Chapter 48: Doubts in Dan's Room (Below) Invert V

  Shangguan Yanhua was explaining the scenery to Su Xiang and Su Yao when she suddenly saw that young man. Her smile froze on her face. Xuanyin, who was standing beside them, quickly thought of something and deliberately cleared his throat before asking, "Who is this..." Before he could finish speaking, his eyes had already landed on the medicine jar in the young man's arms.

  At first glance, there are some unusual places. The Qingyu altar is known for its golden elixir technique, so it's common to see medicine jars and dan furnaces, but this medicine jar is not big or small, and the shape looks a bit strange. It's not ceramic, jade, copper, or iron, and I don't know what material it's made of. The whole body is black and shiny, and the mouth of the jar is sealed with a piece of black cloth that is very tight. The most bizarre thing is that the entire body of the jar is covered in talismans from head to toe, which are bright yellow and very eye-catching. On top of that, there are blood-red curses drawn on it, layer upon layer, wrapping the black jar inside.

  Xuan Zhen narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping back and forth around the jar, thinking to himself: The spiritual energy on that talisman is incredibly powerful! I wonder what precious medicine is sealed inside?

  That young disciple saw Xuan Zhen pay extra attention to the medicine jar, and his eyes suddenly flickered with uncertainty, his face also turned pale, and his body moved uncomfortably, casting a pleading glance at Shang Guan Yanhua. This gentle and handsome young man seemed not to have noticed, but suddenly spoke up: "It's just a disciple of our sect entering the Dan Pavilion to refine medicine, there's nothing special about it. Xuan Zhen Shixiong, why don't we go upstairs and take a look? The view from there is beautiful at night, especially the fireflies transformed from the wood spirit energy in the flowers and grass..."

  "Only a select few are allowed to enter the Yuyou Dan Pavilion, which is located in the Qingyu Altar. The spiritual pressure inside is extremely heavy, and it's not something that ordinary people can withstand. Normally, only the sect leader, elders, and senior disciples like yourselves are allowed to enter. This junior brother... seems to be somewhat lacking in his cultivation, doesn't he?" Xuan Zhen interrupted, casting a meaningful glance at the young man. The young disciple's face turned even paler, and what was even more astonishing was that he seemed to be extremely frightened, his hands trembling as they clutched the black jar, causing his entire body to quiver slightly.

  Shangguan Yan's eyes gradually deepened, and the warm smile on his lips had not faded but had dulled somewhat. He gazed at Xuan Zhen for a moment before slowly saying: "Tongzhi Shidi has only recently entered the sect, so his cultivation naturally can't compare to others. However, he is exceptionally talented, and Yiyu Dan Pavilion indeed lacks a diligent disciple to clean and tidy up. That's why I assigned him to serve in the pavilion. He spends no more than half an hour inside each day, which doesn't amount to much."

  Xuan Zhen gazed back at the past with a profound meaning: "Oh? So... it was like that." He paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "This matter is an internal affair of Qing Yu Tan. Actually, I just casually asked, why did Officer Shang have to make such a big deal out of it?" Doesn't he know that the more one explains, the more they want to cover it up?

  Shangguan Yan's eyes flashed with a cold light, but his expression became even warmer as he smiled and said: "The righteous path of the world is originally one family, and in my eyes, there is no distinction between insiders and outsiders. Besides, Qingyutai has always been upright and transparent in its actions, and there's nothing to hide. Looking at the young disciple still standing stupidly on the steps of the Dan Pavilion, he suddenly changed his tone and said: "However, this Yiyu Dan Pavilion is a sacred place for Qingyutai, even our own disciples are not allowed to enter and exit freely. I suppose Master Xuanzhen won't intentionally make things difficult for me, so let's take you in to take a look?"

  Xuan Zhen lowered his eyes, but smiled without speaking.

