Standing before a pile of five unconscious cultivators, Liu Xing felt a strange sense of refreshment, like the satisfying exhaustion after a good workout. But he also wondered what to do with these men. Obviously, he wouldn't kill them. It was a decision he had made near Qing Yuan's house, and one that made him regret how long he'd taken to make it. If he had been just a little faster, he could have prevented Fang Ruxue's injuries. At a glance, his reason for not killing them seemed naive. Even now, a part of him still argues for it. However, after thinking it through, he concluded that killing them was not the optimal solution. Sure, it would be quick, but he thought he could use these men for something. After all, he had a total of twenty cultivators from the Qing Clan. It was a significant number for a clan of their size. Of course, he also couldn't deny that the decision came from his conscience.

As for how he would use them, he decided he would wait until his gun, his stone turtle, Qing Yuan, her mother, and his captives finally arrived. The thought made him uneasy, like a buzzing in his stomach, but he chose to ignore it and deal with matters one step at a time.

"They should be passed out for a while," Liu Xing muttered as he observed the five of them. They were thoroughly beaten. Their faces were swollen, but their injuries didn't end there. He had attacked their bodies, backs, arms, and legs; some of their bones were likely snapped or even shattered. However, these were injuries a cultivator could recover from, though their recovery speed would depend on their resources. The point was, like the other fifteen cultivators from the Qing clan, it would be some time before any of them regained consciousness.

Liu Xing turned and saw Fang Ruxue peeking from a small window. Upon seeing him, her swollen face brightened, and she smiled while giving him two thumbs up. He flashed a small smile. While her injuries looked bad, at least she was okay.

He walked toward the house, entered the open doorway, and greeted Fang Ruxue. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright!" Fang Ruxue replied excitedly. "In fact, I'm more than alright. Seeing those guys slapped senseless," she gestured with her hands to the left and right as if slapping someone invisible, "actually felt like a balm on my heart."

He was fully inside the house and took a moment to observe the house. It was filled with racks full of jars, medicines, and herbs. The owner of the house, an old man, sat on the floor, hugging a younger man so pale and thin he resembled a mummy.

The old man suddenly clasped his hands and bowed. "Esteemed cultivator, thank you for saving me and my grandson's lives. This worthless life of mine belongs to you."

The sickly man followed suit, bowing his head. "Thank you for saving our lives."

Liu Xing waved them off. "It's no problem," he said, crouching in front of them. "Here, let me carry you to bed."

The old man said thank you and released the man he assumed to be his grandson from his hug. The young man himself thanked Liu Xing and apologized for the trouble, which he again dismissed with a "no problem." He carried the man gently and placed him on a bed in the corner of the room. When he finished, the old man thanked him again, and it was only then that Liu Xing realized the old man's eyes were unfocused. He was blind. At that moment, the sickly man let out a wet cough. The old man excused himself and began grinding medicine, saying, "I'm sorry, but I need to concoct a medicine for my grandson. I need to hurry, or he'll be coughing for the entire night."

Liu Xing nodded and said it was no problem. As the old man began his work, Fang Ruxue pulled two seats near the man she introduced as Brother Roe.

He was aware she had been talking with Brother Roe using his Eye of Lightning, and while he couldn't read lips, he knew the man had been conveying useful information. In truth, he was extremely interested in what she had learned. The entire reason he was here was to find the Heaven Severing Pill. Moreover, with the Qing Clan having already made a move that had accidentally led them to him, he was eager to retrieve the pill and get the hell off this island. However, right now, he was more concerned about Fang Ruxue. "We need to treat your injuries first. Those cheeks of yours are probably quite numb right now, but when the shock disappears, you'll be in a world of pain."

Despite saying so, he had no means to treat her. Sure, he had some pills on him—some his own, some from Yang Suyin—but none were suitable for mortals. He knew that while qi on its own was harmless, a concentrated amount, like that in a pill, could make her body burst.

"Ah, my grandpa has an ointment that's suitable for her condition," said Brother Roe, before he let out a rapid cough that lasted for ten seconds.

The old man, who was busy grinding herbs, chimed in. "It's there," he pointed to the top of a rack, where a jar made of bamboo sat on the highest shelf. "It's quite precious, but you can use as much as you want."

Liu Xing nodded, grabbed it, and returned to his chair. He had no intention of using it freely. If it was precious, he would leave some money for the blind old man. He opened the cap of the bamboo jar and, upon seeing a green ointment with a mint smell and a hint of qi, raised his eyebrows. The qi was quite potent. It had to be some kind of special ointment. Hopefully, it could treat Fang Ruxue.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Liu Xing began to apply the ointment. The ointment felt quite slimy, and while the mint smell was overpowering, there was also a mixture of unpleasant odors. Fang Ruxue flinched every time he touched her, and he made sure to be as gentle as possible.

He intended to tell her what had happened to him from the start, but when he realized she was staring into the distance with unfocused eyes, he decided to keep his mouth shut for a while.

