My Wife Is The Leader Of A Demonic Cult-Chapter 321 - Reminiscing about the Innocence of

Chapter 321: Chapter 321: Reminiscing about the Innocence of Youth

Chapter 321: Chapter 321: Reminiscing about the Innocence of Youth

The Houjin army, six hundred thousand strong, converged and marched forth mightily. Before they even reached the border between Yan Country and Houjin, news of their approach had spread throughout the world.

In an instant, Great Yan trembled, and every region was swept up in turmoil. On the frontier, there was panic in the air, and a large number of civilians began to flee southward.

No one believed that Outer Heaven and the newly appointed Daoist of the Northern Wilderness, Ghost Swordsman, could stop this six hundred thousand strong army that was as ferocious as wolves and tigers.

Upon receiving the news, An Jing set out for the Northern Wilderness immediately, traveling through the night.

Two days later, he arrived in You City.

Seated at the head of an antique room, An Jing looked down at the sand table before him.

Qiu Lun stood below, joyfully saying, “Big brother, I knew we would have a day when we’d fight side by side.”

As soon as An Jing arrived in You City, Qiu Lun had hurried over, but Wang Shiyi, who commanded the main forces of the north, showed no sign of movement, and not even a messenger soldier was sent.

An Jing said indifferently, “Why haven’t Wang Shiyi and Li Qirong come?”

“This…”

Qiu Lun’s face showed difficulty, hesitant to speak further.

Who was Wang Shiyi? He was one of the three great princes of the Great Yan Dynasty, stationed in the north to defend against Houjin for many years. How could he be willing to subordinate himself to An Jing, an upstart from Jianghu?

An Jing waved his hand and said, “Never mind, you needn’t say more. What’s most important now is how to deal with the Houjin army. Where is Jin Lv?”

This time, the general leading the southward Houjin campaign was none other than Jin Lv, who captured Dongluo Pass.

Qiu Lun’s face was grave as he said, “Heavenly Gate City is the gateway to the Northern Wilderness, and the Houjin army will surely launch an all-out attack on it. Although Heavenly Gate City is easy to defend but hard to attack, it’s still unlikely that it can withstand such a vast Houjin force.”

An Jing nodded, “The Houjin soldiers are skilled in archery and horsemanship, strong in body. If we meet them in conventional battle, the Great Yan troops will surely be at a disadvantage.”

As he spoke, An Jing turned to look at Li Fuzhou and asked, “Third Master, how is the manufacturing of mechanical puppet beasts going?”

Ever since the Demon Sect retreated to You Mountain, An Jing had handed over the mechanical techniques of the Mo Family to Li Fuzhou and had people vigorously manufacture mechanical puppet beasts. Fortunately, the cleaning up of the Ma Family had yielded plenty of wealth, enough to support the Demon Sect in creating some mechanical puppet beasts.

Moreover, the work on mechanical puppet beasts was carried out in secrecy within You Mountain, waiting to give Houjin a surprise.

Li Fuzhou stroked his beard and smiled, “Reporting to the young lord, a total of thirty-nine skilled craftsmen and two hundred and twenty-nine apprentices have been working for several months, producing three large mechanical puppet beasts, thirty-seven of medium size, and one hundred and seven small ones. If mixed into the ranks of the army, their power can be greatly magnified, even capable of catching the enemy by surprise.”

Qiu Lun’s eyes widened in surprise, “Big brother, are the mechanical puppet beasts you’re talking about the ones from the Mo Family of the Great Qin Dynasty?”

The mechanical techniques of the Mo Family of the Great Qin Dynasty were quite famous. However, like the downfall of the Qin Dynasty, the Mo Family faded away suddenly, quietly vanishing without a trace.

“Yes, they are the Mo Family’s mechanical puppet beasts,” confirmed An Jing.

“With these mechanical puppet beasts, there is now a better chance of holding the Northern Wilderness,” Qiu Lun exclaimed excitedly.

“Hold the Northern Wilderness?”

A cold smile crossed An Jing’s lips, “If it were just about holding the Northern Wilderness, I wouldn’t need to bring out these puppet mechanism beasts.”

Confused by An Jing’s words, Qiu Lun asked, “What do you mean, big brother?”

