Immortalis

Corpse Demon Seventeen

For so long, Shen Qingshi had rarely suffered setbacks in martial arts.

Because of this, when she was abruptly yanked from the tree, her mind went completely blank—she even forgot to use her qinggong and fell directly into Yang Wujian's arms.

"Hiss..."

Yang Wujian, already injured, gasped sharply from the impact and grimaced. "Gu Yun, are you trying to kill her or me?"

"Didn't you not want her to leave?"

Gu Yun shrugged. In stature alone, she was even half a head shorter than Shen Qingshi, but her techniques were terrifying—not only could she manipulate objects from a distance, but she could even seize people remotely.

Gu Yun smiled. "Earlier, they told me you were traveling with a Zhaoming Guard. Is it her?"

Judging by her demeanor, Gu Yun didn't seem hostile toward Shen Qingshi. Yang Wujian couldn't help but wonder, "You know she's a Zhaoming Guard, so why..."

"Because you don't seem to treat her as an outsider."

Gu Yun cut straight to the point. "Wu Jian, you wouldn't gamble with the Longevity Palace. If you can trust her, then so can I."

But... he wasn't actually sure whether he could trust her or not.

Yang Wujian inwardly sighed in frustration when he felt a warmth on his hand. Coming back to his senses, he realized Shen Qingshi's leg injury had inevitably started bleeding again. He had seen the wound earlier—it was as if an entire layer of flesh had been torn away—yet Shen Qingshi had endured it without a sound.

"Let's go inside and dress the wound first. Gu Yun is a skilled physician. With her medicine, you'll be able to walk again soon."

Yang Wujian tried to pull Shen Qingshi up but found she still intended to leave. He said helplessly, "Didn't you say your life is mine? I don't want you to die now—shouldn't you listen to me?"

Only after he spoke to this extent did Shen Qingshi finally stop resisting. Limping, she followed him back into the cave and applied the medicinal salve Gu Yun had brought.

"Now, can you tell me?"

Only after carefully bandaging Shen Qingshi's injured leg did Gu Yun turn her inquisitive gaze to Yang Wujian. "Usually, the people you get involved with are those annoying rich young masters. How did you end up dragging a girl into trouble this time?"

"How did you know I—"

Shen Qingshi started to speak but was cut off by Gu Yun, who chuckled. "Bones don't lie. Although your figure is androgynous, a single touch of your leg bones reveals you're not male."

Hearing this, Yang Wujian couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Anyone could tell she's a girl. How is it that I was fooled for a while?"

Since things had come to this, he straightforwardly revealed Shen Qingshi's origin. When he directly told Gu Yun that Shen Qingshi was the Flesh Conduit he had released that day, Gu Yun's eyes widened. "So you became a Zhaoming Guard and were sent into the jianghu as a spy..."

Yang Wujian thought Gu Yun might become wary of Shen Qingshi, but instead, she just let out a bitter laugh. "If I had known back then, I should have gone to find you directly and brought you back to the Longevity Palace..."

"What?"

Both Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi were stunned.

Gu Yun sighed deeply again. Remembering the events of those years, she could hardly face Shen Qingshi.

As the elder in the Longevity Palace most skilled in pharmacology besides Guanri, Gu Yun had once helped the Old Palace Master refine many medicines. In the beginning, she hadn't realized that these medicines would ultimately be used on those Flesh Conduits."He ordered me to refine many strange elixirs using bizarre ingredients. I still remember, among the medicines you took, there was one called the Two Principles Pill, made from Long Fish and Yellow Leech."

Gu Yun turned his back and said softly, "Rumors say both Long Fish and Yellow Leech are hermaphroditic. Because of this, the Old Palace Master found a secret method and ordered me to refine the Two Principles Pill, claiming it could make a woman become like a man."

"What?"

This was the first time Yang Wujian had heard Gu Yun speak of these matters. He immediately recalled Shen Qingshi's body, which bore no feminine characteristics, and frowned deeply. "Why would Guanri do this?"

Gu Yun shook his head. "I don't know, but Miss Shen probably wasn't the only one who ultimately took the Two Principles Pill. I just never expected the formula he obtained would actually work."

Speaking of which, Shen Qingshi was originally a Stone Core—unable to engage in intimacy or bear children. Previously, Guanri had referred to her as having a Pure Yin Body while disguised as Song Lan, but why... would he deliberately make her appearance ambiguous between male and female?

Shen Qingshi asked again, "What else did I take when I was young?"

Her tone was unusually anxious, as if eager to recover her lost memories.

Gu Yun sighed. "Too many. Since I never entered the alchemy chamber, I don't know exactly what he made you take. But just now, when I observed you—clearly female yet without any feminine traits—I knew you must have taken the Two Principles Pill."

So, Shen Qingshi's current state was entirely Guanri's manipulation?

What exactly was the Cicada Molt he wanted?

The more Yang Wujian thought about it, the colder he felt inside. He asked, "Also, her emotional numbness only improved after taking the Blood Cleansing Pill. Could this also be due to Guanri's medicines?"

Gu Yun replied, "I've never heard of any medicine that can strip away emotions. It's likely the result of Guanri forcing too many toxic substances on her. When you gave her the Blood Cleansing Pill, it was like tossing a stone into stagnant water—naturally, the situation would change."

