The old village chief's arm served as the most compelling evidence of the Little Divine Doctor Tu Xiao'an's abilities. In an instant, a huge crowd swarmed him, forming a tight circle several layers deep.

"Little Divine Doctor, save me! I've had this strange disease for twenty days. The blisters on my body could burst at any moment, and I feel like I could die at any second!"

A man pushed his way to the front of Tu Xiao'an and ripped off his shirt, revealing a horrifying torso covered in blisters. They were packed densely together, leaving his skin looking as though it was riddled with sores and emitting a foul stench.

Based on the recent history of the strange disease in the village, no one who contracted it had ever survived for more than a month. They were all fated to die as their blood thickened into pus.

Furthermore, after being tormented by the disease, no one had the courage to go on living. To them, an early death meant an early release.

"Open your mouth and eat this."

Tu Xiao'an tore off a piece of Snake Skin and stuffed it into the man's mouth. At that moment, the scene fell deathly silent.

Everyone watched, observing to see if this man's strange disease would vanish just as the village chief's had.

This patient was likely the most severe case in Ping'an Village. For twenty days, he had been subjected to immense suffering.

If things had continued like that, he would have killed himself. The pain was too much. His entire body was covered in blisters that couldn't bear the slightest touch.

A single touch brought unbearable pain. If one burst, it would bleed endlessly.

The old village chief had only had blisters covering his arm, but this man was covered from head to toe. A single glance was enough to make one's skin crawl.

A few minutes later, the scene erupted in a tsunami of joyous cheers. The patient who had been covered in blisters was completely cured. There wasn't a single blister left on his body.

A miracle. It was simply a miracle.

"Divine Doctor, Divine Doctor, please treat me!"

"Divine Doctor, my case is more serious! Help me first!"

Now, not a single person doubted the Divine Doctor Tu Xiao'an. They instantly mobbed him, and the scene nearly spiraled out of control.

However, the nearby Celestial Master Zhang, who held a Rise and Fall in his hand and carried a sword on his back, was now completely ignored. His face twitched a few times. It was a clear blow to his ego.

He looked like he was about to have an outburst, but absolutely no one was paying him any attention.

An hour later, Tu Xiao'an had given a piece of Snake Skin to every patient suffering from the strange disease.

With experience, the pieces of Snake Skin Tu Xiao'an handed out grew smaller and smaller.

'Are you kidding me? This Snake Skin from my second shedding is priceless. I can't just waste it.'

For those who'd had the disease longer, he gave a slightly larger piece of Snake Skin. For those who were recently infected, a tiny sliver was more than enough.

"Thank you, Divine Doctor, for saving us! You are Ping'an Village's living Bodhisattva! Your virtue is boundless!"

A large group of people, the old village chief among them, all knelt in unison and kowtowed to Tu Xiao'an. It was a debt for saving their lives that they could never repay.

"Everyone, please, get up."

Tu Xiao'an had long grown numb to people kneeling before him.

Just then, a strange, sardonic voice cut in.

"Hmph... What's the use of curing the strange disease? That only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. This village is being plagued by a demon. Even if you cure the disease, people will continue to die."

Celestial Master Zhang lifted his chin, putting on the air of a profound and unfathomable master.

Hearing this, the villagers grew fearful. He was right. The Divine Doctor had cured their disease, but there was still a demon in the village. Immediately, they shuffled on their knees to face the Daoist and cried out, "Please, Celestial Master, vanquish the demon and save Ping'an Village!"

Seeing this, Celestial Master Zhang's expression finally softened. He abruptly sat cross-legged in the center of the crowd. His sword-like eyebrows bristled, his eyes shut tight, and his wide, square mouth began muttering an incantation. Finally, his eyes snapped open wide. "Treasure Sword, arise!"

With his great shout, the sword on Celestial Master Zhang's back flew from its scabbard. With a flash of cold light, it landed gracefully in his hand as if it had a mind of its own, leaving the crowd dumbfounded.

"Amazing! The Celestial Master is truly a man of divine power! Ping'an Village is saved!"

The villagers grew excited, bursting into applause.

