CHAPTER 3: You Stepped on My Tail!

After swaying on the ox cart for half an hour, Yu Youyou finally arrived outside Pill Cauldron Sect’s mountain gate.

Just as Qi Nanfeng had said, there were many sick people hoping to obtain medicine on the sect’s annual open-gate day. Some had even traveled from other counties in the Eastern Region.

At the break of dawn, thousands had already gathered at the entrance. All the good spots were taken—even the trees were packed with people.

Yu Youyou had no way to squeeze in.

Ahead, two people were arguing over a spot.

“Move! I came last night to claim this place!”

“I got here yesterday morning! I just left to use the latrine, and you took my spot!”

“Oh yeah? There isn’t even a latrine around here! You’re telling me you just took a dump in front of the sect’s gates?!”

“…”

Yu Youyou warily glanced at the ground, deciding to steer clear of that area.

At that moment, someone suddenly noticed her.

Qi Nanfeng called out, “Hey! Little Yu?”

He didn’t actually know Yu Youyou’s name—he had only heard Aunt Hua call her “Yu girl” once, so he made up a nickname.

Although she had scammed two taels from him ten days ago, seeing that she had actually taken his advice and come, Qi Nanfeng was in a good mood.

With a loud voice, he ordered his attendant to lead Yu Youyou over.

With some help, Yu Youyou finally managed to squeeze to the front.

She glanced around and was surprised by how close this spot was to the entrance. “Did you come yesterday to reserve this place?”

Qi Nanfeng shook his head. “No, I just arrived.”

“Then how did you get such a good spot?”

Qi Nanfeng looked puzzled. “Did I need to fight for it? I just took out a five-hundred tael banknote, and a kind person gave it to me.”

Yu Youyou: “…Being rich must be nice.”

Qi Nanfeng generously pointed to the soft blanket on the ground. “Once the gates open, I’ll be heading inside for the examination. You can have this spot. Just remember to act frail, kneel sincerely, and make the pill cultivators pity you.”

Yu Youyou: “I don’t need to act.”

She wasn’t here to beg for pity—she was here to take the entrance examination.

Qi Nanfeng gave her a once-over and sympathized, “True, you already look seriously ill. You don’t even need to pretend.”

Yu Youyou: “…”

As daylight fully broke, the mist shrouding Pill Cauldron Sect’s mountain gate began to dissipate.

A flurry of blue and white robes fluttered through the air as dozens of figures appeared, stepping into the morning light.

They were disciples of Pill Cauldron Sect!

The once-noisy crowd instantly fell silent. No one commanded them to kneel, yet one by one, they all dropped to their knees, their sincerity apparent.

Qi Nanfeng remained seated on his blanket. Yu Youyou also stayed standing—because she was so short, no one even noticed her.

Leading the group was a tall young female cultivator with sharp, slanted brows extending into her temples. Her expression was cold yet valiant.

Without shifting her gaze, she spoke in an indifferent tone, “Entrance exam candidates, step forward.”

Among the dense crowd kneeling on the ground, several hundred young boys and girls stood up.

The young female cultivator continued, “Those aged ten to fifteen, follow me inside.”

Some who didn’t meet the age requirement attempted to slip in unnoticed, but they were all stopped.

The mountain gate was reinforced with a formation that restricted bone age—those who didn’t qualify simply couldn’t enter.

Upon stepping past the mountain gate, the young children were visibly nervous. The Pill Cauldron Sect’s entrance examination varied each year, and no one knew what challenges awaited them.

The young female cultivator walked ahead without looking back. “My name is Qu Qingmiao. I am in charge of your examination this time. Many of you have traveled great distances, so to be fair, you will be given a night to rest. The formal entrance exam will begin tomorrow at Chen Hour. For now, I will take you to the guest quarters.”

Yu Youyou thought the Pill Cauldron Sect was surprisingly considerate.

At that moment, someone couldn’t help but ask, “What about those people still kneeling outside?”

