Sister

"Brother! Run!"

The blazing flames lit up half the night sky, while screams surged in from all around like a tide.

The running brother and sister were tripped by corpses on the ground.

When a vicious black shadow pounced at Luo Qingchen, his sister stepped in front of him and was pierced through by the shadow's claws.

He threw himself at the black shadow without a thought for his own safety.

The creature's other claw, sharp as a blade, stabbed toward him as well.

At that moment, there was no fear in his heart, only rage.

As he hurled himself onto the black shadow with the resolve to die, its twisted, hideous body suddenly split into two and fell to the ground, sizzling before turning into a puddle of pus.

Ahead stood a tall, thin figure in a black robe, his head full of white hair, a sword in hand.

The night wind stirred his white hair and black robe.

Three stacked skulls were embroidered on the chest of that black robe. In the firelight, they looked lifelike—savage and terrifying.

"Sorry, I was a step too late."

He had a young and handsome face. Green blood from the Demonic Beast dripped from the treasured sword in his hand, and there was a trace of regret in his voice.

Luo Qingchen held his sister's blood-soaked body in his arms.

"Brother, run... run..."

After speaking her final words, his sister closed her eyes forever.

Luo Qingchen broke down in grief.

The white-haired young man sighed softly, then picked up his sword and prepared to leave.

Luo Qingchen suddenly dropped to his knees, tears covering his face as he begged, "Senior, save my sister!"

The white-haired young man stopped and looked at him. "She is already dead. I'm not an immortal—how could I save her? The Demonic Beasts haven't all been cleared out yet. You should leave quickly."

With that, he headed toward the center of town.

"Please! Save my sister! Save my sister!"

Luo Qingchen slammed his head against the ground again and again, weeping and pleading as he kowtowed. His face was covered in tears, his forehead in blood; he was helpless and despairing.

The white-haired young man ignored him and continued onward with his sword.

Yet the sounds of kowtowing and sobbing behind him continued, sorrowful as though someone had fallen into an endless abyss.

The white-haired young man shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to quicken his pace and leave, he suddenly spotted a palm-sized little flag lying on the ground nearby.

Luo Qingchen was drowning in grief and despair when the white-haired young man's voice returned. "I can't bring her back to life, but her soul hasn't departed yet. I can help you temporarily store it in this Ten-Soul Banner. Keep it on you, and at least you'll have something to remember her by."

Luo Qingchen looked at him through a face full of tears, his mind blank, unable to understand what he meant.

The white-haired young man held the battered little flag in one hand and formed a hand seal with the other. He pointed at the girl's corpse in Luo Qingchen's arms, his finger seeming to tug at something before slowly moving toward the little flag in his hand.

"Whoosh!"

The little flag flashed with light, then immediately fell silent again.

"It's done."

The white-haired young man handed the little flag to him and reminded him, "Your sister's soul is inside this flag now. However, this Ten-Soul Banner is badly damaged. It can probably only last another month at most. Also, you need to drip two drops of essence blood into it every day to temporarily maintain the space within. Otherwise, I'm afraid it won't even last a month."

"A month is enough time for you to say goodbye to her."

He stuffed the little flag into Luo Qingchen's hand.

After taking several steps, he suddenly turned back to look at the girl's corpse in Luo Qingchen's arms. After hesitating for a moment, he reminded him, "Your sister was quite pretty. You'd best destroy her corpse, or someone might take her away and refine her into a Corpse Slave."

With that, he strode away with his sword in hand.

The houses around them burned with even fiercer flames. Terrified screams and panicked running echoed through every street and alley, as though the world had come to an end.

When another elderly man with disheveled hair, dressed in a black robe embroidered with skulls, arrived after checking the corpses one by one, he saw a tear-streaked youth raising an axe high above his head and chopping down at a girl's body on the ground.

Firelight illuminated the youth's tear-covered, extraordinarily ferocious face.

The youth put every ounce of strength into his swing.

The disheveled old man froze for a moment, then walked over to him.

When he saw the girl's body and face on the ground, his expression changed at once. He roared, "What are you doing, brat? Why did you chop off her head?"

Luo Qingchen gripped the axe tightly. His face and body were covered in his sister's blood, and his body shook uncontrollably.

He said nothing, merely staring at the disheveled old man before him with bloodshot eyes.

The blazing flames around him made him look like a ferocious ghost that had just crawled out of a hell of blood.

His eyes seemed to be dripping blood.

"What a superb Corpse Slave, and you brat destroyed it!"

Seeing that he remained silent, the disheveled old man glanced again at the girl on the ground. Rage flared within him, and he raised his palm to kill him.

At that moment, several other figures in black robes embroidered with skulls swept in from outside the town.

"Uncle Wang, how did it go? Have all the Demonic Beasts been slain?"

When they saw the disheveled old man, they quickly called out to ask.

A cold gleam flickered in Uncle Wang's eyes. Seeming somewhat wary, he gave the blood-covered youth before him another gloomy glance, then turned and left. "Follow me."

The young people in black robes hurried after him into the town.

Only after their figures had completely vanished into the distant firelight did Luo Qingchen's body finally go limp, and he slowly sank to the ground.

He still gripped the axe tightly in his hand.

