At the break of dawn, with the crowing of the rooster, Hua Che's fever also subsided.

He had been in a daze all night long, somewhat conscious in the first half of the night, but completely unable to recall what he had done in the latter half of the night.

Although the feeling of amnesia wasn't pleasant, Hua Che felt refreshed and energetic upon waking up early. His spirits were high, and his wounds no longer hurt. Peeling back the gauze, he saw the scar beginning to form, as expected.

The efficacy of the elixirs from Yuntian Shuijing was widely recognized across the Six Realms. Moreover, cultivators don't typically scar from external injuries, so this kind of wound would probably heal in three to five days.

Turning to look at Chu Binghuan, although he still had his usual elegant demeanour, Hua Che instinctively felt that he was in good spirits.

"Little Ice Cube," Hua Che called out to him. "Did I... last night..."

Hug, cry, laugh, and all?

His memory was just too fuzzy. He vaguely remembered running towards the riverbank, then feeling a strong force pulling him back.

Chu Binghuan pressed down on his incessantly throbbing temple. He had thought that Hua Che was just bluffing last night, but unexpectedly, he had acted on his words, actually taking the "divorce letter" to hang himself. Chu Binghuan was scared out of his wits, rescuing him after being scared to death. But then Hua Che had insisted on jumping into the lake, and finally, he had wanted to bite his tongue to die.

Chu Binghuan had to knock him unconscious with just one finger until now when he woke up.

Chu Binghuan said coldly, "You don't remember?"

Hua Che’s entire face was filled with embarrassment.

Even though the nonsense he talked about during the high fever couldn't be fully trusted, Chu Binghuan asked half-seriously, "Who is “Mister Wang from next door”?”?"

Hua Che was puzzled, "What “Mister Wang ?”

"Brother Hua! Brother Chu! Hey, you two make it so hard for me to find you. Several towns under Mingyue Valley are in chaos, and you two are hiding here for peace and quiet. It's really too..."

Ah, Master Wang from next door had arrived.

Chu Binghuan's gaze turned cold as he looked at Mu Rongsa, who ran to Hua Che in fear, "Brother Hua, what, what's going on? Are you injured? Did you get into a fight?"

Hua Che chuckled, "More than just a fight, it was a matter of life and death. I almost went to the underworld."

Mu Rongsa, not as big-hearted as Hua Che, felt a shiver just hearing the description. "And now you..."

"No worries, no worries, thanks to our great Chu Physician." Hua Che flattered with a smile, then turned around and solemnly bowed to Chu Binghuan, "For saving my life, I am forever grateful."

Chu Binghuan wanted to say something but hesitated.

Mu Rongsa suggested, "Why don't you just marry him?"

Chu Binghuan and Hua Che were both taken aback.

Only after Mu Rongsa confirmed that Hua Che was fine did he dare to tease him. With a smirk on his face, he whispered, "How was it, Hua Xiong? Did you two get up to some mischief last night?"

Hua Che shot him a glance, "What are you thinking! We both behaved ourselves and did nothing."

"Even if you did, so what? You two used to be together in the past, and rekindling old flames isn't necessarily a bad thing." As a good friend, Mu Rongsa spoke earnestly from Hua Che's perspective, "What's wrong with Lord Chu? He comes from a good family, has a decent character, high cultivation, and most importantly, excellent medical skills. Without him this time, could you still be standing here talking?"

"One shouldn't be too greedy. He's already good enough. If you break up with him, who else would you find? You're leaving such a great opportunity untouched. Are you stupid?"

Hua Che urged Mu Rongsa to lead the way, and the three of them returned to meet up with Lin Yan.

As they flew back via sword, Hua Che felt a headache from Mu Rongsa's nagging and had to say, "He is indeed great, but you should also consider my situation. I'm just a commoner with no name or background... you know, it's not appropriate."

Mu Rongsa was at a loss for words on how to console Hua Che.

Hua Che naturally understood Mu Rongsa's intentions and appreciated his kindness, feeling warm inside. "Even after knowing about my background, Young Master Mu still calls me 'Brother Hua.' I am already very grateful."

