Chapter 67

Yue Wuhuan used Dream-Weaving Incense, a set of three sticks applied in sequence. When inhaled, it would induce confusion in the victim's consciousness, rendering their mind vulnerable and allowing the caster to modify and control it at will. However, its use had many restrictions—for instance, it couldn't be used on cultivators stronger than oneself, or risk mental backlash. Occasionally, it would also fail against those with exceptionally strong wills.

Rong Ye had neither a strong will nor a high cultivation level—he was merely at the Qi Refining stage.

He was the easiest prey to toy with.

Yue Wuhuan was a master of psychological torture. He could drive people to suicide or turn them into babbling idiots.

Once, a traitor who had betrayed the Medicine King Valley went completely mad after the third stick of Dream-Weaving Incense was lit. He flayed himself alive and then bashed his head against a wall until he died.

Qing Luan buried the corpse in the herb garden, vomiting repeatedly and suffering nightmares for days.

Fortunately, Rong Ye had come to his senses in time…

Yue Wuhuan had shown mercy, giving him a chance to repent.

Under the treatment of Calming Pills and Tranquilizing Tonics, Rong Ye gradually distinguished illusion from reality and recovered. Seeing Qing Luan sitting by his bed, gently caring for him, he recalled his own foolish thoughts and was overwhelmed with shame, regret, and fear. Unable to face anyone, he cocooned himself under the blankets and wept.

Qing Luan, seeing his despondency, arranged for sick leave on his behalf so he could rest properly.

Rong Ye whispered from beneath the covers, "Sister Qing Luan, when will I go to Tiangong Pavilion?"

Since arriving in the cultivation world, he had never left Yanshan Sect or Medicine King Valley. He was terrified of going to Tiangong Pavilion, terrified of becoming a craftsman's apprentice. But he knew he had committed a cardinal sin—this was the sole chance at redemption Qing Luan had secured for him, and he had no choice but to go.

"You can leave once you're feeling better. I'll explain everything to the Master," Qing Luan reassured him after some thought. "Tiangong Pavilion is a good place. The elder recruiting apprentices this time is a female cultivator named Liao—a remarkable cultivator. Becoming her apprentice is a great opportunity. Since you have no interest in alchemy, you can better hone your skills there."

Rong Ye nodded tearfully in agreement.

…

The next day, Qing Luan informed Song Qingshi about Rong Ye's impending departure to Tiangong Pavilion.

Song Qingshi had a deep impression of this spirited student. He remembered how Rong Ye had eagerly volunteered to learn from Yue Wuhuan the day before, taking on a mountain of coursework. Yet now, he was suddenly leaving Medicine King Valley—had the lessons been too difficult, crushing his confidence?

Qing Luan smiled and clarified, "Rong Ye has always loved crafting mechanisms. When he heard that Elder Liao of Tiangong Pavilion was recruiting mortal apprentices, he jumped at the chance to sign up. It must be fate."

Ming Hong, familiar with Rong Ye's personality, didn't believe he would make such a choice and quickly guessed the truth.

He Qingyun, unable to understand, grew anxious. "Why would A-Ye become a craftsman—"

Before he could finish, Ming Hong stomped hard on his foot, making him yelp in pain.

"Sister Qing Luan would never harm us," Ming Hong said, grabbing the idiot's shoulder and digging her nails in warning. "Rong Ye chose this path himself—he loves craftsmanship."

He Qingyun finally caught on and and muttered miserably, "Right… he loves working with his hands."

Song Qingshi glanced at their expressions and smiled. "Everyone has their own aspirations. This is good."

After briefly reviewing their work and confirming everyone had studied diligently, he left the classroom, saying he had research to conduct in the lab.

Seeing that the Master didn’t mind Rong Ye’s departure, Qing Luan finally relaxed. Turning back, she noticed He Qingyun and Ming Hong’s determined expressions—they were Rong Ye’s close friends and deserved the truth. Yet, she also had to preserve Rong Ye’s dignity. So, she tactfully explained that Rong Ye had made a mistake and needed to leave Medicine King Valley. She encouraged them to bid him farewell properly, reminding them that if Rong Ye succeeded at Tiangong Pavilion, they would meet again someday.

As their den mother, she was deeply trusted…

Every choice and decision Qing Luan made was for the sake of their best future.

The thought of Rong Ye’s departure saddened them all.

