It was not until the next morning at dawn that the crowds of people from the Miaoshou Sect finally dispersed.

They arrived with great force and left without a sound. The disciples of the Miaoshou Sect held their ground there for an entire night, not even noticing when the last person left. Only when the call of the spirit birds from the mountain behind the sect began to rise in the morning did they suddenly look up at the sky.

The sky was already turning pale, and the sect looked like it had just been through a small battle, with the gates crowded with wounded. Lin Xi and his team had just finished defending the formation, and they were immediately busy treating patients. Their tempers were particularly bad, and they kept swearing while they were giving acupuncture:

"You know you're turning after hitting the wall? You know you're shaking when your nose is running? You refused to come before, and now you have to get hurt before you come. What's going on? Are you good enough? Did you invent your own bloodletting method?"

"Oh my, fellow Taoist, miraculous doctor, reincarnated Hua Tuo! We were wrong, we were wrong..."

"Having a broken hand isn't the problem. The problem is whether you picked it up. How can you pick it up without a hand? You have to carry it back with your mouth, otherwise how are you going to catch it?"

“Gently, gently…Ah!!!”

They were all trying to escape, so who would carry so many spirit stones with them? After the disciples of Miaoshou Sect gave them some treatment, they took out some red ink and each of them wrote a promissory note and pressed their fingerprints on it. The black words were written on a white background, so there was no way to deny it.

The treatment of this group of people was far worse than those who had come into the sect earlier. They had no houses to live in, so the Miaoshou Sect simply marked out a piece of land in the back mountain for them to stay in. After all, they were all cultivators and were tough, so it would not be so easy for them to die.

On the other side, Yun Xian finished a busy half day and wiped the blood off the Taiping Sword with a white cloth. He accidentally touched the wound on his back and grimaced.

"The first wave of demons didn't seem to have very high cultivation levels." Qiao Lingshan sat down beside her in frustration and held out her sword for her to wipe. "But, the Demon Cult hasn't appeared yet! The demons keep coming, who knows how many more waves will come? Maybe the most powerful ones are still to come."

After hearing what she said, Yun Xian always felt like he was playing some kind of game called "Protect the Carrot".

"No way." Feng Ye was exhausted. "Now that it's like this, who would dare to use the Immortal Powder? There's no time to destroy it!"

“…”

On the other side, Xue Lingxiu and Li Batu stood facing each other in silence.

Li Batu said, "Next time, don't let me see this happen again."

Xue Lingxiu lowered her eyes and said with difficulty: "...I'm sorry."

"Now is not the time to talk about feelings. It's already too late." Seeing him like this, Li Batu was still worried and said, "Xue Lingxiu, lift your face and look at me."

Xue Lingxiu looked at her.

"Since you've made up your mind and made a decision, then act according to the rules. Rules don't tolerate favoritism, otherwise they'd be meaningless. Don't you understand this principle at your age? When the Sect Master issued the ban, he said that any disciple of the Miaoshou Sect who violated the rules would be expelled from the sect... If I hadn't arrived and you let that person in, don't you understand what the consequences would be?" Li Batu said coldly, "Expelling you is a small matter, but if it affects the subsequent plans, what crime will you be punished for?"

Xue Lingxiu licked her lips and said, "I'm sorry. I understand. I won't do it again."

"No need." Li Batu glanced at him and said, "Grandma will go to the east tomorrow. You stay behind. It's not that I don't trust you now... No, I really don't trust you now. In this regard, Li Yuan is better than you."

Xue Lingxiu lowered her head again.

"...I'm sorry." He gritted his teeth lightly, "I understand."

He was a person who usually paid much attention to his demeanor and appearance, but now his body was covered in blood, his hair was messy, and his face and lips were pale, making him look a little pitiful.

"No, you haven't understood yet." After saying this, Li Batu reached out and patted his head not very gently, sighing, "Forget it. Everyone goes through this. Let's go. Go and rest."