"What nonsense is this! Am I that shallow?" Mu Rongsa exclaimed, "You're you, my good brother Hua Che. Your background and status have nothing to do with me. Whoever dares to tarnish you with those messy things, just tell me, and I'll beat them up!"

Hua Che's eyes welled up.

In his past life, he hadn't had the fortune to meet someone like Mu Rongsa.

*

The situation in the village turned out to be far more serious than Hua Che had anticipated. He had assumed their task would involve merely helping the villagers recover from the incident, never imagining they would be required to confront demons.

The environment of Ming Yue Valley was exceptionally peculiar, often attracting malevolent spirits and demons. Those residing on the outskirts of the valley were frequently plagued by these entities, enduring unimaginable suffering.

The nearest immortal sect to Ming Yue Valley happened to be Shang Qing. Periodically, members of the Shang Qing Immortal Sect would arrive to fortify the barrier that shielded the common folk from demonic threats.

However, a mysterious individual had now set fire to the entire village, completely demolishing the already fragile protective barrier. With the barrier gone, the hungry demons and evil creatures in the vicinity couldn't resist the opportunity and began flooding into the village.

The sequence of events was remarkably coincidental. Among Lin Yan's extensive experiences, the first demon he had ever encountered was the Soul Sucking Bat. Consequently, the initial wave of invaders into the village consisted precisely of these bats. Dealing with them proved relatively straightforward for Lin Yan.

A single blaze was sufficient to dispatch all the Soul Sucking Bats soaring in the sky. Lin Yan and Wen Yuan were tasked with handling these creatures. Meanwhile, Lu Yao and Long Nose took charge of dealing with the demons resembling apes and monkeys, which proved to be slightly more challenging to subdue.

*

When Hua Che and the others arrived, they expected to join the battle as reinforcements. However, suddenly, a black mist rose in the sky, and their nearby companions disappeared in the blink of an eye. The mist covered the entire sky, obscuring the sun and clouds. Hua Che raised his hand and released a burst of his true energy, but the black mist was like a swamp, completely swallowing the red light, and the mist itself didn't dissipate at all.

It was indeed not ordinary mist but demonic mist. This was not something that low-level demons could create.

Hua Che shouted to the left and right in the pitch-black darkness, "Be on guard, it's a demonic cultivator!"

"A demonic cultivator?" A voice of great surprise came from Murong Sa, "Haha, in my lifetime, I've finally seen a live demonic cultivator!"

Compared to the bloodthirsty and murderous image of demonic cultivators described in books, this one seemed more real.

Suddenly, a sharp scream came from behind Hua Che. Without caring about who it was, he summoned "Ji Feng" and, facing the intense demonic mist, released his true energy. The mist scattered in fear, creating an empty path.

“Sà Sà, don't run around," Hua Che shouted as he ran towards that direction. Getting closer, he saw Lu Yao half-kneeling on the ground, holding Lang Yue in one hand and covering his bitten leg with the other, not knowing what had bitten him.

Lu Yao raised his head, tears in his eyes, and said, " Qingkong."

Hua Che looked down at him.

Before anyone could speak, a brilliant blue light shot up into the sky from a distance, dispersing the demonic mist for miles around.

Murong Sa ecstatically exclaimed, "Chu Tianyu, you're too awesome!"

Chu Binghuan, retracting Tingquan, instinctively sought Hua Che's silhouette. He saw Hua Che and Lu Yao standing together, and he felt a sudden pang in his heart, like a pinprick—painful and numbing, and a bit dazzling.

"Be careful on the left and right," Chu Binghuan instructed Murong Sa and then walked briskly to Hua Che's side. He glanced casually at the somewhat disheveled Lu Yao but kept his gaze fixed on Hua Che, attempting to find some comfort in Hua Che's eyes.

In reality, Hua Che's expression remained calm, and his gaze was serene, showing no signs of joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.

His attitude toward Lu Yao...

Chu Binghuan looked at the Ji Feng in Hua Che's hand and then at the Lang Yue in Lu Yao's hand, and he found it even more blinding.

Forget it.

