With a swoosh, a giant ape materialized within the light barrier amid a shower of radiance, then took several steps forward and stopped before the kneeling girl.
The middle-aged cultivator and the others watched the puppet with expressions that shifted unease, their gazes tinged with concern.
The yellow-robed girl, meanwhile, opened her slightly reddened clear eyes and stared blankly at the giant ape before her.
"I neither care whether what you said is true or false, nor whether your tale is truly so pitiful. But I never do anything without profit. I can see that you are still a maiden, and as it happens I have cultivated to a bottleneck. Perhaps with the power of dual cultivation I can break through once more. If you are willing to become my furnace cauldron, the three 'Origin Essence Pills' in this small bottle will be more than sufficient to heal your father. You may have your fellow disciple carry the medicine back while you enter the formation. I have never been one to force others, nor to bully those beneath me. If you are unwilling, you may all leave now. Simply pretend you never met me." The man's cold, emotionless voice carried through the air.
As he spoke, the giant ape puppet raised one hand, revealing a small white jade bottle of warm luster, and presented it before the kneeling girl's eyes.
The girl was stunned upon hearing these words!
Though she was still young, she knew the meaning of dual cultivation and furnace cauldron. A faint, alluring blush crept across her pale, delicate face, yet without any hesitation she immediately replied: "Very well. As long as it truly can restore my father to health, this junior is willing to become the senior's furnace cauldron willingly." Having said this, she extended her slender, porcelain wrist, took the jade bottle into her hand, then slowly rose to her feet.
"Xing'er! How can you do this? How am I to explain this to your martial uncle when I return?" The middle-aged cultivator was shocked upon hearing the girl's words and hurriedly shouted to stop her.
The other four men and women likewise changed color upon hearing this and voiced their protests one after another.
"Martial uncle, please examine whether the pill in this bottle is truly effective for my father." The girl paid no heed to the middle-aged cultivator's alarm and anger. Instead, she raised her slender hand and tossed the jade bottle toward him, asking in a calm tone.
"You… sigh!" The middle-aged cultivator caught the jade bottle and gazed at the girl's expressionless, youthful face. He let out a helpless sigh, knowing it would be impossible to change her mind. With a dark expression, he opened the bottle and tipped out a single pale blue pill.
A peculiar, fragrant aroma immediately wafted through the air!
Every person who caught the scent felt their spirits lift, experiencing an extreme sense of physical and mental refreshment.
"This is a pill refined from demon cores!" The middle-aged man exclaimed in startled uncertainty upon smelling the medicinal fragrance. After holding the pill beneath his nose and sniffing twice more, he cried out in delighted shock.
"Refined from demon cores? Then can this Origin Essence Pill truly cure my father?" The girl remained remarkably composed, pressing her question in a calm voice.
"I don't know the specific effects of this medicine, but it is absolutely invaluable. He most likely wasn't deceiving us." The middle-aged cultivator's expression was complicated, but after a moment's hesitation he spoke the honest truth.
"Thank you for telling me, martial uncle! That puts my mind at ease. I must trouble you to bring this medicine back. Just tell my father to pretend that in this life, he never had an unfilial daughter like me." The girl let out a long breath, then her bright eyes reddened. She turned around and plunged headlong into the light barrier without looking back.
The middle-aged cultivator watched this unfold. His expression shifted several times, and he opened his mouth but said nothing. Instead, his grip on the jade bottle tightened.
The giant ape puppet then followed her back into the light barrier. The rift in the barrier slowly sealed itself shut.
"Martial uncle, are you really going to let junior martial sister Gongsun become someone's furnace cauldron?" The stocky young man's face was full of anxiety, and he could no longer hold himself back from speaking up.
The expressions of the other two women were equally unpleasant.
"Didn't you see? Your junior sister's mind is made up. There is nothing we can do to stop her. Besides, this senior's pill may truly be able to heal the sect master. For the future of the Qingling Sect, I cannot stand in the way." The middle-aged cultivator's expression dimmed as he spoke in a low voice.
"But we can't just let junior sister become a furnace cauldron! Wouldn't that utterly destroy her life?" The young man's face flushed crimson as he continued to argue, unwilling to give up.
«Li Shizhi, I know you and Xing’er grew up together like siblings. But nothing can be changed now.» The middle-aged cultivator’s mouth twitched, his expression full of conflict.
«Uncle-Master, Junior Sister Gongsun has been teleported away!» the blue-robed woman suddenly exclaimed in alarm.
Hearing this, both the middle-aged cultivator and the burly young man quickly looked over.
They saw the light screen blazing with radiant brilliance, the young woman’s silhouette gradually blurring within the luminous glow.
A moment later, the radiance receded and vanished, and the young woman was nowhere to be seen, leaving behind only scattered, solitary fallen leaves fluttering to the ground.
Seeing this scene, the burly young man immediately wilted like a deflated ball. He crouched on the ground, clutching his head in his hands, staring blankly in stunned silence.
The middle-aged cultivator simply patted the young man’s shoulder wordlessly, offering a small measure of comfort.
Half an hour later, the group mounted their flying artifacts and left the small island, flying away from that expanse of misty sea.
...
After being enveloped by the radiant light, the yellow-robed young woman felt dizzy and disoriented as the restriction teleportation flung her outward.