Dong dong dong~ Dong dong dong.

Knocking sounds echoed.

“Who is it?”

Bai Lian pulled open the door, at first only seeing a pair of sclera.

She blinked, and from the white, a face emerged. “Second Elder, what brings you here?”

“Is it not alright for this old man to come and visit the Holy Maiden?” The Second Elder smiled, his aged face typically appearing benevolent when smiling, but because only the sclera were visible, it looked rather sinister. “Holy Maiden’s cultivation has advanced greatly, it truly is a blessing for my Bai Gu Dao.”

“Oh, please. Elder, you are the pillar that supports this sect, the beam that frames the sea.”

“Ha ha ha. Not planning to let this old man come in and sit for a while?”

“This…” Bai Lian’s eyes showed difficulty. “After all, I’m a girl, isn’t it inconvenient?”

“This old man watched the Holy Maiden grow up from a young age, you are like my daughter, what is inconvenient?” The Second Elder said, then squeezed into the room.

He looked around a few times, then as if unintentionally asked, “Why is the Holy Maiden wearing a night veil even in her own room within the sect?”

Bai Lian blinked. “Naturally, it is to conceal my beauty and nurture my essence in obscurity.”

“Ha ha ha ha…” The Second Elder laughed loudly, then the laughter suddenly stopped. “Ouyang has returned. I can smell his scent.”

“That’s great! It wasn’t in vain that we exhausted our efforts and sacrificed so many dark pieces to cover for him all this way. Why hasn’t the Great Elder appeared yet?”

“Who can guess his thoughts?”

“If none of you can guess, I know even less.”

“Is it you don’t know, or you don’t want to know?”

“I don’t need to know.” Bai Lian giggled sweetly. “The sect’s major matters still require the elders to make decisions. I will just wait for news.”

The Second Elder looked at her deeply for a moment, then rose and walked outside.

Just before stepping out of the room, he suddenly stopped. “Holy Maiden, why are you so easy to talk to today?”

Bai Lian chuckled. “Look at you. When am I not easy to talk to? Even if I occasionally have some temper, isn’t it all for the sect’s major matters?”

The Second Elder finally left, and the oppressive feeling in the room seemed to be cut off by the door.

…

“Perhaps this is the last probe.”

Bai Lian murmured softly.

She sat quietly for a while, confirming that no more people would come to disturb her. Only then did she put away an array plate, pull open the wardrobe, take out Jiang Wang, who had his eyes tightly closed, and throw him onto the bed.

At this time, Jiang Wang’s five senses were sealed, only thus could he avoid the eyes that only had sclera visible.

Bai Lian pinched a hand seal and unsealed his five senses.

Jiang Wang suddenly sat up, looked at Bai Lian, and gripped his sword without speaking.

Although he had been in a state where his five senses were sealed, unable to hear the conversation between Bai Lian and the Second Elder, with his senses emptied and his mind calm, he had repeatedly thought about today’s events.

“Just ask whatever you want to ask,” Bai Lian walked to the edge of the table and sat down directly.

“You saved me again,” Jiang Wang’s voice was a little strained.

Bai Lian smiled. “What’s the big deal?”

“This is Bai Gu Dao’s old nest, are you a member of Bai Gu Dao?” Jiang Wang asked.

“We are all people of Daoism,” Bai Lian said.

Knowing that arguing with her about whether Bai Gu Dao belonged to the orthodox Daoism was fundamentally meaningless, Jiang Wang repeated, “I just ask you, are you a member of Bai Gu Dao or not?”

“Not me.” Bai Lian extended a fair finger and pointed at Jiang Wang. “It’s us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Originally, I didn’t want to tell you this quickly, because your ‘metamorphosis’ is not yet complete.” Bai Lian sighed and asked, “But since you appeared here today, you won’t give up until you get an answer, right?”

Jiang Wang didn’t answer her question, but asked, “So, Fang He Ling coming to Niu Tou Shan today was a trap? Who was it targeted at?”

“Bai Gu Shi Zhe’s spare move, not targeted at anyone. It’s just that whoever followed Fang He Ling tonight would have to die here. Anyway, we will abandon this place soon. You and that Ji Xing Si dark sentry just happened to meet.”

Bai Gu Dao would soon leave Niu Tou Shan.

Jiang Wang keenly grasped this information, but he put it aside. He turned to ask, “What does metamorphosis mean? What is this ‘you all we’ business?”

“The white bone lotus flower on your back, the flesh rebirth soul return technique you suddenly mastered… Aren’t these enough to make you associate?”

“You always understand me well, perhaps these are all your arrangements. The white bone lotus flower could have been tattooed by you while I was in a coma, and the flesh rebirth soul return technique could have been passed to me by you using some method… It’s impossible for me to be related to Bai Gu Dao!”

“I don’t have the divine ability to modify memories,” Bai Lian suddenly laughed. “However, I have indeed always paid close attention to you, even when you were a beggar…”

Jiang Wang was suddenly shocked!

To escape Fang Peng Ju’s pursuit, transforming into a beggar, and barely living in Huan Zhen Guan, that was something that happened before opening meridians. Bai Lian actually observed him from that time?

Bai Lian quickly explained, “Originally, all of you beggars settling in Huan Zhen Guan were just completing a choice under our guidance.”

