C258 Secret Hand

After Yu Yuan's celestial and terrestrial souls were restored and he was reborn, Ning Ji was the first elder he felt a genuine fondness for.

Ning Ji had become close friends with his grandfather. Upon awakening, Yu Yuan came to rely on Ning Ji in many ways, finding great comfort and trust in his elder's presence.

Moreover, Ning Ji had assisted him in getting accustomed to his youthful body in Elfview Town, standing by his side as he strengthened his physique.

Yet, Ning Ji was not a member of the Yu family. After Yu Yuan awoke and embarked on the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area Trial, Ning Ji should have long since departed from Darkmoon City.

So why, after all this time, was Ning Ji still around?

And not just in Darkmoon City, but in Elfview Town?

Yu Yuan, his mind swirling with questions, furrowed his brow and scrutinized Ning Ji, his expression subtly shifting.

Practicing the Soul Forging Technique had honed his Heavenly Soul, enabling him to discern the faint cold mist entwining the Yellow Court aperture in Ning Ji's lower dantian.

This mist, seemingly emanating from Ning Ji's lower dantian, formed a thin layer of frost.

The presence of this cold mist appeared to prevent Ning Ji from drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, blocking the continuous flow of this vital force into his lower dantian.

Likewise, he was unable to channel the spiritual energy he had gathered into his lower dantian using the Spiritual Spell.

For someone at the Yellow Court Stage, having the Yellow Court aperture opened yet unusable was a significant hindrance, potentially severing Ning Ji's path to further advancement.

Beyond the impediment to his cultivation, the cold mist's presence allowed a chilling energy to permeate his flesh and organs, causing him harm with each passing moment.

"After you left for the trial in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, I saw that the Yu family was back on track, so I took my leave from your grandfather," Ning Ji explained with his usual calm demeanor and a smile. "I traveled to other cities, where I caught wind of your exploits. I've been occupied with my own pursuits, seeking a breakthrough in my realm, eager to reach the Profound Break Stage."

"I've grown old, and it's imperative that I reach the Profound Break Stage, unlock the Profound Gate within my middle dantian, enrich my blood and Qi, and infuse my organs with life's essence. Only then can I surpass the natural limits of my lifespan."

"I was already at the late Yellow Court Stage, just one step shy of the Profound Break."

"But..."

Ning Ji's smile turned to one of bitter resignation.

"While I was in seclusion, pushing for the Profound Break Stage, an unexpected cold current invaded. The cave I was in, deep in the wilderness, was typically deserted. This cold current arrived abruptly, without any forewarning."

"My attempt to break through was not just thwarted; the dantian in my lower abdomen was overrun by the cold current."

"That cold current was chilling and brutal, eroding me relentlessly, day and night."

Ning Ji's face darkened, his voice heavy with reflection. "After much thought, I've come to understand the likely cause."

"The Cold Yin Sect!" Yu Yuan declared with conviction.

"Indeed." Ning Ji exhaled a deep, melancholic sigh. "Reflecting on recent years, the only conflicts I've had were with Yinn Jue in Elfview, which certainly disrupted the Cold Yin Sect's plans. Since then, having allied with you, it seems we've been marked by the Cold Yin Sect's enduring grudge."

"Your grandfather and the Yu Family are under the protection of Darkmoon City's Lord, who has expressly forbidden any harm to come to your family within her domain. Even the Lim Family and the Cold Yin Sect wouldn't dare to overstep their bounds in Darkmoon City. As for me, a solitary cultivator who's long roamed the lands..."

He paused, the weight of his experience evident. "The Cold Yin Sect seized the opportunity during my breakthrough to deliver a lesson I'll never forget."

Ning Ji recounted his suspicions of the events that had transpired.

Before his return, Yu Yuan had been briefed by the Imperial Advisor of the Rainier Empire, learning much about the Red Devil Sect.

Yuan Qiufang had been taken under the wing of Faang Yao to train with the Red Devil Sect, thus linking the Yuan family to them. And with the Silvermoon Empire recently strengthening ties with the Red Devil Sect, even the Lim Family and the Cold Yin Sect were compelled to observe the basic tenets of righteousness and refrain from overt misdeeds in Darkmoon City.

Using underhanded tactics was, of course, unavoidable.

Ning Ji, an outsider who had once aided the Yu and Lim families in their opposition to the Cold Yin Sect, could very well have been targeted by them during his solitary travels after leaving Darkmoon City, especially at the critical moment of his breakthrough.

The assailant chose not to kill Ning Ji but instead sabotaged his advancement, using a relentless cold current to ravage his dantian, subjecting him to its torturous chill day and night. This act of malice was likely intended to serve as a grim warning to any who would dare oppose the Lim Family and the Cold Yin Sect.

"How long have you been in Elfview?" Yu Yuan inquired once more.

"Not very long. I've always held onto the belief that you would make it back alive!" Ning Ji inhaled deeply, his shoulders quaking. Beads of cold sweat dotted his forehead as he suddenly sat down, offering Yu Yuan an apologetic, pained smile. "It's happening again..."

Invisible wisps of cold smoke began to seep from his lower dantian.

This frigid mist, carrying an icy chill, penetrated his internal organs and traveled along his meridians, creeping up to his neck and infiltrating the Mud Ball acupoint of his upper dantian.

Seated on the ground, Ning Ji shook uncontrollably, his cold sweat crystallizing into sparkling beads of ice. Despite the intense pain, he clenched his teeth, refusing to utter a sound.

