As he spoke, Jiang Ziang turned his gaze toward the room. Looking at the pale Piao, who was silently enduring her agony, he added with a complex expression in his eyes.
He was speaking to Piao, but also explaining to Jian Huaishuang.
"Though this lady's methods are miraculous, they ultimately treat the symptoms rather than the cause."
"The copper poison has already deeply infested that old woman's body. Even if you can suck away all the erupting poison, the toxins remaining in her flesh, blood, and marrow will still use her body as a nursery, growing wildly until the next outbreak."
"By doing this, you aren't saving her. You are only forcing her to endure greater agony through repeated cycles of near-death and life-extension."
Jiang Ziang’s tone was sincere.
Copper poison was incurable.
The only solution was the moment she succumbed to the poison; a Pursuing Soul Envoy would perform a soul induction, consuming the resentful soul along with the copper poison into their own body to bring back to the Soul-Suppressing Tower. This prevented the pollution of the land and saved more innocents from being affected.
It was a helpless, yet ultimately most merciful, way of handling the situation.
However, hearing his well-intentioned advice, Piao—who had just managed to suppress the expansion of her insect armor—slowly turned her head.
The insect mask covering nearly her entire face was filled with killing intent.
The hair on Jiang Ziang's arms stood on end. He had no doubt that if the other party wished, he would follow in the footsteps of that Pursuing Soul Envoy in the next heartbeat, torn into a pile of meaningless shredded meat.
"La... Lady, please calm your anger!"
Driven by a powerful instinct for survival, Jiang Ziang quickly raised his hands in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture and hurriedly explained.
"I have no ill intent! The Pursuing Soul Envoy is by no means the life-reaping evil ghost you imagine!"
He spoke at a rapid-fire pace, fearing that if he were even half a word too slow, his life would be forfeit.
"The Pursuing Soul Envoy's duty isn't slaughter. It had no intention of harming your mother. It was only performing an induction. Can you understand what induction means?
"Inducting those resentful souls who have been completely eroded by copper poison and are beyond saving. The Pursuing Soul Envoy swallows the soul along with the potent poison and brings it back to the Soul-Suppressing Tower to prevent the toxin from spreading and polluting the land!
"This is truly saving people, protecting even more innocent lives!"
Jiang Ziang’s voice trembled slightly, but his tone was incredibly earnest.
However, the killing intent on Piao's face did not diminish in the slightest.
In her simple logic, 'induction' and 'life-reaping' were fundamentally the same thing; both involved taking her mother away.
"No, what I mean is I won't perform the induction now. Your mother is fine for the moment, but... but could you follow me back to the sect?"
Piao: ???
Wasn't taking her away the same as taking her mother away?
He just wanted to separate them!
The only part of Piao’s face not covered by the insect armor was her human eyes. At this moment, all their clarity faded, leaving only unabashed violence.
In this moment of explosive tension, Jiang Ziang had a sudden flash of inspiration and turned a pleading gaze toward Jian Huaishuang, who had remained silent throughout.
"Fellow Daoist!" he cried, as if grabbing onto a final lifeline. "I know you both have many questions. My sect has rules, and there are many secrets I have no authority to reveal.
"But since you possess the means to easily disperse copper poison, you are surely no ordinary person!
"Please, follow me back to Burial Soul Mountain to meet my Sect Master. I believe the Sect Master will surely clear up all your confusion!"
He lowered his posture significantly, speaking with earnest entreaty. This was not just for self-preservation, but because he saw unprecedented hope in these two.
One could swallow copper poison, and the other could disperse it; both seemed to be the natural banes of this deadly toxin.
The Sect Master bore too much evil karma and had little time left. Jiang Ziang was at his wits' end and could only grasp at straws.
A flicker of thought crossed Jian Huaishuang's eyes.
He had once been a disciple of a celestial sect. Though he was now an evil spirit, that heart for protecting the common people had not completely perished.
Facing this catastrophe that swept through all living beings, he could not simply stand by and watch.
Moreover, his purpose for this trip was to uncover the truth behind the copper poison.
Now that the clues pointed directly to the Corpse Soul Sect, entering their headquarters was undoubtedly the most efficient method.
More importantly, the Divine Lord was also quite concerned about the matter of the copper poison. If he could investigate the truth, it would be a way to share the Divine Lord's burdens.
"Fine," Jian Huaishuang agreed succinctly.
Seeing Jian Huaishuang nod, the weight in Jiang Ziang's heart was halved.
He turned to Piao and urged her again, "Lady, your mother's condition... if I may be blunt, if no root cure is found, she will ultimately succumb to this fate.
"My Corpse Soul Sect has studied copper poison for many years. Perhaps... perhaps there is a way!"
Jiang Ziang actually had no idea if there was a way, but he had to say it.
However, Piao remained unmoved.
She was simple by nature; her world was black and white.
The Ugly Hag had taught her to be a good person, but her monstrous side also granted her extreme indifference and ruthlessness.
Her emotions were only invested in those she recognized as 'family'.
What did external disasters or the life and death of the masses have to do with her?
She only wanted to stay by her mother's side, never leaving for a single step.
Seeing that she obstinately refused to listen, Jiang Ziang grew frantic with anxiety.
"Lady, the source of this copper poison is no small matter. Once it completely erupts..."
"Annoying."
Piao coldly spat out a single word.
Her little notebook clearly stated she shouldn't be rude to strangers, but she didn't know how else to express her refusal.
Ultimately, all her emotions coalesced into that icy expression.
"I'm not going," she emphasized again, wanting to voice her displeasure through these words.
Jiang Ziang wanted to argue further but was stopped by Jian Huaishuang raising a hand.
Jian Huaishuang's gaze fell calmly upon Piao. His voice was not loud, but it was very steady.
"You want to save her, don't you?"
Facing someone who, while a stranger, was an acquaintance of an acquaintance, Piao's expression softened slightly as she nodded.
Jian Huaishuang continued, "But with your current strength alone, you cannot do it."
Piao's body stiffened slightly.
Jian Huaishuang's tone was flat, yet he was stating a fact. "Everyone has those they cherish. I can understand your feelings.
"But this matter of the copper poison is a calamity affecting the whole region. It is like a mountain flood breaking a levee, unstoppable. When the true disaster erupts, none can be spared."
He paused, his gaze becoming deep and sharp.
"Your mother will not be spared either."
"Only by going out, finding the true source, and resolving it completely can you truly protect her."
These words were like heavy hammer blows striking Piao's heart.
Her simple logical system experienced a violent upheaval for the first time.
To protect her mother... she had to leave her mother?
She fell into an unprecedented struggle and contradiction.
The monstrous half of her instincts screamed wildly.
After a long time, just when Jiang Ziang was about to give up hope, Piao finally gave a slow nod.
"...Okay."
She agreed.
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