Chapter 75

In the hall sat an old man, clad in a blue robe with floating wide sleeves. At this moment, his face tightened with wrinkles, giving off the impression he was difficult to speak with.

The sharp gaze of the Valley Master swept over Chuzheng and settled on Li Tang.

“Who’s injured?”

Chuzheng pointed toward Li Tang.

The Valley Master stood up and with his hands clasped behind his back, walked toward the inner room, “Come with me.”

Li Tang glanced at Chuzheng and followed the Valley Master to the inner room, while a young boy came in to pour tea for Chuzheng and even served some pastries.

About fifteen minutes later, the boy named Xiao Zhu came out to invite her in.

Li Tang, with his upper body bare, lay on a soft couch, his eyes tightly shut, unconscious.

“You are quite calm,” the Valley Master, who was washing his hands, remarked, as Chuzheng entered without making a sound, provoking yet another comment.

“Can he be healed?”

The Valley Master took a cloth from the boy’s hand, wiped his hands, and threw it on the table: “Soul-Extinguishing Nail, it has been in his body for several years now. In as soon as half a year, or at most one year, he will be dead.”

Chuzheng repeated her question, “Can he be healed?”

“Hey, you little girl!” exclaimed the Valley Master, puffing out his beard and glaring fiercely: “Don’t you have manners?”

“We’re paying for a service, a fair transaction.”

“…”

The Valley Master pointed in the air at Chuzheng twice, too angry to speak. After a long moment, he grudgingly said, “There is no disease in this world that I cannot cure.”

“Can you cure poverty too?” Chuzheng asked seriously.

The Valley Master: “…” Go away! Get out of my Baiying Valley! I’m not treating this!

“Valley Master, calm down. We’ve already taken the Spirit Stone,” Xiao Zhu said, holding back the Valley Master.

The Valley Master immediately calmed down.

Pretending to be magnanimous, he smacked his robe: “He’s from the Demon Clan.”

“The Devil-Vanquishing Nail was originally intended for the Demon Clan. What nonsense are you talking!”

“…” Clearly picking up on the subtext in Chuzheng’s words, the Valley Master’s anger, which had just subsided, abruptly flared up again.

Those who came to Baiying Valley for healing were always respectful, but this girl… Never mind, for the sake of the Spirit Stone.

“To extract the Devil-Vanquishing Nail, we need a member of the Demon Clan to cooperate,” the Valley Master huffed: “You find a member of the Demon Clan, and then I can heal him.”

“Oh,” Chuzheng pointed at herself, “I am.”

The Valley Master frowned and muttered, “No wonder the bamboo forest reacted.”

It seemed the Valley Master didn’t hold any prejudices against the Demon Clan, treating them the same as any other patient.

“Since you are from the Demon Clan, that makes it easier. Xiao Zhu, go prepare,” the Valley Master whispered to Xiao Zhu.

Xiao Zhu left after acknowledging the instructions.

“Demon Clan… It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one,” the Valley Master clicked his tongue: “Truly unexpected. Two show up at once, and one of them is Half-Human Half-Demon, curious, very curious…”

All of a sudden, the Valley Master turned his head: “This isn’t your son, is it?”

Chuzheng’s face remained cold: “I don’t have such a son.” What a weakling.

The Valley Master: “…”

–

It took Xiao Zhu several days to prepare everything, so Chuzheng stayed in the valley during this time.

The Valley Master seemed to have done something to Li Tang, as he hadn’t woken up at all. If not for his normal breathing, Chuzheng would have thought he was already dead.

On the fifth day, Xiao Zhu came to get her.

They entered a cave with a platform, where the Valley Master instructed Chuzheng to lay Li Tang on the platform and stand at the head side.

“Extracting the Devil-Vanquishing Nail will cause his life force to continuously drain. You’ll need to use Demonic Qi to sustain his lifeline,” the Valley Master explained while preparing the tools: “If you can’t protect his lifeline, he will die.”

“Mhm.”

The Valley Master positioned himself at the foot end of Li Tang and glanced at Chuzheng: “Little girl, this will be energy-consuming. Can you handle it?”

