Jin Liuying

Yagu closed her eyes, a faint smile touching the corners of her lips. "Don't sleep!" A deep, resonant voice suddenly broke into her heart. It was so clear, right by her ear. Then, waves of warmth spread across her face as a palm cupped it tenderly. Everything felt so real. It seemed... this was not a dream. Yagu started awake, her eyes flying wide to look at Qin Sang. Suddenly, tears poured down like rain. "Don't cry." Qin Sang knitted his brows slightly. For some reason, after Yagu had spoken a moment earlier, the fat silkworm inside the insect basket had grown agitated, gnawing frenziedly at the lid in an effort to get out. He had no energy to deal with it for now. Brushing the tears from Yagu's face, Qin Sang said softly, "Tell me, what happened? Who hurt you? I'll avenge you." Hearing this, Yagu suddenly realized her current situation. Panic seized her, and she hurriedly pushed against Qin Sang with all the strength left in her body. "Brother Qin, run! Your enemies are looking for you, and they've already tracked you here..." Urgency filled her face, and her voice was frantic. Qin Sang channeled true essence into Yagu's body to help steady her breath, soothing her, "Don't panic. Even if there are enemies, there's nothing to fear. If I can't beat them, I can still get away. You said my enemies are looking for me—what kind of enemies, and why did they come after you? Where did the Five Insects Sect go?" Calmed by Qin Sang, Yagu composed herself a little and said, "It's the Li Witch Palace! While I was cultivating at the Five Insects Sect, I heard a fellow daoist who came over from the Hundred Flowers Palace say that cultivators from the Li Witch Palace arrived at their mountain gate carrying a Core Formation decree, ordering the Hundred Flowers Palace to search for an ancient corpse whose left arm was severed and which was shrouded in corpse qi..." As Qin Sang listened to Yagu explain the situation, his astonishment grew. Before departing, he had unified the three factions and ordered them to cooperate in finding the secret realm, so it was hardly surprising that a cultivator from the Hundred Flowers Palace would visit the Five Insects Sect. A severed left arm, shrouded in corpse qi—wasn't that precisely his state when he first teleported here? With his cultivation sealed and his spiritual sense withered, he had been powerless to suppress the dormant corpse qi within him, and it had erupted in an instant. Anyone who came across him would have assumed him to be a corpse long dead. Yet calling him an ancient corpse was pure nonsense. Even more unexpected was that the people searching for him actually hailed from the Li Witch Palace, leading Yagu to mistake them for his enemies. The Li Witch Palace was a major sect beyond the Western Frontier, backed by a Nascent Soul Patriarch. Renowned across the entire Witch God Continent, it possessed formidable might and reigned as a regional hegemon. The map in Qin Sang's possession marked the Li Witch Palace several thousand li beyond the Western Frontier, making it one of the first major factions one would encounter upon leaving the region. No wonder Yagu had been so frightened and worried for him. She knew he had only recently formed his core, so his strength was still limited. If captured by the Li Witch Palace, only death awaited him. Cultivators from the Li Witch Palace had arrived at the Hundred Flowers Palace bearing a Core Formation decree, which meant a Core Formation cultivator from the sect was not far away! Although certain parts of the Western Frontier fell under the Li Witch Palace's control, the Bear Mountain region was remote and barren in the extreme; even the Baizu Stockade, the strongest power nearby, could hardly catch their eye. He had awakened in the Qingyi River and had never crossed paths with anyone from the Li Witch Palace. Why were they searching for him, and why did they claim to be looking for an ancient corpse? Qin Sang suddenly realized that a massive mystery lay behind his teleportation to the Witch God Continent. Just what had happened during the time he was unconscious? "You said that after you left, the cultivator surnamed Tong brought a stranger to seize you? Did you ever mention to anyone that I once had a severed arm?" Qin Sang asked. Among the people he had encountered since waking up, only Yagu and the old witch doctor knew of his severed arm. Yagu had been extremely sharp-witted. The