Old Refining Spirit

Half a month has passed since the collapse of the Xuantian Sect's "Ten Thousand Demon Secret Realm".

On that day, tens of thousands of cultivators in Qingzhou City witnessed a divine-like dimensional attack. The lofty Xuantian Sect Master, revered as a half-immortal, along with the soaring demonic energy of the entire secret realm, was wiped out of thin air by a ten-thousand-foot-tall dark gold furnace.

There were no earth-shattering battles, only a one-sided crushing defeat by absolute strength.

Since then, the inner sect of Xuantian Sect has undergone a major reshuffle. Those elders and disciples who mutated by absorbing the essence and blood of mortals were all wiped out in that divinely punishing purge. Elder Mu Tianxing, who had always adhered to orthodox cultivation and had been marginalized, took over the reorganization amidst the fear of the entire sect, and closed the mountain for reorganization.

The blind Taoist priest in white robes who orchestrated all of this seemed to have vanished into thin air, never setting foot in the Xuantian Sect again.

In the south of Qingzhou City, in a quiet alleyway with willow trees amidst the hustle and bustle, a small clinic has quietly sprung up.

The clinic didn't have any fancy signboard with the words "Saving Lives and Helping the World." Instead, there was a faded cloth banner hanging on a bamboo pole outside the door, with four large, wildly cursive characters written on it: "Xuanxuan Clinic."

The warm spring sun shone through the gaps in the willow branches, casting dappled light on the small courtyard of the clinic.

Li Xuangeng changed into an extremely soft, moon-white casual robe and comfortably lay on a rocking chair. The iconic three-finger-wide white silk ribbon was once again placed over his eyes, sealing away those "Eyes of Absolute Reason" that could make all things tremble.

He held a cup of premium cloud and mist tea in his hand, occasionally taking a slow sip, listening to the rustling of willow leaves in the breeze, just like an old man enjoying his retirement.

"Master, Butcher Zhang from West Street has brought over a freshly slaughtered, plump old hen. He says it's to thank you for the 'house-protecting talisman' you gave him yesterday, which cured his son's night crying."

Xiaoman, dressed in a neat blue robe with her sleeves rolled up, sat on a small stool in the courtyard, diligently grinding herbs in a mortar. The little girl not only had a rosy complexion now, but even her voice had become much stronger. After all, anyone who followed a ruthless person who treated powerful demons like snacks would become bolder.

"Keep it; I'll make chicken soup with it tonight." Li Xuangeng nodded slightly, a gentle smile on his lips. "Butcher Zhang's son isn't sick; he's been tainted by the resentment of the animals that died violently in the slaughterhouse. A Yang Thunder Talisman dissolved in water and taken orally will naturally cure him."

"Bang!"

Just then, the half-closed wooden door of the clinic was pushed open without any politeness.

Accompanied by a crisp, silvery tinkling sound, Mu Wanjiao, dressed in a fiery red outfit, strode in. Today, she wasn't carrying her flamboyant silver whip; instead, she was holding an exquisite three-tiered sandalwood food box.

"Blind man! I've come to see you!"

Mu Wanjiao strode to the rocking chair and slammed the food box down on the tea table. Looking at Li Xuangeng, who lay motionless in the chair, she habitually raised her chin, her tone brimming with arrogance: "This is a medicinal porridge my grandfather made with spirit rice freshly picked from Qingyun Peak and century-old snow lotus. I… I saw that no one had come into your shabby clinic all day, and I was worried you and Xiaoman would starve, so I brought it over!"

"Then this humble Taoist must thank Miss Mu for 'going the way'." Li Xuangeng did not expose her. Although he was blindfolded, his perception through the [Qi Observation Technique] showed that the vibrant pinkish-white cloud in front of him was trembling slightly because of his rapid heartbeat.

This little girl must have traveled at least ten miles from the main peak of the Xuantian Sect to this alley in the south of the city. The heat-preserving runes on the food box were still glowing, clearly indicating that it had been delivered by a swift, light-footed person as soon as it came out of the pot.

"Cough... Eat it while it's hot." Mu Wanjiao felt a little uncomfortable at Li Xuangeng's gentle tone, and a slight blush rose on her fair cheeks. She pulled over a round stool and sat down, resting her chin on her hands. Looking at Li Xuangeng's angular profile, her eyes softened unconsciously.

Half a month ago, the man's unparalleled elegance in tearing off the white silk in front of the Myriad Demon Realm was like a nail, firmly driven into her heart.

