Zhou Feihua, upon hearing these words, urgently pleaded, "Your Majesty!"
However, Su Yu no longer wanted to hear her speak.
Lao Feng had already ordered someone to move Su Yishui's body away. He turned and said, "Your Majesty, please prepare quickly. Now that Su Yishui has just depleted his vital energy and his spiritual force is turbulent, it's the best time for you to switch positions!"
Su Yu didn't want to delay either. This worn-out and sickly body was already too burdensome for him. Of course, he hoped to get a healthy body as soon as possible. So he ordered people to keep Ranran and Consort Jing detained in the palace, then he left.
At this moment, Consort Jing's acupoints were released, but like Ranran, she was also tied up. It seemed that they were left for the Emperor to deal with after he has exchanged a new healthy body.
Although Zhou Feihua's acupoints were released, her expression was still blank. She was still immersed in the truth that Su Yu had just revealed.
In her impression, the Emperor had always been a warm and generous person.
But in recent years, he had been tortured by illness, making his temperament somewhat strange, and he didn't like to see people much. However, she never imagined that, in order to regain his health, he was secretly raising an evil dragon and scheming meticulously to exchange bodies with another…
How was this behavior different from becoming demonic?
When Zhou Feihua finally came back to her senses, she found Ranran in a very strange posture beside her, lying on the ground. Although she was tied up and couldn't move easily, she pressed her ear tightly against the ground.
Zhou Feihua whispered, "What are you doing?"
Ranran looked up at her and said, "If chaos breaks out later, please find a chance to go to Su Yu's study and find a book for me. This book concerns the safety of the world. Please do me this favor…"
Although this project was somewhat vast, with the use of talismans to drive the straw-men to hit the correct spots, it could be completed in a few nights.
As long as the foundation is destroyed, Second Uncle Master and the others will be able to come in to help.
But after seeing Shifu had possessed the dragon underwater, Ranran changed her plan.
If Shifu couldn't break to the sky with the yang energy of Duanwu Day, why not try to go underground and completely destroy the Trigram Formation that restricted spiritual energy within the palace?
Now it seemed that this method had indeed worked. After Su Yishui's failure to rise with the dragon, he tried to escape underground from the soft mud at the bottom of the Lake of Enquiry.
difficult to call up even surging spiritual power.
Ranran usually practiced sparring with Shifu. Among the three disciples of Xishan, only she had been taught personally by Su Yishui, so when Su Yishui made his move, Ranran naturally raised her hand to block and counter.
But this Shifu left no room for maneuver, his moves were fierce. Ranran knew this was bad and quickly retreated, jumping out of the Yin Yang fish. She felt a chill on her back, looking at this man, handsome as ever, who was smiling at her, "You… are not my Shifu!"
The man slowly stood up, looking at his body and hands with exhilaration, "Although this is not my body, it has retained the original owner's divine techniques. I am very satisfied…"
As he spoke, he made a gesture and cast a binding spell, swiftly attacking Ranran. Although Su Yu did not learn cultivation, this body he just acquired was a prodigy, and the techniques had become ingrained in its muscle memory.
With Su Yu just thinking it, he could unleash immense power!
Ranran tensed up, her fears had become reality as Su Yu had indeed taken over her master's body!
Fortunately, her daily sparring with her master had also become ingrained in her muscle memory. She naturally evaded her master's binding spell and darted aside.
Right then, a dragon's roar sounded from outside the window. After the palace's foundations were destroyed, the chains binding the dragon lost their effect, allowing the small dragon to soar into the sky and vanish into the clouds.
It flew extremely fast, disappearing into the sky without a trace, presumably heading back to its homeland, Dragon Island.
Ranran knew that this dragon had been raised cruelly and should not stay in the Capital once unbound.
Shifu must be sending the dragon back to fulfill the promise by Mu Qingge to her deceased friend. However, when he intended to return later, his body had already been taken over, and he might be trapped forever in the dragon's body!
"You don't need to be afraid. I won't hurt you, and I could even treat you better than your master." Su Yu smiled at Ranran and said, "Ranran, do you know? In your past life, you were actually…"
Before he could finish, his expression suddenly changed, and he reached for his neck.
There seemed to be something burning on his neck, and when Su Yu pulled it off, he realized it was a nearly cracked talisman jade.
This thing was so hot that it couldn't be held. Su Yu withdrew his hand from holding it, flinging it far away.
Ranran inwardly cried out in alarm, trying to catch it but was too late.
The jade bottle shattered with a loud crack, and a large amount of water spread out. It quickly flowed beneath Su Yu's feet, and it seemed like countless resentful spirits were floating in the water, emitting eerie laughter, "We're free! Finally out!"
The spirit spring had been imprisoned for a long time. When Su Yishui's body changed hands, the power binding the Spring as also relaxed. Combined with the destruction of the palace's foundation, its power awakened. When Su Yu broke the bottle just now, it was finally released.
