Chapter 573

Fang Yue burst into the Gong Xun Dian, where Pan Lao was packing up; he froze, his expression flickering with panic and tension.

"Ye Baiyi? Why are you here? How's the battle outside?"

Pan Lao was never a frontline medic; his role was functional, so he never went to the front and naturally knew nothing of the situation beyond.

But the Night Rain had been growing heavier, and Pan Lao was well aware of that.

At this rate, it would soon shift from Heavy Rain to Li Yu.

Li Yu—yes, Li Yu—without protective arrays, no one in Qingsi County could survive Li Yu.

The only option left was to gamble: ride a Qingsi Horse and flee through the Underground Stronghold, far away from Qingsi County.

Pan Lao's reasoning was clear; under this premise, he was already packing his belongings when Fang Yue barged in.

"The battle is dire—I need large quantities of pills to return to the front!"

After a pause, Fang Yue asked, puzzled: "Pan Lao, are you… packing your luggage?"

"No, no such thing!"

Fang Yue narrowed his eyes: "Qing Si regulations state: abandoning your post to flee is a capital offense. You're not that foolish, are you, Pan Lao?"

"…."

Pan Lao fell silent, staring at Fang Yue for a moment before saying: "I heard Qingsi County is finished. Forget the anomalies outside—this Night Rain alone means none of us will survive. Better to plan an escape now. In such a dire situation, the higher Qing Si authorities have no grounds to punish me."

"Not necessarily. Until the Qing Yi order is issued, fleeing alone makes you a deserter—you know exactly what charge that carries."

"What do you want me to do? I can take you with me."

"I'm not leaving. I'm using Merit Points to exchange for pills. Quickly, open the Underground Treasure Vault."

"But you're not…"

Pan Lao's words were cut off by Fang Yue's dangerous gaze.

"Qing Si orders state: during wartime, medics may assume the name of Qing Yi to temporarily requisition certain supplies. Do you think You Sisi would deny me these pills for the enemy?"

"…What do you need? I'll get it for you."

"I said—open the Underground Treasure Vault. Now."

"You mean to…?!"

"I'm taking only pills, then going to fight the anomalies. Don't assume everyone is like you!" Fang Yue's face darkened, his tone hardening.

Pan Lao fell silent, opening the Underground Treasure Vault as he spoke: "Ye Baiyi, it's not that I lack spirit—facing such despair, I'm just an ordinary man who must find a way to survive. As a guardian, I'm not taking anything from the vault; I'm only preparing to flee with my family. Are you being too harsh to blame me?"

Creak—creak.

With a groaning sound, the Underground Treasure Vault opened.

Fang Yue said nothing, entered the vault with Pan Lao, then delivered a sharp knife-hand strike to his neck, knocking him unconscious.

He laid Pan Lao down beside him and sighed.

"I know it's hard for you—but in any place, against anomalies, only unity can give us a chance to defeat them. If everyone thinks like you, no fortress, no matter how strong, can hold against an anomaly assault."

After securing Pan Lao, Fang Yue headed straight for the medicine section.

Stealing from the Underground Treasure Vault is a capital offense.

Even with the noble goal of saving Qingsi County, the crime remains severe; merit and demerit may offset, but Qing Si could still hunt and punish you.

It depends on the circumstances and the value of what was taken from the vault.

After all, stealing from the Underground Treasure Vault—even if later offset by Merit Points—is not priced at normal rates, but at several times, even tenfold, the value.

When Merit Points cancel out demerits, most cases still require redemption—or even public execution.

The rules exist to prevent crossing the line. The fact that Qing Guo's laws now allow Merit Point offsetting under special circumstances is the result of decades of legal evolution.

If possible, Fang Yue would've taken only a few pills—this law is so strict, it's clearly a net loss.

But compared to the lives of Qingsi County, Lord Han, Tian Erjun, Captain Wu, the Gu Yue Cun squad, and You Sisi—this risk, Fang Yue was willing to bear!

He rushed to the pill section and quickly found the Haijiao Pills—bottled Haijiao Pills!

A full hundred bottles in storage, proving how rarely they were used—almost no one wanted this stuff.

Fang Yue didn't want to use them either—but sometimes, when you must fight to the death, you have no choice but to resort to extreme measures!

One bottle holds 100 Haijiao Pills; a hundred bottles equal 10,000 Haijiao Pills.

If quality is insufficient, quantity will compensate!

Perhaps because Qingsi County's Qing Si is low-tier, the highest-tier potential-boosting pill here is only the Haijiao Pill.

【You plan to swallow all these potential-boosting pills at once?!】

"Yes!"

Fang Yue said calmly: "To gain the strength to fight that thing, these Haijiao Pills are necessary. You saw her power—it far surpasses La Guan Yi."

【But—but this is too much! The pill toxicity will accumulate—just burning your lifespan alone will burn you alive!】

"I know that perfectly well."

Fang Yue's eyes glinted with madness: "Ye Zhi Hu Xi isn't omnipotent. Swallowing ten thousand pills at once will trigger massive toxicity—my lifespan will burn furiously. Even my thirty years may not be enough. But think—if I kill Bai Xiaoya before my lifespan runs out, the lifespan I gain will replenish me, offsetting the toxicity's drain!"

【Madman! This is insane! The Parchment disagrees! Disagrees! You'll die!】

"Can you foresee it?"

【…】

Clearly, the Parchment could not foresee what came next.

【In any case—I disagree!!】

The Parchment seemed angry; Fang Yue, torn between laughter and tears, felt a pang of warmth.

After all, the Parchment was only upset because it cared for him.

【NO IT'S NOT!! You—you—you—you—shut up!! Idiot!!】

"Cough! Let's drop this for now. This is just a last resort. If you absorb the Jin Shi and, with Lord Han, can kill Bai Xiaoya, then I won't need these Haijiao Pills at all—I can return them untouched and avoid Qing Si's punishment. But when you use your ability, don't fully turn me into a monster—I'd rather use potential pills and die than become one."

Fang Yue was genuinely afraid of the parchment's Rain-tier power.

Powerful as it was, the whole "transforming into a bizarre creature" thing was just too terrifying — unless he had no choice, he truly didn't want to use it.

But the crisis was right before his eyes; he had no choice but to risk his life!

【Don't worry! The great and noble Lord Parchment will do his best to control the power and won't let you die so easily!】

If you were really that reliable, I wouldn't have ended up in this state…

Shaking his head slightly, Fang Yue began to gather up the Sea-Horn Pills, then walked outside.

……

(End of chapter)