A gust of wind blew by, and the bamboo leaves behind him made a rustling sound as they rubbed together. He looked up and saw Han Zhengzhi, whom he hadn't seen for many days, walking towards him. Han Zhengzhi waved to him before returning his attention to the communication talisman.
“It’s the totem of the Wu tribe.” Si Yang said while rubbing his waist, combining the information he got from Qi Muyuan and the classics in the Tianyan Sect. “There are humans who are Wu, with human bodies and snake tails, who are good at interpreting heavenly secrets and live forever.”
Fu Mingxu narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, suddenly recalling a brief message from his inheritance. He paused and said, "Is it the Wu tribe, which went extinct ten thousand years ago and also belonged to the human race?"
Compared to what Immortal Lord Siyang said, the description of the Wu tribe in his inherited memories was more concise: There are humans who are Wu, who predict fate and destiny, and their lifespan extends for tens of thousands of years, with some even achieving immortality.
“It should be.” Si Yang leaned back on the bed to rest, giving Qi Muyuan a warning look not to come over. “That totem is the totem of the Wu tribe.”
But if they could live forever, why did they become extinct ten thousand years ago? Could it be that the immortality the witch clan spoke of was different from what they knew?
The handprint on Qi Muyuan's face had disappeared, leaving only a fresh wound on his exposed waist and abdomen. With his cultivation level, this wound should have healed long ago, but whether intentionally or unintentionally, it kept fluctuating between bleeding and healing.
Ignoring the warnings, he slowly moved behind Si Yang, twirling his loose black hair with his fingers. After hearing their conversation, he spoke up: "When the Cangling Continent was still the Cangling Realm, the Witch Clan and the Human Clan coexisted. To be precise, the Witch Clan was also a human, but they were superior to the Human Clan."
Fu Mingxu was surprised to see Qi Muyuan there, but he didn't think too much about it and simply asked, "Why is the Witch Clan also a human race?"
With a human body and a snake tail, and an age comparable to that of an immortal, even if all humans at that time were cultivators, it should not belong to the human race in any way.
"Who knows?" Qi Muyuan's voice was lazy. Knowing that Si Yang dared not make any rash moves at the moment, his actions became even more unrestrained. "However, I advise you not to look for any witch clan. They have been extinct for a long time. You might as well enjoy the present moment instead."
Fu Mingxu found his words a bit strange, but couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong. Just as he was about to thank Si Yang Xianjun, he heard Qi Muyuan say, "Alright, Master and I have other things to attend to."
After saying that, he cut off the communication.
Busy with other things? Fu Mingxu assumed the two had sect matters to attend to.
"Master Fu." Han Zhengzhi walked with a rather furtive air, and seeing Fu Mingxu alone, he was immediately delighted. "Could I discuss something with you?"
Fu Mingxu was pondering the matter of the Witch Clan when he glanced up and saw the thief-like expression on Fu Mingxu's face. He found it amusing and raised an eyebrow: "What is it?"
Han Zhengzhi looked around warily, and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that his city lord was not among them.
Looking at Fu Mingxu's incomparably handsome face, he mustered his courage and said in a tone as if facing certain death, "Could I ask you to sleep with the city lord?"
Fu Mingxu: ...?
A note from the author:
Fu Mingxu: Is this person crazy?
Han Tao: Hmm, his suggestion is good.
Chapter 65
The wind wasn't strong today, otherwise Fu Mingxu would have thought he misheard.
But when he saw the expectant expression on Han Zhengzhi's face, he wondered if the other man had lost his mind.
He stared blankly for a moment, his lips twitching involuntarily, and asked, "What do you mean? I don't understand."
Moreover, why did he sleep with Han Tao?
Han Zheng almost bit his tongue as soon as he said it, and felt a moment of regret when he met those exceptionally clear eyes.
But the priest's words kept echoing in his mind. He gritted his teeth and said, "Master Fu, you've already married the city lord. I think you two could live together, so you can look after each other, right?"
