Chapter 147 : Blood Deficiency
Chapter 147: Blood Deficiency
After finishing his statement with the Law Enforcement Team and delivering gifts, Chen Beiwu returned home and was immediately greeted by a strong medicinal aroma.
“I heard that boiling Sunbranch into soup is greatly nourishing, so I made some. Remember to drink more later.” Huang Xiaoling turned her head with a relaxed tone. “How was your harvest tonight?”
“That goes without saying. The moment I made my move, a thousand catties of Yellow-Tailed Dendrobium were sold out in the blink of an eye.”
As he said this, Chen Beiwu lifted the Jade-Eyed Salmon in his hand proudly. “Mom, take a look. Do you know what this is?”
Before Huang Xiaoling could reply, Iron Egg, catching the fishy scent, butted his head against the hot tea and nudged close to him. Chen Beiwu seized the chance to take a sip from the teacup.
“What kind of fish is this?” Huang Xiaoling stretched out her finger curiously and poked at it.
“Jade-Eyed Salmon. It’s best eaten raw. In the market, it’s about fifty Spirit Yuan per catty. This one weighs around twelve catties.” Chen Beiwu bragged.
Hearing this, Huang Xiaoling’s heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously received the Jade-Eyed Salmon and examined it carefully. “Strange, why is this fish missing two sections from the belly and the back?”
“I gave them to classmates.” Chen Beiwu shrugged. “At school, when people take care of you, you should show some gratitude.”
A gentleman is judged by his actions, not his heart. Judging the heart alone, there are no perfect people in this world.
In any case, the presence of Xu Ziqing and Xu Lingling had indeed helped him resolve many troubles.
“The fish belly carries feelings, the most affectionate part of all.” Huang Xiaoling teased with a smile. “Does this count as a confession?”
“Huh?” Chen Beiwu raised his brows, puzzled. “*Mom, aren’t you overthinking this? The fish belly and tail are the tenderest, tastiest parts of a Jade-Eyed Salmon.
You and Dad always prefer eating the tail and head, so all that was left for me to give away was the belly.*”
“Fine then.” Madam Huang Xiaoling sighed.
Meanwhile, at the Xu Residence—
On the jade-pure vase by the desk bloomed a radiant exotic flower, while the jade plate held translucent, glistening slices of fish.
“First a slap, then a sweet date… is that blockhead doing this on purpose?” Xu Lingling grumbled, but her voice carried obvious joy, and even the dimples on her cheeks looked sweeter than ever.
“Don’t blame me for striking you down.” Xu Ziqing picked up a slice of fish with her chopsticks and spoke frankly. “With how clever you are, there’s no way you don’t know Chen Beiwu’s thoughts.”
“So what if I know?” Xu Lingling sighed, dropping the pretense. “*That blockhead just overthinks everything, and he’s a bit cowardly.
He’s afraid that if he accepts me, my father might get furious and sink him into the river to feed the fish. But if he rejects me, I might fly into a rage and use my family’s influence to have him expelled, cutting off his cultivation path.*”
Xu Lingling turned to her close friend, her eyes wide with innocence. “Ziqing, tell me honestly, am I really that bad of a girl?”
“Whether you’re bad or not, I don’t know. But if Chen Beiwu dares to accept you and reject me, I’ll make sure he doesn’t live to see the next sunrise.” Xu Ziqing smiled gracefully.
Xu Lingling swallowed hard, blurting out, “You’re joking, right? Didn’t we agree on fair competition before?”
“Of course I’m joking. What else could it be?” Xu Ziqing took out a silk handkerchief, wiping her lips with the smile of a noble lady.
“I am a law-abiding citizen of the Immortal Alliance. How could I possibly do anything against the laws of the Immortal Alliance?”
Cold sweat trickled down Xu Lingling’s temples. “Wait… did you ever say those exact words to Chen Beiwu?”
“Who knows?” Xu Ziqing let out a charming smile.
“Achoo!”
Suddenly, Chen Beiwu sneezed.
Strange. At his current stage, he should have been immune to heat and cold, free from ailments. Logically, he should not be sneezing.
Could it be that the Jade-Eyed Salmon was simply too cold in nature, too nourishing, and his body was reacting after eating too much raw?