  "Hey, isn't the Dan Pavilion just a place for refining medicine?" Su Xiang had been listening to their back-and-forth conversation for several sentences and hadn't caught any of the underlying tension, so she naturally found it boring. She pouted and said, "I've already seen enough of Master Longya surrounding the furnace in the Qinghua Sect. I don't want to go in there, it's just a bunch of pills and furnaces, hot and stuffy! It'll suffocate people! Officer Shang, didn't you say earlier that there are fireflies on the upper level of the Qingyu Platform? Take us there to see them instead. My sister and I still want to hear your stories!"

  Shangguan Yanhua seemed to have been waiting for this sentence, and immediately smiled all over his face: "The two masters have orders, Yanhua will follow. From here on, the road to the top is just ahead, let's go?" As he spoke, he seemed to casually wave his hand at the young man, "You're still standing there, hurry up and go in!"

  That young disciple had been standing nervously beside him for half a day, and now he suddenly felt relieved, hastily holding the medicine jar and rushing up the stairs. Xuan Zhen looked at his back from the bottom of the stairs, his eyebrows unknowingly furrowed.

  Just then, his robe sleeves suddenly moved a few times, and Xuanshen only felt something warm and soft stirring inside, after which he saw a gray shadow darting out of the loose sleeve opening, and in a few bounds it reached the back of that young man, where it landed squarely on his elbow.

  That young disciple was caught off guard, let out a loud cry, and his feet slipped even more, thudding to the ground with a splat. Then came another crisp crack, as that medicine jar heavily smashed onto the stone step.

  The sound was not very loud, but to some people it seemed louder than thunder. The young disciple sat up with a start, without even dusting off the dirt on his body, and hastily picked up the medicine jar to examine it, his hands shaking violently as he nearly dropped the jar again.

  "What's going on?" A low shout, and it was Shangguan Yanhua who had turned back from the front. He first cautiously stared at Xuanshen for a moment, then his gaze shifted to the young man, and in an instant he understood what was happening. His face suddenly changed greatly.

  The young man's face was already pale, and when he looked up to see his fierce eyes, he showed an extremely fearful expression, as if he would rather faint on the spot.

  Shangguan Yan stared at the black jar for half a day, his calm and gentle smile had long since disappeared. Looking at his extremely tense appearance, it was likely that the jar contained something very important. However, Xuan Zhen's mind was filled with doubts, but he couldn't ask anything out loud, so he could only secretly guess.

  The young man in the brown robe closed his eyes and then opened them again, barely suppressing his emotions. His thin lips twitched a few times before he managed to force out a smile. He turned to Xuan Zhen with a very embarrassed expression and said: "Xian Hua Guan's disciple is really incompetent, I'm afraid I've made you laugh, Master Xuan."

  Xuan Zhen narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly, "Where, it should be Xuan Zhen apologizing to Officer Shang and this Tong Ji junior brother instead." As he spoke, he slowly stepped forward, stretched out his long arm behind Tong Ji's back, and under the young man's stunned expression, pulled out a fluffy, constantly struggling and twisting... grey rabbit.

  "This little thing is really untamed, and it seems that Master Xuan Zhen's teaching methods are indeed ineffective." Xuan Zhen gently stroked the grey rabbit in his arms, which was still struggling to escape, and smiled at Shangguan Yanhua as if nothing was wrong. "But I suppose a magnanimous person like Brother Shangguan wouldn't bother with a mere beast?"

  "That's natural." Officer Xuan Hua's mouth twitched a few more times before he forced a smile and turned to Tong Zhi, "Does that jar have something to do with it?"

  Tong Zhi hastily shook his head like a rattle drum and trembled with voice: "No, nothing!"

  Shangguan Yanhua's expression finally eased, and she said in a warm voice, "Be more careful next time, hurry up and go inside."

  "Yes, yes!" The young man replied respectfully and hurriedly picked up the black jar from the ground.

