Chapter 74

"May I ask what you intend for us to do, Young Master!" Upon hearing these words, Guan Lao Da was initially delighted, but then cautiously asked.

"Rest assured, I won't make you do anything impossible. You just need to go to a few places in the secular world, establish some minor forces that can be controlled, and gather all kinds of information for me. These tasks shouldn't be too difficult for two middle-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, right?" Liu Ming said with a half-smile.

"Please rest assured, Young Master. We might not be able to help with other things, but this small matter will definitely not be a problem." Guan Lao Da felt relieved and immediately patted his chest in response.

"Good. You two stay outside the mountain gate for one more night. Once I have thought through what you need to do, I will come back. When the time comes, just follow my instructions." Liu Ming said indifferently.

This time, Guan Lao Da and Gu San naturally agreed without hesitation.

Thus, Liu Ming made a hand seal with one hand, condensed a gray cloud, and sent the two back to the pavilion. Then, he rode the cloud and flew toward Jiuying Mountain.

Not long after, he returned to his residence, casually found a chair to sit on, and took out the letter from the head of the Bai family. He then pulled out the letter and began to read it.

"Continue using Bai Congtian's name and try to help the Bai family expand its influence within ten years. The Bai family will also provide resources for my cultivation. It seems to be a decent condition, similar to what Bai Yan'er mentioned. However, what's this about marrying into the Mu family? They actually want me to become engaged to Mu Mingzhu. This isn't a joke, right! That girl is currently very close to Gao Chong. How could she possibly be interested in a Three Spirit Vein disciple like me? Let the Mu family try to persuade her first!" After finishing the letter from the head of the Bai family, Liu Ming suddenly sneered, crumpled the letter, and turned it into ashes.

Naturally, he had no intention of replying to the Bai family.

The next morning, Liu Ming left his residence and went to find Guan Lao Da and Gu San again.

He brought the two to a secluded place and spent half an hour giving them instructions before personally driving the cloud to send them out of the Man鬼宗 mountain range. He then returned to the mountain gate.

Liu Ming did not return directly to his residence but went to the Huichun Hall on the main peak again.

This time, when he walked into the wooden pavilion, there was still only one person on the first floor, but it was not Jialan. Instead, it was another woman with an ordinary appearance.

This woman casually asked a question and then waved her hand, allowing him to go to the second floor.

Liu Ming didn't hesitate and quickly went up to the second floor, heading toward the room that emitted a medicinal fragrance, which he hadn't entered last time.

When he reached the entrance of the room, he paused in front of the white pearl curtain. Immediately, a gentle female voice came from inside:

"Since you're here, why hesitate! Come in, young man."

"Thank you, Senior. I will be bold." Liu Ming respectfully replied and lifted the curtain to enter.

But as he entered and scanned the room, he was startled.

On a chair next to a medicine furnace sat the green-cloaked woman he had seen on the third floor before.

"Senior, why are you here? Weren't you...?" Liu Ming, recalling the time he was driven away by her, hesitated.

"Hehe, it seems you've met my sister. Don't worry, we are not the same person, just twin sisters. That's why we look the same." The cloaked woman saw Liu Ming's hesitant appearance and laughed lightly, explaining kindly.

"Ah, I see. I mistook you for someone else." Liu Ming, hearing her tone, which was indeed different from the other cloaked woman on the third floor, felt relieved.

"However, young man, you don't seem to be injured or sick!" The cloaked woman looked him up and down and asked.

"Junior has just returned from the Netherworld. I encountered some minor accidents there and felt very uncomfortable. But when I checked myself later, I found nothing wrong. So I want Senior to check if there's anything abnormal with my body." Liu Ming replied respectfully.

"Oh, feeling unwell? That's a broad term. But if you really want a thorough check, I can activate the detection array. However, it will cost a considerable amount." The cloaked woman said calmly, without any surprise.

"How many spirit stones?" Liu Ming asked without hesitation.

"One hundred."

The cloaked woman's voice was still gentle, but the number made Liu Ming's heart skip a beat.

"Senior, how effective is this detection array?" The large number made him hesitate.

