Affairs in Tongzhou were far too chaotic, and Cháojiàn still had some trivial matters left to handle.
"Do you want to wait here, or would you like to head to your quarters first?" Cháojiàn asked.
"I will wait right here."
Chang Huaijin's face was as pale as paper.
Having waited for so long, he grew increasingly worried about Woyu.
Compared to the others from Penglai, Cui Yanjun was actually quite famous in Tongzhou.
The common folk of Tongzhou all knew of a white-haired witch doctor with exceptional medical skills—an immortal maiden hailing from Penglai.
Back when she descended the mountain to hone her skills, she disliked socializing with strangers and always kept to herself, which inevitably led to some tactless individuals crossing her path. Observing her conduct, some guessed she belonged to the Penglai Immortal Sect and attempted to capture her in order to extract the location of Penglai by force.
Cui Yanjun had a rather ordinary temper and no mean swordsmanship, so she single-handedly took down a minor sect that had persistently hunted her down.
She had first made a name for herself in the mortal world through the sword.
Only later did people gradually realize that what Cui Yanjun studied was medicine, though her mastery of poisons was also nothing short of miraculous. The medical cultivators of Penglai were somewhat different from those of Wangxi Valley; Cui Yanjun followed the path of a toxicologist-physician.
She rarely used medicinal herbs, preferring instead to fight poison with poison.
Cui Yanjun had also studied witchcraft and sorcery. By combining all three, she had cured many stubborn and baffling ailments for people.
Even after her training ended and she returned to Penglai, people still traveled everywhere in search of the white-haired witch doctor to save their lives.
If... if even Cui Yanjun could not wake Woyu, how could he ever have a clear conscience?
Seeing that he was determined, Cháojiàn simply flicked her whisk, instantly flashing him over to his quarters to familiarize himself with the place, before flicking it once more to send him right back to Cui Yanjun's courtyard.
"This one is yours," Cháojiàn said, producing two spiritual artifacts. "The pink one is for your younger sister."
In their Penglai, young girls simply had to use pink!
"My junior sister is truly amazing," Cháojiàn said, her eyes brimming with infinite pride. "In this entire world, there is no one she refuses to save, only those she cannot."
Had Ruan Wei been present, she would likely have muttered inwardly: *The original novel says she definitely couldn't save her, though.*
The original novel had never mentioned the ultimate fates of the elders and masters of the Immortal Sect, but Ruan Wei had imagined them herself.
No matter how deeply a medical cultivator studied poison, her ultimate path in practicing the Dao was to save lives.
If she were to let her Third Uncle-Master—a woman cold on the outside yet warm within, who personally tested herbs to create pill recipes—watch the children she raised by her side perish one after another, that would surely be far too cruel to her.
"Many thanks, Daoist Cháojiàn."
Hearing Cháojiàn's words of comfort, Chang Huaijin's complexion improved slightly as he spoke.
Cháojiàn raised an eyebrow. "Since you already address Weiwei as Senior Sister, why do you refuse to call me Second Uncle-Master?"
Chang Huaijin was momentarily stunned, then assumed a solemn expression. "But I have yet to perform the master-disciple initiation ceremony; calling you that would be improper."
"Senior Sister... Senior Sister is a peer."
At the mention of Ruan Wei, Chang Huaijin's cheeks flushed slightly.
It wasn't that he harbored any improper thoughts; it was simply that Ruan Wei's appearance was entirely too bewitching. No matter how prominent a young master of the Chang Family he had once been, he had never laid eyes on anyone so breathtakingly refined and ethereal, and Ruan Wei's attitude toward him today had been so gentle and amiable.
A youth's heart was troubled by a flurry of emotions.
Hearing this, Cháojiàn carefully recalled the initiation process of her two junior apprentices.
There had been no grand master-disciple ceremony.
The two of them had simply performed a modest bow, changed their form of address to Master, and then Feng Wuya had gone to the ancestral hall to enter the disciples' names into the jade registers.
And just like that, the master-disciple bond was sealed.
Cháojiàn clicked her tongue.
*Tch.*
All those tedious formalities.
Their Penglai cared nothing for such things. Penglai was far too distant from Tongzhou, surrounded on all sides by the sea, and the grand patriarchs of the Immortal Sect had even blanketed the surrounding area with illusions, keeping contacts with the outside world to a bare minimum. Consequently, their folk customs were remarkably honest and unpretentious, disdaining the elaborate etiquettes practiced in Tongzhou.
In particular, Penglai valued acting in accordance with one's heart. The path of the Great Dao was long and arduous, and only by steadfastly guarding the path of one's own choosing could one's journey proceed smoothly.
And so, Penglai simply amused itself in its own little world.
Especially after Feng Wuya took over as the sect leader of Penglai, the entire sect grew even more lax and carefree. The Penglai Immortal Sect would not open its mountain gates unless something major occurred; however, the moment there was any fun to be had in Tongzhou, Feng Wuya would lead several of his junior brothers and sisters running off to Tongzhou to watch the excitement.
His tenure as sect leader was truly utterly unreliable.
She could no longer remember how many times other sects had come to Penglai to discuss matters, having traveled through countless hardships all the way from Tongzhou to Penglai, only for Feng Wuya to treat their transmissions as if he were entirely deaf. Cháojiàn, on the other hand, loved descending the mountain, so every time she would manage to pick up stray people at the foot of the mountain and bring them back.
Feng Wuya had logically and smoothly delegated all major diplomatic responsibilities entirely to her—an idler.
Yet she was already considered the most well-mannered person in Penglai.
