The Emperor of Zongmen Workers is here

The moon sinks over the mountain.

After his failure, Ye Qingcheng hurried back to the place he had agreed to meet with Dong Mingye. However, there was only a mess and traces of battle left on the ground. Where could he find a single living person?!

He didn't care about anything else and released his spiritual sense to investigate the surroundings. After confirming that He Yihuan had not caught up with him, he breathed a sigh of relief, sat down, and began to meditate and regulate his breathing.

Ye Qingcheng was filled with self-mockery at this moment. Originally, after the evil demon reported the news, he had full confidence in this operation. He had never expected that after making sufficient preparations and keeping Dong Mingye as a backup, it would end in failure, and such a complete failure.

Initially, he'd calculated a 90% success rate, but the remaining 10% seemed obscured by the mysteries of heaven, impossible to gauge. Back then, he'd considered the remaining 10% a minor risk. But now, thinking back, he'd been overconfident. The only one who could defy the hurdles of heaven in their cultivation was He Yihuan, and he should have thought of that earlier.

"I've been hiding for five hundred years... but I didn't expect that all my efforts would be ruined by an unforeseen accident..." Thinking of this, Ye Qingcheng couldn't help but laugh at himself. Then he thought about the accident he couldn't predict, "So what secrets does this Jiang Qingwu have... His excellent physique and bones, as well as his destiny that is obscured by the secrets of heaven, really makes me curious."

Ye Qingcheng became more and more interested in Jiang Qingwu...

The Jiang family's old house.

The devastation of the surroundings after the battle made anyone who saw this situation feel desolate, not to mention Jiang Qingwu, the person in charge. She suppressed the sadness in her heart and said goodbye to the Jiang family temporarily. One day, she would come to clean up the old mountains and rivers of the Jiang family!

"Master, where are we going?" Jiang Qingwu asked in a childish voice. Even after she hadn't given it any thought, she still felt a wave of embarrassment about her voice. This was the first time since her rebirth that she felt self-conscious about her voice. After all, in her past life, she'd been surrounded by people who treated her like a child, and she'd accepted the reality of being born from the Dongxu Realm. Because of these factors, she hadn't noticed any issues with her voice in the past year, enjoying her new life.

And now, facing this cheap master, she began to worry whether he could accept such a freak who could talk and jump freely at such a young age?

He Yihuan heard Jiang Qingwu's question and replied earnestly, "Before midnight, I'll find a place to celebrate your birthday." Although this was his first time raising a child, he had seen how Jiang Qingwu's fellow apprentices raised their children. For the Wuliang Sect, raising children was a familiar routine. Furthermore, the Jiang family's lavish decorations, along with the regret expressed towards Jiang Qingwu during the funeral, made him guess it was preparations for her birthday. What else could such a vibrant and joyful arrangement be used for?

However, Jiang Qingwu didn't have time to be embarrassed about her voice. She scratched her head embarrassedly and said, "Master, today is not my birthday..." After she finished speaking, a trace of embarrassment flashed across her face.

He Yihuan frowned slightly and asked doubtfully, "Isn't it?"

He Yihuan and Jiang Qingwu looked at each other and fell silent again.

After a long silence, He Yihuan seemed to realize something, so he silently took her hand, took her pulse, and decided to find out for himself. After all, guesses are just guesses...

He injected spiritual power into her body, carefully feeling her bones and meridians. As time went on, his expression gradually became one of astonishment.

"This..." He Yihuan muttered to himself, "She's actually not even a year old yet?!"

He thought he was mentally prepared, but when the facts lay before him, he still found it hard to believe.

"Could it be that Heaven not only gave him the opportunity to transcend the tribulation, but also gave him a talented and good disciple? Is this a treasure?!" He Yihuan secretly exclaimed in his heart.

However, he quickly calmed down and began to think about whether the other possibility was appropriate, so he pondered it in his mind...

"If she really had been possessed, how could she be so pure and innocent?" He Yihuan thought. "Also, with her Qi Refining Stage cultivation, she actually dared to challenge Ye Qingcheng's Soul Devouring Art. This behavior is simply seeking death, and it doesn't seem like the behavior of a seasoned cultivator. Therefore, she is definitely not the one who possessed another's body."

