One Glance After Another

Only then did Ye Xuan realize that Li Guanqi had misunderstood his meaning. He gave a wry laugh. "Brat, what in the world are you thinking! I'd love to poach Old Meng's son-in-law, but if he found out, he'd beat me to death..." Putting away his teasing expression, the man's face grew somber. "Luo Gu is ruthless and venomous. Every immediate kin in the Luo Clan has a controlling gu bug planted inside them. Who's to say Xin'er doesn't have one as well? If that old bastard left some hidden trick inside her and we fail to catch it now, we might regret it for the rest of our lives." Li Guanqi smiled and stated frankly, "With the art of gu bugs, once the controller dies, the gu cannot survive either." Even so, Ye Xuan's words served as a warning. What if Luo Gu had planted gu bugs not directly controlled by his life force? Wouldn't they persist even after his death? At their realm of cultivation, life-saving measures were practically endless. Even Li Guanqi himself had lit a soul lamp within the Great Xia Sword Sect. Moreover, he possessed the Flame Spirit to protect his origin spirit and sea of consciousness. After a moment's thought, Li Guanqi stepped before Ye Bingxin and said softly, "Sit down. I'll examine your body." "Ah? Examine... my body?" Panic flickered in Ye Bingxin's eyes, her jade-like hands clutching the robe draped over her tightly. Her gaze drifted toward Ye Xuan at the side, her cheeks flushing burning red as she didn't dare lift her head to meet Li Guanqi's eyes. Pursing her lips, she transmitted her voice in a soft whisper. "R-right here...? Wouldn't that be a bit... too..." Li Guanqi could clearly hear the bashfulness in her voice. The corners of his mouth twitched. *What is going on in this father and daughter's heads?!* Helpless, Li Guanqi tapped a finger against the center of her brow. Ye Bingxin felt her body go limp, and a gentle wave of spatial force laid her flat, lifting her to hover in midair. Looking at the drowsy woman before him, Li Guanqi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. *Looking down, she can't even see her feet... Tsk.* Just then, the man in the distance cleared his throat with a sour look on his face. "*Ahem.* If you're going to examine her, hurry up. Stop letting your eyes wander." Li Guanqi's expression remained unchanged. Placing his hand on the woman's wrist, he replied with neither servility nor arrogance, "I'm blind. What could I possibly be looking at?" Ye Xuan's cheek twitched, and he couldn't help muttering, "Never knew your skin was this thick." Li Guanqi flashed a grin, and his vast divine sense instantly swept through the meridians, flesh, and blood of Ye Bingxin's body. The next moment, however, his expression subtly shifted. In Ye Bingxin's sea of consciousness and encircling her origin spirit, Li Guanqi saw swarms of bizarre, dust-like insects. These bugs were a translucent, pale blue, drifting like mayflies. Yet Li Guanqi was certain these were not Stardust Mayflies! The instant they were discovered, the insects clung tightly to Ye Bingxin's origin spirit, and quite a few even began burrowing frenziedly into it. Ye Bingxin's brows knitted in pain. Seeing this, Ye Xuan grew intensely anxious, yet he refrained from speaking. Within Li Guanqi's perception, he distinctly sensed Luo Gu's aura lingering on these bugs! *Heh. Trying to use this kind of trick to possess Ye Bingxin? You old bastard, you really have no shame at all, do you?* With that in mind, Li Guanqi had no intention of holding back. He transmitted his voice to Ye Bingxin, saying in a solemn tone, "Relax your mind and guard your crown! No matter what happens next, do not resist me!" Ye Bingxin immediately opened her mind, and precisely because she lowered her guard, the bugs began boring madly into her origin spirit. With a cold sneer, Li Guanqi unleashed endless flames that enveloped both of them in an instant! Wisps of fire threaded their way into the woman's seven facial apertures. "Shiwu, burn every last one of these bugs!!" Luo Gu had fragmented his remnant soul into countless pieces and fused them with these bugs. As long as the insects could covertly overtake Ye Bingxin's origin spirit, his consciousness would