Tang Xiu hung up with an expression that was like the frost of the December solstice, yet he held deep concern in his eyes. Numerous times had he had convinced himself that he and Han Qingwu... or rather, Xue Qingcheng no longer had any relationship. If any, the link between them was just hatred between enemies.
However, never did he realize that regardless of the Xue Qingcheng in the Immortal World, or the now Han Qingwu on Earth, both of them had been affecting him all this time.
"I’ll buy a ticket on the next flight back to Shanghai."
At first, Tang Xiu planned to take Ji Chimei to send him back to Shanghai, but after thinking about it for a while, he thought that it was inappropriate. He dared to order Ji Chimei to take him to the sea area of Jingmen Island because the atrocious weather greatly obstructed the satellite monitoring over the region. But if he were to go to the mainland with Ji Chime flying in the sky, the satellite would definitely catch them.
Shanghai.
In the deepest part of Paradise Manor, the ghastly pale Han Qingwu sat cross-legged on the bed inside the room of a western-style building. Her eyes were filled with fierceness and her hair was disheveled; discomfiture was the reflection of her whole being. Four steel chains tightly shackled her four bare limbs, each fixed at the four corners of the room.
It was a mental demon that led to qi deviation—a problem that a cultivator was prone to encounter.
For every cultivator who encountered such a mental demon, the symptoms ranged from a mental disorder to serious internal injuries. The backlash of blood and qi all over the body could even lead to an explosion of their body and result in their death.
Outside the room, a deep concern plastered itself on Ouyang Lulu’s stunning face. She may not like Han Qingwu and even saw her as a love rival, yet she didn’t feel at ease and even felt restless upon seeing her appearance right now. It was more so that she had just started her path into cultivation that made her realize that she might also face a situation such as this mental demon, causing her to pay more caution toward this aspect of cultivation.
"How? When will Tang Xiu come back?" Han Jintong looked at Ouyang Lulu after she hung up, a worried look his aged face.
"He said that he’ll immediately come back from Jingmen Island," answered Ouyang lulu. "If nothing happens, he should be returning back to Shanghai before 2 PM."
"Did he say whether my granddaughter will face any danger?" asked Han Jintong rapidly. "I’m really worried at just the way she looks currently."
"He didn’t elaborate on anything." Ouyang Lulu shook her head.
Han Jintong quickly picked up the mobile phone and searched for Tang Xiu’s cell number. Right as he wanted to dial it, he hesitated and was worried that Tang Xiu would be angry. After hesitating for a short while, his fingers eventually didn’t press the dial key.
At present, Han Jintong and Ouyang Lulu didn’t realize that Han Qingwu, who was being chained, was falling into her memories during the battle she had in the Immortal Worlds. Countless fragments of memory kept flashing inside her mind one after another. A series of those particular scenes felt like a movie being played, as it continuously went from her last 20 years of experience to her current life.
"Immortal World..."
"Celestial beings..."
"Sect..."
"Lover..."
"Betrayal..."
For a long while, Han Qingwu was as though living in the center of this paradise and then fell into hell. Such emotional turmoil nearly drove her into insanity. Her consciousness was completely immersed in the sea of memory fragments. They were interwoven intricately, so much so that her consciousness of the current reality and the one in the dream-like state had combined and she didn’t know that she had been chained up. In the eyes of Han Jintong and Ouyang Lulu, she was just of the brink of plunging into insanity.
Jingmen Island Airport.
Although Ouyang Lulu’s voice when she called was very urgent and anxious, Tang Xiu was slightly relieved since Lulu told him that it was qi deviation caused by a mental demon and she lost her mind near the brink of insanity, yet not directly leading to her body exploding
In order to prevent the unwanted eventuality, however, he still hurried to return back and boarded the flight to Shanghai after some efforts, accompanied by Mo Awu and Jin Shi as usual.
"Boss, will we also face such a mental demon that leads to a qi deviation in the future?"
As the airliner flew in the blue sky, Mo Awu, who sat next to Tang Xiu asked, a worried expression flashing in his eyes.
"There’s a chance indeed since every cultivator might have to face such a mental demon crisis that leads to qi deviation." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "As the term implies, such a mental demon manifests in two aspects; firstly, there’s the situation where one’s cultivation strays from the correct path due to some mistakes. It could also be triggered by the shortcomings of his cultivation technique, leading to the possibility where they encounter intractable problems in their cultivation. The second being the shortcomings in their state of minds. Figuratively speaking, obsession such as a mental demon situation belongs to this second type in around 95 out of 100 cultivators. It’s triggered by the shortcomings of their state of minds, causing the breeding of a mental demon in their hearts."
"I see." Mo Awu nodded and asked again, "Is there any means to work around this situation, Boss?"
"Definitely," answered Tang Xiu. "The best method to deal with it is for a cultivator to cultivate a firm and resolute state of mind so that not even a strong mental demon would affect him. Also, there are some magical artifacts which can be used to calm the heart and focus the mind, avoiding the breeding of this mental demon."
Mo Awu’s expression changed and he asked with some anticipation, "How do you get those mysterious artifacts, Boss? Are you able to manufacture them?"
"I can refine them, naturally," answered Tang Xiu. "But the materials needed to refine them are very precious. Even those cultivators who have been cultivating for thousands of years may not necessarily be able to obtain these materials."
