The crowd gathered, and at a glance, that young girl stood at the very end, her posture pitiful and helpless, as if she had suddenly been startled by something. Her expression was flustered, and she looked like she needed help from others.
Her eyes resembled those of someone from his past. The moment she adopted that pitiful posture, the curtains on the jade platform immediately swayed lightly.
A man’s jade-white fingers reached out, with fragrant mist coiling around them, brushing aside the curtains filled with a fresh scent.
Immediately after, a figure in apricot-yellow robes stepped straight out. The wide sleeves were thick and heavy, blending apricot-yellow with jade-white hues, like colors floating on illuminated clouds—radiant yet not seductive, akin to shades amid peonies, soft and glossy without excess glamour.
He did not use a hair crown to bind his hair. Strands of black hair like silk draped from his forehead, falling to the sides of his face before flowing back, with inky locks cascading behind him, enhancing his gentle demeanor. At this moment, he lifted the curtains, revealing his tall and graceful figure.
His robes shimmered like gold, his form like jade.
The man suddenly walked out and stared fixedly at a certain spot, standing motionless in slight daze.
The crowd immediately stirred with subtle unrest. This Elder Fu was a mighty cultivator whose lifespan was unknown, yet he maintained a remarkably youthful appearance, his features elegant and refined.
Some people marveled at his looks, while others were puzzled, not understanding why Elder Fu had suddenly acted this way.
Unfortunately, Fu Songjin could not hear those whispers at all. He gazed intently at the distant girl for a long time, especially at those eyes.
His little disciple.
His poor little disciple, who would seek help from her master.
His lips moved, silently calling out her pet name, but no one responded.
The girl in the distance did not seek help from him either. Instead, she quickly turned and left.
Though her eyes looked extremely similar, her face was not the same person.
He stepped forward in a daze as her figure receded, then abruptly snapped awake.
No, it was not her.
His little disciple had long since fallen.
Her life soul lamp had extinguished, her body and soul destroyed.
There was nowhere to find her.
His lapse lasted only an instant. As he raised his gaze to look into the distance, the butterflies at the other end dispersed, revealing a tall, slender figure—Valley Master Ci Yuan.
This man’s style differed vastly from the elders of Pill Cauldron Sect. Layers of deep purple enveloped him, with a black inner lining suppressed beneath, overlaid with tiers of silver ornaments, like a flower blooming dimly in the night—silver gleams flickering, the heavy purple rich and glossy, clearly laced with unusual poison at first glance.
His sleeves were half-arm wide, with intricate patterns circling the cuffs, gathered and bound at the forearms with black bracers.
His upper body resembled a short shirt at first glance, loosely covering to reveal a section of his waist, tucked into form-fitting black inner layers, accentuating its narrow strength.
Various ornaments hung from his waist—round or square—and the faint tinkling sounds came from their collisions.
They looked like strings of silver bells but were actually containers housing gu insects.
He also looked in a certain direction, poison permeating his very bones, even his pupils a vivid purple.
His purple pupils shifted slightly, coldly scanning the area, but he saw nothing.
Two mighty cultivators had appeared together, both seemingly glancing this way, which truly startled several people.
Just then, the Myriad Beasts Sect disciples finally noticed that the girl at the rear had vanished.
“Little Junior Sister?” Xia Erruo called out softly, only receiving a hasty voice transmission in response.
【Senior Sister, listening to the lecture is too boring. I’m going to stroll around the market!】
Though it was strange, it was not entirely out of character. Xia Erruo did not suspect anything and informed the others of Little Junior Sister’s whereabouts. Everyone nodded, not taking it to heart.
On the high platform, the chilling purple pupils surveyed the crowd.
He saw nothing.
After all, that person had died long ago.
With a wave of his hand, Ci Yuan dispersed all the butterflies. He turned his gaze again, the silver earring on the side of his face hidden in his black hair, lightly swaying with a cold gleam.
He looked toward the other side: “What’s this, Elder Fu? Are you standing here to welcome me?”
His voice was clear and sharp, his enunciation carrying a unique cadence—gentle and melodious at first listen, biting and sarcastic upon closer inspection, as if deliberately mocking.
Fu Songjin was always mild-mannered toward others and did not take offense.
He withdrew his gaze and managed a faint smile: “My apologies for not welcoming you from afar. I hope Valley Master can forgive me. Please.”
He made a gesture, not intending to say more, inviting him to take a seat on the jade platform on the other side.
Both jade platforms were nestled among clusters of plants, with layers of light gauze draping from all four sides, fluttering in the breeze.
The mighty cultivators each took their seats, their voices rising with a natural cadence of the Dao. All other sounds faded away, leaving only discussions of pills and medicines, benevolence of heart versus poison of intent.
Elder Fu first spoke of several scriptures, then casually mentioned everyday cases of people seeking medicine: “…Human life is paramount, more precious than a thousand gold. Thus, one formula can save them.”
