Chapter 110: Detection

Wu Yan felt YoYo bouncing around on top of her head. She simply couldn’t connect it with the aloof mascot Lin Wan’er had described.

“According to the former Valley Lord, YoYo is only interested in souls that are righteous, kind, and pure,” Lin Wan’er said, leaning toward Wu Yan without thinking. “Does that mean Senior Sister Wu is that kind of person?”

“Forget it, I’ll stop teasing you.” Seeing that Wu Yan remained expressionless, Lin Wan’er dropped the topic.

So Wu Yan, with YoYo on her head, walked down the road with Lin Wan’er.

The spiritual plants outside the residential area were much more plentiful than those elsewhere. Both common and rare varieties could be found, and even a plant that Wu Yan was very familiar with was among them.

It was a grass growing in the crevice of a rock. Its leaves were a warm, deep red, and a faint golden warmth flowed through its stems. The curled tip of a leaf facing the sun wrapped around a red pistil, rising and falling under the shroud of spiritual power, beating like a heart.

Wu Yan recognized this plant. It was Heart-Warming Grass. She had once collected one herself.

In Zhenshan Town, for some reason, the quiet smile of that girl suddenly appeared before her eyes.

“Liu’er…”

“Yo?”

YoYo seemed to sense that Wu Yan’s mood was off. It gently patted the top of her head with its soft pink paw.

‘Hey, this little beast is quite human. It even knows how to comfort people.’

Wu Yan (Inner) was quite surprised as she came before YoYo, ready to grab it by the scruff of its neck. But YoYo seemed to sense something. The thick fur on its neck suddenly bristled, its pointed ears stood straight up, and it opened its mouth to reveal two pairs of fangs, baring its teeth and growling “grrr” at the direction Wu Yan (Inner) was in.

“Eh? You little…”

Wu Yan (Inner) moved left, then right, but no matter which direction she shifted, YoYo kept its gaze locked on her.

“What’s wrong with YoYo?” Lin Wan’er saw YoYo fidgeting on top of Wu Yan’s head and found it strange, so she asked.

Wu Yan couldn’t tell her that it was because YoYo was hissing at Wu Yan (Inner), so she had to brush it off.

However, this was the first time Wu Yan had seen a creature that could truly sense Wu Yan (Inner)’s presence.

This YoYo truly deserved its reputation as the mascot that had survived in Medicine King Valley for at least a few hundred years. It was indeed extraordinary.

“Come on, let me take you to see my master first. She specifically asked for you by name.”

“Since Valley Lord Lin has spoken, I naturally must go.”

Walking toward the Valley Lord Hall, YoYo had been worn out by Wu Yan (Inner)’s teasing and collapsed on top of Wu Yan’s head to rest, unable to move. Wu Yan (Inner) naturally returned to Wu Yan’s side and walked shoulder to shoulder with her.

‘Hey, you blockhead! This little thing seems to be very sensitive to things related to the spirit soul.’ After testing YoYo for over ten minutes, Wu Yan (Inner) came to this conclusion. ‘When I get close to it, it reacts very strongly. Even when I used my concealment technique, it could still detect my position.’

‘If you ask me, since this little thing likes you so much, you should just snatch it away!’

Wu Yan saw through it clearly. Wu Yan (Inner) had just gone too long without encountering any creature other than Wu Yan that could sense her. Now that she had stumbled upon YoYo, she had taken a liking to it and wanted it.

‘No,’ Wu Yan communicated with Wu Yan (Inner) mentally. ‘It’s the mascot of Medicine King Valley, and besides, Junior Sister Lin has shown me kindness.’

‘You stubborn blockhead! Just say that this little one can’t do without you. What’s wrong with taking it home directly?’

Wu Yan’s next words completely shut down any further discussion: ‘In any case, no.’

“We’ve arrived. This is the Valley Lord Hall!”

Stepping into the hall, a light, bitter fragrance of herbs filled the air. In the center of the main hall, Li Qingci sat with her head bowed behind a purple wood screen. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the screen, falling on her pale yellow plain satin long dress, the medicinal patterns on the hem lifelike.

Hearing the footsteps of Wu Yan and Lin Wan’er, she raised her hand and placed a trimmed succulent into a medicine mortar.

“You’re here?” Li Qingci’s voice matched Wu Yan’s imagination of someone of such high status—dignified and stern.

Li Qingci was also very beautiful, her hair bun neatly styled, showing no sign that she was an old monster who had been in charge of Medicine King Valley for over a hundred years.

“YoYo, why are you still disturbing our honored guest? Come back quickly.”

Seeing that YoYo was still lying on Wu Yan’s head and refusing to come down, Li Qingci beckoned and called softly to YoYo.

But YoYo only opened its eyes, glanced around casually, and then went back to deep sleep.

“It’s fine, Valley Lord Li. Let YoYo stay here,” Wu Yan said, taking the initiative to ease the awkwardness. “May I ask why Valley Lord Li has summoned this junior?”

Wu Yan’s attitude was very respectful, but her words didn’t concede an inch.

“Wan’er, you may go out first.”

Li Qingci didn’t directly answer Wu Yan’s question. Instead, she first had Lin Wan’er leave to await orders.

Receiving the command, Lin Wan’er left without any hesitation: “Yes, Master.”

“Miss Wu, I heard from Wan’er that your Soul Origin has been damaged, and your spirit soul has been unstable recently, is that right?”

As expected of an old-generation healer, she went straight for Wu Yan’s weakness.

“Yes.”

“I have a way to stabilize your spirit soul. Although I cannot make up for the lost Soul Origin, I can at least stabilize your spirit soul.”

Li Qingci’s elegant voice echoed in the hall, and every word greatly tempted Wu Yan.

“What are the conditions?” Wu Yan asked calmly. She was no child, so she naturally knew that no pie would fall from the sky.

Her disciple had saved her, and she herself was willing to use her own disciple as bait to lure out the demonic cultivators near the Piaomiao Sect, adding another achievement to the Piaomiao Sect’s merit records. Now, if she were to also provide treatment for free, Wu Yan would really start to suspect that she was being set up by someone. How could all the good things happen to her?

‘Hey, you blockhead, have you forgotten how badly you’re injured? “Good things”, I think your brain is broken!’

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing difficult.” Li Qingci placed the potted succulent on the windowsill. “I just need your help investigating who has been stealing our Medicine King Valley’s Pulling Thread threads.”

“Don’t worry, even if you end up finding nothing, I will still treat your injuries.” As if afraid that Wu Yan wouldn’t accept, she kindly added this.

Wu Yan fell silent. It wasn’t because the task was difficult, but because it happened to coincide perfectly with what she had to do.

Could it really be such a coincidence?

“Why me?”

“Because you are an outsider, and the best one at that, having escorted Wan’er back safely.” Li Qingci’s words reached Wu Yan’s ears. “Our Medicine King Valley’s disciples haven’t had a new generation in nearly ten years. No one has left, and no one has entered. If our sect’s disciples were to conduct an investigation, it would inevitably arouse suspicion from any potential moles.”

She paused, her clear eyes fixed on Wu Yan. “But you are different. As an outsider who has rendered merit in escorting her, it is only right for me to give you a reward—that is, to grant you the rare item you desire. Whether it’s medicinal herbs or something else, it’s fine. You can take this opportunity to wander around Medicine King Valley, searching for the demonic cultivators under the pretext of finding the most suitable rare item for yourself.”

“This is a win-win approach, isn’t it?”

“In that case, I will gratefully accept.”