A disappointed look flashed in Mo Awu’s eyes. Even though he had become a cultivator himself, he was still in awe toward those who had cultivated for thousands of years. An adage said that if someone gets old and yet death can’t overcome him then there’s something weird with him. For ordinary people who could live past 100 years old, they were called to have a long life. Yet those who could live past 200 years were called old freaks, monsters. Those who could live millennia and yet still lived to see the day, wasn’t it much more proper to call them ghosts or spirits?
"Then, what exactly is this state of mind?"
"Mood or state of the mind is an issue that can be understood but not described, for it is subtle and mysterious," explained Tang Xiu. "If we have to explain in an easier way, though it is perhaps inaccurate, it can also be interpreted as the state of mental perseverance or toughness. The more experiences one obtains in life, the stronger their heart and mind get tempered, while the more perceptive they are, the higher their state of minds are. You should’ve heard about the term ’epiphany or sudden enlightenment’, yes? Cultivators need perception and comprehension to come to some realizations, and thus, the more insights they have, the higher their state of minds and mental state are."
Mo Awu nodded, though he only had a hazy notion about it. This issue was something that could be felt and understood, but couldn’t be described in words for he had yet to encounter such a state as of now. Only after he reached a much higher realm in cultivation would he be able to comprehend what a mental state and state of mind were.
The airliner landed at Shanghai Airport at 12:30. Tang Xiu, Mo Awu, and the rest just went out the exit of the airport when they saw Ouyang Lulu anxiously waiting for them outside.
"You’re back, Tang Xiu. Let’s rush to the Paradise Manor!" immediately said Ouyang Lulu after approaching them.
Tang Xiu nodded while walking and then asked, "How is Han Qingwu’s situation now?"
"She has gone crazy." Ouyang Lulu forced a smile and said, "She’s been staying in the Paradise Manor for a few days, and I’ve arranged her to stay in the multiple-storied western-style building where Han Jintong has been staying. She suddenly went crazy in the middle of the night yesterday and even collapsed the whole building. Fortunately, only Han Jintong lived inside, else ordinary people staying inside would’ve been crushed to death."
Ouyang Lulu suddenly realized that she went off topic and quickly changed the subject. "Han Qingwu’s present condition is very bad. She looks like she has gone insane. Had it been not for Han Jintong and Shanjenna working together to chain and lock her up to put her under control, I’m afraid she would have made a big mess already."
Tang Xiu nodded after hearing it. Going crazy was indeed a type of insanity. Even if she got injured, there was still a way to deal with her injuries as long as he could arrive there in time.
Only, such a mental disorder or insanity was very troublesome to deal with. If he were still the Supremacy back like in the Immortal World, it would only need a flick of a finger to solve this issue. His present strength now, however, was very weak and he was probably not a match for a Golden Core cultivator if he encountered one, let alone powerful enough to solve a mental disorder, the most mysterious of the brain’s problems.
At 2 PM.
Tang Xiu appeared in the room where Han Qingwu was locked inside. He watched her desperately struggling crazy-like appearance along with her disheveled hair. He could only sigh inside and faintly guessed that it should be related to the memories of her previous life, though he was still not sure about it.
"Lulu, wait outside. No one can enter this room without my permission," Tang Xiu ordered and then closed the room from the inside.
Shortly afterward, Tang Xiu came to the table in the corner, taking out cinnabar ink, yellow paper, and a weasel-hair writing brush from his interspatial ring, and then began to draw magical charms.
Soul Tranquilizer Charm, and Heart-fire Purifying Charm.
Both charms had a wonderful magical effect to alleviate such mental disorder. If Han Qingwu’s situation was not too bad, she should be calming down in a short time.
However, when Tang Xiu finishing drawing the two charms and used them on Han Qingwu, not only did they have an effect on her, Han Qingwu even went crazier and treated him as an attack target. Although she was quite strong, her strength broke out to a level higher from her insanity.
"It seems like I can only use that particular art."
Tang Xiu sighed inside. The art was very powerful and at least would be able to solve Han Qingwu’s insanity problem right now, yet casting that art would bring about some effects on his body.
He bit his finger, forcing several drops of his blood out and he began to inscribe ancient runes full of vicissitudes in the air. The golden runes seemed to contain an infinite profoundness as it gradually merged into the blood. The red blood immediately turned gold-colored, covered by a sphere of light around it.
"Bloodsoul Hex, Demon Suppression."
Tang Xiu’s body quaked and he slapped the golden blood into Han Qingwu’s glabella. Suddenly, Han Qingwu’s body was as though being struck by lightning as she twitched a few times and slowly fell onto the floor.
Tang Xiu pinched the steel chain, breaking the shackles on her, and he picked up her delicate body and placed her on the bed. He then stretched the blanket over her body and stood quietly at the bedside for a long time without a word. He could clearly see the painful expression on Han Qingwu’s eyebrows, indicating the volatility and violent fluctuations in her consciousness.
"Was is the memory of her past life that affected her? Would she remember the days when she was in the Immortal World?"
After a long time, Tang Xiu took a deep sigh and turned around to the door, opened it and went out.
"How is my granddaughter, Tang Xiu?"
Restlessness completely covered his face. Han Jintong, who waited outside, sprinted to the front of Tang Xiu and asked.
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