"Don't chase." Shi Jingzhi said in a low voice.

He no longer gripped Yin Ci's wrist tightly, but moved his palm down to cover the back of Yin Ci's hand. The two were close together, and just one or two movements brought up a heavy scent of blood again.

Shi Jingzhi didn't say much more. He raised his head and looked at Yin Ci with a smile on his face - Sect Leader Shi was probably the first person in the world to be so happy after being cut.

Yin Ci calmed down and suddenly realized the problem.

When it came to this person, he seemed unable to maintain his previous calmness. The composure and rationality honed over many years couldn't withstand the instant intensification of the bloody smell. Just a slight change, when it came to this person, could make him lose his bearings -

In that moment, he had undoubtedly activated the disaster-blocking talisman.

As it was modified from a cursed magic tool, the design of the disaster-blocking talisman was quite simple. There was a weak hole in the demon skin, and even without internal strength, it could be activated by poking it with a tree branch. Although Yin Ci had no internal strength, his sword qi control was superb and he couldn't make a mistake.

While the disaster-blocking talisman was in operation, all wounds on the person being "protected from disaster" would be transferred. At this moment, that bright red cut still remained on Shi Jingzhi's neck, continuously oozing blood.

"...You knew."

He didn't make a mistake, and Chen Qianfan's talismans couldn't possibly be inferior. Then the only remaining possibility was that Shi Jingzhi had noticed the disaster-blocking talisman on his body and had tampered with it in advance.

Shi Jingzhi didn't answer directly. He grimaced as he touched the wound on his neck for a while. "This will definitely leave a scar. The wedding clothes will have to be specially altered later."

Yin Ci: "..."

Shi Jingzhi: "The clothes are all dirty. Zizhu, get me a silver needle and silk thread. I need to stitch up this wound."

Yin Ci finally sighed. "Jingzhi, I shouldn't have kept it from you."

Shi Jingzhi suddenly raised his head, pulling at the wound and grunting in pain for a while. But this didn't diminish the joy on Sect Leader Shi's face at all. "Say it again."

"I shouldn't have kept it from you, I'm sorry."

"Not that." Shi Jingzhi covered his neck. "I know your thoughts and I don't blame you. Come on, call my name again."

Yin Ci's emotions were thrown into utter chaos by this person. On one hand, he was angry at Shi Jingzhi for harming himself, but on the other hand, he felt he was being hypocritical. This feeling was truly a mix of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy, extremely complex yet subtle.

Thinking back now, this kid had hinted at him many times. But in the end, he still maintained a bit of a senior's stance and never frankly admitted it.

"Call my name again." Shi Jingzhi struck while the iron was hot.

This kid just knew how to take advantage of the situation. He should have known long ago. Yin Ci took out a silver needle and silk thread from the medicine box and set out hot water and white wine. "Alright, I'll do it."

Shi Jingzhi pretended not to hear.

"Jingzhi." Yin Ci threaded the needle helplessly.

Sect Leader Shi was satisfied. "Mm, you stitch it. When you gave me that brocade pouch, you still saw me as a junior, right? This matter is really hard to bring up. If I said it wrong, it would seem like I was holding a favor over your head."

As he spoke, he slowly turned his cheek and rubbed it against Yin Ci's hand that wasn't holding the needle.

"Besides, as soon as I saw you, I didn't know what to say. This matter can't be explained out of nowhere to begin with. I didn't want you to get annoyed with me."

Yin Ci felt both distressed and amused. "So you led me to make the first move?"

"Yes. But I also didn't want to joke around with my life. It just so happened that the Changle Sect bumped into us, so I conveniently used them. This way, my 'serious illness' would be more believable too, killing two birds with one stone."

The silk thread was soaked in anesthetic, so it didn't hurt to stitch. Shi Jingzhi even took advantage of the posture to lean over and peck a kiss on Yin Ci's forehead.

"I really didn't expect Zizhu to show such a panicked expression... It's my fault."

Unfortunately, Sect Leader Shi's tone was more satisfied than apologetic, and the smugness in his eyes couldn't be hidden at all. The words "Why didn't you just say it directly" got stuck in Yin Ci's throat and were swallowed back down. The scene of being hypocritical replayed again. He suspected this kid had calculated it in advance, precisely extinguishing each cluster of anger in his heart.

...But to completely grasp him, this kid was still too green.

