She couldn’t die here; she was unwilling to accept it.

But the hand tightened its grip, her struggles grew weaker and weaker, and only a buzzing sound remained in her ears.

Just then, a sharp streak of green light pierced through the air.

It was as fast as a bolt of lightning, accurately striking the hand strangling Ruan Se.

Yin Wuji abruptly let go and retreated. His reaction was already very fast, but the shockwave still injured his arm.

Fresh blood seeped out from under his cloak, dripping onto the floor.

Ruan Se collapsed onto the ground, gasping heavily for air. Her vision was still a blur, but she heard a voice, a voice she couldn’t be more familiar with.

“Who permitted you to touch my sister?”

Yin Wuji’s entire body abruptly tensed, and he slowly turned around.

Standing at the entrance of the Alchemy Room was a woman.

She was tall and slender, her eyes burning with an intense, deeply suppressed fury. Her entire face radiated a breathtakingly cold beauty.

Ruan Qin.

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Yin Wuji’s back.

Why was she here? She was supposed to be staying at the residence arranged by the Alchemy Sect Branch tonight, that place was quite far from here, nearly halfway across Yunze Market.

Ruan Qin’s gaze swept past him and landed on Ruan Se behind him.

Ruan Se raised her head and struggled to look in her direction. Those usually aloof amber eyes were now brimming with tears.

Ruan Qin’s eyes grew slightly red. She stepped over the threshold and walked into the Alchemy Room step by step.

With each step, the Spiritual Pressure radiating from her climbed higher. The oppressive aura of the Late Golden Core stage crushed outwards, forcing Yin Wuji to take an involuntary step back.

He was only at the Early Golden Core stage. Against a Late Golden Core cultivator, whether he could even survive was a question.

“Who are you?”

Yin Wuji didn’t answer Ruan Qin’s question. He quietly shifted his center of gravity toward the door, ready to retreat at any moment.

Seeing this, Ruan Qin condensed a cluster of cyan flames in her palm, lighting up half the Alchemy Room to look like a ghostly realm.

“You dared to touch my sister,” she enunciated word by word, “you are courting death.”

Before her words even fell, her figure vanished from the spot.

Yin Wuji’s pupils shrank violently as he dodged to the side, but he was not faster than Ruan Qin. The cyan flames had already sealed off his retreat, forcing him to take the blow head-on.

He hastily circulated his Spiritual Power to block. The two surges of Spiritual Power crashed into each other with a boom, causing the entire Alchemy Room to let out an overwhelmed groan.

Yin Wuji was jolted back several steps, a wave of numbness washing over his right arm.

With just one strike, the victor was clear.

Ruan Qin did not pursue. Her figure blurred as she retreated to Ruan Se’s side, reaching out to pull her younger sister into her embrace.

“Where are you hurt?”

Ruan Se leaned against her shoulder, using her remaining strength to shake her head.

Ruan Qin looked down at the marks on her sister’s neck, her gaze turning utterly dark.

She gently rested Ruan Se against the wall, then stood up straight again.

The coercion of the Late Golden Core realm was completely unleashed. Yin Wuji felt his knees go weak, and his Spiritual Sense was so suppressed by this pressure that it could not extend outward at all.

Gritting his teeth against the heavy aura, he had lost all will to fight and only wanted to escape immediately.

Yin Wuji no longer hesitated, turning and darting toward the door. Just as he rushed out the doorway, an even fiercer Azure Flame plummeted right toward his face.

Ruan Qin had already anticipated his escape route. Yin Wuji frantically forced himself to a halt, dodging sideways to avoid the Azure Flame, but the residual fire scorched half of his cloak’s hood.

He tumbled wretchedly into the courtyard. The White Crane had already been startled awake, flapping its wings and crying out shrilly.

Yin Wuji flipped to his feet, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes. Since he couldn’t run, he would just have to risk it all.

He took out a talisman from his sleeve and crushed it. Ruan Qin did not give him another chance, continuing to close in with the intent to finish him off with a single strike.

Suddenly, a streak of crimson light struck from her blind spot at the rear.

By the time Ruan Qin noticed it, it was too late to dodge. She barely managed to twist her body sideways, but was still hit in her left arm.

Her sleeve was pierced through in an instant, and blood seeped into the fabric, blossoming into a large dark patch.

She let out a muffled groan and clutched her arm, looking up toward the courtyard wall.

On top of the wall, a figure had appeared at some unknown point.

The person was also wrapped in a cloak, his figure taller and more robust than Yin Wuji’s, standing under the moonlight like a black tower.

In his hand, he held a bizarrely shaped Magic Tool, its muzzle still emitting faint crimson smoke.

The opponent was actually at the Late Golden Core stage. Ruan Qin’s heart sank.

Seeing the newcomer, Yin Wuji’s expression immediately turned to pleasant surprise. “Haha, you came fast.”