Chu Binghuan tapped Lu Yao's acupoint and examined the wound on his leg. He coldly stated, "Not poisoned."

Hua Che showed no expression, and his eyes remained calm. He shifted his gaze towards the distance and said, "Something is approaching."

Everyone was startled, and they saw a demonic cultivator descending from the sky.

"Who do we have here? It turns out to be a bunch of inexperienced kids," the demonic cultivator lazily glanced at everyone, sneering, "Wielding quite a powerful spiritual weapon, aren't you trying to impress people?"

This demonic cultivator had a high nose and small eyes, wore a robe with black and red patterns, and had an ornate emerald hanging from his waist. He also wore a distinctive red bracelet on his right wrist.

While his attire might be imitated, the Fen Qing Gu and the Heartless Jade were things that couldn't be faked. His identity was evident.

"You little brats, do you know about Shang Chi Mei? Do you know about the Fen Qing Palace?" These two names were well-known in the world of cultivation; if they didn't know them, they had no place in the world of immortality.

 

Fen Qing Palace was the largest sect in the demonic realm, with the Demon Lord Yin Wu Hui having two chief disciples under him, Left Chief Disciple Shang Chi Mei and Right Chief Disciple Shang Wang Liang.

These two chief disciples, just like their names suggested, Chi Mei (NT: 魑魅   spirit demon) and Wang Liang (NT: 魍魉 spirit monster/goblin), served as the left and right hands of Yin Wuhui (NT: 污秽  wū huì : nasty), and they were deeply trusted. The sect had numerous disciples spread far and wide, and the extent of the Fen Qing Palace’s influence was self-evident.

The current demonic cultivator in front of them was likely a disciple of Left Chief Disciple.

Hua Che recalled how in his past life, after the death of Yin Wu Hui, the Fen Qing Palace, and the demonic realm was divided. He remembered how he had grabbed power from Shang Wang Liang, tearing him apart, and how Shang Wang Liang, once arrogant and illustrious, had cowered before him and had been scared away every few days.

Even Yin Wu Hui himself had been a defeated subordinate under Hua Qingkong. Now, a nameless nobody had arrived. Would he be afraid?

Hua Che thought that Chu Binghuan would at least have some reaction, not necessarily fear, but at least a bit of caution. Bringing up the name of the Fen Qing Palace alone should be enough to strike fear into the hearts of many. However, to his surprise, Chu Binghuan didn't even blink his eyes. It was unclear whether he was truly ignorant or excessively self-confident, but without saying a word, he struck the demonic cultivator with a sword.

The demonic cultivator was clearly stunned.

He had been using the name of the Fen Qing Palace to act tyrannically in the outside world for so many years, and he had never encountered a situation like this!

"You're looking for death!" The demonic cultivator's killing intent was exposed. He reached out to try and twist Chu Binghuan's neck, but to his surprise, Chu Binghuan's speed was incredible, and he grabbed nothing but empty air.

For someone who had cultivated for over thirty years, being outdone by a mere youngster was truly a great shame and humiliation!

The demonic cultivator, in anger, struck out with a palm, and a demonic wind howled. Chu Binghuan took a step back to gain momentum, and the sword edge directly threatened the demonic cultivator's throat. At a distance of just half an inch, the demonic cultivator fiercely grabbed something resilient.

His strength was more powerful and fierce than Chu Binghuan had imagined. TingQuan buzzed anxiously. Chu Binghuan clenched his left hand and retaliated with a Soul-Burning strike.

The demonic cultivator responded in time, raising his hand to grab the Dragon Bone Whip. Seizing the opportunity, Chu Binghuan struck in, TingQuan moving from the upper right to the lower left, leaving a two-foot-long wound on the demonic cultivator's chest.

The demonic cultivator screamed and fell from the roof, barely managing to stabilize himself. As he turned to look, he found himself face to face with a group of terrified civilians. The demonic cultivator felt elated. He stepped forward and reached out to extract a soul.

Suddenly, a flute melody, originating from an unknown source, sent shivers down the demonic cultivator’s spine.

 

Translator: DarNan