Xie Shuci carried the injured person back to his room and changed his own clothes.
Before long, Li Song returned to the inn with an old doctor, while the other injured disciples took their medicine and went back to their rooms to rest.
Xie Shuci didn't ask any further questions about the other matters. He didn't have the ability, and he valued his life. Although he was curious, he didn't want to get involved any further.
Although Xie Shuci's elixir wasn't a life-saving pill, it still saved Li Baiyi's life. After the old doctor cleaned and bandaged his wounds, he returned to the clinic under Li Song's escort.
Before they knew it, evening had arrived. Li Baiyi's condition had stabilized, so Li Song left the room, found Xie Shuci, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Xie Shuci, saying, "Thank you."
To distract himself, Xie Shuci took over Xie An's pastime and started practicing calligraphy. His rarely used brush produced crooked and messy characters, the strokes resembling caterpillars, a truly appalling mess when pieced together.
However, the boy's handwriting was exceptionally beautiful, with elegant and flowing strokes, and Li Song couldn't help but take a second look.
"No need, just tell him later that I'm a righteous person who doesn't hold a grudge against him for pointing a sword at me the moment we met. People as understanding and magnanimous as me are rare these days." Xie Shuci remained as arrogant as ever.
Li Song was somewhat annoyed by what he said, but it was a fact that Xie Shuci had saved Li Baiyi's life. Moreover, looking at the entire cultivation world, whether it was the major immortal sects or the various sects, alchemists were extremely rare and precious. Pills were as valuable as rare treasures to a small immortal sect, and Xie Shuci had given away several bottles at once, and it seemed there were more. If a cultivator with wicked intentions found out, he would surely be guilty of possessing a treasure.
His complete lack of vigilance and generous charity filled Li Song with gratitude, and it seemed that within that gratitude, a secret stirring of emotion arose within him.
Unaware of Li Song's ulterior motives, Xie Shuci continued writing his "earthworm characters" on the paper with his brush. After finishing a stroke, looking at the ghostly characters on the paper and then at Xie An's flamboyant calligraphy, he suddenly felt very unbalanced.
You know, this little blind man is not only so good-looking, but how come he can even write better than him?
Xie Xiaoci felt greatly shocked. He wiped his face, unintentionally smearing ink stains all over it without noticing. He took out another sheet of Xuan paper, dipped his brush into the inkstone, and was about to put pen to paper when a cool hand suddenly covered the back of his hand.
Xie Shuci was taken aback and glanced to the side in a daze.
The little blind man's face was close at hand, his long eyelashes covering his eyelids, his lips slightly pursed, his breathing steady, and his breath brushing past Xie Shuci's earlobe.
Looking closely at the little blind boy, his face was flawless. In the spirit of appreciating beautiful things, Xie Shuci's heart skipped a beat.
Xie An seemed to have bumped into him by accident. After hesitating for a moment, he noticed that Xie Shuci was holding a pen in his palm. He pried open Xie Shuci's fingers and helped him change his grip on the pen.
"Your posture is wrong." Xie An's lips moved slightly.
"Oh." Xie Shuci nodded.
Xie An helped him adjust his grip on the pen and then let go of his hand.
Li Song pondered for a long time, then suddenly raised his head and solemnly said to Xie Shuci, "Xie Shuci, I owe you a favor no matter what. If... if..."
He hesitated for a moment, as if he had a choke point, and couldn't get the words out. His ears turned a distinct blush, and he lowered his head, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.
When Xie Shuci saw his voice abruptly stop, he looked up blankly, his face still covered with several dried ink stains, making him look particularly comical.
Li Song bit his tongue and forced a smile, saying, "If you really want to become my Daoist partner, I... I'm willing to give it a try. However, you can't use those methods again. You can come back to the Immortal Sect with me, and I'll persuade my father..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Xie Shuci was exasperated. "Who said I wanted to become your Daoist partner?"