“I certainly didn’t expect such an unexpected bonus.” The newcomer’s gaze fell on Ruan Qin, his tone carrying a hint of amusement. “The genius of the Alchemy Sect Main Branch, Ruan Qin, the strongest female Alchemist of the younger generation in the Cangwu Realm. If such a heaven-chosen talent were to fall here, the Alchemy Sect would probably be heartbroken for quite a while.”

Yin Wuji also reacted and stood up straight. “Fellow Daoist, you are injured now. One against two, what do you think your chances of winning are?”

Ruan Qin quickly analyzed the situation. Although she was an outstanding figure among Late Golden Core cultivators, she was currently injured, and the circulation of her spiritual power had already grown sluggish.

Her chances of winning were not high, but she did not retreat. Her younger sister was still behind her.

“Alchemy Sect disciples never evaluate their own chances of winning,” Ruan Qin said, her voice cold and clear, devoid of any fear. “However, you two are attacking an Alchemy Sect disciple in Yunze Market. Aren’t you afraid the Law Enforcement Hall will investigate this to the bitter end?”

Yin Wuji sneered. “The Law Enforcement Hall? By the time they arrive, there will only be two corpses left here. As for an investigation, dead men tell no tales. What could they possibly investigate?”

“I see,” Ruan Qin nodded slightly. Her face remained expressionless, but she was secretly adjusting her stance, lowering her center of gravity slightly. “May I know how to address you? Surely you aren’t so afraid that you wouldn’t even leave a name.”

In truth, Ruan Qin did not expect the other party to reveal their name at all. She merely wanted to draw out the conversation to stall for time.

“Do it,” the cloaked figure on the wall interrupted her.

Yin Wuji and he attacked at almost the exact same moment. Two streams of spiritual light struck simultaneously, sealing off all of Ruan Qin’s possible escape routes. Ruan Qin gritted her teeth, her cyan Spiritual Power condensing into a Fire Shield to block in front of her.

Boom—!

The three streams of Spiritual Power clashed with a loud bang. Ruan Qin barely managed to withstand the blow, but the impact transmitted through the Fire Shield into her body, forcing her back. Under the violent fluctuation of Spiritual Power, the wound on her left arm tore open a bit more.

The Cloaked Figure on the wall did not give her a chance to catch her breath. A crimson beam shot out from that bizarre Magic Tool, darting straight toward her throat once again.

Ruan Qin turned sideways, narrowly avoiding the crimson beam, but it was already too late to deal with Yin Wuji’s immediate follow-up killing move.

In the instant she prepared to take this palm strike head-on, a figure darted out from her side, stepping between her and Yin Wuji.

The figure raised their right hand and viciously threw a handful of objects right at Yin Wuji’s face.

Yin Wuji instinctively struck out with his palm. The objects shattered on impact, exploding into a cloud of impenetrably thick pink mist.

A full 78 Azure Wood Qi-Harmonizing Pills exploded simultaneously in mid-air. The pink medicinal mist surged outward like a tide, instantly filling the entire courtyard.

The mist was so thick that one could barely see the fingers on their outstretched hand. Caught completely off guard, Yin Wuji and the Cloaked Figure were simultaneously swallowed by the pink fog.

Every single ingredient in the Azure Wood Qi-Harmonizing Pill, even when isolated, could arouse a cultivator’s most primal instincts, let alone the finished product meticulously refined by Ruan Se using a Sixth-Grade pill recipe.

A wave of scorching heat violently surged from deep within the Dantian, spreading along the meridians to their limbs and bones.

Yin Wuji felt the Spiritual Power within his body slip out of control in an instant. His previously smooth-flowing Spiritual Power was thrown into chaos, rampaging recklessly through his meridians.

He hurriedly circulated his Cultivation Technique to suppress the burning heat, but the more he tried to suppress it, the deeper the heat drilled into his marrow. His breathing grew heavy, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

The Cloaked Figure on the wall fared no better. The aim of that strange Magic Tool clearly lost its accuracy; a crimson beam shot out crookedly, blasting a scorched black hole into the courtyard wall.

“What… the hell is this!” Yin Wuji gritted his teeth.

Taking advantage of the brief window while the two were trapped by the medicinal mist, Ruan Se used her remaining strength to drag Ruan Qin back toward the depths of the courtyard.

With a flip of her right hand, three more Azure Wood Qi-Harmonizing Pills appeared in her palm. Without hesitation, she threw them in all directions. The moment the pills hit the ground, they burst apart. Layers upon layers of pink mist billowed out, wrapping the entire courtyard into an airtight pink cocoon.

“Open your mouth.” She pulled out two Heart-Clearing Pills from who knows where, stuffing one into Ruan Qin’s mouth and swallowing the other herself.

