Down the Hill 02

Dao Sword Sect isn't just the ten geniuses on the Geniuses Ranking, nor is it only the direct disciples and inner sect disciples. There are also many outer sect disciples and miscellaneous disciples.

Some of these outer sect disciples have been taken in by certain Peak Masters, while others have not. Those taken in as disciples by a Peak Master can say they are outer sect disciples of that Peak Master. They generally have some kind of special talent, whether it be aptitude, disposition, or insight, and have a good chance of becoming inner sect disciples of that Peak Master.

As for those not taken in by a Peak Master, they can say they are disciples of Dao Sword Sect for the time being. After they leave the mountain and sect, they can roam the jianghu in Dao Sword Sect's name.

As for the miscellaneous disciples, Dao Sword Sect does not recognize them at all, and they have no status whatsoever.

Yan Yi was an outer sect disciple who had not been taken in by any Peak Master. He lived at the foot of the mountain. That is to say, Dao Sword Sect has five tall mountains, and usually everyone flies around the mountain peaks, completely ignoring the foot of the mountains.

Walking down from the front of the Master Peak, one could see the mountain valley below was densely packed with wooden and stone houses. The better ones were two stories with a courtyard, while the worse were just thatched huts.

...Some people imitated the upper class people on the mountains by digging simple caves, but these often collapsed without proper formations to reinforce them.

Qin Ran walked down and squeezed through the messy paths, asking passing disciples all the way until he finally found Yan Yi's residence.

Although Yan Yi was an outer sect disciple, since he was the steward of the Butler Hall, his residence was relatively nice... He was that kind of successful outer sect member with a two story house and courtyard.

Pushing open the gate and walking in, Qin Ran discovered the courtyard only contained items for martial arts practice and swordplay, nothing else. He knew Yan Yi was straightforward. Working at the Butler Hall where spirit stones and pills were worthless, he had not been corrupted.

Qin Ran searched the first floor and didn't find Yan Yi. Upstairs in the bedroom, he finally found him.

He was severely injured, without a single unharmed piece of flesh. Many bones were broken, and his brows were still marked by black energy - it seemed he was also poisoned... But at least he wasn't dead. (Originally Yan Yi was supposed to be dead, but considering today is Mid-Autumn Festival, it's better to be more auspicious.)

He was curled up alone in bed wrapped in a blanket, like a terminally ill patient near death.

Qin Ran pushed open the door, letting in the light from outside. Squinting against the light, he saw an angel.

"Elder Qin?" His vision wasn't clear and he didn't believe the Peak Master would come see an insignificant outer sect disciple like him.

"How are you?" Qin Ran casually closed the door behind him and walked over.

Yan Yi forced a smile and said, "Not very good."

He struggled to get up, wanting to serve his guest.

Qin Ran gently patted his blanket, stopping his movements, and pulled over a chair to sit by the bed.

"Give me your hand, let me take a look," he said to Yan Yi.

Yan Yi hesitated for a moment before stretching out a hand from under the blanket for Qin Ran to take his pulse.

This hand had clearly suffered cruel abuse, crushed and battered by heavy objects until it could hardly be called a human hand anymore. One could extrapolate from this hand the extent of torment he had endured.

That he could still move was only due to his cultivation level.

Qin Ran had never properly studied medicine, but as an alchemist he was very familiar with the human body's structures and basic principles. He could take pulses and judge illnesses through the pulse condition. He could also use his spiritual sense to directly examine the body's interior.

So before long he had a clear grasp of Yan Yi's condition. In summary, most were physical injuries from being beaten until severely wounded even internally. A smaller portion was poison - someone had slowly administered him with a chronic toxin.

The physical injuries, with Yan Yi's cultivation he could slowly nurture himself back to health over a year or two. But the chronic poison would cause him to gradually die as he tried to heal.

In conclusion, by the time Yan Yi recovered from his physical wounds, the chronic poison would inexorably take effect and he would die from the toxin.

...What vicious, sinister intentions!

Qin Ran took out medicinal pills for healing external injuries and handed them to Yan Yi.

"Elder Qin, I can't accept this." However, Yan Yi adamantly refused to take his medicinal pills.

"What's with this wishy-washy attitude? You're a grown man," Qin Ran shook his head. He crushed the pills into powder and directly administered them into Yan Yi's skin and meridians.

As the medicinal effects took hold, Qin Ran identified the type of poison based on his analysis, and rummaged through his Cosmos Sack, taking out some medicinal ingredients. Using his hand as a pill furnace and spiritual liquid as the menstruum, he simply compounded an antidote pill for Yan Yi.

"Here, they poisoned you so take this detox pill," Qin Ran said.

Looking at the unsightly mess Qin Ran had just casually concocted before him, Yan Yi couldn't help but hesitate. But thinking he really had nothing worthy of Qin Ran's concern, he accepted it and swallowed the pill.

"Dao Sword Sect has been declining for so many years now, the sect is thoroughly rotten," Qin Ran sighed as he looked at Yan Yi's condition. "For its own disciples to be poisoned to death by petty villains within the sect itself..."

Hearing this, Yan Yi didn't dare chime in. This wasn't something he had the standing to discuss.

He could feel his body rapidly recovering and had complex, indescribable emotions.

How to put this? It's no exaggeration to say this: In his three years at Dao Sword Sect, all he had seen and experienced was machinations and schemes, no one had treated him with sincerity or kindness.

Yet the Peak Master, an existence so high above, had personally descended into the mundane world to treat his illness and heal his injuries.

How could he not be somewhat moved?

Qin Ran got up and walked to the window, looking outside as he said, "Sometimes I don't know if it's just me being pessimistic, but I always feel like Dao Sword Sect is mired in gloom, lacking vitality. It doesn't seem like a sect destined for prosperity, but rather a declining sect nearing its end."

By this time Yan Yi was feeling a bit better. He sat up in bed watching Qin Ran's not very tall silhouette and still said, "Dao Sword Sect is extremely powerful. No matter where Dao Sword Sect cultivators go, they receive great respect from others."

"Powerful..." Qin Ran murmured. "However powerful, can a single person hard resist two sects?"

"What?" Yan Yi didn't understand.

"You don't know the Three Kingdoms period so you don't understand the current situation. Right now it's Sun Liu against Cao Cao," Qin Ran laughed and shook his head. "No matter how powerful Cao Cao is, he can't withstand it!"

Yan Yi was now completely lost.

But Qin Ran didn't need him to understand, he was just venting to someone who wouldn't get it.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked Yan Yi.

Yan Yi focused inward again and said, "Thanks to Elder Qin's miraculous pills, I'm nearly recovered now."

Critical injuries and poisoning were a huge deal for Yan Yi, yet just two simple pills for Qin Ran.

"Then remember to come to work tomorrow," Qin Ran said, then walked toward the outside.

"Go to work?" Although Yan Yi didn't understand the meaning of the two words, he guessed what Qin Ran meant. "Can I still serve at the Butler Hall?" he asked.

Qin Ran opened the door and looked back with a smile. "Of course, the Butler Hall is understaffed right now."

"The Butler Hall is understaffed?" Yan Yi was still puzzled.

Qin Ran didn't explain further. He directly walked out the door.

Just as he casually closed the door behind him and reached the midpoint of the walkway, a golden light suddenly shot toward him, filled with killing intent.

He was about to look toward the light's origin when he heard someone shouting, "Look, it's Prince Lu on a rampage!"