The room grew quiet.
Susu continued studying the siblings.
Particularly Ling Wei.
A faint smile still rested upon her lips.
Yet the look in her eyes had become noticeably more attentive.
Ling Wei cupped his fists respectfully.
"...I'm sorry."
"I'm afraid we can't answer that."
His tone remained polite.
Respectful.
Calm.
Susu tilted her head ever so slightly.
"Oh?"
Ling Wei continued without hesitation.
"And..."
"I would advise Young Miss Susu not to look too deeply into this matter."
A brief silence followed.
"It would be... inconvenient..."
He carefully chose each word.
"...for everyone involved."
Ling Yue glanced sideways at her brother.
*Big Brother...*
*You're actually warning her.*
Susu's smile remained unchanged.
Yet a faint glimmer flickered within her beautiful eyes.
"...Is that so?"
She folded her hands neatly before her.
"Should I take that as a warning?"
Ling Wei met her gaze without the slightest trace of fear.
"You may interpret it however you wish."
"It is merely advice."
"For your own good."
Silence descended upon the room once more.
The attendants exchanged subtle glances.
No one dared to speak.
Susu simply continued observing him.
After several long moments—
she smiled again.
This time...
the smile was noticeably gentler.
"I understand."
There was no offense in her voice.
Nor the slightest hint of displeasure.
If anything—
her curiosity had only deepened.
Ling Wei offered another respectful bow.
"In that case..."
"We'll be taking our leave."
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Susu."
Ling Yue hurriedly bowed as well.
"It was nice meeting you too."
Susu gracefully returned the salute.
"The pleasure was mine."
"I hope the Golden Lotus Pavilion will have the opportunity to serve the two of you again."
Ling Wei nodded.
"I'm sure it will."
Without another word—
the siblings turned and walked toward the exit.
Their footsteps gradually faded into the corridor.
Only after they had completely disappeared from sight did the attendants unconsciously release the breaths they had been holding.
One attendant cautiously looked toward Susu.
"Young Miss..."
"...Should we investigate them?"
Susu continued gazing at the now-empty doorway.
For a long while—
she remained silent.
Then, at last—
she smiled faintly.
"No."
The attendant blinked.
"No?"
Susu slowly shook her head.
"A person who politely asks you not to uncover a secret..."
"...is often far less dangerous than the secret itself."
Her gaze lowered thoughtfully.
"And judging by Ling Wei's expression..."
"He truly believed he was giving me sincere advice."
Not a threat.
Not intimidation.
A genuine warning.
That...
made the matter all the more intriguing.
Susu softly exhaled.
"Leave it be."
"If fate wishes us to know..."
"...then we'll know eventually."
With those final words—
she turned and walked deeper into the Golden Lotus Pavilion.
Yet one thought quietly lingered in the depths of her mind.
*Just... what kind of existence stands behind those two?*
---
### BACK AT THE LING ESTATE — LING WEI'S RESIDENCE
The hidden chamber fell silent once more.
Ancient formations shimmered faintly across the walls, completely isolating the room from the outside world.
Ling Wei and Ling Yue stepped inside together.
The heavy stone door slowly swung open before them.
**Rumble...**
The instant the door opened—
the invisible white-scaled lizard hovering above Ling Yue's head gradually revealed himself once more.
His body drifted silently into the chamber, coming to a stop near its center.
Ling Yue watched him quietly for a moment.
Then she removed the storage pouch hanging from her waist.
Holding it out with both hands, she smiled faintly.
"Senior."
"Here you go."
The storage pouch suddenly lifted from her palms.
Without anyone touching it—
it floated gently across the room before stopping in front of Lizarius.
Behind them—
the massive stone door slowly closed.
**Boom.**
The sound echoed softly throughout the chamber.
The formation immediately activated once again.
Ling Yue lowered her hands.
"...You could at least say something."
Silence.
No response.
She puffed out her cheeks slightly.
"...You're really the same as always."
Ling Wei couldn't help but shake his head with a helpless smile.
"...This still feels strange."
Ling Yue glanced sideways.
"Hm?"
"...Watching you speak to Senior like that."
She looked toward the enormous white-scaled lizard.
"...Yeah."
"I guess it does."
Neither sibling spoke again.
Their attention naturally settled upon Lizarius.
The white-scaled lizard paid no attention whatsoever to their conversation.
His golden eyes remained fixed upon the floating storage pouch.
