The bell sounds drew closer as the mist spread thickly, on the verge of reaching the end of the corridor.
One side here led to side rooms where disciples came and went. Many noticed the anomaly and stopped what they were doing. Li Yin was among them.
Her breathing tightened. Beside her, Mo Xiangwei also spotted the mist and frowned in confusion. “This seems like a technique from the Medical Poison Valley. What’s going on?”
She took a step forward. On her own sect’s turf, she wanted to investigate, but the little junior sister at her side tugged at her clothes.
“Senior Sister Mo, let’s hurry and change clothes first. We can check it out after we’re done.”
This was sect grounds, after all. If something happened, the elders would handle it. Disciples didn’t need to stick their necks out, so the little junior sister had a point. Mo Xiangwei nodded and selected one of the nearby side rooms, leading her inside.
The door shut, and a requisition talisman flashed into place, marking it as do-not-disturb.
Now temporarily hidden, Li Yin steadied her nerves. That purple mist barrier was unmistakable—it matched the toxic barrier around the Medical Poison Valley.
It had to be the work of a capture target.
She suppressed her panic. This was Pill Cauldron Sect territory; no one else could act so boldly here. Surely an elder would step in soon to negotiate and make him withdraw his technique.
Even so, she couldn’t help feeling tense. An ominous premonition lingered.
Mo Xiangwei noticed the troubled look on her little junior sister’s face. “Junior Sister Yin, what’s wrong?”
The little junior sister looked awkward. “I… I forgot to prepare extra casual clothes.”
Mo Xiangwei didn’t think much of it and pulled out some spare garments. “Here, borrow these. They’re just ordinary clothes—good for warding off dust, but not much for protection.”
“Thank you, Senior Sister Mo.” Li Yin quickly picked out a yellow garment. At a glance, it resembled a Pill Cauldron Sect disciple robe.
This was insurance—fishing in troubled waters. She hurriedly changed. Outside the room, rustling sounds echoed from within the mist.
The aura sensed by the lifebound gu had vanished by this point.
Amid the mist, a pair of cold purple pupils swept over door after door of the side rooms.
Some doors stood open, others closed. A few disciples poked their heads out, peering at the mist with curiosity or wariness. Nothing unusual stood out anywhere.
Under the disciples’ gazes, a tall, slender figure emerged from the mist, accompanied by crisp bell chimes. He stepped out of the poison mist, with colorful venomous insects crawling at his feet and butterflies fluttering around him.
Some recognized him. Surprised voices rose, high and low, calling out “Valley Master Ci Yuan” and “Medical Poison Valley Lord.”
Ci Yuan ignored them. The venomous creatures around him scattered to search, unceremoniously startling screams and shouts. A few disciples collapsed from the poison amid the chaos.
Soon, a small purple butterfly flew off, circled once, and returned.
He lowered his gaze as the lifebound gu landed on his fingertip.
Nothing.
The man let out a cold laugh. The more this was the case, the more convinced he became that something was off here.
Whether a room was occupied could be told by whether the talisman seal glowed. He’d checked everyone outside. Only the tightly shut doors remained—some with glowing talismans, some without.
He moved step by step, starting with those without glowing seals.
The silver earrings at the man’s cheek and the silver ornaments at his waist swayed and clinked softly with each step, reflecting sharp, cold glints.
Door by door, his spiritual energy forced them open. The venomous creatures slipped inside to probe, room by room. Who knew what he was up to.
The disciple in charge of the area rushed over. Faced with this unprecedented situation, he panicked and hurriedly sent a message for help.
The commotion outside wasn’t quiet. Those inside the side rooms could hear it faintly. Mo Xiangwei confirmed something had gone wrong. Beside her, the little junior sister dawdled before finally emerging, changed.
Mo Xiangwei was preoccupied with the disturbance outside and didn’t notice how the little junior sister moved stiffly, almost clumsily, her expression rigid.
The player inwardly screamed that she was doomed.
She had clearly used an item, yet that poisonous husband was rampaging even harder.
She tugged unnaturally at her clothes. Fishing in troubled waters, but if she slipped up, this fish would get caught by the venomous capture target.
