The Sixth Elder held a few spiritual plants with withered leaves. Beside her were dozens of baskets filled with the same kind of plants. Her brow was furrowed in a deep frown as she turned to instruct the disciple next to her, “Go borrow the Seventh Elder's eldest disciple to help us out.”
There were too many high-grade spiritual plants that needed to be replanted and nurtured. Ordinary medicine cultivators lacked the purity of spiritual energy required; not only would they be unable to help, but they might even destroy the spiritual plants entirely.
Moreover, time was of the essence. The longer they delayed, the lower the chances of the spiritual plants surviving.
The cultivator beside her showed a troubled expression, bowing as he replied, “We already went to ask, but the Seventh Elder did not agree. He said the tasks at the Pill Pavilion for refining healing pills are also extremely heavy, and they are just as short-handed.”
The Sixth Elder hissed, “The healing pills can wait. The spiritual plants are more important. Forget it, I'll go borrow them myself...”
Having said that, she patted the dirt off her palms and prepared to leave, when suddenly, a basket of spiritual plants beside her was enveloped in spiritual energy and rose into the air.
A pure, vibrant green spiritual energy suddenly rippled outward, gently wrapping around all the wilted spiritual plants in the basket.
The curled and withered leaves from moments ago gradually unfurled, and the shriveled, bent stems straightened and filled out once more. In the blink of an eye, the spiritual plants that had been on the verge of death regained their vibrant vitality.
A flash of pleasant surprise crossed the Sixth Elder's eyes. She whipped her head around, only to meet Song Yao's calm gaze. Her surprise instantly turned into sheer terror, and she could not suppress the panic and confusion in her voice. “Y-You... Little Wood? Why are you here?”
Song Yao lightly flicked her wrist, lowering the nurtured spiritual plants back into the basket. “To help.”
The Sixth Elder: “...”
She took a deep breath, composed herself slightly, and forced a calm expression. “I... I heard you were injured. Is your body feeling any better? Why have you come out so soon?”
Song Yao raised her hand, enveloping another basket of spiritual plants in her spiritual energy. “I'm better. It's nothing.”
The Sixth Elder hissed.
“Better” her foot.
Every time this young girl used her spiritual energy, the color drained from her face.
Her efficiency was high, but why did it look like she was trading her own life to nurture these spiritual plants?
She quickly stopped her, pulling the basket of spiritual plants back. “No, no. It won't be too late to help once you're fully recovered. I can manage on my own. Go along and play.”
Song Yao let out an “oh” and stared straight at her. “But I still have something to say to you.”
The Sixth Elder's heart skipped a beat. Without raising her head, she hurriedly began tidying the items in the basket. “Uh, well, I'm a bit busy right now, so it's not very convenient. How about we talk next time?”
Song Yao: “No.”
The Sixth Elder paused. As if making a firm decision, she turned and rode the wind directly toward the Pill Pavilion. “It really is quite inconvenient. I... I'll go borrow someone from your master first and come back later. You should head back now, alright?”
Her figure vanished from sight in an instant.
Ming Ran, who had been standing to the side, stepped forward in confusion. “What's going on? Why are the elders so busy? And... why does it feel like they're a bit afraid of you?”
Song Yao paused for a few seconds. As if discovering a whole new world, a tiny smile curled the corners of her lips. “Yes, they are afraid of me.”
Ming Ran blinked.
Something was off.
Why did her master look a bit excited?
She asked hesitantly, “Then... should we still go visit the other elders?”
Song Yao said with a beaming smile, “Of course we should.”
Although she couldn't figure out why they refused to directly expose her identity, nor could she understand what they were trying to do.
But under the current circumstances, every single one of them was avoiding her like the plague.
With such an amusing situation, she naturally had to play along with each and every one of them.
Her mindset shifted instantly. Song Yao took out a few pills given by the Seventh Elder from her spatial pouch and swallowed them. Before leaving, she casually enveloped several more baskets of spiritual plants to nurture them. She then said to a medicine cultivator nearby, “Tell the Sixth Elder that I'll come back to play with her tomorrow.”
The medicine cultivator nodded repeatedly. “Alright, Seventh Senior Sister! The Sixth Elder always misses you. If she knows you're coming again tomorrow, she will definitely be very happy.”
The next lucky target was the Twelfth Elder.
But this time, she missed her mark. The Twelfth Elder was not on her peak. The disciple guarding the peak said, “The Twelfth Elder should have gone to the dungeon.”
Song Yao asked, “Who is she interrogating?”
The disciple nodded. “I heard she went to interrogate a group of children.”
Song Yao: “Children? What children?”
The disciple shook his head. “I don't know about that. Why don't you go take a look yourself?”
“Alright, thank you.”
Halfway there, Song Yao remembered.
It should be the children who came from Frost City.
Back when the Nine Saints Hall was attacked and Frost City was plagued by demons, this group of children had fled to the Nine Saints Hall to seek help. They were subsequently brought into the realm by several elders.
Come to think of it, it was because these children had sent a message to Feng Qing that Feng Qing was able to locate the realm, forcing her to open the array core.
So, did the demons in Frost City have something to do with Feng Qing?
Song Yao's curiosity was piqued, and she quickened her pace toward the dark dungeon of the Nine Saints Hall.
The cultivators guarding the outside stopped her briefly, but upon seeing her personal disciple token, they pointed her in the right direction and let her in.
In the deepest and most spacious cell, a group of children huddled together on a large bed, shivering with fear.
Upon seeing this, Song Yao couldn't help but find it amusing.
The people of the Nine Saints Hall were truly too soft-hearted.
Even when dealing with a group of traitors, they had made the bed extremely soft and comfortable, with thick, clean, and tidy quilts.
Two tables were even set up in the middle of the cell, covered with picture books and various classics for children to read.
This wasn't locking people up; they were practically babysitting.
Before she even reached the cell, the Twelfth Elder stepped out from the side, clutching a very thick whip in her hand. Her peach-blossom eyes stared coldly at the two children standing at the very front of the cell.
Song Yao recognized them.
Shuang Ming and Shuang Xi.
A pair of twin siblings and the children of the young master of Frost City. It was the two of them who had sent the message to Feng Qing, leading to the exposure of the realm's location.
When the other children behind them saw the Twelfth Elder appear with a torture instrument, they were scared out of their wits and huddled together, but these two children remained exceptionally calm.
The younger sister, Shuang Xi, was particularly composed. She even raised her head to meet the Twelfth Elder's gaze. “You don't have to drag this out to intimidate us. Kill us or torture us as you please, but I won't say a single word.”
The Twelfth Elder felt a bit troubled.
She had dealt with many stubborn, tight-lipped captives before, but this was her first time dealing with a group of children. Thus, she had deliberately left them alone for a few days before coming over, hoping they would realize things on their own so she wouldn't have to resort to violence.
From the looks of it now, these two children were tough nuts to crack.
She opened the cell door and leaned against the frame, wrapping the long whip around her fingers. “If you won't consider yourselves, at least consider these younger brothers and sisters of yours. Do you really want to stay in the Nine Saints Hall's dungeon for the rest of your lives? I only have a few questions. If you explain them clearly, I'll let you go. How about that?”
The two remained silent. The Twelfth Elder continued, “You only need to tell me what your relationship with the Beiyao Sect is and why you sent them information. Also, what is the situation in Frost City? If you confess honestly, you can spare yourselves some suffering.”
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