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Could it be that the bloodline he awakened was that of the Woe-Immortal species? Or is that just a disguise he’s using? Though Xu Qing’s mind was racing, he didn’t reveal that via his facial expression. He just coldly examined Ning Yan.

Meanwhile, Chen Erniu was smiling broadly, while Qing Qiu pretended not to recognize Ning Yan.

Ning Yan... was deeply shaken. He didn’t recognize the two Nightshades, but they caused a chill to run down his spine. That was especially true when he saw one of them smiling at him. He suddenly felt very alarmed.

What’s that one smiling at me for? he thought nervously. Then he looked at Qing Qiu. They were both from the Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, and had participated in the same recruitment event, giving him plenty of time to get familiar with her. Though she didn’t have her mask on, and was also wearing different clothing, her aura was the same, so all it took was a glance for him to recognize her.

At the moment, he didn’t even want to know what Qing Qiu was doing here. Instead, he was inwardly cursing at how he hadn’t done anything to change his appearance.

That said, it wasn’t how he’d hoped to do things. Because of some unique circumstances, he actually couldn’t do anything to change his appearance and aura. He had been forced to use a magical device to accomplish that, except that when he was captured, that device was taken away from him. Right now, the main thing he wanted to do was get away from here. After all, he was getting a very unsettling feeling.

As the other Holytides led Ning Yan and the others away, the Captain suddenly said, “Woe-Immortals? Sounds interesting. I want that one.”

The Captain pointed at Ning Yan.

Ning Yan felt like his scalp was about to explode, and his heart suddenly started racing.

Don’t tell me he realized who I am? That’s impossible! Ning Yan was suddenly terrified at the thought of all the stories he’d heard about the Nightshades. Of course, he had no say in the matter. The Holytides immediately acknowledged the orders, then dragged Ning Yan over to the Captain. Then they respectfully offered up the rope that bound Ning Yan.

The Captain gave a slight nod and took the rope. Then he pulled it, forcing Ning Yan to take a few steps closer to him.

Upon seeing the Captain’s horrifying smile up close, Ning Yan quickly plastered a deferential expression onto his face.

“Your humble servant pays respects, oh exalted one.”

“I’m very curious what Woe-Immortal entrails taste like,” the Captain said, flashing his teeth and then licking his lips.

Ning Yan’s heart pounded and his face fell, and he tried to back away only for the Captain to yank on the rope again. Being completely unable to free himself from the rope, Ning Yan shivered and said, “Exalted one, please, don’t toy with me.... Your humble servant stinks from head to toe. I really wouldn’t taste good.”

When Qing Qiu saw all of this, she sighed inwardly. Before, she had neither liked nor disliked Ning Yan. He was a passerby, nothing more. But considering they were in a strange, distant land, the fact that he was in such distress, and in danger of being eaten, caused her heart to swell with pity. A look of sorrow even flickered across her face.

Noticing Qing Qiu’s expression, Xu Qing looked at the Captain. “What do you want the Woe-Immortal for? You’re interested in his entrails?”

“Of course not, oh exalted Godchild,” the Captain said, clasping his hands respectfully.

Ning Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Except, then the Captain kept talking.

“Sir, I’ve been experimenting lately with bloodline pills,” the Captain said. “I’ve done experiments with just about every species imaginable, but not Woe-Immortals. I’m hoping to take him back and concoct a pill with his living flesh.”

He looked Ning Yan up and down, even lifting his chin and checking his teeth. Then the Captain’s eyes glittered with anticipation, as if he could already imagine Ning Yan as a medicinal pill. He licked his lips.

Ning Yan’s mind was spinning. Moments ago he had felt relieved, but now he was trembling even harder. In fact, he was so terrified that tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes.

“Exalted one, I... I know where you can find a lot of other people from my species. Many of them have even stronger bloodlines than me! How about you switch me out for one of them?”

The Captain rubbed his chin and smiled enigmatically. However, he didn’t respond in any way. He just kept examining Ning Yan.

Ning Yan’s terror mounted, and grief filled his eyes.

Xu Qing looked away from the Captain and Ning Yan. Seeing that it was getting late, he continued deeper into the jungle while time was on their side. He soon realized that unripe fruits made up more than ninety percent of what was available in this area. And many were so small that it seemed unlikely they would be ripe within a day.

Turning to the obsequious Mu Ye, he said, “Will all the fruits be ripe tomorrow?”

Mu Ye hesitated for a moment, then replied, “Your Majesty, for the most part, they’ll be ready tomorrow. But based on some of our ancient records, I’m fairly certain that the harvesting time for the dao fruits is an approximation. It’s not supposed to be completely accurate. But even if the fruits aren’t ripe tomorrow, they should be within the next week or so.”

Xu Qing frowned slightly. He didn’t want to stay in Holytide territory for any longer than necessary, with his main concern being his physical appearance. That said, he wasn’t willing to leave just yet.

