CHAPTER 23: Don’t Harass Our Elder

Once that mysterious demon cultivator entered the high-rise building, the black market instantly regained its lively atmosphere.

Qi Nanfeng had wanted to gossip about who that person was, but as soon as he asked, the nearby cultivators scattered in fear, their faces screaming, “If you want to die, don’t drag me into it!”

“He’s probably one of those bloodthirsty demon lords whose name must never be spoken,” Yu Youyou speculated.

Thinking of that breathtakingly beautiful fluffy tail, she felt an itch in her heart.

So before heading back, she gritted her teeth and bought a bottle of high-grade fur-nurturing balm for demon cultivators from the neighboring Treasure Alley.

Su Yizhi, envious of Yu Youyou’s luscious hair, asked, “Is this what you use to keep your hair so thick?”

Yu Youyou, unable to explain that this product was actually made for demons to groom their tails, could only nod vaguely.

As a result, Su Yizhi, after running his fingers through his dry, yellowing hair, gritted his teeth and bought a bottle for himself as well.

Yu Youyou: “……”

Since they had sneaked out, and they still had to go to Yunhua Sword Sect tomorrow, the three of them didn’t dare linger. After selling off their stock of pills, they quickly slipped away.

Even so, they had made quite a fortune.

However, this time, Yu Youyou didn’t buy medicinal herbs. First, it wasn’t convenient to take medicinal baths while traveling. Second, it was said that pills brought into the Ancient Everlasting Forest would be eroded and rendered ineffective, making it a waste to refine and bring them along.

Early the next morning, the cultivators of Pill Cauldron Sect and Skyshield Sect, having rested, set off together for Yunhua Sword Sect.

After all, these were three of the top sects. Though Yunhua Sword Sect had gradually overshadowed the other two over the past century, they still treated their fellow sects with great respect, sending two Nascent Soul Elders and several inner sect disciples to escort them.

The visiting cultivators were arranged to stay on Azure Cloud Peak, a special guest residence.

Yu Youyou found something odd. Ever since entering Yunhua Sword Sect’s mountain gates, Elder Ma—normally quite talkative—had suddenly gone silent. He even went out of his way to hide behind the towering shield cultivators.

It didn’t take long for Yu Youyou to understand why.

Because once the formal welcoming ceremony was over, Yunhua Sword Sect’s creditor came knocking.

Elder Ma was caught red-handed, and the one grabbing him was none other than Elder Xu, who had just been all smiles moments ago.

“You finally dare to show your face! I held back out of respect for Skyshield Sect, but now you’re coming with me to explain—how do you plan to repay the spirit sword you owe me from two hundred years ago?!”

Elder Xu’s eyes were red with anger. “Because you broke my spirit sword, I was forced to withdraw from the Four Realms Tournament that year!”

Elder Ma, unbothered like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, scoffed, “What’s that got to do with me? You were the one who didn’t believe I could refine a sword and insisted on making a bet! You shoved the sword into my hands yourself—of course, I was going to refine it for you!”

Elder Xu’s voice was filled with grief, as if he were pouring out his heart’s blood in agony. “Did I tell you to refine? I told you to practice swordsmanship! I thought you were just bragging when you said you knew how to wield a sword!”

“……”

Hiding behind the door, Yu Youyou and the others listened with great interest.

After quite a while, Elder Ma returned, grumbling under his breath. Yu Youyou observed carefully—his storage pouch was gone.

It seemed that at least one of his creditors had finally shown some backbone. She actually felt a little gratified.

However, the guest courtyard where the Pill Cauldron Sect was staying did not remain peaceful for long.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, just as everyone had finished settling in, a young girl arrived at the courtyard entrance.

She was dressed in particularly elegant attire, her outfit not resembling that of a sword cultivator but more like that of a maid from a prestigious family.

The girl gave a slight curtsy and spoke politely, “Elders, Madam Yu of Immortal-Defying Peak requests your presence.”

Qi Nanfeng, unable to hold back his curiosity, blurted out, “Who is Madam Yu?”

He shot a suspicious glance toward Elder Ma, as if suspecting yet another creditor had shown up.

Elder Ma flung a shoe at him. “Don’t look at me! I don’t know her either!”

