Chapter 40: Seize the Moment, Cut When You Must
Zhao Wanqing's injuries were, in truth, quite severe.
Just looking at her complexion, one could tell she had lost too much blood. She had already taken emergency pills on the way back to prevent her condition from worsening.
Li Xingtian had his reasons for bringing her to the courtyard first instead of the Demon Sealing Division.
The ritual formation he had seen in the village was nearly identical to the one inside the Qingfeng Sect's mining area.
It was highly likely they shared the same origin. The moment he saw that familiar pattern carved into the ground, he had known.
That was why he insisted on recording the formation himself and letting Zhao Wanqing look for other clues.
He wanted to report this to his master before anyone else — to see whether it posed a threat, or worse, if it was actually the Qingfeng Sect's doing.
If necessary, they could even use this chance to frame Qingfeng Sect, letting the Demon Sealing Division destroy them completely.
Of course, that kind of move required careful planning. A single misstep could draw suspicion right back to their own small sect.
In Li Xingtian's eyes, no matter how important Zhao Wanqing's mission or the Demon Sealing Division's investigation was, nothing outweighed the safety of their tiny three-person sect.
The commotion in the courtyard soon drew Li Yingling out of her room.
She had not yet gone to bed, and when she stepped outside, her gaze immediately fell on Zhao Wanqing — her unsteady breathing and pale face leaving no doubt she was heavily injured.
"You're seriously hurt?" Li Yingling asked.
Zhao Wanqing steadied her breath and replied softly, "It's nothing grave. The Demon Sealing Division has professional physicians."
Li Yingling's tone turned sincere — almost eager — as she stepped forward to take Zhao Wanqing's hand.
"You're already here. My master's alchemy skills are top-notch, especially for healing elixirs."
"That would trouble Senior too much…"
"No trouble at all! My master just happens to be adjusting the flavor of his pills. You can help him test it — it'll be a big help." Li Yingling turned and gave her junior brother a meaningful look. "Right, junior brother?"
Li Xingtian gave her a flat stare. He knew exactly what this was about.
If he didn't agree, next time their master made another questionable pill, senior sister would just use him as the test subject again.
The memory of that flour-flavored "spiritual pill" still haunted him.
He sighed and said, "Senior sister is right."
Chu Xingchen didn't refuse either. "As it happens, I've been thinking of new ways to refine medicine."
After all, his two disciples now looked at his pills as if they were deadly poisons. This was a good opportunity to restore his reputation.
Still holding Zhao Wanqing's hand, Li Yingling turned and called out cheerfully, "Junior brother, go get the pot."
"The… pot?" Zhao Wanqing frowned slightly. What could that possibly be for?
Then she watched as Chu Xingchen took out a few spirit herbs from his storage ring.
He wasn't… actually going to refine pills on the spot, was he?
Li Xingtian soon returned from the kitchen — carrying a large iron pot.
A cold premonition settled in Zhao Wanqing's chest. Iron pot? Was he seriously going to use an iron pot to refine medicine?
She had never heard of an alchemist doing that before.
And as it turned out, bad feelings tended to be right.
In the next moment, she watched in disbelief as Chu Xingchen began his "refinement."
A large pot of water mixed with spiritual herbs quickly condensed into a small, dark-green liquid sphere, radiating a strong herbal scent — sharp and grassy.
Zhao Wanqing's eyes widened. He could actually refine pills in an iron pot?!
Seeing her expression, Li Yingling mistook it for fear and quickly comforted her, "Don't be scared."
But the real reason to be scared was yet to come.
"Huh?" Zhao Wanqing blinked in confusion.
This time, however, Chu Xingchen had actually thought it through.
Bitterness, he reasoned, was merely a matter of taste. If he couldn't remove the bitterness itself, then the simplest way was to deal with the sense of taste altogether.
If one couldn't taste bitterness, then naturally — the medicine wouldn't be bitter.
And there were plenty of herbs that could dull the taste buds.
He had chosen one that not only did the job but also helped replenish blood.
This time, healing and replenishing blood were achieved in one go.
Given Li Xingtian's absolute hatred for flour, Chu Xingchen decided to forgo using it entirely in this batch.
"Done! Come, give it a try."
He wrapped the glowing green liquid sphere in a layer of spiritual energy and sent it floating toward Zhao Wanqing.
Zhao Wanqing had watched the entire process of refinement, and she recognized every herb he had used — all standard ingredients for healing.
By all logic, whatever came out of that should be safe to consume.
Still, staring at the dark green orb floating before her, she hesitated for a long moment before gritting her teeth and swallowing it whole.
At first, a faint bitterness spread across her tongue, but it quickly faded.
Then the real reaction began.
A violent, indescribable sensation surged through her body — as if her own flesh instinctively rejected the potion.
The liquid slid down her throat like molten iron, and her body responded with raw defiance.
But the medicinal energy ignored every protest, charging into her meridians with brute force.
It was like a bandit kicking down the door of a peaceful home — crude, direct, and unstoppable.
To its credit, the effect was undeniable. Zhao Wanqing could clearly feel her organs recovering and her damaged meridians knitting back together.
Yet the pain of that restoration was just as clear.
Her body fought to repel the intrusive energy, even as it worked miracles within her.
It was both soothing and agonizing — as if one foot were being tickled with a feather while the other was being scratched raw by nails.
Relief and torment tangled together until she didn't know whether to scream or sigh.
At that moment, only one thought echoed in Zhao Wanqing's mind — this medicine was more terrifying than the demonic cultivators themselves.
Li Xingtian glanced at her twisted expression, then turned calmly to his senior sister.
"Senior sister, you take care of her for now. I need to discuss something with Master."
"No problem," Li Yingling agreed immediately.
She could tell her junior brother had something confidential to say — something the Demon Sealing officer in their house shouldn't hear.
And she had no issue covering for him.
——————
Inside the room.
"Master, whether those demonic cultivators are tied directly to the Qingfeng Sect is still uncertain, but their ritual methods are clearly of the same origin," Li Xingtian said.
He picked up a brush and began sketching the ritual arrays from both the mine and the village in fine detail.
"The only difference lies in how they use blood energy. Qingfeng Sect uses it defensively, while this group uses it purely for offense."
"The corruption of demonic blood energy is extremely potent. If Qingfeng Sect's people are acting under someone else's orders, then the one behind it all must be a far greater force."
Chu Xingchen nodded slightly. "And what do you intend to do?"
"Seizing profit from the flames is unwise," Li Xingtian replied solemnly. "The man we faced today was only a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his methods weren't particularly strong."
"That's why I believe Qingfeng Sect is the true prize. If we report them to the authorities…"
He trailed off, finishing the drawings instead.
Both diagrams were now laid out clearly, with the key differences carefully marked.
Reporting Qingfeng Sect would not only rid them of potential trouble but also count as a righteous act.
However, the sect had a Nascent Soul patriarch guarding it.
Toppling such a tree would not be easy — and the Demon Sealing Division in Yuzhou City might not dare provoke them lightly.
Still, after the massacre of an entire village, if the Xuanwu Kingdom chose to intervene, many sects would likely stand together against Qingfeng Sect.
Chu Xingchen's eyes rested on his disciple, who was now studying the diagrams with cold focus.
Li Xingtian noticed the look and met it calmly.
"Opportunities like this don't come twice," he said evenly. "When it's time to cut — cut."
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