I courted death and then tried to escape, so the whole sect wants to get rid of me.

Zhu Zhao frowned, trying to struggle, but the poison was too strong; she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand. She could only glare at him: "Jiang Jin, let me go! Now is not the time to rest!"

"Second Senior Sister, stop fooling around! If you don't neutralize the poison, something bad might happen!"

Jiang Jin interrupted her, kicking open the courtyard gate. "Don't worry, I know a little bit of healing techniques..."

A cold, sharp sword light grazed the door frame and reached Jiang Jin, intercepting his movements.

Song Yao landed steadily, reached out and grabbed Jiang Jin's arm that was holding Zhu Zhao. She raised her beautiful eyes slightly and said in a clear and calm voice, "Leave Second Senior Sister to me. Senior Brother Jiang's cultivation is high, so it's better for him to stay outside and check if there are any demons that have been missed."

Jiang Jin paused in his embrace of Zhu Zhao, pursing his lips in displeasure: "Junior Sister Lin knows how to heal?"

Song Yao seemed to find it amusing: "I'm a pill refiner, so I'm a bit more skilled than Senior Brother Jiang."

"Alchemy cultivators are not medical cultivators."

Jiang Jin stood firm, looking down at Zhu Zhao's struggling and distressed expression. His tone became more urgent, "Besides, you're a young lady and can't help her. Only I can help Second Senior Sister."

Song Yao: "Why can't I help?"

"You, you're too young to understand these things."

Jiang Jin took a deep breath and coaxed her, "I'll teach you later. Don't worry, I won't harm Second Senior Sister."

As he spoke, he eagerly prepared to go inside.

Zhu Zhao suddenly opened her eyes, grabbed his collar tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, her breathing heavy, but with an unyielding sternness: "You go out and keep watch, Lin Mu will heal my wounds."

Jiang Jin's face darkened, and he tightened his grip on her, saying urgently, "Second Senior Sister, she doesn't know anything about healing. You're playing with your life! You... you've been poisoned with that kind of poison!"

"Does what I said mean nothing?"

Zhu Zhao suddenly looked up, her eyes surging with anger, and the black mark on her neck deepened. "I'm not dead yet, it's not your place to make decisions for me."

Jiang Jin's imposing manner suddenly weakened slightly: "But..."

"Put me down!"

"..."

Jiang Jin's Adam's apple bobbed, but in the end he didn't dare disobey her order.

Zhu Zhao slid down, and Song Yao quickly reached out to catch her. She staggered half a step under Zhu Zhao's weight before regaining her balance and half-supported her as they moved toward the backyard.

Zhu Zhao gasped in pain with every step she took, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Song Yao's face, wrinkled from the weight, and couldn't help but twitch her lips: "Overestimating yourself."

Song Yao: "......"

What a sharp tongue.

Even though she was injured, he still wouldn't let her off the hook, even though she was a new junior apprentice.

She didn't say anything, nor did she bring anyone into the house. Instead, she pushed open the back door and helped Zhu Zhao out.

Behind them is a small river that runs through the village.

Zhu Zhao had a bad feeling: "What are you planning to do?"

Song Yao blinked innocently: "I heard that ice water can slow down the toxicity of this poison."

Zhu Zhao: "..."

It felt like escaping from the tiger's den only to fall into the wolf's lair.

She trembled with pain, took a deep breath, resignedly released Song Yao, and walked into the river.

To everyone's surprise, Song Yao caught up with her the next second and, stumbling along, accompanied her to sit in the middle of the rushing river.

The icy river water flowed over the wound, bringing an even more intense stinging pain, but also temporarily clearing the mind.

Zhu Zhaoming was clearly taken aback: "You don't need to get down, it's cold."

"Ugh, it's cold."

Song Yao shuddered and reached out to her, "But my baggage is still with Second Senior Sister, give it back to me."

Zhu Zhao: "..."

What time is it, and you're still thinking about those things?

She opened her palm in pain, and the bundle appeared out of thin air.

Song Yao took it, rummaged through it, and finally poured out a small handful of pills, which she then stuffed into Zhu Zhao's mouth without saying a word.

Zhu Zhao swallowed it whole, choking so badly that she closed her eyes tightly.

After finally regaining her composure, she asked with difficulty, "What medicine did you give me?"

"I've taken all sorts of medicine—blood tonics, detoxifiers, qi tonics—all made by my master. They should be effective. Remember to give me the money later."

Song Yao thought for a moment, then added, "I gave you three antidotes, you have to pay for them all."

Zhu Zhao: "...Okay."

After taking the pill, Song Yao took out a bottle of medicinal powder, lifted Zhu Zhao's arm, and sprinkled the powder on it.

He also reminded her, "This is very expensive. My master took it from the medicine storehouse. You'll have to pay for it when you get back."

Zhu Zhao: "...I understand."

The Seventh Elder truly lives up to his name.

After taking a few pills, the black veins on his neck gradually faded away.

The heat in my lower abdomen has dissipated, and even the wound is showing signs of healing.

She sat cross-legged, relying on the combined power of the water and spiritual energy to neutralize the remaining toxins in her body.

Mingran and Chengyue rushed over and stood by the river, anxiously asking, "How is she? Is Second Senior Sister alright?"

"It should be fine."

Song Yao put the bundle into her mustard bag and stood up.

Her wet clothes clung to her body, and the wind made them feel especially cold. She couldn't help but sneeze three times in a row.

Cheng Yue took her hand, and a warm spiritual energy flowed from her palm: "You're not feeling well, don't catch a cold, let me dry you off."

Song Yao remembered that Cheng Yue, like her second senior sister, also had a fire elemental root.

In no time, her clothes were dried and she warmed up a little.

She thanked them and said, "You all stay here and watch over Second Senior Sister. I'll go out and take a look."

Cheng Yue: "Okay."

After she left, Mingran realized something was wrong, gripping her sword and frowning deeply: "Why should we listen to her?"

From the moment they were chased by the demons, they were inexplicably led by this girl, without any ability to think for themselves.

Like her subordinates.

Cheng Yue frowned even more deeply than she did: "Of course we should listen to her. If we hadn't been there, she could have dealt with those demons much longer. Besides, didn't you notice that her strength seems to be more than what we've seen?"

Mingran remained silent.

Although I hate to admit it, it's the truth.

Lin Mu can fly on a sword in the demon realm, but she cannot.

Lin Mu could remain so calm when encountering demons, while she was trembling with fear.

Lin Mu was indeed different from anyone she had met before.

very special.

-

Song Yao naturally had no idea how long she would occupy a dominant position in a young girl's heart.

When she went out, Jiang Jin had already led a little follower to the demon's lair.

In the cellar of the village chief's house, the damp, musty smell mixed with the heavy stench of blood permeated every corner.

Thick spiderwebs, layer upon layer, entangled the beams and pillars, on which hung withered white bones and limbs, and even faded, corroded Taoist robes.

Three human-sized spiders with human faces, each about half a person's height, were coiled in the center of the cellar. Their abdomens were bulging, and several human faces were embedded in their backs. They hissed and spat out greenish spider silk.

Jiang Jin was tightly entangled in the spider web, his white clothes already stained red with blood.

His spiritual energy was in disarray, and he couldn't even hold his sword. He could only barely use the scabbard to parry the spider's attacks.

Each collision caused him to groan, and dark red blood foam spilled from the corner of his mouth.