The Yin Qi's Compromise

Xu Xian closed his eyes again, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, which felt slightly sore. He asked via divine sense, 'How long was I out?'

The little book spirit, Shuer, landed on the youth's chest and sat down. "Only half a day," it said airily.

'Half a day...'

He turned his head to look aside. Outside the window, the moonlight was bright and clear. He could occasionally hear the voices of the generals and the sounds of grumbling.

Shuer hurriedly asked, "Master, what exactly happened? Why did that yin qi suddenly chicken out? I really thought you were a goner."

Hearing this, Xu Xian's gaze darkened. He involuntarily recalled everything that had transpired within his sea of consciousness.

Indeed.

He had been certain of defeat, but at the very last moment, he had thrown caution to the wind, treating a dead horse as if it were alive.

He hadn't expected it to actually work.

It was utterly absurd.

However...

This had also left behind a hidden danger. What the future would hold was still unknown.

'It was nothing. I just made a deal with "it."'

"A deal?" Shuer looked confused, its eyes full of curiosity. "What kind of deal?"

Xu Xian gave a bitter smile, his answer seemingly unrelated to the question. 'We still underestimated it. This yin qi from the River of Reincarnation is truly not simple.'

Shuer became even more bewildered and pressed on relentlessly.

"What kind of deal was it? Did you threaten it? That doesn't make sense. It's from the reincarnation cycle, all alone with no ties or worries. Is it even afraid of death?"

Shuer was completely stumped.

It truly couldn't imagine what kind of method its master could have used to force that yin qi to compromise.

This yin qi existed outside the Three Realms and was not within the Five Elements.

It didn't fear death.

It had no stray thoughts.

How could it compromise?

And what kind of deal could it be?

Xu Xian lowered his eyes. He had no intention of hiding it and spoke frankly.

'You're right, it really isn't afraid of death. I originally thought I could force it to compromise by threatening to destroy the Taiyin Immortal Body so that no one could have it, forcing it to crawl back to the River of Reincarnation. But it didn't care at all. It said that while obtaining the Taiyin Immortal Body would be good, if it couldn't, it didn't matter if it had to go back where it came from. It had wanted to go back for a long time...'

Shuer listened intently, its eyes wide and its head tilted. "So?"

Xu Xian shrugged. 'So... I told it that if it didn't stop, I would forge a sword and seal it inside.'

"And then?"

'Then I'd throw that sword into my Sword Tower and suppress it for a lifetime.'

Shuer's eyelashes fluttered. "It believed that?"

Xu Xian pondered for a moment. 'I'll admit, I was gambling.'

Shuer's small face was filled with disbelief.

Forging a sword.

Sealing a spirit.

Throwing it into the Sword Tower.

Was this innate yin qi that stupid?

It could believe something so ridiculous?

Setting aside whether the Sword Tower could hold other swords, even if it could, Xu Xian was only at the sixth stage and was merely a sixth-rank spirit forger. To suppress that yin qi, he would need at least a divine weapon.

Could he forge a divine weapon?

Therefore... it seriously suspected that either it had gone mad, or that innate yin qi was truly stupid—stupider than a pig.

If neither was true, then the yin qi must have had other motives.

"Tsk tsk, I can't believe that worked."

Xu Xian didn't explain. Everything had a reason for existing and its own internal logic.

If one were to say the yin qi truly believed his words, even Xu Xian wouldn't believe it.

The reason the yin qi compromised was primarily because it couldn't bear to let go of the Taiyin Immortal Body.

To it, this Taiyin Immortal Body was a vessel that allowed it to exist freely and logically anywhere.

With this vessel, it no longer needed to be dependent on the River of Reincarnation; it could go wherever it pleased.

Only then could it break through its shackles and cultivate its own Dao.

Without this vessel, it could only return to the place it came from.

It would be a wisp of ordinary air, drifting with the wind when it blew, and floating aimlessly when it was still.

Whether it be humans, beasts, or even a blade of grass or a tree—if there was a chance to stand out, no one wanted to be mediocre or subservient. This was especially true for this wisp of yin qi, which had already been in the mortal world for thirty years.

Now that the opportunity was within reach, it naturally felt unwilling to let go.

So...

It compromised, reaching an agreement with Xu Xian that had no guarantees or constraints.

It would leave Yao Xiaoxiao's soul intact, but it had usurped half of the control over her body.

Simply put, there were now two distinct consciousnesses within Yao Xiaoxiao's body: one was the original Yao Xiaoxiao, and the other was the divine sense of the yin qi.

When the time was ripe in the future, the yin qi would surely try to replace her. But Xu Xian had no choice; he could only temporarily save Yao Xiaoxiao's life while searching for a way to break the deadlock.

As for the future—whether the yin qi would attain its Dao or Yao Xiaoxiao would remain in control—it would all depend on human effort.

Shuer remained confused and intended to get to the bottom of it, but Xu Xian had already sat up and was walking toward the door.

"I'll tell you more later."

As he pushed the door open, several gazes shot toward him simultaneously.

Ruan Hao, who had been grumbling earlier, instantly fell silent. He looked back, his expression as usual—solemn and mature to a terrifying degree.

"You're awake?"

Xu Xian hurried down to the street, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said warmly, "I've made Master worry. I am fine."

Ruan Hao waved his hand, took a deep drag from his pipe, and blew out a cloud of smoke. "It's good that you're fine."

Li Qingshan's gaze drifted over Xu Xian's body, his spiritual light flashing as he inspected him repeatedly. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief, grumbling, "If you don't have the diamond drill, don't take on the porcelain work. Be careful, or one day you'll lose your life over this."

Ye Xianyu took the opportunity to stealthily steal a chess piece from the table. Acting as if nothing had happened, she looked at Xu Xian with a grin and said, "Little Eleven, did you really cure that Yao girl's illness?"

Xu Xian gave a forced smile. "She won't die for the time being."

Ye Xianyu said thoughtfully, "So she's not completely cured, and there are still hidden dangers."

Xu Xian feigned a relaxed tone. "Stubborn ailments always require some thought and time. It's just like cultivation—you can't rush it; you have to take it slow."

Ruan Hao agreed, "Mm, indeed. Nothing in this world can be settled all at once. You can't finish a bowel movement all at once, can you?"

Xu Xian felt slightly embarrassed. That metaphor... was certainly something!

Li Qingshan clicked his tongue and remained silent. When he turned his head back, he was suddenly dumbfounded. He glared at Ye Xianyu and roared, "Where's my knight?"

Ye Xianyu looked innocent, glancing around. "What knight? Where would a knight come from?"

Li Qingshan was so angry he wanted to flip the table, but then he remembered the table was his own. He held back and said in a low voice, "I'm not playing anymore."

Ye Xianyu pushed her luck. "Can't handle losing?"

Li Qingshan rolled his eyes so hard they almost reached the back of his head. He stood up and stormed out of the courtyard.

Ye Xianyu was immensely proud of herself.

Ruan Hao watched the entertainment, then gave Xu Xian a few more instructions, reminding him that he should also make progress in his forging path. He also told Xu Xian to come to the workshop when he had time; he wanted to see if his skills had regressed.

Xu Xian naturally agreed readily.

He looked up at the sky and remarked that it was getting late. Ruan Hao, with his hands behind his back and smoking his pipe, strode out of the courtyard with his head held high.

Ye Xianyu was the only guest left in the courtyard.

However, it didn't look like she had any intention of leaving.

Xu Xian slowly paced over and sat down in front of her, getting straight to the point.

"Senior Sister, everyone else is gone. If there's something on your mind, just say it."