After saying this, his heart pounded with anxiety. When he saw Fu Mingxu's eyes gradually turning cold, he knew something was wrong.
Sure enough, Fu Mingxu gave him a deep look and asked in a low voice, "Did Han Tao tell you to do this?"
He felt that, given Han Zhengzhi's loyalty, he would never act on his own initiative.
Upon realizing he had misunderstood, Han Zhengzhi was dumbfounded and quickly explained, "No, it's..."
Before he could finish speaking, Fu Mingxu snorted coldly and then slammed the courtyard gate shut.
Now, Han Zhengzhi truly had no chance to explain. Realizing that he had once again "failed to perform his duties effectively," he had the idea of disappearing from the scene.
Back in the courtyard, Fu Mingxu ignored his rambling and sat quietly by the window. He then took out Shen Ange's communication talisman and sent a message.
"Ange, do you know where I can find records from a long time ago?"
Shen Ange replied quickly: "In the floating city, the merfolk are engaged in the trade of all kinds of records. They can find snippets of information about obscure things that cultivators have never heard of."
The floating city is located on the coast of the East Sea and is the home of the merfolk. Merfolk are a particularly ancient race. Although their numbers are small, they have managed to survive by avoiding conflict each time they live in the deep sea.
The floating city was specifically established by the merfolk to exchange goods with humans and demons.
Merfolk live in the deep sea and are able to preserve ancient texts that humans cannot. Over the years, these texts have become commodities that they can exchange for.
"Mermaids?" Fu Mingxu murmured, recalling the Meng Shui he had met before.
Not receiving an immediate reply, Shen Ange couldn't help but ask, "Why are you asking these questions?"
Fu Mingxu didn't reveal his purpose, only saying that he had seen an extinct elixir formula in the classics but no specific details, which piqued his curiosity.
"Are you curious about the Mermaid Pill?" Shen Ange didn't think of anything else and said to herself, "I've heard that the Merfolk have a pill recipe that, when refined and taken, can transform a human into a Mermaid. But it's just a rumor, and I doubt anyone has ever tried it."
Fu Mingxu was about to say that the rumor sounded ridiculous, but when he thought of the ever-changing nature of elixirs, he shut his mouth.
"Oh, that's amazing." He said casually, subtly changing the subject, "Did you go to the Demon Realm?"
Shen Ange's voice sounded like the wind was blowing as she answered loudly, "We're almost there. Once we get to the Demon Realm, I won't be able to use my spiritual energy freely anymore."
Demonic energy is highly sensitive in human territory, and the same goes for spiritual energy.
Fu Mingxu indicated that he understood, and the two exchanged a few more casual words before ending the communication.
He sat by the window lost in thought for a long time, until dusk fell and the sunset painted the earth with its glow, before he finally snapped out of his reverie.
As night fell, he remembered Han Zhengzhi's words about sleep, and for some reason his cheeks felt hot.
Fortunately, no one was around. He patted his face and felt a little panicked when he felt the warmth on his palm.
When Fu Mingxu learned that Han Tao had been refining a flying artifact these past few days, he didn't disturb him.
A few days later, he had swept all the spiritual herbs in his storage bag, and he no longer had any auxiliary spiritual herbs to refine the pills he wanted to make.
He remembered the shops Shen Ange had mentioned and decided to go out and take a look.
As luck would have it, he ran into the priest and Ao Yushu as soon as he left the folded space.
After a polite smile and nod, Ao Yushu could only let out a cold laugh. The priest, however, saw him and his eyes lit up slightly. He called out to him.
Ao Yushu clearly had no intention of talking to him and walked away on his own.
"Ignore him, he has such a bad temper." The priest carefully looked him up and down, making Fu Mingxu feel uneasy, before smiling and asking, "Have you all finished reading the secret manuals I gave you?"
Fu Mingxu was taken aback, clearly not understanding what he meant.
The priest assumed he was just shy and winked, saying, "It's a dual cultivation secret realm. I give each dragon a share after they find a partner."
