Hua Lian, Jade Maiden Sect's Chief Disciple

Xiao Yu naturally sensed that gloomy killing intent as well.

He hurriedly dropped to one knee, cupped his fists, and cried, "Master! While fleeing for my life yesterday, this disciple picked up two senior brothers' storage pouches. This is all this disciple owns... Please accept it with a smile!"

As he spoke, he took out the two storage pouches.

Across from him, Elder Wu saw Xiao Yu acting like this and impatiently waved a hand.

"This old man doesn't want your scraps of copper and iron. Go grind the medicinal ingredients in the back. This old man is heading out!"

After Wu Chang said that, he released the Jade Gourd again and flew away.

Xiao Yu bowed with a smiling face. Only after the other man vanished did he finally let out a breath.

Eight times out of ten, that old bastard had gone looking for fresh Human Pill materials again. His life was hanging by a thread once more.

Thinking of the reward for the herb-gathering mission he had accepted before, it seemed to be a Human Pill?

That mission couldn't have been issued by Elder Wu, could it...?

To be safe, he had better honestly go grind the medicinal ingredients.

But he couldn't distinguish any of those herbs at all. Looking at basket after basket of the stuff, he immediately asked Bai Yue in the Judgment Chamber.

When Bai Yue heard that Xiao Yu had been captured and brought back to the Hehuan Sect, her face immediately darkened. "You couldn't even escape that? What use are you to me?!"

Xiao Yu's expression darkened. He went up and gave her another slap. "You're fucking doing this again, aren't you?"

Bai Yue had just been about to beg forgiveness and admit her mistake.

Then Xiao Yu...

Half an hour later...

Xiao Yu looked at the speechless Bai Yue and spoke again. "That man has left. The situation doesn't look good. If I don't finish grinding the herbs before he comes back, he'll probably use me as medicine!"

At this point, Bai Yue stopped holding anything back. "I'm a third-grade alchemist! I'll teach you! If you get the chance, you have to take me away. If an expert from the Hehuan Sect finds me, you definitely won't be able to keep me..."

Xiao Yu chuckled softly. "Of course. I'd be reluctant to part with you too, Sect Master Bai Yue~ Teach me alchemy properly. Later, I still need to settle accounts with your disciple Ye Zhirou!"

Now the two of them truly were grasshoppers tied to the same rope.

Still, Xiao Yu didn't dare release Bai Yue. He had seen just how sharp Elder Wu's nose was.

He could only describe the herbs' appearance and scent himself, then activate the Judgment Chamber's communication function so Bai Yue inside could hear what was happening outside.

That way, she could teach him!

"This is Profound Yin Grass. Sort it out and place it somewhere cool!"

"The fragrance reaches the throat. This should be Alluring Fragrance Grass. Put it in a wooden box to keep its aroma from leaking out!"

Xiao Yu's nerves remained taut the entire time.

He studied with utmost seriousness, terrified of making a mistake.

Just as he was completely focused on grinding the ingredients,

he suddenly heard some strange movement coming from the storeroom behind him.

Bai Yue in the Judgment Chamber heard it too.

And why did that sound seem somewhat familiar to her?

Xiao Yu had no intention of meddling.

He only wanted to grind the herbs.

Bai Yue tilted her head to listen. After confirming it again and again, her voice suddenly trembled. "Lian'er? Is that Lian'er?"

She stood up with boundless anticipation. "Quick... go take a look! It should be my disciple, Hua Lian!"

Xiao Yu immediately became unwilling. "Do you think I dare wander around right now? What if that old man finds out? We'll both be finished..."

Listening to that sound, Bai Yue immediately began pleading. "I, Bai Yue, have never begged anyone in my life... That person must be my poor disciple. I beg you, help her..."

"I... I'm willing to teach you alchemy! I'll teach you cultivation. Please help Lian'er..."

Xiao Yu looked around upon hearing this, clearly unwilling to go.

But just then, the system suddenly sounded.

[New evil woman detected. Host, please proceed to unlock the mission!]

Xiao Yu immediately stood up. Another one?

Following the sound into the storeroom at the back,

Xiao Yu's expression instantly turned uneasy.

Before even entering, he smelled blood...

An extremely fishy, foul stench of blood.

When he entered the storeroom, his eyes immediately turned cold.

Before him stood more than a dozen enormous medicine vats, each one permeated by a strange medicinal odor.

Then he suddenly saw a woman in a long green robe hanging from the wall ahead.

The woman's features were like jade, her skin fair and beautiful.

Her graceful curves were like a work of art!

[New evil woman detected!]

[Name] Hua Lian

[Age] 18

[Cultivation] Foundation Establishment Realm, fourth layer (crippled)

[Appearance] Beauty score: 97 points; height: 172 cm; weight: 48.5 kg

[Talent] Supreme-grade Ice Spirit Root.

[Personality] Overbearing and unreasonable, spoiled and willful, places extreme importance on her own reputation; capable of slaughtering innocents for that reputation; admires the immortal seedlings of great righteous cultivation clans.

[Background] The Jade Maiden Sect Master's chief disciple, candidate for the next Righteous Dao Saintess, orphan.

[Mission to judge the evil woman Hua Lian activated. Host must ensure her survival. After completing the mission to judge Bai Yue, the second Judgment Chamber will unlock! Each Judgment Chamber may only contain one person!]

Xiao Yu slowly raised his head and only then discovered that blood covered the woman's facial features.

The corners of her eyes, the corners of her mouth, her nose!

All blood!

Yet this woman did not seem to have been among those people who had tried to kill him yesterday.

