Shen Hefeng ran off cursing and grumbling, his hair disheveled.
Not long after, Lu Jiayao’s pained, pig-slaughter-like screams echoed through the air—"Senior Brother Xie, this medicine powder hurts so much!... Shen, don’t mess this up, do you even know how to apply medicine? Aaaah!"—interspersed with Yin Xuan’s exasperated mutterings—"Stop bumping into my fasting pill barrel, will you?"—and Li Zhuohua’s furious roar—"Whoever keeps making noise, I’ll beat them up! Man up, it’s just some medicine!"
Amid the chaotic background noise of his teammates, Xie Ziyin calmly crouched behind Wen Shuangbai, medicine in hand, and asked his last patient in a businesslike tone, "Should I do it, or will you handle it yourself?"
"……"
Wen Shuangbai hesitated, glancing at him.
Outside, the sky had darkened. Nights in Star Moon Valley were so pitch-black that even cultivators struggled to see without a light source.
Though their storage rings were stuffed with firewood from earlier tree-cutting, they still couldn’t bring themselves to start a fire.
Chopping trees was hard work—every log was precious.
After rummaging through their storage rings, Xie Ziyin discovered that the serpent demon core they’d dug up earlier emitted a faint glow in the dark. So, he repurposed it as a makeshift lamp.
Under the eerie crimson light of the demon core, the man’s already striking features took on an otherworldly allure.
And because he was so close, the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye seemed even more mesmerizing.
From the moment Wen Shuangbai first saw him after transmigrating into this world, she knew he was good-looking.
But the illusion shattered the second he opened his mouth—his words were anything but charming.
Yet now, as he quietly watched her, waiting for her answer…
Wen Shuangbai decided to let him do it.
After all, free service—why not take advantage?
She nodded generously. "You do it."
Xie Ziyin didn’t react.
Her long hair was loosely tied up with a hairpin, most of it cascading over her slender shoulders.
Xie Ziyin reached out, brushing her stray strands aside.
Occasionally, his fingertips grazed her neck—cold and ticklish.
Wen Shuangbai kept her eyes down, resisting the urge to say anything.
Xie Ziyin, too, remained silent.
Methodically, he applied the medicine powder to her wounds, his movements slow and deliberate.
The powder stung, so to ease the pain, he channeled gentle healing energy to soften its effects.
The medicine burned, but Xie Ziyin’s spiritual power carried a soothing, spring-like warmth.
The pain dulled, yet didn’t vanish entirely—an indescribable sensation, somehow more unbearable than pure agony.
Wen Shuangbai hunched slightly, her back tensing like a bristling cat. Unable to endure it any longer, she snapped, "Can you hurry up? Stop dawdling."
"..."
This woman truly embodied the phrase "looking a gift horse in the mouth."
Xie Ziyin arched a brow. "You sure?"
"Obviously." Wen Shuangbai wanted to strangle him.
"Fine. Your call." Xie Ziyin, ever the advocate for patient autonomy, obliged and sped up.
Wen Shuangbai instantly broke into a cold sweat from the pain.
Damn it.
Noticing her reaction, Xie Ziyin asked coolly, "Still standing by your choice?"
"Of course!" Wen Shuangbai clenched her fists, refusing to make a sound, and declared, "Slow torture or quick death—I’ll always pick quick death."
Xie Ziyin: Impressive.
Once he finished, Xie Ziyin stood and left without another word.
Only after he was gone did Wen Shuangbai finally hiss through her teeth, her face scrunched in pain as she inspected the wound on her shoulder.
The medicine was working—the injury was visibly healing.
As she adjusted her clothes, her gaze flickered to something behind her.
There, right where Xie Ziyin had been crouching, lay a sandalwood box.
Huh? What’s this?
Curious, she picked it up and opened it. Inside were a pair of meticulously processed serpent fangs—sharp, pristine white, perfect for crafting hidden weapons.
—
The night deepened.
At the mouth of the cave, a woman in green robes stood atop a boulder, the sandalwood box in her hands as she gazed at the sky.
Star Moon Valley’s nightscape glittered with stars, but no matter how hard Wen Shuangbai looked, she couldn’t spot the moon.
How strange.
Just as strange as Xie Ziyin.
After a while in the cool night breeze, she glanced toward the distant Celestial Peaks, tucked the box into her storage ring, and leaped down, striding back into the cave.
Aside from Yin Xuan and Lu Jiayao, the others were still awake.
Li Zhuohua sat cross-legged, bored out of her mind, meditating.
This competition is so dull. The sooner it’s over, the sooner I can return to Caiyuan Tower and pick fights. Beating up Zhang Daqiang and his lackeys was fun. Sparring with the chefs and janitors was fun too.
Shen Hefeng, despite insisting he couldn’t divine anything, was still tugging at his hair, obsessively deciphering hexagrams.
For some reason, he had a bad feeling.
He hated omens of "bloodshed."
Xie Ziyin, meanwhile, sat alone in a far corner, tinkering with a new poison concoction.
Inside a shrunken cauldron—filled with serpent venom, bone-melting spider carcasses, and assorted bizarre herbs—a pitch-black liquid bubbled violently. He scooped a bit out with a spoon, carefully dripped a drop onto a nearby vine, then poured the rest back.
Where the poison landed, the vine withered instantly, the decay spreading outward in seconds. In three breaths, the lush green vine turned to dust, and the surrounding ground corroded into a gaping pit—big enough to bury Shen Hefeng.
[Good heavens, that’s lethal!]
[Wait, he uses the same cauldron for fasting pills and poison? Isn’t that risky?]
Caiyuan Tower: [Dear customer, no need to worry! Our cauldrons are made from non-absorbent materials. Just a quick cleansing spell, and it’s good as new!]
[Really? Maybe I’ll get one too.]