The Spirit spring had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. The large volume of water surged up Su Yishui's body like demon claws, swiftly enveloping him, trying to completely control him, while emitting strange laughter, "Still the body of the Demon's Son suits me best… No, why has the soul in this body changed? Well, that's fine! As long as they're greedy, I love them all!"
Clearly, the *mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the bird behind.
*螳螂捕蝉黄雀在后 idiom : a situation where someone is preoccupied with dealing with an immediate threat or challenge but is unaware of a greater danger lurking behind
Su Yu had thought he had everything under control, but he had never expected that the Netherworld Spirit Spring was hanging around Su Yishui's neck. Now, the Spirit spring was taking over and about to become the new owner of this body!
While the Spirit spring chuckled, it swiftly took control of Su Yishui's body, and his eyes began to turn bloodshot!
Su Yu felt like his head was about to explode. Unable to bear the pain, he held his head and let out a painful scream. His voice also became increasingly eerie, piercing the eardrums.
At this very moment, it seemed like all the bad things were happening at once. However, Ranran quickly calmed down, reaching for a golden talisman she was holding.
She didn't know if this talisman could completely suppress the Spirit Spring possession, but she had to risk it.
If the Spirit spring took control of Su Yu, it would control the entire world, and who knew what kind of atrocities it would commit.
a split decision, putting her life on the line for this crucial opportunity.
However, this time the golden talisman wasn't as effective. Although Su Yu paused for a moment, he then shook it off with a burst of force and attacked Ranran again.
But at that moment, a dragon's roar suddenly erupted in the sky. The palace's roof was violently smashed. The small dragon had returned, roaring, sweeping towards Su Yu, carrying him into the air, then left again with another roar.
Enduring the intense pain, Ranran took a deep breath, and whistled towards the sky, summoning Vermilion bird. As *Zhu que spread its huge wings and regained its full form, she also jumped onto its back and hurriedly chased after the direction where the dragon had gone.
Vermilion : Zhu bird : que
But just now, she was struck by unrestrained spirit power, even though Ranran had been wearing soft silver armor, it couldn't stop it. Now, the soft silver armor inside her clothes shattered completely, and her body felt cold.
Ranran knew that this was the manifestation of a severe internal injury caused by spirit power. The vitality field in her Dantian was like a leaking water tank, rapidly disappearing.
She didn't know how long she could hold on.
The dragon flew very fast, but the Vermilion Bird who have regained its physical form also flew like an arrow, quickly reaching the dragon's side.
Su Yu who was possessed by the Spirit Spring, had been wrestling non-stop with the dragon, and they finally fell together. Although they have not reached the East Sea, they were now on the sea surface near the coast.
As they fell, Ranran also dived down with the Vermilion Bird.
As Ranran lay on the Vermilion Bird's head, she whispered in excruciating pain, "Little Zhu Zhu, help me, your blood can purify demonic creatures, can you… let me have some?"
The Vermilion Bird maneuvered in the sky, loudly screeching. Ranran tentatively bit its back with her mouth and the Vermilion Bird didn't seem to react, which Ranran took as its tacit consent.
So she bit hard, causing the Vermilion Bird to cry out in pain, but it didn't shake Ranran off its back.
While Ranran took a mouthful of the Vermilion Bird's spiritual blood, it flew to the side of the small dragon. Ranran took the opportunity to jump down. She caught Su Yu, who was entangled with the dragon, grabbed his neck, tilted his head, and poured the Vermilion Bird's spiritual blood from her mouth into his.
The Vermilion Bird itself was a holy creature that repelled evil. Even the Immortal-Devouring Bugs from the Demonic Realm didn't dare approach it.
Now that the Vermilion Bird's spiritual blood had been fed to Su Yu, Ranran fell off, completely spent. If not for the dragon's claw catching her in time, she would have almost fallen into the sea.
Su Yu urgently tried to vomit out the Vermilion Bird's spiritual blood, but it was too late. The Spirit Spring couldn't bear it, emitting a piercing scream, then it oozed out of his pores and eyes like sweat mixed with blood, got swallowed into the mouth of the small dragon…
Ranran wanted to hold on, but her internal injuries were too severe, and she couldn't hold on any longer. Her vision darkened, and she fell unconscious.
When she woke up again, she found herself lying in a damp cave, with a pile of dry grass underneath…
Ranran's chest still hurt greatly. She looked around with the light from the nearby campfire, and saw the man meditating by the fire with disheveled long hair and bare arms…
Looking at Su Yishui's profile, Ranran felt a start as she remembered that her master's body had been taken over by Su Yu!
She began to feel around her body, trying to find if she still had any gold talisman. But as she felt around, she realized that she was wearing… her Shifu's undershirt!
She picked the fabric to make this undershirt at a tailor's down the mountain, so she could recognize it at a glance. Looking over, she saw her own clothes propped up with sticks, drying by the fire…
"You dog emperor! Who allowed you to take off my clothes!" Ranran tried to get up but found that her back was fastened to a board, making it difficult for her to move.
