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Mo Yan glared at him for a long moment before choking out, "Are you out of your mind?"

If Mo Yan knew how to play Fight the Landlord, he would have felt as though he had played a three, only for his opponent to throw down four twos.

"Elder Lin, there really is no need for this..." Jin Buhuan tried to persuade him, but Lin Qingyang cut him off.

"Since I've said it, I have no reason to take it back. You can all bear witness today." He would be running away in a few days anyway, so he could say whatever he liked.

Although everyone present thought Lin Qingyang had gone mad, staking his position as an elder on a Demon Slave, he had gone this far, and they really had nothing left to say.

Seeing that no one objected anymore, Lin Qingyang said, "Since no one has any objections, it's settled."

Mo Yan glared at him in anger and helplessness, unable to speak for a long while. Then lightning exploded with a bang, and he vanished. The patch of scorched ground made it clear that he was extremely displeased. Seeing this, Lei Cheng also saluted the elders and left with the Ink Cloud Hall disciples.

Having enjoyed enough of the spectacle, Jin Buhuan waved his fan and said, "About what I mentioned earlier, come find me anytime if you're interested." With that, he flicked his fan and vanished as well.

The courtyard emptied at once. Qi Mo still stood rooted to the spot, dazed and not quite able to process what had happened. He turned to look at Lin Qingyang beside him, only to find his face rather pale, his brows tightly furrowed as though he was in considerable discomfort. Then the man before him swayed and finally collapsed, unable to hold himself up any longer.

Qi Mo hurried forward to catch him. Leaning in his arms, Lin Qingyang coughed softly twice with a pained expression, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Qi Mo was about to reach out to wipe it away when Feng Shu and Feng Yi crowded around, anxiously calling for their master. Xue Lanyuan, who had yet to leave, hurried over as well and checked his pulse.

"How did you get so badly injured?" Xue Lanyuan asked with a frown.

"I had a little accident while training a few days ago," Lin Qingyang managed to say. His chest felt unbearably tight and painful, and as his blood surged, he spat out another mouthful.

Feng Shu and Feng Yi grew even more anxious. Following Xue Lanyuan's instructions, they frantically carried Lin Qingyang into the room, unable to spare any attention for Qi Mo in the courtyard.

Qi Mo stood at a loss in the courtyard, looking at the half-open bedroom door. After some thought, he decided not to follow them inside. He sat on the steps by the door and took out the steamed bun hidden in his sleeve. Looking at the bite missing from it, Qi Mo lowered his head to sniff it before finally taking a bite.

He ate very slowly. After all, this was his last bun, and there was no telling when his next meal would come. As he ate, he could not help listening for sounds from inside. The room was quiet; Xue Lanyuan was probably treating him. He remembered that whenever those Human Clan disciples were injured or ill, they would go to her Cold Moon Residence. She was probably very skilled at treating illnesses.

After Qi Mo finished the bun, there was still little sound from inside. He sat there in boredom for a while before finally getting up and going to the doorway, unable to resist peering through the half-open door.

Inside, Lin Qingyang sat on a couch, enveloped in pale blue spiritual light as Xue Lanyuan worked her magic on him. His complexion seemed to have improved a little, and only after a long while did he slowly open his eyes.

"Thank you," Lin Qingyang said weakly.

Xue Lanyuan withdrew her spell and frowned. "The injuries are one thing, but why is your spiritual power so badly depleted too? What have you been doing lately?"

"Doing good deeds and earning merit," Lin Qingyang said with a smile.

Outside the door, Qi Mo froze for a moment, recalling how, while unconscious last night, he had felt someone holding his hand as a warm current flowed steadily into his body. So he had spent all that spiritual power to save him!

Qi Mo gazed into the room, his expression conflicted and bewildered. Seeming to sense his gaze, Lin Qingyang looked up toward him. Qi Mo's expression stiffened, and he hastily averted his eyes before returning to sit on the steps.

Before long, however, the door behind him opened again. Feng Shu looked at him with a frown and said coldly, "Master wants you inside."

Qi Mo paused, then walked into the room with some hesitation. His face remained expressionless, but there was a hint of guilt in his eyes as he looked at Lin Qingyang.

He heard Lin Qingyang say to Xue Lanyuan, "His hand is injured. Since you're here, please treat him too."

Qi Mo froze again, clearly not expecting Lin Qingyang to remember his injury. Beside him, Feng Shu and Feng Yi also looked taken aback. Who ever had an elder treat a Demon Slave's injuries?

Lin Qingyang saw nothing wrong with it. Seeing Qi Mo standing there blankly, he even urged, "What are you standing there for? Hold out your hand."

Qi Mo hesitantly held out his right hand. His wrist bent at an unnatural angle and had swollen purple by now, making Lin Qingyang frown.

Xue Lanyuan said nothing, taking his hand to examine it and pressing his wrist with her fingers.

"The bones are merely displaced," Xue Lanyuan said. As she spoke, she applied force with her fingers and released her spiritual power.

Qi Mo gave a soft grunt and furrowed his brows, seemingly in great pain. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his body tensed from the pain. Then, with a crack of bone, his crooked wrist returned to its normal shape, though it remained badly swollen and red. Only after taking a moment to recover did Qi Mo let out a soft breath.

"Don't move your wrist for now. Go to the Cold Moon Residence tomorrow for a follow-up examination," Xue Lanyuan said evenly.

Lin Qingyang quickly nodded and thanked her. "Thank you, Elder Xue."

"The same goes for you. Don't use your spiritual power until your injuries have healed," Xue Lanyuan said.

"Then how long will it take me to recover?"

"A year," Xue Lanyuan said evenly.

"A year!" Lin Qingyang nearly leaped off the couch. Was she kidding? Forget anything else going cold-he would probably be a cold corpse himself in a year.

"But if you take the pills I've newly refined, you should recover in about half a month," Xue Lanyuan said expressionlessly.

Lin Qingyang looked at her speechlessly. "Promise me you won't leave such a long pause next time, all right?"

"Get some rest. I'll keep watching Mo Yan," Xue Lanyuan said.

Only then did Lin Qingyang remember the nonsense he had spouted earlier. He could only smile and say, "Thank you for all your hard work."

"It's my duty," Xue Lanyuan said solemnly, then vanished with a wave of her hand.

"Master, please rest well. I'll take this Demon Slave to the woodshed and lock him up for now. My junior brother and I will take turns guarding him. We won't let him escape," Feng Shu said, stepping forward.

"No need. Just tidy up the room next door and let him stay there," Lin Qingyang said.

"But what if he runs away..." Feng Shu said anxiously. This Demon Slave was a prisoner, not a guest, and Lin Qingyang had just made a solemn pledge before everyone.

Lin Qingyang looked at Qi Mo and said gravely, "The Ink Cloud Hall is responsible for all the Nine Skies Sect's guards. If you run, even if you make it out of the Clear Wind Pavilion, Mo Yan will most likely catch you. If you don't want to fall into his hands, you'd better behave yourself for now. Understand?"

Qi Mo stared at him steadily for a long while before lowering his eyes and answering in a low voice, "Yes."