The Healer Demands Payment!

“Shut up!” Before the soldier could finish his sentence, he was snapped by his captain, “We must never talk about that person, not even behind his back!” Following the chide, the captain sighed heavily and said with some melancholy: “It seems that the Demon Realm is going to undergo a major change!”

“I-I understand!” The rebuked soldier replied in a loud voice. He paused, then hesitatingly asked again, “But then… for what purpose did he take away our spirit stones?” The income of regular soldiers like himself was not high. Yet, in front of such overwhelming power, no one dared to hide a single spirit stone, so all of them were effectively penniless now.

“You still have the mood to care about spirit stones!! Idiot! Just be grateful that you still have your life!” The annoyed captain smacked his subordinate’s head.

Silence finally returned on the island. The setting sun sank in the west, bringing with it the last twilight of sunset glow. In turn, the stars slowly poked their heads out, covering the entire sky with soft light.

Everything seemed to have returned to normal, but those who remained knew that some things had permanently changed.

…

At the same time, Starfallen Sea.

On the hill just outside the forest, Sikong Xing was pacing back and forth restlessly.

“Xingxing.” Her constant movement made Su Junmo dizzy, “Can’t you sit down and wait quietly?”

“I can’t!” Sikong Xing stomped her feet, “How can I stay calm? I’m so worried, I’m super worried!” She jumped in front of Su Junmo, “We shouldn’t have let Meng Qiqi go alone! I’m worried, worried, worried!!! I’m about to go crazy! Why are we waiting here? We should have gone with her, ah! Even if there are dangers, at least we face them together!”

Sikong Xing paused, then muttered under her breath, “After the events in the Apricot Forest, I promised myself that I would never allow Meng Qiqi to take any more risks alone!”

“What’s that?!” Chu Tianfeng, who stood where he could observe almost the entirety of the forest, suddenly cried out, “Did you see it just now? It seems that something fell into the forest.” He pointed in a direction.

“A person.” Qin Xiumo, who was standing next to Chu Tianfeng, said, “Whoever it is, they are falling into the center of the forest.”

“Heaven!” Sikong Xing hurriedly rushed to their side and joined them in staring at the forest, “If someone suddenly falls in there, will it affect Meng Qiqi?”

The forest was already very weird and dangerous. Would such a disturbance disrupt Meng Qi’s safety?

With this thought in mind, the rest of the group turned to look at Xue Chengxuan.

“Meng Qiqi is fine now.” Xue Chengxuan spread out his palm, showing a small piece of blue jade. The jade was made into half of an eight-trigram compass with the counterpart in Meng Qi’s hands.

This object was a treasured artifact handed down within the Xue clan for thousands of years. If two people held one half, they could sense the other’s existence. This was more powerful than the magic tool the Xue siblings used to communicate with each other. When necessary, Xue Chengxuan could even send himself to Meng Qi’s side immediately.

Just as Sikong Xing was about to let out a sigh of relief, she suddenly became nervous again: “But who is that person? Is he an enemy or just some random cultivator? Did he accidentally fall into the forest, or did he go in on purpose? Is he strong?”

“The distance was too far, and the person fell too fast.” Qin Xiumo shook his head, his hands clenched on his sides. “I can’t detect the other party’s cultivation.”

Qin Xiumo’s voice sounded calm, but his natal long sword, swaying gently next to him, was a mirror of its master’s inner mood.

“Do you have to be so nervous?” Only Ji Wujiong sat comfortably. As he leaned against a big rock, he lifted the corner of his lips and chuckled lazily, “That girl Meng Qi is clever and not so easy to die. Besides…” He paused suddenly, leaving his listeners on edge.

“What is it?” Sikong Xing asked impatiently.

“Besides, do you think the manifestation of Demon Monarch’s Order is just a display?” Ji Wujiong continued nonchalantly, “Demon Monarch’s order can produce three manifestations in total. With the addition of the real thing, the four of them prop the four sides of the Demon Realm together.”

Su Junmo hesitated, his eyes flickering as he opened his mouth to speak, but eventually, he decided to remain silent.

Who was Ji Wujiong?

This guy could summon the spirit body of a celestial demon phoenix and knew a lot of Demon Realm’s secrets.

But he had never heard of such a descendant of the celestial phoenix clan.

Moreover, the aura on Ji Wujiong’s body was unlike that of a demon cultivator.

“So what?” Sikong Xing urged.

“Command, One Mind, Alliance…” It was extremely rare for Ji Wujiong to explain things patiently without a hint of sarcasm, “The manifestation in Meng Qi’s hand is the One Mind. As in ‘Be One in Mind And Heart.\'” He chuckled amusedly, “Even if she just lost a single strand of hair, that person would immediately be aware and hurry to her side right away.” As Ji Wujiong ended his sentence, he cast a meaningful gaze upon Xue Chengxuan.

Sikong Xing: “…”

Su Junmo: “…”

“Why didn’t you say it earlier?!” Sikong Xing stomped her feet in frustration.

“Because… I didn’t feel like it.” With this, Ji Wujiong adjusted his posture, closed his eyes, and ceased speaking.

…

At the same time, three youths, one man and two women, were gathering around an unconscious man in the only open space inside the forest. The man was dressed in a crimson robe and was lying quietly on the ground. Even though he was unconscious, his handsome eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if he were troubled by something.

“He… is he a demon cultivator?” One of the young women murmured, “But why did he suddenly land here?” She turned to the young man standing on the side as she spoke.

The man was tall and had an imposing posture. With sharp features and clear eyes, he was also very handsome. Floating steadily by his side was his natal sword — its tip gleamed with a cold light, ready to jump up and launch at the enemy anytime.

This young man was precisely Pei Mufeng. He was about to open his mouth and respond when a rustling sound of footsteps came from the forest behind him.

Someone was stepping on fallen leaves and gradually walking towards them.

Pei Mufeng quickly signaled the other two to stay silent. Readying his sword across his chest, he pointed in the direction of the footsteps.

Then, from behind a tree big enough for several adults to hug it, a young girl in a blue robe came out.

“What the—…Fellow Daoist Meng Qi?!” Pei Mufeng exclaimed in surprise. He subconsciously lowered his tension as he looked with disbelief at the girl who suddenly appeared before his eyes.