Her voice was faint. “Huan Zhen Guan is a very meaningful place, it is also a place chosen by the Venerable God. As early as when Zuo Guang Lie died in battle, I was curious, so many beggars died, why were you the only one who didn’t? Could it be just a coincidence?

Why did you return to the Dao Yuan later and your cultivation immediately progressed a thousand miles a day?

Presumably, you have also noticed, right?

After opening meridians, your cultivation speed surpasses ordinary people.

Most importantly, you can devour the Bai Gu Dao seed, you can perfectly adapt to Bai Gu Dao secret techniques, and you can perform the flesh rebirth soul return technique! You are not ordinary, you are the son of Bai Gu Dao!”

Bai Lian finally said, “Only later did I understand why you appeared in Huan Zhen Guan, it was precisely the arrangement of the Venerable God.”

“No, that’s not right!” Jiang Wang shook his head. He believed his cultivation came from Tai Xu Huan Jing, and was fundamentally unrelated to being the son of Bai Gu Dao. But Tai Xu Huan Jing was his biggest secret now and could not be revealed to argue.

“You just fear that you are saying ‘not right’ with your mouth, while crying in pain in your heart.”

“What son of a Dao!” Jiang Wang took a step back. “I said, I will never forgive Bai Gu Dao’s actions. I will also never be as dirty as all of you, we are not people on the same path!”

“That is because you haven’t seen the truth of this world clearly, haven’t thoroughly wiped away your hypocrisy, and haven’t found your true self.”

“I am very clear about who I am, I don’t need you to remind me.” Jiang Wang tried to control his mind and calm down to think.

“What did you say about the Bai Gu Dao seed?” He asked.

“This is a very precious thing, I only have one. It can absorb the nutrients of the parasitized person to grow, and finally perfectly control the parasitized person. But unexpectedly, it was devoured by you… So you see, of course the seed cannot take effect on the son of the Dao!”

Jiang Wang looked at her coldly. “You tried to parasitize me?”

Bai Lian rarely showed some apology in her eyes. “At that time, we weren’t familiar yet…”

“We are not familiar now either, you make me feel very strange!” Jiang Wang said coldly. “No need to say more! I absolutely do not believe I am the son of Bai Gu Dao, even if it were true, I would absolutely not be as dirty as you group of beasts in human skin!”

The words “even if,” although expressing determination, also showed a hint of wavering.

Bai Lian was not in a hurry to make a point about this, but instead counter-asked, “Exactly, is raising fierce beasts and disregarding the lives of common people considered beasts in human skin? Or is extracting the Dao veins of the aquatic race to refine meridian-opening pills considered beasts in human skin?”

“Don’t think you can use words to shake my Dao heart!” Jiang Wang’s voice was firm, as if it wasn’t enough to resist the pressure he was under.

He tried to calm his breath and verify his determination. “Bai Lian, since our paths are different, then let’s go our separate ways. I said, my life was saved by you, you can take it back now.”

Bai Lian’s eyes were very beautiful, like anger and resentment, filled with autumn waves. She just gazed at Jiang Wang with those eyes.

“How could I be willing to kill you?” She softened her voice and said softly, “However, as long as you cooperate, I can wipe away your memory of tonight. Just pretend everything didn’t happen. When you thoroughly awaken, you will remember what happened tonight.”

“Covering your ears while stealing a bell?”

“No, the time is just not right yet.”

Bai Lian rose and leaned closer. Before Jiang Wang could react, she pressed him onto the bed and held him down.

“Look into my eyes,” she said. “I don’t have the divine ability to manipulate memories. I’m just using a secret technique to temporarily seal this small segment of memory, so you must open your body and mind and fully cooperate. If something goes wrong, at best your spirit will be disordered, at worst your soul will be scattered.”

Jiang Wang understood clearly in his heart that this was already the best choice.

Tonight, he had mistakenly entered Niu Tou Shan, stepping into a thief’s den, which should have ended with his death.

Bai Lian’s various covers had already saved his life. But no matter how they discussed it, it was impossible for him to bring the secrets of Bai Gu Dao back to Feng Lin City.

And he would rather die than be as dirty as Bai Gu Dao.

Now, he could temporarily delay facing the choice again without having to die.

Jiang Wang completely opened his mind, allowing his consciousness to be drowned by countless lotus petals.

He felt a kind of warmth and inclusivity, and attachment.

Then, in this boundless sea of lotus petals, he saw a lotus bud drifting towards him.

It grew taller and taller, until it was parallel with Jiang Wang’s line of sight.

Then the lotus bloomed, and the center of the bloom was not a stamen, nor did it bear lotus seeds.

But… a black candle!

…

…

PS: It will be officially put on the shelves at 12 noon tomorrow. I already mentioned putting it on the shelves last week, so I won’t say it again. In short, please support the subscription. The first subscription is very important for this book, it can be said to be the last opportunity for this book. If the subscription ratio looks good, there will still be recommendations. Whether this book can maintain quality and quantity depends not only on my efforts, but also on everyone’s efforts!

I beg you!

On the day it’s put on the shelves, I will update more than 10,000 words consecutively to give back to everyone, with a total of five chapters updated. From 12 noon to 10 p.m., one chapter will be updated every two hours! After it’s on the shelves, I will try to maintain two chapters updated every day.

Go for it! Wish you all the best!