The knocking on the door grew increasingly urgent. Outside, the shouting of the Law Enforcement Hall disciples already carried a hint of impatience, “People inside! Open the door at once! If you don’t respond, you’ll be charged with obstructing official duties!”

The moment the latch was pulled back, the people outside were clearly stunned.

Li Xiuyuan stood at the very front, with four disciples following behind him. His gaze fell upon Ruan Qin. He recognized that face, the face that had sat in the judges’ seats for the entire day, a genius Alchemist at the Late Golden Core stage.

His gaze then moved past Ruan Qin and caught sight of another person slowly standing up by the wall.

Ruan Se. Two favored daughters of heaven from the Alchemy Sect. Li Xiuyuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

“F-Fellow Daoist Ruan Qin?” He hurriedly cupped his fists and bowed. “I am Li Xiuyuan, Patrol Manager of the Law Enforcement Hall. I was unaware that you two were here, please forgive the intrusion. May I ask what happened here? Someone just reported a commotion from a battle, and even heard an explosion…”

“An assassination attempt,” Ruan Qin interrupted him. “Two Golden Core Cultivators, one early-stage and one late-stage, launched a sneak attack on my sister. I fought them; outmatched, they fled towards the southwest.”

Li Xiuyuan’s face grew paler the more he listened. An assassination attempt on Alchemy Sect disciples, if this matter was reported to the Alchemy Sect Main Branch, let alone him, even Elder Sun wouldn’t be able to shoulder the blame.

“This junior has failed in his duty!” He instinctively dropped to one knee, and the four disciples behind him followed suit, kneeling in unison. “This junior was completely unaware that evildoers had infiltrated the market, almost causing you two fellow Daoists to be killed. It is my negligence! I implore you two fellow Daoists to give this junior a chance to make amends. This junior will lead men to pursue them right away!”

Ruan Qin pursed her lips. Her body still ached terribly, and she couldn’t be bothered to speak.

“One of them is from the Blood Lotus Sect,” Ruan Se added. “The other’s identity is unknown, but he wields a Magic Tool that can shoot crimson beams. His Cultivation Base is profound; he is no ordinary Rogue Cultivator.”

Li Xiuyuan jerked his head up, his eyes wide. “The Blood Lotus Sect?”

“What, are you familiar with them?”

Li Xiuyuan opened his mouth and closed it again, a layer of sweat beading on his forehead. He thought of that unsolved case from a few months ago and wondered if the two incidents were connected, but he didn’t dare voice these thoughts.

“No.” He lowered his head. “It’s just that this Demonic Cult has been frequently active in the Cangwu Realm lately. This junior had long heard the rumors. For them to actually dare commit violence so openly in Yunze Market, the Law Enforcement Hall will definitely investigate this to the very end.”

“Then hurry up and investigate.” Ruan Qin’s voice cooled a few degrees. “They haven’t gotten far. If you chase them now, there’s still time.”

“This junior understands!” Li Xiuyuan felt as if he had been granted a general amnesty. He hurriedly stood up and waved at the disciples behind him. “You, go back and report to Elder Sun. Mobilize reinforcements, lock down every alleyway, and conduct a thorough search. The rest of you, come with me!”

Several disciples took their orders and left. Li Xiuyuan also turned to leave, but his steps paused.

He looked back and asked hesitantly, “Fellow Daoists, do you need me to leave a few disciples here as guards?”

“There’s no need,” Ruan Qin replied faintly. “If you let someone sneak up to my sister’s door again next time, Manager Li, you can come and explain it to me yourself.”

A chill ran down Li Xiuyuan’s spine under her gaze. He repeatedly voiced his agreement, not daring to linger any longer, and turned away, disappearing at the mouth of the alley.

Once the footsteps of the Law Enforcement Hall members completely faded away, the courtyard returned to silence.

Ruan Qin closed the courtyard gate, turned around, and rested her gaze on Ruan Se.

“Come with me,” Ruan Qin said softly. “It is not safe for you here.”

