Xiuxian: Start with the medicine boy

The talisman had just floated down...
The head manager of Ningcui Pavilion flicked out a burst of magical power from his fingertip.

next moment.

The talisman covered with mysterious black patterns instantly transformed into a streak of black light, rushing rapidly towards the young female cultivator in front of her.

The two were extremely close, and the young woman, completely absorbed in her determination to defend her shop, was utterly unprepared.
They hadn't even realized what had happened yet?
The jet-black light instantly adhered to her delicate body, landing precisely on her dantian.

Instantly, the young female cultivator's body froze in place.
As if frozen in place,
His mouth opened slightly, as if trying to speak, but no sound came out; he was unable to speak.

His eyes were filled with fear and confusion.

She felt her whole body stiffen...

A chilling, bone-piercing power spread from her dantian, instantly engulfing her limbs and entire body.
The magical power that was originally flowing within his body was completely solidified, as if it had been filled with heavy molten lead, and could not be mobilized at all.
Even divine sense was imprisoned within the sea of ​​consciousness by this icy power, unable to extend even a fraction of its length.
It felt as if my entire body no longer belonged to me.
They could only watch helplessly as everything unfolded before them.

The resolute expression that had previously graced the young female cultivator's delicate face had vanished, replaced by utter shock and disbelief.
Her eyes widened, her almond-shaped eyes filled with tears, her gaze fixed intently on the old man before her—

The old man, who had watched her grow up, treated her like a close uncle, and whom she regarded as the person she trusted most, could not believe that he would do such a thing to her.
Moreover, the attack was so ruthless and so sudden.

The cultivation world is rife with the law of the jungle and acts of betrayal...

But she never imagined that the one who would betray her would be the person closest to her.

I never imagined that something like this would happen to me.

Seeing this scene,

The head manager slowly raised his head, his face regaining its previous complex expression—a mixture of guilt, helplessness, and ruthlessness.
He stared at the female cultivator, frozen in place, her eyes filled with disbelief.

His voice was hoarse, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, as he slowly spoke:

"Master, please don't blame me."

If you insist on not selling the shop, you are cutting off my immortal path!

I have cultivated for a hundred years, but have been stuck at my current level for decades, unable to break through.

That faction promised me that if I could persuade you to sell the shop...

Or... get rid of you and take over Ningcui Pavilion.

They would then give me a pill to help me break through my cultivation level, allowing me to undergo a complete transformation and advance to the next level.

Besides, the power behind that person is beyond our ability to resist.

Even if you manage to hold on for a while, you can't hold on forever; sooner or later, you'll end up in a miserable state.
"Why don't I end all of this for you?"

Upon hearing this,

The young female cultivator, frozen in place, could no longer hold back her tears, which slid down her fair cheeks.
Two lines of clear tears hung on her cheeks, a poignant and desperate sight.

She stared intently at the old man, her eyes filled with grief, indignation, and bewilderment, seemingly unable to comprehend it...

Uncle Yuan, who was always so caring and considerate towards her, and who always put Ningcui Pavilion first, would actually betray and hurt her for a single pill and for his own path to immortality.

They even wanted to get rid of her.

She longed to question him, to ask him if all these years of friendship were worthless in his eyes.

But she couldn't say anything, and could only let the tears fall and let despair devour her heart.

Looking at his master, whose face was streaked with tears and whose expression was one of despair, the head manager felt even more guilty, and his fingertips trembled slightly.
The inner struggle resurfaced.
But when he thought of that pill that could help him break through his cultivation level,
Thinking of his stagnant path to immortality for decades,
This guilt was once again replaced by ruthlessness.

He slowly closed his eyes, murmuring to himself:

"Following the natural order makes one mortal; going against it makes one immortal."

Today is the day I sever all ties with love and humanity, and also the day I am reborn.

My lord, on your way to the underworld, do not blame me.

Blame it on your excessive obsession, and blame it on the cultivation world.
This is a world where the strong prey on the weak and profit comes first.

The old man strengthened his resolve, and when he opened his eyes again...

The last trace of guilt deep in his eyes vanished completely, leaving only cold ruthlessness and determination.

next moment,
Without further hesitation, he slowly raised his rough, withered hand.
With his five fingers spread wide, carrying a tremendous force, he rushed towards the young female cultivator's fair and slender neck and pinched it without hesitation.