Qing Luan, too, felt heavy-hearted. After offering a few words of comfort, she decided to distract herself with study. Ever since the Master had taken an interest in her research, Yue Wuhuan had kindly provided her with vast amounts of material and encouraged her to study hard. She understood his meaning immediately and threw herself into her work, striving desperately to meet the standards, as if trying to stretch each day into twenty-four hours.

Today was a day for alchemy experiments, so all the apprentices remained in the classroom, leaving the library silent and empty.

Qing Luan quickly found the medicinal texts she needed and sat at a desk, mimicking the Master’s habit of organizing key points into notes.

Absorbed in her studies, she lost track of time as light and shadows shifted around her.

Suddenly, the chirping of insects and birds outside the window ceased. The wind stilled. The entire library was plunged into unnatural silence, as if cut off from the world. Then, gradually, the air grew furnace-hot. This terrifying sensation… Had she experienced it somewhere before?

Yanshan Sect? Xie Que’s death?

A dreadful shadow loomed.

Realizing something was wrong, Qing Luan panicked, dropping her materials and rushing for the exit.

But it was too late.

The entire library was already enveloped in a fiery barrier, sealing all escape routes.

Behind her, the soft sound of flipping pages echoed.

She turned slowly… and saw Red Lotus Mystic Fire and Nether Flame blooming in the air. The red and black lotuses exuded an aura of death, and the ghastly memory of Xie Que’s demise resurfaced in her mind. At last, she understood—the true ruler of Medicine King Valley was the man standing at the desk, calmly reviewing the notes she had just written.

His boyish looks, gentle demeanor, and never raising his voice…

She had always known he was a predator in disguise, yet she had been misled time and again, grown careless.

In this world, how could a Nascent Soul Cultivator be so easily fooled?

White-faced but steady, Qing Luan bowed. "Master, what are your orders?"

"Nothing much," Song Qingshi closed the notebook and smiled. "There are just a few things I’ve been meaning to ask you, but I never found the right opportunity. Today, Night Rain Pavilion’s people came to audit the books, so Wu Huan is busy playing host. I finally have time to chat with you."

Qing Luan gulped nervously. Seeing the lotus flames in Song Qingshi’s hands, she knew he had come prepared—to pump her for information about Yue Wuhuan’s secrets. If she spoke, she would suffer later; if she didn’t, she would suffer now. Her mind raced to find a way to survive this crisis.

"I don’t like grilling people this way," Song Qingshi admitted awkwardly. "But this matter is too important to me—I must know the truth. Tell me, what happened between Yue Wuhuan and Rong Ye? Why is Rong Ye going to Tiangong Pavilion?"

Qing Luan forced a smile. "Last night… Brother Wu Huan told Rong Ye about Tiangong Pavilion’s recruitment and encouraged him to pursue craftsmanship."

Song Qingshi pondered this. "So, Rong Ye was so overjoyed that he fell ill in bed?"

Qing Luan’s smile grew strained. "He was just… sad about leaving."

Song Qingshi studied her for a long moment before slowly spinning the lotus flame in his hand. "Do you remember? I can use soul-searching techniques."

Qing Luan froze. She had witnessed Song Qingshi plundering memories from Xie Que’s consciousness to uncover the Pleasure Seal’s command.

"Don’t hide anything. Soul-searching is painful and may damage the mind. Suicide won’t help—I can still read recent memories after death," Song Qingshi finally released his spiritual pressure, his voice icy. "Don’t make a foolish choice. Tell me everything."

The tiger had unsheathed its claws, tearing through deception—no more deception would be tolerated.

Qing Luan sank to her knees, knowing concealment was impossible. She confessed everything—Rong Ye’s forbidden attraction for the Master, his mistakes, and Yue Wuhuan’s punishment. She softened the details, framing it as a youthful indiscretion corrected through discipline, leading to repentance and a happy resolution.

But Song Qingshi spotted more holes. "The dungeon? The western garden corner, where I used to grow poison mushrooms?"

During his tenure, the dungeon had been just for show. Lately, with no need for poison mushrooms in his research, he had forgotten about the place entirely.

Qing Luan could have kicked herself. Secretly establishing a torture chamber, usurping authority, eliminating dissent—none of Yue Wuhuan’s actions would withstand scrutiny in other sects. Though he had saved the Master, his obsessive control and warped loyalty, if exposed… Qing Luan’s mind raced with historical tales of loyal ministers betrayed, discarded once their usefulness ended. Tears welled in her eyes as she trembled in terror.

Song Qingshi wrinkled his brow in concern. "What did you do with my poisonous mushrooms?"