Unintentionally becoming a cauldron promoter, Xie Ziyin nodded in satisfaction and called over a certain lady. "Come take a look."
Wen Shuangbai hurried over, eyeing the withered vine with delight. "Impressive. But will this be enough to get us through the forest?"
"Not even close," Xie Ziyin assessed. "Only enough to melt this cave."
Li Zhuohua and Shen Hefeng wandered over to inspect the results.
"Then we’ll need another plan," Wen Shuangbai sighed. "Any bright ideas?"
Li Zhuohua, ever the advocate for "act first, think later," had already tried that—and failed. She shook her head and jabbed a finger at Shen Hefeng. "You talk!"
Shen Hefeng cleared his throat, clasped his hands behind his back, and adopted the air of a venerable elder. Peering down his nose at Xie Ziyin, he proclaimed, "Young man, this elder observes that the key to this trial lies with you. Brew more poison."
Xie Ziyin stored the toxic brew away and gifted Shen Hefeng a single-word reply:
"Scram."
If possible, he wanted to dismember Shen Hefeng and boil him alive.
Xie Ziyin glanced at Wen Shuangbai, pondering before saying, "Only plants can survive in the Sky-Reaching Mountains, but I can’t turn you all into plants."
…Huh?
In a flash of inspiration, Wen Shuangbai’s eyes suddenly lit up. "But I can!"
The puzzle that had stumped them all night finally had a solution. Wen Shuangbai excitedly waved her teammates over and said, "I can transform everyone into plants, so that—"
Footsteps echoed behind them, and from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Lu Jiayao’s pink robes.
Recognizing him, the group let their guard down, focusing on Wen Shuangbai’s explanation.
Lu Jiayao approached silently, stopping beside Shen Hefeng.
Shen Hefeng found Lu Jiayao’s eerie silence unsettling and turned to look at him. "Lu Jiayao, have you lost your mind—"
The sharp-eyed young man suddenly struck, thrusting the flute in his hand straight toward Shen Hefeng’s spiritual bone!
"Damn it!" The familiar face of his friend twisted into something sinister, and Shen Hefeng’s heart lurched. But he hadn’t been on guard against Lu Jiayao, and the distance between them was too close—he couldn’t dodge in time!
With a sickening squelch, the flute pierced Shen Hefeng’s flesh, and crimson blood gushed out instantly.
Xie Ziyin, standing between Wen Shuangbai and Shen Hefeng, reacted swiftly. Channeling the Nine Infants’ Phantom Steps, he lunged forward, grabbing Shen Hefeng by the back of his robes and yanking him away.
Li Zhuohua’s Rainbow Glow Sword shot through the air, aiming to knock the flute from Lu Jiayao’s grip with its flat side.
But Lu Jiayao—or whatever was controlling him—moved with unnatural agility, retracting his hand and dodging the sword’s strike in a flurry of robes.
Before he could land, another silver blade came slashing toward him.
‘Lu Jiayao’ immediately raised the flute to his lips, and a harsh, grating melody filled the cave, laced with killing intent. The sound sent nearby birds and demonic beasts fleeing in terror.
Normally, Lu Jiayao’s flute music targeted enemies, not allies—so this was the first time Wen Shuangbai and the others realized just how devastating his melodies could be. This was a mental assault!
Wen Shuangbai’s head felt like it was about to split open, rage boiling inside her as the music twisted her emotions. Struggling to stay composed, she shouted, "Stop him from playing!"
Li Zhuohua and Yin Xuan moved in unison, flanking Lu Jiayao and launching their attacks.
The situation had escalated too quickly. They didn’t know what had happened to Lu Jiayao, but neither wanted to seriously harm him, so they held back their strikes. Even so, the real Lu Jiayao wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Yet now, the pink-robed youth moved with uncanny precision, somehow parrying both of their attacks.
Wen Shuangbai watched from the sidelines, studying Lu Jiayao.
His face was the same, but his demeanor was entirely different.
Realizing the tide was turning, ‘Lu Jiayao’ tried to flee the cave.
Wen Shuangbai’s instincts screamed at her.
No—they couldn’t let this thing take Lu Jiayao.
She lashed out with her Fire Feather Whip, its serpentine coils darting through the air. With Li Zhuohua and Yin Xuan keeping Lu Jiayao occupied, she finally managed to bind him tightly after a dozen exchanges.
With a thud, Lu Jiayao collapsed to the ground, still thrashing wildly. Even as the whip tore into his skin, drawing blood, he kept struggling, desperate to break free.
Seeing Lu Jiayao’s reckless resistance leave him bloodied, Li Zhuohua wasted no time—she raised her Rainbow Glow Sword and knocked him unconscious.
The three of them exchanged uneasy glances before staring down at the unconscious Lu Jiayao.
"What’s wrong with him…?" Yin Xuan murmured, frowning at the disheveled figure. "Possessed?"
Li Zhuohua scanned their surroundings. "Could it be the serpent demon’s core?"
"No, the core’s fine," Xie Ziyin said. He’d checked it thoroughly before using it as a light source.
Supporting the injured Shen Hefeng with one hand, he passed him off to Yin Xuan and moved to examine Lu Jiayao.
Yin Xuan steadied Shen Hefeng, asking softly, "How are you holding up, Shen-shidi?"
"I’ll live," the baby-faced Taoist hissed through gritted teeth, clutching his freshly bandaged wound. Despite the pain, he mustered enough energy to spit on the ground and curse, "I was guarding against everything, and still got hit!"
Wen Shuangbai watched Xie Ziyin inspect Lu Jiayao, her brow furrowed.
Something about this scene felt familiar, as if she’d read about it somewhere before.
Except in the story, it wasn’t Lu Jiayao who’d been affected—it was Bai Lijue, the protagonist.