Ruan Se’s movements paused for a moment, and then she slowly shook her head.

“You’re not leaving?” Ruan Qin frowned slightly. “Just because those two didn’t succeed tonight doesn’t mean they won’t come back. You’re only at the Foundation Establishment Stage; are you staying here just waiting for them to choke you again?”

Ruan Se continued to shake her head.

“Ruan Se.” Ruan Qin’s tone grew a bit heavier.

“I… still have something to do.”

“What is it? If you need to recover from your injuries, I’m taking you back to rest properly. Aren’t you supposed to attend the conference tomorrow?”

Ruan Se didn’t speak, merely lowering her eyelashes. Ruan Qin was all too familiar with this look.

Growing up, it was always like this whenever her younger sister was hiding something from her.

Ruan Qin narrowed her eyes slightly and suddenly let out a scoff. “There’s someone in this room.”

“There’s no one,” Ruan Se replied with unusual haste.

Ruan Qin glanced at her. Giving her sister no further chance to intervene, she simply bypassed Ruan Se and strode toward the main room.

“Sister—!” Ruan Se turned and chased after her. She wanted to stop Ruan Qin, but her sister’s pace was too fast.

She pushed open the doors to the main room. The light from the Spiritual Lamp spilled out through the doorframe, illuminating the furnishings inside.

On a low couch lay a young girl. Her face was pale, her lips bloodless, and her breathing was steady but extremely weak.

Yet even so, it could not conceal the exquisite features of her face.

Ruan Qin stood in the doorway, looking the person on the couch up and down.

“Don’t tell me this is that person’s disciple,” Ruan Qin said, her tone returning to calm.

Ruan Se squeezed through the door from behind her sister and moved to block the low couch, practically bristling with anxiety. She opened her mouth, only to find she couldn’t come up with a single excuse.

Ruan Qin did not look at her. She walked straight to the low couch, stretched out two fingers, and lightly rested them on Su Wan’er’s wrist. A thread of extremely fine Spiritual Power probed into her pulse, slowly circulating once through her body.

Then, her eyebrows raised slightly.

“A Heaven-Grade Water Spiritual Root,” Ruan Qin remarked, a trace of surprise in her voice. “Her Meridians are mostly shattered and her Dao Foundation is cracked. She’s relying on a surge of medicinal power to hang onto her life. An Eternal Spring Life-Prolonging Pill?”

She turned her head to look at Ruan Se, a glimmer of light flashing in her eyes: “You still have this kind of Pill?”

Ruan Se remained silent and did not answer.

Ruan Qin did not press the issue. Returning her gaze to Su Wan’er, she probed for a moment longer and continued, “This medicinal power is warm and does not disperse, protecting her Heart Meridians and Dantian.” She withdrew her hand, stood up straight, and crossed her arms. “What grade of Alchemist is this person?”

Before Ruan Se could speak, a glint of delight had already flashed in Ruan Qin’s eyes. She went on talking to herself: “With such talent, if she were to join my Alchemy Sect and be personally taught by Honored Master or myself, in less than ten years she would definitely become the new leading figure of the Alchemy Dao in the Cangwu Realm. When she wakes up…”

“Fellow Daoist Su is a Sword Cultivator, not an Alchemist,” Ruan Se finally found her voice, which was cold and tinged with wariness. “Moreover, even if you want to poach her, perish the thought. Senior Lai is far more protective of his disciples than you might think.”

Ruan Qin was amused by her sister’s fiercely protective tone. She raised an eyebrow and, in a rare moment, did not talk back. She simply waved her hand and said, “What are you talking about? Is your sister that kind of person?”

Ruan Se looked at her without speaking, but her eyes clearly spelled out three words:

Ruan Qin coughed lightly and shifted her gaze away from Su Wan’er. “But she is heavily injured. It feels like she is about to die at any moment.”

“She won’t die,” Ruan Se said firmly. “The medicinal power of the Eternal Spring Life-Prolonging Pill is enough to sustain her for a month. We still have time.”