The maid frowned slightly, a hint of arrogance in her posture. “In the entire cultivation world, there is only one person who can be addressed as Madam Yu—the legitimate daughter of the Cui family and the Dao companion of the Immortal-Defying Sword Deity.”

Yu Youyou thought to herself, You probably don’t know that the Immortal-Defying Sword Deity has planted a whole field of green grass on your Madam Yu’s head. There aren’t just one or two people who could be called Madam Yu—there are at least fifty, if not a hundred.

Since Elder Ma was still sulking over losing his storage pouch and refused to go, the task fell to the good-tempered Elder Niu.

It wasn’t until dusk that Elder Niu finally returned.

Qu Qingmiao, who had been waiting for some time, stood up, a hint of concern in her expression. “Elder Niu, may I ask what that person wanted from you?”

Elder Niu glanced across the courtyard, where three figures sat with their heads tilted back, holding slices of melon in their hands, watching him expectantly. They had no intention of excusing themselves.

“Where did you get that melon?”

“We bought it in town last night.”

With a stern expression, Elder Niu took a piece of melon as well. It had been chilled in well water, making it cool and refreshing, with an excellent texture.

His mood improved slightly, and he finally began to explain.

“It was about her daughter—Yu Nianrou.”

After hearing Elder Niu’s account, everyone understood what had happened.

It turned out that the scar on Yu Nianrou’s face was not an ordinary wound but was caused by an attack from a certain exotic beast. Perhaps because the beast was too weak, neither the Pill Cauldron Sect nor the Cloudhorizon Sword Sect had noticed anything unusual at the time, and Yu Nianrou herself had not lost her sanity like Senior Brother Zhu had.

However, the scar had continued to spread, to the point that now half her face was nearly rotting away.

Despite this, Yu Nianrou still had no intention of withdrawing from the Four Realms Tournament, which led her mother to specifically seek out the elders of the Pill Cauldron Sect for treatment.

“But to cure such an injury, one must use the blood of the very same beast that inflicted it,” Elder Niu said, his brows tightly furrowed. “She herself didn’t get a clear look at the beast that attacked her—how am I supposed to help?”

A few months ago, an inner disciple surnamed Zhu had also been injured by an exotic beast. Fortunately, the other disciples had taken note of what kinds of beasts appeared at the time. Elder Ma had even made a special trip to the Everlasting Ancient Forest to capture all those beasts one by one and try different antidotes, eventually saving Zhu’s life.

But Yu Nianrou couldn’t even describe the beast that had wounded her. Were they supposed to send a group of pill cultivators to capture every exotic beast in the Everlasting Ancient Forest?

Even her father wouldn’t be able to pull that off!

At this, Qu Qingmiao frowned in confusion. “Why doesn’t the Immortal-Defying Sword Deity…”

“I don’t know. When I visited Immortal-Defying Peak, the Sword Deity was nowhere to be seen. He’s probably in seclusion.”

That was the only plausible explanation—after all, for cultivators, seclusion could last anywhere from three to five months to over a hundred years.

Yu Youyou didn’t say a word, just took another big bite of her melon.

Having read the original story, she knew exactly where Yu Bumie was right now—he was in some secret realm, “exchanging life experiences” with a certain female supporting character.

In the original text, it was mentioned in passing that Yu Nianrou had suffered an injury on her face, but she recovered quickly, and it was never described as being this severe.

Later, at the Four Realms Tournament, Yu Nianrou had stunned the audience with her beauty, and countless powerful figures had fought to arrange a marriage alliance with Yu Bumie.

Clearly, some details were starting to deviate from the original plot.

*

Early the next morning, the cultivators from Heaven’s Shield Sect arrived.

Ever since Yu Youyou had lent them spirit stones that day, the disciples of Heaven’s Shield Sect had been looking at the Pill Cauldron Sect’s group with great affection—they were just short of pulling them into sworn brotherhood.

Kuang Langsheng was holding an enormous shield, a thin layer of ice crystal covering its surface. Cold mist swirled around it, giving it a striking appearance.

It seemed he was very satisfied with the cold crystal stone.

Holding up his shield, Kuang Langsheng extended an enthusiastic invitation. “We’re planning to spar with the sword cultivators—do you want to come watch?”