Cháojiàn nodded and walked away in silence.
Those raised in the aristocratic families of Tongzhou were truly far too proper.
Xiao Xuantong had never left the island since he was a child; he had followed Feng Wuya since he was a mere babe in arms, and the first person he ever called out to was Master, so his apprenticeship had naturally followed a matter-of-course progression.
Ruan Wei had been far too young when she arrived and had lacked the guidance of elders at home. Ruan Nanzhi, the only one who understood a shred of aristocratic etiquette, had been in a frantic rush to hurry back to Tongzhou, so after a few twists and turns, it simply boiled down to a change in how they addressed one another.
The night was now extremely deep.
Cui Yanjun finally emerged from the room looking utterly exhausted. Seeing that Chang Huaijin was still standing guard outside, she advised, "You should head back first. Let her stay with me for a few more days."
For a moment, the wind was far too chilly, blowing an even deeper iciness into Chang Huaijin's heart. He naturally knew just how terrible Woyu's condition was.
They were the closest people to each other in this world.
The pain and nightmares racking her body right now—born of the same womb and bound to one another from the moment they entered this mortal realm—how could Chang Huaijin possibly fail to feel them?
"Immortal Maiden," the youth said, his expression sorrowful as he was about to speak.
Cui Yanjun immediately cut off his incantation. "Stop right there, hold your tongue. Don't let your imagination run wild; her body is fine, the bleeding has stopped, and I have replenished her spiritual energy as well."
"It's just that I suspect something else and want her to stay with me a few days longer to observe."
"Do not go jinxing things for no reason..."
She muttered to herself, complaining that Ruan Wei's hometown slang from Tongzhou was simply too awkward to pronounce; she couldn't even say it smoothly.
Ah, flags.
Ruan Wei would sometimes complain inwardly, but occasionally let it slip out in reality. As a result, she had given a unified explanation to everyone in the Penglai Immortal Sect that these were all local dialects of Tongzhou.
Xiao Xuantong had been extremely interested. Having never left Penglai and yearning deeply for Tongzhou, he frequently sought guidance from Ruan Wei in advance to prepare for his future descent down the mountain to hone his skills.
It was just that his memory was poor and the phrases were awkward to speak.
Cui Yanjun, too, had been very enthusiastic in her studies.
Although this Tongzhou local slang was awkward to pronounce, the combination of just a few short words could clearly express a multitude of meanings. Such a local dialect was deeply appealing to Cui Yanjun, who usually loathed speaking altogether.
Ruan Wei felt that if her Third Uncle-Master were in the Modern World, she would undoubtedly be labeled an ultimate, card-carrying social recluse.
Chang Huaijin didn't actually understand, but he still listened patiently before asking once more, "Then... what is it roughly that you suspect?"
His expression was extremely tense, heavy stagnation lingering between his brows.
In the vast Chang Family, only two sons remained.
Cui Yanjun did not know whether she should speak, as she only harbored a rough suspicion. She pondered for a moment. "Nothing much. Just being safe."
Suddenly, she locked eyes with this freshly minted Third Junior-Nephew, whose eyes were bloodshot. This was not right.
Observing his dark and gloomy complexion, a shimmering rainbow-like shadow flashed across the center of his brow.
In a flash, Cui Yanjun vanished and reappeared directly before him. Taken aback, Chang Huaijin instinctively moved to dodge.
An overwhelming pressure ruthlessly pinned him in place.
She merely reached out and clamped a hand around Chang Huaijin's wrist.
"Immortal Maiden?"
Chang Huaijin stopped, his face showing bewilderment.
As she checked his pulse, Cui Yanjun's expression gradually darkened. She then used her spiritual sense to examine him closely.
After a long moment, Cui Yanjun's voice brimbed with sharp shards of ice, "You actually allowed an Inner Demon to grow within yourself?"
She was utterly furious.
"Do you have any idea how difficult it is to eradicate a cultivator's inner demon? Do you know what fate awaits you if the inner demon vow you made when it formed fails to be fulfilled?"
"Opening your sea of consciousness and inviting a master to take residence—you are the first absolute fool I have ever laid eyes on!"
Her tone was fierce, and her usually gentle brows gathered into a scowl of rage.
She had figured this child wouldn't be easy to manage, but she never expected him to willfully sever his own Dao path.
When Ruan Wei had led him into the courtyard earlier, Cui Yanjun had seen at a single glance that his brows were entwined with resentment and held the ominous aura of an inner demon taking root. She had immediately instructed Ruan Wei to draw a Demon-Cleansing Array to help calm Chang Huaijin's mind and center his spirit.
Ruan Wei had been taught firsthand by Cháojiàn, so Cui Yanjun naturally believed that Ruan Wei's Demon-Cleansing Array would not be utterly useless.
Who could have imagined?
Chang Huaijin had essentially rolled out the red carpet and welcomed the inner demon with open arms.
How was a medical cultivator supposed to cure someone who was hell-bent on courting death? This was the very reason Cui Yanjun was enraged to her limits.
Chang Huaijin froze.
He averted his gaze, looking thoroughly guilty.
Though the youth had already grown tall—appearing much taller than the Cui Yanjun standing before him—at this interrogation, his entire body seemed to shrink back into its shell.
He gave no answer.
Nor did he offer a denial.
Seeing this, Cui Yanjun took a deep breath. Unable to suppress her anger a moment longer, she turned her head and shouted toward the back, "Eldest Senior Brother! Are you going to manage Number Three or not?"
The child was courting death.
If the master didn't administer a beating at a time like this, what on earth were they waiting for?