Chapter 13: Hunter or Prey

Xie Jinhuan followed the instructions to pierce the needles from afar, and soon after, Lin Wanyi's complexion gradually improved.

After confirming there were no issues, Xie Jinhuan put down his needle case and returned to sit beside the tea table.

"How do you feel?"

Having been rescued in such a manner, Lin Wanyi was deeply puzzled and momentarily set aside the chilling sensation at her back, studying Xie Jinhuan—whose aura was extraordinary—with curiosity.

"Thank you, Young Master Xie. May I ask which noble house you hail from?"

"Not a noble house at all. My father is merely a minor official in Jingcheng; he went south three years ago and just returned recently."

"Is that so?" Lin Wanyi didn't believe it and asked further: "Then what of your maternal lineage?"

Seeing Lin Wanyi, barely recovered, immediately start interrogating him like a census officer, her eyes brimming with possessiveness, Xie Jinhuan grew wary.

According to rumors, the Wu Sect's demonesses were notoriously troublesome—they would cast love gu on men, forcing them to fall for them, and any man who touched another woman in his lifetime would die...

Xie Jinhuan knew Lin Wanyi was beautiful—her chest full, her hips lush—a standard combat-ready physique—but he had no intention of becoming her drained essence slave…

Lin Wanyi was pondering her own scheme when she noticed Xie Jinhuan's wary gaze; realizing she'd been too opportunistic, she quickly sat up straight.

"I was just curious, nothing more. Your abilities at such a young age, yet no prominent background—it's truly surprising."

Xie Jinhuan maintained his three-tenths caution and returned to the main topic:

"Let's set aside idle talk for now. Your cultivation technique just malfunctioned—and it was of Shamanist origin…"

"?"

Lin Wanyi's expression stiffened slightly; she realized her underwear had just been seen through.

Oh no, oh no—what should she do? If Xie Jinhuan reported this to the government office...

Xie Jinhuan had come for pills—he didn't want to be cursed by misunderstanding—so he quickly added:

"Relax. Though the Wu Sect has been branded heretical by the imperial court, not all its members are evil. Shamanic healers, for instance, still save lives; even shamans have served as national teachers in Northern Zhou. You come from a medical family, yet follow this path—perhaps there's a hidden reason. I won't use this against you."

Lin Wanyi had no hidden reason at all—her father had fallen gravely ill, and in desperation, she'd joined the Wu Sect, apprenticing under its largest faction, the Gu Du Pai, whose headquarters lay deep in the southern wilderness, making her a core disciple of the Wu Sect through and through.

But she'd grown up near the Jingzhao Prefecture and had never harmed anyone; now she pushed up her gold-threaded spectacles, slightly flustered, and explained:

"Um… I only studied shamanic healing techniques out of curiosity, not as a corpse-witch of the evil sect. I've never harmed others—this you may verify. If you can understand, I'd be immensely grateful."

Xie Jinhuan gave a slight nod and shifted to the main point: "Shamanist cultivation techniques rely on poison and dark gu; one misstep harms oneself. If your technique has malfunctioned, I can help you fix it; as for the accumulated yin-cold energy in your body, I can resolve that too..."

Lin Wanyi raised her hand, politely declining: "The yin-cold energy in my body has built up for years—I have a method to handle it. No need to trouble you. You're kind-hearted, but do you have a request?"

Xie Jinhuan knew the solution was simple—just find a man to absorb yang energy; it made sense she didn't need his help. Seeing his leverage vanish, he had to state his purpose outright:

"I need pills to solidify my foundation. Do you have any?"

"Pills?"

Lin Wanyi silently exhaled, then smiled faintly:

"The Lin family excels in pill-making and medicine—how could we not have any? Which kind do you want?"

Xie Jinhuan's current situation wasn't one even an immortal pill could fix; he replied sincerely:

"The highest-grade kind—ideally, after strengthening my physique, I won't hit a noticeable bottleneck before reaching the top tier."

Such a divine pill was clearly a major undertaking.

Lin Wanyi had spent heavily and was short on silver; seeing Xie Jinhuan wanted the top-tier physique-strengthening formula, she set aside the earlier incident and spoke softly:

"The highest-grade physique-strengthening formula currently available is the 'Dragon's Blood Pill.' This formula originates from the Imperial Pharmacy Supervision in Jingcheng and has been passed down for centuries, used primarily by Rank 3 cultivators to solidify their foundation and heal old injuries—most can undergo a complete transformation within a month."

A month…

Xie Jinhuan thought it too long, but better than standing still waiting to die.

"The Imperial Pharmacy Supervision supplies only the palace—only those with meritorious service can obtain it. Are you certain you can get it?"

