Chapter 260

Chapter 260: Encounter Feng He Yun and Lu Shi Qing

Shen Sang Ruo now understood where her string of good luck had come from. The Koi Clan had always stood for fortune, but this kind of strong, pushy luck was new to her. Thinking of that, she wanted to slap herself. She had taken someone else’s fish skin map, yet that someone still gave her luck. [I really am awful.]

She asked, calm but curious: “So you vanished earlier because you entered my sea of consciousness? But how could you enter my sea of consciousness?”

Little Koi blew bubbles. There seemed to be a link between them, and she could sense its thoughts.

After Little Koi explained, Shen Sang Ruo understood what had happened. Because the Koi Carp race could bring good luck, some heretic cultivators had evil ideas. They hunted the koi in large numbers to refine tools, trying to steal fate. To protect its kin as they escaped, Little Koi was surrounded and hunted by heretic cultivators. In the end, only a thin wisp of its soul clung to that piece of fish skin, which the Shen Sang Ruo of her last life later picked up.

Shen Sang Ruo nodded. The Koi Clan was mysterious and rare. No wonder almost no one had seen Koi Carp in recent years. Even their skins had been ripped off. She could imagine how cruel those heretic cultivators were. Anger rose in her chest, and her hatred for them deepened.

Little Koi said that her divine soul power was very strong. All these years by her side, she had been helping it with soul nurturing. It did not mind being used as a map; bringing her luck was its way to thank her. When she broke through to Nascent Soul, Little Koi’s soul was mostly repaired, only still very weak. She had nourished it for years, so thin threads of connection had formed between their souls. That was why it could enter her sea of consciousness to continue healing.

Because its soul was so weak, neither she nor the Kui Ox had noticed it. She also realized why Zhu Miao had just been gritting his teeth and acting impatient. He had likely sensed Little Koi long ago, but to him its appearance meant a new rival for her favor, so of course he did not want to mention it. Either way, nothing bad could happen with Little Koi inside her sea of consciousness.

When she found the Spirit’s Tears, Little Koi blew a bubble to get her attention. That one bubble used almost all its strength, and sadly, Shen Sang Ruo did not notice it. At that pace, Little Koi would have needed years of quiet nurturing before it could blow another bubble. But she had been carrying Spirit Jade Marrow, and the divine soul power that leaked from it flowed into her sea of consciousness and sped up Little Koi’s recovery. Only then could it start blowing bubbles again and finally draw her attention. After she absorbed a large amount of divine soul power, Little Koi managed to appear.

She spoke gently: “Thank you, Little Koi.”

In her sea of consciousness, Little Koi swayed its beautiful tail fin and spun in a few tight circles.

She smiled and said: “I won’t disturb you. Focus on soul nurturing. I’ll keep absorbing the divine soul power in the Spirit Jade Marrow and help you recover as soon as possible,” then she withdrew her divine sense.

She had not expected that the random thing she picked up back then had saved a Koi Carp. This was Little Koi’s chance, and it was also hers. She had not expected that her soul could nurture a remnant soul either. [Is my soul really that strong?] In fact, the truth was already there. She had reincarnated with memories of her last life, but she had not thought of it from this angle.

This was good news. It meant she had gained another trump card. If a soul method was trained well, it was a powerful way to attack, even harming another person’s soul. Shen Sang Ruo thought of Bai Mu Mu. [Would a soul method work on the malevolent spirit attached to her?] She did not know the exact form of that spirit. If it worked, she would not need to wait. She could strike Bai Mu Mu directly and cut down both her and the malevolent spirit, removing a major trouble for the cultivation world.

She decided calmly: “After we leave Starfield Plain, I will try.”

Pulling her thoughts back, she found herself walking into a mulberry grove. It was the season when mulberries ripened. The trees were heavy with dark red fruit that smelled sweet. She picked a few berries, gave some to the Dodder Flower Sprite and to Zhu Miao, then tossed one into her own mouth.

Before her teeth bit down, a voice she knew too well and hated just as much rang out. A man called out with excitement: “Shen Sang Ruo! I knew you would come here!” Another added, steady and cold: “We have waited here a long time, and at last you came.”

Feng He Yun, bright-eyed, and Lu Shi Qing, expressionless, stepped into view. Looking closely, one could see tension in Lu Shi Qing’s eyes and bearing. Shen Sang Ruo did not care. Even one more glance at them made her feel sick. She took one look. Too bad they had no treasures worth robbing. [What bad luck.] She stepped onto her snail cart, turned, and started to leave. [Why do I keep running into these people. I miss my senior brothers and sisters.]

Even though Feng He Yun and Lu Shi Qing had expected her reaction, their faces still showed hurt. But hope soon flared in Feng He Yun’s eyes. Very soon, he believed, they would get back her feelings for them, and everything would return to how it used to be.

He hurried to call after her, voice pleading: “I know you do not want to see us right now, but please look at something first before you decide to leave, alright?”

Once, he would never have spoken to her this way. Pride had been his armor. “You will like this.”

Afraid she would not listen, he took out the item he and Lu Shi Qing had searched long and hard to find. Shen Sang Ruo stopped only when she felt the surrounding fire element grow thick. She looked back and saw a cluster of Heavenly Flame leaping and flickering in Feng He Yun’s hand.

Seeing her pause, Feng He Yun finally let out a breath and smiled: “We worked very hard to find this Heavenly Flame. It will greatly boost your cultivation.”

She raised a brow, neither agreeing nor denying. Anything that could make her endure them for even a moment would not be ordinary. That Heavenly Flame must have cost them a lot. Burns had blistered their skin in many places. They had probably done nothing else since entering Starfield Plain. With them standing guard over a Heavenly Flame, she did not believe they were here only to warm her hands.

She asked, voice cool: “What are your terms?”

For a second, both men looked awkward. Shen Sang Ruo knew she was right. A mocking smile tugged at her lips. She said, her tone icy: “A deal is a deal. Why pretend you are doing this for my own good?”