Pointing at the map of Houjin, An Jing declared, “The North Field that Wang Shiyi couldn’t capture, I will take it for him. The Royal Court that Wang Shiyi couldn’t breach, I will take it down.”

Capture the Royal Court of Houjin!?

Qiu Lun blinked in disbelief.

You should know that right now, the 600,000-strong army of Houjin is attacking, their blades aimed directly at Beihuang Dao, and it’s not even certain whether the tens of thousands of soldiers under Wang Shiyi’s command will obey the orders. In such a situation, if we can hold onto Beihuang Dao, we would be extremely lucky. Now An Jing actually still wants to seize the Royal Court of Houjin?

“If we keep defending passively, how can we possibly resist the Houjin army?”

An Jing pointed to the sand table and said, “You should know that the Southern Barbarians and Zhao Country will attack Yan Country at the same time. By then, Yan Country will be surrounded by enemies on all sides. If we continue to defend without reinforcements, we will eventually be eaten away little by little. It’s better to attack in defense.”

An Jing’s goal is the Holy Master of Great Snow Mountain, that Emperor of Houjin, how could he be confined to just Beihuang Dao?

Qiu Lun was still somewhat hesitant, “Since the people of Houjin have been raised on horseback since childhood, if we encounter them on the field…”

After all, what An Jing said was too astonishing. It was something ordinary people wouldn’t dare to think about.

A glint of brilliance flashed in Li Fuzhou’s eyes. Counterattack instead of defense, that was indeed the idea he had discussed with An Jing over these past two days. Initially, he was also stunned by An Jing’s bold move.

After all, this was too bold, too risky. If it really succeeded, what a shock would that be?

An Jing looked calmly at the sand table and said, “If Houjin insists on taking Heaven Gate Pass, then we shall head north from Tianyin Dao and strike directly at North Field before storming the Royal Court to secure the fate of the Northern Qian Kun.”

If Qiu Lun were a green young man just starting out, he would have been fired up by An Jing’s words, but he was no greenhorn.

Qiu Lun thought for a moment and said, “Big brother, do you mean that we leave Wang Shiyi to defend Beihuang Dao while we attack Houjin?”

An Jing asked, “Correct. Are you unwilling?”

Qiu Lun had tens of thousands of Pingyang Guard under him, and the Demon Sect had countless experts. If the two joined forces, they would become a sharp dagger, which might play a crucial role at the most critical moment.

Qiu Lun slapped his chest and said, “Let’s not mention your identity now, big brother. Even if you were just a first-rank white-clothed brother, I, Qiu Lun, would still offer my full support.”

“Good.”

An Jing patted Qiu Lun’s shoulder and also burst into laughter.

Just at this moment, gusts of wind arose above You City, and a massive shadow that blotted out the sky appeared high above, followed by a clear, piercing cry that resounded through the air.

Everyone looked up to see it was the Honghu.

“The mistress has returned.”

A hint of a smile appeared in An Jing’s eyes as he quickly headed outside the great hall.

They saw two figures jump down from the back of the Honghu; it was Zhao Qingmei and Nangong Weiping.

Nangong Weiping had tidied her hair, looking like an ordinary old woman, while Zhao Qingmei, beside her in a light purple dress, was breathtakingly beautiful, her exquisite features unforgettable at a glance.

When Zhao Qingmei saw An Jing, a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes.

“Sect Hierarch!”

The high-ranking members of the Demon Sect knelt down reverently upon seeing this.

Qiu Lun hurriedly cupped his fists and said, “So it was sister-in-law.”

Sister-in-law!?

Zhao Qingmei glanced at Qiu Lun, and he instantly felt a slight chill run through his body. Subconsciously, he retreated two steps backward and wondered to himself: Did I say something wrong?

Zhao Qingmei waved her hand and said, “You all may step back now.”

Nangong Weiping’s identity was special, after all. Even within the ranks of the Demon Sect, few knew of her real strength and identity, let alone Qiu Lun in front of her.

“Your subordinate shall take his leave.”

Li Fuzhou and what shrewdness he had, upon seeing this, immediately stood up to take his leave, and Qiu Lun also hesitated, wondering where he had offended his younger sister-in-law? He could only follow the Demon Sect experts and retreat.

