It seemed that Qin Ruqing had returned to the trial tower space.

She wasn’t entirely sure, as everything was still pitch black and the armor hadn’t reappeared.

Qin Ruqing sat cross-legged in the darkness, starting to reflect on the strange feeling she had previously.

“Am I really that indifferent?” Qin Ruqing asked herself.

Although she could be a bit selfish and self-centered, with a less-than-strong sense of morality and a willingness to go to any lengths to achieve her goals… aside from these traits, she considered herself to be a generally upright and kind-hearted person.

So, was it the effect of that blue pill?

Earlier, she had noticed that the pill given to her by the armor seemed to have a numbing effect on her nerves, which was why she wasn’t as sensitive to the pain during the lightning trial and managed to endure for twelve breaths.

Now it seemed that the pill not only numbed the pain but also dulled emotions to some extent.

As Qin Ruqing was beginning to clarify this, the surrounding environment suddenly began to change.

“Hmm? Is the next task starting right away?”

It had begun—

Qin Ruqing opened her eyes and found everything still dark, but she could clearly smell a damp and decayed odor of vegetation.

Feeling the ground, it seemed to be covered with dry leaves, which felt rough and dry to the touch.

Listening carefully, she could hear the sounds of startled birds and wild beasts.

Hmm… Is it as she feared?

Qin Ruqing stayed silent for a moment, then suddenly waved her hand in front of her eyes—she still couldn’t see anything!

Indeed! Qin Ruqing gritted her teeth in frustration, finally confirming that in the new task’s storyline—she had become a little blind!

First, a little beggar, and now a little blind person. Couldn’t they give her a normal identity?!

The little blind person fumed for a while but eventually accepted her fate.

As usual, she checked her body and noticed something unusual.

This time she seemed not entirely mortal, but not too different from one either. Qin Ruqing sensed a spiritual root but found it unusable.

Forcing spiritual energy into it caused excruciating pain in her meridians.

Alright, she couldn’t see, and her body wasn’t normal.

The little blind person resigned to her fate.

She didn’t know how long had passed when she suddenly heard the crunching sound of dry leaves being stepped on.

Someone was coming!

Qin Ruqing’s heart tensed, but she remained still and unmoving.

It seemed like someone approached her and then crouched down—though she couldn’t be sure if it was a beast.

Something touched her nose and then held her wrist to check her pulse. At this point, Qin Ruqing confirmed it was definitely a person!

A character in the storyline had appeared!

After checking her pulse for a short while, the person released her wrist and, with a cold tone, commented above her head: “The spiritual veins are sealed, and the body seems to be being eroded by some strange toxin. There is no hope.”

“What? There’s no hope left? No, please, I can be saved! Are you sure you won’t take another look?!”

Qin Ruqing screamed in her mind.

The person stood up and, as if hearing Qin Ruqing’s thoughts, took a moment before putting a pill into her mouth. Calmly, they said, “It’s up to your fate now.”

Qin Ruqing thought, “They gave me a pill? That means I’m saved! My life is as tenacious as a cockroach—I won’t die!”

The pill seemed to be working, and Qin Ruqing, still dazed, noticed that the mysterious person had not left. She could smell roasted fish.

Roasted fish with cumin! Qin Ruqing almost jumped out of her skin.

She wanted some too!

After an unknown amount of time, the person came back to check her pulse again.

Qin Ruqing, still blind, couldn’t see their expression but listened intently for their diagnosis.

However, the person said nothing this time.

Hey, you’re not going to tell me about my condition?

Qin Ruqing, still in the dark, remembered she wasn’t mute—she could speak.

Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Um…”

Starting with a good impression should be fine.

There was a pause, and then a somewhat amused voice said, “I didn’t save you, nor did I intend to take responsibility for you.”

“But I felt you gave me a pill earlier. That means you saved me!” Qin Ruqing insisted.

