Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 4 Qinghe Sword Sect is the Number One in the World
The firewood crackled and popped as it burned, and the wolf meat in the pot emitted a strong, gamey odor.

Wild animal meat doesn't taste good to begin with, and wolf meat is even more tough and dry. If it's not bled thoroughly, the stench can hit you right in the head.

However, this pungent smell is an irresistible temptation for people who are starving.

Chen Ye served the meat soup to the family of three, and reminded them, "Don't eat meat in big bites if you've been hungry for a long time. Drink some meat soup first, and then eat some minced meat."

They thanked them profusely, ignoring the scalding heat, and began gulping down the food from the bowls. They were truly starving; after finishing, they even licked the broken bowls clean, still wanting more.

After drinking most of the bowl and feeding the child a few more bites, the family of three seemed to have been pulled back from the brink of death and regained some vitality.

Chen Ye observed them discreetly. Although the three were filthy, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that they were not ordinary poor people.

The man was dressed as a scholar, and although his long robe was torn in several places, the material was obviously of high quality; the woman was dressed as a peasant woman, but her skin was fair and smooth, and she did not look like someone who worked in the fields all year round.

Why would someone in such a sorry state run to this desolate temple in the middle of nowhere, as if fleeing a famine?
Feeling Chen Ye's gaze, the man finally mustered his courage, cupped his hands in a bow to Chen Ye, and said sincerely, "I will never forget your kindness in providing me with a meal, and I will definitely repay you handsomely in the future."

"You flatter me. We're just strangers who met by chance, and it's nothing more than a pot of meat soup." Chen Ye asked with curiosity in his eyes, "Judging from your appearance, you don't seem to be fleeing famine. How did you end up in these deep mountains?"

To ordinary people, climbing a mountain is no easy task. These days, mountain paths are made by people stepping on them one by one. Even in broad daylight, it is quite difficult to walk on them. If one is not careful and falls into a hole, one may lose one's life.

Unless one is a woodcutter or hunter, ordinary people rarely venture into such desolate mountains and wilderness.

The man hesitated for a moment before explaining, “My name is Zhao Hezhou, and my family of three are originally from Cui County. Recently, the county suddenly issued an order to conscript three thousand children under the age of ten to be sent to the Qinghe Sword Sect for training. My child, who has just turned one year old, was not spared either. How could my husband and I bear to be separated from our flesh and blood? But the county magistrate wanted to forcibly take my child. Helpless, we had no choice but to flee overnight and have been running all the way here.”

"Qinghe Sword Sect? That's no ordinary immortal sect." Chen Ye frowned slightly upon hearing this.

He had heard of the Qinghe Sword Sect's name far too often. The number one righteous person in the world today was the Qinghe Sect's leader. Of the eighteen demon lords who fought amongst themselves, thirteen died, and of the remaining five, two fell to this sect leader's sword.

Legend has it that a sword mark left by the Qinghe Sect leader remains on the battlefield, cutting through eight hundred miles of sky, and has not healed even after hundreds of years.

Chen Ye's master, Mo Ci, was also repeatedly beaten to the brink of death by juniors of the Qinghe Sword Sect, forcing him to frequently possess other people's bodies, thus prematurely exhausting his lifespan. Those in the demonic path, upon encountering cultivators of the Qinghe Sect, regardless of whether they could win or not, would flee without a second thought. No matter how powerful, could they compare to the Sword Venerable? This man was notoriously protective of his own; back then, those two Demon Venerables had merely killed juniors of the Qinghe Sect, yet he had stormed their doorstep, causing a cataclysmic battle.

For this reason, the Qinghe Sword Sect is extremely strict in selecting disciples, and the number of its members is very small. It is said that, including those who have already perished, there are no more than a hundred people in total.

Upon hearing Chen Ye's words, Zhao Hezhou looked surprised: "Could this really be a predestined encounter? Could it be that my husband and I have done something wrong?"

Chen Ye glanced at Zhao Hezhou and thought to himself: How can this person be so indecisive? He is easily swayed by what others say.

Zhao Hezhou's wife, however, was quick-witted. Sensing the change in her husband's tone, she hurriedly reminded him, "Even if it truly is a divine opportunity, don't you know what kind of person that magistrate is? If it were really something good, would he be so eager to give it away?"