Yin Ci resisted the urge to pull his ear and lightened his stitching motions even more. Just as Shi Jingzhi relaxed to the point of no return, Demon Lord Yin's eyes slanted and he cleared his throat -

"Next time I will definitely discuss it with you."

Shi Jingzhi instantly stiffened and looked a bit dazed. "Next time?"

"Mm, next time." Yin Ci washed the blood from his hands. "When I originally gave this item to you, I indeed saw you as a junior whose life was as thin as paper. Either way, I can't die, so there was no harm in blocking for you."

Shi Jingzhi touched the wound on his neck, staring at Yin Ci without a word. Yin Ci took off the brocade pouch on his body and solemnly placed it in front of Shi Jingzhi.

"Now that I'm giving it to you again, it's not out of a senior's heart."

Yin Ci said in a deep voice, without a hint of shyness in his words.

"Shi Jingzhi, you are the person I cherish the most. I don't want to lose you. Please be sure to continue carrying this disaster-blocking talisman."

Shi Jingzhi was caught off guard by these words, his eyes slightly red. "You..."

"Besides, this item is rare. If used correctly, it can achieve the effect of attacking the enemy by surprise." Yin Ci deliberately kept a straight face and continued. "Giving it up like this would be a real pity."

"...Can't you let me be moved for a bit longer!" Shi Jingzhi was heartbroken.

But the disaster-blocking talisman on his chest suddenly felt a few degrees lighter. From now on, it was no longer a set of "self-sacrificing" armor, but a secret weapon they both knew about.

Shi Jingzhi looked at the person in front of him for a while, unable to resist kissing his brow again.

"I'll try not to use it. If I do use it, I'll definitely use it on matters concerning the two of us." He pressed his forehead against Yin Ci's. "Zizhu, I'm very happy you were willing to lay it all out today. In return, I'll also tell you a secret-"

Shi Jingzhi moved his lips and whispered something.

As Yin Ci listened, his face grew more and more stiff, and the remaining guilt vanished in the blink of an eye. By the end, Yin Ci leaned back and without hesitation, reached out two fingers to press Sect Leader Shi against the wooden chair's backrest.

"Good, very good." Yin Ci's face was covered in dark clouds. "Master is truly thorough in his schemes."

"This is the best method I could think of." Shi Jingzhi said with utmost sincerity. "I don't want to hide it from you. We might as well discuss it openly."

Thinking of the plan he had just heard, Yin Ci's hands itched again. However, Shi Jingzhi had a look of sincerity and raised his eyes to look at his disciple, his entire face written with "I know you care about me".

Poor Yin Ci, neither dead nor immortal. If his body were to scatter a bit more, this time he would likely suffer from internal injuries. With Shi Jingzhi's plan in place, he really had no better method.

"Forget it, it is indeed the best strategy." Yin Ci held back for a long time before finally spitting out a sentence. "You are injured, so tonight there will only be vegetable porridge."

Shi Jingzhi froze on the wooden chair, nearly letting out a whimper.

"Zizhu--"

Unfortunately, besides the iron-hearted Demon Lord Yin, no one heard the Sect Leader Shi's wail.

The next day, Sect Leader Xu of the Changle Sect had already fled without a trace, and Yin Ci won without a fight. Qu Duanyun did not disappoint the onlookers, defeating Lin Zhen cleanly and decisively. As for Shi Zhongyu versus Lin Xun, and Yan Qing versus Taiheng Sect's Elder Zhou, these two matches were so intense that they exceeded everyone's expectations.

The battle between Shi Zhongyu and Lin Xun was set for the afternoon. Although Shi Zhongyu had lost her good sword, she still retained the Green Maiden Sword Technique and had long been famous. Her opponent was from the obscure Jiutian Sect, and Lin Xun was even more unknown. Even if he was an eccentric genius with an unorthodox sword style, he would be no match for Shi Zhongyu.

Today, Shi Zhongyu finally changed her attire. She took off the rough and ugly bandit outfit and put on a neat, fine cloth tight-fitting garment. Her long hair was also tied up carefully, even adorned with an elegant pearl hairpin.

The crowd once again saw the shadow of the former Shi Zhongyu and couldn't help but click their tongues in admiration. Shi Zhongyu, without looking sideways, neatly stepped onto the stone platform and saluted Lin Xun.