He pushed the rest of the fish slices to Golden Egg and Iron Egg, watching them eat with great satisfaction. Only after they were done did Chen Beiwu store his two companions into the Spirit Beast Bag and activate the Gate of Ten Directions.
The Southern Wastes, the Boundless Sea of Beasts, on a remote island a thousand miles away from Qingsu Island—
Within a crude cave-dwelling, Chen Beiwu’s figure silently appeared.
For the sake of escape, wherever he traveled, he would activate the Gate of Ten Directions and leave several safe anchors behind.
This cave was one such refuge. If Senior Sister Yun sent a reply to Qingsu Island, the Transmission Talisman would arrive here.
Of course, to prevent cultivators from tracking him through the talisman’s trajectory, Chen Beiwu had deliberately delayed for more than half a year.
Only after feeling that matters had mostly settled did he teleport here.
“Buzz!”
Gazing at the Transmission Talisman outside the cave, its light already dim, Chen Beiwu urged his spiritual power and pulled it into his palm.
“It’s time to return to the sect.”
Setting down the talisman, Chen Beiwu’s eyes lit up.
Just how much had Lu Lei and the other parasites embezzled from the sect’s resources?
The reward from merely reporting the corruption on Qingsu Island had earned him seven thousand contribution points. Unfortunately, the matter of the Heaven-Eye Blackhawk had turned complicated.
…
Three days later, in Mirror Moon Sect, Formation Hall.
“Junior Brother is truly cautious, staying outside for half a year before returning to the sect.” Yun Yishu gracefully raised her slender hand and poured Chen Beiwu a cup of hot tea.
“Senior Sister thought you were unlucky, ambushed by demonic cultivators along the way, and met a tragic end.”
Chen Beiwu received the tea with both hands and probed, “Senior Sister Yun, are you implying that I am in danger now?”
“You’re overthinking. Not exactly danger. After all, you are Master’s personal disciple.”
Yun Yishu cast him a sidelong glance. “As long as you stay within the sect, even if Lu Lei and the others’ backers resent you, they can’t possibly act directly. At most, they might look for an opportunity to secretly make things difficult for you.”
Hearing this, Chen Beiwu’s gaze deepened. He asked, “Senior Sister, who exactly are the backers behind Lu Lei and the others?”
“Are you sure you want to know?” Yun Yishu revealed an intrigued smile.
“Of course. In this world, there’s such a thing as being a thief for a thousand days, but no such thing as guarding against a thief for a thousand days.” Chen Beiwu said bluntly.
“At present, the sect’s Judicial Hall suspects two individuals. One is Li Yuanhua, Vice Hall Master of the Formation Hall. The other is Zhao Wuji, Vice Hall Master of the Profound Secrets Hall.”
Yun Yishu spoke calmly. “Both of them are Golden Core True Persons, shielded by elders of the sect’s main lineage. Without concrete evidence, the Judicial Hall cannot directly arrest them for interrogation.”
Chen Beiwu’s heart skipped a beat.
Good heavens, one sect mission and he had already offended two Golden Core True Persons.
And all the sect rewarded him with was seven thousand contribution points. This mission was a massive loss!
Thinking of this, Chen Beiwu frowned. “Didn’t Lu Lei and the others provide concrete evidence?”
“Lu Lei, Wei Bichun, and Xiao Qing kept their mouths tightly shut. Once their crimes were exposed, they chose to flee immediately.”
Yun Yishu poured another cup of tea. “*On the contrary, Yu Pan was quite interesting. Not only did she not run, she admitted guilt and chose to atone for her crimes.
While handing over a great deal of intelligence, she also surrendered the ninety-seven thousand low-grade Spirit Stones she had embezzled over the years, returning a huge amount of cultivation resources to the sect.*
Unfortunately, Yu Pan was only an accessory dragged into this by Lu Lei and the others. She didn’t know much of the core information. Without sufficient leads, the Judicial Hall cannot directly target the higher-ups who took bribes.”
Chen Beiwu’s eyes gleamed with sudden understanding.
No wonder Senior Sister Yun had written that the Heaven-Eye Blackhawk incident had taken a twist.
According to sect law, in cases beyond one’s control, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who was willing to make amends for the sect, surrender key intelligence, and hand over the entirety of their ill-gotten gains could atone for their crimes and receive a reduced sentence.