If You Can't Cure Her, Then Pay With Your Life, How About That?

The two arrived at the front courtyard and saw an old man in a gray cloth robe standing at the gate with a medicine chest on his back. It was the physician from before.

He stroked his goatee with one hand, wearing a confident, assured smile.

But when he saw that the ones coming out were not Jiang Nannan, but an unfamiliar young man and Ye Guyi, he froze for a moment.

"Who are you?"

The old man sized Li Changqing up, frowning as he asked, "Where is that girl Nannan? Tell her to come out and see me at once. My time is precious—I have no time to waste here."

Standing on the steps, Li Changqing looked at him calmly and said flatly, "She's busy."

The old man's expression darkened, and his tone grew impatient. "Busy? This concerns her mother's life! Does she not want to save her mother?"

Behind Li Changqing, Ye Guyi clenched her fists tightly, cold killing intent already rising in her eyes.

If Li Changqing had not yet made his stance clear, she would have rushed forward and killed this old bastard with a single palm strike.

Ignoring his urging, Li Changqing merely asked unhurriedly, "Will having that thing definitely cure her?"

The old man's heart jolted, but he quickly steadied himself.

Suppressing his inexplicable unease, he put on a stern face and retorted, "What do you mean by that? Do you think this old man would deceive people?"

Li Changqing remained calm, his voice utterly even. "What if it can't cure her?"

The old man narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Changqing for several seconds, as though trying to read something from the young man's face.

But Li Changqing's expression was as still as water, without the slightest flaw.

The old man snorted coldly. "What do you expect me to do? And who the hell are you? Tell Jiang Nannan to come out and see me!"

"No rush."

Li Changqing spoke slowly, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his lips. "If you can't cure her, then pay with your life. How about that?"

The old man's face changed drastically the moment those words left his mouth!

At this point, how could he fail to understand that this young man had already seen through his scheme?

Panic and viciousness flashed through his eyes. Without another word, he turned and tried to flee through the gate!

But the moment he turned around, he found a golden figure standing before the gate like a ghost.

Ye Guyi stood there, cold light flickering in her golden eyes. A faint sacred pressure radiated from her body as she stared at him icily. "Trying to run?"

The old man gritted his teeth, a savage gleam filling his eyes. He could no longer be bothered to keep up the act.

Soul power erupted from within him, and three soul rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—lit up beneath his feet. With a palm carrying a fierce gust of wind, he struck straight toward Ye Guyi's face!

In his eyes, what could a little girl who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen possibly be capable of?

As long as he dealt with her, he could escape.

However, he was wrong.

Watching the palm wind howl toward her, Ye Guyi curled her lips in a disdainful sneer.

She might not be able to defeat Li Changqing, but did that mean she could not defeat anyone else?

The next instant, brilliant golden light condensed abruptly in her palm. A sacred and immense aura burst forth, directly shattering the old man's palm wind before her palm slammed into his chest!

"Pfft!"

The old man was struck as though by a massive hammer and sent flying backward. He crashed heavily into the courtyard wall, blasting a hole through the weathered earthen wall before rolling into the scattered bricks and rubble. Blood gushed from his mouth, and no matter how he struggled, he could not get back up.

He raised his head and stared at the golden-haired girl in horror, his eyes filled with disbelief.

This...

How was this possible?

How could a little girl who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen possess such terrifying soul power?

Ye Guyi withdrew her hand and looked down at him coldly. "Trash."

Ye Guyi withdrew her palm and looked down at the old man curled up amid the rubble, blood spilling from his mouth, without the slightest trace of pity in her eyes.

She possessed the Sacred Angel Martial Spirit and had cultivated diligently at Shrek Academy for four years. Her strength was no longer what it had once been.

Even if it had been several years ago, when she had first met Li Changqing, the man before her would still have been no match for her.

The existence of a Sacred Angel itself meant that she could defeat stronger opponents, let alone an enemy weaker than herself.

She raised her hand, golden light gathering in her palm once more, preparing to finish off this old bastard who had aided evil and vent Jiang Nannan's anger for her.

However, just as she was about to bring her palm down, a hand reached over from the side and gently pressed against her wrist.

"Wait."

Li Changqing's calm, steady voice sounded beside her. "Let Nannan handle him herself. Even if we stand up for her, it's still better for her to personally end this karmic debt."

Ye Guyi paused. She looked down at the ashen-faced old man, then raised her eyes to Li Changqing.

After a moment of silence, she slowly withdrew the golden light from her palm.

"You're right." She nodded, bent down, and grabbed the old man by the collar. Like dragging a dead dog, she hauled him out of the rubble and dragged him toward the rear courtyard.

Dragged across the ground, the old man's back scraped against the rough surface. He bared his teeth in pain, yet had no strength left to struggle and could only let out agonized groans.

By the time they reached the rear courtyard, Jiang Nannan had already buried her mother.

She knelt before the freshly raised grave. A crude wooden marker stood before it, but there were no words carved upon it, because she did not know what to write.

Her hands were covered in dirt, with beads of blood still seeping from her fingertips, but it was as if she could not feel the pain. She simply knelt there silently.

Hearing the commotion behind her, she slowly turned around. When she saw the old man being dragged in by Ye Guyi like a dead dog, she was slightly stunned.

Ye Guyi threw the old man onto the ground, dusted off her hands, and said, "Nannan, this old bastard is the culprit who colluded with the Netherworld Sect and deceived you into trading your body for medicine. How to deal with him is up to you."

The old man lay sprawled on the ground, trembling all over, his face white as paper. Shaking, he begged for mercy, "N-Nannan... I was forced into it too! The people from the Netherworld Sect forced me to do this! If I didn't obey, they wouldn't have spared me! Y-you have to forgive me..."

Hearing this, Li Changqing gave a soft laugh, his face full of disdain.

Forced by the Netherworld Sect?

What a joke!

If the Netherworld Sect truly wanted to force Jiang Nannan, they could have simply captured her mother and used her to make Jiang Nannan submit. Why would they need to spend a Black Tortoise Divine Pill?

Wasn't that ridiculous?

If he was not mistaken, this man had wanted the Black Tortoise Divine Pill, so he had taken advantage of Jiang Nannan.

After Jiang Nannan traded her body for the Black Tortoise Divine Pill, he would switch the real thing for a fake.

Jiang Nannan would not know the difference anyway.

Then he could shift the blame onto the Black Tortoise Divine Pill.

That way, he would not only receive the benefits given by the Netherworld Sect, but also obtain a Black Tortoise Divine Pill for free. It was an immensely profitable scheme.

Jiang Nannan slowly rose to her feet.

She walked up to the old man and looked down at him. Her eyes, once as gentle as water and always filled with warmth, held no anger now—only deep exhaustion and coldness.

She remained silent for a long time.

Then she spoke slowly, her voice hoarse yet calm. "Before she died, my mother always trusted you. Every medicine you prescribed, she drank on time and never once doubted you. Until the very end, she believed you were sincerely trying to help her."

The old man opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but found that he could not say a single word.

Jiang Nannan did not look at him again. Instead, she turned to Li Changqing and asked, "Changqing, what do you think I should do?"

"That's your business. It has nothing to do with me. Do whatever you want." Li Changqing appeared completely unconcerned.

Seeing this, Jiang Nannan looked toward Ye Guyi instead.

Ye Guyi gave Jiang Nannan a cold hint of killing intent.

Jiang Nannan let out a light breath. After forcefully suppressing the emotions in her heart, she bit her lip and brought her blade down.

The next moment, the man collapsed to the ground, lifeless.