Chapter 85: The Fourth Pair of Eyes – Gulp Gulp Gulp Gulp Gulp

Just earlier, when she was tossing the jade rings into the Pure Spirit Pool, Green Bean had still been on her wrist. The new seal was supposed to last ten days and had just been placed not long ago—yet now, it had vanished.

“You guys go on chatting, I’m heading next door for a bit.”

Lian Mu got out of the pool and made straight for the Pure Spirit Pool. By now, the scuffle there had ended, and the disciples were all quiet.

Or rather, they were forced into quietude—thanks to the lead disciple of Azure Profound Sect who had stepped in and forcibly ended the chaotic mess.

The disciples from all three sects didn’t look great. Clearly, they hadn’t held back during the brawl. Some had even been electrocuted so badly they couldn’t stand.

Lian Mu strolled past like nothing had happened. Among the disciples, she was walking the most normally, which naturally drew some curious glances.

But no one had figured out who the true culprit was. They just assumed she was lucky not to have gotten caught up in it.

“Fellow cultivator, I advise you not to enter the pool,” a kind-hearted disciple from Azure Profound Sect said. “It’s already been wrecked by a bunch of lightning spiritual root types.”

Lian Mu smiled. “I just came from the White Jade Pool, but thank you for the warning. I would’ve been left in the dark otherwise.”

The moment she spoke, her voice caught the attention of a few sect leads.

Lian Mu acted like she didn’t notice and wandered along the Pure Spirit Pool’s edge, scanning the area for any sign of Green Bean.

She wasn’t sure if the restriction on Green Bean had been broken. That little thing was always rebellious. If it got too hungry, it’d go nuts and cause trouble. Thinking about it, she hadn’t fed it in over ten days.

Still, she wasn’t too worried about it getting caught. Even Ji Mingyue couldn’t keep it in check—others didn’t stand a chance.

Retracing her previous steps, Lian Mu kept her eyes on the water and didn’t notice someone in front of her until she almost ran into them.

She halted and looked up—right into a pair of deep, inky eyes.

“What a coincidence, Team Leader Ying,” she greeted politely. Without waiting for a response, she tried to go around him and keep looking.

Ying You stood by the pool, eyes flicking toward her. “…What a coincidence. Fellow cultivator Lian, are you looking for something?”

Lian Mu had just decided he wasn’t going to respond and was about to leave when he called her name—correctly, even.

Wait a minute. She was pretty sure they hadn’t met before. How did he know who she was?

She felt a twinge of regret for opening her mouth just now. Now that he had asked, she had to waste time answering.

“Yeah.”

“In the pool? Maybe I can help.”

He kept his eyes on her the whole time he spoke, his voice soft and calm.

“How would you help?” Lian Mu wasn’t about to say no to free assistance.

Ying You didn’t reply. He just raised a hand and sent a pulse of spiritual energy into the water. He closed his eyes and stood still for a moment.

Then Lian Mu remembered something she’d heard from Xu Xianxing—Ying You supposedly had a Water Spiritual Root and could control water directly.

That meant he likely knew about the jade rings they’d dumped into the pool. Yet even after they’d messed with Azure Profound Sect’s territory, he didn’t bring it up. Instead, he offered to help her find something.

Lian Mu narrowed her eyes and sized him up, instantly on alert. She took two steps back to put some distance between them.

Ying You opened his eyes. A small ripple spread across the pool. A moment later, a pitch-black scorpion burst from the surface and flew into his palm.

“This was the only thing in the pool. I recognize it—it’s your spirit pet.”

Lian Mu knew he would recognize Green Bean. It had bitten his sword back in Returning Immortal Sect.

“Thanks,” she said quietly.

Fresh out of the water, Green Bean struggled a bit, then flipped over and started blowing bubbles.

Lian Mu took it from him and turned to leave.

Ying You didn’t stop her, nor did he mention the jade rings. “Take care.”

Back at the White Jade Pool, just as Lian Mu turned the corner to enter, she saw a few heads peeking around the door.

“…What are you all doing?” she asked.

