Li Guanqi produced the remaining pills without the slightest hesitation.
Clearly, he had already sensed what made the current Ji Yuchuan different!
Ji Yuchuan took two of the pills and said softly, "Old Xi needs one as well."
Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow, the corners of his lips curving upward. After a moment's hesitation, he retrieved another pill and handed it over. "Give this one to Senior Yu Shan. It should be of some help, however modest."
Ji Yuchuan did not refuse. While its grade might not be exceptionally high, its medicinal properties would serve as an effective catalyst, enough to help Yu Shan recover quickly.
Ji Yuchuan lifted the wine flagon in his hand. "Care for a drink?"
"Hahaha, let's drink plenty!"
Another chair was brought over beside the rocking chair.
The two had barely sat down when Gu Li arrived, drawn by the scent.
His hair was a bird's nest and his eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Li Guanqi. "Eldest Brother, give me a Xuanyuan Sacred Soul Pill."
Li Guanqi frowned. "What do you want that for?"
Even as he spoke, Li Guanqi tossed him a pill. By now, he did not have many Xuanhuan Sacred Soul Pills left in his possession.
Suddenly, Gu Li's gaze locked onto Ji Yuchuan!
"Forced Conception!"
*Whoosh!*
Li Guanqi lunged and grabbed hold of Gu Li. Seeing Gu Li waving his arms and brandishing a golden inscribed talisman gave even Ji Yuchuan a fright.
Standing on his chair, Ji Yuchuan thrust out a hand. "What are you doing?! Don't come any closer!"
To his horror, Ji Yuchuan sensed bizarre talismanic fluctuations radiating from the inscribed talisman in Gu Li's hand.
Gu Li spoke in a frantic rush: "Splitting a soul into a human form! You are the exact feeling I've been searching for! Tell me quickly, what is your original body's secret technique? How can he shape a completely pure clone without harming himself?!"
Ji Yuchuan frowned. That art was not his; it was Yu Shan's secret. "Then you'll have to go find Yu Shan."
Hearing that, Gu Li spun around and bolted, a manic glint in his eyes. He felt he had finally found his breakthrough!
Watching the youth dash off like the wind, Ji Yuchuan felt a lingering dread. "Gu Li... what did he mean by 'Forced Conception'?"
Li Guanqi rolled his eyes helplessly and had to explain it to Ji Yuchuan.
Sitting back in his chair, Ji Yuchuan's mouth twitched.
It was hard to imagine what would have happened if Gu Li's inscribed talisman had slapped onto him just now...
Ji Yuchuan looked down at his lower abdomen, a shudder of disgust running through him. "A Forced Conception Talisman... well... that's certainly hard to describe... If he really manages to develop it... yeah... that's truly terrifying."
Just then, Tang Ru actually arrived. The moment he caught sight of Ji Yuchuan, excitement rushed onto his face.
"Brother Ji!"
Tang Ru grinned so broadly that his eyes narrowed into slits.
Ji Yuchuan smiled and waved. "Haven't you slimmed down yet, kid?"
Tang Ru scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Master said I shouldn't get too thin. He said if I ever have to use that move in the future, this layer of fat can save my life."
Ji Yuchuan seemed to know something about that. Nodding, he waved his hand to bring out another chair. "Come have a seat."
The three of them gathered beneath the eaves before the main hall, warming themselves by the fire, drinking wine, and listening to the patter of rain.
"I thought I would never see you again."
Ji Yuchuan rocked his chair, staring up at the ceiling as he murmured, "He... changed his appearance to look just like mine before. Back then, that was what I thought too."
"By the way, Fatty Tang has been cultivating hard lately. Is he on the verge of breaking through?"
At present, Tang Ru had reached the late Body Integration Realm, nearing its peak.
His cultivation speed was extraordinarily rapid.
Tang Ru leaned against his chair, sitting cross-legged, a trace of exhaustion in his voice. "It's still too slow... Third Brother and Fourth Brother have already broken through to the late Mahayana realm. I'm more than an entire major realm behind them..."
