Starting From A Son In Law To Build An Long Lasting Family Chapter 1942: 507: How Did It End Up Like This? (part 2)

...

Several days had passed.

"Ying’er?"

Lu Changsheng gazed at the figure before him—Ying’er, her hair disheveled, cheeks burning red, complete with twitching cat ears and a swaying cat tail—and whispered her name gently.

Having finished the last phase of the Goddess Furnace ritual, he sensed a profound, unspoken bond linking him directly to Ying’er.

The cat girl lay sprawled on the floor, saliva trickling from her lips, but she quickly raised her head a bit, her gaze locking onto Lu Changsheng with deep, affectionate longing.

"What brought you to White Tiger Mountain?"

Lu Changsheng stroked her cat ears softly as he inquired.

Those ears appeared to be Ying’er’s most vulnerable area; her frail form softened instantly like melting butter, and she let out a faint moan before panting out, "On... the Holy Maiden’s command, I arrived to assess Jiuyou’s reversion to ancestry, to stir the Heavenly Wolf bloodline... and to probe how the master elevated the Nether Moon Wolf to third rank."

"Tell me what you know about Beast God Mountain."

Lu Changsheng fixed his eyes on Ying’er and pressed on.

Even though a soul seal from Beast God Mountain lingered in Ying’er’s sea of consciousness, blocking her from revealing the deepest secrets of the Nether Moon Saintess or the sect itself.

Still, the Desire Law from the Goddess Furnace had worn down her soul, allowing her to share details as long as the seal didn’t activate completely.

That said, Ying’er served merely as a close follower to the Nether Moon Saintess, so her insights into Beast God Mountain’s higher ranks remained shallow.

"The Nether Moon Saintess, apart from her spirit pet the Nether Moon Heavenly Wolf, has bound a supreme Lifebound Beast Soul as well..."

The Lifebound Beast Soul stood as Beast God Mountain’s foundational legacy, merging demon beasts right into one’s being!

Ying’er’s own Lifebound Beast Soul took the form of the [Nether Cat].

Thus, her abilities and divine arts leaned heavily toward attacks, stealth kills, hiding in shadows, and similar skills.

Yet Ying’er paled in comparison to the pure lineage of the Nether Moon Saintess.

The latter pursued Beast God Mountain’s true orthodox methods, holding the promise of reaching Nascent Soul someday.

In contrast, Ying’er’s cultivation path was bound by the Nether Moon Saintess, steadily draining her Lifebound Beast Soul’s potential and shortening her own life as the cost.

"This approach to forging death warriors echoes the ways of taming demon beasts and crafting Dao Soldiers."

Lu Changsheng eyed the cat-like Ying’er with eyes narrowed just a touch.

It resembled the hidden arts that Hong Lian understood, ones that burned through demon beasts’ lifespans and promise to speed up their advancement.

"After your long absence, might the Nether Moon Saintess launch any pursuits?"

Lu Changsheng voiced his primary worry.

"The Saintess... she’ll likely dispatch cultivators to dig into matters concerning me... beyond that, Ying’er knows nothing..."

Regaining a sliver of her vigor, Ying’er pressed herself against Lu Changsheng, nuzzling her face repeatedly into him, even darting out her small tongue for tender licks.

Shaped by her Lifebound Beast Soul, her instincts carried traces of the Nether Cat’s behaviors, though she normally kept them in check.

But now, with the Goddess Furnace’s Desire Law seeping in, those cat-like urges surged stronger.

"Could she show up personally?"

Lu Changsheng drew in a steady breath, his hand gliding over her head to caress the soft ears, as he questioned.

"Amid the Liangyue War, the Saintess... likely lacks the leisure to venture here alone, ah... and given her high standing, with countless powers eyeing her, slipping into Jiang Country poses huge risks..."

Ying’er’s words came out in halting bursts.

"Is there a method to calm her suspicions or draw the Nether Moon Saintess out?"

Lu Changsheng’s eyes narrowed further as he spoke.

At the mere idea of her old mistress, Ying’er’s warped mind and spirit froze for an instant, caught in intense inner turmoil and agony.

Soon after, tears welled in her eyes, and she murmured, "After being gone this long, the Saintess won’t readily believe my reports... yet if I plant some signs of peril from earlier, it could ease her doubts..."

"Very well."

Lu Changsheng gave a small nod, noting how Ying’er, despite the Desire Law’s corrosion, clung to bits of clear thinking.

Next, he guided Ying’er from the Mount Sumeru Cave Heaven, and together they placed signals across White Tiger Mountain and a handful of other spots, shattering several transmission talismans in the process.

With those tasks done, Lu Changsheng intended to refine Ying’er’s training over the coming days, priming her for use against the Nether Moon Saintess and Beast God Mountain!

Returning her as a spy carried far too much danger.

Not to mention she hadn’t fully surrendered her will.

As an ancient Nascent Soul powerhouse, Beast God Mountain could potentially detect something amiss in her.

Thus, the smartest play remained deploying Ying’er as bait to pull the Nether Moon Saintess into the open.

Should the foe move without backup, he felt assured of capturing her!

...

Returning to Bi Lake Mountain, Lu Changsheng sought updates on family affairs from Lu Miaoyun.

"The Xu Family’s Elder Ancestor has departed?"

Lu Changsheng arched a brow, caught off guard.

Though the elder’s years neared their close, based on the last conflict, his end shouldn’t have come quite yet.

"The Xu Family made the announcement and began the funeral rites..."

Lu Miaoyun replied in a hushed tone, underscoring the abruptness of the Elder Ancestor’s demise.

Yet for events like these, prying deeper proved fruitless, with scant details available to outsiders.

Lu Changsheng tried running some divinations.

But lacking solid leads or strong ties to the Elder Ancestor, the efforts met heavy barriers.

"Fine, if he’s gone, he’s gone."

Lu Changsheng dropped the divinations, seeing no point in the strain.

The demise of aged cultivators often wove a tangled web.

Particularly in twilight years, a minor flaw in cultivation practice could spark deviations, throwing qi and blood into chaos, and wrecking bodily harmony.

"Still, certain cultivators whisper that the Elder Ancestor faked his death to secure the family’s future."

Lu Miaoyun added in a more solemn voice.

Such schemes had history; even the Beast Taming Xu Family and various Foundation Establishment clans had pulled them off before.

"That’s plausible enough."

Lu Changsheng agreed with a nod, urging the family to stay vigilant.