Xie An stood to one side, his gaze naturally lowered, his expression inscrutable in the shadows of the candlelight.
Li Song looked up in a daze: "You don't want to? Then why did you..."
Xie An was instantly dumbfounded. "I must have lost my mind. Didn't you want to kill me? Just because I gave you a pill, you want to become my Daoist partner?" "I..." Li Song choked.
"Don't push yourself. Besides, didn't we agree that the past is the past?"
Although it's possible to rely on Li Song's powerful connections, the idea of him becoming a Daoist partner... Ugh!
Xie Shuci felt a chill run down his spine from the thought of his own imagination. While he did enjoy watching two men engage in homosexual activity, he considered himself as straight as steel. Although Li Song was good-looking, the idea of becoming a Daoist couple and having to cultivate together, and then...do that with another man? No way, absolutely not!
He instinctively leaned back, his back touching the little blind man's left shoulder.
The blind man instinctively raised his hand to support Xie Shuci's waist, the warmth of his hand passing through the fabric of his clothes.
Xie An's fingers were long and slender, and his large palm was completely pressed against Xie Shuci's waist. The instant contact gave Xie Shuci a strange feeling, like some kind of uncontrollable tremor, making her heart tingle slightly.
After he regained his footing, Xie An withdrew his arm, his expression indifferent.
Li Song was consumed by self-doubt. He felt he must have been insane to utter the words "I want to become your Daoist partner." He was the young master of the Li family, and his talent was undoubtedly outstanding among his peers. Many female disciples from various immortal sects had expressed their admiration for him, and every one of them was far superior to Xie Shuci. Even if he wanted to repay Xie Shuci, he didn't need to do it this way!
"Never mind what I said, farewell." Li Song bowed to him with a blank face, then turned and left.
At this moment, the sky was completely dark. Suddenly, a strange wind blew through the hall with its doors and windows tightly closed. The candlelight flickered twice, almost going out, and the light in the hall instantly went out.
Li Song paused, turned around and exchanged a glance with Xie Shuci, then suddenly gripped the sword at his waist.
Xie Shuci sensed a chill in the wind that went straight to the soles of his feet. He bent down and picked up A Dong, who was fast asleep on the table, while grabbing Xie An behind him with one hand.
Xie An probably sensed something as well, his brows furrowed slightly, and he looked towards the backyard before the other two.
"A monster?" Xie Shuci asked, his face pale.
Li Song nodded: "Yes, my martial uncle is chasing it."
With a loud crash, the water vat in the backyard shattered into pieces.
"Take them and hide," Li Song said firmly, then picked up his sword and stormed into the backyard alone.
"Sigh..." Xie Shuci wanted to speak up to stop her, but it was too late.
That monster has over two hundred years of cultivation; wouldn't he be just throwing his life away if he went there?
Xie Shuci hesitated for a moment. He felt that the monster had a sense of justice and had never harmed innocent people. Li Song and the others were injured because they wanted to take its inner core. He had no grudge against it and it should not harm him.
Xie Shuci took a deep breath, giving herself enough courage. Xie Xiaoci, just think about it, how novel would a battle between humans and demons be!
Ah Dong slowly woke up in his arms, "Brother Xiao Ci?"
Xie Shuci nodded and said, "Take Brother Xie An and hide. Don't come out unless I tell you to, understand?"
The sounds of fighting came from the backyard. Ah Dong asked excitedly, "Brother Xiao Ci, are you going to catch a monster?"
Xie Shuci nodded seriously: "Yes. So you can't cause me any trouble. Take Brother Xie An and hide well. Wait until I call you before you come out."
"Okay, Ah Dong understands!"
Xie An tightened his lips and grabbed Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci glanced at him, and seeing him move his lips, said, "Where are you going? I'll go with you."
Xie Shuci couldn't possibly take him along. He himself only planned to stay far away and watch the excitement, hoping to be of any help. If anyone was injured, he could even offer some medicine and act as a healer.