Lin Wanyi's eyes curved with a smile as she leaned close and whispered: "Zi Su is studying at the Pill Hospital; she knows the formula. She can request to 'practice' under the Academy's supervision and brew one for you. But the formula is expensive—even without the alchemist's labor, just the herbs cost eight thousand taels of silver…"

"Eight thousand taels?"

Xie Jinhuan knew the Dragon's Blood Pill was hard to obtain, but he hadn't expected such an outrageous price.

He'd paid twenty wen for a bowl of mutton soup this morning—eight thousand taels of silver could feed him and Meiqiu for generations!

No wonder it's the top-tier physique-strengthening pill…

Lin Wanyi knew the price was shocking and spoke gently:

"In either Danyang or Jingcheng, those with access to the formula are few; those who can brew it are rarer still. This is already my bottom price—the herbs and labor are costly, plus I must pay the Pill Hospital a twenty percent tribute. The price can't be lowered. If you doubt it, ask around Wencheng Street—the Pill Hospital's Director Zhang can brew this pill too, but unless you bring a hundred taels as a greeting gift, you won't even get past the door."

Hiring a renowned alchemist to custom-brew pills was always expensive—normally, herbs and labor cost half each, and they might still refuse the job.

Xie Jinhuan currently had no silver to hire an alchemist or buy herbs, but he hadn't come to buy anyway. Seeing the spectacled girl persistently pushing the deal, he bluffed:

"Your condition is serious. I can fix your technique flaw and guarantee it won't happen again. In exchange, could you…"

"?"

So you're here to freeload on me?!

Lin Wanyi sat up straighter, instinctively clutching her small purse—but remembering his help, she replied softly:

"Young Master, this is nearly ten thousand taels of silver. My consultation fee is three cash per visit—I simply can't afford this. But since you helped me yesterday, I'll reward you: I can give you a vial of Solidified Pulse Pills."

Solidified Pulse Pills can strengthen the physique too, but they're not cheap—and meant only for Ranks 8–9 apprentices.

Xie Jinhuan was facing the 'Great Qian Iron Fist'—this wouldn't even fill a tooth gap.

Seeing Xie Jinhuan hesitate, Lin Wanyi preempted:

"You're a righteous man—you'd never threaten a woman with my Wu Sect background. But I still ask you to keep this quiet. I have connections above me—if word leaks, they can handle it, but it'll still be troublesome."

She has connections above her…

I have no one above me!

Xie Jinhuan wasn't foolish—he understood this was a kind warning: to assess the situation and not underestimate the Wu Sect demoness.

Seeing both soft and hard tactics had failed—and might invite trouble—Xie Jinhuan rose:

"Very well. I'll keep silent. Consider me never having come."

Seeing Xie Jinhuan about to leave, Lin Wanyi thought for a moment, then quickly raised her hand:

"Young Master, wait."

"Hmm?"

Xie Jinhuan thought Lin Wanyi was reluctant to lose this deal and wanted to negotiate a discount.

Eight thousand taels of silver; even at a ninety-percent discount, he couldn't afford it now, unless he was like Butler Hou...

Recalling his bizarre experience renting a house, Xie Jinhuan quickly sat back down:

"My travel funds are meager. Miss, if you give me a ninety-nine-percent discount, perhaps we can close this deal."

Ninety-nine percent off?

Lin Wanyi looked somewhat bewildered, but didn't mind, her eyebrows curving as she said:

"The Dragon Blood Pill is extremely expensive to produce; most people cannot afford it. It is normal for a Young Master to lack ready cash. I happen to have a small trouble that needs someone to handle. If the Young Master can help, the cost of the medicine can be waived; let us consider it making a friend."

Working off the debt...

Xie Jinhuan felt this had potential; he looked around, leaned in, and asked in a low voice:

"Who to kill?"

"?"

Lin Wanyi was stunned, looking somewhat bewildered:

"What do you mean, 'who to kill'?"

Xie Jinhuan was also bewildered, spreading his hands and saying:

"Eight thousand taels of silver is enough to buy dozens of lives. If this isn't a killing business, Miss, do you want me to pound medicine? Pound whom?"

Pound whom?!

This time Lin Wanyi actually understood, and quickly explained:

"Young Master, you misunderstood. I am a pure and innocent woman; I never commit crimes or violate the law."

Xie Jinhuan blinked, seeing that this demoness of the Wu Sect did not seem to be lying, and coughed lightly:

"I was just joking. I am a righteous hero of the Righteous Path; I never accept such dirty work."

?

I don't believe it!

You were clearly choosing someone to kill just now!

Lin Wanyi suspected Xie Jinhuan was so desperate for money he would even take bloody, black-market jobs, but she indeed did not commit crimes:

"I am not asking the Young Master to do dirty work; it is a legitimate task, just slightly difficult."

