Xie Shuci's heart sank heavily.

His lips trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes instantly.

The surrounding scenery gradually blurred, and he could only see Ah Dong's silent body, with blood flowing like a winding river, spreading into the distance along the cracks in the ground.

“Ah Dong…” Xie Shuci murmured silently.

Not long ago, he was a lively little kid who asked him with admiration if he was going to catch monsters, but now he lies quietly on the ground, as if he has lost contact with this world.

He scrambled to his feet and staggered to A Dong's side. When he saw the bloodstains next to A Dong up close, his legs gave way and he knelt down.

The monster's blood-red claws were covered with bits of bright red flesh. It looked down at them for a moment, and was momentarily stunned.

Seeing this, the Taoist in the green robe wrapped his longsword in silver spiritual energy and stabbed it into the demon's leg with a muffled sound.

The monster let out a low growl, turned around, and launched an angry attack.

Xie Shuci didn't care about being afraid. He knelt down next to A Dong, his hands frozen in mid-air. He opened his mouth to shout, but he was speechless and couldn't even make a sound.

Didn't I tell you to stay hidden? Why did you come out?

I... I can't save you. I was just lying to you. I don't actually know anything.

How could you be so foolish... how could you believe everything?

He saw blood and foam trickling from the corner of A-Dong's mouth, his face paler than snow. Could it be a dream? Was he still dreaming?

Yes, he's just an ordinary college student. He's just obsessed with finding material. How could he actually travel into the world of a book? He must still be dreaming, he must be!

Xie Shuci carefully touched A Dong's face with his hand. He hoped it was all a dream. He needed to prove that it was just a dream. The noise in his ears, the tragic scene in front of him, and Xie An behind him were all just a dream.

When his fingertips touched the warm blood at A Dong's mouth, his senses were amplified. The noise around him, the horrific scene before him, and Xie An slowly approaching him from behind all became exceptionally clear to him.

The air gathered in Xie Shuci's palm into a cloud of misty gas, which was spiritual energy that could revive all things and nourish all things in heaven and earth. Xie Shuci had never used it before, but it seemed as if he had mastered it without a teacher, and he continuously channeled it into A Dong's body.

Xie An stopped beside him without him noticing, then suddenly bent down and placed his hand on Xie Shuci's cheek, his fingers tracing the tears on his face. His expression was sluggish, as if he were pondering what Xie Shuci's tears meant this time.

After thinking it over, he turned his head toward the dog demon who was being attacked by several disciples.

Despite being wounded by a sword, the dog demon held its own against the crowd.

With a swipe of its sharp claws, it tore apart the arm of a disciple, and the longsword clattered to the ground at Xie An's feet, the hilt striking his toes.

He paused for a moment, and as Xie Shuci's scalding tears once again wet his fingertips, he finally bent down and picked up the longsword that had fallen beside him.

The air was filled with the smell of blood. The smell of blood was different from that of human blood and monster blood, so it was easy to tell them apart.

When Xie An, dressed in white and as slender as a bamboo, slowly walked into the fighting crowd, everyone looked at him. He had a handsome face but a touch of naivety, and his aura was steady and calm, like a crescent moon in the sky, gentle yet sharp.

"What are you doing?" Li Song's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he immediately stepped forward to try to pull him back.

Before he could get close, the wind generated by his movements gave away his position. Xie An skillfully twirled his longsword in his hand, the tip pointing backwards and aimed directly at Li Song's neck. If he took another step forward, Xie An would surely pierce his throat with his sword!

Li Song suddenly stopped in his tracks, breaking out in a cold sweat.

The boy possessed a sharpness and composure unlike his peers. His physique appeared slender, yet he exuded an aura of deadly power. His robes billowed in the wind as he moved forward. His eyes were vacant, his expression calm, like a still lake. The crowd unconsciously held their breath, their eyes fixed on him, as if this excessively handsome boy was more worthy of their vigilance than the dog demon.

