After Xiao Zhuzi’s injuries were fully healed, the villagers had no reason to linger outside.
They each returned to their homes to continue their daily tasks.
Ye Qingluan intended to return to her tree for a nap, but she noticed one person who had yet to leave.
“Xiao Zhuzi is close to you. You should try to talk some sense into him,” Ye Qingluan said, glancing back at Xu Tianlong, who was following her.
“I know, it’s just — ” Xu Tianlong nodded before clenching his fists.
He gritted his teeth and said, “Physician Ye, those guys from the Xincheng Sect have gone too far time and time again. I beg you to stand up for Xiao Zhuzi and teach them a lesson!”
“What did you just call me?”
Ye Qingluan asked.
“Physician… Physician Ye…”
“Since you call me a Physician, then settling grudges is not something I should be doing,” Ye Qingluan said.
“Everyone has their own responsibilities. Mine is to save the injured, heal the sick, and stay out of other matters. Other things have nothing to do with me.”
“But you clearly have so many sharp jian…”
“I have a bit of a hobby for gardening, and those jian haven’t tasted blood in a very long time.”
After speaking, Ye Qingluan turned and left without looking back.
It was not that Ye Qingluan was heartless; rather, she clearly recognized that as a Physician, if she over-interfered in the life of a patient, things she did not wish to see would occur.
Ye Qingluan had once saved a practitioner.
Because That Person received her help for a long time, he successfully managed to nearly exterminate his rivals.
Later, the faction That Person belonged to wanted to force Ye Qingluan to stay forever.
When she refused, they actually attempted to surround and kill her!
After Ye Qingluan narrowly escaped, the remnants of the rival force that had been nearly wiped out targeted her.
This forced Ye Qingluan to endure the brunt of their vengeful wrath and survive yet another hunt.
From that moment on, Ye Qingluan realized that if she over-interfered in someone’s life, she would lose her neutral stance and could very likely turn from a Physician into a weapon that others could exploit.
This was also the reason why Ye Qingluan changed her place of residence so frequently to help more people.
Once the local people began to request things from her beyond medicine, she would leave without hesitation.
Of course, although Ye Qingluan could not agree to Xu Tianlong’s request for revenge against the Xincheng Sect, she would protect Xiao Zhuzi in her own way.
***
Night gradually fell.
Xu Tianlong was not idle after returning to the village.
He helped the elderly with several chores before finally returning home in the evening.
Xiao Zhuzi, who lived with him, was on the bed fiddling with several Fairy Caiyun items he had received from Ye Qingluan.
The wooden hut where the two lived had been built by them personally.
All the furniture inside, including the beds and chairs, was made from the new trees growing on Shan Shang.
These trees were very special; they could not be broken or burned, and they were unafraid of wind, rain, or the intrusion of wild beasts.
Despite being under such a safe roof, Xiao Zhuzi would still return time and time again covered in wounds, which made Xu Tianlong angrier the more he thought about it.
‘But what can I do?’
Xincheng Sect had power in numbers, and every member was a Martial Dao Practitioner.
As a mere mortal, Xu Tianlong simply did not have the capital to contend with them.
So, he ultimately suppressed the rage in his heart and chose to endure.
He said to Xiao Zhuzi, “Zhuzi, do you remember everything Physician Ye told you today?”
Xiao Zhuzi fell silent for a long moment before nodding.
“I remember.”
“So, do you plan to leave with her? Or…”
“No, I’m not leaving. I want to stay here with everyone,” Xiao Zhuzi shook his head and answered.
“I won’t go to the Xincheng Sect anymore.”
“Sigh… there’s nothing we can do. If we can’t provoke them, we’ll hide from them. Zhuzi, you’ve really been wronged. Once your brother has gained some skill, I’ll definitely get justice for you!”
Xu Tianlong said with a bitter expression.
“It’s late, Brother. Let’s sleep.”
“Mm, goodnight.”