Since they had nothing else to do, Yu Youyou and her two companions decided to tag along.

At the Sword Trial Peak of Cloudhorizon Sword Sect, the sword cultivators were currently practicing. From afar, dazzling sword lights flashed and clashed, making for an exhilarating spectacle.

Among them was Jiang Yuan, Yu Bumie’s disciple.

He was accompanied by more than ten sword cultivators, most of whom had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage—it looked like they were all participants in the Four Realms Tournament.

Yu Changan was among them as well. Surprisingly, he had already advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Kuang Langsheng and Jiang Yuan knew each other and exchanged polite greetings.

Then Jiang Yuan’s gaze fell on the three pill cultivators.

Kuang Langsheng helpfully introduced them. “These fellow Daoists are from the Pill Cauldron Sect, traveling with us. This is Su—”

“No need for introductions,” Jiang Yuan said, his expression dark.

He still remembered how Su Yizhi had swindled him out of half his deposit. And as for Qi Nanfeng, who was grinning beside him—Jiang Yuan could never forget him either. It was only after returning to the sect that he realized Qi Nanfeng’s so-called “Baopilong” was actually an insult.

The only unfamiliar face was the delicate and beautiful young girl standing at the edge of the group.

But to Jiang Yuan, she was no different from the other two—after all, all three of them were only at the Qi Refining stage. They might as well have had the words “weaklings” written across their faces.

Because of Yu Nianrou’s injury, he was harshly scolded by his Mistress in private and was even punished by being made to kneel and apologize to his junior sister.

Naturally, he had no goodwill toward these two people.

“Pill Cauldron Sect is sending only you three to participate in the Four Realms Tournament?” Jiang Yuan could hardly believe it.

Qi Nanfeng proudly patted his chest. “That’s right, just us.”

At this, not only Jiang Yuan but also the few sword cultivators behind him were utterly shocked.

“Ridiculous!” Jiang Yuan reprimanded angrily. “What does Pill Cauldron Sect take the reputation of the Eastern Realm for? Sending a mere three Qi Refinement disciples!”

Jiang Yuan had always been highly respected among the sword cultivators, and someone immediately chimed in, “Exactly! If Pill Cauldron Sect is so indifferent about the Four Realms Tournament, they might as well give their slots to our Yunhua Sword Sect. We still have many senior brothers who want to go but can’t!”

“Besides, alchemists can’t even slay demonic beasts. Bringing them along is just a burden.”

A few sword cultivators felt this was inappropriate and wanted to stop him, but out of respect for Jiang Yuan’s status, they could only shake their heads and remain silent.

Yu Youyou and the others looked displeased.

Each realm was allowed to send twenty-five young cultivators to the Four Realms Tournament. The other three realms each allocated five slots to medical cultivators, with the remaining twenty slots evenly divided between the two sects.

Only the Eastern Realm was an exception—Pill Cauldron Sect was only given three slots.

Ever since Yu Bumie’s astonishing debut at the Four Realms Tournament, Yunhua Sword Sect had used that as a pretext to forcibly claim two extra slots, along with the resources that came with them.

What was originally a brief moment of triumph for the protagonist in the novel had led to a century of resentment for Pill Cauldron Sect.

And now, judging by their words, they didn’t even want alchemists to participate in the tournament at all!

Yu Youyou lifted her eyelids slightly, her voice cold. “Is the Four Realms Tournament an internal event of Yunhua Sword Sect?”

“Or did you join Pill Cauldron Sect at some point and even rise to the position of elder, giving you the authority to decide whether our disciples participate or not?”

The ones who had spoken earlier wanted to argue but found themselves at a loss—because Yu Youyou was right. They had no right to interfere with Pill Cauldron Sect’s selection of participants.

Yu Youyou lazily glanced at Jiang Yuan and, in a completely irresponsible manner, threw out one last sentence before turning to leave—

“If you’re so capable, go and persuade your Mistress not to visit our sect’s elders in the middle of the night.”

The moment these words fell, the scene was dead silent for a brief moment.

“Hiss—!”

“Tsk—!”

This statement was way too suggestive!