It's not a break, but more like a shift. There's no real time to rest, after all, the situation changes so quickly, and no one knows what will happen if you relax.

Xue Lingxiu wanted to go back to his room to calm down, but he saw Jiangshan sitting in the courtyard from a distance, like a panda with only two stubbles of hair. He thought that other people must be there too, so he moved his feet and walked over unconsciously.

Yun Xian was sitting there polishing his sword. Seeing him coming over, he suddenly started talking about something irrelevant: "Brother Xue, were you scolded?"

Xue Lingxiu sat down with a sullen face and put away the folding fan.

"It's not your fault." Feng Ye said weakly: "Who knew that person looked so pitiful, but in the end..."

Xue Lingxiu said: "It's my fault."

Qiao Lingshan said, "Fellow Daoist Xue, please don't be unhappy. No one wants this kind of thing to happen."

Xue Lingxiu said, "I'm not unhappy."

Everyone: “…” His expression is almost as dry as a cucumber, and he’s not unhappy at all. You must be kidding me.

"The parents' lecture is for your own good." Yun Xian skillfully pulled him down, put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Just admit your mistakes and correct them. It's okay, it's okay."

Xue Lingxiu said: "If you don't know how to comfort others, then don't comfort them."

The words were rather offensive and unpleasant. Qi Zhiye frowned and was about to retaliate when he heard the second half of his words, "Just sit here. Seriously."

Everyone was silent for a moment, some looked at the sky, some looked at the ground. Qi Zhiye didn't say anything either. Su Chi came over with a sword and pressed his palm on his shoulder.

At this moment, Yun Xian inappropriately recalled what Xiao Yuan had said to him before leaving Qiankun City.

"You've all been so protective of each other."

"...I understand the principles. How could I not understand these principles when it came to the Smiling Buddha? When I saw it then, I wondered what I would have done, even with a hint of regret, thinking that no matter what I did, I would be better than Senior Mingren." Xue Lingxiu said self-deprecatingly, "Looking back now, I was truly arrogant. The premise for daring to judge the past so harshly was that I knew it had already happened, and no matter what choice I made, I couldn't have affected it in any way. And now, it's clear that I wasn't even the one making the choice—and yet I'm hesitating and wavering. Ultimately, it's because I've been too successful and overestimated my own abilities."

Qi Xingye said, "Xue Lingxiu. They are the leaders, and you are just a medical practitioner."

"I understand." Xue Lingxiu said, "Maybe I really am thinking too much. Sometimes, it's better not to think too much."

There are always more helpless things than happy things, which is normal.

Li Yuan's footsteps came over and she called out, "Brother Lingxiu, Master is looking for you—"

The moment Xue Lingxiu stood up and walked towards the main hall, the second wave of horns sounded again outside the sect.

This battle, which seemed to have no end, actually ended much faster than everyone imagined.

Citizens and demons flocked to the Miaoshou Sect time and again, and left again and again. The number of people inside the Miaoshou Sect increased rapidly, and now the mountains and plains were filled with small tents and bags. The wounded felt guilty, and now they were living under someone else's roof. Although the people inside the sect did not give them a good look, they still tried their best to find something to do.

Some were watering, some were renovating, and the golden and silver grass on the mountain was almost rotten from the water. Lin Xi was annoyed and asked everyone to stay put and not cause trouble. But unexpectedly, someone actually got up in the middle of the night to do carpentry work for the Miaoshou Sect. When he was caught, he looked unconvinced:

"I haven't slept in the first place, so why don't you let me move my hands and relax my muscles?"

There are also things like "When I die, I will enter the Miaoshoumen cold storehouse and contribute to the medicine of the southern world", "Prick me, prick me, I have a lot of blood and thick skin", "Mr. Xue's smile really warms my heart like a spring breeze", etc., which are really ridiculous.

But, in reality, it was more like a stalemate than an end. The less movement there was outside, the more nervous the people within the Miaoshou Sect became.

