Proving God begins with the principle that no effort is wasted.

Jiang Lan ran through the reeds for half an hour before finally stopping.

He leaned against a dead tree and slowly squatted down, his chest aching terribly, as if it were filled with red-hot wire, each breath causing his internal organs to tingle.

The spot on his right arm where Tu Kui's palm strike had struck was swollen high, and his robe was torn in a long gash, revealing shocking bruises beneath his skin.

He moved his five fingers to confirm that his bones were not broken, but his internal organs had been shaken and he was temporarily out of danger.

The power of a mid-stage Condensation Realm cultivator, even just the aftershocks grazed him, nearly severely injured him.

Jiang Lan took out a Qi-boosting pill from his pocket and put it under his tongue. The warm medicinal power sank into his dantian along his throat and slowly circulated throughout his body, gradually calming his restless and disordered breathing.

In the distance, towards the direction of the Poison Dragon Pool, the towering flames had already dimmed, while the continuous sirens still echoed, suggesting that the sect's reinforcements had already arrived at the forbidden area.

He got up and continued to sneak deeper into the reeds, preparing to choose a secluded path to return to the mountain gate.

Before we had gone for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a faint sound reached our ears.

It wasn't the sound of the wind, but the groans of people, mixed with suppressed anger and curses.

Jiang Lan tiptoed and quietly pushed aside the reeds blocking her way. She saw a figure leaning against a dead tree, his right leg bent at an odd angle, his trouser leg soaked in black and red blood, and white bone piercing through the flesh at the wound, a gruesome sight.

Wearing a gray cloth short jacket with a black scorpion tattoo on the chest, he was one of the Seven Fiends of Youzhang Tower.

Jiang Lan recognized the man at a glance. Just now, when they confronted each other by the pool, this man was in the middle of the line holding a short halberd. Now, he was seriously injured and alone. The short halberd was discarded on the ground, and he was tearing off his clothes to bandage his broken leg. He was completely unaware that someone was watching him from behind.

Jiang Lan's eyes were cold and indifferent, without the slightest hesitation in her heart.

He drew a bone-piercing needle from his concealed weapon pouch and held it firmly between two fingers. Four zhang away, the wind was blowing in a skewed direction, and the reeds rustled. He waited a moment, and when the wind blew open a gap in the reeds, he suddenly flicked his wrist.

The needle pierced the air silently, precisely striking the Yuzhen acupoint on the back of Lao Liu's head. The needle tip went straight through his brow and deeply embedded itself in the tree trunk behind him, vibrating and humming incessantly.

The cultivator's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes bulged, and a gurgling sound came from his throat. He couldn't even utter a single scream before all his strength vanished, and he collapsed limply to the ground. His body twitched slightly for a moment before he completely lost his life.

Jiang Lan slowly stepped forward, checked the pulse in his neck, and confirmed that he was dead. Then he bent down and searched for his belongings.

A package wrapped in oiled paper contained more than ten ordinary Qi-boosting pills; a small bag of broken silver, about thirty taels; several low-denomination silver notes, totaling more than one hundred taels; a copper identity plaque engraved with the scorpion pattern of Youzhang Tower; and a blank book. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to contain a unique technique for preparing poisoned hidden weapons. The moves were simple yet ruthless, capable of killing someone with a single blow.

Jiang Lan put all the pills, silver coins, and silver notes into his pocket, casually tossed the scorpion-patterned copper pendant into the puddle beside him, and after a moment's thought, carefully put the poison needle manual away.

After dealing with the valuables, he grabbed the corpse by the ankle and dragged it into a muddy swamp deep in the reeds. He then pulled up thick layers of withered grass to cover it up, wiped away the surrounding traces, and wiped the bloodstains from his palms on his clothes. His movements were steady and efficient, leaving no room for error.

"You certainly escaped quickly."

A cold voice suddenly rang out from behind, each word piercing to the bone, and Jiang Lan's entire back tensed instantly.

He slowly turned around and looked back. Xu Ling staggered out of the reeds, her whole body as weak as if she were walking on cotton.

Her right arm was broken, and the bandages wrapped around the wound were already soaked with poisonous blood, turning her entire body black. Her face was as pale as paper, and her lips were purplish-black. Clearly, the miasma from the bottom of the pool had invaded her blood vessels, damaging the foundation of her internal organs.

Yet her eyes still held a condescending scrutiny, her gaze sweeping over Jiang Lan before landing on the gray cloth hem peeking out from the mud, instantly seeing through everything.

"You killed the people from Youzhanglou." Xu Ling's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty.

Jiang Lan remained silent, meeting her gaze calmly.

"Hand over what he has taken." Xu Ling stretched out her left hand, fingers spread wide, directly in front of him, her fingernails stained with mud and grime. "The things are mine, and I will pretend I never saw what happened today."

Jiang Lan stood still, without moving an inch.

Xu Ling's eyes narrowed suddenly. Despite her injuries, she took a step forward, and a drop of black blood fell from her severed arm wound onto the decaying leaves with a clear and piercing sound.

"Jiang Lan," she said, her tone full of sarcasm and disdain, "how could you, a mere fourth-grade Dao Foundation disciple, single-handedly kill an evil cultivator and escape unscathed? I know your true abilities perfectly well."

She lowered her voice, each word carrying a threatening tone: "If I report this matter to the Enforcement Hall today, you will be charged with a host of crimes, including embezzling the property of evil cultivators, shirking battle in the forbidden area, and so on. The Xu family and the sect's laws will not let you off easily."

