Xiao Man had originally intended to ask Yue Ran about Feng Mo Ran. Upon finding Bai Chen and the others, she learned that Yue Ran had left, and had taken Mu Qi with him before he departed.
"Why did you leave?"
"He said his family sent people to capture him, so he left," Bai Chen handed a jade pendant to Xiao Man. "Yue Ran asked me to give this to you, saying if you missed him, you should go to the Huo family in Qing Yan City to find him."
"The Huo family?" Xiao Man nodded slowly, tucking the jade pendant away. "Alright, I understand. All of you, help me catch a Bai Jiang."
"Catch?" The few exchanged glances, disbelief evident. Bai Jiang were poisonous all over. Being injured by one meant poisoning, rotting, and death. Yet Xiao Man was telling them to catch one.
"Yes, catch it. I want it alive," Xiao Man wanted to see if the disciples of Tian Dun Sect could still be saved. For so many years, the disciples of Tian Dun Sect had become Bai Jiang, living like neither human nor ghost, becoming prey for others. It wouldn't be long before the disciples of Tian Dun Sect completely disappeared from the mortal world.
"Junior Brother Xiao, Bai Jiang are poisonous all over."
"I'm not asking you to catch it with your bare hands," Xiao Man said calmly. "I just want to see what Bai Jiang really are. If we can take this opportunity to research a method to eliminate them, then from now on, we won't have to worry about them harming people anymore."
"That seems reasonable," Su Dan Xi ao Wang
"Help catch Bai Jiang."
"Okay."
The group found their target, set a trap, and used the Immortal Trapping Net to ensnare the Bai Jiang. They dragged it into a secluded cave. Xiao Man used medicine to put the Bai Jiang to sleep and bound it to a makeshift rack.
"Junior Brother Xiao, Bai Jiang are large and have high defense. Be careful."
Xiao Man nodded, took out a razor, and shaved off all the thick fur on the Bai Jiang's face, revealing its true appearance beneath the fur. Lu Qing stepped forward, staring at the Bai Jiang on the rack in disbelief.
"This is..."
"Is this human?" Kong Qing asked in shock. They had never imagined that Bai Jiang could be human.
"Why would a human look like this?" Fu Shen asked, confused. "Is it because of demonic cultivation?"
Xiao Man shook her head, saying she didn't know. She knew Bai Jiang were human, and she knew their true identity, but she couldn't tell them. She could never expose the truth that she knew someone was trying desperately to hide.
"A perfectly good person, if not for demonic cultivation, how could they become like this?" Bai Chen said indignantly. "Such a monster should be killed."
"Senior Brother, Bai Jiang have always operated within the East Yue Forest, never venturing out. Why is that?" Xi Wen reminded Bai Chen. Some matters were not so black and white.
"That's because there are many powerful figures within the East Yue Forest. If they ever try to escape, they would be killed. They would never be able to leave the East Yue Forest."
"If they can't leave the East Yue Forest, and the Seven Sects have been regularly hunting Bai Jiang, no matter how many Bai Jiang there are, they should have been wiped out. Why do Bai Jiang still exist?"
Bai Chen, though naive, was not foolish. "Are you suggesting someone is turning normal people into Bai Jiang?"
Xi Wen shook his head. "I don't know, but that's one possibility. Another possibility is that there is something within the East Yue Forest that can turn people into Bai Jiang."
Bai Chen shuddered. "Could it be they ate something wrong?"
"It could also be due to the environment," Kong Qing chimed in. "If a person is in a problematic environment for a long time, they might mutate."
"So, are these Bai Jiang good or bad?"
Xiao Man shrugged helplessly. "Heaven knows."
"Junior Brother Xiao, you asked us to catch Bai Jiang. Now that we have caught one, can we find out what caused them to become this way?" Kong Qing asked curiously. Xiao Man's talent in medicine surpassed many, and she had her own unique insights, which was why Kong Qing admired her greatly.
"Great Uncle, what do you think?" Xiao Man looked at Lu Qing.
Lu Qing's face remained expressionless, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
To be honest, Lu Qing was also shocked when he saw a human face beneath the Bai Jiang's fur. However, the Bai Jiang's physique was larger and sturdier than a normal person's. Lu Qing stepped forward, donned a specially made glove, and carefully examined the Bai Jiang's bones.
"Normal skeletal structure, no signs of mutation."
"Great Uncle, you mean they are naturally robust in physique? It's not unusual to have a few robust individuals, but how can there be so many? In the years we've hunted Bai Jiang, we've seen no less than five hundred, if not a thousand. Unless there's an entire race that is born with such robust physiques..." Fu Shen spoke casually, but hit upon a crucial point. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at Lu Qing. "Could it be that Bai Jiang are members of a certain race who became this way after experiencing some great upheaval?"
Xiao Man glanced at Fu Shen. This young man had a sharp mind, guessing the truth on the first try. She had underestimated him.
"It's possible."
"Great Uncle, you are knowledgeable. Do you know of any race that fits these characteristics?" Fu Shen inquired.
Lu Qing shook his head. The libraries of the Seven Sects were meager compared to those of noble families and sects. Furthermore, certain secret matters were only recorded within sects. To turn an entire race into hideous monsters, how deep must the hatred be?
"Xiao Qin, what do you think?"
"I fear this matter is best left unexplored," Xiao Man said, looking at everyone. "Hunting Bai Jiang is a rule passed down for many years. If they still exist after all this time, it first indicates they are a vast race. To turn them into monsters and then try to exterminate them... perhaps they violated some taboo and received punishment."
"Such punishment is too cruel and inhuman!"
"When pursuing remnants of the demonic race, aren't we also supposed to annihilate them?" Xi Wen interjected appropriately.
"Even when pursuing demonic remnants, they weren't tortured so cruelly. Turning them into hideous monsters, making them prey for others until their demise... what kind of sin warrants such punishment?"
"Perhaps it's not sin, but a secret," Lu Qing said with a stern expression. The discovery of Bai Jiang reminded him of the destruction of the Qin family. The Qin family was once incredibly prosperous, yet now, no one in Cang Xuan Continent dared to bear the surname Qin!
This race held a world-shattering secret, similar to the Qin family. The Qin family's secret was the Myriad Poison Golden Body. What was their secret? Could it be, like the Qin family, that their inherent inheritance brought about their destruction?
"Alright, let today's events be as if they never happened. From now on, you all do what you need to do. I will handle the cleanup here."