For a moment, Yin Wushu's facial expressions shifted dramatically, and Xie Bai could read a series of thoughts like "what goes around comes around," "the wheel of fortune turns," "you can't hang around the riverbank without getting your shoes wet," and "the child has grown up and become uncontrollable" flitting across his face.

He had never seen Yin Wushu wear such an unguarded expression, and for a moment, he actually found it somewhat amusing, even briefly overshadowing the subtle tension bubbling up inside him.

But it was only for a brief moment. Almost instantly, the humorous atmosphere slipped away, and the room fell into an awkward silence.

If...

If the intentional or unintentional distancing wasn't because of the connection between the Hundred Ghosts Corpse Nurturing Formation and that person, then what could it be...

Xie Bai's slender fingers unconsciously scratched the back of the little black cat's neck, his gaze slightly lowered to the ground between him and Yin Wushu. He didn't seem inclined to change the subject, clearly waiting for Yin Wushu to restate his reasons.

Yin Wushu shifted his position, loosely clasping his hands together on his lap. He squinted and seemed to drift off for a moment before raising his eyes to look at Xie Bai and suddenly suggesting, "Let's change the question."

"..." Xie Bai's fingers paused in their stroking of the cat, and he looked up, "Why?"

Yin Wushu's expression was detached as he watched him, not speaking immediately. His eyes, reflecting the sunlight streaming through the window, seemed to be wrapped in a layer of clear glass, bright on the outside and dark within.

Xie Bai felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

The atmosphere in the room turned even stranger.

However, Yin Wushu didn't remain silent for too long. He gestured toward the merman's ear scale that Xie Bai was holding and suggested, "This has nothing to do with the serious matter you asked about today. Let's switch the question; remember, the effectiveness of this scale is also time-limited."

After hearing this, Xie Bai hesitated, glanced at the scale, and nodded, "Okay, let’s change it..."

Perhaps Yin Wushu's evasive response triggered an impulsive urge in him, a question that had been pressing on his mind for years now seemed eager to burst forth. He took a deep breath and quietly said, "I want to ask you, during those years when you were so moody, and then you kicked me out under the pretense that 'a Yin guest should establish his own domain, staying at Tai Xuan Dao isn't proper.' I stood at the doorstep for nine days and nights, you knew about that, right..."

Because his gaze remained fixed on the little black cat and did not shift, he did not see Yin Wushu gently close his eyes for a moment before reopening them and responding softly, "Yes, I knew."

For over a hundred and thirty years, Xie Bai had often imagined scenarios in his mind—what if one day, Yin Wushu, who had avoided him, suddenly appeared before him again? What mood and tone would he use to ask this question?

It might have been with resentment, or perhaps with sarcasm...

But to his surprise, when he actually asked the question, he was incredibly calm. Perhaps the preceding events had laid the groundwork, leading him to almost be certain that there had been misunderstandings or hidden truths in the past.

Now, as he asked, he could almost guess that this matter was inevitably connected to the person under the ice, but he still wanted to hear Yin Wushu say it himself.

Xie Bai looked up at him, "I stood there for nine days and nine nights, and all I got was a piece of yellow paper, politely asking me to return... Did you really not want to see me then, or were you unable to open the door?"

Yin Wushu was silent for a moment, then said, "Since we've already discussed so much, there's no need for secrets anymore. My connection with that person might be deeper than you think. The so-called mutual suppression isn't just about face-to-face physical or spiritual strength. Most of the time, I am in a dominant position, which means that when he lets his guard down, I can even disturb his thoughts and actions from thousands of miles away, and vice versa. When he has the upper hand and I am unguarded, he can do the same to me."

Xie Bai suddenly remembered Yin Wushu's periodic major cultivations every few decades, "So... were the interruptions during your major cultivations caused by him?"

Yin Wushu nodded, "Not every time, but indeed, my cultivations are when I'm most susceptible to his interference. Sometimes when I awaken in the middle of it, my actions are not under my control, which is why I told you to avoid being near if possible. However, it wouldn't last long, usually only for a few seconds, after which either he would be driven out and I would continue my cultivation, or I would simply wake up fully."

"No wonder..." Xie Bai remembered the time when Yin Wushu had held him within a circle of golden threads, pinching his chin. It seemed so out of character that, if Yin Wushu had been possessed by the man under the ice at that moment, it explained the lack of awkwardness. He casually said, "I thought something went wrong during your cultivation, like you were slipping into madness."

The one-time Xie Bai had witnessed Yin Wushu open his eyes during cultivation in those hundred years was vividly remembered by Yin Wushu, who simply responded, "Hmm."

Just as he finished, the blood line on the shark person’s ear scale, which had just faded, tremulously reappeared.

Xie Bai: "......"

Yin Wushu: "......"

Xie Bai's brow furrowed slightly, almost thinking he was seeing things. After staring at the thin line for a good while, he looked up at Yin Wushu in astonishment.

