Translator: Skyfarrow Editor: Skyfarrow
Sunset clouds are blown away as cool wind fills the air, and the jade disc spins silently in the milky way.
Bai Ning Bing looked out from the window and gazed at the night sky.
A bright and sparkling moon was shining in the sky. Occasionally, wolf howls could be heard in the distance, adding some bleakness to the peaceful moonlight.
In the study room, the Bai clan leader was sitting at a side with a dazed expression.
Just a moment ago, Bai Ning Bing told him about the Northern Dark Ice Soul physique.
“Northern Dark Ice Soul….ten absolute aptitudes….” The Bai clan leader mumbled constantly.
“I have already sensed that my end is nearing, my aperture is gradually unable to endure the burden. These past few years, I’ve truly caused you much problems!” Bai Ning Bing softly sighed.
His expression was calm. No longer was there the abnormal reckless and crazed state as before. What replaced them was tranquility and peace.
This tranquility and peace came from his heart.
He had found his path and was no longer perplexed by life and death.
People mature over time, and the stimulation from life and death could further speed up this process.
Moonlight fell down like flowing water, illuminating Bai Ning Bing’s fair skin. Under the flowing radiance, his two blue eyes shone with depth.
He was like a beautiful young man from a painting, with white hair and white clothes like the immortals in the clouds, causing people to look intently.
“How could this happen? You were clearly A grade with 99% primeval essence when your aptitude was tested. It absolutely wasn’t the Northern Dark Ice Soul.” The Bai clan leader was still refusing to accept it.
“It was indeed so. But one day when I was cultivating, my aptitude suddenly advanced. I checked the ancient scrolls and records in the clan and found some information on this; every 99% A grade aptitude has the possibility of advancing to ten absolute aptitudes while cultivating,” Bai Ning Bing said.
“All ten defy the heavens, and the heavens can’t tolerate them. Even Ren Zu’s ten children didn’t have a good end. Sigh, is there really no way to salvage it?” Bai clan leader felt pity and regret when he looked at the beautiful boy in front of him.
He was the clan’s pride and their hope to rise up in power. However, his life was already nearing its end. Despite glowing brightly, he was like a firework which could only shine splendidly for one single moment.
“There are no ways to evade my impending doom, but there are some ways to delay it. However, all these methods need many years to prepare, which I don’t have.”
Bai Ning Bing said all this and gave a light laugh, as if the one being discussed about was not him, but some irrelevant outsider.
“Don’t worry. Who doesn’t die? True immortality doesn’t exist! As long as we live our life interestingly, it is enough.” He was instead consoling the clan leader.
“I cannot accept this! I absolutely cannot! Damn it, my Bai clan has been suppressed by the Gu Yue clan for centuries, we finally found hope but it ends up like this! No, there is still hope!”
Bai clan leader’s voice got louder and louder till suddenly, his expression turned firm as if he had decided on something.
“Follow me, I will bring you to a place….” He stood up and said.
After a while.
The bright moonlight shone upon a deep pool.
“This is the spirit spring?” Bai Ning Bing asked. He had been led by the Bai clan leader as they went through a long secret pathway, and finally arrived here.
“Indeed. This is our clan’s restricted area, the location of the spirit spring. You also know this — every clan’s foundation is established upon a natural spirit spring, where the primeval stones produced by it will be used to provide for their cultivation. Our Bai clan can only be considered a small-medium scale clan, and only by annexing Gu Yue and Xiong clan as well as possessing at least three springs can we become a large scale clan,” Bai clan leader sighed.
“Then clan leader, what did you bring me here for?”
Bai clan leader’s face revealed a complex expression, and as he turned around to look at Bai Ning Bing, his expression contained some hesitation, “I had originally never thought of bringing you here. However, the affairs of the world are hard to anticipate. To think, you would end up possessing Northern Dark Ice Soul! Your only chance at living lies within this spring.”
“What is in this spring?” Bai Ning Bing asked.
“A great Immortal!” Bai clan leader said with a deep voice.
“Great Immortal?” Bai Ning Bing was flabbergasted.
“Great Immortal is its title. It is a snake Gu left by our Bai clan’s first generation ancestor. It likes cleanliness, and its food is the water of spirit spring. It has always been secretly living in the spirit spring,” Bai clan leader introduced.
“Before the first generation ancestor passed away, he set up a secret inheritance and left behind this snake Gu as a clue. If you can get the approval of the Great Immortal, it will open the secret inheritance for you. But if you can’t receive its approval….” The Bai clan leader stopped his sentence in the middle.
“What happens then?” Bai Ning Bing asked.
Bai clan leader’s expression turned grave and he said, “It will kill you!”
At the same time, Gu Yue village.
Inside the room, Tie Ruo Nan kept her recon Gu and nodded with satisfaction, “The environment here is pretty good, it’s rather clean.”
The ‘clean’ she referred to wasn’t talking about the cleanliness of the room, but was pointing at the lack of surveillance.
It was impossible to say that there absolutely wasn’t any surveillance.
After all, Tie Xue Leng was rank five, so he possessed too great of a threat. Hence, there was a necessity for some precautions.
However, Gu Yue clan’s defensive and surveillance measures were just at the right amount and the level was quite low too, not creating any feelings of provocation and aversion. It could even be taken as excessively earnest and passionate reception, which was why Tie Ruo Nan gave the assessment of ‘rather clean’.
