Chapter 113: Unclear Sea of Consciousness

As everyone was eating, a commotion broke out in the hall.

Jiang Niannian glanced at Yin Buqi, lifted the curtain, and looked downstairs.

The group, who had been eating, immediately became alert. They saw a crowd of people entering the main hall of the dining area. They were dressed in ordinary clothes, with long swords at their waists, and it was unclear which sect they belonged to.

The leader was holding a white wolf.

The wolf’s eyes were blood-red, growling lowly at the crowd, drool dripping from its mouth.

This white wolf looked familiar. Suddenly, Jiang Niannian exclaimed in surprise, “Isn’t that the one from Tang Xuanye’s side? Why is it here?”

Jiang Ziyou, who was usually mild-tempered, now looked furious. He slammed the table and said, “What?! That woman must be here too!”

“Just wait, I’ll kill her!” Coalball also showed a fierce expression, as if Jiang Niannian only needed to say, “Close the door, release the dog,” and he would transform into his beast form and go out to bite someone to death.

The tone and expression were very much like Yin Ci’s.

Yin Buqi showed no expression. He picked up a piece of crab roe steamed pork and placed it in Jiang Niannian’s bowl, saying indifferently, “Tang Xuanye isn’t here. He’s already dead.”

“Dead?!” The other three exclaimed in shock.

Yin Buqi continued, “Yes. Tang Murou’s actions were exposed, and she made many enemies. Tang Xuanye was killed while trying to take her back to the Northern Frontier to protect her. It seems these people were the ones who did it.”

Jiang Niannian asked, “What about Tang Murou? Is she dead?”

Yin Buqi replied, “She’s missing.”

Jiang Ziyou widened his eyes, “Why isn’t she dead yet?”

Coalball chimed in, “Exactly!”

Yin Buqi picked up a napkin and wiped the soup from the corner of Jiang Niannian’s mouth, then continued, “Nowadays, the four major immortal sects are gradually declining, while other smaller sects are rising, all trying to squeeze into the ranks of the four major sects. That’s why the forbidden Puppetry Technique has caused such a stir. Although forbidden techniques touch the taboos of the cultivation world, in reality, everyone wants to obtain them.”

Jiang Niannian suddenly understood. This was just like “involution”!

If one sect doesn’t practice the Puppetry Technique, another sect will, and then eliminate you. This forces you to practice it as well.

After pondering for a while, Jiang Niannian said, “Since it’s a forbidden technique and powerful enough, there must be a backlash.”

“Exactly,” Yin Buqi nodded. “Using this technique comes at the cost of burning one’s lifespan and soul.”

…

Night fell.

Jiang Niannian sat cross-legged on the bed, entering a meditative state.

Her sea of consciousness gradually opened, and white mist filled the space, everything shrouded in gray.

By the time one reaches the Nascent Soul stage, their sea of consciousness should be clear. Yet, even though she had reached the Divine Transformation stage, her consciousness remained unclear. It was strange. She always felt an invisible force hindering her progress.

Exploring one’s sea of consciousness before it’s clear is extremely dangerous. At best, it causes mental fatigue; at worst, it harms the spiritual form. But she wanted to know what was obstructing her cultivation.

Her consciousness was hazy, and she felt drowsy. Relying on intuition, she tried to delve deeper into the obscurity.

It seemed that if she could just break through this layer, she could recover something.

She vaguely saw some blurry fragments.

She saw a woman who looked exactly like her, exuding an immortal aura. Just standing there, it seemed as if the entire world should bow to her.

But at this moment, she was tightly bound by chains, trapped in a massive palace chamber.

Above her head was a luxurious golden cage, every part of it inlaid with precious gems and layered with intricate arrays.

A golden cage imprisoning a golden canary.

“Leave this place!”

A urgent voice rang out.

Jiang Niannian asked, “Who are you?”

“You don’t need to know.”

You don’t want me to remember?

Well, I’m determined to remember today!

Jiang Niannian took a deep breath and delved deeper, her fingers moving as she gathered spiritual energy, probing deeper into her consciousness. The next second, she felt her soul being pulled into the woman’s body.

In her daze, she felt her eyelids were too heavy to open.

The door of the palace chamber opened, and a cold fragrance wafted in.

Jiang Niannian felt someone pick her up.

A familiar, deep male voice sounded in her ear, “Master, are you awake?”

Master? Was he calling her?

“Master, why won’t you acknowledge me?”

Jiang Niannian wanted to say something, but she couldn’t speak.

No one answered.

The man suddenly erupted in rage. With a loud crash, it seemed like he had overturned a pile of heavy objects. He roared in anger, gathering thunderous power.

“Do you despise me so much, Master? You won’t even open your eyes to look at me?!”

Jiang Niannian’s heart trembled. She tried to see the man’s face clearly. Amidst the dazzling light and shadows, she caught a glimpse of a blurry face.

Black hair, red eyes, pale skin, but crimson lips.

“…Buqi?”

Her sea of consciousness faded, and she gradually lost herself in a sea of white mist, unable to find her way back. The world suddenly turned dark, and she lost track of time.

Another sigh sounded, “I was only gone for a moment, and Niannian has already gotten herself into this state.”

It was clearly the same voice that had called her “Master,” but while the previous tone had been violent and gloomy, this one was filled with endless tenderness.

“Nian Nian, it’s time to wake up,” the voice said.

In an instant, it felt as if a large hand had grabbed her spiritual consciousness and yanked her out of the sea of consciousness!

“Nian Nian.”

The voice suddenly became clear.

Jiang Niannian abruptly opened her eyes, groaning as she collapsed on the bed, her head feeling like it was about to split open.

Amidst the piercing pain, Jiang Niannian knew she had failed.

She looked around. She was still lying in the inn’s room. The sky outside was dark, and the oil lamp flickered on the candlestick.

Yin Buqi was holding her in his arms, his face full of concern.

Yin Buqi said, “Nian Nian, were you exploring your sea of consciousness? Do you know how dangerous that was just now? If I had been a moment later, your spiritual consciousness might not have returned!”

His voice carried a hint of anger, born from extreme worry, which made him seem almost frantic.

“Yes,” Jiang Niannian nodded. “You might not believe it, but my sea of consciousness is still hazy.”

“I believe it. An unstable spiritual form leads to an unclear sea of consciousness,” Yin Buqi said.

“I noticed something was off during our dual cultivation, which is why I’ve been having you practice sword techniques and take medicine to regulate your body. I wanted to keep it from you to avoid making you sad.”

Jiang Niannian, still recovering from the lingering pain, leaned her head tiredly against Yin Buqi.

Yin Buqi channeled spiritual energy into her to soothe her while holding a bowl of freshly cooked osmanthus glutinous rice porridge. He said, “I noticed you didn’t have much appetite at dinner, so I cooked this porridge to warm your stomach.”

Cultivators can rely on fasting pills to meet their physical needs, but under normal circumstances, there’s no need for that.

Back in Qingqiu, whenever Yin Buqi had time, he would personally cook for Jiang Niannian.

Yin Buqi was very attentive to Jiang Niannian’s diet, constantly coming up with new ways to prepare the healthiest and most delicious food for her. The dishes were not only exquisite in appearance but also suited Jiang Niannian’s tastes perfectly.

This had the effect of making Jiang Niannian’s palate increasingly refined and her tastes more and more fastidious

Yin Buqi scooped a spoonful and fed it to her.

After finishing half the bowl, he heard Jiang Niannian murmur, “In my sea of consciousness, I saw someone with black hair and red eyes, who looked a lot like you.”