Lin Xun returned the salute expressionlessly. His appearance was plain and ordinary, and he also held a long sword in his hand, his eyes a little too hollow.

"Martial virtue lies in the heart, stop when you reach the point." The leader of the Golden Jade Gang shouted, "Begin!"

Shi Zhongyu made the first move, the sword body instantly igniting with a green ghostly fire. Unfortunately, the quality of her sword was mediocre, and under the scorching of the green fire, it already showed signs of fragility. Shi Zhongyu, unhurried, sent a green light straight for Lin Xun's face. Compared to the Green Maiden Sword that everyone had seen before, this time the sword technique was a little less straightforward, but several times more steady.

Shi Zhongyu, being a woman, was light and agile. Her footwork was nimble, circling around Lin Xun like a shadow, her figure and sword sometimes near, sometimes far. The green light was like a giant snake, restlessly moving around Lin Xun's body. A wave of exclamations rolled through the crowd--

This move was quite troublesome. Whether one's eyes were slow or distracted, as long as the distance was misjudged, one would definitely be tightly pursued by Shi Zhongyu for any weakness and fall into a disadvantageous position. Shi Zhongyu's style had always been gentle, knowing how to progress step by step. But this time she went straight to the point, using a ruthless move right from the start.

People looked at each other, no one knowing what kind of stimulation the "Taiheng's Big Senior Sister" had received.

Lin Xun did not cower. He stood woodenly for a moment, then suddenly raised his sword, sword flowers rising and falling around his body. The sword flowers rolled for a while, and with a series of crisp sounds, he actually intercepted Shi Zhongyu's "Green Snake Drill".

Shi Zhongyu did not show any surprise on her face. She dodged Lin Xun's intricate sword flowers, twisted her body, and with a backhand, flicked towards the wrist of Lin Xun's sword hand.

Her sword, heated by the green fire, brought up a lot of scorching steel sparks with this move. The steel sparks scattered with her sword intent, becoming an excellent interference weapon. Lin Xun's arms instantly gained a dozen or so shallow wounds. With his attention divided, his sword path was immediately stirred into a mess, and it scattered.

However, Lin Xun still had no expression on his face. He simply gave up defending and engaged in close combat with Shi Zhongyu. For a time, fire and sword shadows flew together, and countless sword qi lashed out at the stone platform like whips, making crisp sounds.

That Lin Xun was tall and thin, but seemed to have no weight. He and Shi Zhongyu were like two intertwined gusts of wind, gradually becoming so indistinct that even their shadows could not be clearly seen. In an instant, the cheers below the stage thundered, only Yin Ci slightly frowned, a pensive look on his face.

These two gusts of wind rolled around the huge arena several times before finally slowing down, allowing people to see their movements clearly again. Shi Zhongyu was slightly panting, with quite a few nicks on her sword, but fortunately the green fire was still burning vigorously, showing no signs of extinguishing. Lin Xun still had a blank face as usual, but his moves became more and more open and vast, with a flavor of sacrificing eight hundred to injure a thousand.

That person seemed to know no fatigue, becoming more and more valiant as he fought. Shi Zhongyu fought while retreating, trying to conserve her strength amidst the storm-like attacks. Unfortunately, the other party had no idea what battle rhythm was, attacking with all his might. Shi Zhongyu was forced into a corner with unclear vision. Seeing that there was no more room for retreat, the fierce battle between the two sped up again.

This place was relatively far from the spectating crowd, with a relatively fixed position. Shi Zhongyu had more opportunities to observe this opponent--

There was a trick.

Lin Xun's movements were strange, unlike the common styles seen in the jianghu. They were extremely fast, but this person's breathing was not the slightest bit chaotic, as stable as wood and stone. When turning to face the light, she could see a hint of jade-like green in this person's pupils.

She knew that the Immortal Gathering could not possibly just be a spectator. The so-called Jiutian Sect was nothing more than a stepping stone for interfering with the tournament.

As if sensing her thoughts, Lin Xun's face finally showed an expression--the corners of his mouth lifted, revealing a stiff and somewhat creepy smile.

That smile came as quickly as spring willow catkins and dispersed just as quickly. A small section of Shi Zhongyu's sword broke. Just as she was about to withdraw and change positions, Lin Xun suddenly pressed forward, ramming straight into her green-fire-burning broken sword.

"Ah!!!"

A loud cry of alarm from below the stage.

