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

Approaching the forbidden area, there was a maze of fog, with mist covering the mountains and fields, making it impossible to see anything while flying in mid-air.

The two had no choice but to land and grope their way towards the center.

It's called a forbidden area, but it's really just a tower that locks up all sorts of forbidden items and evil spirits.

Only my master practices here on ordinary days.

Song Yao used to come here often to browse forbidden books or break into the tower to fight with demons, so he was very familiar with the area.

Not long after walking, an ancient stele inscribed with the words "No Entry" came into view, and a towering tower stood in the mist.

A pale golden barrier enveloped the entire forbidden area. Song Yao reached out and placed her hand over it, her brow furrowing slightly.

—This barrier was set up by Master and several elders together, how could it be so weak?

Has someone broken in?

The thought had barely formed when another loud bang exploded overhead.

A dark shadow, carrying a heavy stench of blood, crashed down from the fog above.

Jiang Jin reacted quickly and reached out to catch it.

Song Yao rushed over first, instinctively using her arms to catch the falling figure.

Good weight!

She overestimated her physical abilities, and in the instant she caught the shadowy figure, she and the shadowy figure tumbled head over heels.

Jiang Jin rushed over, his pupils shrinking sharply: "Second Senior Sister?!"

Zhu Zhao was pressed down on Song Yao, his face pale and lips bluish-black. Hot, sticky blood seeped from his arms, staining Song Yao's bamboo-green Taoist robe red.

Song Yao was thin and small, and was almost knocked into the mud and unable to move.

His arms and legs ached, and he cried out with a long face, "Second Senior Sister, get up first."

No one paid any attention.

Jiang Jin was terrified. He frantically rummaged through his pouch for pills and stuffed them into Zhu Zhao's mouth, his voice trembling: "Second Senior Sister! You, you hold on! What happened? Who hurt you like this?!"

Song Yao struggled desperately: "I can't hold on any longer!"

Still, no one paid any attention.

After swallowing the pill, Zhu Zhao managed to catch her breath, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Fine froth of blood rolled from his throat, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible: "The Wen family, it was the Wen family who wanted to kill Master..."

Song Yao froze, her expression hardened, and she remained motionless for a moment.

Jiang Jin was still asking, "The Wen family? Which Wen family?! Why did they kill Master?!"

Zhu Zhao opened her mouth, her eyelashes suddenly drooped, and she completely lost consciousness.

Jiang Jin panicked and reached out to help him.

Below, Song Yao weakly reminded, "Don't touch her wound. The Wen family is skilled in using insidious poisons; touching it will accelerate its spread."

Jiang Jin was awakened by her words and calmed down a bit.

He avoided the wound, reduced his strength, and half-lifted, half-carried the person away from Song Yao.

Two sharp sounds of wind breaking through the thick fog suddenly pierced through the air as the Ninth Elder and the Twelfth Elder landed steadily in front of them, their toes barely touching the ground.

Both men's robes were torn to shreds by sharp blades, and dark red blood seeped from their shoulders and waists. Their breaths were weak, clearly indicating that they had just gone through a fierce battle.

Their gazes swept over the unconscious Zhu Zhao, they exchanged a glance, their faces so solemn they could drip water.

The twelfth elder spoke first, his voice heavy as if it weighed down a mountain: "We didn't catch them, they escaped, but they probably won't survive."

Jiang Jin's eyes widened in horror.

Both elders are at least at the mid-to-late Nascent Soul stage; who could possibly escape from them?!

He had never seen such a scene before, but he remained relatively calm, stammering, "What exactly happened?"

The two elders were clearly unwilling to say more, only saying solemnly, "The barrier has just been repaired, and the Second Elder has already come to guard it. You should take A-Zhao back first..."

The two paused, looking down at the ground: "Why is there a beggar lying here?"

Song Yao: "?"

-

What is the probability that a person weighing around 100 pounds will fall from a height of 100 meters and kill someone?

