For the next three days, Shu Fu finally experienced firsthand what it meant when "Mom thinks you're tired" and "Mom thinks you'should be asleep."
Forget staying up late; even during the time she got up to eat a meal, she had to constantly guard against the merman senior brother singing in her ear. If she wasn't careful and chatted a bit too much about demonic cultivators during the meal, or asked one too many questions about the trial content, making Si Fei think "Little Junior Sister is about to overexert herself again," he would knock her out without a second word.
Shu Fu didn't even get a chance to explain. Just trying not to stick her chopsticks up her nose when she fainted already took all her effort.
She really wanted to say it was completely unnecessary, but unfortunately, he thought it was absolutely necessary and thoroughly enjoyed doing it.
And so, under her senior brother's strict vigilance, Shu Fu's three-day break passed in the blink of an eye. She only managed to finish reading one scroll during her brief moments of consciousness.
Thanks to that scroll, she finally understood why Jiang Xuesheng had been so secretive, unwilling to even utter the names of the "Seven Demons."
Because the contents of the scroll were truly disgusting.
If Yaoguang Peak was the righteous pillar among demons and monsters, and using Yaoguang Peak as the benchmark, Wu Yao's strict self-discipline made him a righteous demonic being; the Celestial Fox and Jade Rabbit formed their own factions, ruling their own territories, one could say they walked the line between good and evil; the original novel's demonic cultivator male lead was a love-struck fool who wouldn't act up if he wasn't in love—as long as you neutered him first, he could barely be considered salvageable.
As for the remaining bunch, every single one with recorded deeds was basically 100% pure toxic waste, not an ounce of injustice in burning them all.
"This generation of villains is no good, their quality is too poor."
After finishing all the records, Shu Fu sighed with immense emotion and reached the above conclusion.
One of the original novel's male leads, the tacky domineering CEO who liked to pin the female lead against the wall for kisses, currently ranked third among the "Seven Demons," was wholeheartedly focused on his career at this time.
As a demonic cultivator, this male lead was relatively principled, with quite a few principles at that, including not killing women, not killing children, not killing only sons, etc., making him a moral exemplar among his peers.
Provided he wasn't in love.
But Jiang Xuesheng still looked down on him, for one reason only: his catchphrase was "Woman, you have caught my attention."
It was just too tacky.
According to the records—who knows where these records came from, possibly from Jade Rabbit surveillance—so far, this old bro had said this line to two hundred and forty-seven women. Three more and he'd hit a nice round two hundred and fifty.
From this, it seems it's actually quite easy for a woman to catch his attention.
Regarding this tacky Demon Lord's shocking deeds, Jiang Xuesheng took up his brush and wrote a flamboyant annotation on the scroll: "Demon Lord Nan Gongming, ignore him. This demon is harmless, no need to kill him; the 'two hundred and fifty' stupidity is contagious, do not interact with him."
Shu Fu thought, in a way, he had a point.
Apart from this 'two hundred and fifty,' the other demon lords were all thoroughly 'demonic,' as if they had collectively signed up for a scumbag tournament, each vying to outdo the other in performing spectacularly beastly acts.
One liked to eat young boys and girls, another specialized in kidnapping brides, taking them away whole and sending them back in pieces, along with a letter saying "Thanks for the hospitality"; one ran a black market, dealing in shady human and demon trafficking, while another dedicated himself to researching gu poison, making mortal fathers and sons, husbands and wives turn on each other, digging out each other's brains.
Even the slightly more high-profile Number One Demon Lord, the original novel's final boss Zhao Jiuge, had a hobby of hanging his enemies on city gates.
If you didn't know better, looking from afar, you might think he really liked eating salted fish.
By the way, Zhao Jiuge himself was a demonic cultivator who walked the demonic path, the legendary last Demon King, known as the "Mysterious Demon King." In terms of status, he could indeed be called the number one villain in the cultivation world.
Including Jiang Xuesheng, righteous cultivators had attempted to purge the demonic cultivators several times. However, these Demon Lords were not only individually highly skilled, but also incredibly cunning, hitting and running, and backed by a demonic realm headquarters that righteous cultivators couldn't easily enter, making it a real hassle.
In comparison, Lingxiao City seemed almost civilized—no wonder they weren't classified as a demonic sect, no matter how arrogant they were.
Though, that was before they started capturing people for drug trials and wiping out entire families on a whim.
Nowadays, Lingxiao City was no different from having fallen to the demonic path.
Looking across the entire cultivation world, Lingxiao City ran rampant, the Seven Demon Lords danced in chaos, the Four Demon Kings each did their own thing, and the only decent old dragon had been crippled by more than half, couldn't even find a satisfactory dao companion, with recovery far off in the distance.
Among the righteous sects, the Jiuhua Sect struggled alone, the Xuanyu Palace was too far away to put out a nearby fire, and the Tianyan Sect turned a deaf ear to the outside world, obsessed with developing sect merchandise.
Wolves ahead, tigers behind, half your teammates are pigs. To restore peace and prosperity to the cultivation world was truly a long and arduous task.
As a newly entered junior cultivator, Shu Fu's spirit was willing but her flesh was weak. She could only tell herself, "You can do it! Ganbatte!"
Amidst long stretches of sleep and brief moments of wakefulness, the three days flew by. Three days later, the Jiuhua Sect's second entrance trial arrived as scheduled.
This time's test was set by the master of Dongming Peak, Master Danlin. The content was very simple.
She prepared one hundred "patients" with various symptoms—all played by Dongming Peak disciples as a friendly favor. The examinees could freely choose one or several. As long as they could prescribe the right medicine or use appropriate healing spells to successfully cure any one patient, they would pass.
