Wenyu is in bad shape, Bai Ruozhu can’t help but feel worried; she can only ask Yuan Licheng to set up an array, as she slowly injects her Divine Sense into Wenyu’s sea of consciousness, working hard for most of the day until Wenyu’s condition stabilizes.
Bai Ruozhu withdraws her Divine Sense, and as she stands up, she almost falls. Nearby, Yizi and Wa Wei hurriedly support her.
"Master, are you okay?" Yizi asks with concern.
"I’m fine, I’ll be better after so sleep. Please help back to my room," Bai Ruozhu says weakly.
She is assisted back to her room, and falls asleep imdiately, only waking up past midnight because her stomach is too hungry.
Upon waking, she feels her head splitting with pain, and spiritual fatigue is different from physical fatigue. Physical fatigue can be alleviated by soaking in the Spatial Hot Spring, but spiritual fatigue can only recover slowly through rest.
Outside, Yizi is keeping watch and hears the movent, she rushes in to assist, "Master, would you like to eat sothing?"
"Yes." Bai Ruozhu lazily responds, Yizi helps her up and promptly calls for Teng Ya to fetch so food.
"How is Wenyu?" Bai Ruozhu asks.
"He won’t die," Yizi says, sowhat displeased, "Master, do you really have to push so hard? Even if he turns into a fool, that’s his own business."
Bai Ruozhu sighs, "Do you think I’m a saint? If he were to turn into a fool, I wouldn’t be able to enter rfolk Island, and Achun and the others are still trapped there. Besides, he sustained such severe injuries protecting , we are not people who would forgo loyalty, right?"
"I see, the array on rfolk Island is too terrifying, even a minor disturbance causes such a huge impact," Yizi murmurs.
Bai Ruozhu smiles bitterly, it’s not the array’s problem, it’s that Giant Turtle that’s too scary.
Before long, Teng Ya brings over the food, a simple congee paired with a few delicate side dishes. Considering she might have a poor appetite, there’s not even a hint of fishiness.
Bai Ruozhu eats a bit and says to the two, "You’ve been up half the night as well, go back and rest."
"No way, I’m keeping watch for you tonight, and I’ll rest during the day tomorrow," Yizi insists.
Bai Ruozhu’s face turns cold, "So now you’re not listening to ? Do I not know what’s going on with myself? Hurry and rest, tomorrow there might be sothing for you to do."
Yizi, afraid she’ll be upset and get a headache, reluctantly agrees.
Once the two are gone, Bai Ruozhu sits cross-legged, ditating to nurture her Divine Sense.
After a while, outside cos Yuan Licheng’s voice: "Bai Ruozhu, I have sothing to ask you."
Bai Ruozhu stands up, "Co in and speak."
Yuan Licheng walks in, a deep worry etched between his brows.
"I am most familiar with matters of arrays; my master always said my talent in this area is exceptional, few can surpass . Yet, I felt no fluctuation in the array, are you hiding sothing?" He says softly.
Bai Ruozhu sighs, "I knew I couldn’t hide it from you; not ntioning it is only to avoid causing trouble for everyone."
Then she explains the situation with the Giant Turtle of rfolk Island, Yuan Licheng listens and is indeed surprised, with his comprehension, he couldn’t have imagined it.
"In front of the rfolk, we must pretend not to know about this," Bai Ruozhu instructs.
"I understand," Yuan Licheng nods, "but now we can only wait?"
"Even if we know their direction, we can’t catch up; we can only wait for them to control the Giant Turtle and return," Bai Ruozhu states.
"Alright." He is now truly worried for Fo Lanying.
...
On rfolk Island, in Yuchen Palace, the palace master Yuchenzi is furious, "No way, once every three years severely hurts our vitality, now barely a year has passed, are you forcing us to death?"
The great elder squints his eyes, "I never said we would use your blood, doesn’t Yuchen Palace have anyone below?"
Yuchenzi glares at him fiercely, "Those young ones have shallow cultivation, their blood is weak for the Giant Turtle, do you plan to drain their blood? It has to be !"
"So you shouldn’t have let Xuchenzi leave easily," the great elder comnts, "Things have co to this, if a sacrifice must be made, make it. The clan has raised you these years, they have already done enough for you."
"Raised us? As if we owe a great debt of gratitude. Yuchen Palace cannot have children, we’re not rfolk. You know better than anyone where we co from, calling us orphans taken in on the island, who knows if you snatched us from outside the island?"
Yuchenzi’s face flushes with anger, "They claim to nurture us, yet put a restriction on us for better control; whenever there’s a need, they use our fresh blood for their rituals. Their viciousness is why they suffer curses, it’s karma!"
Smack, the great elder slaps Yuchenzi’s face harshly, "Silence! If you don’t want to be the palace master, just say so; there are others who can take over."
Yuchenzi’s half face swells with hatred in his eyes, "Fine, you might as well kill ."
"You think I don’t dare?" The great elder raises his hand, aiming to strike Yuchenzi’s head, when outside Feicui rushes in, kneels, and clings to the great elder’s leg, "Great elder, please spare my master; we’ll do whatever you say."
The great elder snorts coldly, withdrawing his hand, "The ritual is held at midnight, prepare yourselves."
He finishes speaking and leaves with a wave of his sleeve.
Once he’s gone, Yuchenzi sits on the ground in a daze, saying, "I might as well die, then they can’t use us anymore!"
Feicui hugs Yuchenzi, crying, "Master, don’t lose hope, if you die, there’s nothing left. We’ve been controlled for so many years, are you willing?"
"Then what if I’m unwilling? What can we do?" Yuchenzi says painfully.
Feicui glances outside, then whispers, "We must endure, maybe the Jiuli can help us."
Yuchenzi looks at her surprised, "Is that possible? Why would they help us?"
"I don’t know, but soone asked to pass a ssage to the Jiuli, to have them take Feng Ran away. She said the Jiuli would help. With her wisdom, she wouldn’t be wrong. If they can help Feng Ran, maybe they can help us too!" Feicui’s eyes are full of hope.
"Is it possible?" Yuchenzi doesn’t want to crush his disciple’s hope, swallowing back the words.
That night, the palace master Yuchenzi brings four disciples to attend the sacrifice; they slit their wrists to offer their blood.
Afterward, the four weakly fall, almost completely pale.
Feicui covers her mouth, crying silently; she asked to join the sacrifice, but her master refused, saying soone must be left to contact the Jiuli Clan, their last hope.
Yuchen Palace mbers assist the four from the ritual back, midway Jiang Yichun and the Astrologer are hiding in the shadows, hitting Feicui with stones.
Feicui reacts quickly, quietly eting with the two.
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