After taking two pills to catch her breath, Song Yao followed behind, groaning and moaning.

The newly changed Taoist robe was covered in mud and blood, and the hair that had been casually tied up was now crooked and messy, smeared on his face, with bits of leaves and mud stuck in his hair.

He really looked like a down-on-his-luck little beggar who had rolled in the mud three times.

You should have told me not to get involved in this!

Unlucky.

Jiang Jin glanced back at her: "We can't go into Second Senior Sister's courtyard, so let her stay in my room for now."

Song Yao was furious and glared at him coldly: "I am a medical cultivator, so naturally I should stay in my room."

Jiang Jin: "..."

He finally understood.

This girl will only use her medical cultivation reputation when she needs it.

When Song Yao came out after taking a bath and changing into a new Taoist robe, the Sixth Elder had just finished treating Zhu Zhao's injuries.

She frowned, shook her head, and said, "The Wen family's poison is quite vicious; they've gone all out. I can only temporarily delay the onset of the poison, but I can't hold out for long..."

Jiang Jin hurriedly asked, "What will happen if the poison takes effect?"

The Sixth Elder sighed deeply: "The Wen family's insidious secret technique uses the soul energy of the living as a catalyst. Once the poison takes effect, the five senses will gradually be lost, followed by a gradual loss of memory and consciousness. The person will be unable to recognize their relatives, unable to distinguish right from wrong, and will eventually be left with only a breath left."

Jiang Jin gasped, "How could they be so vicious?! Where exactly does the Wen family come from? What gives them the right to run rampant in the Nine Saints Hall?!"

The Sixth Elder's expression became even more complicated.

She hesitated, her gaze falling on the two people in front of her, before finally saying, "Your fifth senior sister, Wen Tang, is the young master of the Wen family."

Jiang Jin: "What?! Fifth Senior Sister is the young master of the Wen family? Then why... why did Fifth Senior Sister betray the Nine Saints Hall?"

Be careful what you say.

Upon hearing this, the Sixth Elder's face immediately darkened. "Tangtang is not that kind of child. Something must have happened to the Wen family."

Jiang Jin shrank back, looking at him with a glare, and lowered his head stammering, "This disciple misspoke."

"The Wen family is a reclusive family of poison masters for thousands of years, and they have an alliance with the Nine Saints Hall for generations. That child was sent to the sect at a young age. Although he was a hostage sent by the Wen family, he is well-behaved, clever, and kind. He treats this place like his own home. How could he possibly harm the hall master?"

The Sixth Elder sighed heavily, his tone filled with pity and helplessness, "But I wonder if it's related to what happened a year ago..."

"A year ago?"

Jiang Jin had heard something about it: "The fact that Fifth Senior Sister's fiancé broke off his engagement with her and instead proposed to Third Senior Sister?"

The cultivation world is full of gossip, and since the protagonist is a prodigy from various sects, the news spread like wildfire.

They say he's the most famous swordsman in the Nine Saints Hall, but in private, he turned against his junior sister for the sake of Ye Chang'an, the young master of the Taiqing Pavilion.

Unfortunately, Ye Chang'an was indeed captivated by Song Yao and insisted on breaking off his engagement with Wen Tang.

Before their happy ending could come to fruition, Song Yao had already died in the underworld.

The Sixth Elder nodded: "That's right. However, after Song Yao's accident, Ye Chang'an returned to the Nine Saints Hall to apologize to Tangtang and hoped to continue the marriage agreement. Tangtang not only rejected him, but also fought with him."

"Ye Chang'an suffered a serious injury, which enraged Taiqing Pavilion. In order not to implicate Jiusheng Hall, and given the death of the Wen family patriarch, Tangtang ran away to the Wen family alone and has not returned since."

Jiang Jin, unaware of these subsequent events, frowned slightly: "So, it's all Song Yao's fault?"