Zhao Wanqing's injuries were quite severe.
Just by looking at her pale complexion, it was clear she had vomited enough to become anemic.
On the way back, Zhao Wanqing had taken emergency pills to prevent her condition from worsening.
There was a reason why Li Xingtian had brought Zhao Wanqing back to the courtyard first.
The ritual array in the village was almost identical to the one within the Qingfeng Sect's mining site.
It was highly likely that they shared the same origin. Li Xingtian had felt this way when he saw the corner of the ritual array in the village.
That was why Li Xingtian had suggested carrying the ritual array himself, allowing Zhao Wanqing to investigate for clues.
It would be best to inform their master about this first, to see if there were any hidden dangers or if the Qingfeng Sect was behind it.
Alternatively, they could directly frame the Qingfeng Sect, prompting the Demon Suppression Bureau to eradicate them and eliminate future threats. However, this step required careful planning.
They had to ensure that when the Demon Suppression Bureau investigated, they wouldn't trace it back to their own sect.
Whether it was Zhao Wanqing's request or the Demon Suppression Bureau's investigation, in Li Xingtian's heart, neither compared to the small sect that now consisted of only three people.
The commotion in the courtyard was noticeable, and Li Yingling, who hadn't yet gone to sleep, opened her door upon hearing the noise.
Her eyes quickly locked onto Zhao Wanqing, whose weak aura and pale complexion clearly indicated serious injuries.
"Are you badly hurt?" Li Yingling asked.
Zhao Wanqing took a deep breath, suppressing the chaotic energy within her body: "It's not too serious. The Demon Suppression Bureau has professional healers."
Li Yingling's tone was sincere, and she even took a few steps forward, afraid that Zhao Wanqing might refuse, and grabbed her hand:
"Since you're here, my master's alchemy skills are unparalleled, especially when it comes to healing pills."
"It's too much trouble for the senior..."
"Not at all! My master happens to be adjusting the taste of his pills. You can help by tasting them for him," Li Yingling said, glancing at her junior brother. "Junior brother, don't you agree?"
Li Xingtian felt a bit speechless, but it was clear that if he didn't support his senior sister now, the next time their master concocted some strange pill, she would have an excuse to make him taste it first.
Recalling their master's flour-like pills...
Li Xingtian ultimately went against his conscience and said, "Senior sister is right."
"Very well, I happen to have some new ideas," Chu Xingchen didn't refuse, as his two disciples now regarded his pills as if they were poison.
This was the perfect opportunity to prove himself.
Li Yingling continued to hold Zhao Wanqing's hand and instructed her junior brother:
"Junior brother, go get the pot."
The pot? Zhao Wanqing frowned slightly. What could they possibly do with a pot?
However, she soon saw Chu Xingchen take out a few spirit herbs from his spatial ring.
Was he... going to refine pills on the spot?
Li Xingtian also brought out a special iron pot from the kitchen, one used specifically for alchemy.
A bad feeling arose in Zhao Wanqing's mind—were they planning to refine pills in an iron pot?
She had never seen an alchemist use an iron pot for refining pills before.
As it turned out, good thoughts rarely come true, while bad thoughts often do.
Zhao Wanqing soon witnessed the spectacle of refining pills in an iron pot.
A large pot of water and spirit herbs were quickly condensed into a small dark green water droplet, exuding the unique natural scent of spirit herbs—a grassy, fishy aroma.
Zhao Wanqing's eyes widened in disbelief. Could they really refine pills in an iron pot?
Seeing Zhao Wanqing's expression, Li Yingling thought she was scared and comforted her:
"Don't be afraid."
The real fear was yet to come.
"Huh?" Zhao Wanqing let out a confused sound.
But this time, Chu Xingchen had actually put some thought into it.
First, bitterness was a relative taste issue. If he couldn't eliminate the bitterness, he could solve the problem by eliminating the sense of taste altogether!
If you couldn't taste the bitterness, then it wasn't bitter, right?
There were many ways to lose one's sense of taste, and Chu Xingchen had chosen a specific herb for this purpose—one that also had blood-replenishing properties.
This way, healing and blood replenishment were achieved in one go.
Given Li Xingtian's deep aversion to flour, Chu Xingchen decided to forgo using flour this time.
"Done! Let's give it a try."
Chu Xingchen used his spiritual energy to float the dark green water droplet in front of Zhao Wanqing.
Zhao Wanqing had watched the entire refining process, and she recognized all the spirit herbs used—they were all healing herbs.
In theory, the concoction should be safe to consume.
However, looking at the dark green water droplet in front of her...
Zhao Wanqing steeled herself and swallowed it.
At first, there was a bitter taste, but it quickly disappeared.
However, as the green liquid slid down her throat, a violent reaction occurred.
It was a hard-to-describe sensation, as if her body was fiercely resisting the liquid.
From the moment she swallowed it, her body began to rebel intensely.
But the medicinal effects seemed to ignore her body's resistance, boldly entering her system.
It was like a robber kicking down a door with brute force.
And the effects were indeed potent. Zhao Wanqing could clearly feel her internal organs recovering.
Yet, her organs were also rejecting the medicinal energy.
At the same time, she felt the comforting sensation of recovery.
It was as if someone was tickling the sole of her left foot with a feather, while someone else was scratching the sole of her right foot.
The itch was being scratched, but it was the wrong kind of scratching.
Zhao Wanqing had only one thought—this medicine felt even more sinister than those demonic cultivators!
Li Xingtian glanced at Zhao Wanqing's strange expression and turned to his senior sister:
"Senior sister, please take care of her. I need to discuss something with our master."
"No problem," Li Yingling agreed without hesitation.
It was clear that her junior brother had something to discuss with their master that the Demon Suppression Bureau shouldn't know about.
This kind of cooperation was something Li Yingling naturally understood.
Inside the room.
"Master, whether those demonic cultivators are from the Qingfeng Sect is still debatable, but their techniques are likely of the same origin as the Qingfeng Sect's demonic cultivators."
Li Xingtian picked up a pen and paper and carefully drew the ritual arrays from the mining site and the village.
"However, their use of blood energy differs from the Qingfeng Sect's. The Qingfeng Sect leans more toward defense, while those demonic cultivators focus on offense."
"Their blood energy is highly corrosive. If the Qingfeng Sect is also being manipulated, there might be a larger force behind all of this."
Chu Xingchen nodded lightly: "So, what are you thinking?"
"Playing with fire is not advisable," Li Xingtian said seriously. "The demonic cultivator who ambushed us in the village was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and his methods weren't particularly strong."
"That's why I think the Qingfeng Sect is the bigger fish. If we report them..."
Li Xingtian's words trailed off as he finished drawing the two ritual arrays.
He also marked the differences between the two arrays.
The Qingfeng Sect had also engaged in demonic practices, so reporting them would be a righteous act.
However, the Qingfeng Sect had a Nascent Soul ancestor overseeing them.
A large tree is hard to topple, and the Demon Suppression Bureau in Yuzhou City might not be willing to provoke such a force.
After all, while the Qingfeng Sect had done evil deeds, they had done so discreetly and without drawing attention.
But with the incident of the entire village being sacrificed, if the Xuanwu Kingdom was willing to act, many sects would likely join in.
Chu Xingchen looked at his second disciple, who was expressionlessly staring at the ritual arrays he had drawn.
Li Xingtian noticed his master's gaze and looked up:
"Opportunities are fleeting. We must act decisively."