CH 13

The Demon Carriage once again stopped nearby the Yan Clan Pharmacy. Yan Xuan asked lazily, “What is the Immortal Master planning on doing?”

Yi Ning smiled lightly. This was the first time Yi Ning smiled like Yan Xuan like this, like a clear moon and refreshing breeze, like the light filtering through the canopy. Yan Xuan was immediately stunned. 

“I’ll let you watch a good show.” Yi Ning put away his smile, turning his head to give Gan’er a few instructions. Gan’er’s eyes glittered, and she grew more excited the more she heard, to the point where even Yan Xuan grew curious. It was just a pity that before he could catch what was spoken, Yi Ning had already sent Gan’er off in the direction of the Yan Clan Pharmacy.

How secretive. Yan Xuan looked disdainfully out the window, but his heart unconsciously softened.

“Go.” Yi Ning tugged on Yan Xuan’s sleeve, indicating that he wanted him to bring them to the rooftops. “Let’s go to a place with a better view.”

Yan Xuan cast a brief glance at him, then reached out an arm and circled Yi Ning’s waist, pulling him into his embrace. With one leap, he landed on top of the Yan Clan Pharmacy’s roof, where they were able to clearly see what was happening inside. 

“Oi, what did you get Gan’er to do?” Yan Xuan ultimately could not resist asking. In his embrace, Yi Ning watched with single-minded focus at the situation within the Yan Clan Pharmacy, so he casually responded, “Nothing much, just watch and see.”

He even knew how to create suspense now. Yan Xuan’s nose twitched and he caught the fragrance that drifted from Yi Ning’s body, his pupils shrinking. Such an unguarded Yi Ning holding on to him trustingly was something that never appeared even in his dreams.

If only time could stop here for just a little bit longer.

Yet the situation within the pharmacy had already started unfolding.

Gan’er, dressed as a beggar, crashed and stumbled her way into the pharmacy, “accidentally” knocking over quite a few pieces of medical equipment and pleading amidst frantic sobbing, “Doctor, is Doctor Yan here? I’m going to die, please, I’m begging Doctor Yan to save me.”

A man walked over, carefully helping Gan’er up, then said, “Little girl, don’t worry, Doctor Yan will definitely save you.” Afterwards, he turned his head and hollered at Yan Chengyun, who was in the middle of fetching medicine, “Doctor Yan, there’s a little girl who’s sick and urgently needs you. Please, hurry!”

Yan Chengyun’s lowered gaze was filled with annoyance for a moment. He really had enough of these idiots who treated him like some great doctor saving lives. He only received orders to create a rift between Yan Xuan and Yi Ning, but who would’ve known that Yan Xuan would fear Yi Ning that much, and didn’t even make another sound before he left.

Trash is still trash, even after being plated with gold. 

Yet when Yan Chengyun lifted his head, he had put on a perfect smiling face. Slowly making his way over, he asked, “What is it? What happened?”

The man appeared to be simple and kind-hearted. He directly lifted up Gan’er for Yan Chengyun to take a look. The commoners here were also simple and honest folk, they all gathered around to watch.

Ever since Mu Xiaoyun became the City Lord, he was conscientious and sympathetic of the people’s circumstances. There were very few beggars like Gan’er left in Ganlin City.

“This child is so pitiful. You haven’t had a good meal before, have you? Did you come from another city?” A woman watching from the side took out a piece of dried food and offered it to Gan’er. Gan’er continued to cry, crying so hard that she couldn’t breathe properly. The sight really incited one’s pity. 

“I-I won’t eat. I’m going to die soon, only Doctor Yan’s blood can save my life.” As she cried, Gan’er stared at Yan Chengyun with a piteous gaze.

Yan Chengyun’s expression stiffened and he said, “What use would my blood have? Let me take your pulse first.”

Gan’er sobbing grew louder, to the point where it could bring an onlooker to tears from the sound. Yan Chengyun was irritated and impatient but could only fake a comforting appearance, grasping onto Gan’er wrist.