At this point, there are only a few possibilities. Either all the demons outside have been annihilated, which would be the best scenario, but obviously, with the Demon Cult here, that's impossible. Alternatively, all but the scattered demons are already dead. The demons, unable to find a target, are left wandering aimlessly. This would be the next best scenario for the Miaoshou Sect—they could then unleash their poisonous mist without regard for anyone, strangling them indiscriminately.

Of course, if things really went so smoothly, it would be suspicious.

After Li Batu personally went out to investigate, he finally figured out the current situation.

The demons were not extinct, and they were still searching for new prey. South City was impassable, and those who could escape had already fled long before the situation escalated. The remaining citizens could only stay in their homes, defending themselves, or banding together for protection. There was no shortage of righteous men within the city, and some even formed spontaneous groups to do their utmost to protect those unable to cope.

There was a stalemate within the sect, and there was also a stalemate outside the sect. The stalemate was very anxious, but at this time, the day of the Miaoshou Sect's entrance examination this year was approaching.

This was the original situation. Even Grandma Li, who attached the most importance to the entrance examination, had never thought that it would be held as usual. But unexpectedly, Li Jianye ordered that it should be held as usual, just like in the past, but the ban was still the first priority - those who use the scattered test are not allowed to enter.

After defending the formation for many days, Xue Lingxiu was exhausted both physically and mentally. After hearing the news, he was stunned for a moment.

Yun Xian thought to himself, Master Li is indeed the master.

When the Dou Lantern Society changed, the disciples became restless and impatient. A lack of firm words and resolute tactics would only lead to unrest and resentment, which would be detrimental. The iron-fisted policy was to recruit as many people as possible, then kill the demons and save the people. Now, as soon as the conflict between the two groups showed signs of easing, they sought an opportunity to restart the entrance examination. While it might seem unkind, it was the option that would minimize casualties under the circumstances.

Li Jianye's intention to proceed with the entrance examination as usual is understandable—the subjects are all still very young. While their parents may have already used the Powder, children are ignorant, unguided, and attached to their parents. Why would they come to the Miaoshou Sect on their own? Implicating them all now would be too cruel. If this had been mentioned earlier, it would have stirred up a huge uproar. The sect would be extremely resentful of those who used the Powder, and naturally, anyone even remotely connected to them would be even more disliked, making them reluctant to save them.

This is the last buffer period before the Demon Cult takes action, which is perfect.

Li Batu had some objections to this, but judging from the expressions of the audience, no one raised any objection.

It was at this time that Qinghe learned the news.

South City was about to change, and even the most remote and impoverished areas were not immune to disturbances. However, the village was vast and sparsely populated, mostly consisting of the elderly, the weak, women, and children. They didn't even know what gods and immortals had dispersed. All they knew was that one day, every household shut their doors, refusing to leave. A few highly skilled cultivators set up formations outside their doors. Occasionally, there were sounds of fighting and screams that didn't seem human, and the sky suddenly darkened beyond recognition.

Qinghe was locked in the room with her mother, waiting and waiting, feeling extremely anxious.

What the hell happened? So, what about the entrance exam? This is the last year. If I miss it, what about next year... Is there even a next year?

The medicine at home was almost gone. Unable to leave the house and without income, the only good thing was that Qinghe's cultivation had made rapid progress, his hands steadier, his eyes sharper, and even his acupuncture more refined. Chopping wood and setting the stove, he could easily complete all the chores.

Finally, when they were almost in despair, someone knocked on their door.

"Master Miaoshou has ordered that the entrance examination be held as usual." The cultivator, stained with blood and a slightly deathly expression, spoke gravely, "I'll send someone to find a safe route to escort you. You must seize this opportunity, as there are many spots available... You must find a way to enter the sect. Do you understand?"

"You, you're not going?"

"I...I can't go. Just you guys go."

Qinghe and Qinghe's mother finally saw a glimmer of hope.