Wow, someone actually dared to interrupt a senior cultivator.

Yu Youyou turned to look—it was Qi Nanfeng again.

Qu Qingmiao cast him a light glance. A nearby Pill Cultivator whispered, “He’s the young master of the Qi family.”

Judging by his tone, it seemed the Qi family held some influence within the Pill Cauldron Sect.

Unfortunately, Qu Qingmiao showed no intention of giving Qi Nanfeng any special treatment and ignored him completely.

The Pill Cultivator could only smile bitterly as he answered Qi Nanfeng, “A healer’s heart is compassionate. The junior disciples outside have remained at the mountain gate to provide aid to the best of their ability.”

Qi Nanfeng wasn’t satisfied and was about to keep talking. “I have a friend who’s on the brink of death…”

As he spoke, he suddenly locked eyes with a pair of deep black ones.

Startled, Qi Nanfeng jumped. “How did you sneak in?!”

Yu Youyou sighed helplessly. “I’ve been behind you the whole time.”

Qi Nanfeng studied her for a moment before coming to a quick conclusion. “I see—it must be because you’re too short, so I didn’t notice you.”

Yu Youyou had no interest in arguing about height since that was a debate she simply couldn’t win.

The guest quarters were located on one of the outer peaks of the Pill Cauldron Sect and were used to accommodate visitors from outside the sect.

The mountain path was quiet, winding, and steep, covered in slick, damp moss.

This was absolute torture for Yu Youyou. She struggled against the growing waves of dizziness, forcing herself to keep climbing. Despite her best efforts, she gradually fell to the back of the group.

Qi Nanfeng, however, wasn’t finished with his questions. “But weren’t you here to ask for a pill? Why are you taking the entrance exam now? Everyone here either comes from a family of healers or has studied medicine for years. Do you even recognize herbs?”

“It’s better to rely on yourself than beg from others.” Yu Youyou leaned on her wooden staff, panting heavily before continuing, “Besides, have you ever heard the saying ‘A long illness makes a doctor’? I’ve been sick since childhood, so I started learning medicine early on.”

Qi Nanfeng felt like something was off with her words, but he couldn’t find a way to refute them.

He quickly accepted her explanation and cheerfully walked ahead. “Still, I didn’t expect you to be within the age limit. I thought you weren’t even ten yet.”

Because of her frail health and the fact that Granny Zhang often fed her only leftovers, Yu Youyou was small and underdeveloped. No one could have guessed she was already thirteen.

The two continued their conversation, but Yu Youyou’s steps grew increasingly sluggish.

For some reason, the mountain path before her blurred. Worse still, a sudden, inexplicable pain surged through her body, nearly making her collapse.

It felt like countless needles were stabbing into her, and the agony spread to her organs, as if savage beasts were gnawing at her flesh.

This feeling…

The bloodline backlash was triggering early!

Yu Youyou barely managed to steady herself to avoid tumbling down the steep path. She slowly crouched down and slumped onto the stone steps.

Qi Nanfeng, noticing the silence behind him, turned around and saw Yu Youyou already sitting on the ground.

Her head was lowered, making it difficult to read her expression. Puzzled, Qi Nanfeng walked over. “What’s wrong with you?”

Yu Youyou clenched her teeth against the pain, unable to respond. As the agony intensified, she shakily reached for her painkillers.

Before she could take them, Qi Nanfeng squatted beside her. “Your face doesn’t look good. Are you too tired? Should I rest here with you?”

For some reason, Yu Youyou’s hands trembled even more violently as she reached for her medicine.

Qi Nanfeng shifted uncomfortably but, too focused on worrying about her, didn’t pay it much attention. “Say something. What’s wrong?”

Yu Youyou’s eyes reddened as she gritted her teeth and squeezed out a few words.

“You’re stepping on my tail.”

“…Tail?”

Qi Nanfeng was so startled he nearly jumped.

