He Youshan refused firmly. "Brother Xu, I won't leave you behind!"
Jiao Mingxu shouted sternly, "Youshan! The situation is urgent right now. If we don't run, it'll be too late!"
Bai Chen urged her as well. "Hurry and go. We won't be able to protect you when the time comes!"
He Youshan's eyes stung, and she burst into tears.
When Jiao Mingxu saw He Youshan crying, his eyes reddened too, and he felt terrible.
"Why are you all crying? Who died?" you asked after returning from the front hall.
The three of them looked at one another, utterly bewildered.
You were completely unhurt. Not even a wrinkle had appeared in your clothes.
Bai Chen looked at you, then behind you, and hesitated. "Senior Brother, you..."
Without waiting for them to finish, you said directly, "Enough. Go back and see patients. I'm going to cultivate."
"Uh... Senior Brother, well... what happened outside?" Jiao Mingxu asked haltingly.
"Go out and see for yourselves."
You drove them out, then resumed cultivating.
The moment the three stepped outside, they were stunned.
The twenty-odd people who had come to make trouble lay neatly spread across the street outside the clinic.
Not a single one had an intact corpse.
Every one of them had been headshot by gold.
Passersby gathered at a distance, pointing and whispering.
"Th-this was Senior Brother's doing?"
The three felt their pupils quake. They simply could not believe it.
After the twenty-odd troublemakers died, the Youtong County authorities immediately launched an investigation.
Once they learned that the one who had acted was a Personal Disciple of the Danxia Sect, the authorities immediately issued a notice.
The authorities declared that the twenty-odd headless people had all committed suicide.
No one dared come and provoke your clinic again.
Even the patients who came in for treatment became trembling and fearful.
When sitting on a stool, they only dared rest half a buttock on it.
Ignoring the storms outside, you cultivated only in the rear courtyard.
In the ninth year,
you raised your proficiency in refining third-grade pills to minor mastery.
If you advanced further and reached major mastery, you would become a genuine third-grade pill refiner.
Though a third-grade pill refiner did not sound like much,
it truly was rather lacking.
But it did not matter. You would continue working hard.
After taking a brief rest, you went to the front hall to inspect your territory.
You found that Bai Chen was the only one in the clinic's front hall.
Jiao Mingxu had run off to date He Youshan.
He Youshan was the daughter of a local gentry family in Youtong County.
Her family had a fair amount of money.
You had no idea how Jiao Mingxu had gotten involved with He Youshan.
Seeing that there were temporarily no patients at the clinic, Bai Chen had also wanted to sneak out.
But you caught him red-handed.
You called him back and asked, "Bai Chen, where are you trying to run off to?"
Bai Chen, standing at the doorway, jumped in fright.
He turned around with a smile. "Senior Brother, I made plans with Qiu Niang. I'm going to boost her sales today."
"Are you going to boost sales, or boost Qiu Niang?" you asked.
Bai Chen's triangular eyes gleamed happily. "Mostly to boost sales. I'll boost Qiu Niang while I'm at it!"
"You speak quite interestingly. Come back early once you've finished boosting."
Bai Chen was overjoyed. He had thought you were going to keep him behind.
He said excitedly, "Alright, Senior Brother! I'll boost early and come back early!"
But just as Bai Chen reached the doorway, he ran into a group of more than ten martial artists who had come in seeking treatment.
All of them bore external injuries. They had clearly gone through a fierce battle.
You noticed that there had been more and more patients like this lately.
This world seemed rather unsettled!
Bai Chen could not leave now. He had to assist you.
Bai Chen trudged back with his head hanging low.
Then Bai Chen spotted an acquaintance on the street whom he often visited Manchun Courtyard with.
Bai Chen hurriedly called the man over.
Bai Chen said to him, "Brother Han, please pass a message to Qiu Niang for me."
The man replied, "Please speak, Brother Bai."
Bai Chen paused. "Brother Han, tell Qiu Niang that she doesn't need to save today's first time for me. Something came up and delayed me."
The man thought for a moment. "Brother Bai, do you mean... Qiu Niang's first time today is still available?"
Bai Chen said, "Exactly."
The man's eyes lit up. "Brother Bai, then may I go have a meeting with Qiu Niang?"
Bai Chen said in heartbroken anguish, "I only hope Brother Han will be gentler. I still have to redeem Qiu Niang!"
"Rest assured, Brother Bai. I'm best at cherishing flowers and pitying jade. I absolutely won't stand up and stomp!"
"Brother Han, you're righteous!"
Bai Chen's fellow traveler ran all the way to Manchun Courtyard with an expectant expression.
Even you, who had eaten much and seen much, were shaken by their conversation.
At that moment, you only wanted a pair of ears that had never heard that exchange.
After treating this batch of patients, you went back to cultivate again.
You sensed that something strange had been happening in the martial world lately.
But no matter what changes might occur,
doing your utmost to increase your strength could not possibly be wrong.
You only had a little over two hundred Inner Divinity Paste pills left.
You now placed most of your energy into cultivating the Ninefold Profound Art.
Condensing True Qi did not require the assistance of Inner Divinity Paste, yet it could likewise strengthen you.
It was an excellent choice.
You focused wholeheartedly on cultivation, free of distractions.
Because the Ninefold Profound Art had improved your innate talent and bone structure,
you completed the seventh True Qi condensation without much effort.
You felt utterly refreshed.
That night,
a full moon hung high in the sky.
Jiao Mingxu brought He Youshan to find you in great panic.
He said that he wanted to elope with He Youshan.
Because He Youshan was pregnant, but her family adamantly opposed it.
You clicked your tongue in amazement and repeatedly praised Jiao Mingxu for being far more than he appeared.
This honest fellow, Jiao Mingxu, had done something that was not honest in the slightest.
He Youshan's uncle was a high-ranking official in the imperial court.
He had clearly stated that He Youshan would be married into a family of equal social standing.
He would certainly look down on an ordinary family like Jiao Mingxu's.
Even if Jiao Mingxu was a disciple of the Danxia Sect,
he was not like you.
Jiao Mingxu was merely an ordinary disciple, not a Personal Disciple.
His status was much lower.
If He Youshan's family learned that she was pregnant,
they could flay Jiao Mingxu alive.
Jiao Mingxu was therefore extremely panicked.
You silently mocked the brat for not considering that something might happen when he climbed over walls at night and slipped into a young lady's chambers.
Only now did he know to panic.
But you did not interfere with their choice.
You gave them your blessings.
You also gave them one hundred thousand taels in Silver Notes.
The two had left in a hurry and had not brought much money with them.
The one hundred thousand taels in Silver Notes happened to resolve their urgent need.
The two thanked you profusely, then ran out of the city beneath the cover of night.
From then on, they wandered the martial world.
The next day,
Bai Chen learned about Jiao Mingxu from you.
Bai Chen lavishly praised Jiao Mingxu, saying that although Jiao Mingxu looked like a pig, his heart was clear and bright.
You recalled that Bai Chen had previously hooked up with a courtesan named Qiu Niang.
You asked, "Have you redeemed Qiu Niang?"
He replied, "Qiu Niang? I don't know her."
You knew that this old fellow had found another new sweetheart.
You did not bother with him any further.
Recently, you took in several more batches of patients with severe external injuries.
You probed them about how they had been injured.
Yet every one of them kept their mouths tightly shut.
You felt that something truly was not right.
Half a month later,
you decided to return to the Danxia Sect.
You intended to display your major-mastery proficiency in Qi and Blood Paste.
You needed to quickly obtain the Inner Divinity Paste formula.