Suddenly, only An Jing, Zhao Qingmei, and Nangong Weiping were left.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

An Jing was holding Zhao Qingmei’s soft jade-like hand when he couldn’t help but feel a coldness. His True Qi spontaneously flowed into her body as he asked, “What’s going on?”

An Jing’s True Qi, having been refined through the “Nameless Heart Scripture,” was mighty, though it could not compare to Qin Shan’s Innate True Qi, it was still much more robust than ordinary True Qi. But at this moment, as it entered Zhao Qingmei’s body, it seemed to disappear into the sea without a trace.

By his side, Nangong Weiping said, “On the way to Cloud Tower, we encountered an elder of the tower, and the little girl received a palm strike. She has accumulated a large amount of cold and sinister Qi Mechanism in her body, which even with my level of cultivation is very hard to remove.”

An Jing looked at Zhao Qingmei and said, “You were hit by a palm strike from the old man of the ten directions? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Zhao Qingmei had never mentioned being struck by the elder of the ten directions in the intelligence reports she received through the Human Sect, and evidently, even Nangong Weiping had been unable to remove the palm energy from her body; it clearly wasn’t that simple.

Zhao Qingmei shook her head, “I didn’t know that this Qi Mechanism would be so difficult to remove.”

An Jing said gravely, “Come inside first, and I’ll take your pulse.”

Afterward, the three of them walked into the hall. An Jing placed his fingers on Zhao Qingmei’s pulse, and waves of cold energy continuously traveled along his fingertips into his hand.

Nangong Weiping also looked on, she had heard Zhao Qingmei mention that An Jing was a famed physician, but she wasn’t clear on the extent of his medical skills.

After a long while, An Jing’s expression became extremely grave and he said, “This Qi Mechanism should be Evil Spirits.”

“Evil Spirits!?”

Zhao Qingmei’s brow also furrowed deeply.

She had also learned from the information transmitted by An Jing about the impacts before and after the battle at Dragon Locking Well and knew that with the sudden increase of nature’s spiritual energy in the world, a large amount of Evil Spirits would also arise.

Evil Spirits lurk within the human body, initially causing no discomfort or sensation of their presence, but once they erupt, they will come pouring out like a flood.

The consequences were difficult to imagine or predict.

Nangong Weiping’s heart trembled, and she asked, “Are you saying that the elder of the ten directions infused Evil Spirits into Little Qingmei with a palm strike?”

Evil Spirits, such a Qi Mechanism that can only contaminate spiritual energy and the human body, could it also be used differently?

An Jing nodded and said in a deep voice, “Have you been feeling extremely cold lately?”

Zhao Qingmei nodded slightly. On her way back, she often felt a chill, and as time went on, that feeling became stronger and stronger. At times, it was even so intense that it caused her a painful discomfort.

Nangong Weiping asked, “Then is there a way to remove this Evil Spirits?”

“Currently, there is only one method.”

An Jing took a deep breath and said, “That is to use the Supreme Yang Qi of an item of Supreme Yang to dissolve the Evil Spirits.”

The most direct and swift way to eliminate these Evil Spirits is based on the opposition of Yin and Yang. Given that Evil Spirits are considered cold and Yin, naturally, the Qi of Supreme Yang is the bane of Yin and cold entities.

But an item of Supreme Yang is incredibly precious, and it must contain a large amount of Supreme Yang Qi to be effective.

Nangong Weiping said, “Such a thing is extremely precious, and it won’t be easy to find one in a short period.”

An Jing’s expression was extremely solemn, and he remained silent.

Within Dragon Locking Well, he was acutely aware of the difficulty of removing these Evil Spirits. At present, the Evil Spirits within Zhao Qingmei’s body were multitudes greater than those within his own, and the incomplete “Nameless Heart Scripture” was powerless against it.

Zhao Qingmei tightly held An Jing’s hand, tenderly saying, “It’s just Evil Spirits, there will always be a way to remove them.”

An Jing nodded and said, “In my opinion, this evil spirit energy will still need some time to erupt; there shouldn’t be any major issues for now.”

“I shall go back and study it.”

Nangong Weiping furrowed her brow and walked towards the back hall.

She was also very curious about the evil spirit energy.

…..

The night was indifferent like water, and the moon, clear as a mirror, hung high in the sky, casting a pure, flowing radiance upon the luminous earth.

It was now May, and the evening breeze still carried a hint of coolness.

