"Eat up! Don't starve to death!"
After swaying on an ox cart for half an hour, Yu Youyou arrived at the gates of the Pill Cauldron Sect.
As Qi Nanfeng had mentioned, many patients had come seeking medicine during the sect's annual open-door event, with some traveling from distant counties in the Eastern Region.
Though dawn had just broken, the entrance was already packed with over a thousand people, every good spot taken—even the trees were crowded with climbers.
Yu Youyou couldn’t squeeze in at all.
Ahead, two people were arguing over a spot: "Move! I was here last night!"
"I came yesterday morning! I just stepped away to relieve myself, and you stole my spot!"
"Oh? There’s no latrine around here—you dared to defile sacred ground?!"
"……"
Yu Youyou eyed the ground warily and decided to take a detour.
Just then, someone noticed her.
Qi Nanfeng called out, "Hey! Little Fish?"
He didn’t know her name, having only heard Aunt Hua call her "Yu girl" once, so he improvised.
Though she’d swindled him out of two taels of silver ten days ago, seeing Yu Youyou actually follow his advice and come here put him in a good mood.
Shouting loudly, he had his servant guide her over.
With help, Yu Youyou finally pushed her way to the front.
She glanced around—the spot was prime real estate. "Did you camp out here yesterday?"
Qi Nanfeng shook his head. "Nah, I just got here."
"Then how’d you get such a good spot?"
Qi Nanfeng looked puzzled. "Was there a fight? I just pulled out five hundred silver notes, and a kind soul offered me their place."
Yu Youyou: "……Money sure is nice."
Qi Nanfeng generously pointed to the soft rug beneath him. "Once the gates open, I’ll head in for the entrance test. You can have this spot—just remember to act pitiful, kneel sincerely, and get those alchemists to take pity on you."
Yu Youyou: "I don’t need to act."
She was here for the entrance exam, not to beg for sympathy.
Qi Nanfeng studied her and nodded sympathetically. "True, you look like you’ve got one foot in the grave already. No acting required."
Yu Youyou: "……"
As the sky brightened, the mist shrouding the Pill Cauldron Sect’s gates began to dissipate.
Blue-and-white robes fluttered as dozens of figures emerged in the morning light.
The disciples of the Pill Cauldron Sect!
The crowd outside fell silent. Without prompting, people began kneeling one by one, their reverence genuine.
Qi Nanfeng didn’t kneel—he was sitting on his rug. Yu Youyou didn’t kneel either—she was too short for anyone to notice her standing.
Leading the disciples was a tall, striking young woman with sharp brows—stern yet striking.
Without glancing sideways, she announced coolly, "Those here for the entrance exam, step forward."
From the sea of kneeling figures, hundreds of youths rose.
The woman added, "Ages ten to fifteen, follow me."
A few tried to sneak in despite being outside the age limit, but they were swiftly barred—the sect gates had a formation that screened bone age.
Once inside, the younger examinees grew nervous. The Pill Cauldron Sect changed its testing methods yearly, so no one knew what awaited them.
The woman strode ahead without looking back. "I am Qu Qingmiao, overseeing your examination. Many of you have traveled far, so we grant you a night’s rest. The formal test begins tomorrow at dawn. For now, I’ll take you to the guest quarters."
Yu Youyou thought the sect was surprisingly considerate.
Just then, someone blurted out, "What about the people kneeling outside?"
Wow, someone actually dared to interrupt the big shot.
Yu Youyou glanced over—of course, it was Qi Nanfeng.
Qu Qingmiao shot him a sidelong look. A nearby alchemist whispered, "That’s the Qi family’s young master."
From the tone, it seemed the Qi family carried some weight in the sect.
Unfortunately, Qu Qingmiao ignored him.
The alchemist smiled awkwardly and answered, "Compassion guides us. The disciples outside are already tending to the sick."
Qi Nanfeng pressed on, "But I have a friend who’s at death’s door—"
Mid-sentence, he locked eyes with a pair of pitch-black ones.
He startled. "How’d you sneak in?!"
Yu Youyou sighed. "I’ve been behind you the whole time."
Qi Nanfeng scrutinized her and concluded, "Ah, you’re just too short. That’s why I didn’t see you."
Yu Youyou refused to engage in height debates—she’d lose.
