Hard to Kill

"Do I look like I'm worried about you?"

Li Muyang finished the sentence with a calm expression, and the girl immediately burst into a giggle, clearly amused.

Though Li Muyang didn't quite understand where the humor in that statement lay.

Regardless, his cheap sister's symptoms had improved significantly; at the very least, she wasn't in as much pain.

Seeing that her condition had stabilized, Li Muyang picked up his water ladle and headed outside to continue watering the spirit fields.

He needed some time alone to think about what to do next.

But it wasn't long before Ning Wan'er arrived at his door.

After learning about Li Yuechan's situation, she seemed to want to say something.

In the end, however, the girl said nothing at all.

This young lady of the Ning Estate chatted with Li Yuechan for a while before taking her leave.

It was Guan Xiaoshun who arrived outside the tile-roofed house at dusk, bringing with him three eighty-year-old Vermilion Fruits.

"Um... Brother Li, please take these three Vermilion Fruits."

Guan Xiaoshun scratched his head and said, "I spent all the money I'd saved on a custom flying sword at the Cloud City alchemy furnace. I went to ask them today, but they refused to refund me. This is all I have left on me. I'm sorry."

The young man from a town even more remote than Jiuyuan City looked at him with sincere eyes.

Given his relationship with Li Muyang, the fact that he would go this far was completely beyond Li Muyang's expectations.

Looking at the three Vermilion Fruits before him, Li Muyang was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"Xiaoshun..."

Is this kid for real? Is he really this warm-hearted?

Li Muyang was a bit bewildered.

Although the two had been neighbors, their relationship hadn't been particularly close. Yet, when trouble struck, this kid had come directly to offer three Vermilion Fruits.

In the cold and indifferent outer sect, this was a massive favor.

But while Guan Xiaoshun was simple and kind, he wasn't a pushover.

Other familiar outer sect disciples had run into trouble before, yet he had never shown this much concern.

Li Muyang was puzzled, and Guan Xiaoshun scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Well... Brother Li, you're different from them."

"Those people always think that because I'm young and from the countryside, I'm ignorant, so they try to cheat me out of my money or set me up."

"But Brother Li, you never coveted my money and you never looked down on me. You're my friend, and that's completely different."

"I can tell that you're not like those other people, so I'm willing to help you and be good to you, because I know you'll be good to me in return."

Li Muyang fell into a slight silence after hearing Guan Xiaoshun's words.

He remained silent for a long time before finally sighing and patting the boy on the shoulder.

"Alright, thank you."

At a time like this, saying too much would only make it feel cheap. Li Muyang thanked him simply, keeping Guan Xiaoshun's kindness close to his heart.

As Guan Xiaoshun left, he shared a piece of news with Li Muyang.

"Oh, right, Brother Li! I heard that Senior Sister Qin Haie ran into trouble!"

Seeing that there was no one else around, Guan Xiaoshun said mysteriously, "When I was in the city, I heard two inner sect disciples talking. They said Senior Sister Qin Haie offended some evil cultivator and nearly died in her sleep last night."

"They said a terrifying monster was hunting her in her dreams. It scared Senior Sister Qin so much that she was crying and screaming, and wounds kept appearing on her body, but she couldn't wake up at all. If Elder Qi hadn't intervened in time, Senior Sister Qin Haie might have died last night."

"Even so, Senior Sister Qin was still severely injured..."

Guan Xiaoshun shared this newly acquired news with Li Muyang.

The simple-hearted youth whispered with a sigh, "It's a pity that the evil cultivator didn't just kill Senior Sister Qin... Why didn't he finish her off..."

Guan Xiaoshun sounded incredibly regretful.

Li Muyang smiled upon hearing the news and nodded.

"Indeed, Senior Sister Qin is quite resilient."

As expected of a Golden Core expert; she's hard to kill.

But Elder Qi was able to protect her last night—what about tonight? Or tomorrow night, and the nights after that?

