After caring about Li Yuan's studies for a while, the young apprentice finally agreed to leave.
Before leaving, he said goodbye to everyone one by one: "Sister Yunxian, Brother Axiu... I'm going to practice first, bye!"
Although she is blind, her hearing is extremely sensitive. When she talks to people, she faces the other person directly and calls people's names without making any mistakes.
"Okay, go ahead." Yun Xian asked curiously, "How come you know all our names?"
Logically speaking, the group did not meet Li Yuan when they came to Miaoshoumen.
"Everyone in the sect knows about it." Li Yuan said as a matter of course: "Sister Yun Xian, just go out and ask any senior sisters or brothers, they will know it too."
Yun Xian: “…”
She began to wonder if Xue Lingxiu had spent the past three months scolding them at the Miaoshou Sect. In the morning, he'd call them "dead Yunxian"; in the evening, he'd call them "stinky bald donkey."
"Go quickly," Li Jianye said. "I have to give my work to the Second Sect Leader for inspection tomorrow. Oh, and if you run into Grandmother on the way, tell her the Sect Leader is fine, in retreat, and that you'll come back tomorrow. Got it?"
Li Yuan said: "I understand!"
The childish voice disappeared in the wind. The red rope on her wrist performed the function of a probing stick, probing forward bit by bit. However, she had been in the Miaoshou Sect for so many years that she knew the terrain very well. Not only did she not need to probe, she even started jumping around, looking like she was in a very good mood.
He is still a child after all.
The hall was silent for a moment. Sect Master Li withdrew his gaze and said slowly, "Did you go to Lingxu Sect just now?"
"Yes." Xue Lingxiu finished recounting everything she had just learned. Li Jianye lowered his eyes and listened, tapping his fingertips lightly on the armrest. He pondered, "That coincides with what I was trying to say."
Yun Xian's heart tightened, and he asked, "Master Li, do you know anything about the Demon Cult?"
"The matter of the demon from the Body Forging Sect has caused such a big stir. The Southern Realm is well-informed, so how could they not know about it?" Li Jianye coughed lightly and said, "What's more, Li Pei still hasn't recovered."
"What?" Xue Lingxiu frowned and asked, "Isn't Third Sister okay?"
Li Jianye raised his eyes, and with a gentle look as if he were looking at a younger generation, he said, "That's a rhetoric used to appease those within the sect and suppress those outside. A medical practitioner knows her own body very well. My inability to diagnose her doesn't mean she's fine, it just means I'm incompetent. If she really is fine, you wouldn't have missed seeing her after you returned to the sect for a few months."
She actually stated the truth directly, apparently trusting him. Yun Xian said, "I'd like to hear the details."
Li Jianye said, "When I first learned about the demon, I thought, if I'm the mastermind, this method is still too inefficient. Two fists can't beat four hands. As long as we are vigilant at all times and suppress things in time when they break out, even if there are casualties, they won't be too many. The Smiling Buddha's behavior could be said to have other intentions, not to cause destruction. The incident with the Body Strengthening Sect has exposed this shortcoming vividly. Ultimately, if it weren't for the unexpected incident of Nan Ronghong, Ji Shang wouldn't have caused much trouble at all."
"...Wait." Yun Xian heard the hidden meaning, "Is this the version you heard? How do you know that the Laughing Buddha is related to the devil?"
The version currently circulating outside is that Nan Ronghong became possessed and killed all the sect's leaders. From what Sect Leader Li said, she actually knew the whole story. Not to mention the Laughing Buddha from even earlier times, most people now only know her as a perverted practitioner of evil techniques.
"A little speculation will tell you the answer. Ah Xiu has been traveling a lot, so as an elder, I naturally need to know more." Li Jianye said calmly, "Don't worry, not many people know the truth about this matter. Even if they did, they wouldn't spread it. After all, the dust has settled, and it won't do me any good to talk about it now."
Yun Xian said, "Master Li, I'm not worried. I'm just amazed. After all, I rarely meet smart people."
Li Jianye: “…”
It's so sincere. This kid is good.