Looking around, he saw that Brother Roe, despite his coughing fits, also had a glazed-over expression.

As he applied the ointment to Fang Ruxue, the room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the rhythmic grinding of the mortar and Brother Roe's ragged coughing. He realized they were all processing the fact that they had nearly died. The initial shock had worn off, and now they were grappling with the reality of their close brush with death. Liu Xing grimaced. All of this was because he had been too slow to act.

He rubbed the ointment thoroughly, until almost all of Fang Ruxue's face was covered. Soon, a cool feeling spread over her face as the ointment began to work. Hopefully, it was miraculous, though he tempered his expectations.

"Open your mouth," Liu Xing said to Fang Ruxue.

She blinked several times, as if she hadn't heard his words, and then said, "W-what? That ointment can't be eaten, right?"

Her words made Brother Roe snap his head toward them, and even the old man stopped grinding.

"Of course not. I know it's not edible. I just want to check your mouth. I saw some of your teeth fly out. I wonder how bad it is."

Brother Roe balled his fists. "Those bastards! I thought the Qing Clan was slightly better than the Jin Clan. But to think they could slap her so hard she went flying... they really are the worst. I hope the Qing Clan and the Jin Clan are struck by a heavenly tribulation."

"Well, the one who slapped me was slapped by him at least a hundred times," Fang Ruxue said lightly. Then, she opened her mouth to show him the inside. When he saw it, his eyes widened. Her mouth was coated in blood, and many teeth were missing from the back. Some teeth that hadn't flown out looked oddly positioned, and he suspected they were loose. Just then, one of her front teeth—near a canine—loosened and fell, landing with a soft click near his right foot, its root still bloody.

"Is there any water here?" Liu Xing asked. Brother Roe pointed to a small kitchen to the side. He grabbed several glasses of water and brought them to her. "Wash your mouth with this."

She nodded, took several glasses, and went outside to wash her mouth. As she did, Liu Xing sighed, and the grinding of the mortar reverberated through the room.

"Is there any way to regrow her teeth?" Liu Xing asked the room.

"Ah, there's no way for it," the old man said, "at least for us mortals. The best we can do is create some dentures."

Liu Xing pinched his chin, then rummaged through his spatial bag. Since regrowing a limb was possible for a cultivator, he was sure that regrowing her teeth was possible, too. After all, teeth are an important part of the body, and Fang Ruxue was a young woman. They weren't just for eating; they were also important for her pretty face. If he couldn't regrow her teeth and she was left with marks on her face, it would be a disaster.

Soon, Fang Ruxue reentered the house and put the glasses she had used in the kitchen.

"This ointment is great!" she pointed to her cheeks. "It feels warm."

Liu Xing nodded. Although she appeared fine and smiled easily, he could see the darkness lingering in her eyes. This experience had likely added another layer to the trauma she kept locked away, and it was his fault. It wasn't due to negligence, but rather the unfortunate turn of events that had befallen them.

"Fang Ruxue, if you're ready, I'll tell you what happened to me and the general situation we're currently in."

She nodded, sat on a chair, and gestured for him to continue.

"This Water Tower City is in a state just before boiling over."

He explained what had happened after they parted ways. He told her about his encounter with the Qing Clan, Qing Yuan and Qing Lian, and the three teams that had come to attack.

Their decision to bring back Qing Lian was simple—they wanted to kill her so the information about him could be buried. It made sense that they would dispatch a large number of cultivators to retrieve her, since they knew he was with her. But the fight that followed was strange, as they weren't targeting him or Qing Lian, but Qing Yuan specifically. From this alone, he knew that Qing Yuan had somehow become the Qing can's priority. This had resulted in fifteen cultivators he had successfully apprehended, bringing the total to twenty with the five outside. Why Qing Yuan was targeted was a mystery, though it made a certain kind of sense. He was, after all, a talking baby. It was even stranger that the powerful people in this city had done nothing about him before.

Fang Ruxue digested all the information he conveyed, and he could see many thoughts swirling behind her eyes.

"It's only a matter of time before the Qing clan launches a full-scale assault, and I'm worried about the others. As far as I know, no teams have been dispatched to the mountain, but it's only a matter of time. That's why we need to go, Fang Ruxue. Though it seems you've stumbled upon important information here." He looked at Brother Roe, whose eyes had widened in disbelief after hearing his story. "That's why I need to hear what you've gathered. Depending on what you tell me, I might bring them away with us."

At that, Brother Roe's eyes widened even further, as did Fang Ruxue's.

Liu Xing sighed. He had already decided to protect thirty-two people. Adding two more was nothing.

"So, let's hear what you gathered."

"About that, I did indeed stumble upon important information that will likely help you, but," Fang Ruxue licked her lips. "I-in exchange for giving you this information, I want something from you."

Liu Xing furrowed his brow. So it had come to this.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.