Qing Luan sobbed, "Wu Huan built a new cultivation room for the mushrooms."

Song Qingshi finally relaxed, "That's a relief."

Qing Luan stopped crying, "Huh?"

Had she misunderstood what was important here?

"Don't cry," Song Qingshi, realizing he had frightened her badly, quickly put away the two flame lotuses and said sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I was just scaring you. I wouldn’t actually use Soul-searching."

Soul-searching was extremely risky and could only retrieve memory fragments, not the complete recollections of so many years.

He never meant to harm Qing Luan—he just wanted to scare her into revealing the truth.

If he couldn’t scare the answer out of her… he would have had to let it go.

Luckily, the easiest people to deceive were those who never lied.

Qing Luan thought back to the scene just now and realized Song Qingshi hadn’t even lied—she'd walked right into the trap. She didn’t know whether to be relieved at surviving the ordeal or regretful for telling the truth. Her feelings were too mixed-up to put into words, so she burst into frustrated tears again.

Song Qingshi, having never bullied a girl before, felt guilty and hastily thrust a handkerchief at her, mumbling awkward comforts, "I won’t scare you again."

Qing Luan took the handkerchief, looked at his gentle concern, thought about her own foolishness, and cried even harder.

Song Qingshi stammered, "I had secretly observed Rong Ye and guessed what happened. I was happy and wanted to confirm the answer with you."

Qing Luan blinked in confusion, "Happy?"

Song Qingshi smiled, "Before seeing how things would turn out, did you think Wu Huan would spare Rong Ye?"

Qing Luan thought for a long time, then shook her head, "Rong Ye's foolish words were unbearable even to me. He tore open Brother Wu Huan’s rawest wounds. His disrespectful thoughts toward Master were a blatant provocation to Brother Wu Huan. I felt like Brother Wu Huan wanted to light three Dreamweaver incense and torture Rong Ye to death. I don’t know why he changed his mind—maybe because Rong Ye is young and ignorant..."

"Ignorant? You’ve all become too sheltered in Medicine King Valley," Song Qingshi chuckled. "The cultivation world is full of dangers—killing over treasures, fighting for survival in secret realms. Did Xie Que spare you just because you were young and ignorant? When I traveled outside, I killed many people I disliked—did I bother reasoning with them?" He paused, then grumbled, "Of course, even if I tried reasoning, I couldn’t win against them..."

A wandering cultivator like him would be devoured by wolves if he showed even a hint of weakness.

The cultivation world had no laws—no one avenged the dead.

Song Qingshi didn’t ask in detail what Yue Wuhuan had done over the years because he didn’t need to. Yue Wuhuan had acquired such rare medicinal herbs while still at the Foundation Establishment stage, gained his reputation as a madman, and made everyone fear him—none of that could have been achieved through cleverness or reasoning. He had to rely on sheer brutality and bloodied hands.

With each new kill, his heart grew more twisted, more unhinged, and more indifferent to life.

How could he possibly spare Rong Ye just because he was "ignorant"?

Qing Luan thought of the bodies buried in the herb garden, her face went pale.

"Rong Ye’s actions made Wu Huan’s condition worse. Logically, they shouldn’t have been tolerated," Song Qingshi looked at Qing Luan seriously and explained, "But now I’m certain—he spared Rong Ye because you begged for him."

Qing Luan murmured, "Brother Wu Huan has never spared anyone because of a plea."

She had always been tender-hearted and couldn't handle the brutality of the cultivation world, making many foolish mistakes. Only after repeated punishments and lessons from Yue Wuhuan did she slowly learn to look the other way, to deal with the consequences, and to do terrible things.

Song Qingshi said, "If Rong Ye had died, you would have suffered greatly, wouldn’t you?"

Qing Luan nodded carefully. Rong Ye was like her own little brother, a companion she had relied on for survival. They had too many shared memories, too precious. She couldn’t have watched him die. Even if the odds were against her and she risked severe punishment, she had to try to save him. Failure would have brought lifelong guilt and pain.

Song Qingshi smiled, "He felt your distress and relented. That’s a good thing."

Qing Luan still didn’t fully understand.

"It proves his heart is still there—he can still feel others’ emotions," Song Qingshi’s smile deepened. "His capacity for kindness still remained. It’s just shrouded in layers of darkness, hidden even from himself. That’s why he yielded to your pain and made a choice unlike his usual ones."

Qing Luan had a heart of gold—pure and selfless. For ten years, she had steadfastly stayed by his side, expecting nothing in return, helping wholeheartedly, giving bit by bit...