"Let's get back to the point," Li Jianye said. "As I said earlier, if I were the mastermind behind this, I would definitely not continue to do this. Now that all the sects and schools have received the news, they are keeping a close eye on their own disciples with potential. Thinking of taking advantage of this situation is no longer appropriate."
Qi Zhiye frowned and said, "What does the Sect Leader mean? Just say it directly."
Although he was usually harsh in his words, he was still quite polite and courteous to his elders. But Yun Xian suspected that he was calling someone "Master" because he couldn't remember their name. After all, until now, Qi Xingye still called Ji Rongxue Ji Xiaoxue.
"As a family of medical practitioners, we naturally view things from a medical perspective." Li Jianye's eyes were cold as he said, "The most difficult thing to conquer in this world has never been a single difficult and complicated disease, but... the plague."
Everyone was shocked at once.
"If we treat the demonic seeds like an epidemic, spreading rapidly among low-level cultivators or even ordinary people, the consequences would be truly unimaginable." Li Jianye said, "It would be great if we had more information. How does one become possessed by the demon? Those with a strong mind can resist, but how strong can one be? Are there differences based on the level of cultivation? None of these standards are known yet, and since we have no way of knowing, prevention is pointless."
"We have no way of knowing until this actually happens." Xue Lingxiu said, "But..."
By the time it happens, it will be too late.
"Everything comes at a price." Li Jianye said, "If we want to curb the source, since we can't figure it out and can't do it at the moment, we can only try to minimize the cost."
Yun Xian pondered for a moment, then raised his head: "Master, you are thinking of the epidemic this way, is it because of Senior Li Pei..."
"She keeps saying there seems to be something wrong with her body, and I can't confirm it. But, to be safe, I'm asking her to have no contact with outsiders for the time being. I'm keeping a close eye on her. If there's any movement, I'll be able to know and respond immediately." Li Jianye said, "I have another reason for thinking this way—you can see the medicine bottle on the table."
Everyone looked towards the long table.
"There are so many different kinds of medicine." Xue Lingxiu walked over, opened a bottle, and crushed the medicine pill between his fingers. The pungent smell of herbs made him frown slightly. He said disapprovingly, "How dare you sell it without cleaning out all these impurities?"
What does that mean? Qiao Lingshan was stunned and said, "Ah? But isn't this the mark of the Miaoshou Sect?"
"That's why I want to bring these things back to the sect." Li Jianye stood up. This was the first time the group saw what she looked like after standing up from her chair. Surprisingly, she wasn't particularly tall, and even looked a little thin, which contradicted her aura. She picked up the other jade bottle and said, "Miaoshou Sect has never sold these elixirs."
"I imagine you've seen those 'sects' all the way from South City." Li Jianye's eyelids drooped slightly. "Before, I didn't want to interfere too much because these things are impossible to ban. We've spent a lot of effort to eradicate them one by one, but they can just change their appearance and come back again. If we eradicated them one by one, the Miaoshou Sect would have nothing else to do all day. Besides, to be frank, although these sects' actions are annoying, they haven't harmed anyone's conscience or cheated them out of money, nor have they caused anyone to lose their lives. So, I turned a blind eye and occasionally gave them a warning to keep them from going too far."
"But," Yun Xian frowned and said, "are those people from the 'Chao Shou Sect' now using the name of the Miao Shou Sect to sell medicine?"
"All medicines are poisonous." Li Jianye said coldly, "Whatever you eat or use, the dosage must be controlled by a medical practitioner. Even then, mistakes can easily be made, let alone eating without thinking? Ridiculous! These people don't think about it. How could my Miaoshou Sect let go of such a lucrative business? It's their turn to profit!"
Yun Xian thought, that’s what he meant.
Those bruises and injuries on the market can be treated by applying a few drops of medicine, and nothing will happen. However, if you take prescription medicine without following the doctor's advice, it may actually be fatal.
The most unfortunate thing is that now this group of unscrupulous profiteers are all using the name of Miaoshoumen. If someone really has problems eating the food, Miaoshoumen will still have to take the blame. It can't be more miserable.