At this moment, the man who was meditating slowly opened his eyes. Ranran noticed a faint redness in his eyes and her heart skipped a beat.
Oh no! The Spirit Spring hasn't dispersed yet?
The man walked over, held Ranran down when she was about to move, and said coldly, "Move again, and your bones will be broken into pieces! You'll probably be bedridden for life."
This man's stern expression didn't resemble Su Yu's smiling face at all; instead, he looked more like her Shifu with his cold demeanor.
Ranran remained still, but tears welled up in her eyes. "Su Yu, if you want longevity, I can give you my body. Please return my Shifu's body back to him!"
Hearing this, the man chuckled coldly at the words, "How would you give it?"
Ranran actually didn't hold much hope, since Su Yu was unlikely to want to become a woman. Her body probably held no allure for him…
But at that moment, the man leaned down, his long hair falling on the side of her face, his eyes with a faint blood-red hue fixed firmly on her as he said: "Are you even aware of the consequences of saying things like offering your body to a man harboring evil designs on you?"
Ranran felt that the despicable emperor had rebuked her when she hadn't even scolded him for coveting her master's body yet!
However… from the way he glared at her…she couldn't help but feel that he looked more like her Shifu?
Right now, the man seemed to be trying hard to suppress the anger in his heart and the redness in his eyes. So he picked up the grilled fish from the fire and said, "You were clamoring for fresh sea fish some days ago, right? Today, your wish is granted, but unfortunately, there are no sour fruits to go with the fish. You'll have to make do."
Ranran held her breath as she listened… the words about craving sea fish were something she had told her third senior sister before arriving in the Capital. Her Shifu was beside them at the time and naturally heard it.
That despicable emperor wouldn't possibly know about what she said… Does this mean her Shifu has returned?
She grabbed his arm and warily asked, "What did we do at the waterfall in the Western Mountain?
He lowered his head again, "Which are you asking about? Drinking wine? Listening to the zither, or you saving me by giving me mouth-to-mouth?"
Alright… he described it perfectly, but why are his words and expression so frivolous? He didn't look one bit like her composed Shifu..
As he asked that question, his face got closer and closer to Ranran's, as if he was about to give mouth-to-mouth to save his little disciple who didn't know how to breathe…
Ranran was fixed to the board and couldn't move even if she wanted to. Seeing him getting closer, she could only cry loudly, "Shifu! You scared me to death! You're still teasing people like this! Did you know… I thought you could never come back!"
Saying this, Ranran's eyes reddened with tears.
But Su Yishui didn't think he did anything inappropriate. He raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "So I can't even get a little closer? But you can voluntarily kiss Su Yu?"
"What kiss? I clearly did it to force out the Spirit Spring, by force feeding… him the Vermilion Bird's blood… No, wait, but that mouth is also your mouth. How can you say I voluntarily kissed Su Yu?"
Under the gaze of Shifu's handsome yet enigmatic eyes, Ranran almost couldn't speak just now. It was only at the last moment that she remembered she had no other choice.
That was to expel the demonic influence! And she kissed her Shifu's mouth…
Hmm, thinking back now, Ranran realized that she should have felt a little embarrassed about it and should have sincerely apologized to her Shifu. After all, she had been rather frivolous with Shifu.
But Su Yishui lowered his head and stopped the rest of what she intended to say with a kiss.
This kiss carried a tinge of urgency, as if confirming that a fragile treasure had returned to his embrace.
Ranran couldn't move due to her injuries, so she could only let her Shifu kiss her almost to the point of suffocating…
When their lips finally parted, Ranran looked into his eyes, and it seemed that the redness had dissipated somewhat.
"Shifu… you're not keeping your word…"
Shifu clearly said that they should both adhere to their master-disciple relationship in future, and neither should cross the line! So why is he kissing her to no end now?
Well, even though she had been "frivolous" with Shifu first, she had a legitimate reason. But what was Shifu's reason for this behavior?
It turns out that Su Yishui did have a legitimate reason.
At that time, the mouthful of Vermilion Bird's blood that Ranran fed him was quite effective; it immediately suppressed the demonic nature of Spirit Spring.
As Su Yu's soul had just attached itself, and he had previously survived by absorbing the dragon's vitality, he naturally carried some demonic nature.
His possession had just completed, and his foundation wasn't stable yet. The Vermilion Bird's blood first considered Su Yu's soul as a demonic entity and expelled it. Then the Spirit Spring was absorbed into the dragon's mouth, merging with Su Yishui's soul.
Su Yishui used the power of the Spirit Spring, took this opportunity to transfer from the dragon's body back into his own body.
However, Su Yishui couldn't force the Spirit Spring out of his body yet. Because the talisman jade bottle was destroyed, if he forced out the Spirit Spring, it would attach to someone else randomly, leading to another bloody and chaotic situation.
Su Yishui could only use his own body as a temporary container to seal the Spirit Spring for now.