“Could it be the Azure Profound Essence-Nourishing Pill?” Ruan Qin suddenly asked.

Ruan Se froze for a moment.

“The deal you made with that person, he wanted you to win the championship to get the Azure Profound Root, and in exchange, he teaches you the Alchemy Dao? So that’s why you pushed yourself to such an extent, refusing to withdraw from the competition even when your Spiritual Power was completely exhausted. It was all for this.”

Ruan Se remained silent for a while before giving a very slight nod. Ruan Qin looked at her, also fell silent for a moment, and then sighed.

“The Azure Profound Essence-Nourishing Pill is a Peak Eighth-Grade Pill, even possessing traits of the Ninth-Grade. Honored Master attempted to refine it twice and failed both times. He said that this Pill not only tests one’s control over the fire, but it also heavily tests an Alchemist’s comprehension of medicinal properties. Off by even a hair’s breadth, and the medicinal power of the Azure Profound Root will dissipate into nothingness the moment it enters the cauldron.”

She paused and looked at her sister. “And this ‘Senior Lai’ of yours wants to refine the Azure Profound Essence-Nourishing Pill?”

“Senior said he can refine it,” Ruan Se replied calmly. “So he definitely can.”

“Heh.” Ruan Qin let out a soft laugh. “To achieve something even Honored Master cannot do, when did a Half-Step Ninth-Grade Alchemist appear in this world without me knowing? Are you joking with me?”

“I am not joking.” Ruan Se turned to look at her sister. “I have seen him perform alchemy with my own eyes. One hour, a Sixth-Grade Eternal Spring Life-Prolonging Pill, from adding the herbs to forming the pill, all done in one go. I have never seen his alchemy techniques in any alchemy manual.”

She paused. “He can throw all the medicinal ingredients into the cauldron at once, wrap them individually with Spiritual Power, and let them fuse on their own within the raging flames. If it’s him, he definitely can.”

Ruan Qin fell silent. She had never heard her younger sister speak in such a tone.

From childhood until now, her sister had always been aloof. Even when she was misunderstood or looked down upon, she would merely turn her face away coldly, not even bothering to explain a single word.

But now, her sister was speaking up for someone she had only known for a month.

Ruan Qin’s face hardened. “Don’t tell me you’ve been deceived.”

“Whether I’ve been deceived or not is none of your business.”

The two stood face to face, identical amber eyes meeting under the lamplight, neither willing to be the first to yield.

After a long while, Ruan Qin withdrew her gaze first.

“Fine, if you don’t want to leave, then forget it.” She walked over to the chair by the window and sat down, taking another pill from her sleeve and swallowing it. “I will stay here today to recover from my injuries, and tomorrow I will accompany you to the assembly.”

Ruan Se was taken aback. “You’re not going back to your quarters?”

“What, your older sister is so heavily injured, and I can’t even rest here for one night?” Ruan Qin shot her a sidelong glance, her tone returning to its usual acerbity. “Or is it that you’re afraid my presence here will get in the way of your late-night rendezvous with your ‘Senior’?”

Ruan Se’s face instantly turned red, the flush spreading from the roots of her ears all the way down her neck. She abruptly spun around, turning her back to Ruan Qin, using her actions to show that she couldn’t be bothered to deal with her.

Ruan Qin laughed out of exasperation. Leaning against the back of the chair, she closed her eyes and began to regulate her breathing.

The room fell quiet, leaving only the steady and drawn-out sounds of their breathing.

After a moment, Ruan Qin suddenly spoke, “What was that pill called earlier?”

“…Azure Wood Qi-Harmonizing Pill.” After a moment of silence, Ruan Se finally answered.

“Your Azure Wood Qi-Harmonizing Pill is indeed Sixth-Grade. To be able to successfully refine a pill of that grade, your Alchemy Dao has progressed.”

Ruan Se’s shoulders stiffened slightly. With her back to Ruan Qin, it took a long while before she let out an incredibly soft “Mm.”

Ruan Qin also stopped talking, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smile before she quickly suppressed it.