As the Shi Rou was taken away, everything returned to normal once more. At this moment, the morning sun had fully risen, birds chirped loudly, and the forest was filled with brilliant spring light.

The stench turned back into fragrance, with only a trace of blood lingering in the wind. Shi Jingzhi collapsed softly onto the wooden chair, his gushing blood soaking his long hair and clothes. Seeing him exhaling more and inhaling less, his breathing gradually weakening, the scene was extremely tragic.

The Senior Disciple of the Ku Mountain Sect arrived belatedly. Yin Ci leaped down from the treetop and quickly pressed Shi Jingzhi's major acupoints to stop the bleeding and close the wounds. The medicine box was tossed aside, with various precious medicinal ingredients scattered on the ground, which Yin Ci disregarded as he frantically poured and sprinkled them.

Shi Jingzhi's eyes were tightly closed, his face paler than winter snow, his breath like a spider's thread swaying in the wind. If not for Yin Ci still desperately trying to save him, this person would have been no different from a corpse.

Knowing that Yin Ci had no internal strength, Shi Zhongyu was the first to rush forward and immediately infused his true qi to treat the wounds. Only then did Jin Lan react, ordering the Taiheng people to find medicine and clear a space, freeing up a convenient platform for treatment.

The various experts had just witnessed a bizarre scene, their spirits all scattered, and they needed some miscellaneous tasks to collect their thoughts. Seeing that a life was at stake, everyone did not hesitate, some providing medicine, some providing strength, and they managed to sustain Sect Leader Shi's faint life.

Yan Qing stood amidst the chaotic crowd, as silent as a wooden stake. He looked from afar at the unconscious and blood-soaked Shi Jingzhi, his brows tightly locked.

Then he turned his head and looked in the direction where Su Si had left, still not uttering a word.

In the thicket, Su Si was advancing at the fastest speed. As soon as he escaped from the Gathering Valley, he mounted a black fierce horse and continued to flee outside the Ku Mountain. As he expected, several auras appeared around him, getting closer and closer.

"They're really impatient." Su Si snorted, squeezing the horse's belly, and the black horse instantly sped up a few notches.

He had spent all sixty-seven taels of silver. Five or six taels were used on handy magic tools, and the rest was spent on this horse. It couldn't be considered a top-grade steed, but it was young, strong, and had great endurance.

The Shi Rou was placed in a glazed jar, securely tied to his chest without leaving any gaps. Although it had regained its alluring appearance, the tormenting sweet fragrance still could not drift out.

Running to the outskirts of the mountain, another chestnut horse was waiting - the woman on the horse was dressed in tight-fitting attire and also wore a Nuo mask: "I've set up an illusion technique, this way!"

"Alright!" The corner of Su Si's mouth curled up.

The galloping horses were like thunder, the wind making people's faces numb. Su Si tightly gripped the reins, his heart gradually leaving the blurry scene in front of him.

He didn't know what Shi Jingzhi's current situation was.

The memories from a few days ago surged again. Every time he recalled this, Su Si still felt it was extremely absurd.

That day, Shi Jingzhi specifically sent Yan Qing away and summoned Su Si to his side. Su Si originally thought this person was going to make him run errands again and was planning to ask for more errand fees. Who knew that after Shi Jingzhi finished speaking, he only wished he had two more legs to escape from this place on all fours.

"Are you crazy?!" Su Si shouted.

Then he turned to look at Yin Ci standing to the side, hoping this person would stop his own lover. Yin Ci didn't have a good expression on his face, but when he spoke, he agreed with Shi Jingzhi.

"This method is indeed the best strategy. You are, after all, from the Red Scorpion Feet of the Red Hook, and you know how to hold back skillfully."

Crazy, these two were both crazy. In all his years of struggling in the jianghu, Su Si had never seen such a strange request. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Hold back? You two are asking me to slit Sect Leader Shi's throat. To make it look like a real assassination, the subsequent rescue must also be taken into account - if there's any mistake in the rescue, he'll really be done for!"

Moreover, Shi Jingzhi's body was already problematic. Even if he didn't die from one slash, it would only add insult to injury. With the Shi Rou at hand, Su Si couldn't understand what these two were up to.

Trying to court death, are you?

"I want to see it clearly."

Although Shi Jingzhi's tone was trembling, it was firm enough.

"With the layout arranged to this extent, even if I'm a replaceable tool, the Immortal Gathering should have made a move to protect me. Su Si, you leave for a few days first, and remember to deliberately leave some clues beforehand. If someone hinders your actions in advance, then forget it. But if not..."

Shi Jingzhi didn't continue, but Su Si knew what he wanted to say.

