13: Chapter 13 Your compensation will be used to buy your medicine.

The doors of the Discipline Hall trial chamber swung open with a boom, and the oppressive atmosphere was scattered by the slightly warm afternoon breeze.

Lin Yun took the Jade Slip engraved with the word "Penalty" from the deacon, his face ashen. The Jade Slip was ice-cold, yet it burned his palm with a stinging pain.

Supported by Senior Sister Liu Ruyan, Shen Xiao walked past him, stumbling like a withered leaf in the wind.

Bloodstains still marred his tattered Disciple robes, and he exuded an aura of "decay" that kept people at a distance.

When he passed Lin Yun, he stopped just at the right moment, his hunched body heaving violently as he let out a suppressed, ragged cough that sounded as if he were about to cough up his lungs.

The surrounding Disciples reflexively took a step back, fearing they might be tainted by his bad luck.

"Cough... cough..." Shen Xiao straightened up with difficulty, squeezing out a smile on his pale face that looked uglier than crying. His voice was hoarse, as if scraped by sandpaper: "Many thanks... to Senior Brother Lin for the healing Spirit Stone... This Junior Brother will... will certainly make good use of it and strive to... recover as soon as possible."

He spoke very slowly, each word squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with the weakness of someone who had just survived a catastrophe.

But when these words fell into the ears of the crowd, the meaning changed entirely.

This was: "Using your compensation to buy medicine for the injuries you caused!"

The looks the surrounding Disciples cast at Lin Yun instantly became filled with undisguised disdain and schadenfreude.

Fleeing from battle, framing a hero, and now being punished—he deserved it!

Lin Yun's hand, clutching the Jade Slip, cracked and popped as he squeezed it, his skin turning a corpse-like sickly white.

He stared fixedly at Shen Xiao, the killing intent in his bloodshot eyes almost condensing into solid ice picks, wishing he could pierce this eyesore of a piece of trash right then and there.

If looks could kill, Shen Xiao would have been sliced into a thousand pieces by now.

Standing under a corridor pillar not far away, Xia Lengbai took in this entire scene.

Her gaze shifted between the two.

On one side, there was Shen Xiao.

His face was as pale as paper, his figure swaying as if about to collapse, yet his eyes were like an unfathomable ancient well, calm without a single ripple, as if that heart-piercing remark just now was merely stating a simple fact.

On the other side, there was Lin Yun.

He had once been the proud son of heaven in her eyes, spirited and radiant, but at this moment, his features were twisted with rage, and his once upright posture seemed hunched within his endless resentment, like a beast trapped in a cage, roaring in vain.

One calmly accepted suffering, while the other complained furiously about the judgment.

Why... did it feel so discordant?

In Xia Lengbai's heart, the seed named "confusion" finally broke through the soil at this moment, growing vines named "suspicion" that began to spread wildly.

Returning to that familiar, slightly moldy little shack, Shen Xiao felt as if he had just fought a hard battle, his whole body drained of energy.

Of course, it was all an act.

"Junior Brother Shen, sit down quickly!" Senior Sister Liu Ruyan carefully helped him onto the bed, her movements as gentle as if she were handling a rare, priceless glass treasure.

With a flip of her wrist, a warm, white jade bottle appeared in her palm, and a rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the entire room.

"This is a Rejuvenation Pill, one of the top-tier healing Medicinal Pills in the Sect," she handed the medicine bottle to Shen Xiao, her tone full of apology and concern, "Take it quickly, and I will channel my Qi to help you sort out the chaotic spiritual energy in your body; perhaps it can help you suppress that cold poison."

Shen Xiao looked at the bottle of pills.

Good stuff!

This bottle was worth at least five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones in the market, and it was priceless.

Senior Sister is truly a good person, but unfortunately, good people are always easily exploited.

He took the medicine but shook his head, refusing the hand Senior Sister Liu Ruyan was about to place on his back.

He explained with a hoarse voice, with difficulty: "Senior Sister... I appreciate your kindness. But I cannot use this medicine... for now. The cold poison in my body... cough, cough... is extremely tyrannical. Any external, gentle spiritual energy will be treated as a provocation, and will only incite it to become even more ferocious. Your spiritual energy is gentle in nature; if you force your way in, I'm afraid... it will trigger a backlash of the cold poison, and we will both get hurt."

This explanation was half-true, half-false.

The Origin aura of the millennium cold marrow was indeed tyrannical, but it was his own power; there was no such thing as a backlash.

He just needed a perfect excuse to refuse anyone's probing, to keep the "severely injured" talisman firmly stuck to himself.

