After a while of struggling with no progress, the two had no choice but to cease their cultivation and return to Bai Suxiang's room.
"Where did you two go?"
"We just went for a walk. How are you feeling?"
Upon entering, they saw Bai Suxiang reclining against the headboard.
She replied casually, "Much better. I've rested enough and can get back to work soon!"
"Work? You just recovered, and you're already going back to work?" Fu Ruhai asked in surprise.
"Yes, rest well. Only by resting well can we have a healthy body to work!" Liu Sandao chimed in.
"Heh heh, look at you two. I'm not a three-year-old child. I know my own body!" Bai Suxiang felt a bit unaccustomed to their concern, which felt like taking care of a patient. However, she herself felt full of energy and no sign of illness.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward and somewhat heavy.
"Oh, right. How's the situation outside?" Bai Suxiang asked after a moment.
"Work has come to a standstill. The train station is temporarily closed. People outside can't get in, and people inside can't get out!"
"What? What about the work? All those supplies can't be transported out. Won't they rot?" Bai Suxiang worried about the supplies again. They had been transported from all over the country to save the people of the entire San Dong City.
"Don't worry too much. I heard that the supplies at the train station are carrying the virus and are currently being disinfected. Once that's done, transport will be organized immediately!" Liu Sandao reassured her. Although he wasn't directly involved, he had already learned about the current state of the entire train station through his divine sense. Moreover, the supplies on the platform did indeed carry a black aura, which hadn't yet transformed into wedges. Perhaps they were waiting for suitable candidates.
Hearing this, Bai Suxiang's restless heart finally settled down. The three were familiar with each other, and as soon as Liu Sandao entered, he set up a barrier formation to ensure their conversation wouldn't be overheard. Bai Suxiang was very curious about where Liu Sandao and Fu Ruhai had been these past few days, and Fu Ruhai told her everything.
In the middle of the night, the platform was silent as a figure quietly flew in. As a cultivator, Liu Sandao naturally detected the subtle changes and focused his divine sense on observing its every move. It was the fat ghost from the pair of thin and fat ghosts. Seeing the yellow-glowing wedge, it was quite surprised and thought of taking it back to show its elder brother, perhaps earning merit. It grabbed the wedge and tried to pull it out with all its might. Its mouth twisted with effort, but the wedge remained unmoving.
"Hey! This thing is really tough. I don't believe I can't pull you out!" the fat ghost said, rubbing its palms and continuing to pull. However, no matter how hard it tried, the wedge remained stationary. The fat ghost struggled for a long time, exhausting itself in vain. Suddenly, it had an idea.
"Heh heh, little one, let's see how I deal with you using my magical artifact!" the fat ghost said, raising its hand and chanting a spell. This was a spell that "that person" had taught them all. With a single recitation, the spell could instantly conjure thousands of silken threads to weave a net and capture the wedge.
"Mimi ma hun, mimi ma hun!" A huge net lunged towards the wedge.
"Mimi ma hun, mimi ma hun! Rise!" the fat ghost said, standing up and making an upward pulling motion. Unfortunately, the net got stuck on the wedge, unmoving.
"Damn it, why is there no reaction?" Not only the fat ghost was surprised, but Liu Sandao was also astonished. He knew that "that person" had used this net to capture many souls right in front of him. And those souls, without exception, had been implanted with wedges. It was through these wedges that mortal souls could be easily plundered. But now, the fat ghost couldn't even take away a single soul. Why was that? It could be a lack of power, or the net was no longer effective against the wedges!
"This shouldn't be the case. Before, they could be taken away easily, even without a spell!" the fat ghost mumbled. This meant that the wedge on that woman couldn't be taken by anyone. Liu Sandao didn't care whether it could be taken or not, as long as the person was fine. He was only afraid that it was a ticking time bomb, which would undoubtedly lead to endless trouble.
Fu Ruhai hadn't thought that far. He had slept soundly and hadn't noticed the events of the night. Since he didn't ask, Liu Sandao didn't say anything. The fat ghost struggled for a while, gained nothing, and left dejectedly.
"Ouch!" Fu Ruhai stretched and groaned.
"How's it outside?" Seeing Liu Sandao looking out the window, Fu Ruhai asked.
"Same as before, still sealed off." Fu Ruhai got up, ready to move around.
"Hey, look, look! Jieyou powder!" As Fu Ruhai stretched his arm, he clenched his fist and felt something between his fingers. He immediately looked and said.
Upon hearing "Jieyou powder," Liu Sandao's gaze immediately shifted. He saw a thin layer of powder on Fu Ruhai's fingers. It seemed that a considerable amount of Jieyou powder had grown. Liu Sandao looked at Fu Ruhai, then at his own fingers, which only had a thin layer, less than a tenth of Fu Ruhai's.
"Why has yours grown so fast?"
"I don't know either!" Fu Ruhai was also puzzled. After leaving Fu Hall, he had been with Liu Sandao the entire time and hadn't gone anywhere else. Logically, the Jieyou powder given by Patriarch Fuling should grow at the same rate for both of them. Where could the problem lie? Liu Sandao carefully sorted through his thoughts, from Fu Hall to the mortal realm, without missing any detail.
"Could it be that wedge?" The two said in unison. Only Fu Ruhai's finger had been sucked by the wedge, so the key to the problem was that wedge.
"I get it. Is it because that thing sucked it, causing it to grow so much?" Fu Ruhai guessed.
"Hmm, I think we can try it," Liu Sandao said, staring at Fu Ruhai's finger.
"No, this time, let's use your finger. You have less Jieyou powder on your finger, so it can't absorb much. If it eats all the powder on my finger, then we won't be able to save anyone else!" Fu Ruhai hurriedly covered his left hand. His words were not unreasonable. Jieyou powder grew too slowly to keep up with the pace of saving people. By the time it fully grew, perhaps the souls of all the people in San Dong City would be taken away by "that person."
Liu Sandao said no more and immediately got up and walked out.
"Wait, I'm coming too!" Bai Suxiang, who had woken up at some point, said, staring at them.