However, Han Tao is the leader of the Dragon Clan, and his abilities in all aspects should be the strongest among the Dragon Clan, so naturally he has obtained the most complete set of secret manuals.
He glanced at Fu Mingxu's somewhat thin frame and said with a broad smile, "With the manual, you'll know what to do."
He felt that the city lord could distinguish between what was important and what was not, and seeing how much he valued his partner, he certainly wouldn't indulge him too much.
These words exploded in Fu Mingxu's mind like a thunderbolt. He froze on the spot, his lips trembling, and after a long while, he asked, "Are your dragon clan's secret manuals this thick?"
The priest replied with great pride, "Of course!"
Dragons are favored by heaven and earth, and are born strong, which naturally refers to all aspects of their nature.
Fu Mingxu was completely stunned. It turned out that the secret manual that Han Tao had put away was not a cultivation technique, but a dual cultivation manual!
He suddenly understood what Han Zhengzhi meant by asking earlier, and the priest's smile suddenly seemed lewd to him.
With such a thick manual, he'd be lucky to escape with his life.
Fu Mingxu's mind went blank for a moment, and he didn't come back to his senses until the priest thought he understood and walked away with his chest out.
When the draft blew through the room, he shivered.
Now, he really had no intention of going out to buy spirit herbs. It wasn't until he reluctantly walked back to the folded space and thought it over that he couldn't help but send a telepathic message to Han Tao.
"Han Tao, do you want to sleep in the same room as me?"
Han Tao, who was rushing to forge a flying artifact, never expected him to ask such a direct question. He almost lost his composure and destroyed the artifact in his hand.
He didn't know why he would ask that, but upon hearing it, his mouth immediately went dry, and he instinctively replied, "Is that alright?"
Upon receiving the answer, Fu Mingxu's legs went weak, and his mind automatically connected Han Zhengzhi's and the priest's words.
He understood; Han Tao wanted to cultivate with him.
But instead of alerting them, he quickly regained his composure and asked, "How much longer will it take you to finish crafting this flying artifact?"
Han Tao was delighted to see that he did not refuse directly, but fearing that he would frighten him, he pretended to be reserved and said, "Seven days."
As long as he works day and night, this time is enough.
After receiving a positive reply, Fu Mingxu breathed a slight sigh of relief and calmly said, "I understand."
He then cut off the telepathic communication and rushed back to his room, unable to calm down for a long time.
Han Tao was overjoyed and didn't think much about it, wishing he could finish refining the flying artifact right now.
Back in his room, Fu Mingxu was in a state of turmoil. The end of his sensitive period made him more rational. Even though he was still unsure of his feelings for Han Tao, the other party had repeatedly confessed his desires for him.
To be honest, he was scared.
Remembering that the demonic seed within the other party was now quite stable, after a brief moment of panic, he made a bold decision.
He was going to the floating city alone.
It doesn't matter if he doesn't have a flying artifact; he remembers that every city has a flying boat, which is slow, but he can ride it as long as he has spirit stones.
Thinking of this, he lost the will to continue resting. He spent a day refining some pills and then went out to sell some of them in exchange for spirit stones.
Finally, he sorted and packed a pile of pills in front of the window, put down a communication talisman, and caught the last flying boat to Yunhan City as dusk fell.
The other dragons in the city lord's mansion had only met him a few times, and Han Zhengzhi did not dare to show himself easily after talking with him before. Priests never liked to go out, so no one really noticed that he had disappeared.
After all, he could put all his belongings in his storage bag, so this trip was no different from any other time.
Inside the folded space, Han Tao, preoccupied with finishing the flying artifact as soon as possible, did not spare his divine sense to cover the city lord's mansion and had no idea that he had left.
...
Fu Mingxu put on a veil to conceal his divine sense and deliberately released his aura. He was now equivalent to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although his attack power was not great, his powerful aura was enough to deceive many people.
Just in case, he carefully covered his body with a layer of spiritual energy, trying not to aggravate the demon bone chain rings on his ankles.