Tu Xiao'an rolled his eyes from the sidelines. 'He wasn't impressed by much, but he had to admit, this Daoist's grandstanding was on another level.'

In truth, Tu Xiao'an had seen through him long ago. This Daoist was, at best, a Jianghu charlatan who knew a few petty tricks to fool common folk.

'He hasn't even broken through his physical limitations and awakened. What a joke.'

"I, the Celestial Master, was guided by the heavens to Ping'an Village. Seeing it plagued by a demon, I naturally cannot stand idly by." Celestial Master Zhang stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens, exuding the air of an immortal. He began muttering another incantation, then threw his Treasure Sword high into the air, shouting, "Treasure Sword, find the demon! Where are you hiding?!"

The Treasure Sword instantly began to glow, spinning in the air like a compass before freezing in place, pointing in the three o'clock direction.

Celestial Master Zhang's eyes glinted. He leaped into the air and grabbed the Treasure Sword. "Demon, there's nowhere to run! I, the Celestial Master, am coming for you!"

With that, Celestial Master Zhang broke into a run, taking quick, mincing steps as he charged off in the three o'clock direction.

Many of the villagers were stirred into a frenzy, shouting excitedly, "Quick, follow the Celestial Master! Let's all go help!"

SWISH...

A large crowd of people rushed after him.

'Idiots...'

Tu Xiao'an felt like a stampede of ten thousand alpacas was rampaging through his mind. This Daoist's antics were shattering his entire worldview.

'Is this guy for real? If he actually manages to find the hidden Snake Spirit, then hell has truly frozen over.'

'And even if he does find it, is he so sure he'll be vanquishing a demon and not just a lamb walking into a tiger's den?'

'Where did this moron even come from? He's completely thrown off my rhythm.'

"For our Ping'an Village to receive the help of both a Divine Doctor and a Celestial Master... the heavens have truly blessed us!"

The old village chief hadn't followed the crowd. Instead, he sighed with emotion, his expression thrilled, as if he could already see the Daoist striking down the demon with his Treasure Sword.

Tu Xiao'an rolled his eyes again and asked, "Old sir, what's this Daoist's story?"

The old village chief, now deeply respectful of Tu Xiao'an, immediately answered, "The Celestial Master arrived a day before you, Divine Doctor. He said he is a wandering Daoist who travels the world vanquishing demons for people. As it happened, his travels brought him near Ping'an Village. The Celestial Master detected that the Demon Qi in our village was extremely thick, knew at once that a demon was at work, and gracefully descended to help."

"It must be that the heavens saw how many people were dying in Ping'an Village and couldn't bear to watch any longer, so they sent both the Celestial Master and you, the Divine Doctor."

Tu Xiao'an didn't know what to say. He looked up and saw the sky was gradually growing dark. 'Looks like I'll have to call it a day,' he thought. 'This hidden Snake Spirit is concealed so well that even my Consciousness Power can't find it.'

'This is going to be trouble.'

"Divine Doctor, let's go follow them and see," the old chief said. "If there really is a demon, this old man will fight it, even if it costs me my life!"

"Alright, let's go take a look," Tu Xiao'an nodded.

After that, the entire village followed the Daoist on a "stroll" around the area. He put on an excellent show, constantly muttering incantations while his Treasure Sword slashed back and forth with grand, sweeping motions, as if slaying enemies in every direction.

But it was all just an act, a bunch of mystical posturing.

One moment he would claim the demon was to the east, the next he'd say it was to the west, leading the large crowd on a game of hide-and-seek.

As darkness fell, Celestial Master Zhang suddenly stopped and said with a regretful tone, "This demon has some skill. It knows I, the Celestial Master, am hunting it, so it keeps ducking and weaving."

"Did you see the demon, Celestial Master?" many people asked, full of doubt. They hadn't seen a single thing.

"I have opened my Celestial Eye, so of course I saw it. The demon simply managed to escape."

The villagers immediately inquired, "If we may ask, Celestial Master, what kind of evil creature is it?"

"It is an enormous Snake Spirit."

The moment he said this, Tu Xiao'an's eyes narrowed, his gaze instantly locking onto Celestial Master Zhang.