He was just a "small fry". If the Immortal Gathering had the intention, stopping him would be a piece of cake. But if the Immortal Gathering still didn't make a move, there was only one possibility -

They used some unconventional means to ensure that Shi Jingzhi "wouldn't die".

Moreover, Shi Jingzhi had already become suspicious of the Shi Rou. Su Si taking the opportunity to snatch it away gave him an excuse to "not eat it". This way, he could have time to study the Shi Rou without letting the Immortal Gathering figure out the truth.

Apart from this method being too crazy, Su Si couldn't find any other flaws. After pondering for a while, he clicked his tongue loudly: "Why does it have to be me? Shen Zhu can use magic techniques and can also make a move."

Shi Jingzhi smiled slightly: "Because you will take over the Red Hook Sect."

Su Si immediately dropped the casual expression on his face: "When did I decide that?"

"Because we both know that Yan Qing is not content with living in fear. You know his personality. This time, going on stage, how long do you think he can hide those eyes of his?"

Shi Jingzhi stared intently into Su Si's eyes.

"You probably understand better than anyone that living in this world is not about curling up and licking your wounds. To protect your friends, you must have power in your hands... This time, the Red Hook is meat delivered to your mouth. If I guessed correctly, you've already discussed it with Protector Hua, right?"

Su Si remained silent. After a while, he chuckled softly: "Sect Leader has good eyesight, truly nothing can be hidden from you."

Now was the perfect opportunity. If he gave up on the Red Hook, he could only accompany his bosom friend as a subordinate. Facing the Immortal Gathering targeting the Ku Mountain Sect and the pursuit rules of the Taiheng, what awaited them was only oppression and anxiety in passivity.

And they were merely subordinates of the Ku Mountain Sect, unable to even participate in decision-making.

On the surface, Su Si appeared hesitant, but he already had an answer in his heart. He had originally wanted to suppress this matter for longer and go further with the Ku Mountain Sect. Not to mention his lingering resentment towards the Red Hook Sect, once he took over the Red Hook, the days of chatting and laughing on the rooftop with his friend would probably come to an end.

What a pity.

"Then let's speak frankly. Sect Leader Shi, what benefits does this matter have for me?"

Su Si's aura secretly emerged, his words no longer like a subordinate of the Ku Mountain Sect, but more akin to the young sect leader of the Red Hook Sect.

"Red Hook has always gotten along well with the righteous path. If they kill and steal the treasure at the last moment, it would be no different from slapping the faces of everyone on the righteous path. Even if I don't care about their reputation, it's still a knife in my hand, and I should at least use it to get some benefits."

Shi Jingzhi laughed.

He glanced at Yin Ci beside him, his voice softening a little: "There are two benefits to taking on this job. First, we will no longer pursue the matter of you modifying the Sweeping Bone Sword without authorization. Second..."

"As far as I know, Yan Zheng is trying every means to cause trouble. If you kill and seize the Shi Rou in front of the righteous people to make a name for yourself, it would be a great opportunity to swallow the Ling Sect... Su Si, do you want to be the first person to unify the demon sects?"

In any case, first trick the Ling Sect disciples into joining, and when they discover the deception later, it won't be so easy for them to leave. Once Red Hook takes over the Ling Sect's branches in various places, he will be the undisputed leader of the demon sects. At that time, let alone sheltering one Yan Qing, even if the entire Ku Mountain Sect escapes here, he can protect them.

Su Si bit his thumbnail and remained silent for a long time, gradually revealing a smile with a hint of bloodthirst. Suddenly, as if sensing something, the just-rising malice dissipated, and he became hesitant again.

If everything could be that easy, he wouldn't have been targeted by the master of greed of Huilian Mountain. If he completely fell into the demon sect, how could he call himself a "hero" in front of San-zi?

As if seeing through his concerns, Yin Ci calmly spoke: "The people in the demon sects are already scattered. If you find it unbearable, you can destroy it afterwards. It's just that the jianghu can't only have the righteous path. Rather than letting the wicked run free, it's better to grasp the 'evil way' in your hands."

The reasoning made sense, but Su Si felt conflicted. Even if Yin Ci had great powers, could he really become the leader of the demon sects? These words were probably just armchair strategy.

So Su Si remained silent for a moment and didn't continue this topic. He took a deep breath and directly changed the subject: "I don't understand one thing from Sect Leader Shi's words... What do you mean by 'not pursuing the matter of me modifying the Sweeping Bone Sword'? Even Protector Hua doesn't care, so this matter has nothing to do with you two, right?"

