"By the way, do you also have connections with the Xiao Family in Minzhou City?"

Ling Wuce, who had just received the news, was in a great mood, but was quickly reminded of another matter.

He naturally didn’t ask this for no reason. The news from the Inspectorate didn’t show anything suspicious about the Guardian, except for what Gao Feng instructed which had a clue.

"He has taken my Pill."

Han Yu said casually.

This is something the Inspectorate should be able to find out, too. Ling Wuce knew yet asked, could it be that even Xiao Shui was acting strangely?

"Strange might be too much, it’s just that the local Guardian seems to be quite close to him."

The Inspectorate could naturally find out about Xiao Shui’s matters, including his grudges with the Celestial Water Sect and his contact with Han Yu.

The only missing part is Xiao Shui’s whereabouts after he disappeared for more than half a year; to date, it has only been found that he returned to Minzhou City as a Cultivator in the Realm of Transcendence.

"What kind of person do you think this Young Master Xiao is?"

Ling Wuce asked Han Yu.

This question really stumped him. Their interaction was as shallow as the time spent shivering in a Hue-Lou, he didn’t know what kind of person the other party should be.

"Instead of asking me, you might as well ask the former Guardian."

Fatty Zhu might be the one who had deeper interactions with him.

"Have you all been so spooked by the Corpse Refining Lineage that now everyone seems suspicious?"

Han Yu mocked, saying that one was a prominent family in the city and the other was the local Guardian, it’s not strange for them to have private interactions.

"There’s nothing strange about it, but... the fact that a Cultivator in the Realm of Transcendence appeared in Minzhou City, yet he didn’t report it, is peculiar."

So even if the Guardian’s record was clean, this point was indefensible.

But what Han Yu said really gave him a direction, and he quickly beckoned for a Cultivator to arrange a few things.

"Now I believe your Fifth Tower has been emptied out."

Han Yu looked at Ling Wuce, who was earnestly arranging matters, and suddenly smiled.

"What you’re doing now should be the Inspectorate’s job, and now you’re also taking on this task."

Although the powers of the Fifth Tower overlapped in many areas, their functions were still relatively clearly divided, with the Cultivator Institute still handling the Inspectorate’s work, it was clear that there really wasn’t many people left.

"Isn’t that so? Didn’t I tell you when I first came here, that I’ve been roped in to help the Inspectorate and the Mo Family with business."

Including just now brazenly asking for the Life Span Pill to facilitate cooperation, this should have been Quan Xiaotong’s work.

If it wasn’t Gao Feng stepping up...

Speaking of Gao Feng, Han Yu suddenly started searching under and over the table.

Ever since Gao Feng became a "Golden-furred Rat", it was easy to accidentally lose track of him, and it seemed he disappeared after noon.

"Where’s Old Gao?"

Han Yu asked curiously.

Ling Wuce’s expression turned somewhat strange, his old face showing an indescribable look. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"You might not believe it, but Old Gao, even at his age, said his teeth were itching after noon as if he’s growing teeth, and his claws were itching too, so he went outside the city to gnaw on tree bark and dig holes..."

"Is there some strange side effect of your Pill?"

Ling Wuce was a bit worried. If those born under the Rat sign have a habit of gnawing and digging, as long as those born under the Tiger sign don’t bite people or those under the Snake sign don’t eat people, it’s fine.

"There shouldn’t be, after all, it’s still human transformation, even if there’s some instinct, it shouldn’t be a bad habit."

Han Yu said with a bit of uncertainty, for it was indeed a real transformation into a Spirit Beast!

...

"Damn it, what kind of bad habit is this of mine?"

In the deserted mountains outside the city, a "Golden-furred Rat" darted back and forth countless times, creating visible pits and, in fact, a network of tunnels underground.

Gao Feng sorrowfully realized that he seemed to have turned into a "different person", with terrifying energy, still feeling some itching in his teeth, not to mention his claws.

What a sin! To encounter such absurd things in old age.

Then he thought about whether the other Twelve Zodiac signs each had their own habits?

Hopefully, the Tiger wouldn’t have the habit of eating people!

And there’s the Snake, which seems quite aggressive too.

The other zodiac signs seem better, at least they are herbivores.

"Han Yu’s Pills really are beyond words."

The Pills truly are great, but the side effects are equally intense.

Only those who’ve taken it can truly understand the love-hate feeling it brings.

Even while lamenting, the "Golden-furred Rat" that Gao Feng transformed into didn’t stop for a moment, continuously gnawing on a vine.

In no time, he had already finished a whole vine, the few whiskers on his cute face wiggling every now and then.

...

When he finally returned to the city, the sky had already darkened.

Upon arriving at the north of the city, he saw a crowd eagerly waiting, gathering around a stone.

"It’s almost been a whole day, shouldn’t the Fire Spirit have shown up by now?"

Elder Luo impatiently said, as he had been waiting the entire day.

The same went for the other sects, no one wanted to miss the opportunity.

A group of experts had spent the whole day accompanying this cracked stone.

"This old monk’s meditation has never been this tough."

The old monk from Galan Temple shook his head and sighed.

The group waited until midnight, yet the stone showed no sign of activity, let alone the Fire Spirit’s shadow.

The warm heat emanating from the stone remained constant, without this, they would have wondered if they had the wrong location.

"It’s definitely not the wrong one."

Ling Wuce retrieved that piece of old tree bark, seeing its violent vibrations, indicating that the response wasn’t fake.

Thus, the group could only continue to wait, until the hour of the pig, when instead of any movement from the stone, what came was Gao Feng.

Heaven knows how such a small "Golden-furred Rat" twisted and turned into a full-grown man.

But the figure of Gao Feng truly appeared.

Still retaining the form he had when he took the Pill, appearing aged but with a voice much younger.

"It’s more comfortable being human."

Gao Feng took a few steps forward, finding it awkward to walk on two legs after crawling on all fours all day.

"Young friend, you don’t suppose the Fire Spirit you’re looking for can’t find this place?"

After all, finding this place from ten miles away would perplex even a Cultivator, let alone a Spirit Body.

"Impossible, there is definitely an existing connection between a Spirit Body and its host. Even if you moved it to the ends of the earth, it would be of no use."

The Artifact Spirit immediately retorted in Han Yu’s Sea of Consciousness.

Yet the current situation was perplexing, with no sign of the Fire Spirit.

Since the main body had been moved by someone, it should have made its way back.

Another two-hour passed with this outcome, and by now, Gao Feng had become "Moon Gem", a large white rabbit.

But the large stone showed no sign of change.

This was very unusual, the fact that the main body hadn’t been found to be taken after all this time was illogical from a common standpoint.

"Spirit Bodies have a nesting instinct; they simply couldn’t have wandered outside for this long."

The Artifact Spirit’s face turned solemn, reminiscent of the past when the Wood Spirit, even while hopping around outside every day, would return daily to where its main body was.

Fire Spirits wouldn’t be an exception.

If something like this happened, there’s only one possibility left.

"The Fire Spirit might not be unwilling to come, but unable to come."

For a Spirit Body to not return to the main body, there’s only one possibility.

It was trapped by someone...