I can wait another seven days if necessary! Turning, he went back in the direction of Heaven Zenith.

Mu Ye hurried after him, followed by the rest of their group.

The Captain’s expression was the same as ever as he tugged Ning Yan along with the rope. Ning Yan followed, feeling a mixture of numbness, grief, anger, terror, and regret. Absolutely nothing had gone according to plan for him. Originally, he had assumed that even if his plan failed, he wouldn’t be in much danger. People with Woe-Immortal blood who got captured trying to steal dao fruits would usually just be imprisoned for a time, then released.

After all, the last Woe-Immortal reached immortal ascension here. And considering the Holytides lived in lands that had once belonged to the Woe-Immortals, there were actually a lot of people with Woe-Immortal blood in them. The Holytides were the newcomers, and therefore, they tried to avoid ratcheting up tension whenever possible. In fact, even if he got caught, he’d been fairly certain he would be sent on his way with one or two dao fruits. Given how much he could sell them for, even that would have been worth it. But how could he ever have guessed that he would run into some Nightshades....

As Ning Yan was dragged along in his indignation, he managed to look over at Qing Qiu and noticed that she seemed to have a facial expression remarkably similar to his own. And so the two of them sullenly followed Xu Qing and the Captain back to the palace complex in Heaven Zenith.

Once back, Xu Qing followed his usual routine of meditation in his palace residence. Qing Qiu sat next to him, grinding her teeth. She had not simply accepted that she needed to be a handmaiden, and was instead constantly looking for opportunities to escape.

In contrast, the Captain didn’t follow his usual routine, and instead dragged Ning Yan into his own palace residence. Ning Yan was powerless to resist. His expression was one of deepening terror, and he was constantly begging for mercy.

Before long, the sound of Ning Yan’s anguished cries rang out from the palace.

“Exalted one, w-w-what... what are you doing? Agggghhhhh!”

The howls of grief quickly turned into screams of agony.

Qing Qiu shivered. She had no idea what was going on in there, and had no way of investigating. But she could sense from the anguish in the screams that something extremely disturbing was happening.

Looking over at Xu Qing and noticing his complete lack of expression, she suddenly felt like she understood a lot more about these brutal Nightshades.

You Nightshades all deserve to die. Especially you two!

Qing Qiu’s heart and mind were in full turmoil.

Xu Qing wasn’t paying attention to Qing Qiu. When the screaming started, it seemed obvious to him that the Captain had bitten Ning Yan.

Before, the Captain was a swordsage and couldn’t just go around biting whatever he wanted. But now he has a different identity. Given his personality, he definitely wants to take this opportunity to learn something about Ning Yan’s flesh and blood.

With that, Xu Qing cast his senses to the Nightshade divine likeness that hovered above his palace. That was what interested him most during this time of extended waiting.

If I could take this thing back to Sea-Sealing County with me....

The mere thought filled him with anticipation.

The statue wasn’t ordinary in any way. It had the power of the red moon in abundance, and was constantly emitting mutagen. Though Xu Qing could give it orders, taking it away from this place didn’t seem very plausible.

For one, he couldn’t put it into a bag of holding. What was more, it was too eye-catching. Beyond that, if he ever came face to face with that red moon, then the statue would instantly turn against him. In other words, if he took it with him, it would just be a matter of time before it exploded out of control.

What if I could replace the power of the red moon with the power of my violet moon?

That was the direction of research he was now pursuing.

Eventually, evening fell, and the sky beyond the tree canopy went dark. Soon, the floating, human-shaped lanterns appeared everywhere.

***

Outside the palace complex in Heaven Zenith, on the altar where the Nightshade divine likeness had previously stood, a group of a few dozen Holytide cultivators had gathered. This place had long since been locked down, with spell formations set up to prevent anyone from sensing what was going on inside. There were a few dozen individuals present, most of whom were in the great circle of the Nascent Soul level. There were only five Spirit Trove experts.

One of them was Duke Heaven Zenith.

In front of the group was an old man in a black robe. He had red skin that made him look very unusual, and he pulsed with the terrifying pressure of four secret troves. This man was the ducal preceptor of the duchy of Heaven Zenith. Looking in the direction of the palace complex, then the cultivators gathered around him, he snorted coldly.

“This is absolutely preposterous! The lot of you are all dukes, yet you got fooled this easily? Don’t have even an ounce of common sense? You think some high-ranking Nightshades are going to show up on a caravan? And, by random chance, they happen to show up right during dao fruit harvesting season? Plus, one of them was said to have weak faith and a mixed bloodline? How could they possibly be real Nightshades?

“And think about that handmaiden. She’s not just human, she’s also one of the new crop of swordsages. Her name is Qing Qiu. Even after learning that, didn’t any of you feel even slightly suspicious?”