Xie Shuci, whose spiritual power was already limited, was exhausted after transferring it and collapsed beside A Dong. He felt the blood flowing from A Dong soaking his clothes and couldn't help but whimper. His gaze passed over A Dong's body and saw Xie An's back as he gradually walked towards the dog demon.

His eyes flickered, and he tried to call Xie An back, but no sound came out.

Exhaustion from the depletion of his spiritual energy tugged at his eyelids, and despite his struggles, it closed his eyes for him.

Strangely, as the boy approached, the dog demon displayed unusual vigilance and hostility, as if the attacks from numerous immortal disciples were less dangerous to him than the boy before him.

The sword tip dragged along the ground, making a piercing sound.

The boy had one hand behind his back and the other holding a sword. The sword flashed blindingly, and the oppressive feeling it exerted in that instant was greater than that of a thousand troops!

Perhaps the other disciples couldn't tell, but the Taoist in the green robe knew very well that this young man had no spiritual power in his body, so how dare he appear in front of the dog demon?

The dog demon cautiously took two steps back. It knew that the human in front of it had no spiritual power and was just an ordinary human. However, for some reason, its innate ability to sense danger made it absolutely not to take this person lightly.

"Come back!" Li Song was anxious to go forward, but was stopped by the Taoist in the green robe.

The boy raised his right arm and swung his longsword, creating a gust of wind that was sharp and swift, like a blade.

The Taoist priest in the green robe's expression changed instantly, exclaiming in surprise, "The Carefree Sword Technique?!"

——

Xie Shuci had a nightmare.

He dreamt that Xie An led A Dong into the Bridge of Helplessness.

He stood on the other side, shouting for them to come back, but no one turned around, and they simply disappeared from Xie Shuci's sight.

In his sleep, Xie Shuci let out a restless sob.

A hand touched his forehead and gently stroked it twice.

"Xie An..." Xie Shuci called out softly, then suddenly opened his eyes.

He took a couple of deep breaths, his eyes gradually focusing, and finally he could see the familiar curtains above his head, and the familiar scent of his sleeves at the tip of his nose.

Xie Shuci suddenly grabbed the hand on his forehead with great force, like grabbing a piece of driftwood when falling into the water.

After calming down, he turned to look at Xie An sitting by the bed. Seeing that Xie An was unharmed, Xie Shuci breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Was it all just a dream?

He saw Xie An walk towards the dog demon and saw A Dong being killed, but thankfully it was just a dream.

"Awake?" Xie An asked.

Xie Shuci put the back of his hand to her lips. "You're awake. Where's Adong? I want to see him."

Xie An lowered his eyes and paused for a moment. "He was seriously injured."

Xie Shuci's heart sank, and he quickly got out of bed.

It wasn't a dream after all? Ah Dong was scratched by a monster?

Xie Shuci's mind was a bit confused. He said to Xie An, "I'll be right back. Wait for me here."

Xie An raised his head, which could be considered a response.

After saying that, Xie Shuci shuffled open the door in his slippers and ran quickly toward A Dong's room. He knocked on the door, and a moment later, Li Song opened it.

When Li Song saw it was him, his eyes flickered uncomfortably for a moment before he stepped aside.

"How is Adong? I still have many pills that can save him!" Xie Shuci strode into the room. The shopkeeper sat on the edge of the bed, his face pale. Behind him stood a Taoist in a green robe. Both of them had very solemn expressions.

Upon hearing this, the Taoist in the green robe shook his head slightly and said, "His injuries are too severe; the pills can only prolong his life temporarily."

Xie Shuci's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at A Dong, who lay lifeless on the bed, and her steps became unsteady.

Li Song stepped forward and took his arm, saying, "Xie Shuci, I have something to tell you."

The Taoist in the green robe glanced at him, signaling him not to say anything more. Li Song thought of what had happened yesterday, and his eyes became much more complicated. He nodded to the Taoist in the green robe and led Xie Shuci out of the corridor.

