Insightful

Chen Qingqiu interrupted her, a hint of yearning showing in her usually cold eyes. “I know what you're thinking, but my going to the Earth Realm isn't entirely for others. I just want to know what it feels like to not be controlled by anyone, just like your Third Senior Sister.”

Song Yao swallowed her words along with the goose egg.

Chen Qingqiu wanted to escape Feng Qing's shackles, and leaving the Tianshu Realm was indeed a good choice.

The hardest thing in the world was taking the first step.

After spending half her life behaving and acting as a tool, she finally had something she wanted to do on her own. Even if it wasn't exactly a good thing, it was still progress.

She decisively gave up on trying to persuade her. “Then when do you plan to escape? Now?”

They were already at the border of the Tianshu Realm. To reach the Earth Realm, they only needed to cross the Black Cloud River.

Chen Qingqiu pursed her lips. “I can't leave right now.”

Song Yao asked, “Why?”

Chen Qingqiu replied, “I have a life-parasite inside me.”

“...”

Song Yao choked again. Gulping down another cup of tea, she thumped her chest and asked, “Sect Master Feng placed it?”

“Yes.”

No wonder the personal disciples of the Beiyao Sect were so fiercely loyal, without any thoughts of their own. It turned out they were controlled by parasites.

However...

This sort of thing should be considered one of the deepest secrets of a sect. Was it really appropriate for Chen Qingqiu to tell her?

She raised an eyebrow. “Aren't you afraid I'll tell Elder Feng Qing if you tell me this?”

Chen Qingqiu gripped her sleeves, biting her lower lip until a pale mark appeared. “Y-You won't tell on me. My fleeing the marriage is only beneficial to the Nine Saints Hall, not harmful.”

Song Yao chuckled softly and picked up another goose egg. The sleeves of her plain white Daoist robe slid down slightly, revealing her slender, distinct wrist bones. “That's true.”

Although she had said she would leave the Nine Saints Hall in the future, she was still currently a member, so she naturally wouldn't do anything to harm the sect.

Chen Qingqiu's expression shifted several times. The words rose to her lips but she swallowed them back down. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke in a low voice, “Besides, the reason I'm telling you this is because I want to ask for your help.”

Song Yao paused her peeling, looking up at her and shaking her head quickly. “No way, no way. I'm not helping you crash a wedding.”

A light blush spread across Chen Qingqiu's cheeks. She waved her hands in a panic, her voice laced with fluster. “N-No, it's not that... On the wedding day, guests from all over will gather, so Master will definitely be out hosting them. I've already figured out a way to sneak into the treasury. As long as I can destroy the mother parasite in the treasury, the life-parasite inside me will naturally be resolved.”

Song Yao asked, “So you want me to help you distract your master?”

“Not that either.”

Chen Qingqiu shook her head, a hint of desperate determination in her eyes. “All the immortal sects in the Tianshu Realm will be present then. I already have a way to prevent her from rushing back in time. I came to you because I want you to help me escape.”

Song Yao's cheeks bulged, a look of confusion on her face. “Help you escape? How?”

Chen Qingqiu lowered her eyes. “Once the mother parasite is destroyed, the life-parasite will backlash violently. I might suffer from a persistent high fever and convulsions, leaving me delirious for a long time. I'm afraid I'll lose control and go mad... By then, I will force myself to flee past the Beiyao Sect's borders. Can you wait for me at the back mountain of the Beiyao Sect and take me away from here?”

“...”

Song Yao raised her eyebrows again. She stood up, took two steps closer to her, and leaned in slightly. The hem of her Daoist robe dangled as her cold yet slightly childish eyes studied the other girl. “Me? Why me?”

Chen Qingqiu was a bit taller than her, yet at this moment, she was actually suppressed by her aura, feeling an instinctive urge to step back.

Barely managing to hold her ground, she looked back at her. “I have no one else I can trust.”

“You are Song Yao's junior sister. I want to trust you.”

Song Yao: “...”

Why did that sound so incredibly bizarre?

Why did she feel like she was acting as her own body double?

Holding her goose egg, she retreated and leaned against the doorframe. “I can't do that, Saintess Sister. If we're caught, I'll become a criminal. Neither Sect Master Feng nor Pavilion Master Ye will let me off.”

She shook her head with mock gravity. “Besides, I'm just a minor pill cultivator. Before I can even take you away, I'll probably be dragged back, right?”

Chen Qingqiu hurriedly took half a step forward and stuffed a stack of papers and a jade pendant into her hands. “Once I leave, everything I own will be yours. This portion is something Master doesn't know about. You... you take it first...”

Song Yao: “...Are you bribing me?”

A tear fell with a soft patter onto their overlapping hands, scalding hot.

Song Yao's voice cut off abruptly. Looking up, she saw the tear-streaked face of the beauty.

Though tears were falling, those eyes were filled with absolute determination.

She frowned slightly, suddenly feeling an indescribable sensation in her chest.

How strange.

She really was hell-bent on going to the Earth Realm to find her.

She sighed softly and pulled her hand back. “Alright, alright, I get it. But I have one condition.”

Chen Qingqiu stuffed the items back into her arms. “Name it. Any condition is fine.”

Song Yao let out a long sigh. “If you see my Eldest Senior Brother, tell him to return to the sect soon. Tell him to stop looking for Song Yao, and not to die there.”

After saying that, she added to Chen Qingqiu, “You too.”

...

Good deeds bring good karma. That saying was indeed true.

After they left the Shilan Sect, the tale of the free Qi-Replenishing Pills saving the lives of the entire Windbell Town population quickly spread throughout the Tianshu Realm.

Moreover, the rumors grew more and more outrageous as they spread, claiming that although the side effects of her pills would temporarily turn people into monsters and demons, as long as they survived it, the pills could cure a hundred ailments.

As for Song Yao herself, through the repeated praise of the Windbell Town residents and the Shilan Sect disciples, she was gradually being hailed as a living divine physician, a goddess descended from heaven.

Many people even came to her doorstep in person, wanting to purchase her Qi-Replenishing Pills.

Song Yao selectively sold a few batches to certain customers, but flatly rejected all the rest.

Looking at the mountain of visiting cards piled on the table, He Yu asked in surprise, “Why refuse? Junior Sister, aren't you always clamoring about wanting to make money?”

Basking lazily in the sun, Song Yao yawned and said, “If I sell too many, it won't seem as impressive anymore.”

He Yu came to a sudden realization. “I see!”

Listening from the side, a look of understanding and surprise flashed in the Seventh Elder's eyes.

Others might not see it, but he could see right through her.

This child only sold her pills to the poor and critically ill, adjusting the price on a whim to be just within their absolute limit of affordability.

This prevented them from easily receiving charity while still saving their lives.

And refusing everyone else was for her own protection.

With her pills being so incredibly effective, if she sold them cheaply, she would be destroying the livelihood of other pill and medical cultivators.

If she sold them on a large scale and her fame truly spread far and wide, there was no telling how many enemies she would make.

Furthermore, her pills still had drawbacks. If someone with ulterior motives decided to use them against her, it would do her more harm than good.

The current arrangement allowed her to make a tidy profit while remaining extremely low-profile, which was the most suitable approach for someone of her current cultivation level.

This little girl was far more insightful than he had imagined.

However...

His brow furrowed slightly.

An innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth. This little girl's cultivation wasn't very high, yet she possessed such a pill formula. She would likely still be targeted.