The history between the Medical Hall and the Hulü family is quite long and complicated.

The current master of the Medical Hall, Ming De Yi, and the head of the Hulü family, Hulü Xing, were once disciples of the same sect, joining one after the other. At that time, they were still young and shared everything, growing close naturally.

Unfortunately, as time passed, the gap between their identities and statuses became more apparent. Coupled with intentional instigation from others, the two gradually grew distant.

Especially when Hulü Xing found out that Ming De Yi had been a street thief taken in by their master during his travels, Hulü Xing’s disdain for Ming De Yi reached its peak.

To Hulü Xing, who came from a prestigious family, the days he spent being close with Ming De Yi were a stain on his life. Every time someone teased him about Ming De Yi, he wished he had never known him.

But for Ming De Yi, who had been abandoned by his parents as a child and had grown up begging on the streets, those days of friendship with Hulü Xing were the warmest moments of his life. Even though Hulü Xing now despised him, Ming De Yi never held any grudge.

That is, until one day, when a theft occurred in the sect. Hulü Xing did not hesitate to point the finger at Ming De Yi, leading everyone else to follow suit.

At that moment, all the bitterness and resentment Ming De Yi had buried deep inside him exploded. He fought with Hulü Xing, both of them ending up severely injured, and Ming De Yi was ultimately expelled from the sect by their master.

Over twenty years later, when they met again, Hulü Xing had already become the famed heir of the Hulü family in the cultivation world, while Ming De Yi had become the master of the Medical Hall.

For over twenty years, they had avoided each other, like water in separate wells, never crossing paths. If it weren’t for that particular matter, they might never have had any dealings for the rest of their lives.

Thinking of that matter, Ming De Yi sneered to himself.

Who could have imagined that the upright, righteous, and widely admired Hulü Xing was actually such a cruel and heartless person?

But the one truly pitiful was that ill-fated child.

What was his name again?

Oh right, Hulü Yan.

Ming De Yi wondered if Wei Sheng and the others had caught the child yet.

Straightening his clothes and masking his expression, Ming De Yi donned a fake polite smile and stepped into the grand hall, illuminated by dozens of bright pearls.

Everyone in the hall was a figure of status in the cultivation world, yet not one of them even glanced at Ming De Yi, as if they hadn’t noticed his presence at all.

With their cultivation levels, how could they not have sensed Ming De Yi’s arrival?

They were clearly choosing to ignore him.

Ming De Yi knew full well that these people looked down on him for coming from the Medical Hall. He had no intention of forcing himself on them, knowing it would be a waste of effort. So, he found a seat far from the crowd and sat down.

After signaling a maid to pour him a cup of hot tea, the light in front of him suddenly dimmed. Turning his head, he found himself staring directly into Hulü Xing’s calm, yet condescending gaze.

Hulü Xing, always mindful of appearances, had dressed impeccably even in such urgent circumstances.

Although time had not left too many marks on Hulü Xing’s face, Ming De Yi knew that Hulü Xing had changed a lot over the years. At least now, he was much better at hiding his true feelings and didn’t display his disgust so openly.

“Master Ming, what brings you here?” Hulü Xing’s smile was polite, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “If I recall correctly, my son’s birthday celebration did not include an invitation for you.”

Ming De Yi took a sip of his tea, then set the cup down with a chuckle. “Head of the Hulü family, you’re mistaken. It’s true that your family didn’t send an invitation to the Medical Hall, but you also didn’t say that members of the Medical Hall couldn’t attend with others.”

Hulü Xing’s face darkened, his voice lowering. “I gave you what you wanted. What more do you want?”

“I don’t want anything, really. Just here to join in the festivities,” Ming De Yi maintained his false smile. “Head of the Hulü family, we were once fellow disciples. Are you really that unwelcoming?”

Bringing up the past made Hulü Xing’s carefully controlled face twitch with rage, though he quickly hid it.

“You were expelled from the sect by our master. How dare you speak of our past connection?” Hulü Xing grabbed Ming De Yi by the throat, his fingers digging so hard into Ming De Yi’s neck that his nails nearly pierced his skin.

Ming De Yi didn’t seem to feel the pain and kept smiling.

Hulü Xing gritted his teeth. “Don’t forget who gave you that voice!”

Ming De Yi’s eyes sparkled with mockery. “And don’t you forget how that poor child’s mother died.”

At those words, Hulü Xing froze. His face paled, his lips trembled, and his grip on Ming De Yi’s neck slackened.

Ming De Yi massaged his neck, moving it slightly. In just those few moments, blood marks and bruises had appeared on both sides of his neck.

It was clear how much force Hulü Xing had used, likely with intent to kill.

But Ming De Yi didn’t care. His relationship with Hulü Xing was merely for show. If the Medical Hall hadn’t been too weak to challenge the Hulü family, Ming De Yi would have long ago turned Hulü Xing into one of his dried-up puppet corpses.

Taking another sip of tea to soothe his throat, Ming De Yi rasped, “Head of the Hulü family, rest assured. Everything I’ve done will stay buried with me. Besides, with Lord Lin’s assurance, I wouldn’t dare betray his trust.”

Hulü Xing took a deep breath, about to speak, but Ming De Yi continued, “But let me remind you, head of the Hulü family, even a rabbit will bite when cornered. I am still very much alive. My only gripe is that the Medical Hall, though part of your righteous sects, has always been ostracized by you. I’m merely using this opportunity to try and build some alliances. Surely you can give the Medical Hall a chance, especially considering how I’ve cleared obstacles for you.”

Hulü Xing stared at Ming De Yi coldly for a long moment before suddenly smirking. “Very well. Since things have come to this, I’ll give you a chance.”

Pausing, he added meaningfully, “But let me be clear, Master Ming—don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

Ming De Yi laughed. “Of course.”