coalesce, allowing him to seize full control of her soul and mind! This method differed from ordinary possession; it was more like... parasitism! A parasite that absorbed the host's power until it was strong enough to usurp the nest! Unfortunately for him, Li Guanqi's divine sense was overwhelmingly powerful. None of these tricks could hide beneath his scrutiny. The searing flames weaved carefully through the woman's body. Had Li Guanqi's control slipped in the slightest, even a tiny touch of this fire would have reduced Ye Bingxin to a pile of ash in an instant. Yet Li Guanqi handled the situation with consummate ease; his formidable divine sense gave him the precision to execute the most delicate maneuvers. In a flash, terrifying flame power surged into Ye Bingxin's sea of consciousness. Faced with the bugs already melding with her consciousness, Li Guanqi frowned slightly. "This is a bit tricky..." Right then, Ye Bingxin's voice sounded by his ear. "Don't worry... I can endure this much pain." Li Guanqi gave a slight nod and took a deep breath. The flames instantly swept through the entire sea of consciousness, cutting off any path of retreat for the gu bugs. Ye Bingxin's breathing grew rapid, sweet sweat drenching her body as fine beads of moisture surfaced across her skin. As her body temperature soared, her skin flushed a delicate pink. Immediately afterward, excruciating agony struck! "*Ngh...*" A powerful repulsive force pushed back, and Li Guanqi felt resistance against his divine sense. The consciousness within her mind churned abruptly, attempting to force the flames away. "Hold on! Give me just a little more time!" Outside the enclosing curtain of fire, Ye Xuan was burning with anxiety. Hearing his daughter's muffled whimpers and groans from within, he clenched his fists, completely blind to what was happening inside. Such was human nature: the less one knew about a situation, the wilder one's imagination ran... *Uh... Could they be... Mmm... Would making her a concubine be doing her a disservice?* Inside, however, the situation was fraught with peril! Under Ye Bingxin's involuntary resistance, her churning consciousness allowed the bugs to drill straight into the depths. A ruthless glint flashed in Li Guanqi's eyes, and he manipulated the flames into tiny spirit swords that shot forth like lightning! At the same time, Li Guanqi had to command the flame power to wrap around her origin spirit. "Shiwu! Refine those bugs!" The Flame Spirit's voice rang out sharply. "Shiwu obeys!" Flames engulfed her origin spirit, unleashing a terrifying power of refinement and devouring! Under the flame's mysterious might, the bugs inside the origin spirit were instantly burned into nothingness! Her sea of consciousness proved somewhat more troublesome, and it took a full half-pillar of incense before Li Guanqi finally exhaled a breath of relief. Withdrawing his divine sense, he opened his eyes, only to suddenly feel a surge of heat in his nose... Sniffling, he felt a warm trickle running down his upper lip. He stole a glance, another glance... and yet another glance... "*Cough, cough.* See no evil, see no evil." Retrieving another robe from his storage ring and laying it on the ground, Li Guanqi wiped away his nosebleed before stepping out with an entirely composed expression. The curtain of fire parted briefly and snapped shut behind him. Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Li Guanqi suspiciously. "You brat... where's my daughter?" With a solemn face, Li Guanqi cupped his hands and said softly, "Fortunately, I did not fail the task. The gu bugs inside her have all been purged." Ye Xuan frowned. "Then why hasn't my daughter come out? What are you hiding with that curtain of fire?" Li Guanqi placed one hand behind his back and looked at the man with an aggrieved expression. "Uncle Ye, what do you mean by that? Do you not trust my character?" "Nope, not particularly..." Li Guanqi's face twitched with awkwardness, yet his gaze remained steady as he offered a deadpan explanation. "The power of the Devouring Void Sacred Flame can devour the residual energy. As for the fire curtain, it's just to guard against any lingering gu bugs. She'll be fine in a moment."