"Since she’s in seclusion, let’s go."

Gu Qingyuan, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. "You’re still poisoned. We can’t afford any delays."

They had already told her that Song Wanning was in seclusion, but Chuxue simply refused to believe it, insisting on dragging her weakened body all the way here.

"But... but seeing is believing..."

Ye Chuxue bit her lip. ’Who can guarantee whether Song Wanning is actually in seclusion or not?’

’What if she just hung up a sign?’

"Enough!"

Gu Qingyuan snapped, grabbing Ye Chuxue by the arm.

"She said she’s in seclusion, so she’s in seclusion. Song Wanning isn’t that devious!"

"You’re coming back with me now."

His tone was slightly harsher than usual, but to Ye Chuxue’s ears, it sent a chill through her heart.

’Master is scolding me for Song Wanning’s sake?’ 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

’This has never happened in over twenty years!’

"You trust her that much, Master?"

She tilted her head up, a stubborn redness welling in her eyes.

The more these people defended Song Wanning, the more she wanted to prove her suspicions were true.

’I’ll make them see that Song Wanning is a vicious, evil person!’

"I don’t!"

"It’s not like we can just barge in and demand proof right now!"

Gu Qingyuan’s brows furrowed even tighter. He was worried about Chuxue’s injuries. ’Why doesn’t she understand?’

"Senior Uncle Gu, if you go see Master, she’ll definitely open the door for you right away!"

Seeing Ye Chuxue looking wronged, An Ze immediately stepped up to back her up.

"Master has always been at your beck and call. It’s just a small matter of interrupting her seclusion; she won’t get angry!"

"If what Senior Sister Ye says is true, then what Master did is just too despicable."

"Don’t worry, Senior Sister Ye. With Senior Uncle Gu taking the lead, there won’t be any problem."

An Ze rambled on, not noticing that the others were all looking at him with strange expressions.

’Has An Ze completely forgotten how Song Wanning treated Gu Qingyuan a while back?’

’And he wants him to go knock on her door?’

’Idiot.’

Gu Qingyuan didn’t even want to spare An Ze a glance. If not for the fact that Chuxue and An Ze’s relationship was decent, he wouldn’t have wanted to bother with this person at all.

But Ye Chuxue’s eyes lit up, and she looked at Gu Qingyuan expectantly.

To this day, she still didn’t know about Gu Qingyuan kneeling to beg for the elixir for her, mistakenly believing that everything was the same as it had always been.

"No!"

Gu Qingyuan refused flatly, shattering Ye Chuxue’s last glimmer of hope.

"Disturbing someone’s seclusion is a despicable act. It must not be done."

He shot a cool glance at An Ze. ’It seems I need to let Chuxue spend less time with this idiot, lest he drags her down with him.’

"Let’s go. We’re going back!"

Ignoring Ye Chuxue’s simmering resentment, Gu Qingyuan forcibly led her away.

Bai Yang glanced at the main hall, then at Li Rao, a flicker of cold indifference in his eyes.

’No one can replace my position in Master’s heart.’

...

PFFT—

A longsword was viciously plunged into Song Wanning’s chest.

She spat out a mouthful of blood and coldly pulled the longsword from her body.

The person opposite her watched, their eyes filled with horror, but a savage glint quickly replaced it as they swung their sword to attack again.

Song Wanning’s eyes turned brutal as she swung her own longsword and charged forward to meet them.

In her vision, the world was awash with the light of blood.

"Ah, Mother, save me!"

"SOB SOB SOB... Daddy, I’m scared!"

"AHHH— Don’t kill him! Don’t!"

"I’m begging you, I’m begging you, please let them go!"

"You’ll all die a horrible death! I won’t let you off even as a ghost!"

"AHHH—"

All sorts of bloodcurdling screams surrounded her.

The killing intent in Song Wanning’s heart intensified, and she threw herself back into the fight.

She had lived with these villagers in this place for over a decade.

The village was home to cute and mischievous children, simple and honest uncles, kind and hardworking aunties, and young men and women full of life...

Just yesterday, they had all gathered together, dreaming of life after the harvest. Tonight, they were being brutally massacred by marauding soldiers.

She wanted with all her heart to protect everyone, only to find that the Spiritual Energy in her body was long gone.

Like them, she had become an ordinary mortal.

Song Wanning could only swing her sword, again and again.

Trying to save the wailing people.

But people fell, one after another.

Fresh blood flowed everywhere. Severed limbs lay scattered.

Bodies littered the ground.

The scenes before her eyes made Song Wanning feel as if she had returned to the moment her Song Family was massacred in her past life.

Back then, she had watched in the same despair, completely helpless.

A bloody light slowly filled her vision, and the killing intent in the depths of her heart was completely unleashed.

Even though she knew this was just an illusion within the inheritance trial, she still threw herself into it completely.

THWACK—

A longsword chopped down from above her head.

Song Wanning’s body was split in two and fell with a thud.

A boundless, sinister cold and an endless sea of crimson slowly enveloped her.

When she opened her eyes again, everything had returned to the night before.

Her expression was dazed for a moment. She seemed to understand the purpose of this first stage of the trial.

All around her were the simple, clear voices of the villagers.

Their lives were hard, but they all held beautiful hopes for the future.

They lived on, striving and clumsy.

But the heavens were unjust and still refused to spare them.

Song Wanning clenched her fists.

The countless small moments from more than a decade of living together replayed in her mind, and her resolve to save the villagers grew even firmer.

And so, she began the cycle, again and again.

Killed, reborn.

Killed, reborn.

Over and over, without end.

...

「Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.」

Song Wanning was still in seclusion, but a major event had recently occurred in the Heavenly Inquiry Sect.

"Did you hear? Master Ye successfully refined a Fifth-grade Elixir yesterday!!!!"

"HISS!! For real? She can already refine a Fifth-grade Elixir?"

"I know, right? I heard Senior Sister Ye only joined the sect half a year ago. To be able to refine a Fifth-grade Elixir in just six months... she’s a born Alchemy Cultivator!"

"So amazing! Senior Sister Ye is the real genius of the Alchemy Dao!"

"Of course she is! She’s the successor of the Medicine King Sect, after all!"

The disciples of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect chattered away, their eyes shining with excitement.

"And Senior Sister Ye is both beautiful and kindhearted! She even gives Elixir Pills to ordinary disciples like us for free!"

Grandmaster Song may be an Alchemy Grandmaster, but we never had a chance to get any of the elixirs she refined.

But Senior Sister Ye is different. She’s actually given a lot of Elixir Pills to everyone.

"Senior Sister Ye is so generous, unlike some people... you have to get on your knees just to ask for an elixir!"

Looking back now at Song Wanning’s excessive demands, it made her seem more and more like a petty person who used her alchemy skills to bully others.

She even forced a transcendent, immortal-like figure like Grandmaster Gu to kneel. Truly heartless.

"I know! I heard Senior Sister Ye is giving out elixirs again today! Let’s hurry over and see. Maybe it’ll be our turn!"

"Let’s go, let’s go see!"

A large crowd of disciples quickly gathered outside Ye Chuxue’s Elixir Medicine Room, blocking it completely.

Soon, Ye Chuxue walked out carrying a tray, her face beaming.

’I really am a genius!!!’