A moment later—
a jade storage ring slipped free from within.
**Clink.**
It landed gently upon the smooth stone floor.
Immediately afterward—
the pouch turned upside down.
**Whoosh!**
Dozens upon dozens of treasures poured onto the ground.
Spirit herbs.
Cold jade.
Dark ores.
Crystal vials.
Moon Essence Dew.
Ghost Orchid Roots.
Blackwater Lotus Seeds.
Frost Moon Grass.
Cold Spirit Orchids.
Every yin-attributed material they had purchased quickly accumulated into a sizable pile across the chamber floor.
The empty storage pouch was casually tossed aside.
Lizarius silently descended.
The moment his feet touched the ground—
his body began to expand.
One meter.
Then two.
Then three.
The familiar miniature form disappeared completely.
In its place rested the elegant body of an enormous white-scaled lizard.
Ancient.
Majestic.
His immaculate scales reflected the pale light emitted by the surrounding formations.
His golden eyes shone with quiet indifference.
Without ceremony—
Lizarius lowered his head.
**Crunch.**
A stalk of Frost Moon Grass vanished into his mouth.
Then another.
Followed by Cold Spirit Orchids.
Ghost Orchid Roots.
Blackwater Lotus Seeds.
Moon Essence Dew.
Crystalline ores shattered effortlessly between his powerful jaws.
**Crunch.**
**Crack.**
**Crunch.**
Nothing was refined.
Nothing was processed.
Everything—
herbs...
minerals...
medicinal pills...
crystals...
even spiritual ores—
vanished directly into his stomach.
Rare cultivation resources that ordinary cultivators treasured as priceless heirlooms...
were being consumed as casually as ordinary food.
Within only a few minutes—
the enormous pile had completely disappeared.
Not a single fragment remained.
Only the empty storage pouch and the jade storage ring lay quietly upon the stone floor.
Lizarius slowly closed his eyes.
Silence once again enveloped the chamber.
Then—
deep within his body—
countless strands of yin energy began separating themselves from the countless impurities contained within the treasures.
Cold.
Gentle.
Violent.
Deathly.
Moon-attributed.
Water-attributed.
Ghost-attributed.
Though each originated from a different source...
they all possessed one fundamentally identical characteristic.
Yin.
At the center of his spiritual sea—
the tiny white-scaled soul lizard had long since curled itself into a tight ball.
Its breathing was so faint that it was nearly imperceptible.
Within its body—
the countless streams of yin energy slowly circulated.
Unlike ordinary spiritual qi—
they did not spread throughout his meridians.
Instead—
they flowed directly toward his damaged soul.
Gentle.
Patient.
Without the slightest resistance.
The countless varieties of yin energy gradually separated from one another.
Moon essence.
Cold essence.
Ghost essence.
Death-attributed yin.
Water-attributed yin.
Each retained its own unique properties.
Yet the moment they reached the fractured soul—
their differences gradually disappeared.
Only their common foundation remained.
Pure yin.
Like countless streams merging into a single great river.
The fractured portions of his soul instinctively absorbed the energy.
Slowly...
steadily...
they began to mend.
Not completely.
Not even close.
But compared to before—
the countless fractures had become noticeably more stable.
Time passed unnoticed.
One hour.
Five.
Twelve.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Thirty-eight hours later—
...
The chamber remained perfectly silent.
A pair of brilliant golden eyes slowly opened.
Lizarius remained lying exactly where he was.
He did not move immediately.
Instead—
he quietly examined the condition of his soul.
The fractures still remained.
The damage had not disappeared.
But compared to before—
they had weakened considerably.
The constant, invisible pain that had lingered ever since his awakening had noticeably dulled.
It had not vanished.
It had merely...
lessened.
The healing was subtle.
Almost insignificant.
Yet it was undeniably real.
After a long silence—
Lizarius finally spoke inwardly.
*How is it?*
The familiar voice answered immediately.
---
**[Soul Integrity: 67.8%]**
---
**[Current Soul Stability: Increased.]**
---
**[Mental Stability: Improved.]**
---
**[Recommendation:]**
**[Continued absorption of yin-aligned resources is highly beneficial.]**
---
Lizarius silently contemplated the numbers.
Not much.
Yet far more effective than ordinary recovery.
His long white tail slowly swept once across the stone floor.
A faint rumble echoed throughout the silent chamber.
For the first time since awakening—
his damaged soul had taken a genuine step toward recovery.