NOVEL WEB Ch. 37
The people of the Clear Sun Sect rushed into the medicinal store, bringing with them two heavily injured cultivators.
The owner of the medicinal store, Zhao Gang, was already over eighty, old and frail. Hearing the commotion, he hurriedly rushed out.
“This is, this is...”
“Hurry and save them!”
The leading cultivator at the peak of the Qi Refining stage barked.
Zhao Gang quickly checked the conditions of Tan Qingxue and Wang Song, his face turning grave. He immediately ordered the disciples of the medicinal store, “Take them to the inner hall. Have them take a Life Preservation Pill first. Prepare the Life-Saving Method!”
Li An had followed along. Although he hadn't seen the exact injuries of Tan Qingxue and the other, hearing this made his heart tremble.
The Life-Saving Method was only used in situations where one's life hung by a thread and no hope remained. It included blood stimulation, spiritual energy shock, forced medicinal ignition, and, if needed, poison detoxification and even organ removal.
It was an extremely complex process.
In the entire Market District, only Zhao Gang had the ability to perform it.
The Qi Refining peak cultivator grabbed Zhao Gang and whispered in a low voice, “They’ve already taken the Life Preservation Pill. I only have one request for you.”
“Save Tan Qingxue first.”
Li An had sharp hearing and heard this clearly even from outside the door.
Zhao Gang frowned. “But Wang Song’s vitality is stronger... The chances of saving him are higher. If I save Tan Qingxue first, we might lose them both.”
“That’s not for you to worry about.”
The Qi Refining peak cultivator replied coldly, “Someone in the Inner Sect wants Tan Qingxue alive. Just do as you're told.”
Zhao Gang hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded.
Lives were not equal. At the critical moment between life and death, having connections made all the difference.
Li An’s thoughts stirred. This so-called Inner Sect... it was most likely Xu Qiuhui.
The two of them truly shared a deep sisterly bond.
Li An waited quietly outside the store.
“Who are you?” The middle-aged cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining noticed Li An and asked directly.
“Reporting to Senior Brother, I am Li An. I work at the Talisman Store with Sister Qingxue.”
Li An replied.
“You're Li An?”
The middle-aged man was surprised.
“The infamous Black-Hearted Talisman Master.”
He chuckled and warmed up a bit toward Li An. “Come in and sit.”
Li An followed him into the medicinal store.
Through conversation, he roughly understood the full story.
Liyang Valley had indeed once been a secret realm, but it had been discovered early by remnants of the Yin-Yang Demon Sect.
Later, the Yin-Yang Demon Sect used the secret realm as camouflage and set up a deadly trap.
Their goal was twofold: to hunt the cultivators who entered Liyang Valley, and to target the Market District.
To lure people away from the Market District, the Demon Sect offered massive resources—including real Formation Established Pills.
Once enough people had been drawn in, they activated a long-laid killing array. Nearly everyone who went to Liyang Valley was annihilated.
Luckily, Zhang Shouye from the Array Store managed to activate a broken Second-Grade Formation, tearing open a gap and allowing Clear Sun Sect disciples to escape.
Even so, most disciples were hunted down and killed by the Demon Sect. Wang Song from the Weapon Pavilion escaped on a Spirit Treasure flying boat, while Tan Qingxue survived thanks to a Second-Grade Talisman.
It was fortunate that reinforcements from the Clear Sun Sect arrived in time. Otherwise, even they would have died.
“Many thanks to Senior Brother Jing Ao. Without you, Senior Sister Tan might have perished...”
Li An expressed his gratitude.
The Qi Refining peak cultivator was named Jing Ao.
“Good thing the Market District still stands. We had Zhao Gang to save them. If it had been destroyed by the Demon Sect, we’d have had to race back to the sect—there would’ve been no chance to save them.”
Jing Ao said, smiling as he looked at Li An. “We also have your black-hearted talismans to thank, haha!”
Li An gave an awkward smile. “I wouldn’t dare...”
The Life-Saving Method was carried out all the way into the early morning hours.
Zhao Gang emerged from the inner hall, drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted.
“I did all I could... But Miss Tan’s internal organs are damaged, and she’s also poisoned. Her condition has stabilized for now, but it’s still extremely dangerous.”
“From here on... it depends on her own fortune.”
Jing Ao nodded. “Thank you for your hard work, Shopkeeper Zhao.”
As he spoke, he handed over a pouch of spirit stones. Li An glanced at it—it likely contained two hundred stones.
Physicians might not be as dominant as Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, or Talisman Masters, but they were highly valued nonetheless.
Zhao Gang didn’t refuse and accepted the payment. After resting for a while, he then turned to start saving Wang Song.
…
With someone watching over Tan Qingxue at the medicinal store, Li An returned to the Talisman Store.
“So Zhang Shouye actually died...”
Li An felt more at ease.
The person directly involved was dead. Aside from Tan Qingxue, no one else knew he had purchased that array—one less risk.
Back in his room, Li An opened the storage ring again.
Upon entering the storage space, Gu Hong was seated on the jade bed, meditating with spirit stones around her. The food and spirit wine he’d given her were already finished.
She opened her eyes and greeted, “Daoist Li.”
Her wariness toward him had lessened considerably.
After all, Li An had given her so many spirit stones to recover her cultivation—it showed sincerity.
If he had ill intentions, he would’ve controlled her like the previous Demon Cultivator.