"Rest assured, if there's really something wrong with your body, this array will definitely detect it. Otherwise, why would I charge you so many spirit stones? Actually, one hundred spirit stones barely cover the array's consumption." The cloaked woman replied indifferently.

"In that case, I'll use it once." After some consideration, Liu Ming gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Very well. Come over here." The cloaked woman, hearing this, looked at Liu Ming with some surprise, then stood up and walked to a corner of the room.

At this moment, Liu Ming noticed a pale golden array several feet in size imprinted on the floor.

The cloaked woman took out several snow-white crystals from her body and placed them in the slots around the array, then gestured for Liu Ming to enter.

Liu Ming casually removed his soul-nourishing bag from his waist and left it outside the array before entering and sitting down in a cross-legged position.

The cloaked woman flipped her hand, and a similarly colored array disk appeared in her hand. She waved her hand at it.

The entire array immediately hummed, and a golden mist enveloped Liu Ming.

The cloaked woman began to chant, pointing at the array disk with her finger, and various light points and runes emerged, making it difficult to see clearly.

"Your body is very healthy, with abundant blood and qi, intact meridians, and very dense bones, almost twice as dense as an ordinary person's. Hmm, your mana is so pure, you must have refined it!" The cloaked woman, after operating the array for a moment, revealed a surprised expression.

"Junior's mana is indeed refined." Since it had been detected, Liu Ming naturally didn't deny it.

"Didn't expect you to be such a determined person! As far as I know, those who refine their mana at a young age are either very confident in their advancement and don't mind the time spent, or they are taking a shortcut and willing to take risks." The cloaked woman looked curious.

"Junior doesn't know which type I am, but has Senior finished the check?" Liu Ming replied vaguely and asked with some concern.

"Not yet, wait a moment. Hmm, your spirit sea is fine, and your divine sense is stable, so there should be no problem..." The cloaked woman continued to operate the array while muttering to herself.

However, when Liu Ming heard her say "your spirit sea is fine," a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

"Hmm, your lifespan seems to be decreasing!" Suddenly, the cloaked woman's voice paused, with a hint of surprise.

"Lifespan decreasing? Is that true? Can Senior check more carefully?" Liu Ming was naturally startled.

"Alright, I'll check again... Hmm, yes, your lifespan has indeed decreased recently due to external forces. However, you don't need to worry too much. The decrease is not significant, only a few years. As long as you take some spirit medicines, you can still recover. It seems you encountered some evil ghosts in the Netherworld that can absorb others' lifespans. Next time you go there, just prepare some countermeasures, and you'll be fine. That's all, there are no other problems." The cloaked woman gazed at the array for a moment and then smiled slightly.

"Lifespan decreasing! It seems the discomfort I felt is related to this. Thank you, Senior, for your guidance. I will be more careful next time I go to the Netherworld." Liu Ming let out a sigh and replied with a bitter smile.

But he suddenly recalled the feeling of something being stripped away from his body when the bubble had drained his mana. His heart sank.

The bubble, when it couldn't absorb mana, had directly absorbed his lifespan as a supplement. This was truly a life-threatening situation.

However, facing the cloaked woman, even though he was deeply worried, he didn't show it too much. He immediately stood up, left the array, picked up his soul-nourishing bag, thanked her again, and then left.

When Liu Ming's figure disappeared from the staircase, the cloaked woman put away the golden array and muttered to herself with a hint of doubt:

"Could it be that the soul-sucking beast has reappeared in the Netherworld? If so, we need to be more cautious when our disciples go there again."

Then, she shook her head and sat back on her chair, as if no one had been there at all.

...

After a meal's time, Liu Ming returned to his residence.

He went directly to his cultivation room, sat down on a cushion, closed his eyes, and began to seriously consider how to deal with the mysterious bubble.

Otherwise, if the bubble continued to absorb his lifespan after draining his mana each time, he wouldn't last long and would eventually die.

He had worked hard to walk the path of cultivation and would not let such a thing happen.

Liu Ming sat there for a whole day and night.

On the third morning, he finally opened his eyes, his expression slightly relaxed, as if he had made a decision.

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