A shadow flitted past the window—perhaps some small creature. Mo Xiangwei used Silent Step to approach quietly and raised her hand to open it for a look. The little junior sister suddenly grabbed it.
“It looks like those gu insects from the Medical Poison Valley.” The girl showed a frightened expression.
Mo Xiangwei said, “Don’t be scared, Junior Sister Yin. I have detoxification pills. Besides, this is our sect’s territory—they won’t dare act recklessly.”
“Junior Sister Yin” was indeed terrified.
Li Yin’s fear was genuine. “Senior Sister Mo, it’s not the poison I’m worried about. I’m just… scared of those bugs. Butterflies are one thing, but if centipedes or spiders get in—”
She trailed off. Mo Xiangwei naturally lowered her hand. “Alright, I won’t open the window. Don’t be afraid.”
This “Yin Li” junior sister had protected her amid the sword qi storm. Now, she would protect her in turn.
The little junior sister tugged at her clothes again, looking up at her pleadingly. Mo Xiangwei took the initiative. “I’ll stay here with you until those venomous insects leave. Then we can go out.”
The little junior sister nodded gratefully over and over. Mo Xiangwei fully embraced her role as senior sister, meticulously checking the windows and talismans to ensure no gu insects could get in.
Li Yin let out a huge sigh of relief.
Aside from the tightly shut side rooms, all the others had been opened. But at a glance, they were almost all Pill Cauldron Sect disciples in yellow robes—obvious at once.
The little purple butterfly flapped its wings, conveying information to its master.
Earlier, it had faintly sensed the lady’s aura, but it was extremely faint. The scent seemed to belong to someone who had passed by then, so weak it was almost an illusion—like the aura it had first sensed at the edge of the yellow peony cluster during the scripture lecture.
Faint or not, the master took it seriously and directly sealed off this area.
That person… hadn’t been dressed like a Pill Cauldron Sect disciple.
Not here.
The lifebound gu wouldn’t lie to its master and reported truthfully. But Ci Yuan flicked his finger, and the little butterfly missed its perch, fluttering in midair.
“Clothes can be changed too,” the man in deep purple said coldly.
He seemed dead set on dragging every person here out for a look. His gaze shifted back to those tightly shut doors.
The talismans on them were ordinary ones. They could bar or seal doors, but stopping a Mahayana cultivator? Impossible.
It only depended on whether he wanted to act.
With poison mist and venomous creatures everywhere, the Pill Cauldron Sect sect master finally arrived on the scene. He intercepted before Valley Master Ci Yuan could make a move.
“Valley Master Ci Yuan, what is the meaning of this? Even if our disciples offended you, this heavy-handed approach is uncalled for.” The sect master inwardly groaned.
This Valley Master Ci Yuan truly was difficult. He swept the sect master a cold glance. “Your sect’s disciples are too weak—they can’t even handle this much poison.”
His words were blunt. The Pill Cauldron Sect sect master wiped sweat from his brow.
Lately, problems kept piling up. Yesterday, Elder Fu had reported illness, saying his cultivation had gone awry.
Now this temperamental Valley Master Ci Yuan. From the looks of it, he was searching for something.
The sect master kept wiping sweat, carefully phrasing sect-to-sect pleasantries, when another sweating elder arrived.
An elder from the Medical Poison Valley hurried over, baffled. “Valley Master, what are you doing?”
One misstep, and the sects could fall out—trouble.
A reasonable person had arrived. The Pill Cauldron Sect sect master inwardly relaxed. “It must be a misunderstanding. From Valley Master Ci Yuan’s actions, it seems something important went missing.”
“Our sect has many magic artifacts. If you’ve lost something, we can lend them to help search.”
He finished and looked toward the Medical Poison Valley Lord. The Medical Poison Valley elder also looked to his own valley master.
But the man said nothing.
The venomous butterfly perched quietly on his shoulder, fluttering its wings once.
Lost something important?
Did he look like he was searching for something important?
Ci Yuan suddenly found it amusing.
What was he even doing?
That person had died long ago. Why go to such lengths to search? Or… was he really doing this just to find that ghostly figure?