Looking at Hua Lian's condition, Xiao Yu said quietly, "Could Elder Wu have fed her a Prison Phoenix Pill? If she doesn't find a man... it'll probably keep burning her blood until she dies!"

Though Bai Yue could not see outside,

relying on her intuition developed over many years, she could vaguely guess what was out there.

"You... what is beside you?"

Looking at the dozen or so medicine vats, Xiao Yu subconsciously swallowed. "Your disciple's shoulder blades are hooked by two steel hooks. She's hanging from the wall like that. The Prison Phoenix Pill has probably been acting up for a long time. If it isn't dealt with soon, she may die..."

"There are more than a dozen huge medicine vats beside her... Your disciple's blood is dripping onto the floor, flowing toward those vats..."

Bai Yue's entire body trembled beyond control at his words.

She could roughly guess what was inside those medicine vats...

When Hua Lian heard a man's voice, her expression instantly twisted.

She crazily tugged at the steel hooks in her body, sending blood spurting out.

Xiao Yu watched in alarm. "Don't move!! If you keep struggling, you'll die!"

Hua Lian seemed deaf, shrieking hysterically in Xiao Yu's direction.

Bai Yue in the Judgment Chamber cried out with a face full of despair, "Help her... help my disciple! Hurry..."

Xiao Yu frowned at those words. After thinking for a moment, he finally made his move.

Half an hour later.

Hua Lian laboriously opened her eyes.

Feeling the agonizing pain from the steel hooks piercing her body,

she had not even noticed what Xiao Yu had done to her.

When Xiao Yu saw that she had stopped moving,

he hurriedly followed Bai Yue's instructions and found a Blood-Staunching Pill.

Elder Wu probably wouldn't notice one pill missing, right?

"Don't move. Take this Blood-Staunching Pill!"

As Xiao Yu spoke, he brought the pill over.

The moment Hua Lian saw Xiao Yu, her face became savage.

At that instant, she finally sensed something.

"Demonic Dao thief!"

"Damn lecherous bastard—! You actually... actually..."

She kicked at him immediately, but the steel hooks yanked her back.

[Detected that evil woman Hua Lian repaid kindness with enmity. The host risked his life to save her, yet she attacked the host. Her evil value has risen to 15%!]

Xiao Yu could not be bothered to explain.

He grabbed the Blood-Staunching Pill and forcefully slapped it straight into her mouth.

With her cultivation crippled, Hua Lian was no match for Xiao Yu at all.

She immediately coughed and swallowed the Blood-Staunching Pill.

Bai Yue shouted anxiously from within the Judgment Chamber, "Lian'er? Hurry and tell her not to struggle! Hurry, think of something! Tell her I sent you!"

Xiao Yu had learned his lesson. This system only assigned him missions; it did not care about his personal safety.

He definitely could not simply rescue her like this!

He had no way to contain her right now. A Judgment Chamber could only hold one person, so he had to judge Bai Yue first and obtain the second Judgment Chamber.

And to contain Hua Lian, he still needed to raise her evil value to 100%!

Bai Yue could be directly contained only because she had been the system's initial reward.

Xiao Yu rejected Bai Yue's suggestion on the spot. "Don't be stupid! What if she sells us out?"

Bai Yue panicked immediately. "Don't! My disciple won't harm you... I watched her grow up!"

Xiao Yu gave a cold laugh. "I don't want to take any more risks. Who knows whether she'll sell us out just to stay alive?"

"I can only help your disciple this much! I need to go grind herbs!"

With that, Xiao Yu shut the storeroom door.

Hua Lian kept cursing inside.

Her shouts went on without end.

Xiao Yu simply finished grinding every last medicinal ingredient.

Not only that, he even cleaned the alchemy room from top to bottom.

If he wanted to live, he could only curry favor with that old man.

After thinking about it, he ran to the kitchen and began cooking.

Why not show off some modern culinary skills?

If Elder Wu ate happily, perhaps he would not kill him?

He heated the wok, poured in oil, and fired up the stove.

Bai Yue wore a melancholy expression inside the Judgment Chamber.

She began recalling the first time she had met Hua Lian, when Hua Lian had still been a little child.

She had picked her up from a heap of corpses in the mortal world.

She had always raised Hua Lian as if she were her own daughter.

"Master! Lian'er will become a cultivator as outstanding as Master someday! Admired by ten thousand people!"

Bai Yue blankly recalled everything from the past.

If she had not mistakenly trusted her second disciple, their Jade Maiden Sect would not have been ambushed.

She had always regarded Lian'er as her daughter.

She knew that the reason Hua Lian had not chosen suicide was perhaps because she wanted to avenge her...

Everyone believed Bai Yue was already dead.

But what face did she have left to go out and acknowledge Hua Lian now?

She was in agony...

Many of her other disciples had chosen suicide rather than be humiliated.

As for the rest, some likely no longer even had the chance to take their own lives.

As their master, she had to find a way to save them!

She had to find a way...

Just then, she seemed to smell a fragrance drifting in from outside.

Such fragrant food!

Though it smelled wonderful, she had no appetite.

All she wanted was to rescue Hua Lian.

Listening to the sound of cooking outside, Bai Yue pleaded with a trembling face, "Help... help Lian'er! You at least obtained her primordial yin... Don't be so heartless and ungrateful..."

"As long as you save my disciple, I... I'll teach you cultivation techniques..."

Before she could finish, a burst of shouting suddenly came from outside. "Where are the people from the alchemy room? Elder Wu has been attacked!"

"Someone, hurry!!!"