There was nothing to pack, nothing to pack. A few familiar children from the village were finally let out, along with their parents. Under cover of darkness, they were put on a carriage emitting a faint aura. The carriage was shrouded in opaque black cloth, preventing air from circulating and making it quite uncomfortable to stay inside.

The children whispered:

"What on earth is going on? They say it's closed, then closed, then opened again?"

"I heard from my mother that many, many people died outside..."

"Why? Immortal Powder, or God-Becoming Powder? I've never even seen that thing! Who has ever heard of it?"

"Everyone wants to go to Miaoshoumen now, but not everyone can go."

Qinghe looked around, but found that he couldn't see Xiaotian.

"Don't look at that bad guy. He bullies you every day." A child said, "I think he's just feeling guilty! The monks called him, but he refused to come out."

Unable to see outside, several children, along with frightened adults, trembling with fear, arrived at Miaoshou's door.

The once bustling Miaoshou Gate was now silent. But it wasn't because there were fewer people; there were still many people, most of them like them: an adult with a child. Everyone gathered outside the gate, and one by one, they walked in.

Qing He Niang poked her head out with difficulty and coughed, "Is it... only children are allowed in now?"

Many people had blank expressions on their faces, showing no sign of wanting to step inside. The child cried and didn't want to leave, but was still mercilessly pushed inside.

It was clearly not cold, but Qinghe inexplicably felt a chill on his back.

What…what powder? What is that? Is it medicine? Can medicine kill people? Why did so many people die? Why don't they go in?

Oda... How could Oda not come? He took the entrance exam even more seriously than himself. As long as he wasn't dead, how could he give up?

"We're here." The monk escorting them looked around cautiously again before saying, "You all can get off. Remember, don't linger around here! Decide quickly whether to stay or leave. Only get on when you see an identical carriage. These are 'humans'; you can trust them. Do you understand?"

Qinghe jumped off the carriage and helped his mother down. Her hands were exposed to the wind and still had some residual warmth.

"Let's go." Mother said with a smile, "You've made it through, Qinghe. You'll have a good life from now on."

"Yeah." Qinghe also said, "From now on, mother will also..."

Mother walked very slowly. Qinghe supported her as they slowly walked to the end of the group. With slow steps, the group advanced bit by bit. From all directions, they heard nightmarish whispers:

"How many times did you use it? It didn't work for the baby, did it?"

"Who would dare to give this to a kid? I'm not crazy... Oh, forget it, it's just bad luck. At that time, Chengxian Powder wasn't called Chengxian Powder. In my place, it was called Shiquan Dabu Dan. It said it could heal injuries. I think it's from the Miaoshou Sect. You have to know how expensive the other elixirs of the Miaoshou Sect are. I bought it because I wanted a bargain."

"Don't say it. What's the point of talking about this now? The first prohibition of Miaoshou Sect says that if you use the powder, you will not be allowed to set foot in the sect in this lifetime. We are in this situation. There is no other way. We can only rely on ourselves. At least the child can be sent in, which makes us feel relieved."

"Everything will be fine once you get him in... Kid, do you hear me? You must take good care of yourself, okay?"

Qing He noticed her mother's hand growing colder. Or perhaps it was her own hand that was growing colder, getting colder and colder, until it pierced her bones, and she suddenly felt like she was holding a dead person.

My cultivation level has advanced by leaps and bounds like Xiaotian's... the tonic pill... the only extravagant birthday gift after six years... the immortal powder. I shall never be allowed to enter the sect in this lifetime.

With her clever mind, how could she not deduce something from these few words? But she wished she wasn't that clever, she wished she didn't understand.

The two said nothing, but just stubbornly followed the crowd forward.

No one looked at each other. Qing He's eyes began to heat up. She didn't dare to look at her mother's face, and her mother didn't dare to look at her face. But no matter how long the line was, it would eventually end. Soon, the two of them arrived in front of the stone wall.