Yin Wushu’s mouth twitched, blurting out, “What is this thing!”

"Why would the blood line appear?" Xie Bai asked hesitantly.

"Maybe this silly merman scale is broken?!" Yin Wushu said, slightly exasperated, and explained again to the fish scale, "That time I opened my eyes, it was indeed because he had interfered with my consciousness. Afterwards, I suppressed him and woke up, then dispersed the golden circle. What's wrong with that process?"

The scale briefly shimmered, and the blood line slowly faded again, as if the previous reaction had been just to tease Yin Wushu.

Xie Bai: "......"

Yin Wushu: "......"

"Perhaps you just answered too straightforwardly?" Xie Bai also felt somewhat at a loss, finding a reason for the merman scale’s momentary glitch.

Xie Bai had to say, this scale was quite effective. Every time a blood line appeared, it managed to make the already somewhat awkward atmosphere between Yin Wushu and him even more awkward.

Yin Wushu stared at the scale for a while and said irritably, "Even a casual 'hmm' from me turns into a lie... so you still plan to trust this unreliable thing?"

Xie Bai pondered for a moment and replied lightly, "I think it's at least more reliable than what you say."

Yin Wushu: "...... Give me that scale after you're done using it."

Xie Bai puzzled, "What do you want it for?"

Yin Wushu expressionless, "To crush it and throw it down the drain."

Xie Bai: "......"

Seeing that the topic was about to be diverted by Yin Wushu again, Xie Bai quickly steered it back: "So, were you influenced by that person under the ice during those years?"

Yin Wushu nodded, "The balance of power between him and me isn't always stable but fluctuates back and forth, much like the changes between the yin and yang of the world. This fluctuation, sometimes more and sometimes less, follows a cycle every two hundred years. The last few years just happened to be at the turning point of a cycle, where I was greatly influenced by him. It was quite unpredictable when I might go mad, so it was much safer for you to be independent rather than staying by my side."

Xie Bai frowned and looked at the scale, "Then why couldn't you explain it properly? Am I unreasonable?"

He always felt that it wasn't just that simple, and Yin Wushu wouldn't just leave good things unsaid and unnecessarily strain their relationship for no reason. But the scale showed no reaction, indicating that what he said was true.

As miraculous as this scale might be, it could only detect whether the parts Yin Wushu voiced were true or false. As for how much he omitted or how many details he skipped, neither the scale nor Xie Bai could know.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Then why are you willing to see me now? Changed your mind?"

Yin Wushu raised an eyebrow, "Because there's a way to deal with him now."

"What way?" Xie Bai asked, puzzled.

"Even though he's been pinned under the ice for the past hundred years, he's still been restless and has had some influence on me," Yin Wushu explained. "But the beginning of next month is a very special day for him, a once-in-a-millennium event, almost like a complete overhaul. So, all the support he's arranged intentionally or unintentionally is focused on the recent period. By the beginning of next month, everything will be ready for him; several sacrificial arrays prepared for him will activate simultaneously, boosting his spiritual power to its peak. At that point, it will naturally overcome the restrictions I've placed on him, and he'll break free from the ice. For the next hundred years, he will have the upper hand. But conversely, the beginning of next month is a turning point. The day after, he'll be at his peak, but right now, just before that day, is when he's at his weakest. Yet, he's somewhat impatient, unwilling to miss any chance to escape, and is trying to leverage my spiritual power to break out early..."

Xie Bai understood, saying, "So now is the best time to deal with him?"

"Yes, the closer we get to the last day, the better the opportunity," Yin Wushu nodded. "That's also why he's been so quiet after escaping; it's been three days without any noise. He's also on edge."

"So, you're saying you have a good chance of dealing with him?" Xie Bai asked.

Yin Wushu nodded and chuckled, "Choosing this time to deal with him isn't because I can't handle him normally, but because I want to make sure he's suppressed thoroughly, so he won’t be able to turn over for a hundred years. I want to reset the game completely to avoid him constantly causing me trouble. It's really annoying."

As he spoke, the merman scale in Xie Bai’s hand began to glow faintly again, with a hint of red at the edges as if another blood line was about to appear.

Yin Wushu noticed it sharply: "......"

He fell silent for a few seconds before adding, "This way, it's as if he dies once. Your Hundred Ghosts Corpse Nurturing Formation will no longer be under his control, and it won’t suffer because of his condition anymore."

With the purpose fully explained, the blood line finally withdrew again.

Xie Bai was taken aback, unsure of what to say. After a moment of silence, he spoke with a complicated expression, "Since it also concerns me, I can't just stand by and watch. Unlock the chains on my hands and feet."

Yin Wushu glanced at him but remained silent, clearly not planning to do so.

"I can at least be considered a force to reckon with, right? Wouldn’t two people solve this faster than one?" Xie Bai's brow furrowed.

