Lin Xiao had clearly sensed that the heart demon within the Yuan family ancestor was almost completely eradicated. With his spiritual energy nearly depleted, Lin Xiao decided to conclude the purification process.
The Yuan family ancestor had not yet awakened, likely focusing on eliminating the remaining traces of the heart demon. Lin Xiao chose to stay and meditate next to Jiang Youfu, replenishing his energy.
This place, being the Yuan family's most secure retreat, was clearly equipped with a spirit gathering formation. The spiritual energy here was rich, allowing Lin Xiao to recover rapidly.
Since they had arrived early, by the time the purification ended, it was already deep into the night.
Outside, Yuan Bi and Yuan Qing, hearing voices from within, knew that the process had concluded. Yuan Bi opened the large stone door, and both of them entered the chamber.
Seeing the rapid restoration of their ancestor's appearance, they were overjoyed. However, noticing that Lin Xiao was in meditation, they swallowed their excitement and silently waited without disturbing him.
After a long while, both the Yuan family ancestor and Lin Xiao opened their eyes, one after the other.
Although Lin Xiao hadn't fully recovered his spiritual energy, he didn't want to linger too long at the Yuan family's estate. The ancestor had already woken up, and it was time to move on to more pressing matters.
The Yuan family ancestor opened his eyes, filled with joy.
The heart demon that had tormented him for years, which he had thought might never be eradicated in his lifetime, was now completely gone in just two days!
To the Yuan family ancestor, this was a debt of gratitude akin to giving him a new life.
Suppressing his excitement, the ancestor stood up, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply to Lin Xiao:
"Lin Daoyou, I will never forget this great kindness. From this day forward, if you ever have need of me, Yuan Ruogu, I will answer without hesitation!"
Lin Xiao quickly helped him up.
"No need for such formality, Senior Yuan. Let's just be friends from now on."
Hearing Lin Xiao's response, especially the humble request to simply be friends, Yuan Ruogu felt even more admiration for the young man. With a smile, he said:
"Lin Daoyou, you are a man of integrity. If you wish to be friends, it is truly my honor."
As they exchanged pleasantries, Lin Xiao heard the clear sound of a system notification in his mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have successfully befriended five cultivators at or above the Foundation Establishment stage. The side quest 'Experience in the Cultivation World (1)' for sect construction has been completed. The rewards have been delivered to your personal storage. Please check them promptly.]
Lin Xiao could hardly contain his excitement. He immediately opened his personal storage and quickly glanced at the section containing the Floating Island Fragments, confirming that the number had indeed increased from two to three. Overjoyed, he exited the storage interface, his satisfaction evident.
Not wanting to disturb the long-awaited reunion between the Yuan family members, Lin Xiao glanced outside and said:
"It's getting late, and our companions are waiting for us at the inn. We should take our leave."
Since the ancestor had fallen into a near-unconscious state after the heart demon took over and was still weak yesterday, Yuan Bi hadn't had much chance to communicate with him. Now that the ancestor was fully recovered, there were numerous matters and years of updates to discuss.
Yuan Bi didn't insist on keeping Lin Xiao longer. He stepped forward and said:
"Lin Daoyou, your righteousness will be remembered by all of us. I won't hold you back any longer tonight. Soon, I will host a private banquet in your honor, and I hope you will join us as friends for a proper celebration!"
With food involved, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu quickly agreed. Lin Xiao thought to himself that it might be useful to maintain this relationship in the future. After all, having the top family in Yuanling City as an ally was never a bad thing.
After saying their goodbyes, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu left the Yuan family estate. Yuan Qing didn't stay behind in the cave either, knowing that his uncle and the ancestor had much to discuss. He discreetly returned to his own courtyard.
Though Yuan Qing had joined the Tianxuan Sect years ago, the family had always kept his original courtyard in the main house available for him.
Inside the cave, Yuan Ruogu lowered the large stone door with a wave of his hand, leaving only him and Yuan Bi.
Meanwhile, back at the inn, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu returned just as the inn's servant was lugging a large barrel of hot water up the stairs. The barrel was big enough to fit two or three people.
The sight intrigued them, though not because of the servant's strength—after all, this was the cultivation world, and even an inn servant would have some level of cultivation. What they found curious was that someone in the cultivation world still preferred bathing in water instead of simply using purification spells.
Their interest lasted only a moment, and they soon followed the servant up to the third floor.
As it turned out, the servant was also headed to the third floor.
Their rooms were on the right side, and they noticed that the servant was heading in the same direction. But they didn't think too much of it, since there were many rooms on the floor.
It wasn't until they stopped directly in front of their own room that they became confused.
At this point, only Liu Chun should have been in the room, having just returned from his meeting with Elder Zhang. And since Lin Xiao was avoiding drawing too much attention, Liu Chun wouldn't have invited Elder Zhang to the inn. So why would there be a request for a bath?
Before they could ponder further, the door opened from the inside.
Liu Chun, carrying the barrel of hot water, noticed Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu standing behind the servant and gave them a small, bitter smile. He stepped aside to let them in.
The servant, without making eye contact, quietly left after delivering the water.
Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu entered the room.
Since they had requested a larger room to accommodate everyone, the space was divided into an outer and inner chamber, with both areas being quite spacious.
After closing the door behind them, Lin Xiao immediately asked:
"Elder Liu, how is your sister? Did you get any news?"
Liu Chun, carrying the large barrel, forced a strained smile and replied:
"Sect Master, please come with me."
He then carried the water into the inner chamber, with Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu following closely behind.
Inside, they were greeted by the sight of a young woman lying on the bed.
The woman was quite beautiful, with facial features that bore a striking resemblance to Liu Chun. She looked to be in her early twenties, but her face was tense, her brows furrowed as if in the grip of a terrible nightmare. She was completely wrapped in a thin blanket, with only her head exposed.
Her eyes were tightly shut, and she appeared unaware of Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu's presence.
At the top of her forehead, a talisman was affixed.