"Hand over your valuables obediently, and you will owe me a favor. From now on, I will take care of you in the alchemy room."

Jiang Lan gazed quietly at the woman before her. She was critically injured, her body ravaged by miasma, and she wouldn't last much longer. Yet, she remained greedy, taking advantage of her status and seniority to manipulate others at will.

This person must not be allowed to live any longer!

"Senior Sister Xu, your injuries are too severe. You should return to the sect immediately to heal." Jiang Lan's voice was calm and even.

"Stop talking nonsense and hand over the goods!"

Xu Ling's voice suddenly rose, sharp and piercing, her left hand clenched into a fist, pressing closer step by step.

Jiang Lan subconsciously took a half step back.

Seeing him back down, Xu Ling's face curled into a mocking sneer. She pointed to her own neck, her arrogance palpable: "What? You dare to lay a hand on me? Go ahead and kill me, the sect will surely execute you and grind your bones to dust!"

"But if you do not obey me, I will pin all the blame for today's crimes on you, and you will have no way to defend yourself and will surely die!"

She leaned against a withered tree, panting heavily. Under the influence of the miasma, her face turned from pale to ashen, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat, but she still refused to give up, attempting to seize power and profit through coercion.

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Lan had already moved.

The two steps were covered in an instant. He held the bone-piercing needle at his fingertips and, without hesitation, stabbed it straight into Xu Ling's vital spot on the side of her neck.

The needle pierced through the skin and flesh, exiting from the back of her neck. Xu Ling's eyes widened, a large amount of black blood gushed from her throat, and she made a hoarse sound as her eyes churned with rage, resentment, and utter disbelief, which finally turned into fear.

She couldn't believe it until her death that a low-ranking disciple would actually dare to kill her!

Life was rapidly slipping away. Xu Ling's body slid slowly down the tree trunk and collapsed onto the decaying leaves. The strips of cloth on her severed arm tore open, exposing the bluish-purple broken bone fragments, a shocking sight. Her skin was covered with gray-black miasma, like withered and decaying wood.

Jiang Lan crouched down and searched all her belongings.

The porcelain bottle contained ten Qi-boosting pills, five of which were potent Crimson Secret Pills, a personal Thunder Protection Talisman with cinnabar thunder patterns flowing across its surface, and extremely powerful effects; there was also a booklet of the "Seven Revolutions Heavenly Techniques," plus over three hundred taels of silver notes.

This is precisely the introductory mental technique of the talismanic lineage!

He put all the items into his pocket, and then threw Xu Ling's body into the river.

After finishing everything, Jiang Lan took a long detour, wading across the river at the rocky beach north of the Poison Dragon Pool, and quietly returned to his clan through a secluded side gate on the east side of the mountain gate.

The sky was already turning a pale white, and dawn was approaching.

Back in his secluded courtyard, he closed the gate, took off his blood-stained outer garment, and threw the blood-stained clothes, which could not be washed clean, into the stove and burned them to ashes.

He carefully categorized and hid his acquired wealth: silver notes were hidden in a secret compartment in the bed board, elixirs were sealed in oil paper and placed in a drawer, thunder talismans were worn close to his body, and precious books were placed under his pillow. He thought things through carefully at every step.

With everything settled, Jiang Lan sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and circulated his internal organs to regulate his breathing and heal his injuries.

The medicine worked its magic, and the bruises on my right arm faded rapidly.

A soft knocking sound suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

"Junior Brother Jiang Lan, the Enforcement Hall summons you. Come with me."

The voices outside the door were polite and calm. Jiang Lan opened her eyes, got up, straightened her clothes, and followed the person who came in.

The courtyard of the Enforcement Hall was solemn and imposing, with its blue bricks and cold tiles, and disciples with swords standing guard at the entrance. He was led into the interrogation room, where a white-haired elder sat behind a long table, his expression stern and dignified. Beside him, a middle-aged deacon held a file, his sharp eyes scrutinizing the newcomer.

"I have truthfully recounted the events of last night at the Poison Dragon Pool in Beize." The elder's voice was indifferent and cold.

"Your disciple obeys."

Jiang Lan bowed in response and slowly recited his prepared story: He had accompanied Deacon Li, Xu Ling, and others into the pool to collect spiritual herbs when they were attacked and killed by a vicious, venomous python. Then, the Seven Fiends of the Netherworld Pavilion suddenly appeared, their leader, Tu Kui, possessing formidable cultivation, severely injuring Deacon Li, forcing everyone to scatter and flee. On his journey, he encountered a lone evil cultivator, fought desperately to kill him, and became separated from Xu Ling along the way, eventually finding his own way back to the sect.

The elders pressed Jiang Lan for details, including the number of evil cultivators, Tu Kui's cultivation level, and Xu Ling's escape route. Jiang Lan answered calmly, her expression showing fear and humility, without giving herself away.

The two looked at each other in hushed tones for a moment, and the elder nodded slightly.

"You single-handedly slew the evil cultivator, which is a great service to the sect, and this matter has been verified. Xu Ling is still missing, and the sect will send people to track her down. You can rest and recuperate. This bottle of Qi-boosting pills is a reward from the sect."

The steward handed over a small jade bottle, which Jiang Lan accepted with both hands, bowed in thanks, and calmly withdrew from the Hall of Law Enforcement.