The Flesh-Bone Green Robe would be visiting every single night, after all...

Li Muyang saw Guan Xiaoshun off with a beaming smile, only letting it fade once the boy was gone.

He returned inside and refined the three Vermilion Fruits Guan Xiaoshun had brought into medicinal liquid, feeding it to Li Yuechan while she drifted in a hazy, sleep-induced state on the bed.

Afterward, he went to the old tree behind the house and dug up a strange, eerie doll.

The writing that had been pasted onto the doll's back had already been burned away.

But Li Muyang had prepared a new slip of paper, and this palm-sized sheet was filled with the detailed personal information of Qin Haie.

Li Muyang calmly pressed the paper onto the back of the Flesh-Bone Green Robe, then tossed the eerie puppet back into the dirt and gave it a quick burial.

This system item was even more powerful than he had imagined.

Even a Golden Core demonic cultivator couldn't resist it; even when Elder Qi intervened and forcibly pulled Qin Haie out of her slumber, it had only resulted in a single piece of paper being burned.

The Flesh-Bone Green Robe remained unscathed, and it could still be sent over tonight.

After patting down the soil, Li Muyang stood up and looked toward the peaks of the distant mountains.

That was the direction of the Inner Sect, and where Senior Sister Qin Haie resided.

Although as an Outer Sect chore disciple, he couldn't see the current state of the Inner Sect.

But the residences of Elder Qi and her few direct disciples must be quite lively right now, surely?

"Keep on living, Senior Sister Qin."

Li Muyang whispered to himself in a detached tone before turning to leave.

Since you are so formidable, and your master is equally so, I hope she can keep you safe for a few more days.

That way, you can suffer a little longer in your nightmares.

Li Muyang's expression remained indifferent, without a shred of guilt or unease.

Even if someone from the Inner Sect were to investigate him, they wouldn't find anything unusual about this ordinary Outer Sect disciple.

Not to mention that in a filthy, dumpster-like place like the Outer Sect, those high-and-mighty demonic cultivators from the Inner Sect would never bother to come and investigate.

Who would ever suspect that a high-ranking direct disciple of the Demon Refining Sect had been secretly harmed by an inconspicuous chore disciple in the Outer Sect?

Everyone was likely suspecting that mysterious person in Cloud City, or perhaps other direct disciples within the Demon Refining Sect... After all, in a demonic sect like this, infighting and cursing one another among direct disciples was a common occurrence.

Li Muyang wasn't the least bit worried about anyone tracing this back to him.

Yet, very soon, something even more absurd than an Inner Sect investigation occurred.

"Um... Miss Ning, are you serious?"

Li Muyang, who had just finished watering the spirit fields, looked at Ning Wan'er, who had arrived at his doorstep once again, and his usually calm and composed expression finally cracked.

He stared at the "green tea" girl before him and the pile of spirit herbs she had brought, shocked and bewildered, wondering if he was still dreaming.

"Where did you get all these spirit herbs?" Li Muyang asked, his expression one of pure shock.

It was one thing for this woman not to swindle him out of his money, but to actually deliver wealth to his doorstep... had the sun risen from the west?

Seeing Li Muyang's shocked expression, Ning Wan'er blushed.

Yet, she tried her best to maintain her composure and said, "These are spirit herbs I brought from home, accumulated over several years. Combined with what I have here, perhaps they can save Yuechan."

After the girl finished speaking, she glanced at the pile of herbs with a pained expression, constantly comforting herself in her heart.

It was his money that bought them anyway, so now I'm just returning them to him. It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, no need to feel the pain...

The girl hypnotized herself, though the smile on her face was incredibly forced.

She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Wuu... these are all the things I worked so hard to save! I've been hoarding them for three years!

At least half of them were bought with my own money; why am I giving them all to Li Muyang!

Ning Wan'er, have you lost your mind!

Wuuuuuu...