With a cold snort, Hulü Xing flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.

The moment he turned, his face shifted back to a gentle and kind smile, becoming once again the graceful head of the Hulü family in everyone’s eyes, as if his previous cold demeanor toward Ming De Yi had never happened.

Ming De Yi lowered his eyes, hiding the schemes flashing in them.

All these years, he had never bothered to curry favor with other sects or families. Why would he suddenly change his mind now?

There was a reason he had gone to such lengths to follow Lord Lin of the Tai Sheng Sect to the Immortal Valley.

Currently, only the Medical Hall knew about the child’s special constitution as a living elixir, but secrets never stay hidden forever. Eventually, this secret would be exposed.

Ming De Yi didn’t expect to keep it hidden forever. He just wanted to drain all the child’s value before others found out.

His real purpose for coming here was to gather information. If anyone had discovered something, he would be able to take advantage of the situation and buy time for Wei Sheng and the others.

But speaking of that, what was the commotion coming from Jiu Yao County?

Aside from Hulü Xing, who had reached the mid-stage Nascent Soul level, there were seven or eight early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall. They could sense the strange disturbance from Jiu Yao County more clearly than the others, who were still in the Golden Core stage.

It was as if an extremely powerful energy was brewing and gathering.

The ripples of that energy spread through the night air like waves, even reaching the Immortal Valley where they were.

And the key point was—

The Immortal Valley was thousands of miles away from Jiu Yao County.

Moreover, there was no spiritual power involved in this energy.

“It can’t be someone breaking through to the Tribulation stage,” someone immediately dismissed the suggestion. “When a cultivator breaks through to the Tribulation stage, it immediately triggers a lightning tribulation. The immense energy would cause large-scale storms and lightning strikes, and it would have disrupted the balance of spiritual energy everywhere. There’s no way we wouldn’t have noticed something this big earlier.”

“True,” someone else agreed. “Did you notice? That energy fluctuation disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Less than half an hour has passed, and everything is calm again. It doesn’t seem like the work of some powerful cultivator.”

Hulü Xing, standing at the front of the group, was silent for a moment before asking in a gentle tone, “Did any of you sense any spiritual energy fluctuation?”

One person shook their head. “No.”

The others followed suit, shaking their heads as well.

Hulü Xing furrowed his brows, his expression growing serious. “No matter what, this isn’t a good sign. I’ve already sent people to investigate. Once we have news, I will inform everyone. In the meantime, I ask that you all remain here for a little longer, just in case.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Though they didn’t show it, there was an unspoken understanding between them—no one was getting a good night’s sleep tonight.

All the Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the cultivation world were gathered in this hall. If there was an unknown Nascent Soul cultivator out there breaking through to the Tribulation stage, it could cause a massive upheaval in the entire cultivation world.

A powerful, unaffiliated cultivator would be fought over by all the sects and families. The chaos that would ensue would be terrifying to imagine.

Just the thought of it sent chills down the spines of everyone in the hall.

Ming De Yi was also pondering this matter. He knew more about Jiu Yao County than everyone else combined. After listening to their discussions, he quickly reviewed all the major events that had occurred in and around Jiu Yao County in recent years.

The conclusion was—

Lots of small events, but nothing major.

Jiu Yao County was remote, not only far from picturesque places like the Immortal Valley but also separated from the bustling Capital City by a vast wilderness. There were few nearby villages or towns, and the permanent population was sparse. Anyone with even a bit of talent for cultivation had already left for better opportunities elsewhere. Who could be causing such a disturbance?

Could it be someone from another place heading that way?

This sudden thought made Ming De Yi pause. He glanced at Hulü Xing, who was still conversing with others, and subtly straightened in his seat.

Wait—

Could it be…?

No one in the hall noticed Ming De Yi’s departure, except for Hulü Xing. But Hulü Xing didn’t think much of it, assuming that Ming De Yi had left in embarrassment after being ignored by the others.

Ming De Yi returned to his residence in the Immortal Valley as quickly as possible. After setting up a barrier around the house, he hurried inside.

In fact, he had already received a message from Wei Sheng while on the flying ship, but Lord Lin had been present at the time. Ming De Yi had feared raising Lord Lin’s suspicions, so he had refrained from contacting Wei Sheng.

Of course, leaving the hall early might still raise Lord Lin’s suspicions, but Ming De Yi couldn’t afford to worry about that now.

He pulled out a transmission talisman and crushed it in his hand.

After waiting for a long time, there was still no response from Wei Sheng.

Frowning, Ming De Yi used several more transmission talismans, adding extra spiritual power to them. Yet all of his messages disappeared into the void.

Now Ming De Yi knew something was wrong. He took out a magical artifact similar to a glowing pearl from his Hundreds Treasure Pouch, holding it in his palm as he channeled spiritual energy into it.

In the next moment, his face turned pale.

Wei Sheng… was dead?

##

Mi Lu opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Hulü Yan’s face, mere inches away.

Damn it! Mi Lu cursed silently. Did he enter another reincarnation?

He was exhausted.

He really didn’t want to reincarnate anymore.

Mi Lu’s eyes stung, and he felt like crying.

But then he realized something—wait, wasn’t he in his soul form? Could Hulü Yan see him now?

Mi Lu instinctively tried to sit up, but as soon as he moved his limbs, a sharp pain shot through his entire body—his hands, feet, and body, everything hurt.

Author’s Note:

Before meeting Hulü Yan: This terrifying energy, this frightening disturbance—this person is surely a powerful existence who will stir up a storm in the future!

After meeting Hulü Yan: …

Before getting beaten up by Hulü Yan: That’s it? That’s it?

After getting beaten up by Hulü Yan: Help! Save me! Save me!