Feng Ye said weakly: "Then, is this matter related to Lingxu Sect? I see that the soup doesn't look good..."
If we wait a little longer, who knows what Lingxu Sect will come up with. Stretching Legs and Staring Eyes Pills?
"I don't know for now." Li Jianye said gently, "Don't worry about this for now. Now that I'm back, I'll have to interrogate those Lingxu disciples again."
Everyone suddenly felt a chill down their spines as the inhumane screams echoed in their ears again.
Hope everyone is okay.
The hall was silent for a moment. Only Xue Lingxiu seemed to be still concerned about Li Pei's injury. She couldn't help but say, "Third sister..."
"She can eat, sleep, run, and jump. We've been observing her for three months. If there's still nothing unusual, we'll let her return to the sect in a few days." After Li Jianye finished speaking, he looked at Yun Xian and said with a gentle smile, "You two are new here, but I've been busy lately, so I can't receive you in person. How about this, Ah Xiu, you take them for a walk in South City tomorrow? By the way, investigate the forces behind these medicine bottles."
The next morning, Yun Xian went out yawning, and everyone was already waiting outside.
Qiao Lingshan said, "Although the Great Master speaks so considerately and gently, I always feel like something is wrong."
"Of course." Qi Zhiye crossed his arms and said, "I just changed the phrase 'Hurry up and help me do this' to a different way of saying it. Doesn't it sound much better?"
But Yun Xian was always soft-hearted. If Li Jianye had said that, she might have considered it, but since he said it like that, and with such a smile on his face, she hadn't thought much about it and just agreed without thinking, and was almost patting her chest and saying, "Leave it to me!"
"Hmm?" Yun Xian wiped his face and said, "Why don't you see my senior brother?"
Feng Ye said, "It seems that Senior Brother didn't sleep again last night. He was practicing sword in his room. Yun Xian, please tell him something. I always live next door to him, and every night the sound of sword energy is so loud that it makes it difficult for me to fall asleep."
"..." Qiao Lingshan was so bold that she couldn't believe it and said, "Feng Ye, try to complain behind my back again?"
Feng Ye lowered his head and held the zither in his arms, picking at it with his fingers.
Yun Xian wondered if it was because the eldest brother was about to advance, his heart surging with emotion, unable to calm down, and he needed a place to release his restless sword energy... That was all. According to Su Chi's usual pattern, if he was gone for less than a day, he wouldn't inform him in advance. If he was gone for more than a day but less than three days, he would verbally inform him. If he was gone for more than three days, he would verbally inform him and send a letter every two weeks. The letters would contain at most ten words or at least one, usually phrases like "How are you?", "I'm doing well," "I'm here, have you eaten?", etc. The fact that Su Chi was traveling late was quite reliable. Since he hadn't announced it in advance, he would definitely be back by evening.
Feng Ye saw Yun Xian didn't say anything, and said, "Yun Xian, say something."
"Ah? What did you say just now?" Yun Xian regained consciousness and said, "Next time if Senior Brother quarrels with you again, don't be polite to him. Just take your pillow and go sleep outside."
Feng Ye fainted with anger: "...Yun Xian!!!"
Xue Lingxiu was not there. He must be busy with travel arrangements. He came back soon. The group had breakfast and wandered aimlessly in Miaoshou Gate.
As Yun Xian was walking, he turned and came to Li Batu and asked, "Second Sect Leader, how is Jiangshan doing today?"
Qi Zhiye said with a sullen face, "You're looking for him again! Is he your son or your Taoist partner? He won't die if he doesn't see him for a day!"
Although the others remained silent, they all expressed their approval of Qi Xingye for the first time. They'd been together for three months, and Jiangshan was still so sullen, completely ignoring them and clinging only to Yun Xian, constantly ordering him around. What merit had he taken? If Shu Jiuwei had been like this, they'd understand. He was just such an ugly monster! Why did Yun Xian like him so much?
Li Batu's voice came down with the sound of footsteps.
It must be said that the Second Sect Leader didn't look like a medical practitioner, but rather someone from a martial arts family. She was still dressed neatly today and said, "Friend Yun, Jiangshan doesn't want to see anyone these past few days. Please come back in a few days."