The Heart-Clearing Pill melted as soon as it entered the throat. A cooling sensation rose from the Dantian, barely suppressing the spreading, fiery heat.

Ruan Qin took a sharp, deep breath, quickly steadying her mind, a trace of complex emotion flashing through her eyes.

After pulling away, Ruan Se gathered the remaining Azure Wood Qi-Harmonizing Pills in her hand and hurled them into the pink mist. The pills exploded simultaneously in mid-air, abruptly doubling the concentration of the medicinal mist.

Two irrepressible, muffled groans rang out from the pink mist. Yin Wuji felt that his body was on the verge of losing control.

“You bastard…” Yin Wuji said viciously. “A dignified disciple of the Righteous Path, actually using such despicable methods…”

“Despicable?” The corners of Ruan Se’s mouth couldn’t help but lift. She then said coldly, “Since you understand the meaning of despicable so well, why don’t you explain first: two grown men at the Golden Core Stage ambushing a Foundation Establishment Stage female cultivator in the dead of night, is that considered despicable?”

No one answered from within the pink mist; there was only the sound of heavy panting.

Yin Wuji and the Cloaked Figure exchanged a glance, unexpectedly finding that the other actually seemed to look somewhat sweet.

The two snapped back to their senses, both realizing that tonight’s operation had failed.

What was supposed to be a sure-fire ambush had turned into a stalemate. If they dragged this out any longer, neither of them would be able to escape.

Yin Wuji cast a reluctant glance at the two blurry figures on the other side of the mist. He formed a hand seal and darted over the courtyard wall at his fastest speed.

Ruan Qin did not pursue. She watched their figures disappear into the night, confirmed that her Spiritual Sense could no longer capture their auras, and then let out a long breath.

The pain in her left arm became exceptionally sharp at this moment. She frowned, turned around, and walked back to her sister. Ruan Se was leaning against the base of the wall, looking up at her.

“What kind of… Pill was that?” Ruan Qin’s voice was dry.

Ruan Se looked away. “A Pill that can save our lives is a good Pill.”

“You use unorthodox ingredients for Alchemy, and you think you’re in the right?” Ruan Qin’s voice rose a few pitches. “How many times have I told you? A Wood Spiritual Root practicing Alchemy walks the Righteous Path. Ingredients must be carefully selected one by one, and their properties must be inherently pure. But look at you, just seeing this mist makes me feel like my eyes have been dirtied!”

Ruan Se lowered her eyelashes and did not retort. She knew her sister too well; saying anything at a time like this would be useless.

Sure enough, once Ruan Qin started scolding, she couldn’t stop. “Do you think I don’t understand pharmacology? Joyful Union Grass paired with Dragon Yang Vine, plus Mystic Musk and Jade Pot Spring Flower, do you think the rules of the Alchemy Sect are written for fun? If Honored Master finds out about this, you will absolutely be expelled from the Alchemy Sect! I told you back then that living alone in Yunze Market, something was bound to happen sooner or later…”

The endless stream of scolding pressed down on her overwhelmingly, filled with harsh reprimands and not a single word of sympathy.

All the grievances of the past surged up at this moment, suffocating her.

“Then why did you come?” Ruan Se cut off her sister’s words.

She looked at her sister’s stiffened expression, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “You are full of talk about sect rules, Cultivation Base, and the Righteous Path; every sentence blames me for overstepping my bounds. Since it was wrong of me to use an Evil Pill to save my life, and since I cause you so much trouble and worry, then why did you desperately rush here to save me just now? It would have been better to let me die at their hands, clean and simple, so as not to sully your Righteous Path, and to save you the anger of dealing with me.”

The moonlight fell on her profile, highlighting the tiny scrapes with exceptional clarity. There was still a trace of tears at the corners of her eyes as she met her sister’s gaze without flinching.

Ruan Qin’s heart suddenly seized. She was rendered speechless by these words, and as her anger surged, she subconsciously raised her hand, wanting to punish her.

Ruan Se did not dodge. She merely turned her head slightly, closed her eyes, and calmly waited for the slap to fall.

She had long been accustomed to her older sister’s harsh reprimands, but the expected slap never came.

Ruan Qin’s hand froze in midair, her fingertips trembling slightly, before it finally dropped down weakly.

Looking at her younger sister covered in injuries, the anger in her eyes completely faded, leaving only an unspeakable lingering fear.

Ruan Se slowly opened her eyes, looked at her sister’s face, and said softly, “Sister, aren’t you… tired of being like this? You risked your life to save me, just so you could teach me a lesson yourself?”

Ruan Qin did not speak. She stood beside her sister. Right at that moment, the courtyard door was pounded loudly, and hurried footsteps could be heard outside.

“Law Enforcement Hall patrol! People inside, open the door! Someone just reported the commotion of a battle here!”