"Snap—"

A crisp cracking sound pierced the silence of the quiet room, breaking the stillness.

The young female cultivator's head, with two lines of clear tears streaming down her face, went limp and hung listlessly against her neck.
Those bright, almond-shaped eyes were still wide open, lingering with disbelief, grief, and despair.

But it had lost all its luster.

Life, like a receding tide, quickly faded from her body.

As the head manager's rough, calloused hand slowly loosened...
The young female cultivator's delicate body collapsed limply onto the cold white jade floor tiles, like a kite with a broken string.

The moon-white gauze dress, stained with blood, looked exceptionally poignant.

Seeing this scene,

The head manager's face was expressionless, his expression cold and numb.
He slowly raised his right hand, and with a wave of his hand, a storage bag, entirely black and engraved with storage runes, appeared in his palm.

His fingertips twitched...

A beam of spiritual light enveloped the female cultivator's body, instantly storing her in her storage bag without leaving a trace.

Afterwards, he quickly searched the meditation room, collecting the jade slips, pills, magical artifacts, and other items that the female cultivator had placed on the table.

After making sure no trace of myself was left behind...

He then turned around and quickly left the quiet room.

The moment he left the meditation room, he raised his hand and reactivated the defensive and soundproofing array in front of the room's door.
The layer of shimmering white light enveloped the door once more, restoring it to its previous state.
It was as if nothing had ever happened inside.

Then,

The head manager strode to a small, quiet room on the other side of the second floor, activated the same array, pushed open the door, went inside, and closed the door behind him.

They then reactivated the indoor defensive array, completely isolating the area from the outside world.

After entering the quiet room,
With a wave of his hand, a pile of items appeared on the ground—

A set of array flags engraved with concealment and communication formations, and a completely black array plate.
There are also many spiritual materials with bright colors and rich spiritual energy.

Clearly, these were things he had prepared long ago.

Immediately,

He took out a pale blue jade slip from his robes, pressed it against his brow, and examined it carefully.

Then, following the instructions recorded in the jade slip, they quickly got to work.
Spiritual energy flickered at his fingertips, array flags and array plates danced in his hands, his expression focused and cold.
It was as if he hadn't been the one who had just killed his master.

at the same time···
Ten miles away from Ningcui Pavilion, in a secluded teahouse, in a quiet room on the top floor, another bloody scene is unfolding.

The quiet room was simple and dimly lit, with only an oil lamp burning, its dim light casting long shadows.

A faint, almost imperceptible smell of blood filled the air.

A chilling, piercing voice came from the center of the quiet room, filled with boundless impatience and ruthlessness:
"You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a penalty shot; you truly don't know what's good for you!"

"You've given us face, and you still dare to refuse? Do you really think you can stand against us with your meager strength?"

The speaker was a young cultivator dressed in a black robe, which concealed his face, revealing only a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.

Like a millennium-old iceberg, his body was permeated with a dense killing intent and an obscure aura.
Powerful and eerie.

He looked down at the middle-aged monk, who was slumped on the ground and had a wealthy appearance, with a cold expression and a tone full of disdain and cruelty.

At this moment, the middle-aged cultivator lay limp as a puddle of mud on the cold ground.

His brocade robe was torn to shreds and covered in blood.
Its breath was weak, and it was on the verge of collapse.

His eyes were filled with burning rage and resentment as he stared intently at the black-robed youth before him.
It was as if they wanted to devour him alive, but he couldn't utter a single word.
They couldn't even move a finger; they were frozen in place like puppets, unable to move their entire bodies.

Upon closer inspection...
One could also see that a talisman covered in black patterns was pasted on the back of the middle-aged cultivator.

The talisman was surrounded by a faint, dark spiritual light.
This was the same binding talisman the head steward had used to imprison the female cultivator; it had bound the middle-aged cultivator's magical power and divine sense, rendering him unable to move or speak.
They could only be at the mercy of the other party.

Like fish on a chopping board.

next moment,
Seeing the anger and resentment in the middle-aged cultivator's eyes, the young cultivator in black robes curled his lips into a cold, cruel smile.

His tone was cold and indifferent, without the slightest hesitation, as he coldly said:
"Since you don't want to sell this teahouse, and since you insist on opposing us, then die!"
There's no point in saying more; keeping you around is just a nuisance!

