The Thousand Poisons Cult Master, having finished the beauty thread, tilted her head back with her eyes closed, her hands still waving.
Just then, the veins on her face began to twist. Before long, slender worms wriggled out from her nose and eyes. Then they emerged from her ears and mouth.
The worms twisted and stretched. The entire scene was incredibly disgusting. The Thousand Poisons Cult Master looked like a creature with tentacles.
After the Thousand Poisons Cult Master had finished her consumption, the worms crawled back into her skin. Her previously shriveled and wrinkled skin instantly became firm, glossy, and elastic again.
The Right Guardian waited until she had finished the beauty thread before reporting. "Your subordinates did not dare to slack off. It is simply that too many people have joined the cult recently, causing the beauty thread to be insufficient. Furthermore, there are fewer and fewer women and children around Mu Cang County; many families have moved elsewhere. Therefore, there are not enough ‘furnaces’ to raise…"
Without waiting for the Right Guardian to finish, the Thousand Poisons Cult Master struck out with a palm, shattering a nearby boulder. If it were not a time when manpower was needed, she would have liked to kill this fool.
"People say a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow. I never expected you lot to actually capture people right on your doorstep! With Changning Prefecture so vast, with so many counties and villages, are there no women and children? Mu Cang County is such a small place! You've almost emptied it! You are all such fools. Now, with so many places suffering from drought, people are selling their sons and daughters everywhere. These short-sighted individuals still don't know how to adapt. Truly worse than useless!"
The Right Guardian, seeing the shattered boulder, felt a jolt of fear in her heart. "Your Eminence, please calm your anger. Your Eminence, forgive me! Your subordinate will immediately send people out to capture more ‘furnaces’."
The Thousand Poisons Cult Master thought of something and raised her hand to stop her words. "Impossible! The disappearances have already become a widely discussed matter, and the Forbidden Zone has seen more traffic recently. Issue an order to suspend refinement. Cult members below the rank of Sect Master are to stop using the beauty thread. We will discuss it again after this period."
"You then send people to Mu Cang County overnight to investigate the origins of those people from today. Tian Ji, that old immortal, is fawning over that woman so much. There must be some conspiracy between them!" After giving her orders, the Thousand Poisons Cult Master pulled a face from who knows where, pasted it onto her own, and then disappeared.
Su Muqing, after finishing her conversation with the Heavenly Mystery Elder, prepared to get something to eat. Everyone was exhausted from the day and hadn't had a proper meal yet.
Look at the Wuji Gate with its pavilions and towers. It didn't look like a place where cultivators resided; it was clearly a grand estate.
It was good to have a creator like Bu Jie, who enjoyed luxury. The place they stayed in casually before leaving was built so grandly. Old trees provide shade for the new. It was indeed fortunate for Su Muqing and the others.
"Muqing, I want to talk to you," Huo Qiyuan called out to Su Muqing as she was about to prepare food.
"Alright!" Su Muqing nodded, looking at his expectant expression.
She then handed over all the ingredients to Su Cuiping and the others and followed Huo Qiyuan to the pavilions and rockeries.
After the two had stood there for a long time, Huo Qiyuan finally spoke. "I'm sorry! We lied to you when you sincerely saved me."
Seeing his guilt-ridden expression, Su Muqing was a little confused. It didn't seem like that big of a deal.
So, she smiled indifferently. "It doesn't matter, Young Master Lu... Young Master Huo doesn't need to apologize."
Hearing Su Muqing call him "Young Master," Huo Qiyuan was convinced that she must be angry with him. "Muqing, listen to me. We intentionally concealed our identities at first because we were worried about exposure. But later, not telling you was also because we feared bringing disaster to you and Houxi Village. We also feared that you… would distance yourselves from me because of my identity. So… please don't be angry with me, alright?"
Su Muqing's face was full of question marks. She really wasn't angry! "I understand, I believe you have your own plans. Really! I'm truly not angry. Everyone has their own choices and secrets. I myself have many secrets. So please don't overthink it!"
Huo Qiyuan stared into her eyes and asked again. "Really? I lied to you, and you're truly not angry at all?"
Su Muqing widened her eyes and nodded affirmatively. "As true as pearls."
Upon hearing her answer, Huo Qiyuan couldn't help but ponder in his heart. How was this different from what the third brother had said? He had even used himself as an example.
He said there was a very, very small matter that he hadn't explained clearly to Su Cuiping, and she had called it a lie and was very angry. If something as significant as concealing his identity was involved, according to reason, Su Muqing should be even more upset.
Seeing that he had stopped talking and was staring at her incessantly, Su Muqing quickly asked, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Huo Qiyuan then came back to his senses. "Ah? Oh, nothing. I'm glad you're not angry with me."
Seeing that he didn't seem to have anything else on his mind, Su Muqing asked about his family. "You told me that day that you would tell me some things when I needed to know them. Can you tell me about your family now?"
Huo Qiyuan composed himself for a long time and, once his emotions had stabilized, he slowly began. "My real name is Huo Qiyuan, and I am twenty-two years old. I am the only son of Huo Sizhun, the King of Equal Strife of the former Great Yu Dynasty. The surname Lu is my maternal grandmother's surname. My mother gave up everything from the Leng family and fell out with my maternal grandfather to marry my father. My father, the King, was highly trusted by the late Emperor, and the Huo family enjoyed immense prestige for a time. This continued until the late Emperor passed away last year…"
Following this, Huo Qiyuan recounted his background and the misfortunes his family had suffered to Su Muqing.
First, his father was framed, then he was poisoned on the battlefield, and his mother was harmed while trying to save his father. The entire King of Equal Strife's mansion was implicated, and even his father's former subordinates were continuously targeted. Finally, in order to retrieve his parents' remains, he was manipulated and preempted at every turn.
Even though half a year had passed, Huo Qiyuan couldn't help but tear up when speaking of these events.
He felt his father's loyalty was unrewarded and his mother's deep affection heartbreaking. The fate of the former royal guards made him feel even more distressed, causing him to lose sleep.
He had been restraining himself all along. Since his poison had been suppressed, he could still maintain his spirits during the day and work with everyone, appearing no different.
However, every night, when he dreamt, he would see his parents and familiar old acquaintances. They were suffering in an abyss, crying out in agony.
They were covered in blood, their expressions pained and tragic. Some even dragged their mangled bodies towards him, begging for help! Every time he tried to reach out and pull them out of the abyss, he would wake up from the nightmare.
He felt that his parents must be blaming him. Why hadn't he been able to restore their reputation? Why hadn't he been able to retrieve their bones? Why had the soldiers who once protected the country been left in the desolate mountains after their deaths to be devoured by wild dogs?