The red candles flickered, casting shifting shadows.

Zhao Qingmei at the moment was like a child, excitedly talking about her recent travels with Nangong Weiping.

“…..And then, I and Senior Nangong went to Tianjiang Prefecture, which is right next to Jiangnan Dao. The customs of the two places are vastly different; for instance, they prefer sweeter foods there, as well as the unique theatrical artistry of Zhao Country, some pieces of which have been passed down from the Great Zhou Dynasty. Despite the Ban Martial Order and the interference of the Black Ice Platform, which controls the Court, Zhao Country’s strength is indeed much greater than that of Yan Country,” she said.

An Jing had never been to Zhao Country and what he knew was hearsay; in Yan Country, the general consensus was very poor about Zhao Country, believing that the Black Ice Platform dominated the royal authority and meddled with internal affairs, and the people of Zhao Country lived in dire straits.

However, from what Zhao Qingmei explained today, it wasn’t simply because of reliance on elixirs that made Zhao Country stronger than Yan Country, but their superiority was in all aspects, including economy and military.

Under the rule of the Black Ice Platform, the citizens of Zhao Country were not only affluent but also very happy.

The current world was in chaos, with the Southern Barbarians, Zhao Country, and Houjin attacking Great Yan. Now that the Black Ice Platform had suffered heavy losses in Yujing City, it seemed that Houjin had the most formidable strength, followed by Zhao Country, with the Southern Barbarians being the weakest.

Upon close consideration, if Zhao Country really launched a full-scale attack, their national strength was actually not much weaker than Houjin, especially with the Black Ice Platform harboring that extremely mysterious old monster.

A glint of murderous intent flashed in An Jing’s eyes, “When I have the time in the future, I must visit Zhao Country.”

Zhao Qingmei seemed to have an endless amount of things to say, “There’s also the pastries and delicacies of Zhao Country. I’ve specially learned a few signature dishes. The taste of Tianjiang Smoked Goose is absolutely unique. I understood the trick after just one glance,” she said.

At the moment, Zhao Qingmei didn’t seem like the Sect Hierarch of the Demon Sect, but just a chatty girl next door.

An Jing held her somewhat cold hand and smiled, “Good, if it doesn’t taste good…”

Zhao Qingmei glared at An Jing fiercely and said, “Even if it doesn’t taste good, you’ll have to finish it all.”

“How could it not taste good?”

An Jing hastily replied, “Everything the lady makes is delicious.”

Zhao Qingmei gently leaned into An Jing’s embrace, her lips naturally curving into a faint smile, and then said, “Do you know? Actually, along the way, Senior Nangong has been quite nice. She even explained her insights into the ‘Nine Nether Purgatory Demon Scripture’ to me, and she gave me two Snow Lotuses.”

An Jing was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

After all, Zhao Qingmei and Nangong Weiping had a fierce competitive relationship, and in the end, either Zhao Qingmei would inherit all of Nangong Weiping’s cultivation, or Nangong Weiping would absorb all of Zhao Qingmei’s cultivation, returning to be a Great Grandmaster, or perhaps even reaching the pinnacle of the Great Grandmaster realm.

An Jing still said, “Regardless, we must be cautious of this Nangong Weiping.”

Zhao Qingmei responded, “Mm, I am aware.”

“By the way.”

An Jing thought of something and said, “General Lü told me about the past; your father didn’t die by the hands of the Human Emperor.”

Zhao Qingmei’s parents did not meet their end at the hands of the Great Yan Emperor, as Jiang Shang had said, but were killed by Jiang Shang himself.

Jiang Shang had discovered that Zhao Qingmei was a once-in-a-millennium martial arts prodigy and seized the opportunity during a flood to kill Zhao Shizai and his wife. Afterward, he took Zhao Qingmei away when the flood subsided.

A cold light flashed in Zhao Qingmei’s eyes as she said in a low voice, “I have long known that my father was killed by Jiang Shang.”

An Jing looked at the stunningly beautiful face in front of him and said, “Did you know about this all along?”

Zhao Qingmei nodded vigorously. “After returning to Yan Country, Third Master told me.”

An Jing thought for a moment and asked, “So, what are your plans?”

Zhao Qingmei said coldly, “First, I’ll find Jiang Shang and then decide.”

