"Haha! Little girl, don't be so fierce. Who would dare to marry you if you're this fierce in the future?"
The voice carried a hint of mockery, sounding like an old man. Despite a sense of vicissitude, he exuded a playful and unconventional air.
Zi Linling's wariness intensified, and a trace of displeasure flickered across her face. "Hmph! I don't need you to worry about this matter! Please show yourself. It's not the act of a gentleman to hide one's face!"
Since she couldn't detect the opponent's whereabouts, she could only provoke him with words to expose a flaw.
The old man naturally understood the implied meaning in Zi Linling's words. Wasn't she calling him a cowardly wretch who hides his face?
"Haha! This old man is no gentleman! As for who I am, weren't you just looking for me a moment ago?"
Zi Linling pondered for a moment, seemingly recalling something, and a look of astonishment appeared on her face. However, she still had some doubts and tentatively asked, "Are you... the Nine Spirits Ring?"
"You still have some sense! I am indeed the spirit of the Nine Spirits Ring. You can call me Elder Du."
Elder Du materialized, a hint of smugness on his face. However, his form was ethereal, floating in the air, clearly in a state of soul.
He was clad in dark robes, thin in build, with slightly greying hair, but his eyes clearly held a sharp glint. He sported a goatee that twitched whenever he spoke.
Although Zi Linling had already guessed, seeing Elder Du in person still surprised her.
At the same time, she mused inwardly: The Nine Spirits Ring has always been the token of the Zi family patriarch. How has she never heard of it having a spirit?
Elder Du's goatee twitched, and he glared with wide eyes. "Hmph! Family patriarch's token? You haven't even unearthed a tenth of its capabilities, and you dare call it a family patriarch's token? At most, it's just a miniature storage space!"
"Huh! How did you know what I was thinking?"
A chill emanated from Zi Linling. She had always been adept at hiding her emotions, making it difficult for others to read her mind. To have her thoughts revealed so directly now was beyond shocking.
"Nonsense! The Nine Spirits Ring recognizes you as its master, and I am the spirit of the Nine Spirits Ring. We are connected in mind, so naturally, I can see your thoughts, unless..." you don't want me to see them.
Elder Du's expression was peculiar, a mixture of frustration and indignation, tinged with a hint of secret joy and disappointment. It was a complex medley of emotions, difficult to articulate.
"Recognizes me as its master?" Zi Linling was once again stunned, automatically ignoring his unfinished remark.
"Mhmm!"
Elder Du proudly lifted his head. In truth, he had no idea what had happened.
A thousand years ago, due to a soul injury, he had no choice but to abandon his body and hide within the Nine Spirits Ring. To heal, he had somehow merged with the Nine Spirits Ring and then fallen into a deep slumber within it.
Today, a strange fragrance permeated the Nine Spirits Ring, waking him from his slumber. Upon waking, he discovered that the source of the fragrance was a drop of blood, and simultaneously, the Nine Spirits Ring and the young woman before him had forged a soul contract.
To fall asleep and end up selling oneself – this was unprecedented in history. If those old fellows found out, wouldn't they laugh their jaws off?
Imagining the malicious laughter of his old friends from a thousand years ago, Elder Du couldn't help but shiver.
Absolutely not! They must never know! Otherwise, his lifetime of reputation would be ruined.
Zi Linling was unaware of Elder Du's internal turmoil. However, even if she knew, she would only secretly rejoice.
"I recognized it in my past life!"
The moment she spoke, Elder Du leaped up, his goatee twitching again. "That was called recognizing a master in a past life? At most, it was a slight acknowledgment, allowing you to use the Nine Spirits Ring!"
Honestly, Elder Du was extremely dissatisfied with Zi Linling as his master.
He couldn't understand what was so special about this girl. She had no spiritual energy within her, her meridians were blocked and fractured. She looked utterly unappealing. Yet, why had the Nine Spirits Ring inexplicably forged a contract with her?
Zi Linling had intended to ask more about the Nine Spirits Ring but suddenly felt the pain within her body intensify.
In the span of a single breath, her forehead was beaded with sweat, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.
She could only endure the pain, focusing on the essentials and asking, "Then how do I use the Nine Spirits Ring now?"
Elder Du glanced at Zi Linling and was about to offer more mockery when he noticed her dire condition.
Only then did he remember that his cheap master was currently facing a life-or-death situation. This was unacceptable!
Although he looked down on Zi Linling, he had been asleep for a thousand years and had only just awakened because of this cheap master's blood. He didn't want to fall back into slumber due to the young woman's demise.
The thought of the millennium of loneliness and isolation, without anyone to talk to, forced Elder Du to set aside his petty thoughts and say seriously, "Focus on what you want to retrieve, and connect your soul to the Nine Spirits Ring!"
Zi Linling had no more time. Since the Nine Spirits Ring had recognized her as its master, she figured Elder Du wouldn't do anything to threaten her life.
She eagerly tried according to Elder Du's instructions and instantly felt something appear in her palm.
She looked down. What else could it be but the Universal Detoxifying Pill?
Zi Linling's heart rejoiced. She quickly popped the pill into her mouth, chewed, and a strong herbal taste flowed down her throat, quickly seeping into her meridians and internal organs.
The Phantom Flower poison, sensing the arrival of an enemy, instantly became active.
It tentatively probed, and finding that a portion of it was easily devoured, it did not linger to fight. It retreated decisively.
The Universal Detoxifying Pill pressed forward relentlessly. Thus, one advancing, one retreating, the two engaged in a struggle within Zi Linling's meridians and internal organs.
Zi Linling's already slowly fracturing meridians quickly became riddled with holes. In a short while, she coughed up three large mouthfuls of black blood.
After another hour, the Phantom Flower poison was finally forced to the little finger of her right hand, where it cowered and trembled.
Zi Linling looked as if she had just emerged from a water vat, drenched and listless.
But she knew that even a dying centipede was tough to kill. If she couldn't completely detoxify herself this time, and the Phantom Flower poison retaliated, she wouldn't even have a chance to react.
She mustered her strength and decisively cut her right little finger.
Drops of black blood fell to the ground, blooming into clusters of black Higanbana.
By the time all the toxins were expelled, Zi Linling was utterly exhausted.
She gasped for air, and a smile bloomed on her beautiful face.
"Finally detoxified! Damn it, this suffering is unbearable! If I ever catch the one who poisoned me, I'll make them taste this feeling!"