132: Chapter 132 The Truth?

Morning light spilled through the window into the attic, and the air was filled with a faint woody fragrance.

You sat upright in front of the vanity, quietly gazing at yourself in the bronze mirror.

Ever since your Body Refining cultivation broke through to the mid-stage of the Second Layer, a few strands of glaring white hair had quietly grown among your ink-black locks. It didn't ruin your temperament; instead, it added a touch of otherworldly aloofness and coldness.

You raised your hand, your fingertips gently twisting a strand of white hair. Is this the rhythm of becoming a white-haired sword immortal?

"Sister Youyou!"

You followed the sound and raised your eyes to look out the window.

You saw Landuo tilting her head back, waving hard at you. The young girl in the morning sun seemed to be gilded with a layer of golden brilliance, like a vibrant sunflower full of boundless vitality, exuding a fresh and lively energy all over her body.

You unconsciously revealed a smile, your figure flashing to appear before her.

The young girl stared blankly at the woman who suddenly appeared before her, frightened into retreating repeatedly. After reacting, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face.

"Sister Youyou, you are also a cultivator!?"

"Mn."

You slightly nodded.

You were actually not a person who liked to play the pig to eat the tiger; that meant enduring countless clueless taunts and dealing with a bunch of trivial, annoying matters.

Of course, when going out, it was definitely necessary to hide just a tiny bit of cultivation.

"I am a cultivator at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, and yesterday, due to being too severely injured, I could barely recover a bit of cultivation today."

Last night, you had quietly investigated. The strongest person in this tribe was merely at the early Foundation Establishment stage, so displaying the cultivation of the seventh layer of Qi Refining was just right.

It would neither appear too eye-catching nor cause you to be treated as a soft persimmon that anyone could manipulate at will.

"Wow!"

The young girl exclaimed in surprise, quickly came before you, and grabbed your arm.

"Sister Youyou, you are much more amazing than Daddy! He is already in his forties and only barely broke through to the fifth layer of Qi Refining..."

"Landuo!"

A low, angry shout came from not far away, and the young girl's chattering complaints abruptly stopped.

You raised your eyes to look, and it was precisely the sturdy man who drove yesterday.

"Lady Bai, the patriarch invites you over."

The sturdy man glared at the young girl hiding behind you, then looked at you with a solemn expression.

You slightly nodded, with no ripples in your heart.

With your current strength that controlled the overall situation, the tribe's probing and rules were nothing more than a painless formality to you.

In about three more days, your injuries would completely recover. By then, if there were no resources worth looking at here, you would immediately set off for the Bone-Corroding Poison Forest.

You believed that Lin Bufan certainly wouldn't kick the bucket that easily, and by then, he would definitely head there as well.

...

Passing through the dim path of the dense forest, the three of you followed the mountain terrain downward and finally stopped halfway up the mountain.

Before your eyes was a dwelling carved out against the rock wall. The heavy stone door was half-open, only opened by half, and its surface lacked any complicated carvings or totems.

Standing outside the door was precisely the one-eyed youth who led the team yesterday.

His gaze paused slightly on you, a trace of surprise flashing across the depths of his eyes, but he quickly adjusted his emotions, stepped aside by half a step, and made a gesture inviting you in.

"Sister Youyou, rest assured, the patriarch is a very good person."

Landuo stood by your side and said in a low voice.

You smiled and rubbed her head, then strode in without looking sideways.

The light inside the dwelling was not considered dim, and quite a few torches were lit on both sides of the path.

You walked inward along the passageway, reaching a spacious circular stone chamber at the end. Right in the center of the stone chamber floated an ancient mirror as clear as the surface of water, silently emitting an azure-blue halo.

An aged figure sat upright on a stone chair, with several figures standing behind him, staring at you with vigilant gazes.

You stood quietly in the center of the stone chamber, not speaking proactively.

Time passed for a long time in this silent and oppressive atmosphere before the old man slowly spoke:

"Little friend, you are not a cultivator from Chanming Prefecture, right?"

"That's right."

Your expression was composed, and you did not deny it.

Yesterday's conversation with Landuo and her father must have already reached these people's ears; there was no need to deceive oneself.

"Where does little friend hail from?"

You clearly sensed that upon hearing you were not a cultivator from this place, these people's tense bodies actually relaxed a lot.

Suppressing the doubts in your heart, you chose to tell the truth. After all, you didn't understand other places either, and fabricating things had no meaning at all.

"Xuanhuang Prefecture."

The old man slightly nodded, slowly raising his drooping head. His deep eyes gazed steadily at you, and after a moment, he pointed toward the ancient mirror.

"Little friend, I hope you can stand in front of the mirror to test. Rest assured, it will not cause you any harm."

Your divine sense surged out like a tide. After a round of detection without finding any anomalies, you then slowly walked right in front of the ancient mirror.

The next moment, the light-blue halo on the mirror surface suddenly surged. You didn't sense any intention of prying, and in just a brief moment, the ancient mirror returned to normal once again.

The oppressive atmosphere inside the stone chamber was swept away, and the old man revealed a sincere smile.

Those male cultivators behind him didn't even bother to act anymore, their eyes widening one by one as they couldn't help crying out in surprised chatter:

"My goodness, where did this fairy come from?"

"I have never seen such a beautiful female cultivator in my entire life."

"Me too!"

"All of you shut up for this old man!"

The old man glanced at them sideways, then looked at you smilingly again.

"Little friend, welcome to the Youquan Tribe."

Hearing the discussion of the male cultivators, your pretty face blushed slightly, and then you nodded at a loss, opening your mouth with just the right amount of confusion:

"Senior, what was that just now?"

The old man was silent for a moment, and waved his hand to dismiss the several reluctant men.

"Little friend, sit down and talk."

He pointed to the stool opposite the stone table, and there was no arrogance of a Foundation Establishment cultivator facing Qi Refining ants in his tone.

After cupping your fists in salute, you slowly came to the side of the stone table and took a seat.

"Sigh~"

The old man leisurely looked at the ancient mirror, then let out a deep sigh.

"The function of this mirror is not complicated; it is simply used to detect whether cultivators carry Gu worms inside their bodies."

"Gu worms?"

Seeing your incomprehension, the old man turned his gaze back and landed it on you.

"Little friend, judging by your bearing, you must also come from some major sect."

You were just about to speak when you were interrupted by the old man waving his hand, and he continued:

"In this Clear Spring Divine Mountain, all tribes rely on Gu worms to cultivate, but..."

His tone carried unprecedented complexity.

"Gu worms can devour each other to become stronger. If this old man puts it this way, can you understand?"

!!!

Your heart startled. No wonder those people subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that you were not a cultivator from this place.

Relying on Gu worms to cultivate, and Gu worms can devour each other to grow stronger.

This was truly people eating people!

...

...

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(There will be two more chapters later~)