The next moment, he saw the dog master and disciple glance at each other, their faces practically screaming "We were just waiting for you to ask this".

......

That day, Su Si floated out the door, two bumps added to his head - that petty fox said he wouldn't pursue the matter but still rewarded him with two spirit-infused finger flicks. It's just that with the "ancestor" of the Red Hook Sect standing beside him, Su Si stood at attention in fear, not daring to make a sound while enduring the hits.

Who would have thought that after a hundred years, he would still directly run into Su Zhi? Thinking of how he had played with the short saber and showed off in front of Yin Ci, Su Si wished he could go back to the past and give himself a couple of slaps.

What was all this? The Ku Mountain Sect was simply the number one den of thieves in the world. He should have grabbed San-zi and run away quickly back then!

Choosing this time to reveal the shocking matter of "Yin Ci being Su Zhi" was clearly intimidation! Intimidation!

Unfortunately, Su Si had to admit that he was indeed intimidated. Originally, he still had the intention to grab Yan Qing and run if the situation wasn't right, but now, he had encountered an undying creditor -

This was someone who could really chase him to the ends of the earth. Where could he even run to? Su Si smashed his mental abacus to pieces and even stomped on it a few times for good measure.

He could only resign himself to fate.

However, the temperament of the Red Hook ancestor seemed much gentler than in the legends. That day, when Su Si was about to leave, Yin Ci saw that he was almost marching in step and specially added a few words: "This matter must be kept from Yan Qing. It will inevitably hurt your relationship. After this matter, I will personally explain it to him... I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Su Si had taken in a bellyful of bizarre information and was still a bit dazed. "It's nothing. His acting skills are terrible anyway, so he shouldn't know in the first place. As for our relationship... Don't worry, it won't be hurt."

Thinking of his friend, Su Si finally regained some clarity.

"He said he believes in me, and he definitely will."

... That's right.

Su Si pulled himself out of his memories, his smile growing wider and wider. This time, the Ku Mountain Sect had cut off all his intentions to waver, and he could only charge straight in one direction. Stepping over blood and rushing towards the storm like this gave him a unique sense of exhilaration.

Under the dissatisfied gaze of the woman beside him, Su Si laughed loudly and fiercely squeezed the horse's belly again.

"Thrilling!"

While Su Si was frantically fleeing, Shi Jingzhi was still unconscious as usual. Yin Ci stayed by his side, his fingers never leaving Shi Jingzhi's wrist, constantly sensing the man's pulse.

Shi Jingzhi was not trapped by any techniques - in recent days, his body had been getting weaker and weaker. In this state, having his throat slit would definitely greatly injure his vitality. Fortunately, Shi Jingzhi's breathing was steady, and there were no signs of "Heaven's Wrath" appearing.

Yin Ci peered around. The surrounding people were all familiar faces, with no one from the Immortal Gathering approaching. After the anomaly, the impact of the Shi Rou being stolen had weakened considerably. People were anxiously discussing the cause of the anomaly. Shi Zhongyu was distracted by the unexpected event, and Qu Duanyun had gone somewhere unknown, probably to contact Jiang Youyue.

It was mostly the same as their speculations.

Yin Ci took Shi Jingzhi's cold hand and pressed it against his forehead.

He had specifically chosen to climb the tree when the anomaly first appeared and come down the moment the Shi Rou was taken. Everyone's attention was firmly drawn away, and the anomaly on his body did not alarm others. When he came down from the tree, he took a clear look -

When Shi Jingzhi's blood was gushing out and he seemed on the verge of death, the bare branches around him trembled incessantly, shaking several times more than before. Those thin roots tangled with each other in the air, forming a blurry shape, vaguely reaching towards Shi Jingzhi. For some reason, Yin Ci felt a sense of familiarity again, and a vague consciousness overflowed from the bottom of his heart.

That consciousness was hazy and unclear, but it carried an undeniable aura. It was as if something was taking advantage of someone's drunkenness and constantly whispering in their ear.

[Save him.]

Even though there were no words, Yin Ci could understand its meaning.

[Save him.]

That thought repeated over and over again.

Fortunately, Yin Ci had already planned to save the person. As soon as he started to stop the bleeding and heal the wounds, the bare branches around quickly returned to their original state and stopped moving erratically.

Later, when the Shi Rou was too far away and the jade eye was no longer effective, the bare branches disappeared from their sight. As Shi Jingzhi's condition improved, that vague consciousness also instantly dissipated. If Yin Ci hadn't lived for several hundred years, he would have probably mistaken it for his own thoughts.

On his side, he had finished observing what he needed to. All that was left was to wait for Shi Jingzhi to wake up and see if he had any other discoveries.