Xu Tianlong blew out the candle and went to the other bed to sleep.
As time passed, the sound of Xu Tianlong’s steady breathing filled the room.
However, Xiao Zhuzi was not asleep.
He climbed off the bed with extremely light movements, then tiptoed out of the wooden hut and headed toward the outskirts of the village.
Xiao Zhuzi’s goal was to enter the city.
He was doing this because after his injuries were healed and he woke up, he realized that the Jade Pendant he always wore was gone.
That Jade Pendant was the only Sinner’s Token his parents had left for him; its importance to him was self-evident.
‘I don’t even have to think about it; those people from the Xincheng Sect must have swiped it.’
Xiao Zhuzi did not tell anyone about this.
He planned to sneak into the city in the dead of night, infiltrate the Xincheng Sect’s territory, and take back the Jade Pendant that belonged to him.
The cold night wind was bleak, sounding like the wails of lonely ghosts.
The boy dragged his thin, small body, walking alone on the deserted, dark, and eerie mountain road.
Xiao Zhuzi had walked this mountain road countless times.
His steps were quick and steady; to recover the only Sinner’s Token his parents had left him, he seemed to fear nothing.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Xiao Zhuzi finally entered the city and quickly approached the Xincheng Sect territory.
He had been a Page Boy in the Xincheng Sect, following the Young Sect Leader every day to listen to his orders and run countless errands.
He would be beaten if he accidentally made a mistake, and he would also be beaten if the Young Sect Leader was in a bad mood.
The one who laid hands on him was that fat manager who desperately curried favor with the Young Sect Leader like a loyal dog.
Xiao Zhuzi knew exactly where that fat manager lived and the positions of the Xincheng Sect’s night patrol.
He easily bypassed all the patrol personnel and arrived outside the fat manager’s door.
He used his finger to carefully poke a hole in the paper window.
Sure enough, under the dim candlelight, he saw his Jade Pendant on the table.
However, just as Xiao Zhuzi was considering how to sneak into the room, footsteps suddenly echoed behind him.
He looked back and found the fat manager walking out from a corner while pulling up his pants.
Following behind him was a young maid whose clothes were in disarray; her face was covered in tear streaks, having clearly been victimized.
At that moment, their eyes met.
‘I never expected that even though it was this late, the fat manager would not be in his room sleeping, but outside threatening a maid to do such filthy and despicable things!’
“Who is it? What are you doing here being so sneaky?! Someone, come quickly!!”
Seeing someone plotting outside his room, the fat manager hurriedly shouted at the top of his lungs.
Before anyone could react, the sound of rapid footsteps approached from all directions.
Xiao Zhuzi could no longer worry about the Jade Pendant and turned to flee.
However, Xiao Zhuzi was thin and small to begin with and could not run fast.
He was soon caught by the patrolling guards and brought before the fat manager.
“Manager Cui, this kid… looks like that little bamboo pole?”
“What? Him? That can’t be!”
The fat manager’s face was full of disbelief, but when he leaned in for a closer look and realized it truly was Xiao Zhuzi, his expression changed instantly.
“This kid… I beat him like that during the day. Why can’t I see a single wound on his body now!?”
Manager Cui lifted Xiao Zhuzi’s shirt and carefully inspected him from top to bottom.
Indeed, he could not find any wounds.
It was as if he had seen a ghost.
“Manager Cui, do you think those guys from Yaoxi Village might be hiding some kind of Secret Medicine?” one of the men asked.
“Otherwise, there’s no way to explain this.”
“That’s true… I noticed before that this kid heals faster than others after being beaten. I originally thought it was due to his constitution, but now it seems there might really be a Secret Medicine.”
As Manager Cui spoke, a chilling sneer suddenly appeared on his face.
He pinched Xiao Zhuzi’s face with one hand and said to him in a low, eerie voice:
“Little guy, where is that Secret Medicine you used? If you hand it over nicely, I might consider letting you into my room to take what you want.”