Xie Jinhuan felt this difficulty must be heaven-defying:

"What task?"

"Inside the Pill King Pavilion, there is a copy of the 'Dragon Soaring Response Art'..."

Xie Jinhuan's eyes widened in shock: "You want me to steal something from the Pill King Pavilion?!"

"Not steal, but learn, and then teach it to me. I am also interested in the martial arts."

Lin Wanyi had sponsored so many talented scholars from poor families just to cultivate a dual-headed dragon to connect her with the Martial Dao Divine Scripture. Seeing that Xie Jinhuan had boundless potential, she obviously saw this as an opportunity and explained gently:

"In Luojing, there are also guests, experts, military officers, generals, and outstanding talents of the Pill King Wang Fu. As long as their merits are outstanding, they are specially permitted to borrow this scripture."

"The Young Master is young, yet his martial arts are not bad; there is a good chance you will gain the appreciation of the Pill King. As long as you successfully learn it and teach it to me, this matter will be considered done."

This matter sounded very simple.

But Xie Jinhuan grew up in Jingcheng and was not without experience.

The 'Dragon Soaring Response Art' is rumored to be an supreme secret manual left by Wu Zu; the threshold for borrowing it is high enough, but the difficulty of mastering it is even higher.

As far as he knew, there were only two people in Jingcheng qualified to borrow this scripture and successfully enter its path: Cao Fo'er, the eunuch factory director of the Red Scale Guard, and Lu Wu Zhen, the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

Would someone capable of mastering this thing still need silver?

And to learn this thing, one must strive to gain the appreciation of the Pill King, linger in the Pill King Pavilion where experts gather, and interact with many big shots...

Xie Jinhuan would rather hide now; did he want to lose his life doing this?

"Although the imperial court has not said teaching others is forbidden, spreading the Martial Dao Divine Scripture abroad ultimately violates taboos, and the difficulty is too great; my current strength is insufficient..."

"It doesn't matter."

Lin Wanyi leaned sideways in her chair, her autumn-water beautiful eyes filled with smiles:

"This matter was never meant to be rushed. I give the Young Master three years. Even if the Young Master does not learn it, being able to recite it counts. If it truly cannot be done, after three years you can pay according to the market price; I will not charge the Young Master interest. As for the Dragon Blood Pill, I will give it to the Young Master first; the first batch of medicine can be obtained by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

Facing this proposal, Xie Jinhuan, to be honest, could not refuse; he was even somewhat pleasantly surprised:

"This is eight thousand taels of silver, with the promise fulfilled only after three years. Miss, are you not afraid I will run away after taking the medicine?"

Lin Wanyi whispered a reminder: "I am not alone! If the Young Master is willing to guard against the Wu Sect for a lifetime over this little money and can still manage to do so, I will consider it forming a good karmic connection."

Xie Jinhuan thought this was true.

Offending the Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist schools, they would at most beat you to death; they would not deign to ambush you.

But offending the Wu Sect, you would suspect ghosts and demons every time you drank water in the future; even after death, you would have to grind your bones and scatter your ashes yourself to avoid being dragged away and refined into a puppet for useless exploitation...

If he did not obtain the Martial Dao Divine Scripture and could not repay the debt, he would probably have to 'pay with his flesh'; whether he became a puppet or a live-in son-in-law would depend entirely on Lin Wanyi's mood...

Although the Wu Sect was not easy to provoke, to deal with the immediate crisis and gain as much self-protection as possible, Xie Jinhuan could not refuse at this moment:

"Very well. Within three years, I will teach the Martial Dao Divine Scripture to the Miss. If I do not learn it, I will pay according to the market price. Should we draw up a written contract?"

Lin Wanyi was very generous: "No need. Knowing the Young Master's appearance is enough; whether the name is true or false does not matter."

"..."

Hearing these words, Xie Jinhuan knew there was a huge power behind Lin Wanyi; fleeing to the Southern Border Wilderness would be useless. He nodded slightly at that moment:

"Very well. Shall I come to collect the medicine the day after tomorrow?"

"Mm. Later, Young Master and I will go together to purchase medicinal herbs, so Young Master can know the costs and won't accuse me of cheating you."

Lin Wanyi had already recovered; after speaking, she rose and went to the side room to remove the silver needles.

Xie Jinhuan sat in his original spot, secretly analyzing the potential hidden risks of this transaction. In the meantime, he heard a 'rustling' sound; the needles in the milk groove were difficult to remove through the clothes, so she must have unfastened her collar.

However, Xie Jinhuan had heard of the Wu Sect demoness's ways: once you see her, you must marry her. Most crucially, one must 'remain faithful to one'; looking at another woman even once is not allowed. At that moment, his mind was not wandering...

(End of this chapter)