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He had only asked an offhanded question, but he never expected that Gan’er would reply, “Because Doctor Yan, there’s demon blood in you. My mom told me that my illness would only be cured if I drank a demon’s blood.”

In an instant, everybody present looked at Yan Chengyun with shock and suspicion. 

Gan’er seemed to not know anything as she hopped down from the man’s arms and grasped onto Yan Chengyun’s sleeves, begging, “Doctor Yan, please save me. I just need a little blood.”

But how could Yan Chengyun admit that he had demon blood. The thing that he hated the most was the lowly demonkind, so asking him to admit that he, Yan Xuan and that slave woman had the same blood was simply humiliating him.

“Impossible. How could I have demon blood?” Yan Chengyun suppressed his temper and refuted her words.

The more directly he refused, the more suspicious he looked. Gan’er’s eyes were wide as she looked at him and said, “But there’s obviously the scent of a demon’s blood coming from your body. If you don’t believe me, you can bring a bowl of fresh water and drip some blood in it. If it’s demon blood, the water will turn into steam.” 

On the roof, Yan Xuan suddenly understood Yi Ning’s intentions. He said quietly to Yi Ning sitting beside him, “You want to ruin Yan Chengyun’s reputation?”

Yi Ning pursed his lips. When Yan Xuan’s burning gaze became too much for him to handle, he could only helplessly respond, “Shhh, just watch.”

Leaving him in suspense once again. Yan Xuan’s teeth when he looked at Yi Ning acting like this, and he really wanted to take a bite.

How could there be someone so lovable yet detestable on this earth. 

Within the pharmacy, Yan Chengyun’s expression had already darkened. He would absolutely not agree to Gan’er’s request, but the surrounding common folk seemed to have started growing suspicious of him, so he could only forcibly hold back his anger and say, “Whether I possess demon blood, I know the truth of that the best. Why must I listen to what you’re saying? If you’re not here to seek treatment, I will ask you kindly to leave.”

His secretiveness rather caused people to grow even more suspicious. Yan Chengyun could clearly hear someone in the crowd say, “What’s he so afraid of? Could it be that he’s really a demon?”

Yan Chengyun clenched his fist, then heard another person say, “At noon today, a demonic cultivator showed up and Doctor Yan called him third brother. Perhaps the whole family are demons!”

“Nonsense!” Yan Chengyun’s voice suddenly raised. “I don’t have the filthy blood of the demon race!” After a pause, he turned his eyes to Gan’er, the venom in his gaze giving her a fright. 

“Test it then. Bring water.”

Two bowls of water were brought from inside the pharmacy and placed on the table. The commoners crowded around and watched Yan Chengyun.

Gan’er blinked, acting frightened and saying, “Doctor Yan, how about we stop testing…”

Yan Chengyun coldly gave her a glance. “No issue, if I say that I don’t have demon blood, then I don’t have demon blood!” Little half-breed, don’t you dare try to frame me.  

The second sentence he held back and didn’t say.

His fingertip was sliced by the knife and a bead of blood seeped out from the cut and dripped into the water.

Nothing happened.

“See! I said I didn’t have demon blood!” Yan Chengyun excitedly raised the bowl for everyone to see, only to see their gazes become even more startled and fearful. 

His expression was momentarily shaken, and he heard Gan’er speak out by his side, sounding like she was suppressing her laughter. “Doctor Yan, you should take a look at the bowl first.”

Yan Chengyun hurriedly looked inside the bowl. The drop of blood was like the Tiangou eating the moon, absorbing all the water in the bowl. Wherever it touched, the water steamed.

He mumbled, clutching the bowl, “Impossible, impossible, how could I have demon blood!?” The next moment, he looked at the commoners surrounding him with reddened eyes, and they revealed fearful expressions at his gaze.

“Impossible, there’s something wrong with the water!” Yan Chengyun grabbed the man, cutting open his finger and dripping his blood into the other bowl. 

The blood fell and dissipated in the clear water. This was the blood of a regular person.