"What's wrong?" Yun Xian asked solemnly, "Why doesn't he even want to see me?"
Li Batu grinned and said, "It's because of you that I particularly don't want to see him. His skin disease is too serious, and his hair has withered. Keeping it will only hinder recovery, so now I've shaved all his hair off. Haha, he's even uglier now."
Yun Xian's heart ached: "..."
She had seen pandas before, but she had never seen a panda shaved completely. No, she couldn't accept that. "Forget it, then... I'll wait until the hair grows back."
"A wise choice. Oh, right." Li Batu was about to send the guests away when he suddenly remembered something and said, "Jiangshan seems to have something to say to you. It's strange. He doesn't want to meet you, but he doesn't want me to convey it. So how should he say it? How about this, I'll draw a curtain and you two can talk from behind. Is that okay?"
Jiang Shan's gloomy voice rang out from behind a dark curtain:
"Last night, I noticed a very disgusting smell that stayed near your house for a long time. I can't go out now, so be careful and don't die!"
“…”
What kind of smell is that? He stayed near the house for a long time, yet no one noticed! Could Su Chi's departure have something to do with this?
Qiao Lingshan was full of doubts and really wanted to ask, but seeing Yun Xian's calm expression, as if he didn't care, she held back her words.
A young servant came and led everyone towards the main gate, saying that Xue Lingxiu was already waiting there. As the group passed by the martial arts training ground, they happened to see Li Yuan.
The little blind girl's head and face were covered in blood, and she was holding a piece of intestine that was either human or pig in her hand. In broad daylight, she looked really scary, but this seemed to be commonplace in the Miaoshou Sect.
"What class was it today?" The waiter recalled, "It seemed to be a practical class."
Yun Xian asked, "How are Li Yuan's grades?"
"She's way ahead of her peers, even better than some of her senior sisters and brothers." The young servant said proudly, "Other children, when they first enter the medical field, tremble in fear even when dissecting a toad, and even vomit and cry, unable to eat. But this little junior sister can do all this without batting an eyelid. She's truly a promising candidate for medical studies."
Everyone: “…”
You medical practitioners have really strong psychological qualities... but is it really okay? No wonder that during the battle in the secret realm, although Master Xue's martial arts value was not too high, he acted extremely steadily and never got angry even when he helped everyone clean up their messes all day long.
Well, I get angry too. But I'm also easy to appease when I'm angry, so it's like I never get angry.
After wandering around Miaoshou Gate, the group finally met up with Xue Lingxiu at the gate.
"We need to keep a low profile on this trip." Xue Lingxiu didn't use her luxurious carriage and changed into ordinary clothes. She said, "However, can you take that long to eat breakfast?"
It seemed that he had been waiting outside for a long time, and his tone was a little unhappy.
Yun Xian jumped onto the carriage and said, "Brother Xue, the food in the Southern Realm is just too delicious. I'm sorry."
"..." Xue Lingxiu's expression eased a little. "If it tastes good, get up earlier next time. There's a soup dumpling place in the south of the city that's only open until that time. After that, they close and don't let you take out. I'll take you there tomorrow. But if I call you three times, you have to get up. You can't be lazy anymore, understand?"
Yun Xian: "Okay! Soup dumplings!"
Feng Ye thought silently, see. It's because I'm so easy to coax every day that I get bullied. At such a young age, I have several unfilial children who are not related by blood.
A group of people rode in a carriage and headed towards the "Chao Shou Gate" at the city gate.
The weather was perfect today. Willow trees swayed in the breeze, and beneath them, the morning sun shone like golden dots. It had to be said that spring in South City was the most vibrant season Yun Xian had ever witnessed. Especially along the riverbanks, the peach blossoms were in full bloom, and the wooden vendors below followed suit, each hawking their wares in a unique, uninterrupted rhythm. The rhythmic rhythm was a delightful and rustic delight.
"Peach blossom cakes, peach blossom cakes, peach blossom jam, peach blossom fans..." Qiao Lingshan looked outside and said, "They look delicious, but they probably don't taste very good, do they?"
