FRGNM -Chapter 295 Returning to Qiongyu

“Are you not afraid anymore?” Yuwen Zhiyuan chuckled, the corner of his mouth lifting as he reminded him, “Minglang has already gone. The Minglang you just saw—you should understand by now, right?”

“Uh…” His lips stiffened. The silver-white figure standing there had long since turned to stone. Right—then what exactly had he just seen? Oh heavens, what did he see?! Help!

Ling Ruoxi sighed and turned around, only to be startled by the silver wolf behind her. The one standing there had silver-white hair standing straight up, frozen stiff like a statue. “What’s wrong with him?”

“So scared that his hair stood on end—probably like this,” Qingyi said helplessly with a smile, poking the person in front of her and then laughing.

Turning her head toward Yuwen Zhiyuan, Ling Ruoxi couldn’t help asking, “You observed the stars at night—did you find anything?”

“Observing the stars at night? That’s a nice phrase; it can work,” Yuwen Zhiyuan raised his sword-like brows, then seemed to think of something. He snapped his fingers, nodded, and smiled. “You mean the matter of forging the Purple Bamboo Divine Needle? Don’t worry, I’ve already looked through the records.”

“Eh, wait—didn’t you calculate this yourself? Why check records?” the silver wolf asked in surprise, quickly pressing down his long hair.

Yuwen Zhiyuan shot the silver wolf a look, pointed to his temple, and said calmly with a smile, “Some books—once you read them, you remember them. When you need them, you recall them, and the answer appears. As for who can forge the Purple Bamboo Divine Needle—even without calculating, it’s obvious.”

“Who is it?” Ling Ruoxi knew little about these matters and could only look at him helplessly.

Luo Mingyu seemed to think of something; a glint flashed in his eyes as he asked coldly, “You mean… the forger, Master Yin Liang?”

“Yes, exactly. I thought none of you knew, but it seems someone does,” Yuwen Zhiyuan nodded slightly and explained. “Master Yin Liang is a rare genius. He only began learning forging at twenty, yet by twenty-five he defeated all competitors, reached the finals, and became the continent’s number one forger. Every weapon he forges is flawless and extremely powerful. If there’s anyone in this world who can forge weapons to the highest level, it’s him. Moreover, when he was young, he encountered a rare opportunity and obtained a Fire Qilin cub, giving him innate Heavenly Fire for tempering. That’s why his forging skills are unmatched!”

“With Heavenly Fire, you can temper weapons?” Ling Ruoxi was slightly stunned. Her own natal flame was very weak—forget forging; she wasn’t even sure she could cook properly with it. “Xiaobai, what kind of flame do you have?”

The silver wolf was even more shocked, his eyes nearly popping out as he almost jumped up. “You—what nonsense are you talking about? How could I have flames? Have you ever seen a wolf breathing fire?!”

“Then what can you breathe?”

“I can breathe—pfft! I can’t breathe anything!” The silver wolf almost got led astray, pounding his chest in frustration. “The silver wolf race is relatively low-tier. We don’t have any special illusion techniques, but our bodies are stronger than most magical beasts, and we’re faster than them. That’s our innate advantage.”

“So you’re pretty useless then. No wonder you’re scared of those things,” Ling Ruoxi raised her brows and laughed.

The silver wolf was nearly angered to the point of spitting blood, but he didn’t bother explaining. Low-tier or not—so what? He could still transform into human form, something many magical beasts could never achieve. That alone was enough.

Yuwen Zhiyuan found it amusing. He placed a hand on the silver wolf’s shoulder and said softly with a smile, “Not necessarily. What silver wolves excel at is speed. Why not start from there—develop your potential, strike faster, and leave your enemies no chance to resist? Wouldn’t that be better?”

“Speed?” Ling Ruoxi was taken aback.

Qingyi said impatiently, “Let’s talk about the main issue first. Where is this Master Yin Liang, and how can we find him?”

“Well… that’s the tricky part,” Yuwen Zhiyuan shrugged helplessly. “I’ve heard Master Yin Liang has already withdrawn from the world and now lives in Linshui County of the neighboring Huaguo. Maybe we’ll run into him if we go—or maybe we’ll dig Linshui County three feet deep and still not find him.”

That was the truth. Ever since Yin Liang went into seclusion, many people tried to visit him, all without success. Meeting him was truly harder than ascending to the heavens.

A cold light flashed in Ling Ruoxi’s eyes as she clenched her fists in anger. “What exactly is that old man Murong Ming doing? Purple bamboo is hard enough to find—we went through countless hardships to gather it. Now we have to forge it into the Purple Bamboo Divine Needle, and even the forger can only be met on the right day. I really feel like he’s deliberately stalling!”