An Jing nodded, thinking back to the last time he saw Jiang Shang. Having obtained that mass of Undying Blood, Jiang Shang might have improved his cultivation, perhaps even advancing to the Five Qi Realm.

Zhao Qingmei looked towards An Jing and asked, “Does that mean you know everything already?”

An Jing snorted lightly, proudly saying, “With my intelligence and wisdom, of course, I knew long ago.”

In fact, he had many times been unable to understand why Zhao Qingmei would have taken a liking to him in the past. It was not until Old Master Lu revealed Zhao Qingmei’s father that An Jing’s memories rushed in like the tide.

Zhao Qingmei turned her head away, saying without good cheer, “If Old Master Lu hadn’t mentioned it, you definitely wouldn’t have known. Maybe you would have forgotten about me long ago.”

“How could I possibly forget?”

An Jing, holding the woman in his arms, couldn’t help but fall into his memories.

If there were moments in life one could never forget, An Jing would never forget the events of ten years past.

……

Twelve years earlier, in the third year of Xingping, spring.

The Daoist Master of Jiangnan Dao imposed crushing levies, and the livelihoods of the people withered away. The commoners’ lives were immersed in deep misery, an unspeakable suffering.

It rained in Jiangnan Dao for more than thirty days, and the water levels of the Yu State River surged violently. Eventually, the floodwaters burst the riverbanks and spread out over a thousand miles, flooding Yu State City, Lijiang City, and areas around Zuo City, affecting over forty thousand families, drowning more than three thousand people, with countless more missing.

It is said that after a great disaster, there must come a great epidemic; following the flood came plagues and cholera outbreaks galore.

Some households lost eight or nine of their members, some six or seven, families died in the same day by threes and fours, or entire households lay fallen with no one to aid them, with contagions spreading endlessly and the sick in vast numbers, filled with lamentation and bitter crying, a truly pitiable sight.

What’s worse, villages were entirely wiped out, deserted for thousands of miles, with only floating corpses and exposed bones, resembling a descent of ghost towns into the human world.

The dead lined the roads, while the living filled the markets with their wailing. Homes and property were abandoned, spouses and children were sold—such sights were everywhere.

The Court dispatched officials to Jiangnan Dao. The Inspection Department and local authorities of the Dao, cities, and counties were supposed to provide relief to the victims, but the relief funds and grain were all embezzled, giving the corrupt the full enjoyment of their pleasures.

The reports delivered to the Court were brief, descriptions of the disaster vague and unclear, with just a few words like ‘untold deaths of people and livestock’ to describe it.

In Yu State City, amid the cracked and barren fields, a group of disaster victims wandered, looking as lifeless as a group of walking corpses.

Fleeing the onslaught of the flood, An Jing had been separated from his parents for several dozen days. At this moment, his thin body sat next to a rock, his face ashen.

He tried forcefully to swallow a few mouthfuls of tree root. No matter how he swallowed, the root was hard to digest and even caused stomach acid to reflux, almost making him vomit last night’s undigested root and cotton plant.

Tree bark, leaves, grass roots, rotten grass, white soil—at times of hunger, these could all be consumed. But in the end, most who swallowed these things would bind up their guts and die without exception.

“Someone’s dead over there, hurry and go!”

At some point, a sharp voice rang out, and the surrounding disaster victims swarmed like bloodthirsty beasts.

An Jing saw with his own eyes how a gaunt man instinctively swallowed and dashed over at great speed.

Someone had died…

At night, under a clear moon and sparse stars.

“Shit, am I really going to starve to death just after time-traveling?”

An Jing leaned against a large rock, dizzy with hunger, with not even a little bit of strength in his limbs.

Just at that moment, there seemed to be some noise in the darkness of the night.

Not far away, dozens of husky men in coarse clothes were moving through the woods.

“Shit! Weren’t we told there would be rich merchants from Lijiang City here?” one of the brawny men grabbed a famine-stricken villager and demanded, “Have you seen any of Lijiang City’s rich merchants?”

The villager spoke in terror, “Rich… rich merchants, there are none here.”

“Motherfucker! Could they have run off?” The brawny man flung the villager more than two yards away, his head striking precisely against the rock An Jing was leaning on. There was a ‘thud,’ blood spurted out, and he died on the spot.