“Apologies, I didn’t find any Cleansing Qi Pills today.”
Li An apologized, then took out more food and placed it beside her.
“Please don’t worry, Miss. I’ll continue searching.”
He had already bought Cleansing Qi Pills that day, but didn’t plan to give them just yet.
First, if he gave them too easily, she might not treasure or value them.
Second, Li An still didn’t fully understand Gu Hong. Though he did want to win her over, he didn’t intend to blindly give and flatter. He needed to observe whether she was truly worth saving.
People were hard to read. If Gu Hong had the wrong disposition, releasing her could backfire and put him at great risk.
In that case, better to eliminate her here and now.
“Thank you, Daoist Li.”
Gu Hong gratefully said, “Daoist, may I ask what the situation is outside? Is there anything I can help with?”
“Can I contact others?”
Clearly, she still wanted to leave.
Li An sighed. “To be honest, I’ve been targeted by Horse Face of Death. He’s placed a bounty of one Foundation Established Pill on my head. I’m in great danger.
Right now, the Demon Sect is rampant in the Grand Dawn Dynasty. Just a few days ago, they attacked this area. It’s incredibly dangerous. If you leave the ring, you might be found by other Demon Cultivators.
Worse, they have disguising techniques. I don’t have anyone I can trust right now...”
He wore a bitter expression, full of sorrow and anxiety.
Gu Hong was stunned. A mere Fourth Layer Qi Refining cultivator had offended Horse Face of Death?
But thinking about how Li An managed to kill the one who imprisoned her, he clearly wasn’t ordinary.
She was a smart woman. Hearing his explanation, she understood—staying in the ring was indeed the safest option. If she left, they both might be in danger.
Especially since she still had residual Yin-Yang Demonic Qi in her body, which could easily be sensed by other Demon Cultivators.
Her Water-Attribute Middle-Grade Yellow Spiritual Root was an absolute treasure for those cultivating the Yin-Yang Demonic Furnace Art.
Just the thought of being captured again and used as a furnace made her tremble.
“The Clear Sun Sect and the Hundred Beasts Sect have already begun a joint campaign to purge the Yin-Yang Demon Sect. It’ll all be over soon. You need not worry.”
Li An offered hope.
Gu Hong nodded and began eating. Seeing the fragrant food, her mood improved. “Daoist Li, care to join me?”
Li An didn’t refuse. “Of course.”
The two shared a meal and some spirit wine. Gu Hong eventually asked with curiosity how he, a mere Fourth Layer Qi Refiner, had offended Horse Face of Death. Li An reluctantly told her about the fake talismans, and Gu Hong was stunned—then burst into laughter.
She laughed heartily, as if she hadn’t laughed that hard in years.
“Talisman Master Li, you’re truly... truly amusing.”
She couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“What’s amusing about it... I can’t even run a proper business anymore.”
Li An looked depressed.
“Oh, Talisman Master Li, I do have a small request...”
Gu Hong’s smile softened. “I’d like to take a hot bath, if that’s okay?”
Li An nodded. “Alright, give me a moment. I’ll bring in the things tomorrow—it’s not convenient tonight.”
…
After Li An left—
Gu Hong smiled softly within the ring and resumed her cultivation.
…
The next morning—
Li An went out as usual. He first visited the medicinal store to check on Tan Qingxue’s condition.
It was dire—she still hadn’t regained consciousness.
Wang Song, however, had not survived. He had passed away.
Li An didn’t linger. He made a few purchases in the Market District and returned home.
When night fell—
He opened the ring again.
Bringing in food, they ate together. Gu Hong brought up her request again:
“Talisman Master Li, about what I mentioned last night…”
Li An smiled.
“No worries. Just a moment.”
He stepped out, retrieved a bath barrel, vanity mirror, and some clean clothing from his storage bag, and brought them into the ring.
“This place is rather simple, so I bought some daily necessities.”
He laid everything down and filled the bath barrel with hot water. Before leaving, he asked, “Is there anything else you need?”
Looking at the ring, now filled with household items—even though it was still simple—Gu Hong suddenly felt comforted. She looked at Li An with newfound gratitude.
“No, Daoist Li, you’ve thought of everything.”
“Alright. Then I’ll take my leave.”
As he turned to go—
“Wait,”
Gu Hong suddenly called out. “Daoist Li, why have you never asked me my name?”
Li An paused. “If you don’t say it, I won’t ask.”
Her heart warmed.
Clearly, he was being considerate of the humiliation she had suffered—just like how a courtesan might be hurt if a guest pressed to know her real name.
“My name is Gu Hong,” she said softly.
“Alright. I’ll remember it.”
Li An left immediately.
…
Seven days passed in a flash.
On this day, Li An hadn’t gone out yet when Zhao Gang and Jing Ao arrived at his doorstep, escorting a carriage.
Several disciples carried a stretcher.
Li An’s heart sank slightly. Had Tan Qingxue finally died?
“Talisman Master Li,”
Jing Ao and Zhao Gang approached. Zhao Gang said, “I’ve done all I can, but Miss Tan’s injuries are too severe. She’s now in a state of Death Trance. No medicine can help. After considering everything, only you can look after her—”
Li An was surprised. Death Trance...
She wasn’t dead, but in a coma-like state—like a living corpse.
It was similar to being a vegetative patient on Earth.
But worse.
Once someone fell into Death Trance, they rarely ever woke up again.
(End of Chapter)