Senior Sister Liu Ruyan's probing hand stopped in mid-air, just as expected.

She could clearly feel that a chilling aura, which made even her feel a palpitation, was radiating from the surface of Shen Xiao's body.

This aura was very weak, but terrifyingly pure, as if it were the scent of death itself.

She believed him seven-tenths.

The remaining three-tenths were completely drowned out by the tsunami of guilt in her heart.

That's right, she had probed that cold poison; it was indeed overwhelmingly tyrannical.

If she had rashly intervened, not only would she have failed to save him, but she might have harmed him instead.

She had been too presumptuous.

Senior Sister Liu Ruyan slowly withdrew her hand, looking at Shen Xiao's bloodless face, feeling even more self-reproach.

She solemnly promised: "In that case, rest well. If the cultivation resources distributed by the Sect each month are not enough, I will send my share to you as well. Do not push yourself; if you need anything, use a communication talisman to find me at any time."

After speaking, she left behind a few bottles of ordinary pills to assist in cultivation before leaving, turning back every few steps.

Not until that graceful figure completely disappeared outside the courtyard did the weakness on Shen Xiao's face fade away like a receding tide.

He immediately threw the one thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from Lin Yun's compensation and that bottle of top-tier Rejuvenation Pill into his Storage Pouch, feeling wonderful inside.

"Killing and burning brings golden belts," the ancients did not deceive me.

Use your money to buy your medicine, and later use this medicine to heal my wounds so I can go rob your next Opportunity.

This logic is a perfect closed loop!

He sat cross-legged and sank his consciousness into the Sect map flickering with red dots in his mind.

The map of the entire Qingming Sect was rapidly zoomed in, finally locking onto the medicinal garden area.

The red dot representing [seven-star grass] pulsed like a beating heart, emitting an alluring light.

Beside the light spot, a line of small text clearly emerged: [Garden-guarding Elder: Mo Buyu, Late Stage Golden Core, stiff-tempered, hates those who are lazy and cunning more than anything in his life.]

Late Stage Golden Core?

Shen Xiao's brows furrowed.

This was not a reasonable, evidence-seeking Nascent Soul bigwig like Zhou Tong, the Head of the Discipline Hall, but a stubborn old fool who was as smelly and hard as a rock in a latrine.

Rushing in would be suicide; he would probably have to spend the Spirit Stones he just got on his own funeral expenses.

It seemed he had to use his wits.

He fished out a money bag from his Storage Pouch, weighed it, and a curve touched the corner of his mouth.

Money can make even ghosts grind flour; it's the same in the cultivation world.

He cast a spell to open the Restriction of his Immortal Cave and shouted outside: "Which Junior Brother is responsible for the chores on my side?"

Before long, a thin, shifty-eyed Outer Sect Disciple trotted in, looking sycophantic: "Senior Brother Shen, what are your orders? Little Zhang San, this area is under my care from now on."

Shen Xiao didn't waste words with him and threw the money bag over directly.

With a "clink," fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones rolled out, emitting a charming halo in the dim room.

Zhang San's eyes went straight instantly, his breathing grew heavy, and he stared intently at the Spirit Stones on the ground, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

Fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!

This was enough for his entire year's worth of cultivation!

"Se... Senior Brother, this is..."

"You go to the medicinal garden and handle a task for me," Shen Xiao leaned against the head of the bed, his voice returning to a somewhat normal state, yet still carrying a hint of the weakness of someone "recovering from a serious illness." "If you succeed, these are yours."

He paused and emphasized: "I don't want you to steal anything; that's a death wish. I just need you to help me find out clearly: the watering time for the No. 3 spiritual field in the west area of the medicinal garden for the next three days, as well as the precise time for the guard shift change in that area. Remember, I want it accurate to every quarter of an hour."

When Zhang San heard this, his eyes brightened even more.

Just running an errand to ask for information could get such a generous reward?

How was this any different from Spirit Stones falling from the sky!

He immediately scrambled to put away the Spirit Stones, patted his chest, and guaranteed: "Senior Brother, don't worry! My cousin's nephew works in the medicinal garden! This little matter, leave it to me! I will definitely get back to you before dark!"

After speaking, he tucked away the Spirit Stones, bowed and scraped as he retreated, his footsteps even lighter than before.

After sending Zhang San away, Shen Xiao was just about to close his eyes and regulate his breath when an unexpected figure appeared at the entrance of his Immortal Cave.

Xia Lengbai.