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly. It seemed Ye Feng had not yet told Tang Ru about the pill.
Understandable enough; Tang Ru had just been in closed-door cultivation, and Ye Feng wouldn't have wanted to disturb him.
Still...
Why had that kid run off to drink again?
Ji Yuchuan stretched as he reclined in his chair. Warming himself by the fire and sipping wine, he closed his eyes, and soon a soft snoring began to drift from him.
Li Guanqi chuckled softly, brought out a blanket, and draped it over him.
Turning to Tang Ru, he said in a gentle voice, "Someone gave you an immortal pill to express gratitude for saving their life on the battlefield earlier."
Tang Ru's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Li Guanqi. "Really?"
"Really. And it's an Immortal Realm pill of no low grade. With this pill, you will have enough to step into the Mahayana realm!"
Tang Ru's mouth twitched into a complicated, trembling pout. Seeing him on the verge of tears, Li Guanqi chose not to say anything more.
Sometimes, even if those around you repeated countless times that it didn't matter, the one listening would still hold it deep in their heart.
Tang Ru's burden was perhaps heavier than anyone else's.
After all, his innate talent and bone structure were inherently inferior to the others, and he could not keep pace with their subsequent cultivation speed. However, when Tang Ru had previously been captured and gravely wounded, Pengluo had cured his chronic ailments while healing his body. Now, if he could step into the Mahayana realm, that knot in his heart would be completely undone.
*Crack, snap.*
The crackling of burning wood echoed through the courtyard.
As though a great weight had been lifted from his chest, Tang Ru took a sip of his wine, staring into the flickering flames, lost in thought.
After an unknown amount of time, the slightly tipsy Tang Ru's expression underwent a drastic shift!
In a single instant, his flushed cheeks turned deathly pale!
The sight made Li Guanqi's brow furrow. "What is it?"
Tang Ru surged to his feet and raised his gaze toward the sky, his feet shifting through profound steps while his left hand formed hand seals faster than a phantom.
"Dragons and serpents rise from the earth; heavenly winds stir the Hexagram Gou!"
Tang Ru murmured under his breath, his face pale and his eyes filled with dread as he turned back to Li Guanqi.
"The Gou Hexagram!"
Li Guanqi stood up abruptly. "What does the Gou Hexagram mean?"
From behind him came Ji Yuchuan's grave voice. "This hexagram symbolizes the sudden arrival of an outside force, likely bringing unforeseen changes. 'Gou' carries the meaning of encountering or meeting, hinting at the intrusion of destabilizing factors. I fear... something momentous is about to happen!"
Seeing Tang Ru's panic and Ji Yuchuan's solemn countenance, Li Guanqi's heart grew heavy as well.
Yet the Seventh Domain remained calm, with no sign of anything amiss.
Little did they know that roughly ten breaths before Tang Ru's divination, Yu Shan's expression had changed just as drastically within the Fourth Domain!
Forming a seal with one hand, Yu Shan shot to his feet and bolted straight toward the Fifth Domain!
Li Guanqi's eyes turned resolute; he knew Tang Ru would never make baseless claims. Pulling out a jade slip, he transmitted his voice: "Second Brother, hurry back! Something momentous is about to happen! Gu Li, return to the White Jade Tower immediately! Third Brother, Fourth Brother, hasten out of seclusion! Wanshu, wake up."
A tense and suffocating atmosphere spread through the White Jade Tower.
***
Inside the Mortal Sojourner tavern.
Ye Feng stood up abruptly, his expression somber. "I have to go back."
"If you're going back, then go. Why tell me..."
Ye Feng hesitated briefly, then said in a deep voice, "Eldest Brother says it seems something momentous is about to happen. Stay safe."
With that, Ye Feng turned without looking back, transforming into a streak of golden light that vanished into the distance.
The tavern remained filled with clamor. Li Qingchan gazed blankly in the direction of Ye Feng's departure.
Her delicate brows knit tightly. Suddenly, her heart began to thump violently, overtaken by an inexplicable sense of dread.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed as she turned to gaze into the void.
Chapter 1194