"Blind man, my grandfather said that the methods you used that day were beyond our reach." Mu Wanjiao bit her lower lip, lowering her voice, "Since you are so powerful, why do you still run this shabby clinic in this alley? Don't you know that the Xuan Tian Sect Master's life tablet shattered, which has already alarmed the capital? Those people... will come knocking on our door sooner or later."

Li Xuangeng paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.

He turned his head and "looked" north.

"Miss Mu, as the Tao Te Ching says: 'The greatest sound is silent, the greatest form is formless.' The more exquisite the ingredients... the more patiently they require to wait and mature." Li Xuangeng's lips slowly curved into a smile, carrying an unfathomable depth. "I opened this clinic not to hide, but to 'treat the sick.'"

"See a doctor? What kind of illness?" Mu Wanjiao was taken aback.

"Look at the Great Yuan Dynasty, it's terminally ill and in a dead end."

Before he could finish speaking, a heart-wrenching, extremely shrill cry suddenly came from outside the clinic.

"Help! Doctor! Please, doctor, save my child!"

A disheveled young woman, dressed in tattered clothes, stumbled into the clinic. She clutched an infant tightly in her arms. Because she was running so fast, she tripped over the threshold and fell heavily to the ground. Even though she was bleeding from her head, she still held the infant high in her arms, as if afraid of hurting him in the slightest.

Xiaoman quickly stepped forward and helped the woman up: "Sister-in-law, please slow down, what happened?"

"My child... my child is dying! Several big hospitals in the city say they can't cure him. Please, please save him!" The woman knelt on the ground, crying so hard she almost fainted.

Li Xuangeng slowly stood up from the rocking chair.

He ignored the woman's cries and simply stared quietly at the swaddled baby.

To ordinary people, it was just a dead infant with a pale face and no breath.

However, under Li Xuangeng's [Aura Observation Technique], an extremely sinister and viscous black aura was swirling above the infant's head. Furthermore, a strange, tiny, blood-drawn rune-like afterimage was faintly visible between the infant's brows.

Mu Wanjiao also sensed something was wrong. She quickly walked over and gasped after just one glance.

"This...this isn't an illness!" Mu Wanjiao's expression changed drastically, her voice tightening. "This child has bluish-purple handprints on his neck! His life force has been forcibly severed by an evil spirit!"

"It's not an evil spirit."

Li Xuangeng walked over. His pale, slender fingers gently touched the baby's cold forehead.

"According to the 'Yuanhai Ziping' (a classic text on divination), the most taboo afflictions for children are the 'Thousand-Day Barrier' and the 'King of Hell Barrier.' This child was born on a Jiazi day, which should have been a life of longevity with the mutual generation of water and wood elements. But this deathly aura..." Li Xuangeng's fingers tightened slightly, and a wisp of extremely fine true energy of creation seeped from his fingertips.

"Sizzle—!"

As true energy was injected, the hidden blood-red rune between the baby's eyebrows was instantly forced out, manifesting in mid-air as a twisted "敕" (chì) character.

"These are the runes of the Daoist sect's [Nine Netherworld Heaven-Stealing Array]," Li Xuangeng's voice was as cold as the ice of the far north. "Someone is using the newborn babies in this city as the 'array eye' of the array, forcibly extracting their purest primordial energy!"

Mu Wanjiao felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave: "You mean, someone deliberately killed infants in the city to set up an array? Who would dare to do such a heinous thing in Qingzhou City!"

Li Xuangeng did not answer immediately. He sensed a familiar, extremely domineering scent mixed within the black aura of death, and his Adam's apple bobbed heavily.

It was not the inferior demonic energy of wild spirits, but a "high-level karmic obstacle" that was a mixture of top-grade royal incense and extremely extravagant desires.

"Ding! Residual high-level royal karma detected (poisonous gas associated with the Thousand-Handed Copper Corpse)!"

"Warning: The target has no refining value; it is merely a residue of poison gas."

Li Xuangeng flicked his wrist, crushing the wisp of black energy. He turned his head, the white silk ribbon facing the bustling street outside the clinic, his smile becoming unusually fervent.

"Miss Mu, didn't you just ask me if people from the capital would come knocking on our door sooner or later?"

Li Xuangeng slowly took out a clean white silk handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped his fingers little by little.

"No need to wait any longer. The 'chef' from the capital city is already holding a big pot and has placed it at the doorstep of our home in Qingzhou City."