Wuji, think again. Have you ever offended the Supreme Cult? I'm really worried that you'll get involved with these lunatics."

At this moment, Nan Zhixia said worriedly.

Just as Zhao Wuji was about to object, a thought suddenly struck him. Staring into Nan Zhixia's bright eyes, he smiled in surprise, "Zhixia, have you heard any rumors? If I had to say where I offended someone, it would be that I did offend that Protector Xu."

After all, he once brought his brothers to me for acupuncture, and I refused. If the Supreme Sect wants to cause me trouble because of this, I really can't do anything about it.

"So that's what it was about. Nan Tai told me about it before."

Nan Zhixia remained composed, but inwardly she sighed.

She placed the teacup down with a bit more force, the bottom of the cup striking the rosewood table with a clear, resonant sound like a jade chime.

"In short, Wuji, you need to be careful. I don't want you to get into trouble because of offending these lunatics."

"Alright! Don't worry." After chatting with Nan Zhixia for a few more minutes, Zhao Wuji saw her off from the official residence and into her carriage.

As the carriage gradually drove away, Zhao Wuji turned back into the house, examining the dried moon dew grass in the wooden box, his eyes showing a strange and thoughtful expression.

Just now, when Nan Zhixia was talking to him, he vaguely sensed that subtle sense of threat again, which flashed by in an instant.

"That feeling I just had, I'm sure I wasn't mistaken."

As Zhao Wuji thought about the frequent contact between Nan Zhixia and himself recently, his suspicions grew, and various conjectures began to surface in his mind.

The image of the mysterious candidate saintess of the Supreme Cult even appeared.

However, Nan Zhixia's calm and composed demeanor was quite different from that of the Supreme Sect's candidate saintess, whose aura was sharp and powerful.

Their body sizes and shapes are also different.

"Physical form can be altered through martial arts techniques such as bone shrinking, as for aura..."

"Leaving aside the aura, when I last used my spiritual communication to contact Deacon Ning's soul, I received a message that someone even more esteemed within the Supreme Sect intended to contact me. Hall Master Yang and the others had already held back for several days."

"Later, when I came into contact with Master Yang's soul, I discovered that the more noble person was that candidate saintess."

Now that the Supreme Sect has suffered a defeat, and so much time has passed, if the candidate Holy Maiden wants to search for the Sacred Artifact again, she will surely contact me. Why hasn't she shown herself yet? Or perhaps…”

A series of flashes of inspiration struck Zhao Wuji. Combining Nan Zhixia's various actions and words during this period, he was now beginning to have some doubts.

Is that candidate saintess of the Supreme Sect actually Nan Zhixia in disguise?
This idea, though surprising to him, was very likely.

If that's the case, it makes sense. This holy maiden had been hiding in the imperial city without being discovered, and even Master Yang and others had no idea about her identity.

However, judging from the concern in Nan Zhixia's words, she clearly did not want to harm him.

"If it really is Zhi Xia, it seems that we won't be able to keep that sacred artifact of the Supreme Sect for much longer."
"It's just that, aside from being able to unleash the Earthly Fiend Technique, it's not very useful to me. I'll test it out another day and see what kind of background my fiancée really has."

Zhao Wuji stroked his chin and put away the moon dew grass.

This piece of Moon Dew Grass is clearly not enough to be used as a medicinal ingredient. Besides Moon Dew Grass, Sunflower is also needed to refine the Golden Jade Elixir.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry to explore the rime cave.

That evening, Zhao Wuji went to the palace again to perform his duties.

This time, he was familiar with the route and flew to Yunyu Pond in Jingqing Palace by riding the sword pellet.

Half a month has passed since I last saw it, and the Yin energy in the Yunyu Pool is still very strong. Although it is not as strong as when I first met it, it has recovered somewhat.

Zhao Wuji used the Yin Pearl to absorb the Yin energy in the pool, while simultaneously approaching the jade tablet at the center of the pool bottom to carefully examine the Zhou Dynasty bronze inscriptions on it.

The knowledge I gained from some relevant written books borrowed from the Imperial Observatory ten days ago has come in handy today.

He could vaguely make out some characters.

"The Heavenly Canopy Mantra suppresses evil spirits and malevolent entities. Heavenly gates and earthly axes, where myriad ghosts lurk, the Five Ding Generals, vanquishing all filth without a trace!"

He had only just grasped the general idea when he sensed something unusual about the Yin Pearl.

It didn't introduce a new technique, but rather, through analogy, it caused the proficiency of the Mystic Insight Technique to fluctuate, increasing by 1 point.

"This Heavenly Canopy Spell can actually enhance my proficiency in magic."

This was the first time Zhao Wuji had encountered such a situation.

He continued to absorb the Yin energy while browsing, forcibly memorizing the shapes of any unfamiliar characters so he could look them up later.

Before long, he had memorized all the incantations on the jade tablet, and his proficiency in the Netherworld Communication Technique increased by a full 7 points. He also absorbed more than two hundred strands of Yin energy.

However, at that moment, Zhao Wuji vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

The surrounding pool water seemed to have become clearer, and the gloomy atmosphere had lessened considerably.

The Spirit Communication Technique vaguely detected a faint fluctuation of soul power, and the Spiritual Sense even sensed that a pair of eyes were staring intently at him from the shadows.

"Om!—"

In that instant, the jade tablet in the center of the pool suddenly emitted a spiritual light, and the faint spiritual energy instantly increased.

Zhao Wuji was caught off guard and startled.

However, no danger occurred.

However, the vague sense of observation and the faint fluctuations of soul power vanished in an instant.

"Could it be that something was triggered?"

He sensed something was wrong and quickly rode away on the sword pellet.

After circling around Jingqing Palace for a while, it finally returned to the Imperial Pharmacy and its soul returned to its physical body.

From then until dawn when he left the palace, Zhao Wuji did not notice anything unusual happening at Jingqing Palace.

No eunuchs or imperial guards in the palace were disturbed, and the heart that had been in their throats slowly began to relax.

He returned to his official residence, but for a moment he couldn't calm down and continue studying the Tianpeng Mantra from his memory.

He immediately went to the Imperial Hospital to provide medical consultations and at the same time inquired about the situation inside the palace.

However, no unusual news came from the palace until the following night.

After he went to the Imperial Observatory to meet Li Nianwei and extract information from her, he learned that the Imperial Observatory had not noticed anything.

"It seems that the Imperial Observatory did not pay much attention to the Yin energy that Yun Yuchi absorbed. It may have triggered some kind of formation. It should be harmless."

Zhao Wuji gradually relaxed, and after bidding farewell to the reluctant Li Nianwei, returned to his official residence.

He did not continue his usual cultivation of immortality, nor did he secretly go to the rented house where he stored the sacred artifact, the small bowl, to prevent any powerful figure from observing him in the dark.

That night, he practiced martial arts by circulating the "Suspended Pot Golden Needle Skill".

Unexpectedly, during his cultivation, he fell into a deep sleep and even had a dream.

In my dream, clouds rolled in, and suddenly a jade terrace appeared.

A white silk robe trailed across the azure sky, revealing the figure of a beautiful fairy.

The fairy leaned against the zither, her slender fingers caressing the strings as if twisting threads of affection, her eyes shimmering like ice melting into spring water. She called him "Zhao Lang," bewitching him to seek immortality together, to cultivate the Dao and attain eternal life.

In a daze, some chaotic memories surfaced in Zhao Wuji's mind. He suddenly realized something was wrong and immediately returned his consciousness to his spiritual realm, forming hand seals to unleash the Tongyou Technique and shout.

"Who is pretending to be a ghost!?"

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(End of this chapter)