C531 The Stubbornness of the Female General

Lee Yuchan stepped out of the Hall of Elixirs and cast a glance at her nephew, standing tall and straight like a pine on a distant stone platform.

It was the same stone platform, yet Lee Yu was no longer accompanied by Chou Jihai.

In the distance, two graceful figures were walking away. Even from their silhouettes, Yuchan recognized them as the sisters Zhang Miao and Zhang Manman. Their origins were a mystery to her, but her instincts told her something was amiss.

That's why, when the sisters had approached Lee Yu on another Sea Wanderer, expressing their interest in him, Yuchan had been wary and had managed to dissuade them from pursuing further.

Having failed to ensnare Lee Yu, the sisters had left in disappointment. And now, they had returned? With this thought, Yuchan composed herself, pushing aside her feelings of loss, and made her way towards her nephew with feigned calm.

She had failed to secure the five Soul Essence Pills she desired. The wounds of her Lunar Spirit were not only difficult to heal in the short term, but the backlash from the Shadow Curse was intensifying.

As she strolled, the Lunar Spirit within her, bound by a malevolent aura at the mud pellet acupoint, cracked like fragile porcelain. Thin streams of black light burst forth from her carefully refined Lunar Spirit.

This malevolent aura, once a source of strength for her Lunar Spirit, was now beyond her control. Instead of being contained, it seeped through the cracks in the Lunar Spirit.

When the Lunar Spirit was intact, and her soul's body was seamless, the malevolent energy could not touch her. But now, with vulnerabilities in the Lunar Spirit, the same malevolent energy that once served her began to inflict harm.

Approaching Lee Yu, Yuchan was unaware of the fine bloodstains that had appeared at the corners of her icy eyes.

"Heh, at this rate, you'll collapse before Chou Jihai even makes a move," Gao Qin's icy taunt rang out from a shaded spot outside the Hall of Elixirs.

Under the blazing sun, he lounged in the coolness, legs crossed, munching on a frosty fruit. Flashing a toothy grin at Yuchan, he remarked, "Sometimes, you've got to know when to bend."

"It's not your place to tell me what to do!" Lee Yuchan spat with visible revulsion.

Earlier, when Chou Jihai had been aggressively provoking and trying to unsettle her, this deacon from the Skyreach Consortium had merely looked on with an amused grin, as if he were just there to enjoy the show.

Why should someone like that be in any position to judge her?

"No good deed goes unpunished," Gao Qin muttered, shaking his head as he casually tossed aside a fruit peel. "If Yu Yuan weren't a valued guest of the Skyreach Consortium, I wouldn't have wasted a single breath on him."

His eyes narrowed, a cold indifference shining through. "The Sundering Isles have seen the end of many like you."

"I don't need your charity!" Lee Yuchan snapped, before turning to her nephew. "We're leaving!"

Gao Qin chuckled. "I hope you can keep up that tough act!"

...

In the days that followed, Tong Laoqian practically became Yu Yuan's shadow.

After Yu Yuan promised to speak on Tong Laoqian's behalf to Yu Zhu upon their return to the Forgotten Ruins, allowing for his return to the Lost Lands where he had once trained, Tong Laoqian opened up to him completely.

In the future, as Tong Laoqian continued his cultivation in the Lost Lands and lived under the domain of Yu Zhu, he would be counted among Yu Zhu's inner circle.

Yu Zhu was someone who could control him and influence him in many ways.

The nature of the relationship between Yu Yuan and Yu Zhu had been made crystal clear to him during the decisive battle for the future of the Forgotten Ruins.

In a sense, from the moment Yu Yuan made his promise and decided to return to the Lost Lands, he and Yu Yuan were in the same boat.

Yuan Lianyao was still away, cultivating on Demon's Scar Island, and Yu Yuan needed to get a handle on the political climate of the Sundering Isles, so she wasn't in a rush to leave. Instead, she spent her time exploring the various corners of Celestial Isle.

Tong Laoqian, assuming she was unfamiliar with the ins and outs of Celestial Isle, often kept her company, offering explanations and guidance.

Yu Yuan feigned ignorance, indulging his well-meaning lectures, while she leisurely browsed the stalls and halls offering pills, equipment, incomplete arrays, and an assortment of spells.

