"What are you doing?"
Lin Xian examined Qin Zhen's body. He wanted to know which part had been attacked by the pill, causing the person who consumed it to lose consciousness.
Lin Xian channeled his qi into Qin Zhen's body and closed his eyes, trying to observe the traces left by the Crazy Demon Pill. Lin Xian nodded several times. He was beginning to understand how the Crazy Demon Pill worked. The pill was like a parasite. It moved toward the brain and deceived it.
It created an illusion as if the body was in great danger, forcing the brain to shut down consciousness in order to survive. After that, it started controlling the target's body as if it were the central processor—pretending to be the brain. When in fact, it was only an intruder.
"Attacking the center of consciousness and creating artificial panic... this isn't poison, but a parasite introduced into the human body," Lin Xian muttered softly. He shook his head repeatedly. "This is very sharp. This is different from the Crazy Demon Pill I've taken before."
His qi touched a faint spot between the meridian paths in Qin Zhen's head—that spot pulsed slowly, as if something was hiding inside. Lin Xian frowned.
"If I try to force it out now, it could damage his body…"
He took a deep breath and withdrew his qi. "I need a neutralizing agent. Maybe Xuanluo root and Qingyun flower essence can stabilize the effect of this pill."
Lin Xian looked at Qin Zhen, who lay helpless. "Hang in there. I'll save you."
Lin Xian stood up and walked toward the door. He shook his head a few times. He never expected something like this existed in this world. He had died when he was 27 years old. Still very young. And he had spent too much time in his own residence, strengthening himself.
After returning to the past and becoming more involved with the outside world, it turned out that many strange things were happening in the Misty Sky Sect.
"What happened?" Ahn Yue, who had been silent all this time, stood up and walked toward Lin Xian. "Are you going to save Qin Zhen? I didn't expect you to be a kind person."
Lin Xian glanced at her. "Judge me however you want."
He walked outside and began training again. Lin Xian wanted to cultivate the Demonic power within him. He felt that the demonic qi from the Demonic Breathing Technique would help heal Qin Zhen. He was very interested in all of this because this pill might be something that would trouble him in the future.
It was just a hunch. But there was nothing wrong with preparing for every possibility.
***
Inside the house, Ahn Yue scratched her head. She looked very confused. She had been ignored, even though she had come here. She had helped defeat Qin Zhen. Lin Xian shouldn't have ignored her. Added to that, they were generally known as a couple—even if it was just pretend.
Ahn Yue turned around. "What's so interesting about this guy?"
She stared at Qin Zhen for quite a while. There was nothing interesting. The man was weak, not handsome, and not from a well-known family. She tilted her head.
"Don't tell me…" She looked toward Lin Xian who was training. "… he likes men?" Ahn Yue nodded in understanding. "That makes sense why he's not interested in me. Even though I have a beautiful face and…"
Ahn Yue pouted. She crossed her arms, remembering what Lin Xian's father had said earlier. That dampened her mood. She sat on Lin Xian's porch. She remained silent there for quite some time before finally lying down and closing her eyes.
Ahn Yue wasn't the hardworking type like Lin Xian. She only trained when required. If it wasn't training time, she would sleep.
"One more week. School will begin," Ahn Yue muttered.
She was starting to drift into sleep, but suddenly, someone screamed very loudly. Ahn Yue immediately woke up. She turned toward the house. Lin Xian, who was training, also turned in the same direction. The two looked at each other.
They entered the house and saw Qin Zhen groaning in pain. He pulled at the bindings on his legs and arms, struggling violently.
"He's still not recovered?" asked Ahn Yue.
"Do you think I have the materials I need? Besides, I'm not an alchemist."
Lin Xian struck Qin Zhen's neck hard enough to make him pass out again. Lin Xian sat beside him. The black veins on Qin Zhen's body started to fade and disappear. His breathing also returned to normal, but his entire body still felt hot.
Ahn Yue looked at Lin Xian. "You're going to heal him, right?"
"Of course. This is also my goal."
Lin Xian began examining Qin Zhen's body again. This time, he even tried transferring his own qi. Qin Zhen screamed in pain. However, it didn't kill the parasite inside him. Lin Xian was still trying to figure out what kind of parasite was inside Qin Zhen's body. It was fascinating.
He wanted to try transferring more of his demonic qi, but a few moments later, Qin Zhen's body showed a terrifying reaction. As if his body was about to explode. Lin Xian immediately withdrew all his demonic qi. He backed away and sat down again.
"This is harder than I thought. I really have to try to control the demonic qi in my body or find Xuanluo root and Qingyun flower essence."
Those two medicinal plants were rare. He would have to go to high mountains, and finding them was difficult. Lin Xian wasn't kind enough to go somewhere far just to save someone he barely knew. He was only interested in the parasite inside Qin Zhen's body.
"It's time to claim our reward. Want to come with me?" Ahn Yue invited.
Lin Xian turned his head. "Ah, right. Let's go!"
***
After claiming the reward, Lin Xian returned to his home. He took care of Qin Zhen to make sure his nutritional needs were met. He didn't know how long it would take to heal Qin Zhen.
Lin Xian was relaxing on his veranda. The cool night air made him want to sleep. The sky was filled with stars, and the sound of crickets echoed faintly in the distance. He yawned slightly, massaging his neck which felt stiff after a whole day of taking care of Qin Zhen.
However, just as he was about to stand and go into his room, his body tensed.
Srrkkk…
A strange breeze swept through the yard. Cold. Too cold for a normal night. Lin Xian's brows furrowed. He sharpened his senses. Something wasn't right.
"This aura…" he thought. "There's an intruder?"