Who was Jiang Yuan’s Mistress? The Dao companion of the Undying Sword Deity! The legendary number one beauty of the cultivation world, the legitimate daughter of the Cui family!

It was said that the Undying Sword Deity had been in seclusion for two years now. Could it be that he had been careless while in seclusion and ended up growing a pair of horns on his head?

The eyes of the surrounding sword cultivators instantly lit up, gleaming with excitement like weasels in a melon field.

Jiang Yuan and Yu Changan’s faces turned ashen.

Yet the culprit behind it all had already fled, leaving behind only this ambiguous remark—but if one were to dissect it, not a single word was false!

Last night, their Mistress really had sent a maid to invite Pill Cauldron Sect’s elders!

But since Yu Nianrou had insisted that they keep her facial injury a secret, none of the other disciples in the sect knew about her disfigurement. Thus, they couldn’t explain the truth at this moment.

Moreover, judging by the “We get it, we won’t spread it around” expressions on their fellow disciples’ faces…

No matter how much they tried to explain, no one would believe them.

—

Yu Youyou, in a great mood, went to Yunhua Sword Sect’s dining hall for a meal. Unfortunately, the food for sword cultivators was far inferior to that of alchemists—utterly bland.

It wasn’t even as tasty as fasting pills.

Yu Youyou casually popped a fasting pill into her mouth like a snack.

Su Yizhi and Qi Nanfeng both looked disgusted, but Kuang Langsheng was rather curious. “What kind of pill is that? You seem to enjoy it quite a bit.”

Yu Youyou generously handed one over. “Want to try?”

Kuang Langsheng, now fully trusting this ‘great person’ Yu Youyou, took it without hesitation, threw it into his mouth, and chewed. His eyes instantly lit up. “Delicious!”

It was strawberry-flavored.

Qi Nanfeng and Su Yizhi looked like they were about to gag.

After eating the strawberry-flavored fasting pill, Kuang Langsheng’s opinion of alchemists improved even further. He consoled the group, who had just been mocked by the sword cultivators. “You don’t have to take those sword cultivators’ words to heart. They’ve never been to the Four Realms Tournament, so they don’t understand the horrors of the Eternal Ancient Forest or the immense value of medical cultivators.”

Kuang Langsheng seemed to recall something, his gaze turning toward the distant Tonghua County, a hint of fiery excitement flickering in his eyes.

“I only came to understand this after facing life-and-death struggles myself. One cannot judge a medical cultivator’s abilities solely based on their cultivation level. I once met a healer—though weak in cultivation, their medical skills and character were truly those of a master!”

The so-called master herself popped another lychee-flavored fasting pill into her mouth. Feeling pleased by the praise, she generously handed one to Kuang Langsheng.

Sweetened by the candy-like pill, Kuang Langsheng became even more enthusiastic, his praise unabated. “If not for that master, my ten fellow disciples and I would have met a tragic fate. From that moment on, I firmly believed—studying medicine can save the cultivation world!”

Yu Youyou’s face was practically glowing from being praised.

Then, Kuang Langsheng suddenly shifted the conversation. “But enough about that master. Let’s talk about you all—do you want to prove yourselves to Yunhua Sword Sect?”

His eyes gleamed with excitement. “I just overheard our sect elders saying that in three days, to help us acclimate to the environment of the Eternal Ancient Forest, we’ll be taken to its outermost perimeter for a trial.”

“When the time comes, I’ll use my superb acting skills to pretend to be gravely injured, and you can take the opportunity to showcase your exceptional medical skills! That’ll shut those sword cultivators up for good!”

The trio: “…”

Even Qi Nanfeng couldn’t help but murmur, “Why does it feel like shield cultivators aren’t very bright?”

Did he really think all the experienced elders accompanying them would be blind and unable to tell he was faking an injury?

Yu Youyou didn’t want to dampen Kuang Langsheng’s enthusiasm, and she was curious to see what he was planning. So she played along and nodded. “Then what do we need to do to repay you for your superb acting skills?”

“Cough.” Kuang Langsheng covered his mouth and let out a light cough, lowering his voice as he pleaded with Yu Youyou in negotiation—

“Can the IOU for nine thousand spirit stones be changed to eight thousand?”