The guest quarters were nestled in a mountain on the sect’s outskirts, reserved for outsiders.
The winding mountain path was steep, slick with moss.
Yu Youyou struggled, fighting dizziness as she climbed. Despite her efforts, she lagged behind.
Qi Nanfeng, meanwhile, kept chattering. "Wait, I thought you came for medicine? Why take the exam? Most here are either from medical families or have studied for years. Do you even know herbs?"
"Better to master alchemy than beg for pills," Yu Youyou panted, leaning on her walking stick. "And haven’t you heard—prolonged illness makes a doctor? I’ve been sick since childhood, so I studied medicine."
Qi Nanfeng sensed something off but couldn’t pinpoint it.
Still, he accepted the explanation and bounded ahead. "Didn’t expect you to meet the age limit, though. I thought you were under ten."
Due to her frail health and Nanny Zhang feeding her scraps, Yu Youyou was small for her age—no one would guess she was thirteen.
Their banter continued, but Yu Youyou’s steps grew slower.
The path blurred before her. Worse, a sharp, inexplicable pain surged through her body, threatening to knock her unconscious.
Needles seemed to pierce every inch of her flesh, agony spreading to her organs—like ravenous beasts gnawing her from within.
This feeling…
Her bloodline backlash had come early!
Gritting her teeth, she steadied herself to avoid tumbling down the slope, then slumped onto the steps.
Noticing her absence, Qi Nanfeng turned back and found her seated.
The girl’s head hung low, hiding her expression. "What’s wrong?" he asked, crouching beside her.
Yu Youyou couldn’t speak, trembling hands fumbling for painkillers.
Yet Qi Nanfeng, oblivious to the pebble digging into his knee, kept fretting. "You look awful. Too tired? Want to rest here awhile?"
"……" For some reason, her hands shook harder.
Qi Nanfeng nudged her. "Say something! What’s going on?"
Yu Youyou's eyes were red with unshed tears as she gritted her teeth and forced out the words:
"You stepped on my tail."
"Tail?"
Qi Nanfeng jumped in shock.
He had heard rumors on West Street that Yu Youyou was a demon descendant, but coming from a well-connected family that even did business with demons, he hadn't thought much of it.
Qi Nanfeng leaped back hastily, torn between wanting to lift Yu Youyou's skirt to check her tail injury and not daring to do so.
After all, he was just a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy. Fidgeting anxiously, he stammered, "I heard... I heard some demons' vital points are in their tails. Did I step on yours?"
When he looked down again, he was horrified to see blood seeping through Yu Youyou's skin.
"Oh no! You're bleeding! I must have seriously hurt you!"
Yu Youyou didn't have the strength to respond. Her whole body felt weak—she couldn't even twist open her medicine bottle.
This month's bloodline backlash had come two days early!
She had meant to ask Qi Nanfeng to help open the medicine bottle, but before she could speak, he scooped her up over his shoulder and started running wildly.
His desperate cries for help echoed through the mountain path:
"Help! Senior Qu! Save her!"
He tried wiping his tears with one hand, only to find his vision blurred red. Looking down, he realized Yu Youyou's blood had dripped onto his hand.
Qi Nanfeng wailed even louder.
"Help! I don't want to kill anyone!"
...
Qu Qingmiao turned and saw the horrifying scene.
Frowning, she was about to step forward when several dazzling sword lights flashed overhead—streaking straight toward them.
No one in the Alchemy Pavilion used swords. Outsiders had taken advantage of the mountain gate's open barrier to force their way in!
Qu Qingmiao swiftly summoned a spiritual shield, protecting the group of powerless children behind her.
As the sword lights dimmed, several young men in blue robes landed clumsily on the ground.
Qu Qingmiao's voice turned icy. "Fellow cultivators, barging into our sect by sword while our barrier is down—do you take the Alchemy Pavilion for fools?"
"Thank heavens it's you, Senior Qu!"
A young swordsman stepped forward with a respectful bow. "I am Jiang Yuan, a disciple of the Cloudflower Sword Sect. My juniors and I were training in Tonghua County when we were injured. We had no choice but to seek refuge here!"
Murmurs rose among the alchemists.
"That's Jiang Yuan! The Cloudflower Sword Sect's head disciple!"
