Hand Over the Pill Formula
The tall man's face was full of authority, with a crease between his brows from years of frowning. He wore a luxurious black magical robe embroidered with gold thread, and the jade pendant at his waist bore the words "White Foothill."
The man sat high at the head of the room, looking down at Nan Gurong. In that instant, she felt as insignificant as an ant in his eyes, one he could easily crush with a single finger.
Before the man could speak, footsteps sounded in the distance.
Nan Gurong dared not look back. Pressed into lowering her head by his imposing presence, she could only watch a pair of shoes inlaid with sea spirit pearls pass before her. A young woman's coquettish yet overbearing voice followed:
"Father, I heard you've brought back the medical cultivator who saved those medicine people. When are you going to have him treat me?"
The moment the lord of White Foothill City saw his daughter, he instinctively reined in his imposing presence and showed a rare smile. "Don't worry. Once we get the Pill Formula out of her, I can have my people prepare the medicine for you."
Although the city lord had long since heard that the person before him had cured all the young women used as medicine people, he had always been suspicious by nature and did not dare let Nan Gurong treat his daughter directly.
It had been the same with the Cold Crow Devil Lord. He had only been allowed to administer medicine to those mortal women and had not been permitted to touch the city lord's daughter at all.
"Father, I really can't stand looking like this anymore. You have to find me a medicine quickly." The woman urged him again, her tone taking on a commanding edge.
Nan Gurong had expected the city lord to be angry, but instead, he repeatedly agreed and coaxed her away in a gentle voice.
From beginning to end, the young lady had shown no intention of looking down at Nan Gurong. Once she had received a definite answer from her father, she turned and left.
After the city lord's daughter left, the room returned to the oppressive silence from before.
Nan Gurong's scattered thoughts had yet to settle when the city lord at the head of the room spoke. "I hear you cured the poison in those mortals from Listening Willow Village and healed their faces too?"
Nan Gurong closed her eyes briefly. Now she was absolutely certain that the city lord was the mastermind behind the "monster taking a bride" affair!
The city lord paid no mind to her silence and continued, "I advise you to agree obediently. Your Plain Robe Pavilion may be well known, but now that you're in my hands, it's hard to say whether your sect will be able to find you."
Nan Gurong kept her head lowered. Her thoughts were in such disarray that she truly did not know how to answer.
The city lord felt he had said enough and could not be bothered to persuade her any further. Instead, he ordered the steward to take her away and make her obediently treat his daughter's injuries, whatever means it took.
The steward quickly directed the two guards who had brought Nan Gurong there to take her away again.
He settled Nan Gurong in the place where the Cold Crow Devil Lord had once lived. Several bottles of poison pills refined by the Cold Crow Devil Lord still remained in the courtyard.
On the way there, the steward did not forget to help his master persuade Nan Gurong. "The city lord is not a bad man. He simply has a poor temper and dotes too much on the young lady. I expect you've heard that our young lady was born without a Spirit Root and was destined to live out her life as a mortal. Because of that, the city lord has always been a little partial to her."
"Now that the young lady has fallen ill, the city lord spared no expense, even inviting someone like the Cold Crow Devil Lord here, all to cure her. If you can cure the young lady, not only will your life be safe, but you'll also receive an unexpectedly generous reward. Why not give it some thought, miss?"
As he spoke, they came to a stop.
Before Nan Gurong stood a rather elegant courtyard. It did not look like it belonged in the cultivation world, but seemed more suited to mortal tastes.
"You'll be living here from now on, miss. The city lord had a medicine room specially set up in this courtyard, stocked with the most complete collection of Spirit Plants and spirit medicines in the cultivation world. If anything is missing, you need only say the word, and it will be delivered to you the next day." At this point, the steward coaxed her in a low voice, "I might as well tell you, miss: once the matter is settled, all the Spirit Plants here can be yours."
In the steward's view, no medical cultivator could resist such temptation.
Yet Nan Gurong's expression remained cold, with no sign that she intended to agree.
Seeing her attitude, the steward's face turned cold as well. He had already boasted to the city lord, guaranteeing that he could soon persuade this female cultivator to hand over the Pill Formula.
The city lord had a bad temper. If this female cultivator kept holding out and refusing to agree, the steward would be punished when the city lord held him responsible.
The steward naturally had no wish to be punished over a mere medical cultivator. Before Nan Gurong could push open the door, he suddenly smiled. "I hope you'll make up your mind and hand over the Pill Formula soon, miss. After all, even if you won't think of yourself, you should think of your friend. The moment that friend of yours discovered you were in danger, she followed without a word."
He clicked his tongue a few times. "A little Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator who dared to follow a Nascent Soul Dao Lord—that took quite some courage!"
How could Nan Gurong fail to hear the threat beneath the steward's words? She guessed almost at once that he meant Sang Ying!
Nan Gurong could no longer remain silent. She turned and glared fiercely at the steward, grinding out each word through clenched teeth. "If you dare do anything to her, then your young lady can stay sick for the rest of her life!"
Her words could not threaten the steward in the least. He replied lightly, "Whether we do anything to her depends entirely on what you choose, miss."
The courtyard gate slammed shut in answer.
"Hmph!" The steward pointed at the courtyard and ordered the two men beside him, "Keep a close watch on the one inside. If she escapes, the city lord's residence won't spare you the lash!"
The two cultivators hurriedly nodded their assent.
At that very moment, Sang Ying, whom the steward and Nan Gurong had been talking about, was studying her "new neighbor" with great interest, enjoying the other party's rare state of disarray.
"I really didn't get anything! The Cold Crow Devil Lord had already been injured before he ran into me. The person who injured him must have taken what you're looking for. Go catch him!" Liu Yuzhi, who had always carried himself like an upright gentleman, looked utterly flustered for the first time.
After being thrown into the cell opposite Sang Ying's, he had been shouting nonstop, trying to draw the guards over so he could lay everything at someone else's door.
Naturally, no guards appeared. After being locked up here, they saw no one except the person who delivered two Grain Avoidance Pills each day.
Perhaps because he found Liu Yuzhi too noisy, the black-clad man in the cell next to Sang Ying spoke again. "Fellow Daoist, sorry for the trouble, but please quiet down. No matter how much you shout, no one will come."
"Who are you? Why were you captured and brought here too?!" Only when the man suddenly spoke did Liu Yuzhi notice that there was someone else in the dungeon.
In keeping with his principle of being ready to help others, the man warmly answered Liu Yuzhi's question, though his tone was full of feeling. "Alas, it's a long story. It's all because I was born with a face that could captivate all living things, and the city lord's daughter took a fancy to me. I refused to become her dao companion, so her father had me thrown in jail!"
Sang Ying turned her head away, unwilling to listen to his nonsense. Not a word out of his mouth was true!
But she did not know that the moment she looked away, the black-clad man next door cast a complicated glance at her through the narrow gap in the wall.
Tsk, that young woman who bought my booklet—we really were fated to meet!
Remembering his agreement with his companion, he looked again at the several "guests" the city lord had abducted. The Flowing Light Sword Sect, the Sound Killing Sect, the Plain Robe Pavilion... disciples from several major sects had gathered here. It looked as though the city lord's residence would be lively tonight!
The man raised a hand to cover his handsome features, intending to catch up on some sleep. Otherwise, he would not have the spirit to watch the show tonight.