She stood quietly at the entrance in a blue dress, the moonlight coating her beautiful face with a layer of frost.

"Senior Sister Xia?" Shen Xiao feigned surprise.

"I have come on behalf of the Sect Master to visit the injured Disciple." Xia Lengbai's voice was cold and clear, her reason finding a grand and legitimate excuse.

She walked into the Immortal Cave, her cold eyes scanning the simple environment, and casually set up a soundproofing barrier.

The next second, she turned around, her gaze like a sword, piercing straight at Shen Xiao.

"North Sea Ice Abyss, inside the spider nest. After I was trapped by the spider web, what exactly happened?" Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable determination, "Lin Yun... did he really abandon me, as you said?"

Here it comes.

Shen Xiao understood in his heart. The seed of doubt in the interrogation hall had already sprouted.

He did not answer directly.

He just slowly raised his eyes to meet hers.

In those eyes, there was no resentment, no gratitude, not even a hint of romantic affection, only a kind of bottomless calm that seemed to have seen through the vicissitudes of the world.

He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of worldly wisdom that pierced through the heart: "Senior Sister Xia, some things are better forgotten than remembered. You only need to know that you are still alive; that is enough."

This attitude of refusing to reveal, yet seeming to hint at some cruel truth, struck Xia Lengbai's heart like a heavy hammer.

What is he hinting at?

Is he hinting that if I remember, I will be in too much pain to accept it?

She tried to find even a trace of a flaw on Shen Xiao's calm face, but there was nothing.

There was only composure, a kind of composure that seemed to say, "What I said is the truth; believe it or not, it is up to you."

It was this composure that made the scale named "trust" in Xia Lengbai's heart tilt completely.

The suspicion of Lin Yun, at this moment, completely overwhelmed the suspicion of Shen Xiao.

She was silent for a long time, withdrew her gaze, removed the soundproofing barrier, and turned to leave, leaving behind only a cold sentence.

"Many thanks for clearing my doubts; take care of yourself."

Watching her departing back, the corners of Shen Xiao's mouth curled up slightly.

The seed has already been planted; now it just waits for it to bloom and bear fruit.

As the night deepened, a sneaky figure appeared silently outside the Immortal Cave.

A strip of animal skin paper filled with tiny characters was pushed in from under the door gap.

Shen Xiao unfolded the note. Under the dim light, although Zhang San's handwriting was crooked, the content was detailed beyond imagination.

[Medicinal Garden West Area, the spiritual rain is watered three times daily at the hour of the Rabbit, Horse, and Rooster, for a quarter of an hour each time.]

[The No. 3 spiritual field is guarded by Outer Sect Disciples Wang Wu and Zhao Liu. These two are fond of gambling; they will inevitably sneak to the old locust tree behind the mountain at the third quarter of the hour of the Ox to play a game, lasting about half an hour...]

[Garden-guarding Elder Mo Buyu patrols at the hour of the Pig every night, entering from the East Area and exiting from the West Area, with a fixed route and an error of no more than a quarter of an hour...]

Shen Xiao mapped the information on this note to the map in his mind, his fingertips sliding gently over the animal skin. A perfect infiltration route that utilized visual blind spots, patrol gaps, and shift change vacancies gradually took shape in his mind.

The best time to act—tomorrow night at the third quarter of the hour of the Ox!

The moment he determined the action time, the System map in his mind suddenly flickered violently.

Beside the red dot representing [seven-star grass], without any warning, a golden dot the size of a needle tip, emitting a dark light, appeared.

The System's cold, waveless prompt sound also rang out.

[Ding! Associated spiritual object detected: Earth Emperor Earthworm.]

[Effect: Its secretions can be used to refine "Soul-Guiding Incense," which has a forced attraction effect on a specified Bloodline, causing it to produce a slave mark of absolute obedience to the host. Current lockable target: Liu Ruyan (Special Spirit Body, 98% compatibility).]

Shen Xiao's breathing halted abruptly.

His gaze was pinned tightly onto that newly appeared golden dot, and his heart pounded uncontrollably.

Snatching the seven-star grass was to strike at Lin Yun, to plunder destiny value, to survive.

Although this was evil, it was the evil of struggling to survive.

But this Earth Emperor Earthworm...

Soul-Guiding Incense, forced attraction, absolute obedience, slave mark.

For the first time, the System gave him such a naked, unadorned, purely "evil" choice.

Shen Xiao stared at the new golden dot on the System map, quickly suppressing the waves in his heart.

He knew that this was not just a choice, but a test from the System regarding his true nature.