Someone whispered to the side, “Brother Liutang, forget about these people. It’s not easy for us to get out. We have to squeeze every last drop we can, and that woman over there has a nice figure.”

The leader angrily ordered, “Shit, rob her!”

“Hurry, grab a few women to take back.”

“Don’t take too many, we don’t have enough food!”

…….

These were bandits from the Horse Gang in Jiangnan Dao.

They had received information that rich merchants from Lijiang City would be in the area, so they prepared to loot the place.

The brawny men went straight up to rob the villagers. Whether the villagers had food or not, any resistance meant a swift death.

“Run, run for your life!”

The villagers thought these were ghostly Rash from the Underworld and, terrified out of their wits, fled frantically into the distance.

The more the villagers ran, the more excited the Horse Gang members got, their knives getting sharper and their killing swifter, which only made the villagers run faster.

An Jing leaned against the rock, too weak from hunger to do anything.

A few of the Horse Gang’s brawny men passed by without even glancing at the emaciated figures on the ground; they simply turned and chased after the fleeing villagers.

Hundreds, no, thousands of famine-stricken villagers were being chased by dozens of bandits, triggering massive waves of human panic, and some were even trampled to death.

An Jing’s stomach was empty, as if it were sticking together. He found some Guanyin soil on the ground and swallowed it with difficulty, his stomach churning, which finally brought him some relief.

“Mother, wake up… I’m so hungry…”

Not far away, a little girl about eight or nine years old was crying her heart out beside a corpse, her voice hoarse from sobbing.

She was Zhao Qingmei, the daughter of ‘the poor scholar’ Zhao Shizai from Yu State City.

Just the night before, her mother had said she was going to take a nap and had not woken up since.

Zhao Qingmei didn’t know how long it had been since she last had anything to eat, her frail body showing ribs protruding one by one.

After a while, Zhao Qingmei propped herself up and made her way to a nearby pile of grass next to a grindstone and a broken porcelain bowl.

Zhao Qingmei carefully took some rotten grass out of the pile, then put it into the porcelain bowl and started grinding the rotten grass against the stone, imitating her mother’s movements.

The rotten grass turned into a mushy mess, not anywhere close to becoming flour. Zhao Qingmei wept while pressing hard to grind the grass.

“…Ah, it hurts so much!”

Because she exerted too much force, the grinding stone went askew, and her delicate arm was directly cut by the broken porcelain bowl, blood mixed with the crushed grass into the bowl.

“Mom…it hurts… woohoo.”

Zhao Qingmei put down the grinding stone in her hand and crawled in front of her mother, “Mom, blow on it, it hurts so much.”

Her mother remained completely motionless, offering no response.

Zhao Qingmei cried until she had no strength left, stunned in place for a long time before she returned to the bowl to continue grinding the crushed grass forcefully. As the wound hadn’t stopped bleeding, the blood kept mixing into the bowl.

When she became tired from grinding, Zhao Qingmei, panting, brought the bowl over to her mother’s corpse.

“Mom, look, this is the dried grass ground by Zhao Qingmei, after eating this grass, you won’t be hungry or sleepy anymore.”

Her mother’s body remained still.

“Mom, eat the white porridge, wake up please.”

“Woohoo…Zhao Qingmei won’t clamor for porridge anymore, won’t clamor for meat anymore, Mom!”

Zhao Qingmei started to wail loudly in front of the corpse, then, exhausted from crying, she kept sobbing and lay motionless on her mother’s body.

“Your wound needs to be stopped.”

“An Jing, my mom is asleep, help me wake her, I won’t act up anymore.”

When Zhao Qingmei turned her head, she saw the pale-faced An Jing and a look of joy appeared in her eyes.

“Let me stop the bleeding first. Without disinfectant alcohol, we’ll just have to make do, hoping it won’t get infected.”

An Jing stepped forward, picked up a piece of torn cloth from the ground, and began to wrap it around Zhao Qingmei’s small hand.

“Does it hurt?” An Jing glanced at the girl in front of him.

“No… It doesn’t hurt.” Tears flowed from Zhao Qingmei’s eyes from the pain, but she still bravely shook her head.

After An Jing finished bandaging the wound, he reached out to pat Zhao Qingmei’s small head, deeply sighing.

