Yunxi lowered her gaze and did a quick count. It had been ten years since she and Ye Yirui last parted in Haoran City. No wonder Ye Yirui had previously sent a message saying she wanted to bring her younger brother to Haoran Sect to see her. So Ye Yuchen's physical body truly could not hold on any longer. Yunxi had always assumed Ye Yirui was looking to her for a way to repair his dantian.
But Yunxi had already been at Huaxian Gate in the Central Region for nearly half a month. If Ye Yirui were truly anxious, she could have come directly. Coming to Huaxian Gate was far closer than traveling to Haoran Sect in the Western Region.
Besides, Yunxi was now a cultivator of some renown in Weiyu Realm. She had not deliberately hidden her whereabouts. Ye Yirui would certainly have received news of her arrival, so ignorance was not possible. That left only one explanation. Ye Yirui could not come.
However, sending her own paternal uncle to extend an invitation was not something Ye Yirui would ever do.
Though Ye Yirui had been vague about her brother's injury, Yunxi had once consulted jade slips concerning Madicine King Valley while in the Hive. They recorded the existence of Ye Yirui's younger brother, born with an "innate Dao body."
The jade slips were not extremely detailed, but they clearly stated that Ye Yuchen had been grievously injured due to family scheming. To save him, Ye Yirui had thrown herself into the art of alchemy, securing the position of young valley master through her own strength, and had since been searching for a way to repair his dantian.
Seeing Yunxi silent, Ye Chengbi cleared his throat. "In truth, half the reason for inviting Ran Xi Daoyou to visit Madicine King Valley is Ye Yuchen. Yirui hopes to find a method within the inheritance of Yixian Gate to repair a damaged dantian."
Yunxi shook her head with feigned regret. "Ye Daoyou mentioned this to me before. At that time I was only at the Golden Core stage, and little of Yixian Gate's inheritance had been unlocked. There was no method for repairing a dantian."
Ye Chengbi pressed on, acting unwilling to give up. "And now?"
Yunxi sighed. "I have indeed found a method that could repair a dantian, but it requires an ancient marvel known as the Genesis Azure Lotus. Does Madicine King Valley have any relevant records?"
Ye Chengbi drew a sharp breath. "The Genesis Azure Lotus exists only in books and jade slips within Weiyu Realm. No cultivator has ever seen a true Genesis Azure Lotus. Where could one possibly find such a treasure that does not exist?"
He paused, frowning. "Ran Xi Daoyou, is there truly no other way?"
Yunxi shook her head in regret. There was none.
Ye Chengbi could only cup his hands. "I have put Ran Xi Daoyou in a difficult position. I will relay this to Yirui."
Just as Yunxi was about to see him out, Xun Kun descended in a streak of light before her temporary cave residence. Seeing that the cave's restriction was not set, he called out, "Ran Xi Daoyou."
Yunxi raised a brow, flashed outside, and asked upon seeing him, "Xun Kun Daoyou, what has you so flustered?"
Sensing there was another cultivator inside, Xun Kun set aside his impatience and cupped his hands. "Forgive me for interrupting Ran Xi Daoyou's visitor. Kunmo Sect's disciples have encountered a problem, and I hoped Ran Xi Daoyou would take a look."
Yunxi regarded him and asked directly, "What did Huaxian Gate's medical cultivators say?"
Xun Kun was not surprised that Yunxi already knew something had happened to Kunmo Sect. He lowered his eyes. "The medical cultivators say they have all been poisoned. This poison is devouring their vitality. Once their vitality is exhausted, they will fall. Huaxian Gate's medical cultivators have only managed to temporarily slow the spread of the toxin."
"Xun Kun, your timing is fortuitous. Elder Ye Chengbi of Madicine King Valley is visiting me right now. You can invite Elder Ye to examine them.
As for detoxification, that is not my specialty. It would be best to invite Xiang Sizi Zūnzhě of the Western Region's loose cultivator alliance. She is the only poison cultivator in the Western Region and should be able to assist Kunmo Sect's disciples."
Yunxi's words were orderly and clear, yet she made no mention of going to Kunmo Sect herself.
Xun Kun immediately realized something and bowed. "I was presumptuous."
He then turned to Ye Chengbi, who had stepped out of the cave. "Elder Ye, would you come to the Southern Region's guest peak to examine our Kunmo Sect disciples?"
Ye Chengbi instinctively glanced at Yunxi, as if hoping she would accompany them. Yunxi smiled. "Elder Ye may go ahead with Xun Kun Daoyou. I will help invite Xiang Sizi Zūnzhě."
Assuming Yunxi would come with Xiang Sizi, Ye Chengbi nodded. "In that case, I will first accompany Xun Kun Daoyou to Kunmo Sect's station."
Xun Kun made a courteous gesture, and the two departed Yunxi's cave.
Yunxi shook her head, tapped a wisp of spiritual energy into the identity jade token at her waist, then returned inside and lowered the restriction. If others were eager to join the bustle, they were welcome. She preferred to keep her distance.
On the peak, Hao Yan was playing chess with Xiang Sizi. When the jade pendant at her waist vibrated, she said, "Kunmo Sect really went to Yunxi, and someone from Madicine King Valley showed up to add to the commotion. You are not going to take a look?"
Xiang Sizi placed a piece casually and replied, "Let us see what the Madicine King Valley man can discover. If they want this Zūnzhě to act, Xun Kun is not qualified to ask."
Hao Yan's phoenix eyes curved with a smile, yet she still said, "The methods of the evil cultivators are crude, but effective. Do not let them have their way."
"Do not worry. I know what I am doing."
Meanwhile, Ye Chengbi followed Xun Kun to Kunmo Sect's temporary peak and saw over a hundred disciples seated cross-legged on meditation cushions within the cover of a formation. A medical cultivator was speaking with Wu Tong Zūnzhě.
Jin Can stood beside Wu Tong Zūnzhě, her face extremely ugly. She was the only one among the eliminated disciples who had not been poisoned. She ran through every detail of the prior chaotic bout over and over, trying not to miss a single clue, yet she could not find anything suspicious.
Xun Kun strode quickly to Wu Tong Zūnzhě, explained the situation, then brought Ye Chengbi into the formation to examine the poisoned disciples.
Extending threads of spiritual power to take their pulses, Ye Chengbi said to Xun Kun, "Those with higher cultivation lose vitality more slowly. But once anyone's cultivation drops to the Qi Refining stage, they will perish swiftly. This poison is recorded in Madicine King Valley's books. It is called 'Duan Ya.' It was developed by a poison cultivator of Yixian Gate for the Dao companion of a fellow disciple."
Hearing this, Xun Kun felt his suspicions harden, though one doubt remained. "Ye Daoyou, who would use poison on their own Dao companion?"
Ye Chengbi explained, "This senior of Yixian Gate sought the Dao through medicine. Before attaining the Dao, she was a mortal and already married. She and her husband were deeply in love, and even after she entered Yixian Gate, she did not part from him.
But mortals have limited lifespans. Even taking Yanshou Dan only prolongs life. It cannot keep one forever youthful or maintain the body at its peak. To stay by his wife's side for as long as possible, the husband sought out a senior who cultivated poison and asked them to refine a toxin known as Duan Ya.
This drug must be taken together with Yanshou Dan. It preserves the user's body and appearance at their peak. However, once they stop taking it, their lifespan rapidly contracts, the body swiftly declines, and death follows in the shortest time."