On the arena, Lin Xun's movements completely froze, as if someone had sealed all his acupoints. A handful of dark red gradually seeped out from the center of his back, slowly expanding until it soaked through Lin Xun's back.

The next moment, Lin Xun fell to the ground like a broken sack, those dull long eyes still open. His long sword clattered to the ground, sliding two or three steps away.

After Lin Xun fell, only then did Shi Zhongyu's shorter figure appear. This time, the expressionless one was Shi Zhongyu--she held up the sword that was burned down to just over half its length, her face showing no signs of shock or regret.

Monk Zhixing, sitting in the upper seat, seeing this scene, couldn't help but put his palms together and softly chant Buddhist scriptures. The two ascetic warrior monks beside him remained motionless, their heads lowered in silence. Not far below the stage, the two doctors who had set up stalls still wanted to approach, but were stopped by a gesture from Shi Zhongyu--

"No need to save him, he's dead." Her tone was calm.

Below the stage, the jianghu people discussed and argued. Those familiar with Shi Zhongyu, especially Jin Lan, were extremely shocked. Fighting to the point of forgetting oneself, resulting in seriously injuring or killing the opponent, was not unprecedented. But Shi Zhongyu's appearance, let alone regret, did not even show a hint of guilt.

In Jin Lan's mind, Shi Zhongyu was nearly the soul of Taiheng, and would definitely not have such a performance. Could it be that she was possessed by someone, or was under the influence of some technique?

Who would have thought that Shi Zhongyu did not even look at him, her eyes only piercing towards Qu Duanyun sitting in the upper seat.

"Harming human lives, disqualified!" The leader of the Golden Jade Gang wiped his sweat with a silk handkerchief, his voice trembling slightly. "Must, must be strictly guarded and sent to the officials after the meeting!"

Shi Zhongyu didn't defend herself with a single word. She only turned her head to look around, as if wanting to engrave everything in her eyes. Then she bowed to Lin Zhen at the bottom of the stage, showing no intention of escaping.

Even after Shi Zhongyu was taken away by Taiheng and the bloodstains were cleaned up, the buzzing sound below the stage still hadn't dissipated. Yin Ci looked at Shi Jingzhi - Shi Jingzhi slightly lowered his head, his face still calm.

However, there were many people spying on the Ku Mountain Sect.

"The incident happened suddenly, and only your sect remained unmoved. No wonder she spoke for you. The Ku Mountain Sect's evil and crooked ways, could it be that you used evil techniques to bewitch her!"

The next one to take the stage was Elder Zhou of Taiheng. Before the fat gang leader could shout "start", he sternly scolded Yan Qing.

Yan Qing, wearing a Nuo mask, remained silent.

"Even the subordinates are wearing masks, engaging in all sorts of superstitious tricks. Covering your face is useless, the victims are all here, you can't escape this time."

Elder Zhou's white beard was about to explode with anger, but judging from his tone, he seemed genuinely concerned about Shi Zhongyu. This time Yan Qing didn't throw his sword. He stood properly with his sword, still maintaining his silence.

The fat gang leader had soaked through a silk handkerchief with sweat before he found a chance to interject: "Start!" Yelling about martial ethics probably wouldn't be of much use in this situation.

Sure enough, Elder Zhou let out a shout and instantly charged towards Yan Qing. This person had a high reputation in Taiheng, his Feng Hui Palm technique was superb, making people look up to him in awe. If it weren't for Elder Zhou's old age and declining strength, not as good as young people, he could even fight Qu Duanyun.

In front of such a senior, Yan Qing didn't take it lightly - if he threw away his sword this time, he might not be able to kick the opponent. If he lost his weapon, the situation would be unmanageable.

Yan Qing cautiously adjusted his position, but unfortunately, facing a master like Elder Zhou, the Nuo mask was really a hindrance. In order to cover those ghost eyes, the holes in the Nuo mask weren't very big, and his field of vision was really too small.

Elder Zhou was experienced and saw through the disadvantages of the Nuo mask at a glance. He specifically targeted Yan Qing's blind spots. The Feng Hui Palm technique was powerful, bringing a string of air-piercing sounds. Yan Qing was in a difficult position, only able to defend with the Compassion Stone Sword. Even so, Elder Zhou's palm technique still had the ability to hit a cow across a mountain.