Shi Jingzhi's eyes were closed, but his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if he had seen something extremely frightening. Yin Ci couldn't be bothered to care about the gazes around him and tightly held the man's hand.

"Wake up quickly," Yin Ci said softly, "We agreed on many things to do. You don't intend to go back on your word, do you?"

However, a serious injury is a serious injury. Shi Jingzhi did not have Yin Ci's terrifying self-healing ability and naturally could not wake up immediately. Yin Ci simply stewed fish soup and ground fruit juice. Then he used a fine cloth to filter out the dregs and floating oil, and fed it to him mouth-to-mouth, bit by bit.

Shi Jingzhi fell into a coma for four days.

During his coma, everyone generally came to the conclusion to temporarily regard the strange phenomenon as an illusion created by Su Si. Although many people still had doubts, this place was after all a remote wilderness, and no matter how much they studied it, they could not figure out the reason.

At this juncture, the fact that Su Si had ties with the Red Hook Sect somehow leaked out. The tragic tone of the Ku Mountain Sect rose to another level, and the unconscious Sect Master appeared even more pitiful.

No one expected that the earth-shattering Shi Rou Chaos would end in such a desolate conclusion.

"The demonic sect is the demonic sect, and cannot be taken lightly."

"What a pity for Sect Leader Shi... Sigh..."

"Everyone, please return." Yan Qing's face was full of fatigue, and he bowed with a somewhat forced smile. "The Sect Leader's condition has stabilized and can be moved today. We have already consumed a lot of everyone's efforts, and have truly troubled you all."

After the earth-shattering chaos passed, people no longer had the heart to make things difficult for this Ghost-Eyed Alliance Leader. The convoy came with great fanfare and left in scattered groups, leaving only tire tracks on the ground stained with the smell of blood. Shi Zhongyu, holding the Reverse Yang Token, could not leave the sect to act and also followed Taiheng to leave.

From beginning to end, no one from the Immortal Gathering approached Shi Jingzhi. The wind in the mountains was gentle and the clouds were light, as if the conspiracies and schemes were blocked outside the mountains, leaving them a piece of tranquility.

Shi Jingzhi's wounds showed some improvement and he was carefully carried into the carriage by Yin Ci. The wound on his neck was fatal, and fearing bumps on the road, the Ku Mountain Sect naturally stayed until the end.

The sun set and the moon rose, and the stars filled the sky. The Gathering Valley was extremely quiet, with only the Ku Mountain Sect's horse carriage remaining.

As usual, Yin Ci fed Shi Jingzhi some liquid food and then picked up the decocted medicinal soup. However, this time, as soon as the edge of the bowl touched Shi Jingzhi's lips, a glimmer of light flashed from the edge of the bowl.

It was tears.

Shi Jingzhi had opened his eyes at some point. Those amber eyes no longer held any vitality, leaving only a grief as dead as ashes. His throat was injured and he could not speak well, only able to shed tears incessantly.

This person was extremely proud in his bones and had always appeared at ease. However, in this dark horse carriage with only the two of them, his tears seemed unstoppable.

Shi Jingzhi weakly raised his hand and pushed away the bowl. Then he propped himself up, slowly but firmly embraced Yin Ci, and buried his face in Yin Ci's front lapel. His withered long hair swayed with his movement, not a trace of vitality remaining.

It was unknown how long had passed, and Shi Jingzhi was still crying. He did not tremble or sob, and Yin Ci only felt his chest quickly becoming warm.

Shi Jingzhi's arms held very tightly, like a drowning person grasping the last straw, and other than that, he made no other movements. The Desire Children had always indulged in desires, domineering and flamboyant. Previously, when Shi Jingzhi lost control, the scene was also earth-shattering, full of resentment and madness. However, at this moment...

Yin Ci had never seen such a quiet and restrained collapse. Even when this person saw his true form, he did not even blink. Yin Ci could not imagine what could frighten this person to this extent.

On the verge of death, what exactly did you discover?

However, Yin Ci did not ask, nor did he recount what he himself had seen. He only quietly embraced the person in front of him, just as he had embraced the child who had awakened from a nightmare in this place twenty-four years ago.

"Just let it out and cry. You think I'll laugh at you?"

Yin Ci stroked the other person's hair and said softly.

"You've also suffered enough, there's no need to hold back. Even if the sky collapses and the earth is destroyed, and all is lost, at worst you and I will stay here and I'll send you off properly."

Shi Jingzhi finally began to tremble, emitting barely audible sobs.

Yi City, National Teacher's Manor.