Looking at his sister's blood-covered corpse, his gaze was hollow and his expression vacant, as though nothing remained of him but an empty shell.

Everything around him seemed to have nothing to do with him anymore.

Until the screams in the distance awakened him.

"Her soul is still here!"

He suddenly remembered something and tremblingly pulled the battered little flag from his robes.

"The Demon Controlling Sect is so powerful—even human souls can be stored away. Could they also have a method to help Sister reconstruct her body?"

When he thought of this, hope immediately flared anew in his despairing heart.

Thus, when Tian Feng, a disciple of the Demon Controlling Sect, emerged from the center of town, he took the initiative to approach him and beg to be accepted.

Tian Feng happened to need a Blood Medicine, so he brought him back to the cave.

After several days of indirect inquiries, he did not receive the answer he wanted, but he gained great hope nonetheless.

A damaged Ten-Soul Banner could be repaired.

Once fully repaired, a Ten-Soul Banner could preserve the soul within for a long time, so long as it was properly maintained.

Moreover, a Ten-Soul Banner could be upgraded.

If it were upgraded into a Hundred Soul Banner, Thousand Soul Banner, or Ten Thousand Soul Banner, the soul within would remain for even longer—perhaps even forever.

Furthermore, it was said that souls, like magical artifacts and cultivators, could also be upgraded.

If that was the case, then even if Sister could not be revived for now, she would always remain by my side...

Since souls could be upgraded, there was hope of reconstructing a body...

Only by entering the Demon Controlling Sect could I find these answers!

The mountain wind wailed, pulling him from his memories back into reality.

Looking at the damaged banner in his hand and recalling the scene of his sister's death that night, as well as his own choice, the grief welling up within him soon transformed into unwavering resolve.

"I must cast off the identity of Blood Medicine as soon as possible and become a disciple of the Demon Controlling Sect!"

"The Ten-Soul Banner only has one month left. Only by entering the sect quickly can I find a way to repair it!"

The sun had already begun to sink in the west.

Wild beasts roamed the mountains at night, making them extremely dangerous.

He did not dare stop and continued onward at a brisk pace.

"Whoosh—"

At that moment, a red shadow suddenly shot out from the bushes beside him and lunged at his right foot just as it landed!

Luo Qingchen jumped in fright, springing sharply upward and dodging the lightning-fast strike.

The instant he landed, he hurriedly leaped several more steps forward.

Only when he saw that it was not pursuing him did he turn to look closely. The thing that had ambushed him was actually a venomous snake!

The snake was over a meter long, covered in bright red scales. Its head was triangular, and it was coiled there, flicking its tongue at him as it hissed, "Sss... sss..."

Luo Qingchen immediately found a wooden stick nearby and prepared to strike it.

The venomous snake was clever as well. Seeing him return with the stick, it immediately lowered its head and quickly slithered toward the bushes on the other side.

The bushes were dense, and the snake soon disappeared from sight. Fearing it might hide inside and launch another ambush, Luo Qingchen did not dare pursue it.

Just as he was about to leave with the stick, he suddenly saw several vividly colored mushrooms growing in the patch of grass where the snake had emerged.

By then, the sun was nearly setting.

When Luo Qingchen climbed onto the slope where the cave was located, night had already fallen soundlessly.

The entire forest immediately darkened.

As Luo Qingchen cautiously made his way toward the cave, he suddenly heard voices coming from behind the rocks to his right.

"That brat isn't really not coming back, is he?"

"No. He has seen Master's methods these past few days. I doubt he would dare."

Luo Qingchen held his breath and hid behind a large tree.

The voices of Eldest Senior Brother Zhang Dashan and Second Senior Brother Yang Ming drifted over again.

"Eldest Senior Brother, you've treated that brat quite well. You gave him meat and even gave him the only dagger. Are you afraid that if he dies too early, you'll suffer yourself?"

"Hmph. If he dies this early, you won't have an easy time either. Master is at a crucial point in his cultivation now and needs fresh blood every few days. If we don't keep him healthy, neither of us may make it out of this cave."

"That's true, though he probably can't be kept alive much longer. Judging by that brat's body, after a few more blood draws, he likely won't be able to hold on. After all, there are no blood-replenishing pills here for him to take. When the time comes..."

"It should be within the next few days. Master said this morning that he needs another fresh corpse to brew medicine..."

"Oh?"

Yang Ming's voice suddenly turned alert.

Neither of them spoke again.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Dashan stepped out from behind the rocks and said, "I'll go receive him, lest he gets eaten by wild beasts."

Yang Ming stepped out as well, his eyes flickering as he stared at him.

At that moment, Luo Qingchen, who had already quietly retreated some distance, deliberately stepped on a dry branch on the ground, making a sound. Then, panting heavily, he walked over.

"Junior Brother Luo, you're back!"

Zhang Dashan immediately greeted him with a broad smile, his voice full of concern. "I thought something had happened to you on the road. I was just about to head down the mountain to find you."

Yang Ming merely gave the two of them a dark look, then turned and headed toward the cave.

"Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother. I'm fine."

Luo Qingchen wiped the sweat from his forehead, his expression calm.

"Caw—"

Night shrouded the entire forest as a crow flew over the two men's heads.

Talking as they walked, the two entered the cave together.