The Compassion Stone Sword was not the Hanging Shadow Sword and couldn't block the internal energy. The internal energy penetrated through the sword like huge waves, shaking Yan Qing so much that he couldn't even hold the sword handle steady for a while.

There were few cheers from the audience below the stage.

The people below the stage were still immersed in the shock of Taiheng's Shi Zhongyu killing someone in public. Moreover, this match had no suspense from the beginning. Although the chaos of the Shi Rou shook the martial arts world, now that even the subordinates of the Ku Mountain Sect could make it into the top eight, the orthodox sects had already lost enough people.

At this point, the situation was clear. Let alone the Compassion Stone Sword couldn't cover Yan Qing's whole body, even if he took a turtle shell on stage, Elder Zhou could use his internal energy to injure him. Unless he could turn the situation around and break this deadlock - but what power could a person who had thrown swords all the way have to break the situation?

"Little thief, take my palm!" Seeing Yan Qing's miserable defense, Elder Zhou was not satisfied with his attack and made his palm technique even more fierce.

This palm strike used full force, even the surrounding air rippled with energy waves. Yan Qing thrust his sword into the stone platform to stabilize his body and avoid being blown away by the palm wind.

Yan Qing gripped the sword handle tightly with both hands and spat out a small mouthful of blood.

Elder Zhou was no ordinary master. This person's momentum was overwhelming, each palm strike stronger than the last, leaving an extremely short time to break the moves. His strength was comparable to Chai Xin of the Ling Sect, but when fighting Chai Xin, he still had Yan Zheng cooperating with him. At that time, Chai Xin was also holding the winning ticket, so he was overconfident.

However, Elder Zhou was about 180,000 miles away from "overconfidence". The old man was angry and looked like he wanted to stuff him into a garlic mortar and crush him. He absolutely would not underestimate his enemy.

"Why don't you throw your sword anymore?" Seeing Yan Qing still not making a move, Elder Zhou angrily said, "You don't even know how to confront directly, are you spineless or not?"

"Forget it."

Yan Qing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and finally spoke.

"Senior's skill is profound. If I don't respond with full strength, it would be no different from disrespect."

"This is still not..." Elder Zhou had said most of his sentence when his whole body froze on the stage.

With a light "click", Yan Qing's wooden Nuo mask fell to the ground. Under the bright afternoon sun, Yan Qing's ghost eyes were like burning coals, glowing red and dazzling.

The audience below the stage instantly fell silent.

Jin Lan was shocked. He subconsciously called out "Yan Qing", then felt it was wrong and hurriedly covered his mouth. But it was too late - others might not understand, but Elder Zhou was crystal clear.

"Our sect had a blind subordinate who died in the Ghost Tomb, also named Yan Qing." Elder Zhou's voice was extremely low, emphasizing each word. "I originally thought it was just a coincidence of having the same name, but I never imagined, never imagined... the Yan family bloodline dared to hide within our Taiheng!"

Then he retracted his hands and said loudly, "Consider yourself lucky today. Gang leader, this person has no qualifications to stand on the stage. Quickly take him down!"

Yan Qing stood with his sword, his ghost eyes fixed on Elder Zhou, full of composure. Hearing Elder Zhou's words, he didn't move a single step, but instead showed a slight smile.

Could the situation get any more bizarre? The fat gang leader's sweat couldn't be wiped away. It took him a good while to come back to his senses.

"This... this..."

Elder Zhou: "What?"

"In terms of qualifications, the Martial Arts Assembly only limited it to two conditions: 'orthodox sects' and 'passing the Mirror of Sins'. The Ku Mountain Sect has not been convicted and is still considered an orthodox sect. This person has also passed the Mirror of Sins... Even, even if he is of demonic bloodline, just looking at the rules..."

The Golden Jade Gang leader swallowed his saliva.

"Just looking at the rules, this person indeed has the qualifications."

The situation was too bizarre, and there was an uproar from the audience below.

The Martial Arts Assembly was not held every year, but in the past hundred years, there had indeed never been a descendant of the Yan family stepping on the stone platform - this assembly had to consider "convincing the public". Just looking at those ghost eyes, let alone convincing the public, it was more likely to provoke public outrage. This assembly happened to be led by Taiheng, and this person publicly exposed his identity like this, did he think his life was too long?

As the focus of the moment, Yan Qing remained as steady as ever.

He didn't even glance at the people below the stage, nor did he listen to the exclamations or curses.

"Senior, can we continue?"