Shu Fu had a smattering of medical knowledge, having learned some superficial knowledge alongside Fangfei, and felt it was enough to cope. Looking at the other examinees, aside from those specializing in pharmacology, most were like her—confident half-baked amateurs.
No matter what, they wouldn't make a bunch of amateurs treat difficult and complicated illnesses, right?
That's what everyone thought.
Therefore, they went into the examination hall full of confidence, high spirits, and without a care in the world.
However, what they didn't expect was...
Dongming Peak's one hundred "patients" weren't just one hundred ordinary patients.
They were one hundred medical troublemakers.
One hundred bizarre, full of energy, rolling on the ground throwing tantrums, medical troublemakers.
No matter what medicine you prescribed, what treatment method you used, or how effective it was, they only had three lines:
"Are you trying to harm me?"
"Are you trying to scam me out of money?"
"I feel even sicker now, dammit! I'm gonna take you down with me!"
"Help! Help! Let me out! I quit! I don't want to be with these lunatics anymore! Aaaah!"
Less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea after the trial began, such wails already echoed through the examination hall.
The cultivator emitting the wails was being chased by three medical troublemakers with various symptoms, brandishing kitchen knives and axes. And he was trapped inside a special barrier set up by Yuheng Peak, where besides healing spells, he couldn't use any spiritual power, no different from a mere mortal.
Similar situations were everywhere. In an instant, the inside of the barrier had turned into a living hell.
On the vast Xianyun Platform, cries of anguish, screams of pain, and shouts of fury rose and fell in a chaotic chorus. Half came from the dedicated extras, and the other half from the genuine, heartfelt wails of the examinees.
"No! I don't want to study medicine! I don't want to be a healing cultivator! Can't we be tested on something else?!"
In the main hall of Tianshu Peak, the young sect master watched the miserable, ghost-howling-and-wolf-crying scene within the water mirror and couldn't help but wear a bitter smile.
"Junior Sister Danlin, they are just children, most of whom have been well cared for by their families and have never experienced the dangers of the world. It's just a test of basic medical knowledge. Is it necessary to go this far?"
"Yes."
Below him, the white-robed female cultivator with gentle features remained expressionless, speaking each word slowly and deliberately. "Healers bear the weight of the world. People cling to life and fear death. When facing illness and injury, they inevitably vent their emotions onto the healing cultivators. These disciples will have to face all this sooner or later. If they can't overcome a little difficulty now, how can they become disciples of my Dongming Peak?"
"You are right, Junior Sister."
The sect master amiably agreed, then cautiously added, "However, I think not all disciples aspire to the healing path, nor are all healing cultivators willing to endure such grievances. For those unwilling to submit meekly, have you considered designing alternative ways for them to pass?"
"Naturally. The path of a healing cultivator isn't limited to passive endurance."
Master Danlin nodded in agreement. On her face, serene and compassionate as the Bodhisattva Guanyin, a sly smile suddenly flitted past.
She extended a fair, slender hand, pointing to a corner at the edge of the water mirror. "Sect Master, look. Isn't there someone who has already passed?"
"What?"
The one Master Danlin referred to as having "passed" was none other than Shu Fu.
Let us rewind to a moment earlier. The moment Shu Fu entered the examination ground and saw the field full of aggressive, wolf-like medical dispute troublemakers, her mind instantly became as clear as watching a fire.
There was nothing new under the sun. She had seen plenty of such scenes in the 21st century.
She had seen plenty, and the sorrow and resentment accumulated in her heart were also plenty. It was just a pity that in a modern society governed by law, law-abiding, honest people couldn't wield a blade; everything could only be suppressed deep inside.
But in this world, with a different era and background, the measures a "doctor" could take were naturally different.
Therefore, Shu Fu strode forward confidently, prescribed medicine for a patient who was clearly just suffering from a cold and fever, and before he could start crying and throwing a tantrum, she preemptively rested the edge of her sword against his neck.
"Friend, do you think you're cured?"
"I—"
The junior disciple playing the medical troublemaker was encountering this kind of situation for the first time and was a bit dumbfounded, but he still dutifully tried to summon up his prepared lines, opening his mouth to begin wailing.
However, before his first wail could escape, he only heard Shu Fu's chilly voice:
"Friend, I suggest you think very carefully before answering. Does your head still hurt? Do you still have a fever? My medical skills are limited; I can only prescribe this one remedy. I have nothing else. However, I imagine if your head were to fall off, it would neither hurt nor be feverish anymore. Don't you agree?"
"I— I— I— I'm cured! I'm cured!"
The medical troublemaker was nearly scared out of his wits, completely forgetting all his prepared lines. The words tumbled out in a frantic stream, "I'm more cured than I've ever been! Thank you, warrior maiden! Thank you, immortal master! Your skills are miraculous, a reincarnation of Hua Tuo! You are simply my savior, my second parent!"
"Good."
Shu Fu patted his shoulder with the flat of her sword, nodding with a kindly expression. "Congratulations. You may leave the hospital now."
Sect Master: "Junior Sister... is this acceptable?"
"Of course it is."
Master Danlin clapped her hands in approval from afar, her expression growing even more benevolent, like a Bodhisattva. "Our Dongming Peak encourages a healer's parental heart, but also encourages a healer's tiger-and-wolf heart. Whether soft or hard, what works is what matters. To cure illness and save lives, occasionally holding a blade to a patient's neck is a necessary measure born of desperation."
"..."
The Sect Master was left speechless. He could only bury his face in the collar of his cloak, silently lifting his sleeve to wipe his forehead. "My apologies, Junior Sister. The Way of the Healer is vast and profound. It seems my knowledge is too narrow and shallow."
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