As in his past life, his wandering might have appeared aimless, yet he had a clear plan in mind. He had his eye on several herbs, a handful of flawed magic diagrams, and some vessels for storing herbs. He had chosen them, but after inquiring about the prices, he decided to hold off on purchasing.

His supply of soulstones and Psicrystals was limited.

Inside his Bracelet of Holding, there was a sword sheath and pieces of Sunsorrow, but the Psicrystals he had acquired from the Moonfall Sanctuary were not particularly abundant.

With his current resources, he couldn't afford to acquire all the items he desired.

He needed to make a deal with the Skyreach Consortium, liquidating two pieces of "Sunsorrow of the giant beast" into glistening, translucent Psicrystals. Only then might he be able to secure all the items that would aid in his alchemy.

Yet, before venturing into the unnamed island and the secret place, he was reluctant to rush his decision.

He intended to step inside and see whether the contingencies he had left for himself were still intact after three hundred years, whether they had been lost or eroded by time.

Only after verifying their condition would he make his final decision.

Du Jing, the herb slave from his past life, was still there. Initially, he thought driving Du Jing away would be challenging.

With Tong Laoqian's help, however, expelling Du Jing should no longer pose a difficulty.

He just needed to wait for the right moment to quietly leave Celestial Isle and infiltrate the unnamed island. If Tong Laoqian could dispatch Du Jing ahead of time, his plan would succeed.

The threat posed by the Crucible of Evil would be eliminated, and it could be transformed into an object that could carry him beneath the sea or soar through the skies.

That evening, after a leisurely stroll with Tong Laoqian, he returned to the pavilion protected by the River and Rock Ward, provided by the consortium, only to find Jiang Yurong seeking an audience once again.

Alongside Yurong, Gao Qin was also present, standing at the door.

Upon seeing Gao Qin, he speculated, "Is it about Lee Yu?"

With a slight smile, Gao Qin replied, "He's the one who sought me out."

Yu Yuan, intrigued, asked, "Why has the headstrong female general conceded?"

He was aware that the decline of the Lee family was a direct consequence of the incident involving the Silvermoon Queen, which had led the female general to become hostile towards him ever since.

Despite his efforts to extend a helping hand to the Huang family in Asvetaesi, it did nothing to alter the female general's perception of him.

Lee Yuchan was firmly convinced that he played a pivotal role in the change of the empire's leadership and the downfall of the Lee family, and indeed, this was the case.

Yet, in his heart, the Silvermoon Queen remained the Silvermoon Queen, Lee Yuchan was still the female general who had been kind to him, and Lee Yu was the same Lee Yu who had spoken up for him when the Yu family faced harassment.

He kept these matters separate in his mind, evaluating each on its own merits.

"She's certainly stubborn, refusing to bow her head," Gao Qin commented with a casual smile. "But now, she no longer has a say in the matter, and she can't interfere with Lee Yu."

"What happened?" Yu Yuan asked, taken aback.

"She's fallen into a coma due to her severe injuries," Gao Qin clarified.

Yu Yuan's face showed a flicker of concern as he demanded, "Where is she?"

"Just outside. With your consent, I'll have them brought in," Gao Qin answered, his brow furrowing slightly. "You're safe here in the Skyreach Consortium's courtyard. But if you let them in and she suddenly wakes up and attacks you..."

Jiang Yurong added, "She's at the Lunar Spirit Stage. Her mind was clearly clouded before she passed out. We're somewhat concerned."

"There's no need to worry. Even facing a Lunar Spirit, I can defend myself," Yu Yuan assured with a smile. "Please, let them in. I'd like to assess the situation myself."

"Just give me a moment," Gao Qin nodded, and the two of them departed.

"After gathering information, it seems the female general has been practicing the forbidden Shadow Curse!" Jiang Yurong, thinking she was out of earshot, confided, "The curse's backlash is quite severe and not easily treated. Why does Lee Yu believe that Yu Yuan can heal her?"

Gao Qin replied with a smile, "It appears Yu Yuan himself suggested as much to Lee Yu."

"How peculiar," Jiang Yurong expressed her skepticism. "Yu Yuan is merely at the Veil Breaking Stage. How could he possibly heal Lee Yuchan's Lunar Spirit injury?"

"Haha, don't worry about it. Just send Lee Yuchan in, and you'll see what happens in a few days," Gao Qin said with a laugh.

Jiang Yurong, still uncertain, replied, "Well, we'll just have to wait and see."

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