The more He Yihuan pondered over it, the more it made sense to her. Moreover, her fate was hidden by the way of heaven and could not be known. It seemed as if the secret of heaven could not be revealed. She made up her mind and directly denied the possibility that Jiang Qingwu was a cultivator who had taken over someone else's body.

However, after further investigation, he discovered a problem—due to the Yu Qi Zhan Soul Devouring Art, her spiritual energy had dissipated and was blocked by the invasion of evil energy. The evil energy would continuously absorb the spiritual energy she absorbed and supply it to the person who cast the evil energy. As for what happened to him back then... the most important thing was that her spiritual roots had been shattered for some unknown reason! No wonder Jiang Qingwu's body was so weak and her cultivation progress had slowed. It was truly a blessing from heaven that such damage had not directly ruined her cultivation...

"It seems that I have to quickly find some precious medicinal herbs for her to recover, and at the same time I have to find a way to repair her spiritual roots." He Yihuan frowned and made a secret decision in his heart.

He Yihuan came back to his senses and recalled the Jiang family's decorations. He couldn't help but ask in confusion, "The Jiang family's decorations look like they're celebrating someone's birthday?"

Jiang Qingwu blinked, his eyes darkening. He had not expected his cheap master to be so observant. Then, with an innocent glint in his eyes, he said softly, "Master, your guess is correct. It is indeed my disciple's birthday gift, but it will be after midnight. Today is just an advance arrangement."

As Jiang Qingwu spoke, his head lowered lower, like an ostrich, burying his head deeply in his arms, in order to escape reality and hide the sadness and sorrow deep in his heart.

"It should be so." The aristocratic families did pay more attention to the organization of festive celebrations. After a brief silence, he came back to his senses, turned to look at Jiang Qingwu beside him, and said in a firm tone: "Then let's find a place to rest. I don't need to rest, but you are weak now and need a comfortable environment to recuperate." Before he finished speaking, He Yihuan had already reached out and picked him up, took a deep breath and flew away from Lingcui Mountain on the sword. He considerately cast a protective shield for Jiang Qingwu to prevent her from being blown by the air flow during the flight.

Flying a sword is faster than flying a spirit boat. A quarter of an hour later, the two arrived at Dongling City. There was no curfew in the city and it was still as prosperous and bustling as when Jiang Qingwu and the others left, with people coming and going. Looking at this scene, she couldn't help but sigh that things are different now. Her mood then and now has changed drastically.

He Yihuan didn't notice Jiang Qingwu's thoughts and walked straight to the best inn in the city without any intention of stopping. After entering the inn, He Yihuan bowed slightly and said to the owner standing behind the counter in a gentle voice, "Boss, please arrange a superior room for us."

The boss looked up at the voice, his gaze instantly drawn to He Yihuan. The man before him stood tall and straight, like a pine tree, his brows radiating an otherworldly aura. Clearly no ordinary person, he was. The boss, inwardly impressed, a warm smile flickered across his face, and he quickly replied, "Alright! This way, sir." With that, he quickly stepped forward, leading He Yihuan and Jiang Qingwu up to the second floor, where they stopped in front of an elegantly decorated room.

The boss gently pushed open the door, stepped aside to make way, and handed the key in his hand to He Yihuan, saying respectfully: "Sir, please feel free to enjoy this room. If you need anything, just tell me." He Yihuan took the key with a smile and thanked him politely: "Thank you." The boss waved his hands repeatedly to indicate that you're welcome, then turned and left, walking downstairs briskly.

After He Yihuan watched his boss leave, he gently pushed the door open and walked into the room with Jiang Qingwu.

"You should take a rest. I'll stay here with you." He Yihuan gently touched Jiang Qingwu's head, then sat at the table and poured himself a cup of tea.

Jiang Qingwu nodded, saying nothing. She silently walked to the bedside and tentatively climbed up. He had just finished pouring the tea when he saw this scene, and he couldn't help but secretly annoyed at his own carelessness. Just as he was about to carry Jiang Qingwu to the edge of the bed, which was higher than her, Jiang Qingwu had already jumped onto the bed using both hands and feet. He Yihuan awkwardly drank the tea in his hand.

Just when He Yihuan thought Jiang Qingwu was about to fall asleep and was about to meditate...

"Master..." Jiang Qingwu's voice was like a clear spring, breaking the silence of the night again.

"Hmm?" He Yihuan raised his head and stared at her with sharp eyes.

