At this moment, Lin Jiu was actually struggling more than Wang Weizhi. For seasoned cultivators, injuries were a daily occurrence, and each breakthrough involved trials of the mind and body, making their resilience unmatched. Though the pain scorched their bones, their minds remained relatively unaffected.
But Lin Jiu was different. The fiery pain burning through her marrow drove her nearly insane. She watched Wang Weizhi’s handsome face before her constantly expand and contract, moving closer and farther away. When he spoke, his voice fluctuated unpredictably in volume.
“What is that old geezer Huang Chuan thinking?” Wang Weizhi gritted his teeth. “Turning us into devils—has he gone mad? How are we supposed to pass this trial?!”
Wang Weizhi widened his long and delicate eyes, with blood streaks faintly visible on the whites of his eyes, his pupils contracted, and a few fine blue veins popped out on his forehead.
Seeing his uncomfortable look, Ji Yuan clapped his hands and laughed, “What a relief! It’s a relief to let you, the so-called righteous, hypocritical people have a taste of what it’s like to be a devil. It’s really a relief!”
Suddenly, another loud bang echoed as the intricately carved sandalwood door was flung open. The panels swung back and forth, and a young man with a rotund, naïve-looking face barged in, holding a small white jade bottle in hand. With a delighted expression, he shouted toward the three people in the room, “Eldest Young Master, Second Young Master, Eldest Young Miss! Master found the medicine and sent me rushing back with it!”
The three glanced at each other instinctively.
Wang Weizhi pressed his pale, thin lips together, muttering through gritted teeth, “And what’s this supposed to mean?”
Lin Jiu was equally baffled. ‘What Master, Young Master, or medicine? None of this was mentioned in the novel!’
According to the plot, the scenario Liu Qingyin encountered was much simpler—once the third trial began, numerous regular people wielding wooden sticks and kitchen knives stormed into the house, shouting bloody murder. Despite her agony, Liu Qingyin patiently questioned the townsfolk and learned that many children had gone missing in the area, with one witness claiming to have seen them taken to the residence they occupied. The rumor spread quickly, and the townsfolk came to confront them with whatever weapons they could find.
Liu Qingyin did not lose her composure and calmly explained their innocence; even offering the townsfolk to search the residence. Unexpectedly, their search uncovered countless children’s bones buried under the floor of the bed.
There was no arguing with that discovery; the outraged townsfolk were no longer willing to reason and immediately stormed with vengeance, determined to avenge the children.
Liu Qingyin gently but firmly stopped her companions from harming ordinary people. The four of them retreated as a group, pursued relentlessly as a barrage of stones, spittle, and curses rained down on them.
Even worse, the pain in their bodies prevented them from using their swords to fly away. As they tried to escape, two among them began to lose their sanity and turned against their pursuers. Liu Qingyin couldn’t stop them in time and ended up shielding the townsfolk with her own body, taking several hits. The injuries and the excruciating pain left her deathly pale. Yet, amidst the hellish scene, she seemed to radiate a saintly, compassionate aura, capturing Wang Weizhi’s heart.
By the time they escaped to the outskirts of the city, only Liu Qingyin and Wang Weizhi remained. The other two were disqualified after attacking Liu Qingyin in their madness.
The townsfolk did not pursue them further, but soon, righteous cultivators arrived, alerted of the incident. Even within the righteous faction, these were stubborn, orthodox individuals who refused to listen to explanations, convinced that slaying devils was the duty of every cultivator, regardless of the cost.
Eventually, Liu Qingyin and Wang Weizhi were cornered with no way out. Liu Qingyin, unwilling to harm others, was left with no choice but to take her own life!
For reasons unknown, Wang Weizhi followed her lead.
Unexpectedly, rather than being ejected, they were moved to the fourth trial’s start.
That was how Liu Qingyin and Wang Weizhi cleared this trial in the novel.
Lin Jiu struggled to pull herself back to the present, enduring the fiery, cutting pain in her body as she pondered—was Huang Chuan’s trial truly just about testing their determination to eliminate devils? If she were a devil, would the only solution be to forfeit this life?
That didn’t seem logical or realistic. No one inherently believes they are meant to die. Even the lowest creatures cling to life, let alone intelligent beings like humans and devils.
Based on her experience from the previous trial, Lin Jiu was certain Huang Chuan wasn’t the kind of rigid, dogmatic person who adhered to such a narrow perspective.
‘What he wanted should be…’ A small lightbulb seemed to flicker on in her mind. ‘A solution! Could humans and devils coexist peacefully?’
This was a question that even Huang Chuan had failed to answer by the end of his life. Nor could he expect future generations to solve it. Self-sacrifice was an acceptable answer, but it was certainly not the best answer.
What is the best answer? No one in history had ever known.
Suddenly, Lin Jiu seemed to understand the deceased Huang Chuan’s state of mind. He had spent most of his life exterminating devil race and devil cultivators. At some point, he must have realized that devils, too, had their own struggles. Endless suffering tormented their bodies and souls, leaving them with no peace. Only bloodshed and slaughter offered a fleeting respite from their unending torment, and human animosity deadened their guilt over the pointless killings.
The flames of hatred and conflict had been fed for millennia, growing into a raging inferno that would never be extinguished.
As Lin Jiu forced herself to think through the excruciating pain, Ji Yuan casually took the medicine bottle from the servant’s hands, uncorked it, and took a sniff.
His body suddenly froze. After a long moment, he let out a sharp inhale and said in a trembling voice, “It doesn’t hurt anymore. It… it really doesn’t hurt anymore!”
“Yes, yes,” the young servant said with a cheerful smile. “This is the miraculous elixir Master traveled far and wide to find for the Young Masters and Young Miss! It’s specially made to counter this sickness!”
With a ferocious look on his face, Ji Yuan grabbed the servant and demanded loudly, “What is this stuff?! Speak!”
Seeing his outburst, Lin Jiu and Wang Weizhi both glanced curiously at the small bottle.
Ji Yuan’s eyes were bloodshot, and his grip on the bottle was so tight it seemed on the verge of shattering. He spoke slowly, his tone dripping with menace, “Anyone who tries to take this from me—I will make sure they regret it for the rest of their life.”
“There’s no need for that.” The servant grinned cheerfully and pulled out two more bottles. “This one’s for the Second Young Master, and this one’s for the Young Miss!”
Lin Jiu accepted the bottle. The cool sensation of the jade against her palm immediately eased the pain coursing through her body. Calmly, she uncorked the bottle and held it under her nose. A sharp herbal aroma shot straight into her head, and in the next moment, the excruciating pain vanished completely.
Wang Weizhi’s eyes squinted into slits as he silently observed both Lin Jiu and Ji Yuan. Only when he was certain the medicine had no unusual effects did he cautiously try it himself.
“Where can we get more of this stuff?” Ji Yuan asked darkly, his eyes fixed on the servant.
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