Yan Chengyun stared disbelievingly at the bowl of water, an inconceivable thought floating up in his mind. Could it be that because he drank Yan Xuan’s blood, his body also contained his demon blood?

That lowly slave! He was not worthy!

The him now was like a crazed lunatic in the eyes of the commoners, he had even cut open someone’s hand. Yet Yan Chengyun refused to let things be, he grabbed Gan’er and raised his knife to cut open her hand. 

Gan’er was frightened into tears by him. Yan Chengyun forcefully pulled her to his side and cut open her fingertip with one slice.

Everybody present was shocked by Yan Chengyun’s actions. Doctor Yan, who was usually gentle and refined, actually acted like a lunatic towards a little beggar. She was still a child!

Blood welled up from Gan’er’s finger. Anger flared within Yan Xuan, and gripping his saber, he prepared to charge down to cut Yan Chengyun down but was stopped by Yi Ning hugging him.

“Don’t go. If you go, then all our previous efforts will be wasted.” Only after Yi Ning said this did Yan Xuan forcibly restrain his fury, glaring with rage and hatred at Yan Chengyun. 

He must kill Yan Chengyun.

Gan’er wailed, her blood trickling from her fingertip into the water.

Yan Chengyun held his breath and watched as the drop of blood slowly mixed with the water and dispersed. Not a single drop of water had steamed away.

He gripped his forehead in disbelief, saying, “Impossible, impossible!” He had definitely smelled the scent of a half-demon from this beggar’s body, so why was her blood fine? 

The commoners watching on were filled with righteous indignation and scolded, “How could you do this to a little girl!”

“Truly, you can know one’s face but not one’s heart. To think that Doctor Yan was so black-hearted!”

“Isn’t that so, after all, the demon race’s blood flows within him!”

When Yan Chengyun heard those words, he flipped the table, scaring everyone present. 

“She isn’t just a simple little girl, she’s a half-demon!” What Yan Chengyun said, nobody believed. After all, they had just seen with their own eyes that Gan’er’s blood, like a regular person’s blood, wouldn’t steam water away.

In truth, only a half-demon’s blood would cause water to steam. Gan’er wasn’t a half-demon, so naturally her blood couldn’t do it. However, because Yan Chengyun had drunk a half-demon’s blood, his blood could.

This trick was something Yi Ning had once discovered to use to deal with Yan Xuan.

Seeing that nobody believed his words, Yan Chengyun couldn’t win the debate even if he had a hundred mouths and could only sacrifice the rook to save the king. “Alright, I admit it. I’ve drunk a half-demon’s blood before, but I am not a demon, I am human. I don’t possess such lowly blood!” 

Gan’er shivered and shrunk back, yet words continued flowing from her lips. “Doctor Yan drank another person’s blood, but still calls that person lowly. How are you different from a demon?”

At this time, somebody yelled out, “Demon blood is still blood. You savage blood-sucker! Monster!”

The man who had gotten his hand cut by Yan Chengyun was also angry, and he joined in with that person to begin scolding Yan Chengyun. “You monster! You even cut my hand!”

More and more people started scolding him. Yan Chengyun raised his voice to retort, but he wasn’t a match for so many of them. 

On the roof, Yi Ning pursed his lips tightly and stared at Yan Chengyun’s face.

This is the feeling of being slandered by someone. Since you like to slander others so much, try it out for yourself too.

In truth, Yi Ning wasn’t some great saint, and he wasn’t afraid to use underhanded tactics. He only wanted to help Yan Xuan get some justice.

That was all. 

Yan Xuan watched this scene and felt an unnameable emotion rise up in his heart. To do something like this was too troublesome for him, he much preferred acting directly without care for his own reputation.

Yet Yi Ning was different, Yi Ning cared about his reputation.

Even if he were a demonic cultivator who would bear a blackened name from birth, Yi Ning still cared.

What was this, the Immortal Master’s partiality? Yan Xuan tilted his head to look at Yi Ning’s smiling eyes. 

He suddenly wanted to kiss him.