“That pill is insignificant. I merely gave it to you on a whim, hoping it might help since you were poisoned,” the person said.

No matter how they put it, Qin Ruqing stubbornly insisted that they had saved her. Her persistence wore down the mysterious person, who eventually relented.

“Fine, if you want to follow me, you may. But be warned, I’m just a wandering cultivator with some knowledge of alchemy. I can’t guarantee I’ll cure you.”

Qin Ruqing immediately praised them, bowing deeply, “I don’t expect a full recovery. I only wish to stay by your side to repay your kindness with that one pill!”

So, Qin Ruqing began to follow the mysterious cultivator.

The cultivator, indeed a wanderer, was active around this area, collecting herbs in the dense forest. They had a small hut at the foot of the mountain where Qin Ruqing stayed, helping with cleaning and other chores.

It wasn’t clear if the mysterious alchemist’s skills weren’t as bad as they claimed or if it was just a plot necessity, but the poison that had invaded Qin Ruqing’s brain hadn’t caused her to die.

Instead, her condition was improving day by day, and she could even vaguely make out some figures with her eyes now.

Qin Ruqing had not forgotten her task. During the days spent with the mysterious alchemist, she had been observing him closely.

His daily routine involved gathering herbs and refining pills.

Part of the pills he made were used for his own cultivation, and the rest were sold in the pill shop to exchange for cultivation resources.

The rest of his time was spent either cultivating or researching alchemical formulas—he was indeed a very typical alchemist.

However, Qin Ruqing had noticed something unusual.

She had seen him several times selling newly developed alchemical formulas to the prominent families in the city.

Developing new formulas wasn’t something that could be done easily, and he must have had talent.

If so, why not seek the support of a prominent family and become a family alchemist with his skills?

This wasn’t a matter of Qin Ruqing’s narrow-mindedness but rather her understanding of how difficult it was to be a wandering alchemist.

Essentially, they had no status, no resources, and no protection. Being a civilian in a family’s domain would at least provide a place to settle down.

Wandering alchemists like the mysterious man had nothing.

A few years had passed in the storyline. Although Qin Ruqing’s spiritual veins were still sealed, the pain had subsided, and she could see outlines.

The mysterious alchemist said that once she used the last dose of medicine and applied acupuncture, her eyes would be completely healed.

Today was the day for the final acupuncture.

After administering the last needle, the mysterious alchemist said, “Open your eyes.”

Qin Ruqing opened her eyes. Upon seeing the appearance of the mysterious alchemist, she fell backward in shock, collapsing to the ground.

—Heavens, the mysterious man in this illusion looks exactly like the Ancestor!!!

The mysterious man, or rather, the Ancestor, saw her collapse and instead laughed, “What’s wrong? Is my appearance so frightening?”

Qin Ruqing took a deep breath and shook her head as she sat up again, “It’s not frightening. It’s just… you seem familiar.”

With the Ancestor present, how could she not feel a sense of familiarity?

The mysterious man, resembling the Ancestor, seemed to have a great interest in curing her poison after her eyesight was restored.

His main task shifted from researching pills to finding a way to detoxify her.

The mysterious man occasionally asked Qin Ruqing for a drop or two of blood, spending days and nights researching as if he were burning the midnight oil.

At those times, Qin Ruqing remained silent.

Another significant plot twist occurred when they went to the treasure pavilion to search for spiritual herbs, which were the main ingredients for creating the antidote for Qin Ruqing’s poison.

These herbs were extremely rare.

While they were on the third floor of the treasure pavilion, they encountered an “old friend” of the mysterious man.

The “old friend” opened with, “You’re still alive!”

Well, it seemed this wasn’t an old friend but an old enemy.

The mysterious man, showing indifference, pulled Qin Ruqing away, giving up the precious spiritual herbs that were almost within reach.

As they descended, Qin Ruqing vaguely heard the person behind shout:

“How’s your research on those poisonous and evil techniques coming along…”

Back at their residence, the mysterious man didn’t explain what had just happened.