“An Jing, there’s food here, all ground by me.” Zhao Qingmei picked up the small broken bowl from the ground, her eyes sparkling as she said, “My mom is sleeping, let me feed you a bit first.”

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Looking at the crushed grass mixed with blood, An Jing picked up some of the powdered grass that had been ground in the middle with his finger and gently placed it in his mouth.

The taste of the crushed grass was bad enough, but with the faint trace of blood, it had a strange, fishy taste.

“Are you hungry?” An Jing took a deep breath and asked.

“An Jing, I’m not hungry, you eat.” Zhao Qingmei lowered her head, though her stomach was already unbearably hungry.

“An Jing will take you to eat meat.”

A dark glint flickered in An Jing’s eyes.

“Meat!?”

Upon hearing this word, Zhao Qingmei’s stomach churned, as if wanting to bite her own tongue.

“First go pick up some dry branches from afar, the more the better.”

“An Jing, I’ll go right now.”

Zhao Qingmei hurried towards the distant woods.

An Jing swallowed the crushed grass from the broken porcelain bowl into his stomach, then picked up the bowl and headed towards the corpses of the disaster-stricken people killed by the horse gang.

When you find yourself on a dark path with no way back, and the last of your breath is not enough to return you the way you came, your only choice is to keep moving forward.

…….

“An Jing!”

Just then, a clear voice interrupted An Jing’s memories.

An Jing turned around to see Zhao Qingmei, her face somewhat pale as she clutched the corner of her clothes and spoke softly, “I’m a bit cold.”

“Cold!?”

Frowning deeply, An Jing was surprised to hear this.

Not to mention that the weather wasn’t that cold now, Zhao Qingmei’s cultivation level meant she shouldn’t be afraid of the cold.

Could it be the evil spirit’s energy!?

A thought crossed An Jing’s mind, and the True Qi within his body began to circulate, pouring into Zhao Qingmei’s body.

But that vast True Qi vanished instantly, like a clay ox entering the sea, as soon as it entered Zhao Qingmei’s body.

“So cold!”

Instinctively clutching An Jing tightly, Zhao Qingmei’s red lips trembled continuously.

“The energy of the evil spirit, it must be the energy of the evil spirit causing trouble.”

An Jing’s eyes showed a trace of seriousness. The energy of the evil spirit could pollute even the Earth Veins, let alone a person. Once completely contaminated by the energy of the evil spirit, a person could turn into an evil spirit. Zhao Qingmei had been struck by the palm of the Ten Directions Elder and had accumulated a lot of the energy of the evil spirit in her body. If it wasn’t for her high cultivation level in the Three Qi Grandmaster Realm, she would have long been completely corrupted by the energy of the evil spirit.

“Cold, so very cold…”

Zhao Qingmei clung to An Jing, murmuring continuously, with large beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.

An Jing, also very anxious, immediately used silver needles to channel True Qi into Zhao Qingmei’s body. Suddenly, a scorching flow entered her body, and her complexion gradually recovered, from the previous pallor to a gradual flush.

Hurriedly, An Jing asked, “Still cold?”

Zhao Qingmei breathed heavily, weakly saying, “Not… not cold anymore, it felt like my heart was about to freeze just now.”

An Jing took a deep breath, “We still need to find the Supreme Yang Object quickly and absorb the energy of the evil spirit in your body.”

The Supreme Yang Object!

The most important thing right now was to find the Supreme Yang Object. Only the Supreme Yang Qi coming from the Supreme Yang Object could thoroughly clear the energy of the evil spirit from Zhao Qingmei’s body.

Zhao Qingmei whispered, “But the Supreme Yang Object isn’t that easy to find.”

“How could I forget that thing!”

Suddenly An Jing thought of something and said to himself, “Back then in the Russell Clan’s purple opportunity, there was a stone that could create Sun Essence, definitely a Supreme Yang Object.”

When entering the Russell Clan, the Earth Book had hinted at the purple opportunity, namely, that stone which could create Sun Essence. But since the stone was rooted deep underground, An Jing couldn’t carry it away and had to leave it in the end.

The stone capable of creating Sun Essence definitely contained Supreme Yang Qi.

Both the Russell Clan and Dongluo Pass were now under the jurisdiction of Houjin, so he could only infiltrate deep into the Houjin army.

…….