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

Song Yao didn't know whether to feel fortunate or sad.

He coughed at the person in front of him, and a bead of bright red blood slid down the corner of his lips. His face, which was already pale, became even more frighteningly white.

Her chaotic thoughts were pulled back, and she rummaged through her storage bag for the leftover Qingling ointment from last time: "Should I help you take it off, or will you take it off yourself?"

Xie Zhou was momentarily speechless at her bluntness, and a metallic taste rose in his throat: "I can't move."

That means she has to take her clothes off.

Song Yao did not feel anything was wrong with taking off her fourth junior brother's clothes.

She swiftly reached out and untied the belt around his waist, then pulled off his clothes, revealing most of his shoulders and back.

He was naturally tall and slender, with clean and smooth shoulder lines. He had a unique, lean yet not frail physique, characteristic of sword cultivators, and even his joints were beautifully formed.

The gruesome wound stood out starkly against the fair skin, appearing particularly glaring.

Song Yao had seen all kinds of wounds, so she unscrewed the porcelain bottle and applied it to his wound.

Xie Zhou tilted his head slightly and saw the tip of her nose wrinkling gently.

His face was slightly stern, his expression serious, but his movements were a little rough, and he didn't know his own strength. The ointment was rubbed all over the wound and occasionally touched the flesh.

Exactly the same as before.

When I'm focused, I always unconsciously pout a little.

His lips curved slightly for no apparent reason, but he quickly suppressed it.

The Qingling Ointment was incredibly potent. After applying the entire bottle, the bleeding from the gruesome wound stopped in no time. The exposed skin and flesh gradually closed up, and the surrounding bruises faded considerably.

Xie Zhou's shoulder wound has visibly healed by more than half.

He calmly straightened his clothes when suddenly a pale white hand reached out in front of him.

Looking up in confusion, Song Yao was blinking her beautiful eyes at him: "Qingling Ointment, I'll give you 150,000."

Xie Zhou: "..."

Nothing has changed at all.

Still quite domineering.

Song Yao, whose flaws are numerous.

He chuckled again, stood up, and several talismans supported him as he said, "I have no money, you'll have to pay me back."

Song Yao watched him disappear, her face crumbling.

As expected, the fourth junior brother turned to the dark side.

How could I have ever done something like owing money to someone before!

And she didn't even have a chance to ask how someone with his strength could have suffered such a serious injury.

-

Disciples from five different age groups competed in a series of tests, and there were also various assessments among the sect's cultivators.

Logically, Song Yao should have participated in a competition on alchemy, but since her age group mainly takes written tests, and she gets dizzy as soon as she looks at a book, she had to miss the competition.

The annual festival competition came to an end in a few days.

On the day of the New Year, a banquet will be held at Yunzuo Mountain, and all cultivators except those on duty at the sect and elders in seclusion are welcome to attend.

This year's banquet is a little different.

—The hall master is still in seclusion in the forbidden area and has not yet come out. Of the most prominent disciples in the past, only Zhu Zhao has arrived, and most of the elders are also absent.

Fortunately, there were many new disciples joining the sect this year, which gave them plenty of motivation and talking points during the annual competition.

The young men gathered in twos and threes, toasting each other, discussing swordsmanship and alchemy. Their laughter mingled with the refreshing aroma of the spirit wine, echoing across the entire mountaintop and making the banquet lively and festive.

After learning that she would be the personal disciple, Song Yao decided not to attend the banquet.

She hadn't participated many times before.

Whenever she was present, all the elders and disciples looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, fearing that she would overturn the table and rebel.

To ensure everyone had a good New Year, she secretly hid in her master's treasure vault to steal wine.

Although we can't go to the treasure vault this year, we can go down the mountain and find a restaurant to have some fun.

Before she could even step out of the courtyard gate, Ning Zhoujiang, Jin Mingran, and their entourage blocked her way at the door, indicating that they wanted to join her at the table.

Song Yao didn't understand.

Song Yao didn't understand.

She just wanted to make some money quietly, pay off her debts quietly, and leave the sect quietly. How did she end up being forced into the most prominent position at the center of the banquet?

Countless curious gazes swept over her and Jiang Jin beside her, clearly wanting to see what these two geniuses, who had just entered the sect and already won first place, looked like.

I'm even more curious to see who the sect leader will choose to be his personal disciple.

Mingran had inexplicably become her top supporter, whispering beside her, "Master Lin, it's definitely you, no doubt about it! My Senior Brother Jiang is far inferior to you. If you don't believe me, you two should try fighting."

Ning Zhou, sitting behind her, nodded in agreement: "Actually, I think so too. Advancing from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core in just over a month—that's even better than a personal discipleship, isn't it?"

Cheng Yue chimed in, "Agreed."

Song Yao really wanted to beg them to stop talking.

Can't you see Jiang Jin's eyes are practically spitting fire?

What good can come of being regarded as a mortal enemy by a domineering male protagonist?

To no avail, she numbly stuffed grapes into her mouth one by one, thinking about how to refuse to join the main peak later.

Before long, the banquet came to an end, and the noise gradually subsided.

Beside the head seat at the very top, Zhu Zhao rose, scroll in hand, and stepped to the center.

She bowed slightly to the elders seated there, her voice clear and crisp: "It's getting late, let's begin."

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire Yunzuo Mountain fell silent. Everyone lowered their breathing, and the air was filled with an undisguised tension and anticipation.

Song Yao stuffed grapes into her mouth even faster.

Oh no.

I can't think of an excuse.

Can't think of it at all.

Mingran patted her back and said considerately, "Master Lin, be careful not to choke."

-

As the Grand Elder nodded, Zhu Zhao unrolled the scroll.

The results of the annual festival competition were announced first.

Song Yao, as the champion of the junior group, was the first to be called.

She suddenly got up, her mouth full of grapes, and went up to take the Heavenly Thunder Cleansing Pill, while bowing to her second senior sister and the elder.

As they prepared to leave, Zhu Zhao raised an eyebrow: "Don't you want to say a few words?"

Song Yao puffed out her cheeks: "..."

She swallowed the grapes with difficulty, cleared her throat, and Zhu Zhao said, "Never mind, let's go back."

Song Yao: "?"

It seems like I've been tricked.

uncertain.

Let's take another look.

After the results were read out, the disciples held their breath again, and Song Yao popped two more grapes into his mouth.

Zhu Zhao put down the scroll, his gaze sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on Song Yao and Jiang Jin. He spoke each word with resounding force:

"Furthermore, during the Hall Master's seclusion, he will select a personal disciple—"

"Lin Mu, Jiang Jin."

The crowd erupted in commotion, and even the elders were slightly surprised.

Two people?

Previously, most of his personal disciples were either picked up by the hall master from outside, or were so exceptionally talented that they directly became his disciples.

This is the first time that two new disciples have been selected at once.

Jiang Jin's expression relaxed slightly, and he turned to look at Song Yao, his eyes revealing a hint of barely concealed excitement.

Song Yao didn't have time to look at him and hurriedly stood up: "This disciple has an objection."

All eyes in the room instantly turned to her.

Zhu Zhao raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over her indifferently: "What objection?"

Song Yao opened her mouth, but it felt like her throat was stuffed with cotton, and she couldn't make a sound.

She looked at Zhu Zhao in disbelief.

A silence spell?

Did Zhu Zhao use a silence spell on her?