  The young man in the brown robe glanced at Xuan Zhen with a sideways glance, just as he looked over, and could only laugh and explain a few more sentences: "The medicine jar contains extremely rare medicinal materials. If even a hint of air leaks out, the medicine will lose its potency. Alas, Tong Zhī's younger brother almost caused a great disaster, fortunately, fortunately..."

  "Hey, Shixiong, Shangguan Shixiong, why haven't you guys come yet?" A head popped out from behind a rock in front, and the jade ribbon on her buns floated gently by her cheeks, making that little face even more lively and lovely. "Hurry up, hurry up, let's go see the fireflies!"

  "Here we come." Xiang Guan Hua responded loudly, turning his head to give Xuan Zhen a faint smile. "Brother Xuan Zhen, this time we can pass through, right?" He said as he walked towards Suo Xun without looking back.

  Xuan Zhen gazed at his back, the smile on his face gradually fading away. He lowered his head to glance at the grey rabbit in his arms, gently tugging at its fluffy ears as he muttered, "You little thing... always causing trouble for people!"

  That grey rabbit seemed to understand human speech, and it immediately stopped struggling. It lifted its small head, and its two soft, fluffy ears perked up. The purple-red round eyes stared over, seemingly filled with resentment and anger. But in the next instant, those round eyes widened even more, and the pair of grey fluffy paws climbed onto Xuanyin's shoulder. Xuanyin was taken aback, realizing that this grey rabbit was quite intelligent, and he feared that something behind him had caught its attention again. He quickly turned his head to look back.

  At the same time, a very weak breath suddenly came from behind his back, causing him to shudder all over. Just as he looked back in an instant, that thread of breath had already been dissolved by the surrounding spiritual energy and disappeared into the universe.

  At the place where the breath came from, on the steps in front of him, outside the corner gate of Yiyu Dan Pavilion, a young man named Tongzhi was holding a medicine jar with one hand and picking up a talisman paper that had fallen off the jar. It seemed that due to the collision just now, the talisman paper on the black jar had loosened, and one of them had accidentally dropped, revealing a corner of the black lacquer below.

  Xuan Zhen stared at the black medicine jar, and suddenly heard that crisp sound again in his ears. The voice echoed back and forth in his ears, stirring up wave after wave of ripples in the foggy brain, and the threads of doubt were gradually gathering together to form a faint answer...

  Just now... that wisp of breath! Xuan Zhen's heart suddenly stirred, as if a ray of light flashed through his mind. No matter what, he wouldn't misidentify it - that fleeting breath was unmistakably filled with vital energy, just like... just like a human soul!

  Just as he was shocked by what he thought in his heart, the young man had already disappeared behind the corner door. Although the medicine jar was no longer in front of him, but at this moment, Xuan Zhen's heart was bright and clear like a mirror. It seemed that the black jar was not completely undamaged, when it was knocked out by the gray rabbit and hit the stone steps, there must be a crack in that place, and precisely because the talisman paper fell off and exposed the damage, it leaked out a wisp of soul energy, also making him understand some hidden truths beneath the surface...

  Announcement: This article will be locked on October 4th, and there will be three updates on the day of locking. From chapter 36 to this chapter, it will become a reverse lock chapter starting from tomorrow, so please be cautious if you have read it before.

  P.S. A certain grass knows that this article is slow to heat up and has fewer JQs, but will continue to work hard in the future to write words that everyone likes to read and hopes to see, and hopes that everyone can continue to support, feeling deeply grateful!

  PPS. About the lotus, you mentioned that Shangguan Yanhua... This name actually has a great origin, it was something I wrote casually during my high school days for one of the characters, and the prototype of that character is a friend who struggled with me in our senior year, and... The original name was Yanda, but she immediately saw through that I was secretly mocking her (haha) because her face is like a full moon (cough... suppressing laughter), so I changed it to Yanhua which means smooth and delicate skin... Who doesn't have an embarrassing past? ~ [throwing hands up]