Zhao Wanqing's injuries were quite severe.
Just by looking at her pale complexion, it was clear she had vomited enough to become anemic.
On the way back, Zhao Wanqing had taken emergency pills to prevent her condition from worsening.
There was a reason why Li Xingtian had brought Zhao Wanqing back to the courtyard first.
The ritual array in the village was almost identical to the one within the Qingfeng Sect's mining site.
It was highly likely that they shared the same origin. Li Xingtian had felt this way when he saw the corner of the ritual array in the village.
That was why Li Xingtian had suggested carrying the ritual array himself, allowing Zhao Wanqing to investigate for clues.
It would be best to inform their master about this first, to see if there were any hidden dangers or if the Qingfeng Sect was behind it.
Alternatively, they could directly frame the Qingfeng Sect, prompting the Demon Suppression Bureau to eradicate them and eliminate future threats. However, this step required careful planning.
They had to ensure that when the Demon Suppression Bureau investigated, they wouldn't trace it back to their own sect.
Whether it was Zhao Wanqing's request or the Demon Suppression Bureau's investigation, in Li Xingtian's heart, neither compared to the small sect that now consisted of only three people.
The commotion in the courtyard was noticeable, and Li Yingling, who hadn't yet gone to sleep, opened her door upon hearing the noise.
Her eyes quickly locked onto Zhao Wanqing, whose weak aura and pale complexion clearly indicated serious injuries.
"Are you badly hurt?" Li Yingling asked.
Zhao Wanqing took a deep breath, suppressing the chaotic energy within her body: "It's not too serious. The Demon Suppression Bureau has professional healers."
Li Yingling's tone was sincere, and she even took a few steps forward, afraid that Zhao Wanqing might refuse, and grabbed her hand:
"Since you're here, my master's alchemy skills are unparalleled, especially when it comes to healing pills."
"It's too much trouble for the senior..."
"Not at all! My master happens to be adjusting the taste of his pills. You can help by tasting them for him," Li Yingling said, glancing at her junior brother. "Junior brother, don't you agree?"
Li Xingtian felt a bit speechless, but it was clear that if he didn't support his senior sister now, the next time their master concocted some strange pill, she would have an excuse to make him taste it first.
Recalling their master's flour-like pills...
Li Xingtian ultimately went against his conscience and said, "Senior sister is right."
"Very well, I happen to have some new ideas," Chu Xingchen didn't refuse, as his two disciples now regarded his pills as if they were poison.
This was the perfect opportunity to prove himself.
Li Yingling continued to hold Zhao Wanqing's hand and instructed her junior brother:
"Junior brother, go get the pot."
The pot? Zhao Wanqing frowned slightly. What could they possibly do with a pot?
However, she soon saw Chu Xingchen take out a few spirit herbs from his spatial ring.
Was he... going to refine pills on the spot?
Li Xingtian also brought out a special iron pot from the kitchen, one used specifically for alchemy.
A bad feeling arose in Zhao Wanqing's mind—were they planning to refine pills in an iron pot?
She had never seen an alchemist use an iron pot for refining pills before.
As it turned out, good thoughts rarely come true, while bad thoughts often do.
Zhao Wanqing soon witnessed the spectacle of refining pills in an iron pot.
A large pot of water and spirit herbs were quickly condensed into a small dark green water droplet, exuding the unique natural scent of spirit herbs—a grassy, fishy aroma.
Zhao Wanqing's eyes widened in disbelief. Could they really refine pills in an iron pot?
Seeing Zhao Wanqing's expression, Li Yingling thought she was scared and comforted her:
"Don't be afraid."
The real fear was yet to come.
"Huh?" Zhao Wanqing let out a confused sound.
But this time, Chu Xingchen had actually put some thought into it.
First, bitterness was a relative taste issue. If he couldn't eliminate the bitterness, he could solve the problem by eliminating the sense of taste altogether!
If you couldn't taste the bitterness, then it wasn't bitter, right?
There were many ways to lose one's sense of taste, and Chu Xingchen had chosen a specific herb for this purpose—one that also had blood-replenishing properties.
This way, healing and blood replenishment were achieved in one go.
Given Li Xingtian's deep aversion to flour, Chu Xingchen decided to forgo using flour this time.
"Done! Let's give it a try."
Chu Xingchen used his spiritual energy to float the dark green water droplet in front of Zhao Wanqing.
Zhao Wanqing had watched the entire refining process, and she recognized all the spirit herbs used—they were all healing herbs.
In theory, the concoction should be safe to consume.
However, looking at the dark green water droplet in front of her...
Zhao Wanqing steeled herself and swallowed it.
At first, there was a bitter taste, but it quickly disappeared.
However, as the green liquid slid down her throat, a violent reaction occurred.
It was a hard-to-describe sensation, as if her body was fiercely resisting the liquid.
From the moment she swallowed it, her body began to rebel intensely.
But the medicinal effects seemed to ignore her body's resistance, boldly entering her system.
It was like a robber kicking down a door with brute force.
And the effects were indeed potent. Zhao Wanqing could clearly feel her internal organs recovering.
Yet, her organs were also rejecting the medicinal energy.
At the same time, she felt the comforting sensation of recovery.
It was as if someone was tickling the sole of her left foot with a feather, while someone else was scratching the sole of her right foot.
The itch was being scratched, but it was the wrong kind of scratching.
Zhao Wanqing had only one thought—this medicine felt even more sinister than those demonic cultivators!
Li Xingtian glanced at Zhao Wanqing's strange expression and turned to his senior sister:
"Senior sister, please take care of her. I need to discuss something with our master."
"No problem," Li Yingling agreed without hesitation.
It was clear that her junior brother had something to discuss with their master that the Demon Suppression Bureau shouldn't know about.
This kind of cooperation was something Li Yingling naturally understood.
Inside the room.
"Master, whether those demonic cultivators are from the Qingfeng Sect is still debatable, but their techniques are likely of the same origin as the Qingfeng Sect's demonic cultivators."
Li Xingtian picked up a pen and paper and carefully drew the ritual arrays from the mining site and the village.
"However, their use of blood energy differs from the Qingfeng Sect's. The Qingfeng Sect leans more toward defense, while those demonic cultivators focus on offense."
"Their blood energy is highly corrosive. If the Qingfeng Sect is also being manipulated, there might be a larger force behind all of this."
Chu Xingchen nodded lightly: "So, what are you thinking?"
"Playing with fire is not advisable," Li Xingtian said seriously. "The demonic cultivator who ambushed us in the village was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and his methods weren't particularly strong."
"That's why I think the Qingfeng Sect is the bigger fish. If we report them..."
Li Xingtian's words trailed off as he finished drawing the two ritual arrays.
He also marked the differences between the two arrays.
The Qingfeng Sect had also engaged in demonic practices, so reporting them would be a righteous act.
However, the Qingfeng Sect had a Nascent Soul ancestor overseeing them.
A large tree is hard to topple, and the Demon Suppression Bureau in Yuzhou City might not be willing to provoke such a force.
After all, while the Qingfeng Sect had done evil deeds, they had done so discreetly and without drawing attention.
But with the incident of the entire village being sacrificed, if the Xuanwu Kingdom was willing to act, many sects would likely join in.
Chu Xingchen looked at his second disciple, who was expressionlessly staring at the ritual arrays he had drawn.
Li Xingtian noticed his master's gaze and looked up:
"Opportunities are fleeting. We must act decisively."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
