Chapter 22: The Yellow Wind Returns

Nangong Ruoxi remained silent for a long time before finally nodding with a sense of apprehension. "Tell me, I'm listening."

She had realized by now that she could gain no advantage or leverage over Qin Changsheng. This man was mysterious and powerful; although he appeared to be only at the Qi Condensation stage, his true strength was terrifyingly immense.

"Tsk, tsk, that’s more like it. Otherwise, it’s quite inconvenient to have you calling me 'little husband' all day, isn't it?" Qin Changsheng glanced at her indifferently and said, "Let me emphasize this again: tonight, no matter what you hear or see, do not act rashly. Even if someone dies right in front of you, pretend you know nothing. There are some things you simply cannot handle."

"Furthermore, we can cooperate when necessary, but as long as these unclean things don't touch us, do not take any action." Qin Changsheng warned her once more.

This time, however, Nangong Ruoxi did not doubt him.

"Unclean things? You mean ghosts?" Nangong Ruoxi asked with trepidation.

"You can think of them as ghosts, but they aren't ghosts in the traditional sense. You'll understand what they are when night falls; there’s no point in explaining it to you now. Just be careful." Qin Changsheng didn't elaborate.

He wasn't sure if Nangong Ruoxi would fall unconscious under the yellow wind of the boy in the Taoist robe. If he spoke too freely, the boy would surely believe he had betrayed him, which would likely lead to trouble. Although the boy had said he wanted Qin Changsheng to witness his rise, Qin Changsheng knew well that the witness could easily be someone else if he interfered with the boy's plans. Therefore, he had to warn Nangong Ruoxi beforehand to ensure she didn't act foolishly and ruin things.

"Fine, I understand." Nangong Ruoxi took a deep breath, her expression turning serious.

If Qin Changsheng were merely an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator, she might have dismissed his words as fear-mongering. But after learning that he possessed the Ancient Immortal Eyes, she knew this man was far from simple. The Ancient Immortal Eyes—a peerless physique that hadn't appeared in countless eons. Anyone with such a constitution, provided they didn't perish prematurely, was destined to become a titan who could sweep across the cultivation world, or even a being capable of killing Immortal Kings. Such a monstrous talent naturally commanded great credibility.

Seeing that Nangong Ruoxi understood, Qin Changsheng closed his eyes and began taking spirit stones from his storage ring to cultivate. To his immense frustration, absorbing these stones yielded no improvement to his cultivation; no matter how many he consumed, it was to no avail. The spiritual energy would be extinguished by the aura within his dantian before it could even enter, as if his dantian were rejecting the energy like trash.

This left Qin Changsheng baffled and unable to decide whether to laugh or cry. Fortunately, the Longevity Tablet continued to rotate, absorbing the vitality of the world and steadily advancing his cultivation, which had now reached the one thousand one hundredth level of Qi Condensation.

Better than nothing.

Qin Changsheng listlessly put the spirit stones away, thinking they would only be useful for trade. Nangong Ruoxi watched his repetitive actions in confusion but said nothing. Being a man and a woman in a small carriage, they were in close proximity, smelling the scent of one another, but because Qin Changsheng was unwilling to be entangled in karma and Nangong Ruoxi was wary of him, neither took the opportunity to get closer.

The carriage fell into silence. As night descended, the caravan found a relatively open area to set up camp and lit a bonfire. Dozens of guards circled the flames, watching the surroundings with vigilance. Although they had traveled through this forest many times, they always walked on thin ice; the cultivation world was filled with hidden dangers, and no one knew what might happen next. Especially after nightfall, various bizarre entities appeared in this ancient forest—entities unseen during the day. This was why every caravan employed cultivators to deal with such unknown horrors.

Yet, tonight, these cultivators were destined to be helpless.

"Hum..."

As night fell, a bright moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting its light over the ancient earth and bringing a sliver of clarity to the dark night. However, with the appearance of the moonlight, the cultivators gathered around the bonfire suddenly felt a cold, yellow wind engulfing them from all sides, causing their bodies to tremble uncontrollably.

"So cold..."

"What's happening? Why is it suddenly so cold?"

The group of cultivators looked at one another, seeing the shock and fear in each other's eyes. They realized that with the arrival of this chilling aura, the circulation of their internal spiritual energy had stalled. It was as if an invisible hand were gripping their throats, making it difficult to breathe.

"Don't panic! Stay together, don't scatter!" the leader shouted. The group quickly huddled together, but the moment they did, they noticed the flames of the bonfire shrinking at a visible rate.

And then... they were snuffed out entirely!

"This..."

The group was stunned. They stared at the extinguished fire, their eyes filled with terror. The bonfire was their vital tool for warding off the darkness and the unknown horrors. With the fire gone, were they not just headless flies waiting for doom?

"Relight the fire, quickly!" the leader shouted again. But before his voice had even faded, eerie hoofbeats echoed from the surrounding darkness, sending shivers down their spines.

"The dead on the left, the living on the right. I am Chen An, a Taoist priest here to pray for you all. May you rise in rank, gain fortune, and see your dreams come true..."

With the sound of that eerie laughter, everyone in the caravan fell into a deep slumber. One by one, they collapsed into unconsciousness.

A man and a donkey emerged from the yellow wind. The boy in the Taoist robe, carrying a peachwood sword, walked calmly, harvesting the cultivators of the caravan as if he were reaping leeks.

Inside the carriage, Qin Changsheng watched the scene silently, his eyes devoid of any ripples, as if everything were within his expectations. Nangong Ruoxi, however, had turned pale with fright and was hiding behind him.

"Is... is this what you meant by unclean things? How can that boy, Chen An, be so evil?" Nangong Ruoxi asked, her voice trembling.

To Qin Changsheng's surprise, Nangong Ruoxi had not been put to sleep by the yellow wind and was watching the situation outside with sharp, alert eyes. It was clear this woman was no simple character. A Saintess who could walk out of the Kaoshan Sect with such ease—it seemed he had underestimated her.

"Indeed," Qin Changsheng said indifferently.

"Are we just going to watch him slaughter the innocent?" Nangong Ruoxi asked, clearly conflicted.

"If you can defeat him, feel free to stop him," Qin Changsheng replied, shaking his head. "That is his path. I have no ability to intervene; I can only step aside and observe coldly."

"He is already at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage; I cannot defeat him." Nangong Ruoxi shrank back, a look of complexity flashing in her beautiful eyes. "If he decides to attack us, what do we do?"