moment she heard someone was searching for a one-armed ancient corpse, she guessed they were looking for Qin Sang and immediately crushed the Qingfu coin. Receiving no response, she slipped away from the Five Insects Sect, using the power of her divine patterns to dive into the Qingyi River and drift downstream. She feared Qin Sang remained in the dark and would walk straight into his enemies. Her plan had been to leave messages for him at Qianhu Stockade and the other places where their paths had crossed. Unexpectedly, just as she drew near Qianhu Stockade, the cultivator surnamed Tong had caught up with her, bringing another man along. "No," Yagu said. "After you left, Brother Qin, I never spoke to anyone." Her voice was weaker than before, and her complexion suddenly took a turn for the worse. "How did they confirm my identity? Could someone have seen me before?" Qin Sang frowned in contemplation. The cultivator surnamed Tong from the Five Insects Sect was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, yet the man he brought was at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, second only to Cui Xuanzi. Such a figure could never have remained unknown within the Five Insects Sect, yet Yagu had never seen him before, making it very likely he was a disciple of the Li Witch Palace! When the two caught up with Yagu and saw she was merely at the third level of Qi Refinement, they grew overly conceited. In particular, after seizing the Cold Metal sword, the Li Witch Palace disciple became so enamored with it that his guard dropped. Seizing the opening, Yagu launched a surprise attack, firing the Essence-Devouring Awls one after another. Yet both were Foundation Establishment experts. Even with the protection of her divine patterns, the gap remained immense, and she was nearly killed in their counterattack. In the end, Yagu only saw the cultivator surnamed Tong blown to pieces by the Essence-Devouring Awl. She did not know what became of the Li Witch Palace disciple, but since he had not pursued her further, his situation was likely dire as well. The two Essence-Devouring Awls Qin Sang crafted had incorporated the fangs of an evil flood dragon at the peak of the Demon Spirit stage; even late Foundation Establishment cultivators would struggle to resist them. "Brother Qin... cough, cough..." Yagu parted her lips, only to be wracked by a violent coughing fit. Her face grew even grayer. Realizing what was happening, she gripped Qin Sang's hand tightly and strained to keep her eyes open, gazing at him with boundless yearning as if trying to etch him deep into her soul. Her origin soul was dissipating rapidly, and even the vigorous vitality of the Three Light Jade Liquid could not stop it. Pity and sorrow filled Qin Sang's eyes. He had already used his finest medicine, but Yagu's injuries were simply too grave, and he had arrived too late. Meeting her eyes, Qin Sang hesitated for a moment before speaking softly, "Yagu, I possess a secret art that can temporarily seal your origin soul and prevent it from dispersing. But... I don't know if I will be able to undo it in the future. You might become a living corpse, neither human nor ghost, and you might even lose all hope of entering reincarnation forever. Are you... willing?" Yagu showed no hesitation at his words. Instead, she asked a question that caught him completely off guard: "Brother Qin, if that happens, will you keep me by your side?" Qin Sang froze, then said with a rasp, "Of course. I will keep you with me always." "I am willing," Yagu said softly, entirely without fear. Qin Sang let out a slow breath and retrieved a Heavenly Corpse Talisman from the Qianjun Ring. The Heavenly Corpse Talisman could kill, but it could also 'save.' He had once used it to 'save' Tan Jie, yet he had never imagined he would use it again under similar circumstances. The river surged onward; the green hills stretched like dark brows. Cradling Yagu in his arms, Qin Sang lowered his head slightly, and the two looked at each other in silence. The light in Yagu's eyes grew dimmer and dimmer. Qin Sang sighed softly, about to cast the Heavenly Corpse Talisman. Suddenly, Yagu started, and with the last ounce of her strength, she said urgently, "Brother Qin, Granny told me... my mother gave me a name once. It's Jin Liuying. My name isn't Yagu. I am Jin Liuying!" "Jin Liuying... what a beautiful name," Qin Sang said with a smile. "I am Qin Sang."