Wu Tianfeng should have no reason to stay in Rongcheng after the Crimson Flower Association's crushing defeat.
Did he not fear that the Folklore Research Association would suddenly decide to kill him and prevent him from returning to Yuzhou?
Even stranger, this guy was still lingering around the Folklore Research Association. What was he waiting for?
The news delivered by Tian Jue'er immediately put Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong on alert.
Sensing something was amiss, the two became even more convinced that Wu Tianfeng was connected to the Black Bat Village Chief.
Just as they were preparing to take action, Tian Jue'er's gaze swept past them and fixed on the lotus pond.
Her expression was peculiar, as if she knew something was wrong with the lotus pond but hesitated to speak.
At that moment, Yan Shouyi suddenly thought of a terrifying suspicion.
Could it be that Tian Jue'er was the one who had actually informed the Black Bat Village Chief?
After all, she was the outsider in the Folklore Research Association…
Otherwise, why would she be staring at the lotus pond at this moment?
Whether it was the secret of the lotus pond or the death of Lu Jing, Yan Shouyi had instructed everyone to maintain strict secrecy. Tian Jue'er shouldn't have known about them.
As soon as this thought surfaced, Yan Shouyi dismissed it. He realized he was letting his concern cloud his judgment, suspecting those around him without reason due to his child's safety.
If this habit were to take root, the consequences would be dire. He would no longer trust anyone around him, not even Long Feicheng.
Therefore, Yan Shouyi immediately suppressed the thought and kindly asked Tian Jue'er, "What are you looking at?"
Tian Jue'er confessed, "The Yuansheng Gu within me can sense the aura of life… I can feel two life auras in the courtyard behind you, but strangely, their condition doesn't seem to be very good… I don't know if I'm sensing it incorrectly…"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong exchanged glances before answering.
"What do you mean their condition isn't good?" Old Jin asked.
"It's like poisoned kittens, fallen into a deep sleep. They might look fine on the surface, but they are actually very weak," Tian Jue'er used a clumsy metaphor.
Old Jin stroked his chin. He had already examined the children's souls earlier and found no major issues.
However, the problem was that he, as a successor of ancient medicine, was skilled in treating living people but not souls. He didn't have a deep understanding of soul illnesses.
If Tian Jue'er's words were true, then Old Jin indeed suspected he might have overlooked something.
He subtly nodded to Yan Shouyi, who then said, "The souls of my and Zitong's two children are in the lotus pond. When I was fighting Shi Kui, someone trespassed into the lotus pond and tried to harm our children, but our people stopped them."
Hearing this, Tian Jue'er immediately became anxious, "Are… are they children? Can I go in and see them? Their souls… are very unstable!"
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong were both benefactors to Tian Jue'er. With their children in distress, Tian Jue'er was naturally extremely worried.
"...Come in with us," Yan Shouyi pondered for a moment before finally agreeing.
The three of them led Tian Jue'er into the lotus pond, and she indeed spotted the children's souls hidden among the lotuses at a glance.
Seeing the white banners hanging around and the lanterns in the pond, Tian Jue'er seemed to realize something.
But she didn't ask further and walked directly towards the lotus pond.
Approaching the twin lotuses, she stood on tiptoe and looked for a moment, then reached out to gently touch them.
A green energy surged from within her, flowing down her arm into the twin lotuses. The twin lotuses then began to glow and became somewhat transparent.
At this point, everyone saw two specks of green light, the size of mung beans, flickering within the twin lotuses, as if breathing.
Lin Zitong's gaze softened. She knew those were the souls of her two children, but they were still too weak.
Suddenly, Yan Shouyi noticed strands of black energy around the twin lotuses, splitting like lightning, seemingly approaching the two light spots!
Old Jin exclaimed in alarm, "Miss Tian is right, the twin lotuses have indeed been corrupted!"
But how could the Black Bat Village Chief have attacked the twin lotuses without ever touching them?
The onlookers observed the black patterns on the twin lotuses and soon found the answer.
The black patterns were spreading upwards from the roots of the twin lotuses, meaning the source of the contamination came from the lotus roots, or more precisely, from the lotus pond itself.
Although the Black Bat Village Chief had never touched the twin lotuses, he had hidden in the lotus pond. It was likely then that he contaminated the pond, thus chronically polluting the twin lotuses.
If Tian Jue'er hadn't discovered it in time, Yan Shouyi and the others might never have noticed. By the time they realized, the souls of the two children would have been eroded…
The thought of that terrible consequence made Yan Shouyi's expression uncontrollably gloomy, and his hatred for the informant and Li Genmiao grew even stronger.
As the saying goes, "misfortune should not befall one's family." Li Genmiao's actions had once again touched Yan Shouyi's nerve.
Lin Zitong asked softly, "Jue'er, can you cleanse the pollution from the twin lotuses?"
Replacing the water in the lotus pond would take time, but the twin lotuses could not be harmed. Thus, Lin Zitong could only seek help from Tian Jue'er.
Tian Jue'er nodded, her small brows furrowed as if she were exerting great effort.
This time, more green life force surged from within her, continuously flowing into the twin lotuses.
The green life force entering the twin lotuses not only nourished the two young souls but also slowly dispersed the pollution.
The black pollution patterns gradually receded, and the twin lotuses regained their vitality.
After completing this, Tian Jue'er's forehead was already covered in beads of sweat. The moment she let go, she began to pant violently, even collapsing onto the ground.
Lin Zitong quickly stepped forward to support her, asking with concern, "Are you alright? Do you feel unwell anywhere?"
Tian Jue'er weakly replied, "I forcibly extracted the life force of the Yuansheng Gu… It's very angry right now and is throwing a tantrum inside my body…"
Yan Shouyi noticed that Tian Jue'er was holding her abdomen, where the Yuansheng Gu was hidden. It was like a disobedient child, continuously kicking its mother's stomach.
The suffering of having such an overbearing worm living in one's belly was unimaginable.
Seeing Tian Jue'er's sacrifice for her children, Lin Zitong felt immense sympathy. She asked Old Jin to help alleviate Tian Jue'er's pain while inquiring what help she needed.
To their surprise, Tian Jue'er replied, "I need to eat… eat a lot of food to compensate for the depleted life force. Once the Yuansheng Gu is satisfied, it won't throw a tantrum anymore…"
This… this Yuansheng Gu was also a glutton?
Lin Zitong's mind was filled with questions, but her worry lessened considerably. If it was just about eating, she could satisfy Tian Jue'er's needs limitlessly.
She immediately called Lin Yu and Lin Yin, asking them to take Tian Jue'er to the cafeteria and have the head chef prepare a meal late at night. They were not to let Tian Jue'er leave until she was full.