"Elder Ning, it's my Yu family, it's me, Yu Yuan, who has brought this suffering upon you."

With a grave look, Yu Yuan extended his left hand, pressing it toward Ning Ji's lower dantian acupoint. "Stay calm. I'm going to see if I can alleviate some of your discomfort."

"Yiya! Yiyaya!"

As his hand made contact with Ning Ji's lower dantian, before he could even begin to summon the power of the "Glorious Heavenly Wheel," the thin girl behind him emitted a series of high-pitched sounds, inaudible to most.

Yu Yuan's face contorted with shock.

Instantly, he sensed an intensely cold and biting aura erupt from Ning Ji's Yellow Court acupoint, surging with a life force of its own, racing toward his own dantian acupoint.

Seconds later, the chilling current solidified into a silver-white python, its scales gleaming and its demeanor ferocious.

Yu Yuan sensed its lethal venom with a mere thought.

The little girl was on high alert, not due to the python's icy presence, but because of its deadly toxin.

"Puff!"

As the frigid blast from Chilly Wind Valley bore down on his lower dantian, it violently collided with the radiant stream of light from the Glorious Heavenly Wheel.

Yu Yuan's dantian throbbed with excruciating pain, and he grunted as blood spurted from his abdomen.

The venom, lurking within the cold, seized the opportunity to infiltrate his body as his skin tore open.

It was then that the little girl, whom Yu Yuan had escorted all the way from Chilly Wind Valley, materialized beside him without notice.

Her eyes, once a normal hue, shifted to a vivid green.

With a gentle inhale, the venom within the silver-white python coalesced into a mottled silver mist, forcibly extracted by an unseen force.

In a flash, she inhaled the mist through her nostrils, transforming it into a threadlike serpent that vanished without a trace.

The chaos in Yu Yuan's lower abdomen, caused by the silver-white python, abruptly ceased as if its spirit had been stripped away. After a brief tumult, it was dissolved by the intense glow of the Glorious Heavenly Wheel.

The girl's emerald gaze flickered momentarily before the last vestiges of the venom's essence were spent, and she reverted to her normal state.

She glanced at Yu Yuan's gory lower abdomen, deeming it a mere superficial injury, and dismissed it with indifference.

"Yiya, yiyayiya..."

Her hand lifted, brandishing a wild glint in her eyes.

Gritting through the pain, Yu Yuan managed to say, "It's not him."

She grasped the situation in an instant, realizing it wasn't the elder who had laid a trap for Yu Yuan, but rather a different circumstance.

Whoosh!

A vast, fiery red lotus surged forward like a swift crimson cloud.

Many residents of Elfview observed the spectacle that evening, voicing their amazement.

"The City Lord!"

"Our City Lord has graced us with his presence!"

"Look at the direction—it's the Yu family's herb garden! Why has the City Lord, long secluded, suddenly made an appearance?"

Yu Yuan, seated on the ground much like Ning Ji, gazed at the striking red lotus with a hint of bewilderment. "Her response is incredibly swift. I've only just arrived in Elfview and instructed the Medicine Slaves to remain silent, yet she's already found her way here so quickly."

"Brat!"

Yuan Lianyao's voice, laced with dissatisfaction, preceded the arrival of the burning red lotus flower.

A flash of rainbow light halted the fiery bloom right before Yu Yuan.

Yuan Lianyao, statuesque and enchanting, radiated joy from her smile to her sparkling eyes. She reached out, eager to embrace Yu Yuan.

"What's happened?" The stunning City Lord halted abruptly, her outstretched arms falling back to her sides. Her alluring face now a canvas of shock and irritation, she demanded, "You're wounded? Elfview Town may not be within Darkmoon City, but I made it clear to Lih Feng to thoroughly investigate any suspicious figures lurking around. How could someone be so foolish as to harm you there?"

The bloodstain at Yu Yuan's Yellow Court acupoint was starkly visible, and his complexion was equally poor.

Reunited after so long only to find Yu Yuan injured stirred an inexplicable pain in Yuan Lianyao's heart. "Injuries in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area are one thing, but here, in Darkmoon City, under my watch? Who dared?"

Her furrowed brow betrayed genuine tension and concern, warming Yu Yuan's heart.

Memories flickered through his mind like a strobe of lightning. Yu Yuan offered a reassuring smile and explained, "It's merely a flesh wound. The Cold Yin Sect has been meddling in the shadows, poisoning Elder Ning and secretly sealing the deadly toxin within a frigid current, hidden in his dantian. Anyone who attempts to heal Elder Ning will succumb to the poison."

"The Cold Yin Sect?" Yuan Lianyao's expression turned icy. "I used to tread carefully around them, but not anymore. Here in Darkmoon City, they'd be fools to try anything!"

Yu Yuan sighed, "The current state of the Yu family seems quite dire."

"Don't think I haven't tried to support you, little brother. The Lim family, the Van family, and their ilk have resorted to tactics other than brute force against our family," Yuan Lianyao expressed her frustration. "Should they be bold enough to target the Yu family directly within Darkmoon City, rest assured, they will face my wrath."

"They're leveraging their family's influence to oppress you, effectively cutting off any market for the Yu family's medicinal herbs."

"Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to intervene. Even as the Lord of Darkmoon City, I don't have the authority to compel anyone to purchase the Yu family's herbs."

"So, it's not that I'm unwilling to help; it's just that in this matter, my hands are tied."

...