“That’s not the case. It’s just that some experts don’t like to show themselves,” Luo Mingyu replied quickly, as if a sharp dagger had pierced his heart. “Yuwen Zhiyuan also said it—maybe we’ll run into him as soon as we go.”

Yuwen Zhiyuan naturally knew the truth. A trace of amusement flashed in his eyes, but he shook his head helplessly. There was nothing to be done—this little girl’s luck was simply too good. Tasks that others might not complete in hundreds of years, she managed to finish in such a short time. Truly unbelievable.

But… things were not as simple as they seemed. When you strive endlessly toward a goal, only to discover in the end that the very goal driving your efforts has drifted far away, and all your hard work collapses in an instant—what then?

At the same time, in the Duanyun Kingdom—

A streak of purple Dou Qi tore through the air like lightning, shooting forward. A ray of light flew out and swiftly entered a thatched hut.

The person sitting cross-legged inside quickly raised a hand and caught the purple light, a smile curling at his lips as he said subconsciously, “This little thing—couldn’t get through, so it gave up? I knew it. Purple bamboo isn’t that easy to find. So now you’re asking for the method to use the compass?”

With a faint smile, Murong Ming slowly unfolded the Dou Qi in his hand, revealing a letter. As he opened it and his gaze fell on the handwriting, his black pupils suddenly contracted.

How was this possible?!

In less than a year, they had actually collected five pieces of purple bamboo—and even learned how to use the compass. And what’s more… even the Demon-Subduing Zither used to excavate purple bamboo, something he had searched for decades without finding, was now in their possession!

How could this be?!

In one year—they had done it. They found the purple bamboo and were now heading toward where Yin Liang resided. Five pieces of purple bamboo—were they really about to be forged into the Purple Bamboo Divine Needle?

Murong Ming drew in a sharp breath, his body trembling slightly. The light in his dark eyes flickered as he slowly stood up and trudged step by step toward the cave behind the hut.

The ice-sealed cave was long buried under snow. The person sitting cross-legged inside seemed frozen in eternity, unchanged from before, never aging. He sat there coldly, the surrounding ice and snow unable to侵入 his body. He had no breath at all—like a corpse, seated cross-legged.

The letter slipped from Murong Ming’s hand to the ground. He crouched down and pressed a hand against the icy arm. “Old Ling… your daughter truly is just like you—she won’t let go until she reaches her goal. What am I supposed to do? When she really forges the Purple Bamboo Divine Needle you once made, should I tell her that it was the divine needle you used to save lives—and also your weapon?”

“Back then, you used your own cultivation to melt the Purple Bamboo Divine Needle and transform it back into purple bamboo, scattering it across different places. All to avoid interfering in worldly affairs. You were gravely injured and knew you didn’t have much time left, so you sealed yourself in this Cold Pool Cave to preserve your form from decay. Now, your daughter is forging the five Purple Bamboo Divine Needles just to see you again… but will you return?”

As if amused by his own words, Murong Ming let out a bitter smile and sighed. “The dead cannot come back to life. I’m just clinging to foolish hope. But when Ruoxi returns and learns that you’ve already passed away—what will she do then?”

A breeze rose, a chilling wind whistling through.

Mist shrouded the entire island, and the formations above made things even more troublesome. Countless boatmen around the area were at their wits’ end, unable to enter at all. It was long rumored that Qiongyu Immortal Island was filled with spiritual treasures—anyone fated to enter could freely choose from its riches. But their fate had not arrived; no matter what they did, they couldn’t get in.

“Not going?” the silver wolf asked doubtfully, drooping his head as he looked at Ling Ruoxi. They had already asked three or four boatmen, all of whom said there was no way to reach Qiongyu Immortal Island. What were they supposed to do?

No one knew how long it would take to encounter the legendary Master Yin Liang. Ling Ruoxi wasn’t in a hurry. She decided to return to Qiongyu Immortal Island first—after all, her mother, Yizhui, and Yimeng were all there. After a year apart, the two little ones must have grown quite a bit.

“Here.” Luo Mingyu tossed out a gold ingot and boarded the boat first, saying calmly, “I’m already familiar with the route here. Let’s go—get on the boat.”

“You’re really all-powerful—even know how to row a boat?” Ling Ruoxi laughed and stepped aboard first.

The boatman hurriedly clutched the gold—it was enough to buy ten boats. There was no way he’d go along with them. But wait… hadn’t he just heard something? Already familiar with the route—could it be that this person actually knew how to reach Qiongyu Immortal Island?

Just as he was about to step forward, he saw the boat already departing. Purple Dou Qi slammed onto the water’s surface, and the boat shot forward like lightning, racing away in an instant.

What on earth just happened?!