The Spirit Clan might seem mysterious to outsiders, but not to those from the Buddhist City.
“I’ve come for a person,” Fohsin said nonchalantly. “Clan leader, I would like to know what demands were made by those who captured Lingran.”
The clan leader snorted coldly, his displeasure clear. “These are matters of the Spirit Clan and not for outsiders. I hope you understand, Master Fohsin.”
In other words, he wasn’t going to say anything.
Fohsin chuckled softly. “Not for outsiders? I wonder, is the Spirit Clan itself meant to remain hidden from outsiders as well?”
At these words, the clan leader narrowed his eyes and asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said,” Fohsin replied casually. “If I can bypass the Spirit Clan’s barrier and enter this place, I can also destroy that very barrier.”
“Without the barrier, what do you think will happen to the Spirit Clan? Do you need me to spell it out?”
“Bang!”
The clan leader slammed his fist onto the table, glaring at Fohsin. “Don’t push me too far!”
Fohsin didn’t respond, only giving him a faint, amused smile.
The two locked eyes—Fohsin calm and relaxed, while the clan leader’s expression grew darker under Fohsin’s gaze.
After a long silence, the clan leader finally relented, admitting defeat. “After Lingran was captured, I did receive a letter.”
“The letter said that Lingran was in their hands. If I wanted to save her, I had to hand over the shard that was sealed in the forbidden grounds.” The clan leader continued, “But long before that, the shard had already been stolen by Lingxiao.”
“Lingxiao, that madman, took the shard and killed many members of our clan. In the end, I ordered his execution.” The clan leader said, “Before Lingxiao died, I tried to force him to return the shard, but he never gave it up.”
“No matter how much we interrogated him, he refused to reveal its whereabouts. The clan hated him so much that they couldn’t wait for him to die. In the end, we executed him without finding out where the shard was.”
“Lingxiao died, and we never found the shard. So, when I saw the letter, I replied that the shard had long since disappeared. They didn’t believe me and sent another letter.”
“They said that if I refused to hand over the shard, they would kill Lingran.” The clan leader’s voice turned cold at this point. “From the moment Lingran abandoned her status as the Saintess and fled, she was no longer part of the Spirit Clan.”
“Even if the shard were still here—and it’s long gone—I would never use something that the Spirit Clan has been safeguarding for generations to save someone who betrayed us,” the clan leader said firmly.
Betrayed?
Fohsin lowered his gaze, concealing the flicker of darkness that flashed in his eyes.
It seemed that something was amiss within the Spirit Clan…
“Fohsin, I’ve told you everything I know,” the clan leader said coldly, “I don’t know anything more.”
Fohsin looked at him and smiled slightly. “Is that so?”
The clan leader frowned, replying, “Believe what you want.”
“Do you still have the letters from back then?”
“No,” the clan leader replied. “When the Spirit Clan’s Saintess fled and was captured, how could I have kept their letters?”
“If others found out, it would have caused chaos in the clan!”
“Why?” Fohsin asked calmly. “The Saintess is gone, so just choose another one, right?”
The clan leader glanced at him, unwilling to delve deeper into the topic, and said, “Fohsin, I don’t know why you’re investigating Lingran, but for the sake of the Buddhist City, let me give you a piece of advice: whatever your reason is, stop digging.”
“The power behind them is not something you can afford to provoke.”
“Is that so?” Fohsin smiled. “Are you talking about a god?”
375
The clan leader was startled internally but kept a calm exterior as he looked at Fohsin. “What god are you talking about?”
“You’re right, clan leader,” Fohsin chuckled lightly. “There are indeed no gods on this continent. Those who claim to be acting under divine will, who see themselves as gods, are merely toys in the eyes of the real gods.”
“The gods that people worship look down upon them.”
“If that weren’t the case, it should be the gods fighting the demons now, not the Buddhist City.”
“Clan leader,” Fohsin said, looking directly at him. “The people of the Buddhist City protect the world with their lives. We don’t ask for anything in return from those we guard, only that those we protect don’t betray us.”
“Otherwise…”
Fohsin raised his hand, and the small table between them was reduced to dust by his spiritual power.
Seeing this, the clan leader’s face shifted multiple times. He wanted to say something, but when he met Fohsin’s deep, dark eyes, he found himself unable to utter a single word.
Fohsin was warning him!
But why?
Why was Fohsin suddenly issuing a warning?
Reflecting on Fohsin’s words, a cold sweat broke out on the clan leader’s back.
Could Fohsin have discovered something?
Impossible!
After Lingran fled, they had not conducted that matter again, as they could not find a suitable person. If the Buddhist City knew about it, they would have already sent someone to warn them.
Impossible—it couldn’t be only now that he’s bringing it up.
Thinking this over, the clan leader figured that Fohsin was likely testing him. But still…
What exactly had tipped Fohsin off, causing him to try to probe for more information?
“Master Fohsin, I only came to inquire about Lingran. Now that I’ve learned what I need, I won’t disturb you any further.” With that, Fohsin rose and began walking towards the exit.
Seeing that Fohsin was really leaving, the clan leader hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Fohsin.”
Fohsin paused and glanced back at him.
The clan leader said, “That fragment is nothing good. It can be deadly. The previous leaders of the Ling Clan once tried to use it, but that fragment was the first thing to kill them.”
“The leader at the time wanted to take the fragment outside the Ling Clan to investigate, but the clan elders stopped him. He refused to give up, however, and ventured out with it. When he returned, he went straight to the forbidden grounds to research it. In the end, he died in there, with the fragment still in his hand.”
“The fragment emitted black mist—extremely ominous. That’s why people believed it had killed him,” the clan leader explained. “After that, a new leader was chosen from the elders. He sealed the object deep within the forbidden grounds, forbidding anyone from retrieving it. That is, until a few decades ago when Lingxiao entered the grounds and took it out.”
Fohsin nodded after hearing this. “Thank you for the information, clan leader. I will take my leave.”
With that, Fohsin departed.
…
At the academy’s study hall.
Huang Quan sat at her desk, resting her head in one hand, deep in thought.
Last night, she managed to make some ointment, but as for alchemy, there wasn’t enough time.
Some pills take days to refine, and that’s no exaggeration.
After all, even cooking soup on a slow flame takes several hours—alchemy is even more time-consuming.
But…
She only had from midday until the next morning, which was far from enough to refine pills. It looked like she would need to take some time off.
Otherwise, how could she keep making money with alchemy?
Having made up her mind, Huang Quan decided she would ask for leave.
“Ugh! I’m so furious!”
Just as Huang Quan was thinking about asking her teacher for leave, their teacher stormed into the room, his face red with anger.