"Thank you, Master." Gratitude surged in Jiang Qingwu's eyes like a tide.

He Yihuan paused for a moment, thinking of the Jiang family's tragic fate, and his pity for her grew even deeper. "Go to sleep now. When you wake up, I'll celebrate your birthday."

Jiang Qingwu lay down gently, like a well-behaved kitten, her jewel-like eyes slightly closed. Her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, as if she were telling the world of her inner anxiety and exhaustion. Soon, she fell into a deep sleep. However, because the Jiang family had just suffered the inhumane looting of the Soul Devouring Sect, the endless fear and pain still lingered in her heart, like a lingering haze, making her sleep uneasy.

In the dream, terrifying scenes kept flashing by like ghosts: the hideous and distorted faces of the Soul-Devouring Sect disciples were like evil spirits crawling out of hell; the bloody and cruel killing scenes were like purgatory on earth; the Jiang family's isolated and desperate situation was like a lonely boat drifting in a storm... These horrific scenes were like the devil's chains, tightly entangling her and making her unable to break free.

Fine beads of sweat gradually seeped out of her forehead, and her breathing gradually became rapid, like a bird with its throat strangled, struggling hard but unable to escape the shackles of this nightmare.

"Host! Host! Wake up!" The Tiandao System sensed that Jiang Qingwu was trapped in a nightmare and tried to wake her up, but how could Jiang Qingwu hear it?

Dreamland.

Her eyes widened, her face filled with astonishment as she stared at the bloody and brutal scenes before her. Although she knew in her heart that she had not personally experienced the brutal massacre and looting that the evil cultivators had unleashed upon the Jiang family in the first half of the incident, at this moment, those horrific scenes played out in her mind as clearly as if they had actually happened.

Just as the evil cultivators began the first half of their massacre, she distinctly remembered being on a spiritual boat with Jiang's father and mother, returning from Dongling City to Lingcui Mountain. Yet, the scene in her dream seemed to be presented from her own perspective, a feeling so intense that it was difficult for her to distinguish between dream and reality.

Every detail was so lifelike, whether it was the terrified expressions of the Jiang family or the hideous and distorted faces of the evil cultivators; whether it was the flying blood or the broken limbs scattered all over the ground... All these horrifying scenes were deeply imprinted in her heart and could not be erased.

She desperately tried to escape this horrific nightmare, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free. It was as if an invisible force was holding her tightly within, forcing her to witness this human tragedy over and over again. Gradually, she felt her consciousness grow increasingly blurred, and her body grew heavier...

In the dead of night, He Yihuan was immersed in his inner world, seeking a higher state of mind and understanding through meditation, aiming to reach a new level of spiritual attainment. However, just as he touched upon the realm of cultivation, waves of restlessness disturbed him, shattering the tranquility he had just found.

He knew without opening his eyes that the uneasy owner was the other person in the room - Jiang Qingwu. He opened his eyes and saw that her face was as pale as paper, her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and her hands were tightly grasping the quilt, as if she was experiencing a terrible torture. He knew at a glance that Jiang Qingwu was in a state of terror.

Although He Yihuan's thoughts were disrupted, he was not angry at all. Instead, he quickly came out of his meditation state and walked silently to Jiang Qingwu's side and sat down like a guardian angel.

He gently raised his hand and caressed Jiang Qingwu's forehead, sensing the restless energy within her. Then, he closed his eyes and began to softly chant the Heart Cleansing Mantra. The mantra flowed like the gentle gurgling of flowing water, each word imbued with power and warmth, as if it could penetrate the soul and soothe everything.

As He Yihuan softly chanted, her clear, valley-like voice gradually permeated the room, enveloping the entire room with the Heart-Clearing Mantra. Jiang Qingwu, previously restless, seemed to sense this peace and tranquility. Her body gradually relaxed, and her furrowed brow slowly softened. And those nagging nightmares, as if meeting their nemesis, dissipated one after another.

Under the blessing of the Heart-Clearing Mantra, Jiang Qingwu finally escaped the nightmare and fell into an unprecedentedly peaceful sleep. Her breathing became steady and even. He Yihuan remained by her side, continuing to chant the Heart-Clearing Mantra until dawn.

Just like that, in this quiet night, He Yihuan protected Jiang Qingwu in his unique way, allowing her to get through this most difficult night safely.