In the end, dripping water wears through stone.

She had planted a tiny seed of goodness in Yue Wuhuan’s blackened heart.

Could this seed grow into a towering tree?

"His madness wasn't as bad as I'd feared," Song Qingshi said in relief. "Otherwise, for safety’s sake, I would have had to send all of you away to the manor before his condition deteriorated beyond saving, seal Medicine King Valley, and stay with him, waiting for the inevitable failure."

Qing Luan gaped at Song Qingshi, suddenly sensing there was something strange about him too.

This wasn’t ordinary affection.

She had thought Song Qingshi didn’t know just how far gone Yue Wuhuan was, but now it seemed he understood even better than she did?

Could anyone truly accept such madness? Go this far for a madman? Could it be… he was also a madman?

Qing Luan shook her head slightly, shaking off the disturbing thought, then asked, "What can I do for Brother Wu Huan?"

"Wu Huan’s illness… now isn’t the time to cure it. It may become even more troublesome in the future. Don’t dwell on it or be afraid," Song Qingshi placed the documents on the table into Qing Luan’s arms and instructed earnestly, "Just hold onto your principles, research the medicines you want to make, uphold our late master’s ideals, and be a good physician."

Medicine King Immortal was the finest physician in the immortal realm. His treatment plan for Yue Wuhuan had to be the best.

Qing Luan realized she had been lecturing the master in his own craft. Embarrassed, she said, "I’ll study hard."

"I frightened you today—that was my fault," Song Qingshi thought for a moment, then decided to make amends. "I’ve recently refined a batch of Qi Induction Pills, along with Meridian-Widening Powder, which can improve constitution and help you all reach Foundation Establishment. Later, I’ll give them to you. Distribute them according to the apprentices’ spiritual roots. Many of them have poor aptitudes and need medicinal aid. After Foundation Establishment, their lifespans will extend, and they’ll no longer suffer from ordinary illnesses, giving you all more time to study and research."

He had observed the apprentices’ constitutions these past days. For most, Foundation Establishment would be their limit.

Only Ming Hong had decent talent, suited for cultivation, and might advance further through swordsmanship.

Qing Luan was so moved she nearly cried.

She knew Medicine King Immortal’s pills were the most effective—but also precious. Even immortal sects wouldn’t casually give them to ordinary new disciples. Yet from Song Qingshi’s tone, he had customized Qi Induction Pills for each apprentice individually. Such pills would be even more potent, and combined with Meridian-Widening Powder to adjust their constitutions… even if their aptitudes were poor, as long as they had spiritual roots and worked hard, Foundation Establishment was within reach.

Qing Luan instantly forgot all her troubles, thanking him repeatedly. She swore to heaven she wouldn’t waste the three hundred years after Foundation Establishment—she would devote all her time to study, drag the other children along to work hard, and live up to Master’s expectations by researching medicines, becoming a compassionate and skilled physician, and spreading Grandmaster’s ideals and Medicine King Valley’s reputation far and wide.

What meaning did life have besides learning and research?!

Song Qingshi listened, extremely satisfied.

The flame barrier had long been withdrawn, and the library door reopened, letting fresh air flow in through the windows.

Qing Luan didn’t want to leave. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to study like mad.

Song Qingshi suddenly spoke, "Meeting you was truly wonderful."

Qing Luan froze at his words.

Song Qingshi nimbly leaped onto the windowsill, smiled at her, and said, "Thank you!"

Then, before Qing Luan could react, he jumped down and vanished.

Night was approaching. The apprentices had left their classes, their chatter filling the air.

Yue Wuhuan was anxiously searching everywhere for him. The Blood King Vine that followed Master had suddenly lost contact. His Divine Sense couldn’t cover all of Medicine King Valley, and the cultivator sent by Immortal Lord Ye Lin was annoyingly long-winded. The pregnant lab mice had also developed some issues. After handling everything, he realized Master wasn’t in the lab, the classroom, the study, or Fuling Palace… This only worsened his agitation.

Song Qingshi jumped in front of him and happily grabbed his hand.

He clung tight, unwilling to release it.

Yue Wuhuan finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked cautiously, "Master, you look happy?"

Song Qingshi responded cheerfully, "Yeah."

Yue Wuhuan asked, "Did something good happen to you?"

Song Qingshi stopped in his tracks, looked up, and warily eyed the darkening sky before smiling. In a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, he breathed:

"Wu Huan... I see hope."