Seeing Xie Shuci's pale face and the loss of his usual luster in his eyes, Li Song felt a pang of pity and whispered, "There is still hope for Adong."

"Really?" Xie Shuci asked, looking up.

"Okay." Li Song nodded. "Don't rush, I have something else to tell you."

Upon hearing that Ah Dong could still be saved, Xie Shuci immediately perked up and asked, "What did you say?"

Li Song asked, "How did you meet the blind man next to you?"

Xie Shuci said, "He was slightly injured, so I picked him up."

Upon hearing this, Li Song frowned. "Do you know who he is? What is his name?"

Xie Shuci honestly shook his head: "I don't know."

Li Song angrily said, "You don't even know who he is, how dare you keep him by your side? Have you been blinded by lust?"

"Don't talk nonsense. I have no feelings for him. I should like women."

Xie Shuci pondered his words for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "What's wrong with the little blind man?"

"He can be carefree..." Li Song bit his tongue halfway through his sentence, abruptly stopping himself from speaking.

Remembering his uncle's instructions, he didn't dare to continue.

The Free and Unfettered Sword Technique is a unique sword technique of the Free and Unfettered Sect, and only inner disciples are qualified to learn it. The blind man beside Xie Shuci must be someone extraordinary, someone that the small Li family cannot afford to offend.

Last night, the blind man forced the dog demon to flee in a sorry state within ten moves. Although the dog demon had already been injured by his master, it was still quite remarkable that he could achieve this.

Currently, the blind man doesn't seem to harbor any ill will towards Xie Shuci, but it's hard to guarantee he won't do anything to harm Xie Shuci in the future. In Li Song's opinion, even if the blind man had no cultivation, with just this swordsmanship alone, a hundred Xie Shucis wouldn't be a match for him.

"In short, the blind man beside you is not simple. You'd better not get involved with him. I'll take Bai Yi back to the Immortal Sect in half an hour. That demon is seriously injured and should not appear again for the next few days. You should come back with me."

Xie Shuci pointed to himself and asked in surprise, "I'll go back with you?"

Li Song's expression was somewhat unnatural. "Yes. I have no intention of becoming your Daoist partner, but your expulsion from the sect was ultimately because of me. I will persuade my father to let you become an inner disciple, and the Li family will protect you."

Xie Shuci gave him a strange look. "What about the little blind boy?"

“Him? Since you have no relation to him, why not leave him here? I’m taking Bai Yi back to the Immortal Sect to seek reinforcements. My father will send people to help, so he won’t be in any danger.”

Xie Shuci was somewhat tempted by the prospect of not becoming Li Song's Daoist partner while still receiving the Li family's protection. However, leaving Xie An here...

Xie Shuci pondered for a moment, but did not give an answer immediately. Instead, he asked, "You still haven't told me how to save Adong."

Li Song said, "The monster's inner core can repair his body."

"Are you going to give this monster's inner core to A-Dong?" Xie Shuci asked.

Li Song paused for a moment, looking at Xie Shuci's hopeful eyes, and felt inexplicably uncomfortable, so he turned his head away, "This inner core is very important to the Li family."

"What about A-Dong?" Xie Shuci asked, frowning.

Li Song was silent for a moment, then said, "The lives and deaths of the people here are not the concern of the Li family. My uncle has already sent someone to inform the Xie family, and they will try to save A Dong."

Xie Shuci knew that A Dong's injury couldn't be delayed. He also knew that a monster that had cultivated an inner core was extremely rare, and even if the Xie family were lucky enough to find one, they might not be able to take the inner core.

Xie Shuci did not blame Li Song, nor did he think they should give up the inner core to A Dong, but he would not give up easily.

Ah Dong, he must be saved.

Call him ignorant or overconfident, but he wanted to save Ah Dong.

"Wait for me a moment, I'll go pack my things," Xie Shuci said.

Li Song's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected him to agree to come with him. "Okay, I'll wait for you."

The two did not notice the white figure that flashed by at the corner of the corridor.