Qu Duanyun rode an Arrow Horse and rushed to Yi City at full speed. Even though several days had passed since the incident, he still felt somewhat dazed. Now that he had received Jiang Youyue's summons, he did not dare to slack off in the slightest and hurried to the National Teacher's Manor.

Jianchen Temple was not sealed, the Ling Sect was not eradicated, and the Red Hook Sect issued a statement saying they had obtained a new young sect leader. Not to mention, the Ku Mountain Sect's subordinate had obtained the position of Martial Alliance Leader, and Taiheng even had Shi Zhongyu jump out holding the Reverse Yang Token long as she discovered solid evidence, his own position as sect master would probably have to be forfeited.

The crucial Shi Rou was also snatched by the Red Hook Sect. If it was eaten by unrelated individuals...

Just thinking about it, Qu Duanyun got goosebumps all over.

It had to be said, the Immortal Gathering had long laid out its arrangements in the martial world, but the current situation had turned into a sieve. Faced with such "achievements," Qu Duanyun had nothing to say, and his ambitions had long scattered.

"This student is incompetent."

"Hmm." Despite the bad news coming one after another, Jiang Youyue was not anxious or hurried, and even seemed to be in a good mood. "Tempering the mind always requires suffering some hardships to be good."

"That Shi Rou..."

Jiang Youyue smiled slightly: "With Shi Jingzhi's temperament, it was probably part of his plan. The Desire Children are heavy in desire, and if he really did not want to let go, snatching the Shi Rou would probably be even more difficult than snatching his pair of eyes. He must have reservations about the Shi Rou and is testing us."

It seemed the Shi Rou would not be eaten by any random person, and Qu Duanyun breathed a sigh of relief.

"Duanyun, do you know why I assigned you to be in charge of this matter?"

Jiang Youyue said unhurriedly.

"From the moment you came into the world, you were a proud son of heaven. Upon learning of the hundred-year plan, you would inevitably feel a sense of injustice and want to replace Shi Jingzhi's position... A dead bait cannot catch fish. Your desire to snatch the Shi Rou came from the heart, so you could dispel that person's suspicions as much as possible."

Qu Duanyun had nothing to say.

Indeed, the Immortal Gathering made a move to kill the leaders of several major sects, and he himself was in Taiheng, making things difficult for Shi Jingzhi at every turn. No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like the Immortal Gathering was determined to obtain the Shi Rou, wanting to secretly eliminate competitors and take its secrets into their own hands.

As for the strange phenomenon seen that day, it could also be explained as "Yan Budu setting up a technique to play tricks on people."

Even if Shi Jingzhi had doubts about the Shi Rou, mortals follow their desires and will find thousands of "justified" reasons to convince themselves, let alone the Desire Children.

"Now Shi Jingzhi has reached the end of his life. As long as he does not have definitive evidence, even if he has doubts, he has no other choice... This is the nature of the Desire Children, you should understand."

Jiang Youyue glanced at Qu Duanyun, his words carrying a hint of laughter.

"Remember, if a plan has strict conditions and needs to be interlocked, it is no different from self-destruction. Since you are my student, you should have seen through this matter."

Qu Duanyun closed his eyes - in the end, Jiang Youyue didn't care about the success or failure of the plan at all, and he was nothing more than a pawn under this person's hand.

"This student has learned his lesson."

He was in great pain, but his heart and mouth were convinced.

The Shi Rou was very precious, and only those with stunning talent could obtain it. Not to mention anything else, he himself couldn't even see through his teacher's plan, so he was unworthy of touching the Shi Rou.

Seeing Qu Duanyun's dejected look, Jiang Youyue laughed loudly: "No need, no need, your teacher also went through this back then. Duanyun, if you clearly lost to Shi Jingzhi, yet still wanted to take the Shi Rou by force, that would be disappointing to your teacher."

"There's no need to be discouraged. No matter how the current situation of the jianghu is, it's already riddled with holes, and that's enough... Come, I think you should be curious about the strange phenomenon you saw that day. It's time to tell you everything."

Qu Duanyun didn't wait for punishment, but instead saw a pie falling from the sky. This feeling of ice and fire intermingling was really uncomfortable, making one's hair roots go numb. Before leaving the room with Jiang Youyue, he finally caught his breath and cautiously asked his teacher a question -

"If I had forcefully taken the Shi Rou at that time, what would you have done?"

Jiang Youyue's footsteps didn't stop, and he didn't look back either. His words were extremely gentle, and still carried the light and airy laughter from before.

"Is there even a need to ask?... You grew up in Taiheng since you were young, so you must have taken the Sinking Heart Pill before."