Tie Xue Leng slightly nodded, “Ruo Nan, you have followed me for so long and have learned many things. However, some things can only be learned by taking actions and not just by spectating from the sides. Hence, I handed this case to you.”
“Father, I will definitely work hard and give my best!”
“Good. Then, let me ask you, what should your next step be?” Tie Xue Leng was deliberately testing her.
Tie Ruo Nan smiled. She turned around and gazed at the moon through the window, “The moon is beautiful tonight. Dad, can I have the pleasure to take you around this Gu Yue village?”
Upon hearing this, Tie Xue Leng revealed a gratifying smile.
When starting out on a case, it was not urgent to understand the details of the case. The first step to solve a case was to survey the surroundings.
The father and daughter pair slowly walked through the streets. After resisting the most terrifying attacks of the wolf tide, Gu Yue clan was now in a wretched state.
There were collapsed bamboo buildings and bloodstains all around. Junks were piled up all over the place and feeble moaning sounds of crippled people could be heard from time to time.
The Tie father and daughter pair walked around the village without saying any words.
“Fang Yuan, you bastard, fuck off!” Suddenly, a loud roar came from within a courtyard.
The Tie father and daughter stopped walking.
After a long while, the courtyard gate opened and Fang Yuan walked out while rubbing his nose with a vague smile on his face.
“Hello, little brother Fang Yuan.” Tie Xue Leng took the initiative to send his greetings.
“Junior pays his respects to lord divine investigator.” Fang Yuan constrained his smile and cupped his hands.
“Little brother, we are new here and don’t know the place well. Is it possible for little brother to tell us a thing or two?” Tie Xue Leng suddenly asked.
Tie Ruo Nan glanced at her father, but she didn’t make any comments.
Fang Yuan’s gaze hardened, he was just about to go meet them but this opportunity was delivered right up to him.
“Both of you have travelled a great distance and suffered hardships to come and solve the case, the whole village ought to help you. Please follow me.” Fang Yuan spoke directly without showing the slightest evil intention, and walked in front.
…
The spirit spring was raging like the boiling water.
All of a sudden, the springwater rose up like a tidal wave.
After it reached a certain height, the spirit spring scattered and splashed in all directions. A slender white snake, its whole body covered with snow white scales, tread on the waves and revealed its elegant appearance.
Its eyes were like jade, cold and indifferent. On the two sides of its head were a pair of long whiskers, floating like celestial ribbons.
Rank five white form immortal snake Gu!
“I pay respects to Great Immortal!” Bai clan leader emotionally kneeled on the ground, and at the same time anxiously urged, “Bai Ning Bing, why are you not kneeling down?”
“I will never kneel before a Gu!” Bai Ning Bing coldly snorted, his body standing upright and tall.
Although the white form immortal snake Gu released an ethereal cold grandeur with heavy killing intent concealed within, Bai Ning Bing was not the least bit afraid. His two blue pupils directly stared at its snake eyes.
Time seemed to have stopped at this moment.
The spirit spring and the Bai clan leader had become insignificant background objects.
Under the bright moonlight, the picturesque youngster with blue pupils and the silver whiskered white snake gazed at each other.
After a good while, the white snake suddenly gave a long cry and turned into a white rainbow, slamming into Bai Ning Bing.
Bai Ning Bing’s body jolted. The white light entered his aperture and turned into a white snake.
The white snake occupied the central area of his primeval essence, and with its tyrannical attitude, all the surrounding Gu were immediately forced to the side.
“This situation…” Bai clan leader stood up with a puzzled expression, “It doesn’t match what the clan’s secret records say.”
According to the clan’s secret records, once a Gu Master obtained approval, the white form immortal snake Gu would fly with the inheritor and open the inheritance in the sky.
However, the current situation was somewhat weird.
The white form immortal snake Gu took the initiative to enter Bai Ning Bing’s aperture and didn’t kill him, which should mean that it had approved of him. But why didn’t it carry Bai Ning Bing and fly to the sky?
Could it be that the secret records were wrong?
Bai clan leader couldn’t make sense of it.
……
Time quietly flew by.
“That more or less sums up everything about Gu Yue village. There is the underground cave, but that is a restricted area of the clan and outsiders aren’t allowed entry.” Fang Yuan said.
He looked at the bright moon in the sky and continued, “It is getting late, please go and rest, you need to have the energy to investigate tomorrow, right?”
“Hahaha, Elder Fang Yuan is correct. We are really thankful for Elder Fang Yuan’s directions, please go and take a rest,” Tie Xue Leng said.
“In that case, I will take my leave.” Fang Yuan cupped his hands before directly leaving.
Tie Xue Leng looked at Fang Yuan’s figure with interest, and only after Fang Yuan turned into a corner, did he take back his gaze.
“Ruo Nan, what do you think of this Fang Yuan?” He suddenly asked.
“I don’t like him, my intuition tells me he is covered in shadows.” The young girl frowned.
Tie Xue Leng nodded his head, “I know you have the Intuition Gu which strengthens your intuition, but we need definite evidence to solve a case. Just relying on intuition alone won’t be convincing. Don’t always depend on your intuition, I do not want you to use the intuition Gu to solve this case.”
“Yes, father.”