Volume V: The Flow of Rivers and Past Lives - Chapter 143

Jinli leaped to her feet, and a celestial figure materialized before the intruder, who instantly froze in place before taking a half-step back into a defensive stance.

Jinli slowly turned around, fixing a piercing gaze on the figure clad in black. Those viper-like, crimson eyes were utterly spine-chilling, yet at a mere glance, Jinli felt an inward surge of profound relief.

Thank goodness it was not him.

"Making off with another's property is hardly becoming," she said, her eyes laced with a playful smile, though her gaze remained utterly vigilant.

The intruder uttered not a single word, merely sliding his right hand quietly behind his back. Jinli caught the movement instantly. Sure enough, the very next instant, a silver needle—invisible to the naked eye and betrayed only by the sharp whistle of displaced air—hurtled straight toward her. She tilted her head, and the needle whizzed past her ear.

When she turned her gaze back, the figure had already vanished into thin air, leaving only a brocade box lying upon the ground.

Jinli picked up the brocade box and walked over to the artificial rockery. An ordinary person would surely have missed the slender needle embedded deep within the stone, yet from the tiny puncture hole, frost was already spreading outward.

The Soul-Freezing Needle?

Whether from lingering dread or something else, Jinli felt her fingers involuntarily begin to grow cold.

Footsteps sounded as a crowd of people rushed in, accompanied by the Water Lord himself.

"To think it was a petty immortal like you? How dare you steal a treasure of the Water Palace!" someone bellowed.

Jinli turned. An aide rushed to the Water Lord's side and whispered urgently into his ear. The Water Lord's expression shifted dramatically; instantly adopting a deferential tone, he said, "Ah, so you are the immortal maiden under the seat of Exalted Changli! Forgive me for this offense, please forgive my blindness."

Jinli waved a hand dismissively and held out the Soul-Restoring Grass. "It is of no consequence, so long as the treasure remains unharmed."

The Water Lord accepted it with both hands, bowing deeply.

Jinli glanced down at the box for a fraction of a second before smoothly masking the emotions swirling in the depths of her eyes.

The banquet resumed, and those who had previously collapsed within the pearl orchard gradually regained consciousness. Upon questioning them, Jinli learned that none of them retained the slightest memory of losing consciousness in the orchard, suggesting that the powder had been laced with something else entirely.

Jinli re-entered the pearl orchard, hoping to unearth any lingering traces of Yixi.

Yet at that very moment, the voice of Bai Wangting rang out from behind her: "What are you doing here?"

Jinli paused. It seemed she would not be able to investigate further clues this time.

She forced a smile before turning around. "Ah, Princess Wangting once more. I happened to misplace my sachet, so I came here to search for it."

Bai Wangting eyed her suspiciously. They looked nothing alike, yet why did this person evoke such a chillingly familiar sensation? Without warning, Bai Wangting strode toward her and pressed a finger directly against Jinli's glabella.

Within the sea of consciousness, there was only a single layer of primordial spirit power—truly the level of a mere High Immortal, and even that spiritual essence flickered as faintly as a firefly's glow.

One could alter a visage or disguise a voice, but the sea of consciousness could never be faked.

Having probed Jinli's spiritual core, Bai Wangting finally dispelled her lingering doubts.

Her expression instantly turned haughty, filled from top to bottom with utter disdain. "With cultivation as pitifully negligible as yours, I truly cannot fathom how you ever managed to become an exalted immortal under his command."

Jinli was torn between laughter and tears. She lowered her gaze and lightly touched her brow, realizing that her cultivation was indeed continuing to drain away, bit by bit.

Fortunately...

Having spent years guarding the River of Forgetting, Bai Wangting had at least grown somewhat sharper.

Raising her eyes, Jinli gave a light shrug. "Perhaps this humble immortal is simply blessed with good fortune."

Not deigning to spare her even a glance, Bai Wangting dismissed the remark entirely, whirled around, and walked away.

Jinli followed closely behind.

Upon returning to the banquet hall, the treasure appraisal event was already well underway.

Jinli slipped quietly into an inconspicuous corner, keeping a watchful eye out for any sign of the Soul-Restoring Grass.

"This is the Dusk-Light Tree, acquired from the Floating Jade Pavilion! It possesses wondrous properties: not only can it alter its size at will, but the fruit it bears grants eternal youth and the power to reverse aging!"

As these words fell, the hall erupted into a clamor of excitement.

Jinli felt a trace of unspoken irony. These immortals had already attained immortality, yet they remained obsessed with living forever. When an immortal's span was already so vast, what need had they for further longevity?

Still, the mention of the Floating Jade Pavilion piqued Jinli's interest.

The Floating Jade Pavilion was a pavilion that had inexplicably descended upon the Eight Desolate Swamps during the Primordial Era. Though called a pavilion, its scale rivaled an entire celestial capital. It housed all manner of rare treasures and wondrous artifacts, every imaginable treasure of heaven and earth gathered by its mysterious master. Its prices were equally astronomical; in mortal terms, a single goblet from within its walls would equal half the imperial treasury of the mortal realm.

Given that this tree could grant eternal youth, the Water Lord must have spared no expense for this appraisal gathering. To make a notorious miser part with such a treasure so lavishly, the grand finale items that followed would surely be worth more than entire cities.

Once the introduction of the Dusk-Light Tree concluded, the bidding began instantly, each offer surpassing the last in extravagance.

Jinli watched the contest of wealth unfold, wishing only for a dish of melon seeds to accompany the spectacle.

"And now, moving on to the item of supreme anticipation—a peerless treasure from the Primordial Era, seen perhaps once in ten thousand years: the Soul-Restoring Grass!"

The cheers below died away, replaced by an atmosphere of predatory tension. Everyone began sizing one another up in secret, their faces etched with the intense desire of those convinced victory was within their grasp.

Even Jinli found herself growing taut with tension.

"According to ancient primordial records: the leaves of the Soul-Restoring Grass, when brewed into medicine, can elevate one's cultivation and aid in breaking through to ascension; its stalk, used in medicine, can reconstruct a shattered soul and grant rebirth!"

Jinli watched as the attendant opened the brocade box, revealing a vibrant, pulsing stalk of the Soul-Restoring Grass within.

It swayed gently from side to side, as if endowed with a soul of its own, ready to speak at any second.

Its translucent white roots writhed slightly, and its leaves fluttered in rhythm, materializing its presence without anyone needing to hold it. It seemed the legends were entirely true.

If Hong Lanzui had caught wind of the Soul-Restoring Grass's whereabouts, she would undoubtedly appear here tonight.

"One layer of cultivation!"

The moment those words dropped, a massive uproar swept through the crowd.

Up until now, transactions had been conducted using treasures of equivalent value, yet here someone was actually willing to trade cultivation itself.

Moreover, a single layer of cultivation represented tens of thousands of years of bitter toil.

Following the direction of the collective gaze, Jinli spotted Hong Lanzui amidst the throng, having finally removed the hood of her cloak. Uncharacteristically, she was not dressed in red.

Her attire was starkly plain, and her makeup was equally understated.

She looked like an entirely different person compared to the past.