He had heard rumors back on West Street that Yu Youyou was from the demon race. However, having grown up well-traveled and with his family even engaging in trade with demons, he hadn’t been particularly surprised.

Now, he sprang away in a hurry, wanting to check if he had injured her tail, but he hesitated, unsure if it would be appropriate.

After all, he was just a twelve- or thirteen-year-old kid himself. Flustered, Qi Nanfeng didn’t know what to do. “I heard… I heard that some demons’ tails are their vital weakness. Did I just step on yours?!”

Looking down, he suddenly noticed something even more alarming—Yu Youyou’s skin had started oozing blood. It was a terrifying sight.

“Oh no! You’re bleeding! I must have seriously hurt you!”

Yu Youyou had no strength left to argue with him. Her entire body felt powerless—she couldn’t even unscrew the lid of her medicine bottle.

This month’s bloodline backlash had arrived two days early!

She originally planned to ask Qi Nanfeng to help open the bottle, but before she could say anything, he ignored everything else and hoisted her onto his shoulder.

His desperate cries for help echoed through the entire mountain path.

“Help! Fairy Qu, save her!”

He tried to wipe his tears, but when he looked down, his hand was smeared red. Only then did he realize—Yu Youyou’s blood had trickled down, soaking his hand.

Qi Nanfeng cried even harder.

“Help! I don’t want to kill anyone!”

…

Qu Qingmiao turned around and was met with this terrifying scene.

She frowned and was just about to step forward to take a closer look when several dazzling sword lights suddenly flashed overhead, then shot straight toward them.

No one in Pill Cauldron Sect used swords—outsiders had taken advantage of the sect’s grand formation being open and forced their way in!

Qu Qingmiao swiftly expanded her spiritual power shield, protecting the group of children behind her who had yet to cultivate.

The sword light dimmed, and several young men in cyan robes landed on the ground, looking somewhat disheveled.

Qu Qingmiao frowned and coldly warned, “Fellow Daoists, forcing your way in while our grand formation is open—isn’t that a bit too disrespectful to Pill Cauldron Sect?”

“Wonderful, it turns out to be Daoist Qingmiao!”

A young sword cultivator quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands, his face lighting up with surprise. “I am Jiang Yuan, a disciple of Yunhua Sword Sect. My fellow disciples and I came to Tonghua County for training, but we were injured and had no choice but to break into your sect for help!”

Among the Pill Cauldron Sect disciples, someone let out a gasp.

“That’s Jiang Yuan! The chief disciple of Yunhua Sword Sect!”

“He’s the disciple of the Undying Sword God?”

Yunhua Sword Sect was the protagonist’s sect in the original story, naturally carrying Long Aotian’s protagonist aura. Ever since the male lead, Yu Bumie, reached the Nascent Soul stage ten years ago, Yunhua Sword Sect had firmly held its position as the number one sect in the Eastern Region, and he himself was revered as the Undying Sword God.

As the chief disciple of the male lead, Jiang Yuan was no ordinary figure. He had reached the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of twenty and was widely renowned among the younger generation.

As a fellow major sect of the Eastern Region, Pill Cauldron Sect had frequent interactions with Yunhua Sword Sect. Moreover, since Jiang Yuan and his group had only landed in the guest courtyard and had not trespassed onto the main peak, Qu Qingmiao refrained from taking action.

She instructed the disciples behind her, “Junior Brother Zhou, check on them.”

With that, she turned to head toward Qi Nanfeng, who was still sobbing. It was obvious that the injuries on that side were far more severe.

However, Jiang Yuan suddenly blocked her path with his sword.

“Daoist Qingmiao is the chief senior sister of Pill Cauldron Sect. I trust only your medical skills,” Jiang Yuan said politely. Seeing Qu Qingmiao’s face darken, he quickly added, “My junior sister is our master’s only beloved daughter and the treasure of Yunhua Sword Sect. I ask you to personally treat her injuries with utmost care.”

The injured person was Yu Bumie’s daughter?

