Chapter 958: Chapter 958

Siheng did as he was told.

Since Cinian now knew quite a bit, he also recounted their experiences over the past few days. Cinian listened intently, marveling at the tale. However, he ultimately flattered Nanli, saying, "It must be because of Master Nanli that the Celestial Sovereign has gained the recognition of the Heavenly Dao."

Siheng helped Nanli sit down and laughed along, "Indeed."

But with the incident involving Qiao Nanyi still fresh in her mind, Nanli was cautious. She grasped Siheng’s hand and asked, "Is there any issue with the demonic energy you absorbed just now? Don’t let it be another trap."

Siheng had already checked himself and shook his head gently, "No, you don’t need to worry too much." Nanli’s expression relaxed. Cinian, on the other hand, was filled with self-reproach: "I... I must have been blind. This must also be a covert move by Shanxun."

Having been Shanxun’s master for many years and having consumed or used so many things from him without any guard, he felt utterly foolish. "It’s all in the past, Cinian, you needn’t blame yourself anymore," Nanli said. Cinian nodded, but he couldn’t let go of his guilt.

He asked, "According to what Master Chu Yang said, it was you who warned him that Shanxun might be a traitor. How did you discover it? Shanxun didn’t reveal any flaws when he extracted the Demon Bone."

Nanli spoke seriously, "Because he is your disciple, and a fellow apprentice with Shandu and the others, you all thought he didn’t show any flaws. In my eyes, however, he had already revealed countless flaws."

"What exactly were the flaws?" Cinian was taken aback. Nanli, with a calm demeanor, spoke slowly:

"That night when we were questioning the Crimson Nine Lands, Shanxun said something that made Crimson Nine Lands realize that Yun Jianchu was in the secret realm of the Vajra Umbrella. At that moment, I felt something was off. Later, when Shang Jue attacked and clearly knew that I had a strand of Yun Jianchu’s Demon Soul within me, he set a trap. Shanxun had already seen through everything and had been biding his time, looking for an opportunity. They did set a good trap, but they didn’t expect Yun Jianchu to be so disobedient, causing their plan to fail."

Cinian understood at this point: "So... so that disciple was sacrificed by Shanxun to take the fall?"

"Most likely," Nanli nodded. "The fact that I had the Demon Soul within me was exposed, but since his grand plan was not yet complete and he didn’t want to reveal himself, he had to push that disciple forward. Given this, I took the opportunity to say that I wanted to extract Master Yun’s Demon Bone and left with Siheng, forcing him to take action."

Cinian’s eyes dimmed. His voice was desolate: "He risked his life to extract the Demon Bone and has been hide in the Divine Buddha Sect for many years. What a strong determination he must have had. I... I almost admire him..."

Recalling Shanxun’s face and the cries of "master," his emotions churned and sorrow overwhelmed him. Unconsciously, two streams of clear tears ran down his face. He muttered, "I used to say that Shanhai led the Divine Buddha Sect to ruin, but now it seems... it was I, it was I who harmed the Divine Buddha Sect!"

Overwhelmed with grief, his heart meridians ached again. Nanli, seeing this, felt heartbroken and could only say, "Cinian, don’t blame yourself so much."

Siheng poured a cup of hot tea for his wife and added, "Everything can still be salvaged. You still have eleven disciples. Cultivate them well in the future and make the Divine Buddha Sect renowned once again."

Nanli took the cup and smiled sweetly at him. Siheng’s heart was filled with joy. Cinian, seeing the affectionate scene between the two, turned his head away. He said, "There might still be some spies and traitors. No, once I recover, I must investigate thoroughly."

He would check their entire ancestry!

Nanli laughed, "Cinian, you can’t be that unlucky, can you?"

"I don’t think I am that unlucky either," Cinian still had faith in his eleven disciples deep down. But after this experience, he had to be cautious and verify everything carefully, not giving the enemy any chance to exploit.

Nanli took a sip of the hot tea and remembered that Shandu should still be waiting outside for news. She quickly removed the talisman array in the room. Sure enough, they immediately heard the heart-wrenching cries from outside.

"Master! You must live!"

"Master, if you die, I don’t know how I can support the Divine Buddha Sect..."

His voice attracted others. Some were already offering comfort. The others, thinking Cinian was beyond saving, knelt down and began to chant the prayer for the deceased. Amplified by their spiritual energy, the voices were quite loud.

Cinian turned his head stiffly: "Are they chanting for me?"

Nanli nodded, "It seems so."

Cinian immediately got up, went over, and flung the door open, shouting loudly, "Stop chanting! I’m not dead yet!"

"Master!" Shandu and the others were more shocked and excited than ever, rushing towards Cinian. After confirming that Cinian was alive and not just a spirit, they cried even louder.

Master had escaped this disaster!

There were still many people outside the house. Chu Yang was also delighted, grinning and saying, "My brother-in-law is truly amazing."

Yun Yubai followed, "Indeed! This is truly a miracle!"

The Master of Crimson Glow Peak and Yun Shen also chimed in, "Well said! It seems that with Jifeng Celestial Sovereign here, we can rest easy."

