Chapter 297

Chapter 297: Losing Contact with Immortal Maiden Azure Luan

After her senior brothers and senior sister left, Shen Sang Ruo walked out of her cave and headed toward the Sect Master’s Hall.

In her spare time, besides practicing the Soul Extraction Technique, she had been doing one more thing:

Beating up the band of black fog around her Nascent Soul.

When she was annoyed, she beat it. When she was happy, she beat it happily.

She had her flame chase the black fog to burn it.

Her goal was to wipe it out, but the black fog not only ran fast, it was also stubbornly alive, like a cockroach.

It was just like Ya Lan, that demon. As long as a tiny bit remained, it would recover and show up again the next day. She couldn’t destroy it.

But after this round of “love-filled reform,” the black fog was now obedient like a different thing, and it didn’t dare make trouble.

It was nothing like before, when it had big ambitions and wanted to strike at her Nascent Soul.

When her divine sense swept by, the black fog even wagged its tail, fawning to the extreme.

Shen Sang Ruo had no doubt that if the black fog could talk, it would bark for her.

[Who turned the black fog into this? Oh right, I did.]

Calmly withdrawing her divine sense, she arrived at the door of the Sect Master’s Hall and stepped inside.

Daoist Wu Wei and Immortal Lord Chang Li were both there.

She cupped her hands and said: “Sect Master Wu Wei, Master.” Then she looked at Immortal Lord Chang Li and asked, “Master, have you come out of seclusion?”

Recently, aside from guiding the five disciples, Immortal Lord Chang Li had been in closed-door cultivation.

“Mm. This Immortal Lord just came over,” he said. He seemed to be hiding something, but he still asked her first: “Did you come to the Sect Master’s Hall for something important?”

“I want to try extracting the souls of Sect Master Wu Wei and Master, to raise my chances of pulling the Malevolent Spirit off Bai Mu Mu,” Shen Sang Ruo said simply.

“These days, both I and your Master are free,” said Daoist Wu Wei. “Come practice whenever you like. We’ll cooperate.”

“That’s perfect. Many thanks to the Sect Master and Master,” she said, bowing again.

As she rose, her gaze fell on Immortal Lord Chang Li’s tightly clenched hands. She frowned and said: “Master, you don’t look well. Did something happen?”

“It’s not this Immortal Lord,” he said with a sigh.

“Then who?”

“It’s Azure Luan,” said Immortal Lord Chang Li, his helpless tone mixed with worry.

Hearing it wasn’t about Immortal Lord Chang Li, Shen Sang Ruo still didn’t relax completely. “Immortal Maiden Azure Luan? What happened to her?” she asked.

“Nothing. I just haven’t been able to reach her lately,” he said, sighing again with a troubled look. “She didn’t even come to the discipleship ceremony last time.”

Shen Sang Ruo understood. If Immortal Maiden Azure Luan were truly in danger, how could her Master be sitting here brooding? He would have rushed out to find her.

She felt a little better.

“Master, when was the last message from Immortal Maiden Azure Luan?” she asked.

“During the ceremony. She sent just one line saying she had something urgent and would make up your gift later,” Immortal Lord Chang Li answered.

“So it’s been a few months already,” Shen Sang Ruo said, rubbing her chin.

Immortal Lord Chang Li propped his cheek, mood sinking. “Yes. It’s been that long.”

Looking at his face full of worry, she couldn’t resist teasing: “Master, I think you ate too many red beans.”

“?” said Immortal Lord Chang Li.

“Lovesickness,” she said.

Immortal Lord Chang Li fell silent for a moment, then forced a smile and said: “Why does that not sound like a compliment?”

“Don’t sweat the details. You get the idea,” Shen Sang Ruo waved it off, still smiling. “Master just hasn’t seen Immortal Maiden Azure Luan in a long time. You miss her.”

“Don’t talk nonsense about missing or not. This Immortal Lord is only worried because she hasn’t sent word for so long,” Immortal Lord Chang Li said, looking away.

“Oh? Then why does Immortal Maiden Azure Luan have to send messages to Master in particular?” Shen Sang Ruo asked with a sly smile, staring right at him. “Master, who are you to Immortal Maiden Azure Luan?”

“I am her—” Immortal Lord Chang Li started to retort, so flustered he forgot to refer to himself properly. After speaking half a sentence, he couldn’t force out the rest.

“And who are you to her?” said Daoist Wu Wei, stroking his beard and grinning.

Meeting their looks that clearly said they were watching a show, he realized he’d been tricked.

He cleared his throat and tried to act calm: “Ahem. This Immortal Lord has known her for many years. It’s perfectly normal to check on her.”

“Keeping in contact is normal too.”

“If you dare keep digging pits for your Master, be careful I dig some for you so you can’t defend against them,” Immortal Lord Chang Li added, pointing at her nose, sounding a bit rattled after being exposed.

“Haven’t you dug enough pits for me?” Shen Sang Ruo said with a pout, not the least bit afraid of his threat. “Even sending me to find Immortal Maiden Azure Luan back then was a huge pit.”

“You stole her Heart-Link Pearl and told me to use it as a token to meet her. Ugh,” she said with clear disdain.

“I told you it was taking, not stealing. ‘Stealing’ sounds awful,” Immortal Lord Chang Li said, embarrassed.

“Oh right, the Heart-Link Pearl,” said Immortal Lord Chang Li as his eyes lit up. He took out a pearl.

It was the very same Heart-Link Pearl Shen Sang Ruo had taken to the Wind-Moon Spirit Ruins.

“I thought we already returned that Heart-Link Pearl to Immortal Maiden Azure Luan?” she asked.

“Later, Azure Luan gave it to this Immortal Lord in person, as compensation for hitting me. See? I said it was taking, not stealing. In the end, she obediently sent it back to this Immortal Lord,” Immortal Lord Chang Li said, puffing out his chest. Shen Sang Ruo suddenly saw the village fool from next door in her mind.

He added, explaining: “There are two Heart-Link Pearls. The two people holding them can contact each other no matter where they are.”

People called it a Heart-Link Pearl because two hearts could sense each other.

Obviously, the other pearl was with Immortal Maiden Azure Luan.

Shen Sang Ruo couldn’t help thinking that Immortal Maiden Azure Luan had put a lot of thought into this.

She guessed that the earlier ‘theft’ was Azure Luan’s way to give her Master a chance. But her Master sent it back like a fool. No wonder Azure Luan was angry then.

Turns out she wasn’t mad that the Heart-Link Pearl was “stolen.”

“This Immortal Lord should have thought of it sooner. Disciple, you’ve helped your Master a lot,” Immortal Lord Chang Li said, smiling even wider.

[Now he looks even more like that village fool.]

“I understand. Care makes a mess of your mind,” said Daoist Wu Wei with a knowing nod.

“Wu Wei, are you stirring things up too? You old codger, you’ve never even held a girl’s hand from youth to now. What do you know?” snapped Immortal Lord Chang Li.

Daoist Wu Wei: […]

“Enough talking. This Immortal Lord is going to send a message to Azure Luan,” Immortal Lord Chang Li said cheerfully as he poured Spiritual Power into the Heart-Link Pearl.