To think she would pour such strong alcohol over him just like that.
A burning, stinging pain shot through his torn flesh, spreading to every corner of his body.
His fists clenched tightly, his fingertips turning white.
Looking up, he saw the girl's serious profile as she kept her eyes cast down, and he managed to not make a single sound.
By the time the entire process was finished, Jiang Jin was drenched in cold sweat, his Daoist robe mostly soaked.
To make matters worse, Song Yao patted the crooked bow she had tied on his arm with great satisfaction and asked, “How is it? Do you feel much better?”
Jiang Jin: “...”
He didn't know if he felt better, but he felt like he was about to die.
Could he have his hundred thousand spirit stones back...
Jiang Jin took a deep breath to let the piercing pain subside. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to endure. “It's fine. But you still need to keep practicing. Otherwise, in the future when you follow me...”
“Bang!”
The courtyard door was kicked open once again. Ming Ran rushed in with two long swords on her back. “Lin Mu!”
Song Yao's heart skipped a beat, and she felt incredibly pained.
Why did everyone love to visit her courtyard, and none of them ever knocked?
If they broke her door, where would she get the money to repair it?
Besides, looking at this posture...
She couldn't be here to pick a fight, could she?
Seeing Ming Ran approach aggressively, she took two steps back, her small face wrinkling up. “Let's talk this out, let's talk this out. Don't break anything, it's very expensive...”
Before she could finish, Ming Ran fell to her knees with a thud right in front of her. When she looked up, her eyes were shining brightly, and her tone was absolutely resolute. “Please teach me! I'll recognize you as my Third Master, okay?”
Song Yao: “...”
Another lunatic.
With so many sword cultivators in the hall, she just had to find a pill cultivator of her own generation to take as a master.
And didn't Ming Ran dislike her?
Always targeting her and wanting to spar.
She really couldn't understand what was going through this young girl's head.
She silently backed away and sat down under the corridor.
Thinking Song Yao was unwilling, Ming Ran hurriedly explained, “I already have an enlightened First Master at home, and after joining the sect, I took the Second Elder as my Second Master! If you think the rank of Third Master is too low, I will immediately change it and take you as my First Master. I mean no disrespect whatsoever!”
Song Yao massaged her temples, feeling a massive headache coming on.
Beside them, Jiang Jin was even more incredulous. Ignoring his pain, he yanked Ming Ran up from the ground.
His voice was laced with shock and anger. “Junior Sister Ming, have you lost your mind? Junior Sister Lin is of the same generation as us. What kind of rule is it for you to take her as your master?”
Ming Ran brushed his hand away. “What do you know? Master Lin is different from everyone else. I've practiced swordplay for so long, yet I couldn't even block a single move of hers. Taking a master is based on strength, not generation.”
Jiang Jin choked. “You've lost to me as well. Doesn't that mean you should take me as your master too?”
Ming Ran was stunned for a moment, then cast a rather disdainful look at him. “Although I lost to you, I still managed to exchange over a dozen moves with you before that. Master Lin is different. I couldn't even see her moves clearly.”
She thought about it and said enthusiastically, “Why don't you join me and take Master Lin as your master too? If you learn from her, you'll probably progress much faster as well.”
With that, she ran back to Song Yao with quick steps. Her knees bent, about to kneel again. “Master, if you are willing to accept me, you will be an honored guest of the Ming family from now on!”
Behind her, Jiang Jin's face turned from blue to white, his brow furrowing into a tight knot.
Since when did he need to take a fellow disciple as his master?
Not to mention taking a junior sister whom he originally wanted to guide and protect as his master.
Yet, Ming Ran was telling the truth.
He had tested Ming Ran's strength. The Ming family's Seven Continents Twelve Swords was by no means an empty reputation. Even as a Golden Core cultivator, he had been dragged out for over a dozen moves before barely winning.
Yet Lin Mu had won in a single move that day.
What kind of moves had she learned?
No, he couldn't let her continue like this...
He stood up and took large strides over. Just as he was about to say something, the wooden courtyard door was pushed open once again.
The wind swept the coldness of the mountain peak across the herb garden as Xie Zhou stepped inside.
He wore a black robe, his black hair tied up meticulously with a mutton-fat jade hairpin. His eyes were cold as frost, and even the wind chimes swaying under the corridor seemed to instantly fall silent.
Ming Ran and Jiang Jin immediately ceased their bickering and bowed in unison. “Fourth Senior Brother.”
Song Yao rubbed her temples and leaned back in resignation.
Was her little courtyard some kind of wet market?
How many guests were going to visit in a single day?
Xie Zhou's gaze swept indifferently over the three of them. “You two leave first. I have something to say to Junior Sister Lin.”
Ming Ran was unwilling. She looked back at Song Yao and whispered urgently, “Master Lin, I'll come back to find you later.”
Song Yao: “...”
Jiang Jin also paused, lowering his voice to urge her, “Remember what I said. Study the medical path diligently, and don't play around with weapons anymore.”
Only after saying this did he follow Ming Ran out, even thoughtfully closing the courtyard door behind them.
Only the two of them remained in the courtyard.
They looked at each other in silence.
Song Yao resigned herself to her fate and stood up. She walked up to him and bowed properly. “What does Fourth Senior Brother want to say to me?”
Before she could finish, Xie Zhou suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His entire body swayed uncontrollably, and he fell straight toward her.
Song Yao: “!”
Caught off guard, she reached out to catch him. Weighed down, she stumbled backward and only barely managed to steady herself, catching the strong scent of blood on him.
He was injured?
Xie Zhou used her support to steady his posture. His handsome, noble face was completely devoid of color, leaving only his dark eyes still cool. His voice carried a hoarseness from blood loss. “Sit down first.”
Song Yao helped him sit down on the long bench under the corridor. When her gaze swept over his shoulder and collar, her expression froze.
It wasn't obvious on his black clothing, but a hideous, bone-deep wound extended from his collar.
The flesh was turned outward, with jagged bite marks, as if he had been brutally gnawed on by a fierce beast. Dark red blood continued to seep out, soaking his gold-embroidered black robe.
She pursed her lips. The Bishui Sword unsheathed itself and lay obediently at their feet. “I'll take you to the Ward-Off-Illness Pavilion.”
“No.”
Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on Xie Zhou's forehead. “The Sixteenth Elder is not in the pavilion. It is inconvenient for others to know about my injuries.”
Song Yao thought about it. “Then I'll go find Second Senior Sister. She will definitely have a way.”
Xie Zhou: “She should be in the forbidden area. You won't find her.”
Song Yao: “Then what should we do?”
Xie Zhou looked up at her, his long eyelashes trembling slightly. “Aren't you a medical cultivator? Help me treat my injuries.”
Song Yao: “...”
Why was it her again?
Did these people have a bit too much faith in her?
Jiang Jin's minor injuries from earlier were one thing, but this was clearly not something she could handle.
She reminded him, “I've only read eight pages of the medical books.”
Xie Zhou: “Mhm.”
Song Yao: “I haven't even recognized all the medicines.”
Xie Zhou: “Mhm.”
Song Yao: “...”
Having no other choice, she brought over the medicine box she had just used to treat Jiang Jin, preparing to make a desperate attempt.
Before she started, she suddenly felt something was off, her throat feeling slightly dry. “If it can't be known by others, why did Fourth Senior Brother come to find me?”
Xie Zhou paused, his eyes lifting slightly. “You are a personal disciple. You can be trusted.”
Song Yao's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she abruptly looked up.
Seeing the corner of his lips curl upward, he added, “The personal disciple chosen by Master... includes you.”
“...”
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