FRGNM -Chapter 288 Lantern Festival

Pressing against the pulse, Ling Ruoxi couldn’t help feeling annoyed. Judging by the young man’s complexion, his condition was indeed caused by a depletion of blood and Qi, but from his pulse, there was nothing abnormal—it was just like a healthy, normal person.

“This guy… could he also be a Dou Qi master?” the man in teal furrowed his brows. He had already checked his condition but couldn’t intervene—he had no idea what to do. If it were only simple Dou Qi depletion, someone could channel their own Dou Qi into him to help recover.

Ling Ruoxi dragged her chin with one hand, frowning. “It’s possible he’s a Dou Qi master. I’ll use my Dou Qi as a guide to probe his body and see if he…”

“No need!”

The young man, who had been asleep, suddenly opened his black eyes. Killing intent flared violently from them. He grabbed Ling Ruoxi’s wrist with shocking strength, his eyes glowing with unstable light.

After several deep breaths, Jiang Yu stabilized himself, coldly shrugging off the person in front of him. He rose to his feet. “You forcibly brought me here—what do you intend to do? I have nothing to do with you, so please let me go!”

“That won’t do,” Ling Ruoxi said, smiling faintly. The purple barrier quickly sealed the surroundings. She extended her right hand, and a compass appeared, its needle pointing straight at Jiang Yu.

This man…

Jiang Yu didn’t react much. His pale lips pressed together as he muttered, “Let me go! What are you doing? And what is this strange device?”

“Interesting—you carry Purple Bamboo Qi. Could it be that by absorbing its aura, even the compass can’t lock onto your position?” Ling Ruoxi raised an eyebrow, smirking at the man opposite her.

Purple Bamboo Qi?

Jiang Yu clenched his fists, shouting, “Step aside! Or I won’t be merciful!”

“Alright, show me how unmerciful you are. After all, if we caught you once, we can catch you twice,” Silver Wolf said, raising his own brows with a sly smile. The words were as solid as gold.

Jiang Yu’s expression darkened. “What do you want from me? I’m just an ordinary person—is this really worth it?”

“Not worth it,” Yuwen Zhiyuan said with a helpless shrug, holding a teacup. He pointed lightly and said softly, “Of course—if you were an ordinary person.”

“You!”

The words struck Jiang Yu to the core. His body shivered, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes. He reached for the dagger at his waist, only to realize it had vanished.

Silver Wolf waved a wooden sword mockingly. “You want this? Honestly, it’s just a stick of wood—worthless. How about I give you a real sword instead?”

“Give it back!” Jiang Yu’s expression changed drastically. He lunged like a tiger, rushing toward Silver Wolf. The dagger was his only possession; he wouldn’t give it to anyone.

Silver Wolf dodged, moving quickly around the room. “I won’t. It’s just a wooden dagger. Want me to make another one?”

“I said give it back!”

A flash of violet light streaked forward. Jiang Yu advanced, hands moving like lightning, gripping the dagger as if it were treasure. He stared coldly at Silver Wolf.

Jiang Yu’s breath grew ragged. “If you continue like this, I’ll break your turtle shell!”

“Definitely a Dou Qi master—and a Purple Rank one at that,” the teal-clad man observed, raising his eyebrows. “Dou Qi depletion, just as I guessed. To heal him, we’ll need to channel Dou Qi into him. It’s not difficult, though it consumes your own energy. You could also use pills to instantly restore lost Dou Qi.”

Coughing violently, Jiang Yu turned, spitting blood. The blood dripped toward the ground but transformed into violet Dou Qi before hitting it.

His face changed, right hand spreading as a bright violet Dou Qi shot out toward the window. He leaped, moving like lightning, faster than when they had tried to corner him.

So this kid had never even used his true strength.

The man in teal smiled faintly, though what came next left him speechless. The blood on the ground, encased in violet Dou Qi, instantly transformed into Purple Bamboo, sprouting from the floor. Its aura seemed richer than the surrounding environment.

The teal-clad man frowned. “Purple Rank blood turning into Purple Bamboo? I’ve never heard of anything so strange.”

Shaking his head, Yuwen Zhiyuan dragged his chin with one hand and chuckled. “Not exactly. The blood didn’t transform—it’s his own vital energy. In other words, it’s his essence.”

The teal man gasped. “You’re saying that man… is Purple Bamboo? Impossible! As a spirit of heaven and earth, he shouldn’t be this weak!”

“He’s clever, but cleverness backfires. Purple Bamboo grows slowly, absorbing the world’s spiritual energy. He extracted some of his own aura and scattered it across Yunwu Peak to create an illusion. But doing so triggered human greed. With his energy leaking, and the surrounding spiritual energy insufficient to sustain him, he’s now in this weakened state.”

Indeed, without external spiritual energy, he would not have survived this long.

Yuwen Zhiyuan looked at Ling Ruoxi and smiled. “Am I right, Ruoxi? You know Purple Bamboo’s aura best. From the first encounter, you must have noticed something. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have collected Purple Bamboo energy everywhere.”

“Exactly. But his condition is special. He has a human body. Though he seems frail, his physiological functions are identical to humans. Purple Bamboo energy only eases his current state—it won’t last. Unless he returns to his Purple Bamboo form, absorbing spiritual energy from the land, then channeling it into himself via a barrier, he won’t survive long.”

The fifth Purple Bamboo was doomed.

Before reaching Rong City, Ling Ruoxi had thought Purple Bamboo was formidable. Now, it seemed nothing more than a sickly body, ready to collapse at any moment. Terrifying.

But would she let Purple Bamboo die in vain? Of course not. With someone supplying Purple Bamboo energy, why wait? Once she channels it into the man, it’ll be too late for him to refuse.

A soft breeze stirred. A black figure stood under the eaves, deep eyes fixed ahead. His thin frame shivered slightly, coughing weakly. His face, paler than paper, looked ahead, sighing helplessly.

Rong City’s streets were lively, preparing for the annual Lantern Festival. Trees were crowded with lanterns, which would glow at night.

Unlike other nations’ romantic lantern festivals, these lanterns weren’t for lovers—they were soul-guiding lanterns, meant to help spirits return.

Countless people had died atop Yunwu Peak, forgetting the way home. Lanterns bore the names of the dead. At night, they swayed as if spirits were walking beneath the treetops.

“Be careful. At night, don’t go out. Disturb the spirits’ path, and misfortune will follow. Even Dou Qi masters must avoid them. Even Silver Wolf would soil his pants!” The teal-clad man waved his hands over Silver Wolf’s head, smirking.

People outside decorated the lanterns with the dead’s names. It seemed extravagant, but it was meant to guide spirits back.

Shivering, Silver Wolf sensed the icy aura around him. He grabbed Yuwen Zhiyuan’s arm. “Zhiyuan, this is just to scare people, right? These lantern spirits don’t exist.”

“Relax. Don’t scare Silver Wolf—he’s been afraid of this since he was a child. Tonight, he probably won’t even dare go outside.” Yuwen Zhiyuan smiled, his deep eyes cold.

It was true—Silver Wolf’s fur bristled. His silver hair stood on end. Early this morning, he’d thought the lantern decorations were fun. Now, seeing the dead names etched on them felt like countless eyes watching him. Goosebumps ran down his spine.