Gao Yang reached the guest hall and found Seventh Senior Sister standing in the doorway.
"Move," he ordered.
She blocked his path, eyes cold. "Thirteen, this is Master's command. The girl must die."
Gao Yang's voice dropped, icy and sharp. "Senior Sister, we're from the same sect. I don't want to fight you. Step aside."
Her lips curved into a mocking smile. "Heh… I'm not the one killing her."
Gao Yang's pulse thundered. The village chief.
Why would he want Xiao Man dead? Had she discovered something?
He took a step forward. "Senior Sister, I'll say it once more—move."
She raised her voice. "Thirteen, you are a disciple of the Azure Mountain Sect. Obey your orders!"
Scarlet markings rippled across his skin as Gao Yang activated the Seven Fiends. He charged straight through her blockade.
Empowered by the demonic mark, his body rivaled that of a Golden Core cultivator. Without her secret art, she had no chance to stop him.
Seventh Senior Sister cried out in pain as his shoulder slammed into hers. She hit the ground hard, gasping.
Gao Yang sped into the courtyard like a storm.
The chief's son stood there trembling, panic written across his face. When he saw Gao Yang, his words tangled in his throat. "Im… Immortal Attendant…"
Gao Yang strode past him into the chamber.
"Immortal Attendant!" the young man stammered, trying to block the door. "The doctor is treating the girl—he said not to disturb him—"
"You dare?"
Gao Yang backhanded him. The blow sent the man flying several meters, crashing into the wall.
Inside, silver needles covered Xiao Man's body.
The so-called doctor looked up, startled. "Immortal Attendant—you shouldn't be here!"
Gao Yang stood beside the bed, voice cold. "You call this saving her?"
The doctor's face twisted into a weak smile. "O-of course… I…"
But Gao Yang could feel it—the death energy seeping from Xiao Man's body. Her life force was fading fast. If he did nothing, she'd be gone within two incense sticks' time.
He narrowed his eyes. "You're not from this village. I've never seen you before."
The man's grin stiffened. "You must be mistaken, Immortal Attendant. Surely you just—forget—"
Gao Yang struck. His palm sliced through the air.
The doctor's form erupted with black smoke, reeking of rot and filth. Gao Yang staggered back, gagging at the stench.
When he blinked, the doctor was already at the door, smirking. "Sharp eyes, boy. Shame she's already dying. Will you chase me—or save her?"
He dissolved into a swirl of black wind and vanished.
Gao Yang hesitated only a heartbeat before turning to Xiao Man.
The needles glimmered with poison. Pulling them out blindly would kill her faster.
He pressed his palm over her heart, channeling his qi into her body to drive out the toxins.
The moment his energy flowed into her, he froze.
That aura—he knew it.
By all rights, the accumulated poison should have killed her long ago.
His eyes fell to the markings on her skin.
He tore open her collar—and saw them.
The same Seven Fiends sigils, etched in blood.
A harsh laugh escaped him. "Heh… so that's it." He raised his voice. "How long do you plan to keep hiding?"
At his words, seven ghostly Fiend Shadows burst out of Xiao Man's body, shrieking in panic.
Gao Yang's hand snapped up. Seven more shadows erupted from him, latching onto the fleeing spirits and dragging them back into the room.
The Seven Fiends Tattoo—a bond of exchange. Blood for power. Mortals fed the spirits with their own essence and, in return, borrowed their strength.
Somehow, his seven fiends had lingered inside Xiao Man.
She wasn't trained for it. Her frail body couldn't bear their torment—that was why he'd found her collapsed on the road.
Now he understood why his own vitality had surged—his strength had been feeding off hers.
Xiao Man had killed to keep him alive.
"We'll deal with you later," he muttered to the lingering phantoms.
He focused again, guiding his energy through her body. The fiends inside devoured much of the poison, easing her pain. The rest, he drew out and dissolved.
When he was done, the color had returned to her cheeks.
Gao Yang stepped into the courtyard.
The chief's son lay sprawled on the ground, legs trembling, the smell of urine hanging in the air. "I—I didn't do it! It was my father! He made me!"
Gao Yang pressed his foot against the young man's head. "Where did you find that 'doctor'?"
"I don't know!" the boy cried. "He came half a month ago—said he could cure Uncle Gao—"
He bit his tongue too late.
Gao Yang's foot ground down harder, blood leaking from the boy's nose and ears. "Speak."
The boy screamed, tears mixing with snot. "After Uncle Gao came back from the sect, he fell ill—couldn't speak, started acting strange. My father said he'd turned into a demon and wanted to drive him out. We'd done it before, when others changed—but your mother… she refused. She begged for help. She brought that doctor from outside the village. He said he could cure Uncle Gao—but needed money. She borrowed from my father. Everyone was scared. A demon like that could kill the whole village! So that night… they drugged him and left him in the forest."
His voice broke. "When your mother found out, she disappeared too. The doctor stayed behind."
He sobbed, clutching at the dirt. "We had no choice! Your father was already turning—we only wanted to survive!"
Gao Yang's fury ignited.
Just because they suspected his father was a demon—they'd thrown him to the monsters outside?
He'd seen what lurked in those woods. No one could have survived.
"Did my father hurt anyone?"
The boy whimpered. "No—but he would have! He was a demon!"
Gao Yang's lips twisted into a mirthless smile. "Then you must be one too."
He slammed his foot down.
Bone cracked. The boy's skull caved in, blood spilling across the dirt.
The village chief arrived just in time to see it happen.
"My son!" he wailed, collapsing beside the body. "My son!"
Gao Yang advanced on him, hand raised, palm open. "Any last words?"
The old man's eyes were dull. "I've lived sixty years, seen countless demons. Your father was one—I know what I saw. Even if he hadn't killed yet, he would have. We did what we had to do."
Still unrepentant.
Gao Yang's palm crashed down on the old man's crown.
The chief crumpled to the ground.
Then—from the hall—came a weak voice.
"Master…"
Gao Yang looked up.
Xiao Man stood in the doorway, clutching the frame for support. She was pale as paper, swaying on her feet.
"Master," she whispered, breath trembling. "Uncle Gao isn't dead. He's alive. That doctor took him away."