He merely said calmly, “I’ll find a way to get that spiritual herb back for you.”

Qin Ruqing simply nodded and didn’t ask further.

She had her own insights.

Some things didn’t need to be explained; she could discern them on her own.

The person they encountered in the treasure pavilion, judging by his attire and the fact that even the pavilion’s master had to attend to him, clearly came from a prominent family.

Since he and the mysterious man seemed to be old acquaintances, it could be inferred that the mysterious man might have once belonged to a family, rather than being a wandering alchemist.

This could explain why the mysterious man, despite his impressive alchemical skills, was unwilling to join a family as an ordinary alchemist.

If he had once been a core member of a family and bore a grudge, how could he be content to be just an alchemist?

Qin Ruqing thought, “So, the mysterious person might be someone cast out by their family, working tirelessly to clear their name and return.”

The mysterious person managed to retrieve the spirit herbs from the treasure vault, and now had all the materials needed to make the detoxifying pill.

Their excitement was palpable, like a scholar who has spent years preparing for a crucial moment.

The mysterious person meticulously prepared the pill in front of Qin Ruqing, who felt uneasy seeing such frenzied behavior from someone who was usually composed and serene.

When the pill was finally ready, the mysterious person excitedly handed it to Qin Ruqing, saying, “It’s finally done! Take this, and your poison will be cured!”

Qin Ruqing received the pill but did not immediately take it. Instead, she smelled it and then calmly remarked, “What kind of pill needs my blood?”

The mysterious person’s expression changed drastically. “You knew all along!”

Qin Ruqing smiled slightly.

Despite her lack of interest and talent for alchemy, she had been trained in it by her family, a renowned alchemy house.

She knew this wasn’t a regular detox pill but one designed to dissolve her flesh for the mysterious person to use as a source of nourishment.

“Yes, I noticed early on. I’ve been watching to see if you would act. After all, we’ve been together for ten years.”

The mysterious person laughed maniacally, “Ten years? For the sake of showing those people my worth, I wouldn’t hesitate for twenty or thirty years!”

They continued, “You’re merely my experimental subject. Once I use your flesh and blood to make a precious pill, I’ll return to my family and no one will look down on me!”

“You understand too late. Even if you don’t die, you won’t be able to restore your spiritual veins and cultivate, leaving you as nothing more than a mortal.”

Before the mysterious person could finish their sentence, their face stiffened in disbelief as Qin Ruqing’s sword pierced their chest.

Qin Ruqing said calmly, “Who said my spiritual veins couldn’t be restored? In fact, they’ve just been restored.”

The mysterious person tried to speak but couldn’t make a sound.

Qin Ruqing continued, “Oh, you thought a bit of spiritual energy couldn’t harm you? This sword is enhanced by the rules, and even a small amount of energy can break your defenses.”

She added with a smirk, “And honestly, seeing you act so madly with this face is just unsettling. My ancestor would never act like this!”

Qin Ruqing withdrew the sword, and the mysterious person’s body slumped to the ground.

Qin Ruqing reflected, “When did I sense something was wrong? It wasn’t too early. The mysterious person seemed convincing at first, and their face naturally made me feel connected to them.”

She had started to suspect when she sensed the trial tower’s sword, signaling the appearance of her target.

This illusion, though, made her wonder why the mysterious person’s face was that of her ancestor. Was her subconscious mind associating the ancestor with deception?

Standing still for a moment, Qin Ruqing smiled and sheathed the sword.

“Whether I’m to kill or follow the plot, or face a moral test, it’s fine. But don’t ask me about this—about my family or the ancestor. I’ve already made up my mind.”

She concluded, “The fear isn’t being used but lacking the value to be used. In this world, securing eternal benefit is easier and more stable than seeking eternal affection.”

Qin Ruqing then asked, “I understand the trial tower’s task now. So, who should I kill next?”