Chuzheng nodded, “Let’s begin.” How could I possibly be unable! A girl simply can’t afford to be unable!

“Hmph, should anything go wrong, you’ll bear the consequences alone!”

The Valley Master flung his sleeve, forming a seal with his hands, and suddenly, the platform lit up, engulfing Li Tang in beams of light.

As instructed by the Valley Master, Chuzheng began to channel Demonic Qi into Li Tang as soon as the light brightened.

The light surrounding the platform gradually dimmed, and Chuzheng could see blood flowing from Li Tang’s shoulder as the first Devil-Vanquishing Nail slowly emerged from the wound.

Ding—

The bloodstained Devil-Vanquishing Nail dropped onto the platform, and the Valley Master continued to extract another one.

By the time he reached the third nail, cold sweat had appeared on the Valley Master’s forehead, and his movements had slowed considerably.

The last Devil-Vanquishing Nail surfaced and left Li Tang’s knee.

The Valley Master immediately rushed to the platform, applied pressure on Li Tang’s wounds to stop the bleeding, and fed him two elixir pills.

“There were only four Devil-Vanquishing Nails. If there had been five, he would probably have died long ago.” The Valley Master signaled Chuzheng to stop; then, observing her unperturbed expression, he suddenly felt his own irritation rise.

This little girl is quite formidable, huh!

“Five nails?”

The Valley Master pointed at the area around Li Tang’s heart.

The Valley Master stood up, “If he wakes up within three days, he will be fine. If not…”

“What then?”

The Valley Master let out a cold snort, “Just dig a hole and bury him.”

Chuzheng: “…”” Do I have to dig the hole? Don’t you guys take care of burials here?

[Miss!!]

–

Five days later.

“Xiao Zhu, why has this one gone moldy?”

“Valley Master, it rained a few days ago, and it probably wasn’t dried properly…”

“Can’t use this anymore. Go find a replacement.”

“Valley Master, is that really okay…”

“What’s not okay about it? It’s not going to kill anyone.”

“…Yes.”

The Valley Master threw away the moldy, spoiled herbs, turned to enter the house, and immediately saw the young man standing at the doorway.

“Heh, you’re awake?”

The young man struggled to leave the room, “Have all the Soul-Extinguishing Nails been removed from my body?”

“Are you doubting my abilities?” The Valley Master was displeased.

“I wouldn’t dare.” The young man bowed slightly, “Thank you, Valley Master.”

“Hmph.” The Valley Master walked away, grudgingly saying, “If it weren’t for that little girl, you wouldn’t have survived this.”

“Where is she?”

The Valley Master said sarcastically, “She went to dig a hole for you.”

Li Tang: “???”

Following Xiao Zhu’s guidance, Li Tang found Chuzheng, who wasn’t digging a hole but was watching two children do it.

“Finally dug it out!” The two children climbed out of the hole with something white and exclaimed, “It was so hard to dig; it was buried so deep.”

The children were about to fill the hole back in but were stopped by Chuzheng. She gave them a Spirit Stone, the children exchanged glances, grabbed the white object, and ran off, leaving Chuzheng alone.

She stood by the edge of the hole, seemingly with no clear intention.

“Ahem…” Li Tang coughed lightly.

Chuzheng turned and saw him, “How are you awake?”

“…” Why couldn’t he be awake? By her tone, was she disappointed?

“I dug your hole for you.” Chuzheng pointed to the pit, “You wasted my time.”

“…” Was he supposed to pretend he hadn’t seen that it was those children who dug it?

Li Tang walked over and peeked into the hole, “Were you planning to bury me?”

“The Valley Master said if you didn’t wake up in three days, we could bury you. I waited an extra day.” I have been more than fair to you!

Li Tang choked, were these two in cahoots to trick him? If he really hadn’t awakened, would she actually have buried him?

Li Tang inhaled deeply, then exhaled a turbid breath, “Now that the Devil-Vanquishing Nails are out, you can tell me what you want me to do, right?”

“Do what?” Chuzheng asked.

Li Tang: “…”

This question should be asked of you, what do you want me to do.