Legacy of the Spirit Stone

Chapter 65 – Su Lingyun

Yang Lingrui followed Pei Xuejian up the suspended jade steps, ascending quickly until they surpassed the Li Clan's pavilion.

After climbing a bit further, Pei Xuejian took out a wooden token and placed it against an invisible spot.

Yang Lingrui was puzzled, but the next moment, the scene before his eyes began to blur and change.

An illusion array!

Yang Lingrui instantly realized what was happening.

As several light shadows flashed by rapidly, the scene stabilized once more.

Now, the jade steps beneath Yang Lingrui's feet had transformed into a stone path, flanked by soft earth.

Looking up, the dark mountain rock walls and pavilions were gone, replaced by a beautifully scenic garden.

"Fellow Daoist Lingrui, follow me."

Pei Xuejian led Yang Lingrui across the stone path and into a corridor.

Yang Lingrui kept observing his surroundings, feeling a sense of unreality.

So, this mountain truly held a hidden paradise!

Through an illusion array, it was divided into two parts, accessible only to those with a token.

He remembered clearly that Song Kaiyang had descended from this height.

"No wonder they say prominent families participate in the Golden Scale Conference, yet they were unseen from the start. Turns out they were here."

Yang Lingrui thought, "The scale of this prominent family is indeed impressive, creating such a place for just a three-day conference."

After passing through the corridor, a rustic farmhouse courtyard appeared before the two.

In the courtyard were three people and a well.

A handsome young man in white was fishing by the well.

Beside him sat a middle-aged man in coarse cloth, dozing off.

At the other end of the courtyard, a seven or eight-year-old boy stood with arms outstretched, holding two large stones.

The stones seemed heavy, making the boy's face flush with effort.

"Old Qin, did you really put fish in there?"

The handsome young man asked, and the middle-aged man beside him nodded sharply, waking up.

"Huh?"

"Did you really put fish in there?" he asked again.

"I did." The middle-aged man nodded.

"Then why haven't I caught anything for so long? My little brother is about to collapse."

Saying this, the handsome young man glanced at the boy holding the stones.

"Uh..."

The middle-aged man scratched his head, "Maybe it's just your bad luck."

As the two chatted, Pei Xuejian brought Yang Lingrui to the courtyard entrance.

"Young Master Yun, I've brought the person." Pei Xuejian bowed.

"Arrived?"

The handsome young man set the fishing rod aside and turned around.

Yang Lingrui couldn't sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from him, indicating his cultivation was at least at the late Qi Condensation stage.

"You're Yang Lingrui, right? No need to be formal, come sit. I'm Su Lingyun."

With that, Su Lingyun summoned two wooden chairs.

"Thank you, Young Master Su."

Once Yang Lingrui was seated, Su Lingyun got straight to the point and took out a talisman.

"This Swift Talisman, it's from your family, right?"

Yang Lingrui glanced at it and said, "That's right."

"Did you make it?"

"No, it was crafted by an ancestor of my family."

"What is his background?"

Whoosh—

Yang Lingrui suddenly felt a void in his heart, as the question didn't come from Su Lingyun in front of him but echoed in his ear.

The middle-aged man in coarse cloth, who was dozing by the well a moment ago, appeared beside him in the next second.

Along with him came a heavy pressure on his shoulder.

"My family ancestor... was originally a cultivator from a sect in another region. While in the sect... he came into contact with talisman techniques. Later... the sect was destroyed, and he was hunted... He fled to Fish Ridge River and was saved by my family's... elders."

Yang Lingrui bore the pressure, trying hard not to let his mind waver too much, speaking as steadily as possible.

"Oh?"

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, "This isn't a story you made up to fool us, is it?"

As he spoke, the pressure doubled again.

Yang Lingrui leaned forward, almost kneeling from the wooden chair.

"Every... every word is true, I dare not... deceive Young Master Su and the senior..."

The middle-aged man seemed still unconvinced and intended to apply more pressure.

"Poof—"

At that moment, Yang Lingrui spat out a mouthful of black blood and collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man immediately withdrew his spell technique and looked at Su Lingyun.

Su Lingyun gave him a look, then said, "Look at you, a guest comes, and you act recklessly. The person was already injured, and you still did this, truly rash."

As he spoke, he helped the pale Yang Lingrui up, speaking gently, "Old Qin is a simple man, a bit straightforward, but he means no harm. Please bear with him."

What a way to say no harm!

Yang Lingrui suppressed his anger, forcing a smile, "I'm fine, the senior must have been a bit anxious, I understand."

"Sigh, as long as you understand."

Su Lingyun helped him back to the wooden chair and continued the questioning.

"Do you know the name of this ancestor's original sect?"

"I don't know, the ancestor never mentioned it."

"Oh..."

Buzz—

"Ah!!!"