A weary-looking nobleman stood by the stone wall, and the person beside him spoke clearly again: "A drop of blood is the proof, and those who use it are forbidden to enter!"

Qinghe was gently pushed, and she heard her mother's weak voice: "Qinghe, go."

Qinghe didn't move.

"Qinghe, go." Mother's voice seemed to be squeezed out of her throat, almost breaking. "It's okay if I don't go in. You go in quickly. As long as you pass the entrance examination, you won't have to suffer so much in the future... Qinghe, go! Go forward!"

Qing He was speechless: "Mother..."

The people in the rear were still waiting. Xue Lingxiu hadn't slept for several days. When he looked up, he saw the girl he had met twice by chance, a promising medical student.

Thinking of this, he felt a little annoyed. He had always wanted to find an opportunity to return the jade pendant, but things kept coming up and he put it on hold until now.

"What's your name?" Xue Lingxiu said gently, "A drop of blood will be used as a test, and then you can enter."

Qinghe looked up at him, bloodshot in her eyes.

Xue Lingxiu was stunned: "Why are you..."

"What are you doing in front? Hurry up!"

"Can you please not delay me? Do you know what the situation is?"

Under her mother's gaze, Qinghe finally took a step forward and cut her fingers.

The blood from the fingertips fell onto the stone wall, which shimmered for a moment, and then, in full view of everyone, a blood-red light lit up.

There was an uproar!

"You're so young..." One of the disciples couldn't hide his anger and said, "We've issued hundreds of prohibitions. Can't you see? We've already said that those with loose access are prohibited from entering. How dare you step in?!"

Qing He lowered his eyes and said, "I... didn't. I don't know what that is... I really didn't!"

She didn't dare to deny it too loudly. Her mother was still behind her, and she didn't dare to look. If something like this happened, her mother would only be more sad than her. She couldn't...

"Take her back!" the servant said impatiently, "Take your daughter back!"

Qing He turned around and gently held her mother's hand, but her mother seemed frozen and trembling. Finally, Qing He's mother croaked and said, "Sir, it's my fault. The child is innocent. Can you please be flexible?"

"Who is the master?" Lin Xi said, "This is the Miaoshou Sect, there is no such thing as a master."

"I really didn't know it was... the Immortal Powder. Please believe me, I really didn't know!!" Qing He Niang was so panicked that she couldn't utter a complete sentence. "Someone told me it would be effective for the child. I believed it. I was stupid, so stupid! I deserve to die! It has nothing to do with the child, can you just let her in?! Please, she's very smart and talented. Everyone in the village says she was born to be a medical practitioner. You can't... you can't ruin her future because of my mistake!!"

Crying blood.

Xue Lingxiu looked at Qinghe. Only Qinghe's eyes were red, and the rest of his face was pale.

No one answered.

"Why aren't you talking?!" Qing He's mother was about to cut her finger. "I'm not lying, everything I said is true. Look, there's no reaction, so I haven't used this before!! If I were going to use it on my child, how could I not try it myself first?!"

Lin Xi said, "...There was a man who didn't use it himself, but gave it to his three children to take the entrance exam. Now two of the three children are dead."

Qing He Niang heard her refusal, swallowed, and finally couldn't stand anymore, so she sat on the ground.

Qing He endured the pain and said, "Mom, let's go..."

"Leave?" Qing He Niang said blankly: "If you don't go to Miaoshoumen now, where else can you go..."

The huge guilt and regret enveloped her like a wave, making it impossible to breathe. Her chest felt like it was being pressed down by a huge rock. She felt a sharp pain in her chest and had a heart attack. She spat out dirty blood with a "Puff", staining her collar red.

"Mother?!" Qing He exclaimed in shock, "Mother, don't scare me!!! Medical practitioner, Master, Sir!! Please save her!!"

"Qinghe... Qinghe." Tears streamed down her face as she said, "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry, Mom. I always hold you back. Every time... every time!"

