Chapter 86: Remnant Art, Seeking a Technique

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Remnant Art, Seeking a Technique

Screech...

The Insect Mother tilted its head back and let out a cry, shaking its body. Larvae, like tiny specks, were shaken loose, clinging to the branches of the Spirit Tree and slowly crawling.

"Another new batch of larvae."

Li Changsheng was delighted.

Now that he was at the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, the two hundred insects he had contracted were still far from the limit his mind could bear.

The more the Insect Mother bred, the larger the swarm of Red-winged Blood Bamboo Insects grew, and the stronger he would become.

This was also the reason why, after leaving Beast Valley, he hadn’t sought out an offensive Magic.

With the insect swarm and his Spirit Beasts, he only needed to ensure his own safety; the rest could be left to them.

However, Li Changsheng always had a hidden concern.

Ultimately, the Insect Seal was just an incomplete Magic.

Although it had grown more powerful in his hands, it had an unavoidable limitation: the risk of losing control when commanding a Tier One High-Grade Spirit Insect.

Xiaohai, which he always kept hidden in his sleeve, had reached the brink of becoming a Tier One High-Grade Spirit Insect after devouring the Black Blood Moth Mother.

If Li Changsheng hadn’t deliberately suppressed it, Xiaohai would have already advanced to a Tier One High-Grade Spirit Insect long ago.

But he couldn’t keep suppressing it forever. As time went on, Xiaohai would break through sooner or later.

’When that time comes, I can’t possibly kill Xiaohai, which I had such a hard time contracting, can I?’

’Ultimately, I have to resolve the Magic’s hidden flaw.’

’Either I find the missing parts of the Insect Seal, or I replace it with a different High-Grade Spirit Worm Manipulation Skill.’

’But both options are incredibly difficult.’

He knew from Wu Yong’s situation that the Cyan Yang Sect either didn’t have a Tier One High-Grade Spirit Worm Manipulation Skill, or it was just extremely difficult to get one.

’Insect Seal... Where in the world did this Magic come from...’

’And who was that person who sold an incomplete Cultivation Technique for a single Spirit Stone?’

Li Changsheng was deeply puzzled.

He had intentionally asked around before, but the Spirit Field Zone was mostly made up of Spirit Farmers. Their connections were too limited, so he hadn’t been able to gather any information about them.

’Insect Seal, Five Poison Refining Spirit Method...’

After pondering for a moment, Li Changsheng turned and walked away.

Back on the first floor, Li Changsheng put Xiaobai on the ground, picked up a wooden basin, and walked into the backyard vegetable garden.

「In a small courtyard not far away.」

Dong Yao, wrapped in black gauze, gingerly opened the courtyard gate.

Standing at the gate, she looked toward Li Changsheng’s courtyard. After hesitating for a few breaths, she made her way toward his courtyard with light steps.

On the second floor of the wooden house.

Dong Xing watched Dong Yao’s retreating figure through a crack in the window. He opened his mouth several times but couldn’t bring himself to call out.

He really wanted to stop her, but he didn’t dare to.

Yesterday, Dong Yao had asked several times about Li Changsheng’s preferences, and also about the Magic and Spirit Insects he cultivated.

At the time, he hadn’t noticed anything, but after returning to his room and thinking it over, he understood.

Dong Yao had set her sights on Li Changsheng’s Insect Control Technique.

Dong Xing rubbed his face, turned and walked to the tea table. Looking at the jade slip and incense sticks on the table, a look of grim determination appeared on his face.

.

Outside the courtyard gate.

Dong Yao’s gaze swept around.

Seeing Xiaohua’s family lying in the courtyard, her gaze narrowed slightly.

’Are these really Tusked Pigs?’

Looking at Xiaohua’s family, whose bodies were several sizes larger than normal Tusked Pigs, with their ferocious appearance, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her.

’If I hadn’t stopped Grandpa back then, would...’

Dong Yao shook her head, dispelling the thought from her mind.

Seeing the cooking smoke rising from the wooden house’s roof, her gaze steadied, and she called out, "Senior Brother Li, Dong Yao has come to visit."