Yun Xian swung his legs leisurely: "Then it must not be delicious. If it were delicious, the peach blossoms would have been plucked long ago, why would they still be left here to bloom."
Xue Lingxiu: "Put your feet down, don't shake them. What do you mean?"
The carriage drove onto the path, and the peach branch was right next to the window, a few steps away, but out of reach. Yun Xian had no particular interest in flowers, and was just lazily lying on the window basking in the sun. He happened to pass by a peach branch, and he didn't know what it was.
It must have been broken by some naughty boy, and now it is hanging there, with a half-opened delicate peach blossom adorning the end of the branch.
Her vision darkened, and a breeze blew in her face. In the blink of an eye, Su Chi was already sitting in front of her, holding the peach blossom she had just looked at with his fingertips, and said, "Here."
Yun Xian was startled: "...Big Brother, where have you been?"
Su Chi placed the peach blossoms on her temples, was silent for a moment, then took them off and dropped them on her sword, saying, "I'm going to find a friend to ask about my promotion."
Maybe because she looks really silly, Yun Xian is not suitable for wearing flowers in her hair. She is so active that nothing can survive on her head for more than half a month.
"You have friends in the Southern Realm?" Yun Xian asked, "How do you say that?"
Su Chi pondered and said, "He's not at home."
Yun Xian: "...Oh. Let's go next time."
The eldest brother was miserable because he ran out in the middle of the night and was turned away.
"Yeah." Su Chi said, "Next time you come with me. It was too late last night, and I didn't want to disturb your sleep."
Feng Ye: "Then I..."
Qiao Lingshan: "Ahem!"
The words spoken by this pair of senior and junior brothers and sisters were clearly normal, and there was nothing wrong with their actions, but they had an inexplicable air of indifference, as if others could not see them, as if they had suddenly gone blind.
It was a busy time and people were coming and going in front of the wonton shop.
On the stall were those crudely made little jade bottles, each crudely adorned with numerous small labels. Yun Xian took a quick look and saw that "cold," "brain fever," and "trauma" were fine, but why were there also "athlete's foot," "bad breath," and "loss of virility"... Who would buy them?! Isn't that a real giveaway?! And how dare they charge so much?!
Feng Ye pointed to the best-selling list over there. The medicinal pill that specifically treats "loss of erectile dysfunction" ranked first, and its sales volume exceeded the combined sales of all the medicinal pills below it.
Yun Xian was stunned: "...Brother Xue, please explain it to me. I can't understand."
Xue Lingxiu: "Why do you want me to explain it? I don't understand. Isn't this something that can be understood just by thinking about it?"
Yun Xian: "I can't think of it."
"..." Xue Lingxiu sighed and said, "This kind of medicine is the easiest to sell out. First, no one would complain about being 'too virile', so many people will buy it even if they don't need it. Second, there isn't much communication between buyers. Third, the effects are not transparent, and there's no standard to measure. It's somewhat similar to the beauty pill, but I think it's more of a psychological effect. ... I haven't used it, Yun Xian, shut up and stop asking."
Qiao Lingshan sighed, "No wonder the people from Lingxu Sect have such a strong opinion about the Bull Demon."
Xue Lingxiu's ears would turn red if she continued: "Can you please not talk about this topic anymore? ... I don't care. How old are you?"
Those who don’t know would think that Xue Lingxiu is not 22 years old this year, but 42 years old.
Qi Zhiye remained tight-lipped. Originally, he'd felt bad if he didn't argue with Xue Lingxiu, but now, this was completely outside his knowledge, so he had no choice but to keep quiet.
Everyone jumped off the carriage and blended into the crowd without a trace.
Many people from the south city were shopping in front of the stalls, chatting quietly:
"Is this medicine really consigned from Miaoshoumen? Why does it feel like, hiss, this bottle looks a bit cheap..."
"That's wrong. Miaoshoumen is so rich, but they're still taking money from the poor. Of course, the lower the cost, the better. After all, the medicine inside is fine."
"Who cares if it's a Miaoshoumen or not? As long as it works, that's fine. I used the one for colds before, and it worked!"
