Xiaoxiao was clearly no ordinary person, but Chen An and his companion didn’t dare think of accepting any reward.
After all, they weren’t the ones who had saved her. If the man up ahead found out, who knew what might happen?
So, Chen An immediately said, "Little Fairy, you’ve misunderstood. The one who saved you is the senior up ahead. It had nothing to do with us."
Xiaoxiao didn’t understand. ’Didn’t the senior up ahead send them to get me?’
’Aren’t they together?’
But she didn’t dwell on it and followed them.
Soon, they were standing behind Jiang Zuo.
"How did they appear?" Jiang Zuo asked.
Xiaoxiao knew he was asking her, so she replied respectfully, "I don’t know. I appeared here as soon as I entered, and they’ve been here the entire time."
Jiang Zuo said nothing more.
Xiaoxiao glanced furtively at Jiang Zuo and asked, "Senior, did you see any of my other senior sisters on your way up?"
"No," Jiang Zuo said.
Jiang Zuo had a good idea of how Xiaoxiao had gotten separated from her group. The teleportation into this place was random.
’So how did those two end up together?’
After that, Jiang Zuo reached the summit of the mountain.
There was a palace here, and it was somewhat dilapidated.
But what was most astonishing was the vast amount of black smoke inside the palace—it was all Curse Power.
Chen An exclaimed, "What is this place? We’d die if we went in, right?"
Chen Yu grabbed Chen An. "Senior Brother, don’t you even think about charging in there to practice your sword."
Chen An: "..., Junior Sister, do I look like an idiot to you?"
"No, like a thief. The one who stole my li—"
Before Chen Yu could finish, Jiang Zuo cut in, "Knock it off. That’s a good way to get yourselves killed."
Chen An and Chen Yu: "..."
Just goes to show: couples who flaunt their love die young.
Just as Jiang Zuo was about to enter the palace to take a look, he suddenly received a message from his mark:
[Candidacy Saintess Jiu Xi has shared an official online video. Watch synchronized broadcast?]
[Yes/No]
Jiang Zuo was surprised. ’Su Qi already figured out the video sharing feature?’
’He’d thought Jingyue would be the first to find it.’
Jiang Zuo quickly selected ’Yes’.
Xiaoxiao, who was also stunned for a moment, likewise selected ’Yes’.
Xiaoxiao didn’t know what to do. ’I can’t possibly watch while trying to keep up. I’ll just slow them down.’
’If they decide to leave me behind, there’s no way I’ll be able to find my senior sisters and survive with my level of strength.’
But after a moment’s hesitation, Xiaoxiao decided not to watch the video.
’Worst case, I can just ask Senior Sister Yiruo to tell me all about it later.’
But just as Xiaoxiao was about to follow Jiang Zuo, she found him standing there, completely motionless.
Xiaoxiao looked at Chen An and the others, then whispered, "Senior Brother Chen, Senior Sister Chen, that senior...?"
Chen An shook his head. "No idea. We should just wait."
Since that was the case, Xiaoxiao was delighted. She immediately started watching the video.
Still, she kept a close eye on Jiang Zuo. The moment he moved, she would stop watching.
Jiang Zuo, meanwhile, was focused on what Su Qi had found and naturally wasn’t about to move.
Jiang Zuo saw a lake. In the middle of the lake sat a person—a little girl.
What was surprising was that the water wasn’t normal; it was filled with an ominous aura.
If Jiang Zuo wasn’t mistaken, the lake was filled with the waters of Curse Power.
Two people were also standing by the lake’s shore.
One radiated a dark, gloomy aura, while the other was a composed man who cut a very conspicuous figure.
The Curse Power couldn’t get anywhere near him.
—
Su Qi stared ahead in surprise. She had inexplicably entered this state right after she’d arrived.
’Sure enough, if you’re not a Saintess, you have no way of knowing this beforehand.’
’Luckily, the video can be shared. Now that I’ve broadcast it, my senior and junior sisters should see it and come looking for me.’
Right now, Su Qi was standing behind those two people.
She had already recognized them. One was You Si, the other was Qin Tian.
"Are you sure this will be all right?" Qin Tian suddenly asked.
The one in the water was a young Qin Qianning.
You Si said, "She’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve used my power to transfer the pain to myself. She won’t feel a thing."
Qin Tian couldn’t help but give You Si a long look, but in the end, he said nothing.
Then, You Si added, "I’m about to begin. I cannot be disturbed during this process."
Qin Tian replied, "Don’t worry. No one can disturb us here."
"I’m going to empower her with Curse Power, then have her successfully place a curse on me.
Once that succeeds, she will be able to generate her own Curse Power within her body, and then she can begin her Cultivation of the Curse Technique.
"Once I figure out another way, I can have her give up curses entirely and begin normal Cultivation." As he spoke, You Si began to channel the Curse Power in the lake.
Qin Tian watched from the side. Su Qi, watching Qin Tian, thought she saw him let out a sigh.
’It made sense. His own sister, yet he had to rely on someone else to help her.’
’It was a helpless feeling.’
At that moment, Qin Tian spoke, "You Si... known as a monster of darkness, a walking corpse devoid of emotion.
"Who would have thought he was hiding such a pure heart?"
Su Qi was surprised. ’So that’s why Qin Tian sighed? Because of this?’
But before she could be sure, the perspective seemed to zoom in on Qianning.
You Si was now standing in front of Qianning.
"The timing is perfect. Go ahead, place a curse on me," You Si said.
Qianning looked at You Si, thought for a moment, and said, "I curse you to always bite into the tail end of a worm whenever you eat fruit."
Su Qi: "..."
Jiang Zuo: "..."
’What a vicious curse.’
’Finding a worm in your fruit is one thing, but actually biting its tail? How could anyone eat after that?’
Jiang Zuo, watching the video, felt a wave of relief. ’Thank goodness Su Qi isn’t this vicious.’
’Suddenly, he felt a little sorry for the Lord of the Immortal Spirit Mansion. If this curse isn’t lifted, he’ll never be able to eat fruit again.’
But Jiang Zuo could tell that You Si would definitely cooperate with this curse to ensure its success.
The curse couldn’t be allowed to fail. If it did, it would mean Qin Qianning couldn’t cultivate the Curse Technique.
Cursing someone else wouldn’t work either—like Qin Tian, for example.
Qin Tian was too powerful; it wouldn’t work even if he actively cooperated.
Because unlike You Si, he wasn’t compatible with curses.
This cultivation method was like using You Si as a Furnace Cauldron. By piggybacking on the curse placed upon him, she could generate her own Curse Power, thereby strengthening it and enabling her to cultivate.
Jiang Zuo was truly impressed by the Lord of the Immortal Spirit Mansion.
Now, Jiang Zuo even started to wonder if the Innate Chaotic Qi had been created by the Lord of the Immortal Spirit Mansion specifically for Qin Qianning.
After all, Innate Chaotic Qi was created specifically for those with no Cultivation Talent to use for their Cultivation.
At that moment, You Si accepted the curse, and Qin Qianning soon felt something new inside her body.
Qin Qianning asked curiously, "Brother said it would be a little painful. How come I don’t feel any pain at all?"
You Si smiled. "Your brother was exaggerating."
Qianning tilted her head. "Brother said people who lie aren’t good people. You Si, you lied."
You Si was startled and immediately tried to explain, "I... I didn’t mean to. I..."
Qianning added, "Brother also said that some lies are told with good intentions. So, You Si isn’t a bad person."