Chapter 25: The Trail of the Grand Duke

Li Qingqing was baffled. Just a moment ago, when she went to get a drink, Shen Chang'an had clearly been intent on subduing demons and eliminating evil here.

How was it that, in the blink of an eye, he had abandoned the demons entirely and was now sitting in the middle of the room, cradling a delicate, soft-spoken young lady?

"Tsk, Taoist, I don't even know what to say to you. Look at yourself... sigh, you really should repent!"

Shen Chang'an was stunned, momentarily wondering if Li Qingqing and he had both transmigrated from the same world.

"Move aside, and spare me your snarky comments."

Li Qingqing, however, was relentless. She hummed lightly, "Fine, you've found a new love and forgotten the old. Holding your new little sister, I suppose you have no use for this old 'sister' of yours anymore, right?"

Shen Chang'an glared at her in annoyance. Li Qingqing knew when to stop; if she kept pushing, Daoist Lingxiao might just pull out his staff and point it at her head.

Yu Qingxian stood up and said, "Daoist Shen, perhaps we should evacuate the villagers here before we..."

Li Qingqing leaned in, curious, "Hey, what kind of sickness do these people actually have? Why do they all look like this?"

Yu Qingxian did not know that Li Qingqing was the Saintess of the White Lotus Sect. Seeing her approach, she didn't think much of it and explained clearly what had happened in the area.

After listening, Li Qingqing frowned and suddenly asked, "Then, the reason these people wouldn't let us in today—wasn't it because they were holding a new sacrifice here?"

Yu Qingxian nodded; that was indeed the case.

Li Qingqing’s expression grew increasingly grim. She suddenly spoke, "Daoist, do you have a way to start a fire?"

Shen Chang'an nodded and asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"Prove a theory of mine," Li Qingqing replied.

Shen Chang'an reached into his pack and pulled out two emergency flares, handing them to her.

"Huh? What is this?"

Shen Chang'an curled his lip, "A secret art of the Taoist sect. No comment."

"Do you take me for a fool? I know a thing or two about Taoist secret arts, and I’ve never seen anything like this!"

The White Lotus Sect had compiled the classics of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. They possessed a deep knowledge of Taoist secret arts, and when it came to ingenious gadgets and techniques, the White Lotus Sect was even more proficient than the Taoist sects themselves.

Shen Chang'an refused to elaborate, only snorting, "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."

Li Qingqing’s temper flared. She demanded, "Shen Chang'an, you can question my strength, but you are not allowed to question my intelligence! Tell me, and see if I understand!"

"Fine, then listen. This thing is called a handheld emergency flare. It contains strontium nitrate, potassium nitrate, or potassium perchlorate, along with red pyrotechnic coloring fuel. As long as you strike it against this rough surface, it ignites the sulfur, lighting the flare and emitting a red glow."

"And this other one contains calcium phosphide. When it comes into contact with water, it releases phosphine gas. Even if you were underwater, it would still light up."

"I'm done. Did you understand that?"

Li Qingqing listened for a long while, then swallowed hard and said reluctantly, "Who knows if you're just making it all up."

"That's why I told you not to ask—you wouldn't understand anyway. I gave you the fire; what are you going to do with it?"

Li Qingqing stopped bickering about the "Taoist secret art" and followed Shen Chang'an's instructions to ignite the flare.

Soon, they saw something in the air seem to catch fire, accompanied by a faint, crackling sound.

"Just as I thought..."

Seeing this, Li Qingqing showed no sign of surprise.

Shen Chang'an asked curiously, "As you thought? What exactly did you find?"

"It’s Taisui," Li Qingqing said calmly.

Hearing those two words, Shen Chang'an’s expression froze, and he immediately asked, "Taisui? What Taisui?"

"Hmph, naturally the legendary elixir of immortality."

Taisui, also known as 'flesh lingzhi,' was recorded in many ancient medical texts as a substance that could keep one light and ageless if consumed over a long period.

Yu Qingxian’s eyes flickered as she spoke, "There are records in the Demon Suppression Bureau that Taisui is not something that grants immortality. It is, in fact, a type of fungus. It only grows in harsh, specific environments, which is why few people in the past knew of it."

With the existence of immortal arts and Taoist sorcery, people of this era had a fairly accurate understanding of certain things. It was a pity that such knowledge was held only by a select few.

Li Qingqing chuckled, "As expected of the Demon Suppression Bureau. Back then, in his quest for immortality, the Dragon Emperor sent you on countless campaigns, and you’ve certainly accumulated quite a lot of knowledge."

Yu Qingxian glanced at her coldly, "Slanderous talk about the Dragon Emperor is a capital offense if discovered."

Li Qingqing shrugged. The White Lotus Sect existed to rebel; expecting her to hold the Dragon Emperor in awe was impossible.

She changed the subject and continued, "In any case, Taisui is a type of fungus. But this thing is far more sinister than ordinary fungi; it reproduces by dispersing tiny particles."

Shen Chang'an immediately realized she was talking about spores.

Fungi like flesh lingzhi did indeed reproduce via spores and mycelium.

"If it were an ordinary Taisui, it wouldn't be much of a problem. But if a Taisui has lived for too long and suddenly develops sentience... well, the result is exactly what you see now."

A jolt went through Shen Chang'an’s heart as he suddenly understood. "You mean to say that these people, they are actually..."

Li Qingqing nodded, "There was never any evil god from the beginning. What they were worshipping was the Taisui. This Taisui must have gained intelligence and parasitized the bodies of the villagers."

"The land that Miss Yu thought was taken away by the evil god's sacrifice was actually drained of all its nutrients by the Taisui, which also corroded all the houses. Eventually, it formed this barren, empty wasteland."

Shen Chang'an’s heart raced. Could this be the so-called 'Taisui Demon Intent'?

If he eradicated the Taisui here, would that count as completing his mission?

But then, Shen Chang'an felt a sense of disappointment. The leather-bound ancient book showed no reaction at all. Clearly, the Taisui was either no longer here, or it was not the object the book was looking for.

Thinking of this, Shen Chang'an quickly looked at Yu Qingxian and asked urgently, "Miss Yu, have you ever seen where the evil god worshipped by the villagers is located?"