"The legendary Undying Sword God's personal student?"
The Cloudflower Sword Sect was the protagonist's faction in the original story, blessed with the halo of an overpowered hero. Ever since the male lead, Yu Bubie, reached the Divine Transformation Realm a decade ago, the sect had secured its place as the Eastern Region's top faction. Yu Bubie himself was revered as the Undying Sword God.
As his top disciple, Jiang Yuan was no ordinary talent—reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage before twenty, his reputation among the younger generation was sterling.
Given the frequent exchanges between the two major sects and the fact that the intruders had only landed in the guest quarters rather than the main peak, Qu Qingmiao held back from attacking.
She instructed a junior, "Brother Zhou, tend to them."
Then she turned toward the sobbing Qi Nanfeng—clearly, the injuries there were far more severe.
Yet Jiang Yuan blocked her path with his sword.
"Senior Qu, as the Alchemy Pavilion's head disciple, I trust only your skills." Seeing her cold expression, he added pointedly, "My shimei is our master's only daughter—the treasure of our sect. I implore you to personally treat her."
The injured girl was Yu Bubie's daughter?
Even Qu Qingmiao couldn't ignore that, let alone the other alchemists.
The twin children of Yu Bubie were legendary in the cultivation world—both had reached Foundation Establishment before thirteen, while ordinary children their age were still learning to channel spiritual energy.
Worse, Yu Bubie was notoriously protective. Rumor had it that when someone once scratched his daughter's hand, he slaughtered the offender's entire clan—chopping off the hands of dozens in retribution.
Jiang Yuan stepped aside, revealing the twins behind him.
The younger brother, Yu Chang'an, was slender and refined, while the elder sister, Yu Nianrou, was dazzlingly beautiful. Despite their youth, an air of untouchable nobility clung to them.
Especially the girl, meticulously shielded by the swordsmen. From head to toe, she was adorned with priceless spiritual artifacts—her glittering ensemble likely worth more than the combined wealth of minor sect leaders.
Though Yu Nianrou's face was veiled, her slightly swollen eyes peeked through the gauze.
Jiang Yuan carefully lifted the veil for Qu Qingmiao. "The wound is on her cheek. For a maiden, her face is paramount—my shimei has been distraught the entire journey."
Yu Chang'an added, "My sister has a low tolerance for pain. We beg your aid, Senior Qu."
Qu Qingmiao stared at the inch-long scratch, her expression darkening.
Compared to the girl Qi Nanfeng was carrying, what even was this injury?
Lucky they arrived when they did.
Any later, and the damn wound would've healed on its own!
Qi Nanfeng wanted to scream.
Though he couldn't see it, the metallic scent of blood grew heavier on his back, and Yu Youyou's body kept slipping further down.
She was dying.
Qi Nanfeng had seen corpses before—but never watched someone fade away in his arms.
With Qu Qingmiao blocked, he desperately turned to the other alchemists.
Yet they were just as helpless.
"We're only outer disciples—our skills are nowhere near Senior Qu's."
"The inner sect seniors are all refining pills right now. We can't interrupt them, and the inner sect's half an incense time away. This girl won't last that long."
"Her condition is too sudden and severe. Look, I think she's already stopped breathing?"
No breath?
Qi Nanfeng numbly adjusted Yu Youyou's slumped form, fingers trembling too violently to check properly.
Wiping snot, he choked out, "I killed you. I won't take the entrance exam—I'll go home and pick your coffin instead..."
"Wait, did you know my family owns coffin shops? We have the most in the Eastern Region. I'll get you the best one, just don't haunt me after..."
Mid-sob, he noticed Yu Youyou's mouth moving faintly—as if chewing something.
Remembering the bulging sack of steamed buns she carried and the bowl of noodles Aunt Hua had given her earlier, Qi Nanfeng had an epiphany.
"I get it. You've starved your whole life—don't want to die hungry. You want a full stomach before leaving."
He fished out a blood-soaked bun from her bag (not that he cared—he wasn't the one eating it) and crammed the entire thing into Yu Youyou's mouth.
Tears streamed down his face.
"Eat up, have more! One isn't enough, is it? There's plenty left!"
Yu Youyou, who had just mustered the strength to swallow her painkillers and was barely recovering: "...Mmph!"
Help, she was really done for this time!