That made sense.

Shen Qingshi had undergone Blood Washing three times but hadn't regained all her emotions. Presumably, Blood Washing only disrupted her body's current state without fully restoring her.

Everything was gradually becoming clear.

Yang Wujian asked again, "Gu Yun, you said earlier that we should have brought her back sooner. Why?"

Instead of answering immediately, Gu Yun posed a question in return: "Why do you think Guanri forced those Flesh Conduits to kill in the past?"

For so long, Shen Qingshi had never confronted those memories. Now, vague images surfaced in her mind—all of people whose throats she had slit.

"..."

Shen Qingshi covered her forehead. "He taught me how to kill."

"Correct. All Flesh Conduits had to learn how to kill because mere physical torment isn't enough to make someone wish for death."

Gu Yun's next words sent a chill down Yang Wujian's spine: "Guanri once said that the best Flesh Conduits are those willing to die voluntarily. And the best way to make someone wish for death is to force them to become a sinner."She turned around, gazing at Shen Qingshi with deep reluctance. "Though I don't know what Cicada Molt is, I suspect he wanted to push you to your absolute limit until you begged for death... But through some twist of fate, those drugs turned your heart to stone. That's why Guanri had no choice but to keep imprisoning and torturing you... He was waiting for you to willingly throw yourself into the Alchemy Furnace."

"He..."

Yang Wujian could barely speak.

After the White Dog case, they already knew Guanri was seeking a willing Flesh Conduit for his purposes.

Yet no one could tell whether this was all predestined. After all, if Shen Qingshi hadn't been forced to consume those poisonous substances, she wouldn't have lost her emotions. And if she hadn't lost her emotions, she might have long ago sought death in her agony, becoming the Flesh Conduit Guanri desired.

Gu Yun said remorsefully, "To Guanri, Miss Shen might be the person closest to achieving Cicada Molt. Back when Wu Jian nearly lost his life helping you escape... I should have realized he would never give up searching for the Cicada Molt. If I had brought Miss Shen back earlier, not only might I have cured the poison in her body, but I might also have discovered what Guanri truly sought. Then we could have stopped him in advance, preventing him from committing countless evils abroad over fifteen years that have now brought disaster upon Longevity Palace."

Before Shen Qingshi could react, Gu Yun stepped forward and took her hand.

Contrary to her expectations, though Gu Yun was from Longevity Palace, her hands were warm—just like Yang Wujian's.

"Fortunately, despite all these years in the palace, Miss Shen eventually returned to the martial world. That Wu Jian encountered you must be heaven's will."

Gu Yun looked at her. "You carry the Old Palace Master's secret within you. I'm willing to try my utmost to see if I can eliminate the remaining poison from your body. Once we understand what Guanri is truly searching for, we can stay one step ahead... Miss Shen, Longevity Palace has long severed ties with this man. I dare not ask for your forgiveness, but I hope you won't hold the entire Longevity Palace accountable. When we find Guanri, I will make sure everyone involved in this matter gives you a proper explanation."

Even Yang Wujian hadn't expected things to develop this far.

Longevity Palace owed Shen Qingshi, while Shen Qingshi owed him—truly a tangled web that couldn't be unraveled.

After a moment's thought, Yang Wujian suddenly said, "You owe me your life, so you should listen to me. In that case, I hope you'll trust Gu Yun... Since we were children, she has never lied to me."

Hearing this, Shen Qingshi glanced at him, her gaze penetrating so deeply that for a moment Yang Wujian even thought she had regained all her emotions.

But when Shen Qingshi spoke again, her voice remained still as stagnant water.

"I understand."

Shen Qingshi said, "Later I will find the White-faced Guest and ask him face to face what exactly he intends to make of me."

Thus the matter was settled.

In the firelight, Yang Wujian watched Shen Qingshi's jade-like face, still feeling uneasy within. It was then that Gu Yun said with a laugh, "Since we were children, I've never heard you say such sentimental words. 'You owe me your life'—since when have you become so calculating with a young lady, Wu Jian?"

"But I truly owe him my life. What he said isn't wrong."Shen Qingshi failed to grasp the true meaning behind the words, and the more she tried to explain, the more she muddled things. Yang Wujian, watching her earnest expression, felt a headache coming on and said helplessly, "Right now, the most urgent matter should be how to break through the encirclement and leave this place, shouldn't it? Longevity Palace is still far from here, and we don't even have a horse. Are we supposed to walk back?"

Hearing this, Gu Yun smiled.

"It seems I haven't been active in the martial world for so long that even you, Wu Jian, doubt my ability to bring you back safely."

As she spoke, she took another bottle from the dozens of medicine vials tucked at her waist. A faint sloshing sound could be heard when she shook it.

"This medicine is called Phoenix Cry Morning Sun. Dissolved in water, just three drops can make someone sleep until sunrise the next day. Earlier, when I passed through the Zhaoming Guard checkpoint, I noticed they had set up their post beside a stream—and they have horses."

Gu Yun said with a smile, "Wu Jian, guess whether we're upstream or downstream right now?"