“Elder Fu truly has a benevolent and compassionate heart,” came a voice from the jade platform on the other end. The curtains silhouetted a reclining figure, lazily indifferent. As he raised his hand, a slender snake shadow slithered down sinuously.
Valley Master Ci Yuan toyed with the small venomous snake in his hand and chuckled lightly before speaking bluntly: “What if the one seeking medicine is a wicked villain who has killed countless people? Saving him today means more will die by his hand tomorrow. Who knows if it’s saving lives or harming them?”
Was he implying that Elder Fu was someone who could not judge character clearly?
The disciples below muttered inwardly. They had often heard that this valley master had a strange and acerbic temperament, and now it proved true.
The Pill Cauldron Sect elder debating him was not annoyed, his tone mild: “I am a healer, not a judge. Moreover, treating illness is easy, treating people difficult. Even for such a villain, I would extend compassion and mercy, first letting him live, then allowing him to atone with his life. It is not impossible.”
“Compassion and mercy…” Ci Yuan chuckled again. “If my wife were still alive, she probably would have considered you a kindred spirit.”
It was a strange thing—though the Medical Poison Valley Lord was ruthless, he often invoked his wife’s name.
Medical Poison Valley was a force teetering between righteousness and evil, shrouded in poisonous mists, its disciples secluded and rarely venturing out.
It was only after he took over—or rather, by that wife’s arrangement—that the valley’s reputation improved. Disciples gradually emerged to practice medicine, and outsiders could enter to study.
Even though his wife had fallen over a century ago, and few had seen her face.
Yet from his occasional words, one could piece together her character, as if the woman from the past still lived in his speech.
Fu Songjin had heard of this habit and said nothing more.
However, as they discussed seeking medicine, his expression behind the curtains grew dazed, vaguely recalling the past—
The person seeking medicine had fallen to heart demons and suddenly attacked, injuring his little disciple.
His little disciple’s cultivation was low; she had never even seen blood. Suddenly wounded, she was terrified for days, clutching his robes and refusing to let go.
For several days, he had to coax her, even holding her as they slept clothed together, until Little Disciple regained her usual spirit.
Mistakes were often made step by step like that.
He had failed in his duties as a master, leading the child to develop romantic feelings for him.
But suddenly, a stray thought slipped through his mind.
You slept clothed with her—was it truly unintentional, or did you harbor intentions to get close to her…
A breeze stirred the light gauze. No one saw Pill Cauldron Sect’s Elder Fu’s distinct finger bones clench tightly on his robe.
–
By the time voices rose again, Li Yin had already fled to the market.
The market was crowded, and she dove right in, blending into the throng before calming down somewhat.
Li Yin glanced back again—no one was chasing her, nor were there those dangerous little butterflies. She finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.
If it had only been Elder Fu, she might have approached directly. But she had not expected two former… associates here, and the other had a rather vicious personality.
In her save files, she had seen that strategist object who cultivated poison gu techniques kill more than once.
Those scenes were not pleasant; she never dwelled on them. After manually triggering the bad end, she had cast them aside immediately, nearly forgetting that this true poison husband was mixed in among her save files.
She felt quite annoyed and tugged at the pearl ornament in her hair.
Ci Yuan—that seemed to be his name, though his character did not live up to it.
The Player only later learned that the man she had saved from the stream was actually a gu person used for drug testing in Medical Poison Valley.
She saved him, and he did not harm her. Once his injuries had mostly healed, he turned his poison on the old valley master and the disciples inside.
After slaying his way to the top, the strategist object became the new master of Medical Poison Valley.
By then, the Player had already married him, but though he was willing to wed her, he refused dual cultivation with her.
In the end, the Player even suspected that the drug testing back then had ruined his body, causing some impotence.
She could only blame herself for being blinded by his beauty, daring to take anyone.
Now, Li Yin did not dare show her face at the Pill Appreciation Conference anymore.
Fortunately, there were other places to explore here.
She composed herself and strolled through the market. The area bustled with shops, and notices hung along the streets. As she walked and looked, her eyes caught the words “Merpearl.”
Li Yin stopped and examined it closely.
“High price for merpearls…”
She had plenty of merpearls. In the brief moment she paused, a young attendant guarding the notice hurried over.
“Fellow immortal, are you interested in selling? Our Imperial Treasure Pavilion offers fair prices to young and old alike, sincerely acquiring them. Fairy, would you honor us by discussing details in a private room? Coincidentally, we have an auction underway. If you’re free, Fairy, please come take a look.”
The young attendant was glib-tongued, rattling off his pitch. Unfortunately, Li Yin did not lack spirit stones.
Moreover, if that little fish found out she had sold his merpearls, he would surely make a fuss.
However, she was interested in the auction he mentioned. Li Yin asked straightforwardly: “Auction?”