Upon hearing this, even Qu Qingmiao had to pause, not to mention the other alchemists.

Yu Bumie’s dragon-phoenix twins were well-known throughout the cultivation world. They had reached the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of thirteen—while ordinary children of that age were still struggling to guide spiritual energy into their bodies!

More importantly, Yu Bumie was fiercely protective of his children. It was said that someone had once accidentally injured his daughter’s hand, and he later went to that person’s clan and severed the hands of dozens of people in retaliation.

Jiang Yuan stepped aside, finally revealing the twin siblings standing behind him.

The younger brother, Yu Changan, was refined and upright, while the elder sister, Yu Nianrou, was stunningly beautiful. Despite their young age, both carried an innate arrogance and nobility that made others hesitant to meet their gaze.

Especially the girl in the center, carefully guarded by the sword cultivators. From head to toe, she was adorned with luxurious enchanted artifacts, shimmering with a dazzling radiance. The combined wealth of the heads of several mid-tier sects probably couldn’t compare to what she was wearing.

However, Yu Nianrou’s face was covered with a light veil, revealing only a pair of slightly swollen eyes.

Jiang Yuan carefully lifted the veil for Qu Qingmiao to see. “The injury is on her cheek. A female cultivator’s face is of utmost importance. My junior sister has already been heartbroken the entire journey here.”

Yu Changan also stepped forward. “My sister fears pain the most. I ask Daoist Qu to assist her.”

Qu Qingmiao looked at the small, inch-long wound, and her expression gradually darkened.

Compared to the little girl Qi Nanfeng was carrying, was this even an injury?

Thank goodness they arrived quickly.

If they had come any later, the wound would’ve already healed on its own, damn it!

….

Qi Nanfeng really wanted to curse.

Though he couldn’t see, he could still sense the increasingly heavy scent of blood behind him, and Yu Youyou’s body was slowly slipping lower and lower.

She was dying.

Qi Nanfeng had seen many dead people, but he had never before watched someone slowly fade away right in front of him.

Qu Qingmiao was being held up, so he could only frantically turn to the other alchemists for help.

But they were helpless as well.

“We’re just newly admitted outer disciples; our skills are nowhere near Senior Sister Qu’s.”

“The inner disciples are all busy refining pills. We can’t disturb them lightly, and the inner sect is far away. It would take at least half a stick of incense to get there—this little girl probably won’t last that long.”

“This strange affliction came on too fast and too fiercely. Besides, I think she’s already stopped breathing?”

Stopped breathing?

Qi Nanfeng dazedly adjusted Yu Youyou, who had slipped to the ground, and placed his hand under her nose. But his hands were trembling so badly that he couldn’t tell.

He wiped his snot away and felt utterly miserable. “I killed you. I won’t take the entrance exam anymore—I’ll go back and prepare your coffin right now…”

“Oh, right, do you not know? My family runs a coffin shop. In all of the Eastern Region, we have the most coffins. I’ll pick the best one for you, just don’t come back to haunt me…”

As he tearfully confessed his guilt, he suddenly noticed Yu Youyou’s mouth was slowly chewing on something.

Recalling the full bag of steamed buns he had seen on her back and remembering the bowl of noodles Aunt Hua had given her earlier, Qi Nanfeng had an epiphany. He understood.

“I get it. You’ve been hungry your whole life. You don’t want to be a starving ghost—you want to eat your fill before you go.”

He fumbled through Yu Youyou’s bundle and grabbed a steamed bun, already soaked in blood. He didn’t mind—it wasn’t for him, anyway.

Qi Nanfeng used all his strength to stuff the entire bun into Yu Youyou’s mouth.

Tears streamed down his face.

“Eat! Eat more! Is one enough? If not, there’s more!”

Just as she had finally mustered enough energy to swallow a painkiller and was starting to recover, Yu Youyou was suddenly force-fed an entire bun.

“…Mmph!”

Help! She’s really going to die this time!