Shackles of Humanity

The four of them seemed to be taking a leisurely stroll, but their pace was incredibly fast, and they soon arrived at the foot of the small hill.

Celestial Willow Mountain wasn’t large, just a small hill rising from the plains. However, the vegetation was extremely dense, filled with unusually lush, large trees whose branches and leaves completely blocked out the sun. Walking on a narrow, winding path of bluestone pavers under the forest canopy, one couldn’t help but feel an unsettling, gloomy feeling.

Moreover, the dense surrounding vegetation seemed to follow a strange pattern that could make one lose their sense of direction. If not for this narrow path, it would have been nearly impossible to make it up the hill.

Of course, this was no problem for the three Body Masters. They even began to study their surroundings with great interest.

Luo Kai was also observing his surroundings closely. He could already feel a familiar magnetic field frequency, very similar to the one in the valley on Mist Mountain. It was the residual will of a Complete Form Fierce Beast, but it was nowhere near as powerful as the frequency left behind by the Cyan Dragon. It was so faint that he might not have detected it at all if his spirit weren’t so sensitive.

The magnetic field from the Cyan Dragon on Mist Mountain had vanished after he ate its brain marrow, yet this one still lingered here.

Soon, a large estate appeared halfway up the mountain. The grounds around the residence were planted with all kinds of flowers and herbs, their exotic fragrance filling the air. They could see quite a few gardeners collecting pollen in the flowerbeds.

A beautiful young woman stood at the estate’s entrance, her pretty face frosty as she watched them approach.

Luo Kai shifted uncomfortably, trying to hide behind the burly Tuoba Ye. Tuoba Ye, however, was staring at the young woman, transfixed, a wide grin on his face and drool practically dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Xi Jinghui stepped forward and asked in surprise, ”Miss Zhihui, did you know we were coming?”

”Hmph. With three Body Masters gracing my humble home, how could a simple girl like me dare not come out to welcome you?” the young woman snorted, then turned on her heel and strode back into the estate.

Xi Jinghui was a little embarrassed. ”She certainly has a bit of a temper. Let’s try to be patient.”

Tuoba Ye just chuckled. ”A little spitfire. I like her!” With that, he charged into the courtyard, calling out to the young woman, ”Hey, beautiful! Your name is Zhihui? It sounds lovely!”

Su Chengbo, Xi Jinghui, and Luo Kai exchanged a smile and followed him into the estate. In the main hall sat an old woman with a full head of white hair and a hunched back. She was muttering under her breath, rhythmically tapping a wooden fish.

Though the old woman appeared ancient, her complexion was exceptionally fair and completely free of wrinkles. If not for her hunched figure and head full of white hair, one might have mistaken her for a young girl.

The beautiful young woman named Zhihui stood beside her, reporting something in a low voice, while Tuoba Ye sat in a seat to the side, looking all around.

The old woman opened her somewhat cloudy eyes, rose to her feet, and bowed slightly. ”Welcome to Hu Garden.”

Xi Jinghui smiled. ”You must be Madam Lin. My friends here were at leisure and hoped to meet the inventor of the Xiangsi Fragrance. I hope we are not imposing.”

The old woman shook her head. ”Even if you hadn’t come, I was planning to pay you a visit. I sent Zhihui to invite you yesterday, but I’m not sure how she offended you gentlemen. Her consciousness was nearly shattered!”

The three Body Masters glanced at one another, confused. ”We didn’t see Miss Zhihui yesterday,” Xi Jinghui said.

Luo Kai glanced at the beautiful young woman, who was glaring daggers at him from the side. He stepped forward awkwardly. ”Uh... I’m sorry. I’m the one who accidentally injured this young lady yesterday. I’m truly sorry.”

”Brother Luo, what is this about?” Xi Jinghui asked, taken aback.

Luo Kai recounted the events of the previous day, then apologized profusely. ”Miss Zhihui, I’m terribly sorry. I sometimes lose control of my own conscious frequency.”

Su Chengbo’s expression shifted, and he exchanged a grave look with Tuoba Ye. They both knew that Luo Kai was not only a Water Elemental Master but also a Sha Qi Resonator. Evil Energy was violent and chaotic, capable of affecting a living being’s mind and consciousness. While Luo Kai seemed fine on the surface, his consciousness had clearly been deeply influenced by the Evil Energy.

Seeing that Luo Kai was genuinely sorry, the anger on Zhihui’s face lessened slightly. She gave a soft hmph but said nothing more.

Xi Jinghui also chimed in to smooth things over. ”My young friend here is still young and unaware of certain things. It was an honest mistake. I hope Madam Lin and Miss Zhihui can find it in their hearts to forgive him.”

Madam Lin’s expression remained stern. ”If it was an honest mistake, then we will let it pass. We Wood Element Masters may not be as numerous or powerful as you Body Technique Cultivators, but we will not be bullied.”

Xi Jinghui laughed. ”Please don’t say that, Madam Lin. Everyone knows that Elemental Masters are the pillars of the Human Race. We do all we can to protect you; we would never dream of bullying you.”

With the misunderstanding cleared up, and upon learning the identities of the other two Body Masters, Madam Lin’s eyes grew brighter. She rose and instructed the young woman beside her, ”Zhihui, go pour tea for our three esteemed Body Masters. Hmm... bring out my Thousand Dew Tea.”

”Yes.” The young woman nodded and returned shortly with a pot of fragrant tea. Unfortunately, she only poured for the other three men, deliberately skipping Luo Kai. Clearly, she was still angry with him.

Luo Kai didn’t seem to mind. Inhaling the rich aroma, he got up and poured himself a cup. He had little interest in most things, but he had a weakness for fine tea, tobacco, and wine. This Thousand Dew Tea had a rich fragrance and a faintly bitter aftertaste. After he drank it, a cooling sensation spread through him, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, ”Excellent tea!”

Zhihui was very displeased by Luo Kai’s brazen behavior and couldn’t stop herself from huffing loudly. Of the six people in the main hall, she and Luo Kai were the juniors. Yet Luo Kai showed no deference whatsoever. It seemed he was on equal footing with the three Body Masters, and they, in turn, treated him as a peer.

After they finished their tea, Xi Jinghui asked, ”Madam Lin, you mentioned earlier that you had a matter to discuss with us. What might it be?”

The old woman hesitated for a moment before sighing. ”I will not hide it from you. My Celestial Willow Mountain is connected to a subterranean Yin Vein. Cultivating here allows us Wood Element Masters to achieve twice the results with half the effort. But for the past two years, the Yin Vein has been unstable. Mutated creatures have been frequently emerging from the nearby Yinling Mountain Stream. I want to go down and investigate, but we Wood Element Masters are not skilled in combat.”

”Yin Veins?” Luo Kai couldn’t help but mutter to himself. ’Heaven and Earth are much like the human body; they too are divided into Yin and Yang. Scientifically speaking, a Yin Vein is a type of Yin Pole magnetic field—a by-product of energy created after the planet absorbs and transforms Star Energy.’

Xi Jinghui frowned slightly. Body Masters like them were generally unwilling to enter such extreme energy fields. The path of a Body Master’s cultivation involved channeling external energy into a gentle stream that could be gradually assimilated. If the external energy was too potent, it became difficult to guide and could even cause the cultivator to burst from the inside out. This was the greatest danger of a Body Master’s energy infusion process. A Yin Vein was just such an intensely potent energy field. If you stayed within one, the energy would slowly begin to assimilate you, even if you didn’t actively try to channel it.