"The cost of medical treatment has been rising lately, and you have to wait in line to see a doctor. By the time you get your turn, the grass on your grave might already be two feet tall. We're going to give it our all!"
Yun Xian squeezed to the front and saw that the manager in charge of the stall looked drowsy. He thought that the cost of these medicines in front of him was indeed very cheap, otherwise he would not use his nose to look at them.
Such mass production requires at least a small workshop. Judging from the decoration of the chao shou door, it must have been provided by someone else for sale.
She said to the crowd in the voice transmission array, "Leave someone in front to attract attention, take a detour in the back, and directly raid the house. Our goal is to find the force behind these drugs. Please reply if you have received it."
Qiao Lingshan: “1.”
Feng Ye: “1.”
Yun Xian: "...I really admire you two. Fellow Daoists Xue and Qi, go ahead. Everyone else, follow me around the back. Let's go!"
The little peach blossom swayed on the scabbard, and Yun Xian disappeared from the spot. At the same time, Xue Lingxiu threw the bottle and shouted angrily, "What kind of fake medicine is this?! My daughter found half a slipper in the bottle. Shopkeeper, come out here!"
Yun Xian was busy sneaking in quietly, but he couldn't help but twitch his lips when he heard it.
What the hell!?! I found half a slipper in my sliced noodles, but I couldn’t even stick my toes into this bottle!
Qiao Lingshan followed her and said hurriedly, "The stalls in the front are all selling common medicines. The spiritual medicines should be hidden in the back."
"Yes." Feng Ye said: "Maybe there is a special warehouse for it. Spiritual medicine is different. If the spiritual energy dissipates, the medicinal properties will also dissipate..."
The four of them clearly just wanted to visit the back hall for a while, but things can go wrong.
The back hall was open, and several Lingxu Sect disciples were busy moving things up and down the stairs, completely unaware that standing next to them was an old acquaintance—Mei Yanliu, whom Yun Xian still couldn't tell if she was the succubus's big sister or big brother!
But at least for now, she still belongs to the category of big sister.
Feng Ye was surprised for only a moment, and his breath became disordered. Mei Yanliu noticed it instantly and glared at him: "Who are you?! Get out!!"
Yun Xian's mind raced, and as he appeared, he shouted, "Where is Jimo?!"
Although she had been at odds with the Demon Cult during the Four-Way War, her relationship with the Bull Demon and Meiyanliu was not so irreconcilable. Perhaps they could still communicate a little, and if that didn't work, they could consider fighting. After all, they were going infiltrate now, and making such a big move would easily lead to discovery.
But, just this time, Yun Xian's estimate failed.
It would have been fine if Mei Yanliu hadn't seen her, but as soon as she saw her, she gritted her teeth in anger, raging. She instantly drew out two scimitars and said word by word through gritted teeth, "Yun Xian!!!"
Yun Xian: “?”
What's wrong? Why does she look like she has some deep grudge against me? It's been so long!
"Stop pretending to be innocent!" Mei Yanliu said nothing and immediately started fighting. The cold light of her scimitar flashed, accompanied by her angry roar: "You kidnapped the Saint Maiden, and I thought she wanted to take the opportunity to kill you, but it turns out that she actually wanted to shamelessly hang out with you all day long! She even ignored her subordinates!! She ignored the great cause of the Demon Cult's revival!!! Those who are close to vermilion will be red, and those who are close to ink will be black. You have brought her... into what a state! She even made the list of heroes! What a shame! What crime do you deserve?!"
Everyone: “…”
What kind of weird words are these?
Mei Yanliu: "What's wrong? What did I say wrong?! The Saint has been eloping with you for so long, has she ever thought that Niu Baiye and I have been alone in the empty room all day, feeling sad and depressed?!!"
"...I finally caught him." Yun Xian blocked Mei Yanliu's fiercely attacking scimitar with a single sword, looking up at the sky with relief, "Sure enough, it's not just the Sword Pavilion that doesn't teach cultural studies. The Demon Cult doesn't teach either!"
Qiao Lingshan: "What are you so proud of?!"
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