Ximen Chuan had originally planned to come and see Cinian off for the last time. Hearing these praises, he could only keep a straight face or roll his eyes. However, he had to admit that with Siheng’s current abilities, even if people outside knew about Yun Yubai’s background, they wouldn’t dare to say anything.

The Immortal World, after all, values rules and reason, but more often than not, it’s about who has the stronger fist.

Bai Hao arrived late. There was still a burnt smell on him.

"Cinian!" He was extremely excited, pushing Shandu and the others aside and hugging Cinian tightly, "Old baldy, you actually survived! Your great tribulation is over, and from now on, you will surely have a smooth sail and endless blessings!"

Cinian was delighted, "Then I’ll take your kind words to heart."

"Cinian, tonight we’re celebrating, and we must have a few drinks!" Bai Hao didn’t care whether others were willing or not and dragged him away.

The eleven Shans wanted to follow as well. Bai Hao waved his hand, "Don’t follow. I have some private matters to discuss with your master."

Shandu and the others had no choice but to stop. Everyone looked at each other and then went back to their rooms. After all, they hadn’t had a good rest for quite some time.

After watching them leave, Siheng turned around and called out, "A’Li..."

However, Nanli had already fallen asleep on the couch, breathing evenly and deeply. His eyes softened with tenderness and couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. She must have felt safe seeing him by her side and thus could rest easy.

This wasn’t his room. He carefully picked her up and carried her back to the courtyard at the back of the mountain. He laid her on the bed, took off her shoes, and adjusted her body. It was already late autumn, and the wind was quite chilly. After tucking her in, he stared at her for a long while before lying down to sleep with her.

On the other side, Cinian was forcibly dragged away by Bai Hao. After closing the door, Bai Hao even locked it. Cinian said, "Bai, although I’ve recovered most of my health, it’s all thanks to Jifeng Celestial Sovereign’s timely help. I still can’t drink alcohol, or it might worsen my condition and waste Jifeng Celestial Sovereign’s efforts."

He tried to stand up, but Bai Hao quickly pushed him back onto the stool. "Take it easy, I just want to ask you something else."

Cinian was puzzled: "What? Are you thinking of joining the Buddhist path?"

"Perish the thought!" Bai Hao touched his head, "Look at my hair. It’s white, but still smooth and shiny. How could I bear to shave it off?"

"So, what do you want to ask?"

Bai Hao immediately took out a pill furnace from his Qiankun Bag. A burnt smell spread, making Cinian cough incessantly. He lightly covered his nose and looked at the dark substance inside the furnace, "What is this? Poison?"

"You just escaped death, and your mouth is still so venomous?" Bai Hao gave him a disdainful look, "I was refining that Beast Food Pill, but I failed."

"Beast Food Pill?" Cinian had never heard of it. It seemed to be a very difficult pill to refine. So he advised Bai Hao not to force himself. Bai Hao told him about his bet with Shi Miaomiao and finally said through gritted teeth, "I must become her grandfather!"

"What if you lose?" Cinian asked.

Bai Hao replied, "Me? I haven’t said what would happen if I lose."

Cinian said, "Then Lord Shi was just teasing you and didn’t take it seriously. Why make things difficult for yourself?"

Bai Hao said seriously, "How can I keep losing every time? Quickly, here are Nanli’s pill-refining steps. Help me figure it out."

Cinian then clutched his chest, "I’ve just barely escaped death and haven’t had a moment’s rest, and you’re already enslaving me. Do you even have any conscience?"

"I have none," Bai Hao said casually, not minding at all, "Cinian, I know your pill-refining skills are decent, you just don’t specialize in it. We’ve known each other for years, do I really have to kneel down and beg you?"

Cinian glanced at him and quickly waved his hand, "No way, even if you beg me, it won’t work. This pill formula is too unique. I can’t possibly study it in one night. You should just admit defeat."

"You old baldy, you’re making a conclusion just by glancing at it. You clearly don’t want to help me!" Bai Hao was so angry that his face turned red, "Can you really bear to see me lose face?!"

"Do you even have any face left?" Cinian retorted.

Bai Hao was left speechless. After a while, he sat down, feeling somewhat dejected and sad, "Today I told Nanli that one should learn until they die, but after messing around all day, I realized that pill-refining is not something you can learn just because you want to."

"Indeed," Cinian agreed wholeheartedly, suggesting he should stop struggling. Bai Hao sighed repeatedly, "Now that the Shi family has re-refined the Heaven-Earth Spiritual Pill, my Bai family will hardly be able to catch up in the future."

Cinian offered him a suggestion, "Since you’re not good at pill-refining, you could focus on something else, continue..."

Before he could finish, Bai Hao suddenly had an idea and became spirited. "Right!"

"Why didn’t I think of that before!"

"Marriage alliance! My fifth child still doesn’t have a spouse. I think Chu Yang is quite a good match! They are a perfect couple!"

Once the two are united, the Bai family’s relationship with Nanli would be inseparable, and the Shi family would have to take a back seat!