His purple pupils deepened as he withdrew his gaze from the shut doors. The man seemed to lose interest, his expression growing even colder.
“No need,” he said.
As his words fell, the mist dispersed, and all the venomous creatures scattered.
The Pill Cauldron Sect sect master finally relaxed. At that moment, a streak of light arrived from the high sky, and Elder Fu landed slowly.
Only then did the sect master remember: when he came, worried he couldn’t dissuade Valley Master Ci Yuan, he’d called over Elder Fu, who was in secluded cultivation.
Fu Songjin’s face was somewhat pale. Upon landing, he received the sect master’s voice transmission explaining what had happened.
The matter was already resolved, but he still mustered a mild smile. “Valley Master Ci Yuan, this sudden whim—surely you wish to test our sect disciples’ medical skills?”
As he spoke, Fu Songjin’s eyes shifted toward a certain side room.
Any magic artifact he’d personally refined would resonate if nearby.
Elder Fu’s complexion looked poor, even more frail.
Ci Yuan curled his lips in mockery. “A healer cannot treat himself.”
He detected a faint medicinal scent—the very one on Elder Fu.
This Elder Fu was probably in bad shape.
Fu Songjin ignored it, staring at that spot. Noticing his gaze, Ci Yuan glanced sideways too.
In that side room, a shadow flitted past the window.
Ci Yuan narrowed his eyes and toyed with the sachet at his waist.
“It’s one of our sect’s disciples,” Fu Songjin said.
Ci Yuan made no move, still watching.
“It’s one of our sect disciples. Please stop here, Valley Master.” Fu Songjin emphasized again, his tone rarely turning cold.
Ci Yuan finally acted. He withdrew his gaze, face icy, and left.
With the valley master relenting, the Medical Poison Valley elder stayed to clean up. “The valley master acted on a whim. We apologize for the inconvenience—please forgive us, Sect Master. Here are purification gu from our valley. I’ll administer them to the disciples right away. No lingering poison or aftereffects will remain…”
The Pill Cauldron Sect sect master waved it off repeatedly. “No trouble at all. I’ve checked—it’s just toxins that paralyze spiritual energy. Nothing serious. Besides, our disciples have been too idle, lacking training. Thanks to Valley Master Ci Yuan for the wake-up call…”
As they exchanged courtesies, Fu Songjin gave the window shadow one last look. He didn’t go to see her and turned to leave.
The sect master glanced at him worriedly.
Among the sect’s Mahayana cultivators, most stayed in seclusion. Elder Fu was the only one who handled mundane affairs—the sect’s face for centuries.
If something went wrong with his cultivation, it would be a huge problem.
Noticing the sect master’s gaze, Fu Songjin shook his head lightly, signaling all was well.
He returned to the Medicine Hut. One heart demon suppression pill was enough. Right now, the heart sound was utterly silent—dead silent.
Yet his heart found no peace.
A lamp sat on the table. Fu Songjin walked over slowly and gently cradled the life lamp in his arms.
His robes and long sleeves spread across the floor as he sat on the ground, clutching the long-extinguished life lamp. His expression was vacant, at a loss.
Without the heart sound’s interference, he didn’t know what to do.
It could only be his little disciple’s reincarnation.
But she had a new master now.
She no longer needed him.
The beauty lowered his eyes, stroking the lamp in his arms. Moments later, a drop of liquid fell silently onto it—soundless tears.
Suddenly, he froze. Faint sounds came from outside—footsteps, drawing closer and closer.
The Medicine Hut was ringed with high-grade formations for protection during cultivation. No one could enter without his permission.
Those formations were ineffective against one person—
Always open to his little disciple.
She could return anytime.
This was the sound he’d longed for over centuries, yet Fu Songjin didn’t move. Hundreds of years were too long; he’d waited too much. He just held the lamp, glancing sideways.
Someone else had returned?
Who?
The tightly shut door opened. The newcomer stood against the light.
She seemed to smile, her eyes curving, lips parting.
“Master,” she called.
“I’m back.”
The girl looked just as before, dressed in pale yellow clothes.
It was his little disciple, returned.
Dream or awakening—Fu Songjin could no longer tell.