4: Do you want to escape with your brother?

Under Li Yan's gaze, Ming Che was lifted by Master with one hand and thrown out like trash.

Senior Brother Ming Che was like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily against the wall and spitting out a large mouthful of blood mist.

Following that, the old Daoist stopped speaking nonsense, flicked his sleeve, snorted coldly, and strode away.

Only Ming Che, with a mouth full of fresh blood, was left, his eyes filled with terror.

And Li Yan, the instigator of all this, watched Senior Brother Ming Che with schadenfreude.

Ming Che still couldn't understand why, even though he followed Master's instructions, the Blood Qi of the diners just wouldn't increase.

He had clearly gone to great lengths, feeding a Blood Qi pill to the diners, so why... why was it still like this?

Throughout the entire process, only Li Yan knew that he had drained the diners using Blood Qi Theft.

At this moment, Li Yan, full of Blood Qi, stood silently behind the crowd, watching everything unfold.

Senior Brother Ming Che, who had been so arrogant before, was now like a stray dog.

Just then, an urgent bell rang in the Daoist temple, as if tolling a death knell for Senior Brother Ming Che.

Each short, rapid strike was like apersistently urge (life-urging) sound, signifying that Jingxu Sect was now under curfew.

The dim yellow sun set behind the western mountains, and the atmosphere inside the dilapidated Stone Workshop gradually became eerie.

Li Yan watched the environment darken and got up, preparing to return to his room.

Unexpectedly, Senior Brother Ming Che's voice sounded from behind him.

"You two, I have something to say to you."

Senior Brother Ming Che wiped the blood from his mouth and limped forward.

Li Yan stopped, raising an eyebrow: "What is it, Senior Brother Ming Che? What else do we have to say?"

Ming Che, abandoning his previous arrogant attitude, spoke in a pleading tone.

"Staying here is a dead end sooner or later. I know a way down the mountain. I'll take you two and escape! Let's leave this ghostly Jingxu Sect!"

Escape?

To be honest, Li Yan was tempted; he really wanted to escape this place.

But!

Ming Che was untrustworthy.

The reason he wanted to escape was undoubtedly because the old Daoist had designated him as the next batch of Alchemy Materials.

This person's sudden change to a fawning attitude must mean he was trying to use them.

Li Yan didn't trust Senior Brother Ming Che; his gaze shifted to the black-haired girl beside him.

Heart Zhi kept shaking her head: "Don't believe him!"

"I've seen several people escape at night, and the next day they were all found dead at the entrance of Jingxu Sect!"

Seeing that the two refused to leave with him, Ming Che, enraged and embarrassed, pointed: "You... you two, if you don't run, then so be it, you deserve to die here!"

With that, Ming Che clutched his wound in pain, limped, pushed open the main door of the Stone Workshop, and left the place.

Watching his retreating back, Li Yan's eyes narrowed.

His feelings about whether Senior Brother Ming Che could escape were somewhat complex.

Emotionally, he wished the guy would die in the wilderness.

But reason told him that if Senior Brother Ming Che could leave Jingxu Sect alive, it meant that he, Li Yan, also had a chance to escape.

Looking at the zombie-like diners in the Stone Workshop, Li Yan knew that being trapped here would lead to death sooner or later.

He exchanged glances with the girl named Heart Zhi, who kindly advised him.

"No matter what sounds you hear at night, do not open the door or windows!"

"No matter who tells you to open the door, do not pay attention to them!"

Among all the diners in the Stone Workshop, only he and the girl remained rational.

Perhaps it was because of this that the girl kindly told him some taboos within the Stone Workshop.

Li Yan cupped his hands in thanks but said nothing more.

He didn't have many choices now; he could only return to his room and quietly wait for the next day to arrive.

He closed the wooden door; there wasn't even an oil lamp in the room, so he could only sit in meditation.

The night in Jingxu Sect was incredibly long, with the wails and low growls of the diners echoing in the empty courtyard outside the door.

Like demonic sounds filling his ears, Li Yan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and sat on the stool.

But strange noises came from outside the room; he heard a rough panting sound, someone in the bamboo forest behind the courtyard, peeking at him through the paper window.

That heavy breathing echoed within Li Yan's room, lasting the entire night.

Li Yan suppressed his inner unease, only able to calm his mind and feel the Blood Qi in his Dantian, feeling the Blood Qi continuously nourishing his entire body.

It wasn't until dawn that the strange sound outside the window slowly dissipated.

His taut nerves gradually relaxed, and Li Yan slowly opened his eyes, looking out the window.

He could see that the paper window seemed to have been pierced by a Sharp Weapon; the monster from outside his room last night had been staring at him through that single layer of paper for an entire night.

After confirming that the sun had risen, Li Yan finally dared to breathe deeply.

"What was that thing, staring at me from outside the window all night, just inhaling and exhaling..."

Swallowing hard, Li Yan had endured the entire night, which was simply a form of mental torture.

"If it's like this every night, I'll probably go crazy sooner or later."

He looked at the window with lingering fear, but a commotion outside the room caught Li Yan's attention.

He pushed open the door and walked out quickly, only to see a familiar figure passing by the main entrance of the Stone Workshop.

It was Senior Brother Ming Che, who had been so arrogant yesterday, his grey Daoist robe covered in wounds.

His eyes were vacant, as if his soul had been taken away, and he walked back step by step like a walking corpse.

Several Utility Disciples outside the door, seeing Ming Che who had escaped Jingxu Sect last night, began to whisper.

"Ming Che actually dared to run out last night? What a fool, courting death."

"Look at his distraught appearance; he probably encountered the 'Dead Yin Immortal' in the mountain forest."

"Hiss, wouldn't that be worse than death?"

The Utility Disciples' conversation reached Li Yan's ears.

Now that he had achieved a Breakthrough to the first layer of the Blood Qi Realm, his senses had become sharp, allowing him to easily hear sounds from a distance.

Listening to the Utility Disciples' conversation, Li Yan was very curious.

What was the 'Dead Yin Immortal'?

What terrifying thing did Ming Che encounter in the mountains after escaping last night?

"If I escape rashly, I'll encounter monsters in the mountains..."

"To escape this Jingxu Sect, it seems I need to plan carefully."

Li Yan bit his lip lightly, his mind rapidly pondering something.

And just as Senior Brother Ming Che limped back, the crooked-eyed old Daoist strode over.

"My foolish Disciple, why did you have to risk going down the mountain?"

"In this world, where can you escape to? Your remnant soul will not enter Reincarnation; it can only dissipate with the wind."

"This Master will properly bury your Physical Body. Rest in peace."

When the old Daoist said these words, he spoke as if heartbroken, but a sinister smile hung on his face.

"Someone, take Ming Che's Physical Body to the Pill Furnace. This Master will properly 'deliver' his remnant soul."

"Yes!"

Several Daoist children came forward and took away the body that had lost its soul.

And the old Daoist seemed to be making an example of Ming Che, punishing him publicly.

After sending him to the Pill Refining Room, the old Daoist's sinister gaze turned towards the Stone Workshop, his cloudy eyes fixed on Li Yan.

"Li Yan, come here, this Master has something to tell you."

"Me?"

Suddenly, cold sweat broke out on Li Yan's back.