He grabbed Xie An's hand and said, "My stomach hurts, I need to go to the outhouse."
Xie An: "..."
Xie An clenched his teeth.
Xie Shuci patted A Dong on the shoulder, signaling him to take Xie An away.
After the two left, Xie Shuci turned around and grabbed an abacus from the counter to use as a weapon, then crouched down and walked towards the backyard.
"You beast!"
A furious shout rang out from above, and a Taoist priest in a green robe leaped down from the eaves.
"Uncle-Master!" Li Song was fighting with the demon, and his body was covered in bloody wounds from the claws. When he turned around and saw the Taoist in the green robe, his face lit up with joy.
Xie Shuci bent down and hid behind the corridor, looking into the courtyard through the openwork railing.
A four-legged beast, entirely black, stood on the ground. Its black fur gleamed in the moonlight. It was much larger than a typical domestic dog and looked different from one. What impressed Xie Shuci most was its posture and its eyes.
As the Taoist in the green robe appeared, more than a dozen disciples flew down from the eaves. One of the disciples grabbed a middle-aged man. Xie Shuci looked closely and realized that it was the shopkeeper who had disappeared.
Despite being outnumbered, the demon stood tall and imposing, its dark pupils, like those of a human, wary and filled with hatred.
When it saw the shopkeeper next to the disciple, the demon twitched its nostrils, and its body suddenly burst out with a ball of white light. Its sharp claws scratched the stones on the ground, and it assumed a fighting stance, baring its mouthful of fangs at the shopkeeper.
"When will this cycle of revenge end? Why ruin two hundred years of cultivation in an instant?" Li Song sighed.
That was such a hindsight comment; Xie Shuci almost wanted to give him a thumbs up. He clearly still coveted the other's inner core, yet he talked as if he wouldn't take it unless the other party sought revenge.
“Song’er, there’s no need to say anything more to it; it’s just a beast after all,” said the Taoist in the green robe.
The demon's disdainful gaze swept over the crowd, pausing slightly as it passed Xie Shuci behind the corridor.
Xie Shuci felt a chill run down his spine and collapsed to the ground, clutching his abacus tightly. He had forgotten that this guy was a dog, with a nose even more sensitive than Xie An's.
"Go!" At the command of the Taoist in green robes, more than a dozen disciples simultaneously raised their swords and rushed towards the demon.
The shopkeeper, pale-faced, watched this scene and was so frightened by the gale-force winds whipped up by the demon's claws that he collapsed to the ground.
The demon was far too powerful, its body nimbly weaving through the flashing blades, its claws toppling disciples as if crushing ants. Its purpose was clear: it appeared before the shopkeeper with lightning speed, its claws like cold blades, slashing down at him.
Is the shopkeeper involved in this matter?
Xie Shuci felt a chill run down his spine. Although he wanted to go up and help, his strength didn't allow it. Besides, just looking at him from afar made his legs go weak, and if he went up, he wouldn't even be enough to fill the monster's teeth.
"father!"
Just then, a clear shout rang out from behind.
Everyone present was stunned. Xie Shuci felt a figure flash past his eyes. Before he could see clearly, the figure had already blocked the shopkeeper's path. As the figure flashed past, Xie An also came into view.
Xie Shuci's pupils suddenly contracted as he realized something. He turned his head sharply and saw that A Dong's small figure was protecting the shopkeeper, taking the blow head-on.
"Ah Dong!"
"Ah Dong—!"
Blood left a beautiful trail in the moonlight, and a mist of blood spread everywhere.
The small figure crashed to the ground, facing Xie Shuci's direction.
A Dong's face was completely bloodless, his pupils were unfocused, and he seemed to see Xie Shuci, who was in a panic, through the fence.
He looked confused, his pale lips moved slightly, and no one knew what he was saying, but Xie Shuci could see it clearly.
"Brother Xiaoci, why didn't you save me?"
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