Reminded by his wife, Zhao Hezhou nodded repeatedly: "That's right. This magistrate is greedy and insatiable. In his three years in office, he has squandered a fortune. How could he possibly give away the opportunity to become an immortal to the people of the county for nothing?"

Chen Ye didn't offer his opinion, but he also suspected something was amiss. What kind of immortal sect would accept disciples like this, especially the Qinghe Sword Sect, known for its strict discipline? What use would the magistrate have for these young boys and girls? It was likely that someone from a demonic sect was impersonating the Qinghe Sword Sect, and ordinary people, unaware of the deception, were being tricked or coerced.

Chen Ye couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. There really were people who weren't afraid of death, even daring to impersonate the Qinghe Sword Sect. Fortunately, Cui County was still a hundred miles away, so he figured it wouldn't implicate him. The Zhao family of three, hungry and exhausted, ate something and then fell into a deep sleep on the haystack. Under the cover of night, Chen Ye quietly slipped out of the dilapidated temple.

When Zhao Hezhou woke up, he saw two lively wild boars and several woven rattan birdcages in the dilapidated temple, with birds chirping inside.

Chen Ye was busy stuffing wolf blood pills into the mouths of these animals.

This wolf blood pill is definitely harmful to more than just humans. It can't be that wild boars can eat it without any problems, but humans can get sick. Chen Ye is going to test it today.

To differentiate the dosage, Chen Ye specially caught a 200-pound wild boar and a palm-sized bird to test whether the toxicity that damages the soul is related to body size.

To this end, he even made a detailed table, recording the control groups at different times and with different doses, just waiting to see when the wolf blood pill would take effect.

Zhao Hezhou was puzzled, assuming that the wild boars and birds were food that Chen Ye had caught. He was both surprised and impressed. He thought to himself: This must be a master. Otherwise, how could such a thin boy have caught two large wild boars alive? Even if they were dead, I might not be able to move them.

Thinking about this, their stomachs started growling again. Although the meat soup they had last night had pulled them back from the brink of death, they hadn't been able to fill up after being starving for so many days.

Zhao Hezhou had fled in haste, penniless, and had only eaten a pot of meat soup last night. If he were to ask for more today, it would seem too greedy. But if he didn't eat, how long could his wife and children survive?
He was just taking things one step at a time, and once they left the dilapidated temple, the family of three had no idea where to go.

After much hesitation, Zhao Hezhou just couldn't bring himself to speak.

Chen Ye, however, was perceptive and noticed his predicament early on. He took the initiative to speak, saying, "I heard Mr. Zhao speak so elegantly yesterday. He must be literate. I wonder if he could do me a favor?"

Zhao Hezhou quickly replied, "Please give your orders, brave warrior. You saved the lives of my family of three. I will do whatever you ask without hesitation."

“Alright, let’s have breakfast first. This matter is time-consuming and laborious, so Mr. Zhao should eat his fill and save some energy.” Chen Ye pointed to the iron pot next to him, which was already full of stewed meat and some wild vegetables. The taste was much better than yesterday’s bland meat soup.

Zhao Hezhou no longer held back, filled a bowl, and began to eat heartily. But as he ate, his eyes gradually reddened, and he couldn't help but shed tears.

Chen Ye pretended not to see it, and waited until Zhao Hezhou finished eating before taking out a few pieces of linen with writing on them and handing them to him.

"I've drugged the wild boar and the birds to test the prescription. But I have to go out today and can't keep an eye on the effects of the drug. I would appreciate it if Mr. Zhao could keep an eye on them for me. If there are any abnormalities, please write them down carefully, including the time of onset and any adverse symptoms. Don't miss a single one."

Zhao Hezhou quickly took the burlap sack and said, "Don't worry, I will record everything carefully and not miss a single detail."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Zhao."

Chen Ye picked up the white banner and strode out of the dilapidated temple. His blood pill reserves were running low; he needed to hunt some more game today.

They had only walked a hundred feet when Mo Ci's voice came from within the Ten Thousand Souls Banner: "Disciple, are you keeping these three by your side to test medicine on?"

(End of this chapter)