Inside the kitchen.

Li Changsheng, who was stirring pig feed, paused his hand, puzzled.

’Dong Yao?’

’What is she doing here?’

Li Changsheng put the stirring stick aside, washed his hands, and walked out.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he saw Dong Yao at the courtyard gate, her head wrapped in black gauze.

Li Changsheng raised an eyebrow slightly, walked quickly to the courtyard gate, opened it, and said with a smile, "Junior Sister Dong, please, come in."

Then he looked around and asked quizzically, "Didn’t Senior Brother Dong come with you?"

Dong Yao bowed slightly and said softly, "I am the one who has come to ask a favor of you, Senior Brother."

’A favor to ask?’

Li Changsheng’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

As he led Dong Yao towards the wooden house, he said with a chuckle, "Senior Brother Dong is always telling me about his junior sister’s exceptional talent. Now that I see you, it’s certainly true."

Dong Yao shook her head, an unspeakable bitterness in her heart.

’Exceptional talent? Heh...’

The two entered the room and sat down.

Li Changsheng poured her a cup of tea. Just as he was thinking about how to ask Dong Yao what she wanted and then politely refuse...

...he saw Dong Yao stand up, reach out, and pull the black gauze from her head. She bowed and said, "This junior sister wishes to trade with Senior Brother Li for your Spirit Worm Manipulation Skill."

"This..."

Li Changsheng stared at Dong Yao’s horribly disfigured face, horrified, and stammered, "What happened..."

Dong Yao fell directly to her knees and pleaded through her tears, "I beg you, Senior Brother... for my grandfather’s sake... please agree."

Seeing her kneel on the ground, Li Changsheng quickly reached out to help her up.

"Please, don’t do this. Get up first and let’s talk..."

As her sleeve slipped down, revealing the purplish-black scars on her fair arm, his words caught in his throat, and an indescribable turmoil welled up in his heart.

’This... this...’

The image of her charming and lovely face, from when she came to the Spirit Field looking for Dong Xing just days ago, was still vivid in his mind.

’But so little time has passed... How could Dong Yao have ended up like this?’

’These shocking scars... It’s hard to imagine what kind of cruel torture she must have endured, and what kind of unyielding willpower she must possess to have survived it.’

Li Changsheng felt his throat go dry, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Dong Yao wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, wrapped the black gauze around her head again, and bowed, saying, "Please, Senior Brother, grant my request."

Li Changsheng fell silent for a moment. "Junior Sister Dong," he said, "given my relationship with Senior Brother Dong, I would normally have no issue giving you the Insect Seal, the magic I practice."

"But..."

Hearing this, Dong Yao’s heart sank, and the light in her eyes suddenly dimmed.

All the life seemed to drain from her, leaving her like a lifeless puppet.

Seeing her like this, Li Changsheng rubbed the bridge of his nose and said with a wry smile, "Junior Sister, can you tell me who did this to you?"

"Let me be clear with you. If that person has complicated connections, or is someone I can’t afford to provoke."

"Then please forgive my inability to help... After all, I’m just a Spirit Farmer who tends his fields."

"Besides, this Magic of mine isn’t as powerful as you imagine..."

Unlike his trade with Wu Yong, it was obvious that Dong Yao wanted to use the Insect Control Technique to get revenge on the cultivator who had done this to her.

If she succeeded, fine. Everyone would be happy.

But if she failed, it would only take a little digging for that cultivator to discover that Dong Yao had obtained the Magic from him.

His relationship with Dong Xing and Dong Yao wasn’t strong enough for him to be willing to take the fall for them.

Dong Yao was stunned for a moment after hearing this. A faint light returned to her eyes. She suppressed her excitement, collected her thoughts, and began to speak softly.

"Ever since the development of the new Spiritual Land was halted and Steward Tong led the Demon Hunting Corps back to the Marketplace, the Demon Hunting Corps has been in constant conflict with the Marketplace’s Patrol Guards."

"Within just a few days, the conflict intensified. My Demon Hunting Squad ran into a team of Patrol Guards while collecting cultivation supplies..."