Xu Xianxing was gripping the door, almost falling out. He frantically grabbed Bai Lique’s robes. Bai Lique, caught off guard, stumbled and grabbed Ji Mingyue, who then pulled on Guan Shize and Wen Yun. The whole chain reaction left them all tumbling out together.

Xu Xianxing got up first, whispering conspiratorially, “Since when did you and Ying You get chummy?”

“I’m not chummy with him,” Lian Mu replied.

Ji Mingyue said, “You two looked pretty familiar. He even helped you search for something.”

Bai Lique added, “People from Azure Profound Sect act friendly on the surface, but they’re extremely clannish. They don’t bother with things that don’t concern their own sect. If Ying You helped you, he must have some agenda.”

Guan Shize guessed, “Is he trying to get close to the vice seat so he can later deal with the rest of us?”

“Unlikely,” Wen Yun said bluntly. “Historically, Azure Profound Sect never targets Returning Immortal Sect. In their eyes, we’re not even worth the effort.”

Lian Mu was a bit stunned by their leaps in logic—but she did agree with Bai Lique. Something felt off.

“You’d best keep your distance from Ying You,” Ji Mingyue said. “I get the feeling he knows we’re watching Feng Yunyi. He’s here to protect Feng Yunyi. If he wants to neutralize the threat, he might just cut through you first… Heaven-grade root versus three-spirit root, not a good matchup.”

“I know,” Lian Mu said. She had no intention of getting involved with that guy. Aside from Feng Yunyi, the rest of Azure Profound Sect was useless to her.

“Hiss… that scorpion in your hand looks familiar,” Wen Yun said, staring at Green Bean.

Ji Mingyue said, “It’s the one I refined before. It’s with Lian Mu now.”

“You’re this broke, and you’re still keeping a spirit pet?” Xu Xianxing looked shocked. “Did I underestimate your wealth? That thing must be starving with you. What, nine meals missed out of ten?”

Lian Mu: “…”

She had no comeback—because it was true.

“A few days from now, it’ll have a better life,” she said.

By then, she’d be rich.

Wen Yun kept watching the scorpion as it squirmed and bubbled in her hand. “It looks like it’s suffering. We’re heading out to a banquet soon. Maybe put it back in your room for now?”

That made sense. Green Bean, when hungry, could gnaw on someone’s sword without hesitation. If she took it to the banquet, it might start biting people at random.

After a quick discussion, Lian Mu returned Green Bean to Stone Pavilion Room Two. Her sect robes and spatial pouch were stored there, and the walls and doors were sturdy enough that she didn’t have to worry about it escaping.

She placed the tower-shaped fluorite beside it. Green Bean loved that stone and always slept next to it. The soft glow seemed to calm it.

But this time, Green Bean wouldn’t settle down. It clung tightly to Lian Mu’s finger, blowing bubbles like mad.

“?”

It couldn’t have nearly drowned in the pool, right?

Lian Mu held it down and checked its condition through spiritual energy. To her surprise, its spiritual energy had grown much stronger—its reserves were full.

A thought struck her: the Pure Spirit Pool must contain spiritual energy. Maybe when she entered the pool, Green Bean was awakened by the energy and forcefully broke the seal.

Judging by how frantically it was bubbling, it had probably gulped down a lot of pool water.

She flipped it onto its back—and sure enough, the small pores on its belly looked like they were splitting open.

Green Bean twisted, and the two pairs of red eyes on its sides snapped open. Then, the small pores on its abdomen cracked apart completely, twitched a little… and slowly revealed a fourth pair of eyes.

This pair of eyes was a dark, murky red. Having just seen the light, they appeared a bit dazed. After a moment, the eyes blinked and looked toward Lian Mu.

It bit her fingertip hard enough to draw blood. Lian Mu tried to shake it off, but it suddenly went limp, spat out a large bubble, and passed out.

Lian Mu: “…”

Her finger was bleeding from the bite, and for some reason, she felt a little irritated. She tossed Green Bean beside the luminous stone, wiped off the blood, and then turned to leave.