A sharp pain appeared in Yang Lingrui's mind, far stronger than the bell used by Zheng Huaming that day. Unable to bear it, Yang Lingrui cried out and collapsed again.

Fortunately, Chen Yang's consciousness protection activated at that moment, deflecting the mental attack.

"Hmm?"

Su Lingyun was momentarily stunned, surprised that his soul technique targeting the mind was resisted.

He soon realized that the power didn't belong to Yang Lingrui himself but was external.

"Separated consciousness? A master indeed!"

Su Lingyun was amazed, starting to ponder deeply.

"Could the Yang Clan be a seed planted by another force? If I continue like this, won't I ruin someone else's plan?"

The middle-aged man known as Old Qin also noticed this, showing a slightly surprised expression.

He quickly approached Su Lingyun and said, "Lingyun, could we have touched someone else's meal?"

Su Lingyun propped his head with one hand, contemplating.

Achieving remote consciousness is one thing, but the technique of separated consciousness is quite formidable, the work of a high-level cultivator.

It might be a method set up by a Core Formation cultivator.

Moreover, he had heard Pei Xuejian mention Yang Lingrui's cultivation level before, and this reckless pill consumption to boost cultivation was indeed a common "ripening" method on their side.

"Hiss—"

Thinking of this, he performed a spell technique to repair the damage to Yang Lingrui's mind.

"What are you looking at? Hurry and help him!"

"Oh, oh."

Old Qin nodded quickly, stepping forward to transfer spiritual power to Yang Lingrui, healing his physical injuries.

After a quarter of an hour, Yang Lingrui finally regained some color.

Su Lingyun approached with a smile, helping him up, "Sorry, sorry, I lost control for a moment. Let's continue."

At this point, Yang Lingrui's eyes were dim, leaning weakly on the wooden chair, struggling to breathe.

This wasn't just a simple chat; it was clearly an interrogation.

The Su family members before him didn't treat him as a person at all.

But he had no choice; if they wanted him dead, it would be just a thought away.

Forced by circumstances, he had to endure.

After calming himself, Yang Lingrui opened his eyes, "I'm... I'm fine, Young Master Su, please continue."

"Hehehe."

Su Lingyun rubbed his hands, "Here's the thing, my family also has a talisman heritage, and Old Qin holds it. In the crafting of the Swift Talisman, it just so happens to complement your family's version, possibly allowing the talisman to advance in grade. So, I plan to purchase a hundred of your family's Swift Talismans to take back for study."

Originally, Su Lingyun intended to have the Yang family "voluntarily" offer their talisman heritage, or simply "invite" the ancestor over, at the very least to copy it for the Su family.

But now, with the possibility of the Yang family being involved in another's scheme, it was easy to leave a handle for others, so he opted to purchase a large quantity of ready-made talismans instead.

Yang Lingrui struggled to straighten up, reaching for the storage bag at his waist.

"Young Master Su, cough cough... I only have these ten left, the rest... I'll have to inform the ancestor to craft more."

"Of course, of course."

Su Lingyun's attitude softened, refraining from further tormenting Yang Lingrui.

He took out a storage bag from his bosom.

"A hundred inferior Swift Talismans, eight hundred Spirit Crystals. If a good one is crafted, I'll add eight more crystals per piece, and if a superior one is made, even better, I'll buy it for forty Spirit Crystals."

He handed the storage bag to Yang Lingrui, "Here are a total of thirteen hundred Spirit Crystals, eight hundred for the talismans, another five hundred as compensation for today, plus three rejuvenation pills for the late Qi Condensation stage. Take them all, and when the talismans are ready, send them to the Immortal Patrol in Moonwatch City."

Yang Lingrui feigned alarm, repeatedly saying, "Young Master Su, I can't accept this, I haven't done anything to deserve it. Today, I only came to talk with you..."

"Alright, alright, just take it when I tell you to."

Seeing the young man's compliance, Su Lingyun pushed the storage bag into Yang Lingrui's hand.

With the matter settled, they didn't keep Yang Lingrui any longer, having Pei Xuejian escort him out.

"Which family do you think it is?" Su Lingyun returned to the well, holding the fishing rod.

Old Qin shook his head, "Hard to say. Since the Beast Tide, the situation's been disrupted, everyone's anxious, sowing seeds everywhere."

"Mm, let's leave it at that for today. My compensation wasn't stingy, and if the real owner comes after us later, we can just apologize."

As Su Lingyun finished speaking, the boy in the courtyard couldn't bear the pressure of holding the stones any longer and collapsed.

"I haven't caught a fish yet, who allowed you to put them down?"

"Brother... brother, I..."

Whoosh—

An invisible mental attack struck, and the boy, still a mortal, convulsed once from the severe blow, then lay still, lifeless.

"Another useless brother, with such waste, when will I ever catch a fish?"