"The closer you are to him, the greater the impact of the Hundred Ghosts Corpse Nurturing Formation on you. I've heard from Lou Xianyue and that merman that your fingers had already started to frost, and the blood that came out quickly froze," Yin Wushu shook his head. "Do you know what would happen if this continues? If you face him directly, every time you strike him, his pain will be maximally projected onto you. By the time he dies, you won't have much life force left. You'll be so cold that you won’t be able to stand, and the blood inside your body will freeze before it even flows out. Do you think you would have a chance to survive?"

Xie Bai opened his mouth to speak, but Yin Wushu cut him off, "Moreover, even if you stay away from him, it won’t be much better; you’ll still become increasingly colder, possibly to an unbearable extent. The lower your vitality, the easier it is for the Hundred Ghosts Corpse Nurturing Formation to dominate inside you, and the easier it is for him to use you."

The merman 's scale showed no movement, indicating that Yin Wushu was telling the truth, not making up a bunch of lies to deceive him.

If that was really the case, then if he were to be used by the man under the ice again, as had happened on Mount Tianshan, using his body as a container to draw spiritual power from Yin Wushu, it would be all harm and no benefit to Yin Wushu.

"Is there no way to block this connection?" Xie Bai asked.

Yin Wushu shook his head straightforwardly: "No."

Suddenly, a blood line appeared on the scale.

Yin Wushu: "......"

Xie Bai held out the merman’s scale towards him: "Don't lie, is there really no way?"

"...There is a medicine called Soul Cleansing Pill that essentially severs the link between the spirit and the flesh. Using it on you would mean detaching the Hundred Ghosts Corpse Nurturing Formation from your physical body, but its effectiveness is limited. It can only have a minor effect and cannot completely sever the connection; otherwise, you wouldn't survive. However, this medicine is very risky, and it’s easy for it to harm the soul if not handled carefully," Yin Wushu explained, his expression grim as he spoke stiffly, constantly glancing at the scale as if he was about to crush it and throw it away at any second.

Xie Bai nodded, "Does Tai Xuan Dao have this medicine?"

Yin Wushu didn't respond, and even if he had said no, the merman's scale in Xie Bai’s hand would have revealed the truth.

Xie Bai simply grounded his foot on the wooden floor, creating ripples like water, and looked down at the water ripples, saying, "Li Dong? Could you come up here, please?"

Li Dong's voice quickly came up through the floor, "Oh! What’s the matter, sir? I'm coming right up."

As Yin Wushu was about to speak, Xie Bai quickly cast a cloud of black mist, sealing Yin Wushu’s mouth.

When Li Dong pushed open the door, he saw them in this tangled situation.

"…What kind of strange thing are you guys playing at?" Li Dong’s eyes nearly popped out.

With Yin Wushu unable to speak, he just narrowed his eyes at him, a look that said, "Make one move and I’ll break your legs." Xie Bai glanced at him and spoke lightly, "I hear you have something called the Soul Cleansing Pill here."

Li Dong, as if facing a great threat, said, "My Lord, our boss is just a bit loose-lipped and likes to bluff people, but everything else about him is good, don’t do this—"

"I’m not planning to use it on him," Xie Bai interrupted irritably.

"Oh, then I’ll go get it for you," Li Dong replied and hurried off.

A moment later, he returned holding a small porcelain jar the size of a palm, standing at the doorway, hesitating to step inside, which reminded Xie Bai that Yin Wushu typically didn't allow anyone in his room. He nodded at Li Dong, saying, "Throw it in."

Li Dong gave an "Oh" and gently tossed the porcelain jar into Xie Bai's arms, the landing point being just perfect.

Xie Bai pulled the cork and looked inside to see a single pill, the size of a regular tablet, and without hesitation, poured it into his palm and swallowed it before Yin Wushu could react.

The pill was unlike any other; it dissolved like water as soon as it entered his mouth, quickly flowing down his throat, generating a slight warmth in his body. This warmth quickly merged into his bloodstream, flowing upwards and steaming into his brain.

Suddenly, Xie Bai’s vision began to blur inexplicably, even Yin Wushu’s figure became unclear…

He heard Yin Wushu sigh softly, then felt himself being gently settled on the bed and covered with a blanket. Yin Wushu then lightly tapped his wrist twice; the black mist that had been tightly binding him suddenly became docile and dispersed on its own.

Something wasn’t right!

Just as Xie Bai realized something was off, Yin Wushu was already bending over at the side of his bed.

"The Yin corpse energy was something I taught you how to refine; how could it lock me down and leave me immobile..." he said softly, raising his hand to touch Xie Bai's forehead, then checking his pulse at the neck, "It's normal to feel sleepy after taking it; you'll be fine after some sleep."

Amid his increasingly blurred voice, Xie Bai suddenly remembered the legendary Yao Zhu San (NT: blend of herbs used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine for depression, indigestion and other health conditions), rumored to be able to alter one's memories, resembling a clay pill that turned to water upon entering the mouth, tasting like fine wine...

 

Translator : DarNan