The voice just fell,

With a slight twist of his wrist, the young cultivator in black robes conjured a gleaming, snow-white flying sword into his palm.

The flying sword was surrounded by a bone-chilling aura, its blade engraved with intricate killing formations, and shimmering with spiritual light.

It is clearly a magic weapon of considerable quality.

With a flick of his finger, the flying sword transformed into a dazzling white light, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, and swiftly stabbed towards the middle-aged cultivator's neck.
As fast as lightning

They didn't give the other party any chance to react at all.

"Pfft-"

With a soft sound, the flying sword pierced the middle-aged cultivator's neck with pinpoint accuracy. The sharp blade sliced ​​through his skin, and blood gushed out instantly.

Like a fountain, it splashed onto the cold ground and walls, staining the middle-aged monk's brocade robe red.
It also stained the black robe of the young man in black.

A huge human head shot into the sky as the flying sword was drawn, drawing an arc in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, rolling a few times, and coming to rest in the corner of the quiet room.

The head that had rolled to the ground still had its eyes wide open, the anger and resentment in them undiminished, staring intently at the ceiling of the quiet room.

As if dying with eyes wide open, it exudes desolation and despair.

The headless body twitched a few times on the ground before losing all life and collapsing into a pool of blood.
Blood continued to gush from his neck, staining the ground beneath him red.

Then,

The young cultivator in black robes sheathed his flying sword, his face expressionless, his demeanor still cold and numb.
It was as if he had just killed an ant.

He skillfully took out some talismans and potions for cleaning up traces from his storage bag and began quickly tidying up the quiet room—

He first put the middle-aged cultivator's head and the headless corpse into his storage bag.

He then took out cleaning talismans and stuck them on the walls and floor. After activating the talismans, they instantly turned into a white light, completely cleaning up the splattered blood.

Not even a trace of blood remained;
Afterwards, he put all the items in the room back in their original positions, restoring it to its original state.
No trace of fighting or killing was left behind.

Not long after...

The quiet room, which had been covered in blood and reeking of blood, was restored to its previous simplicity and cleanliness.

It was as if the bloody massacre had never happened.

Then, the young cultivator in black robes quickly scanned the meditation room, carefully inspecting it...

After confirming that no trace had been left behind, he nodded in satisfaction, turned, and walked out of the quiet room.

At the same time, he raised his hand and reactivated the defensive array of the quiet room, completely isolating everything inside.

As the young monk in black robes departed...
The room fell silent again, the dim oil lamp still burning, its yellowish light illuminating the empty space.

The only difference from before is...

A faint, almost imperceptible smell of blood still lingered in the air.

And under the cover of this deep night, a similar scene unfolded...

It's quietly unfolding in every corner of Zhenhai Immortal City.

Whether it's a shop in a prime location?

Or perhaps a teahouse or restaurant in a quiet, secluded street...

Owners who refused to sell their properties or compromised were doomed to perish.

These killings were all extremely secretive, the perpetrators were ruthless and swift, and the cleanup afterwards was extremely thorough, leaving no trace whatsoever.

At least!
The servants and waiters who were still busy in the shops and teahouses did not notice anything unusual.

They continued to greet guests and manage their business as usual, completely unaware of what had happened to their employer.

As night deepened, the lights of Zhenhai City remained bright, and the hustle and bustle continued.

···
The next day.

As dawn broke, the golden sun pierced through the clouds and slowly rose into the sky.

The endless, warm sunlight poured down like flowing water, sprinkling every corner of Zhenhai City.

It also draped this ancient and vast immortal city in a light golden cloak.

On the streets, the number of monks coming and going gradually increased, and shops and teahouses opened for business one after another.

Everything seemed so normal, so prosperous.
It was as if the clandestine killings that swept across the city last night were just a dream.

It can be found in the most luxurious restaurant in Zhenhai City—

Inside the private rooms on the top floor of Wanghailou, however, there was a cold and oppressive atmosphere, completely out of place with the bustling and noisy outside world.

The private room was luxuriously furnished, constructed entirely of precious spirit wood, and offered a breathtaking view of the vast ocean outside the window.
But the atmosphere inside was so cold it was suffocating...

...(End of this chapter)