Chapter 150: Third Master Clears the Poisonous Evil

Zhang Jun snorted inwardly; this woman's abacus beads were about to snap onto her face. Before he could speak, Lin Xue lightly shook her head: "Miss Qin's goodwill is appreciated. The Medicine Sect's inheritance isn't for the two of us to monopolize; as for the altar and the medicine cauldron..."

Her voice paused, still calm but carrying an unshakable certainty: "They have their own mission and belonging; discussing this now is still premature. We have urgent matters to attend to; today the Qin family extended their help, this favor we will remember."

Zhang Jun followed up: "Exactly. Cooperation—we can see how things go later. But let me be clear: who leads and who follows, Miss Qin should have seen that just now. The matter of the medicine cauldron—we'll talk about it after we finish our current business. For now, we're leaving; please make way."

He made his attitude crystal clear: cooperation is fine, but you listen to me; want to reverse guest and host? No way.

Qin Yueyao stared at them for several seconds, seeing their firm stance, impervious to persuasion, she knew further entanglement would be pointless and would only leave her at a disadvantage. She nodded: "In that case, the Qin family won't detain you. I've already had the outside route cleared. If you need anything later, the entire Qin family will do our utmost."

She waved her hand, and Qin family guards immediately stepped forward to lead the way, guiding Zhang Jun and Lin Xue back along the passage they came from.

Watching the two disappear into the dark passage, the expert who had remained silent beside Qin Yueyao finally leaned in and whispered: "Miss, just let them go like that? That's the Medicine Sect..."

"What else?" Qin Yueyao interrupted him, her voice returning to that icy tone, though the ripples in her eyes hadn't fully subsided: "Do you think, with all of us combined, we could stop even a finger of theirs? You haven't seen what happened to Zhou Qian."

The expert shrank his neck, recalling the purifying light that had just cleansed everything on the altar, and Zhou Qian's bloody, frantic flight; he immediately shut his mouth, cold sweat pouring down.

"The power of the Medicine Sect far exceeds anything our Qin family's records have ever known." Qin Yueyao gazed at the empty altar, now returned to dead silence, her eyes becoming immeasurably deep: "These two have completely broken free of our control. Send people to follow them from afar, monitor their movements—remember, just monitor, not harass, and certainly no reckless action. The capital's waters, from tonight on, will finally be truly stirred."

At the same time, in an inconspicuous underground safe house somewhere in the outskirts of the capital.

"Ptoo!" Zhou Qian spat another mouthful of black blood, his whole body slumping in the chair, his complexion ashen like he'd just crawled out of a grave. His black robe was torn to shreds, revealing skin covered in horrible burn marks, his breath as weak as a guttering candle in the wind.

That backlash from the altar nearly destroyed his decades of cultivation in an instant! His shamanic power was reduced to less than one-tenth, and even his foundation nearly collapsed under that pure force.

"Zhang Jun! Lin Xue!" he snarled, his teeth grinding, his murky old eyes holding only deep-seated hatred and mad killing intent: "Old man... old man will never forgive you! Never!"

Beside him, another similarly wounded shadow guard bowed low and whispered: "Sir, we... the Qin family side..."

"The Qin family? A bunch of useless fools guarding a gold mountain just to scrounge for food!" Zhou Qian's eyes blazed with murderous light: "They don't know anything! Now that those two brats have inherited the legacy, the Qin family will only come crawling like dogs! We must recover immediately! Notify the superiors at once—I want to activate the Soul-Devouring Banner! No matter the cost, kill those two little bastards and retake the altar!"

"Yes!" The shadow guard, upon hearing the three words "Soul-Devouring Banner," visibly shuddered, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes, but he immediately obeyed.

The capital, the Lin family manor.

In the study, Lin Feng sat slumped on the carpet, soul-less, still clutching a broken antique teacup; sharp shards pierced his fingers, blood seeping between them, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain.

The news of Zhou Qian's crushing defeat hit him like a heavy hammer, shattering his last illusion completely.

It's over, everything's over.

The Lin family's final hope for a comeback—the mysterious power that could restore them to their peak—was gone. Even an old monster like Zhou Qian had been defeated like a dog; who could he still rely on?

That damned Zhang Jun! And that wicked Lin Snow! How could they possibly... how could they possibly obtain the Medicine Sect's inheritance?

Enormous fear and despair flooded him like icy seawater. He seemed to hear the wolves inside the Lin family, long restrained, now gnashing their teeth. The Lin family's sky was about to collapse.

White Tower Temple Hutong, Third Master Liu's small courtyard.

Zhang Jun pushed open the door, and Lin Xue followed him inside.

On the old recliner in the courtyard, Third Master Liu leaned sideways, his complexion still a bit sallow, but he looked more spirited than before, eyes half-closed, basking in the rare sunshine.

Seeing them, Third Master Liu struggled to sit up.

"Third Master, lie still, don't move." Zhang Jun rushed over a few steps and lightly placed his hand on his arm.

"You... you're back?" Third Master Liu gasped, his voice still a bit faint: "Did... did you run into any trouble?"

"No problem, doing fine." Zhang Jun grinned, showing his teeth, then squatted and rested his fingers on his wrist.

A warm current, pure and gentle, slowly seeped in.

Lin Xue also walked to the other side, bringing her two fingers together; the icy-blue intent at her fingertips no longer caused a chill, and she lightly touched it to his brow.

The information they had just received made clear how to deal with this sinister thing: the most direct method was to combine yin and yang, using the purest Medicine Sect true qi to pull out the evil imprint rooted in the soul, grind it to dust, and purify it clean.

One warm, one cool—two forces, starkly different yet mysteriously harmonious, simultaneously spread through Third Master Liu's body.

That torment, which had plagued him for who knows how long, that cold weakness making him wish for a quick death, was instantly dispersed.

He could distinctly feel something cold and toxic being forcibly torn away from the deepest part of his soul.

Like a thin, sticky black thread, clinging tightly, writhing unwillingly.

Zhang Jun's yang qi and Lin Xue's yin qi intertwined, forming an invisible vortex.

The black thread frantically struggled inside, finally emitting a scream only a soul could hear, then with a "pfft" it scattered completely, not even a wisp of smoke left.

"Hah—" Third Master Liu exhaled a long breath, the air turbid and foul, tinged with a fishy stench.

His whole body felt as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted, an indescribable lightness and ease.

His formerly ashen complexion visibly flushed with red, and his previously murky pupils brightened.

"Success!" Zhang Jun withdrew his hand, looking at Third Master Liu's improved complexion, delighted from the bottom of his heart.

"Is... is it really that quick?" Third Master Liu couldn't believe it himself, testing a move of his hands and feet, feeling the renewed vigor coursing through his body, his eye sockets instantly reddening: "I... I..."

"Third Master, that wicked thing on you has been completely cleansed." Lin Xue spoke softly, her voice tinged with a rare warmth.