Confirming that Lu Jixing had only sustained minor injuries, Su Luo and Li Tianjue breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Jixing recounted the events of bringing the Poison Toad King back. He had originally intended to interrogate him about eighteen years ago, but the Poison Toad King suddenly self-destructed. Several disciples and servants within the Iron Blood Hall were caught off guard and killed instantly. If he hadn't moved quickly, he would have died as well.
"So ruthless, to resort to self-destruction…" Su Luo's hands were trembling.
She had always heard that demonic sects were cruel and malicious.
Only now, after witnessing it firsthand, did she gain a deeper understanding.
Li Tianjue's expression was grave as he patted Lu Jixing's shoulder. "It's alright, Jixing. Your safety is the greatest fortune… It's good that the Poison Toad King is dead. The Dark Demon Ridge has lost one of its claws."
Knowing that Li Tianjue was trying to comfort him, Lu Jixing felt very guilty for failing at such a small task.
"It's truly alright, Third Senior Brother. The Poison Toad King was cunning and treacherous. Even if he hadn't self-destructed and had confessed, we couldn't be sure if what he said was true. We might have fallen into his trap again."
Su Luo also advised Lu Jixing not to dwell on it, emphasizing that his safety was the most important thing.
However, several outer disciples and servants of the Qing Xu Heaven had lost their lives for nothing. They would definitely seek retribution from the Dark Demon Ridge!
Handing over the Iron Blood Hall for the servants to clean up, the three of them didn't linger and quickly left, blocking Tang Xiaoguo and the others who had rushed over from seeing such a bloody scene.
This unexpected incident cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.
Within Yu Xu City, the Northern Nether Imperial family heightened their security and launched a city-wide search, thoroughly investigating and eliminating any demonic sect organizations lurking in the city who hadn't managed to escape. Those who were caught were captured, those who resisted were killed, and a large number of hidden dangers were eliminated.
A few days later, the city gradually returned to peace.
However, Su Luo remained somewhat uneasy.
For some reason, she always felt that this matter wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Although the Seven Stars Reversal Array had ultimately not been activated and had been destroyed in advance, and the demonic sect array master who set it up had also died in the melee, the thought of the demonic sects' methods made Su Luo worry that their schemes were not over.
"Xiaoguo, do you feel like there's still something amiss with this matter?"
Su Luo rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought, not even remembering what she had eaten for lunch.
Tang Xiaoguo sat beside her, picking through a box, and casually replied, "No… Sister Su, the Poison Toad King is dead, and Second Senior Brother has led the forbidden army to thoroughly investigate Yu Xu City for several days, killing over a hundred demonic disciples. It's definitely fine."
She was clearly distracted, picking up a string of jade beads, looking at them, and then putting them down.
After picking for a while longer, she still hadn't chosen anything suitable.
"Sister Su, you, you could help me take a look, okay… Is this ring artifact better or this bracelet artifact? They're both for self-defense." Tang Xiaoguo was hesitant, a hint of shyness on her face, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Su Luo snapped back to attention and asked curiously, "Xiaoguo, you want to wear it? Of course, wear whichever one suits you."
Tang Xiaoguo lowered her head, her voice as weak as a mosquito's hum, "It's not for me to wear, I want to give it to Young Master Shang Xie. He, he gave me this bracelet before, didn't he? I thought I should reciprocate, but I'm afraid he won't like it…"
She had been hesitant for the past few days and couldn't make up her mind, so she wanted to ask Sister Su.
Su Luo's interest was immediately piqued, and she leaned closer, saying meaningfully, "Xiaoguo~! So you want to give Shang Xie a gift? Tsk tsk tsk, he'll be overjoyed when he receives it."
"No, Sister Su, you've misunderstood…"
"I didn't say anything!"
Su Luo stopped Tang Xiaoguo's eager denial and chuckled, "Xiaoguo, this is your gesture of goodwill. No matter what you give, Shang Xie will like it. Fortunately, we brought Shang Xie to Qing Xu Heaven, otherwise, you wouldn't be this far along."
Tang Xiaoguo blushed even more and said anxiously, "Sister Su, Shang Xie and I really have nothing going on. He, he likes… Oh dear, I promised him I wouldn't say anything, and Sister Su, you… It's really not what you think…"
"What do I think? Look at your blushing face, and you still won't admit it!" Su Luo loved to tease her. Seeing Xiaoguo's rosy cheeks, like a tempting red apple, she couldn't resist wanting to give her a kiss.
"I, I… Sister Su~!"
Seeing her so embarrassed, Su Luo finally let her off the hook. "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. By the way, where is Xiaobai? I haven't seen him these past two days."
Tang Xiaoguo felt as if she had been granted amnesty and breathed a sigh of relief. "Xiaobai might have been frightened. The day after we returned, he developed a fever. The Third Elder has already seen Xiaobai and given him medicine. He said it's nothing and he'll be fine after two days of rest."
So that's what happened.
Su Luo had been preoccupied with the Poison Toad King's self-destruction. Since Xiaobai had been rescued and brought back, she hadn't gone to see him.
She nodded. "That's good. Xiaobai is still young, and encountering such a thing suddenly is inevitable…" Her voice trailed off, and Su Luo frowned, vaguely grasping something.
Demonic sects, schemes, Xiaobai, fever…
Not good, had she overlooked something?
Su Luo leaped up. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. Xiaobai fell ill right after returning. While it was possible he was genuinely frightened, she wouldn't be at ease without a thorough check.
"I'm going to see Xiaobai." She left, saying this, and hurried away.
Jun Mubai resided in Ping An Residence, not far from Wang He Residence. Su Luo arrived in a short while.
Upon entering the room, she saw that Xiaobai wasn't lying in bed but was sitting at a square table eating. The Third Elder happened to be there as well, with Chunhua and Qiuyue, two maids, serving them. Upon seeing her, they immediately bowed.
"Girl Su, you've come to see Xiaobai too?"
The Third Elder said with a smile, "Don't worry, Xiaobai is fine. He's already taken his medicine."
Jun Mubai also waved at Su Luo. "Sister Luo Luo!"
Su Luo walked over and sat down, smiling. "I've been busy these past few days and didn't have time to see Xiaobai. I heard he had a fever, so I came to check on him. Xiaobai, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Although she trusted the Third Elder's medical skills, as she spoke, she activated her Divine Eye, giving Xiaobai a thorough examination.
It would be good if he were alright; then she could be at ease.
"No, Sister Luo Luo, I'm almost recovered." Jun Mubai tilted his little head and patted his chest.
"Then I can rest assured…"
Before she could finish, Su Luo's eyes sharpened, and she froze.
She stared at Jun Mubai without blinking, but in reality, she was looking at the information displayed by the Divine Eye: Jun Mubai has hallucinogenic butterfly eggs within his body. They are currently harmless to the host. After hatching, if the larvae continue to parasitize, they will break out of the body within a month at most…
Hallucinogenic butterfly eggs?
Damn it, Xiaobai really was in trouble!
Seeing Su Luo suddenly go rigid, the Third Elder sensed something was wrong. "Girl Su, what's wrong?"
Su Luo stroked Xiaobai's face, feigning nonchalance, and asked him to continue eating. She then pulled the Third Elder outside and said, "Third Grandfather, I just examined Xiaobai and found hallucinogenic butterfly eggs in his body."
Xiaobai's fever was also a side effect of being parasitized by the eggs.
"What?" The Third Elder's expression changed.
How could he not have detected it?
Su Luo's expression turned serious. "I suspect that the hallucinogenic butterfly eggs in Xiaobai's body were planted by the Poison Toad King, and it's not just Xiaobai; the other abducted children have them too!"