“Master, wh-what is it?” Suddenly called upon, Blue Ling’er asked Yu Yi, nervous yet inexplicably excited.
‘Could it be… Master is planning to ‘eat’ me? I hope I don’t smell strange… This… this is so sudden, I haven’t even bathed yet…’
Just as Blue Ling’er was lost in these thoughts, Yu Yi noticed her face was slightly flushed and couldn’t help but wonder, ‘What on earth is she thinking about now?’
“I have something important to tell you.”
Yu Yi answered Blue Ling’er, then paused before saying:
“But before that, report on your situation in Yunzhou.”
Chi Ming nodded and looked at Blue Ling’er beside her.
Reporting duties usually fell to Blue Ling’er, but seeing her now with a red face, her slender long legs rubbing together restlessly, lost in some fantasy, Chi Ming was momentarily stunned.
“…Second Senior Sister?”
Chi Ming called softly. Seeing that Blue Ling’er didn’t respond for a long time, she sighed quietly.
It seemed she would have to handle the report this time.
Chi Ming then said to Yu Yi:
“Master, regarding the investigation results on the ‘Demon Sect,’ Second Senior Sister has already sent a letter to you. As for suppressing the monster beasts, this disciple feels there is something strange about the matter.”
“Oh? What’s strange?”
Chi Ming then informed Yu Yi about the news of the monster beasts’ corruption.
Upon hearing this, Yu Yi fell into deep thought, while Huang Doudou beside her hung her head in disappointment.
“So that means… the monster beasts appearing in other places are most likely also corrupted?”
The soul essence dropped by corrupted monster beasts became tainted and could no longer be absorbed, shattering Huang Doudou’s beautiful dream.
Yu Yi was also troubled by this.
When she had just heard Huang Doudou mention the monster beast uprisings in various states, Yu Yi had thought of hunting a few to obtain some soul essence to help Blue Ling’er improve her cultivation and reach the Grandmaster realm as soon as possible.
“However, with Third Senior Sister’s power, could she perhaps purify that Rot Qi?” Chi Ming said thoughtfully at this moment.
These words made Yu Yi’s eyes light up.
She asked Huang Doudou, “Doudou, where is Qingluan now?”
Huang Doudou scratched her head. “Third Senior Sister? She’s probably sleeping in some tree.”
“I’ll go talk to her.”
Yu Yi then said to the nine people around her, “Xue, Chi Ming, you’ve had a tiring journey. Take Ling’er to rest together. Doudou, continue gathering news about the monster beast uprisings in the various states. There will be a reward afterward.”
“Yes, Master.”
“This disciple will go right away!”
***
After everyone dispersed, Yu Yi headed toward the mountain forest of Among the Colorful Clouds.
As she walked, she pondered. Could the simultaneous uprisings of so many monster beasts, all corrupted by Rot Qi, really be caused by an anomaly of the Sky and Earth?
It felt like someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.
From Chi Ming’s account, Yu Yi learned that the Rot Qi released by that monster beast had corrupted a large swath of dense forest, draining the life force from the trees, leaves, and even the soil.
Although Yu Yi possessed the ability to restore spring to Cangzhou through will, fundamentally, it was still her relying on her Plant Attribute cultivation techniques to strengthen the life force of the plants buried under the ice.
In other words, Yu Yi could only strengthen “living plants,” not revive “those already dead.”
But Ye Qingluan was different. Since the “Jingmu Feiyu” could grant Ye Qingluan “longevity,” perhaps she could use its power to revive those dead plants, dispel the Rot Qi, and purify the soul essence of those monster beasts.
Of course, these were just Yu Yi’s conjectures.
Whether it could actually be done depended on asking Ye Qingluan herself.
After walking through the mountain forest for a while, Yu Yi noticed an exquisite treehouse built on a large tree.
At first glance, the treehouse was quite spacious, easily accommodating two people. Without overthinking it, a gust of wind rose beneath Yu Yi’s feet, carrying her to the front of the treehouse.
Upon entering, Yu Yi saw Ye Qingluan wearing her classic “Three Leaves” outfit, sound asleep in a vine cradle.
Yu Yi averted her gaze from Ye Qingluan, found a thin blanket, and covered her with it.
‘This girl… truly indecent.’
Just as Yu Yi was about to withdraw her hand, Ye Qingluan suddenly moved, tightly embracing Yu Yi’s forearm.
Yu Yi looked at Ye Qingluan and found her lazily grinning, her eyes open and fixed on her.
“Were you pretending to sleep just now? Trying to scare your master?” Yu Yi asked with displeasure.
“It’s rare for Master to ‘visit’ this disciple’s little hut. Of course, this disciple wants to be affectionate with Master.”
After sitting up, Ye Qingluan directly threw herself into Yu Yi’s embrace, pressing her face against her chest, rubbing and saying:
“Master promised before to fulfill a small request of mine. Master hasn’t forgotten, right?”
Previously, when Ye Qingluan accepted the mission of wielding the Everlasting Tribulation Sword, she mentioned having a request for Yu Yi, saying she would tell her after returning to Among the Colorful Clouds, and Yu Yi had indeed agreed at the time.
“Didn’t I already fulfill your request? When I drank the spirit tea you and Su Cheng conspired to prepare?”
Yu Yi pulled Ye Qingluan back from her chest, displeased.
“Hmm, that definitely doesn’t count, right?”
Ye Qingluan licked her lips, staring at Yu Yi’s chest. “Master, you have a strange ‘wind’ smell on you. That’s not good. Let this disciple help you check your body!”
Yu Yi placed a hand against Ye Qingluan’s forehead, preventing her from getting any closer.
“Qingluan, stop fooling around. We can discuss these things later.”
Yu Yi said seriously. “I came to you to ask about something.”
Seeing Yu Yi’s expression and tone turn serious, Ye Qingluan also stopped her antics. She sat cross-legged to the side and asked in return:
“What is it?”
“You’ve probably heard from Doudou about the news of monster beast uprisings in various states recently, right?”
“Yes, while Master and the others were away, Doudou shared the intelligence she gathered with me as soon as she got it.”
Ye Qingluan nodded and asked, “Does Master hope this disciple will go suppress those monster beasts?”
“Not exactly suppress.”
Yu Yi shook her head.
“Those monster beasts are being eroded by a kind of Rot Qi, which completely corrupts and kills the land they inhabit.”
“So, I was thinking, with your abilities, Qingluan, could you purify that Rot Qi? If possible, perhaps we could also find a way to purify their soul essence and make use of it.”
“Purify the Rot Qi… Master wants to save those monster beasts?”
“If they can be saved, we save them. If not, we grant them release.”
Yu Yi was not a hypocrite and stated her intentions directly.
“Hmm… This disciple has practiced medicine outside for many years, treated people, healed trees, but has never saved a monster beast before.”
Ye Qingluan pondered for a moment.
“It feels like it would be an interesting experience. This disciple is willing to give it a try.”
Although Ye Qingluan had never dealt with such a matter before, seeing her usual lazy, laid-back demeanor replaced with confidence and eagerness, Yu Yi made her decision.
“Good. I’ll notify the others. We’ll set out in two days.”
After saying this, Yu Yi prepared to leave the treehouse.
But just as she reached the doorway, she found the exit blocked by vines.
From behind her came Ye Qingluan’s soft, lingering voice:
“Master, you rarely visit~ Don’t be in such a hurry to leave~”