Something was not right. Xue Lingxiu frowned and stepped forward. With her hands, she sealed several of her acupoints like lightning and then checked her pulse.

After this investigation, he realized that even if the leader personally took charge, he would be powerless to save the situation.

He was born with a heart disease, the same one Li Jianye had. Even the entire Miaoshou Sect hadn't been able to cure their leader's heart disease, let alone this man, whose condition was even more severe. He was completely dependent on constant medication and a single breath to stay alive. Now that his breath had stopped, his spirit had dissipated, and he only had a few days left.

"How is it?!" Qing He looked at him pleadingly, "Is my mother okay? She's going to be okay, right?!"

Xue Lingxiu: “…”

He just shook his head slightly. Perhaps even he couldn't see the extent of the change, but Qinghe did.

The next moment, his face turned ashen.

"Please..." Qing He's mother said, "Don't worry about me. Just let her in, okay? There's no one home anymore..."

Xue Lingxiu felt as if a thousand-pound stone was pressing on his back.

In the back, Li Batu had been standing there for some time, not saying anything, just looking at him.

Xue Lingxiu understood this. With so many people present, he couldn't make an exception. Breaking an exception, opening a gap, would make the Miaoshou Sect's established ban a mockery. If everyone claimed they used the powder unintentionally, were deceived, or had no choice, would the Miaoshou Sect have to admit everyone one by one? Would they also have to verify each one's authenticity? It was simply impossible! If they allowed some in but not others, those outside would only resent them again.

Rules are rules. You must not be soft-hearted or emotional at critical moments.

His Adam's apple rolled, but in the end he still said: "...Those who use the powder are forbidden to enter."

The people around couldn't stand it anymore and became agitated:

"Does it have to be so inhumane?"

"You cultivate medicine, but not your mind."

"This child is so pitiful. If you kick her out now, what are you going to do with her? Aren't you just going to watch her die?"

The atmosphere between the two sides became tense again. One of the disciples looked at Qing He, who remained motionless, and finally asked, "Did you do this on purpose? Did someone send you here?"

You can't blame this person for saying that. The disciples are so worried and worried, and knowing the demon sect's despicable methods, it's perfectly normal for them to think of this now.

Qing He felt as if she had been stabbed. She stood up silently, put her mother on her back, and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry. ... I'm leaving now."

Everyone watched as her thin body disappeared from their sight.

“…”

"You guys continue." Xue Lingxiu said hoarsely, "I have something to do."

He knew that the matter was a foregone conclusion, but he still couldn't help but chase after her.

Qinghe was walking aimlessly in front of her when she heard a familiar voice calling her, "Qinghe. Wait!"

She turned around and saw a jade pendant in front of her.

"Maybe you don't know me, but I remember you." Xue Lingxiu said with difficulty: "I have wanted to give it to you for a long time, but..."

She lowered her eyes to look at the jade pendant, which was engraved with a Pisces pattern. It was crystal clear and it was obvious that it was worth a lot of money.

"Thank you." She handed the jade pendant back and said, "Really, thank you very much. I know you're helpless and having a hard time. You don't want this to happen, but it's okay. Don't feel guilty... Sometimes, people are just prone to bad luck."

Xue Lingxiu wanted to say something, but her throat felt like it was filled with cotton. "You take it. Later—"

"But it's no use to me now. I'm sorry to have caused you any trouble."

Qing He interrupted him and just laughed miserably, saying inaudibly, "...If only you had given it to me then, how great it would have been."

The man slowly left. Xue Lingxiu held the jade pendant, the sharp edges pricking his palm. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

I'm sorry... Who is sorry to whom?

He seemed to be unable to tell the difference either.

“…”

At the same time, Li Jianye finally received the first intelligence about the Demon Cult.

"Master, they're using the slogan 'You've been abandoned' as a pretext... and are now aggressively recruiting the scattered people into their ranks! Their numbers are increasing rapidly!"