West of Baihu Road, east of Jincheng City, lies an ordinary commoner's courtyard.

It was late autumn, and the wind in the western borderlands carried a bone-chilling cold.

It swirls up the withered yellow leaves on the ground, twirling them as it rushes towards the mottled base of the wall.

The courtyard was cramped, and in the corner, a clay medicine stove was emitting bitter blue smoke, the strong, lingering smell of medicine permeating the chilly air.

These are brothers from another village who moved here seven or eight days ago.

My brother is frail and bedridden, like a broken bellows that could fall apart at any moment.

The younger brother was busy running around, seeking medical help and medicine everywhere.

Just as the sun was rising higher, a heart-wrenching, violent cough suddenly came from inside the tightly closed, dilapidated wooden door, as if the cough was trying to cough up all the internal organs.

Yang Wu Hui, who had been guarding the medicine furnace in the courtyard, suddenly changed his expression, dropped the palm-leaf fan in his hand, and rushed into the house like an arrow released from a bow.

The room was dimly lit and simply furnished, with only a worn-out quilt on the earthen bed by the window.

Yan Wujiu huddled on it, his whole body so thin he was emaciated, his cheekbones were high, his eyes were sunken, and his face was a lifeless, sallow yellow.

His body was heaving violently from a fitful cough, each breath a hoarse, raspy sound.

Dark red blood trickling from the corner of his mouth stained the dirty pillowcase, a truly pitiful sight.

Yang Wu Hui strode forward and half-supported, half-carried his frail body.

He pressed his palm against the back of the man's heart, and a stream of pure and gentle true energy slowly flowed in, trying to help him calm down the violent and chaotic aura.

After a long while, the terrifying coughing gradually subsided, leaving only intermittent, weak breathing.

"Senior brother, this... why does it feel even heavier?"

Yang Wu Hui's voice was filled with undisguised worry.

Yan Wujiu did not answer immediately; he closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling slightly.

His forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and his eyes still held lingering fear and deep worry.

In the Battle of Zhenbei Pass, he seized the opportunity created by Master Yunmiao at the cost of his life, intending to break through the mysterious barrier of the First Rank Realm in one fell swoop by taking advantage of the towering blood and chaotic killing intent amidst the fall of the pass and the fierce battle between the two armies.

However, at the last moment, all efforts were in vain.

They had clearly touched the door and felt the immense power behind it, but ultimately fell short and failed to truly step inside.

Even more terrifying, when he tried to regroup and devise new plans, he was met with an overwhelming backlash from fate!

His foundation as a second-grade cultivator crumbled instantly, and the true energy within his body surged wildly like a runaway horse, causing extremely serious internal injuries.

Fortunately, he had prepared for the evacuation in advance and used his last breath to escape to the rendezvous point.

With Yang Wu Hui's help, they hurriedly left the dangerous northern border.

However, his injuries did not improve after he fled. Instead, he eventually lost his cultivation level and fell back to the third rank on the run.

After years of arduous practice, almost everything has returned to square one.

Although he was unwilling, he comforted himself, saying that since he had already experienced the true meaning of standing at the second rank, it was only a matter of time before he could return to that level.

However, Yan Wujiu ultimately underestimated the terrifying power of the backlash from fate.

His internal energy could never be completely regulated, remaining in a chaotic state that could erupt at any moment, causing his injuries to linger and recur.

As a result, they had no choice but to wander from place to place, like stray dogs.

Ironically, most of the "herb thieves" cases for which the government offered rewards for their capture in the north and even in many states in the central and northern regions were related to them.

In order to prolong his life and heal his wounds, he had no choice but to take the risk and steal the old medicine.

Some of the store's prized possessions, which had been there for years and belonged to veteran actors who had worked there for two or three generations, were also quietly stolen.

After a long and winding journey, they finally arrived at Jincheng in the western part of Baihu Road, where they managed to suppress their injuries by about 70-80% thanks to the rare medicinal herbs they had stolen.

Who would have thought that such a violent reversal would occur again today!

Yan Wujiu struggled to raise his hand, wiping away the blood that kept seeping from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, his expression one of deep exhaustion and helplessness:

"I've been locked down..."

Yang Wu Hui's face turned ashen instantly.

The calculations of Heaven, Earth, and Man are so complex that even in his prime, my senior brother might not have been able to avoid them, let alone in his current state of exhaustion.

"Can...can we find out where they are?" Yang Wu Hui's voice was strained.

Yan Wujiu slowly shook his head, his eyes vacant: "I can't sense the location, I only know that I've been spied on."

"If they were in Fengjing, even at the second-grade level, traveling at full speed, they would arrive here in just a few hours."

Yang Wu Hui's face was extremely grim. "Senior brother, we can't hesitate any longer, we must leave immediately!"

Their eventual decision to settle in Jincheng was certainly not in search of any famous doctor.

Just as Qin Zhaoyue and the others had expected, it was precisely because this place was very close to the Western Regions, only a two-hour drive away.

However, seeking refuge with the esoteric sects in the Western Regions was a last resort.

Esoteric Buddhist practices differ greatly from those in the Central Plains, with strict internal rules that are difficult for outsiders to fathom.

However, if one wants to find protection that can circumvent the three-fold deduction, it seems that there is only one path left in the world.

The Taoist sect is detached from worldly affairs and never pays attention to worldly disputes. Yan Wujiu had no confidence that he could persuade them.

For the Xuanji Guard to infiltrate the monolithic Western Regions was by no means an easy task.

However, to gain the protection of Tantric Buddhism, one must inevitably pay an unimaginable price.

Yan Wujiu lifted his heavy eyelids, his gaze calmly fixed on his junior brother who had worked tirelessly for him and never abandoned him.

"No regrets, you don't need to get involved in this mess with me."

Once you choose to join Tantric Buddhism, your future is uncertain, and your life or death is unpredictable. You still have a future to look forward to…

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