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Join the ServerThe small courtyard lay serene in the quiet of the afternoon.
Sunlight streamed through the sparse fence, dappling the drying herbs with shifting patterns of light and shadow.
A faint, bitter fragrance of medicinal plants hung in the air.
Seated in her wheelchair, Su Qinghan’s slender hands moved with practiced grace, methodically sorting and categorizing the dried herbs.
“Doctor Su! Doctor Su!”
The courtyard gate was pushed open, and an old woman with white hair hurried in, a bamboo basket in her hand and a wide smile on her face.
“You see, this old rheumatism of mine has gotten so much better!”
As she spoke, the old woman punctuated her words with a firm stomp of her foot, the movement surprisingly agile.
“I can even work in the fields with vigor now!”
She placed the bamboo basket on the stone table, revealing neatly arranged eggs and a few heads of cabbage still glistening with morning dew.
“Your free clinic doesn’t charge, and we farmers don’t have much to offer. These eggs are from my own hens, and the vegetables were just picked from my garden. They’re fresh!”
Su Qinghan paused her work and looked up.
Her features were of an exquisite, ethereal beauty, her skin so pale it was nearly translucent.
A cascade of dark hair fell like a waterfall to her waist.
Her delicate, sickly frame lent her an air of profound fragility.
“Auntie, I appreciate the sentiment, but please, take these back with you.”
Her voice was cool, yet not without a touch of warmth.
“It isn’t easy for you, living on your own.”
But the old woman simply set the basket down, turned, and scurried away, calling back, “If you don’t accept them, you’re looking down on this old woman!”
Su Qinghan shook her head with a helpless sigh.
Bound to her wheelchair, her legs devoid of all feeling, she was in no position to give chase.
Silence reclaimed the courtyard, broken only by the soft rustle of herbs between her fingers.
Yet, her thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to another time, another world.
In a life left behind, she had been the youngest Purple-Robed Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, a prodigy of dazzling talent hailed as a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Daoist sect.
Her elders had placed immense hopes on her, and her childhood had been an endless cycle of scriptures, talismans, and incantations.
She had grown accustomed to that ascetic life, one dedicated to pursuing the Daoist ideal of supreme detachment.
Who could have imagined that on one stormy day, while she was refining a spiritual artifact, a bizarre bolt of Violet Firmament Divine Lightning would tear open the void and sweep her soul away?
When she awoke, it was as a sickly young woman in this strange new world.
Less than a tenth of her world-shaking cultivation remained.
Her spiritual soul was now bound to that of a dying fox cub.
The most dreadful part was this body—the meridians in her legs were completely severed, leaving them numb and useless, condemning her to a life in a wheelchair.
‘Thinking about your glorious past again?’
A girlish voice, both sweet and tinged with arrogance, echoed in her mind.
‘I’m telling you, Su Qinghan, with your masterful medical skills, why are you holed up in this backwater village?’
‘Go open a clinic in a bustling county seat! Think of the money we could make! We’d be living the high life, sister!’
It was the fox spirit bound to her, Jiu Li.
A faint smile touched Su Qinghan’s lips, lending a spark of life to her pallid features.
“When I treat people here, I’m not using simple medicine.”
“It is the Art of Zhuyou.”
She explained unhurriedly.
“In this world, the martial arts flourish. Warriors refine their bodies, gather qi, and condense potent energy, some even reaching the Tongxuan Realm, making their physical forms incredibly resilient.”
“But their methods for dealing with ghostly apparitions are far too simplistic.”
“They can only use the brute force of their qi and blood to resist. When faced with incorporeal curses and manifestations of pure resentment, they suffer grievous losses.”
Within her sea of consciousness, Jiu Li took the form of a palm-sized fox, tilting her head in confusion.
‘What does that have to do with you playing divine doctor out here?’
“Of course, it’s connected.”
Su Qinghan’s fingertips gently brushed against a stalk of Tranquility Herb.
“The Art of Zhuyou is, in essence, a form of Daoist magic. It can soothe the spirit and expel sickness and evil.”
“Once word spreads that I can cure illnesses with ‘Daoist metaphysics,’ who do you think will be the first to grow restless?”
Jiu Li’s fox ears twitched.
‘The Demon Exorcism Division?’
“Precisely.”
Su Qinghan’s smile deepened.
“The authorities established the Demon Exorcism Division to eliminate demonic entities through martial might, yet they strictly suppress any talk of ‘non-martial’ supernatural powers. Why is that?”
“Because there are far too many charlatans and fake Daoist masters who have poisoned the well and delayed crucial exorcisms.”
“But what will they do when they discover that ‘Daoist arts’ capable of effectively dealing with these apparitions truly exist in this world?”
“Faced with ghostly beings that leave even powerful martial artists helpless, will the Demon Exorcism Division, already suffering heavy losses, continue to treat me as a charlatan to be arrested, or…”
She paused, her tone firm with conviction.
“…or will they see me as their last hope and respectfully invite me to lend my aid?”
“At that point, not only will I have official protection, but I will also have legitimate access to this world’s supernatural core, gaining the best resources and status. This is called biding one’s time to sell at the highest price.”
Jiu Li was left stunned by her explanation.
‘You… you’re fishing?’
“You could put it that way.”
Su Qinghan replied faintly.
Jiu Li fell silent for a long moment before muttering under her breath.
‘Hmph, what a daydreamer. What if they don’t fall for it and just execute you as a demon?’
Su Qinghan didn’t argue the point.
She stopped what she was doing and listened intently.
From the alley outside the courtyard came the faint but hurried sound of footsteps.
More than one person.
One of the presences was steady and powerful, their qi and blood vigorous—clearly a seasoned martial artist.
An almost imperceptible smile touched Su Qinghan’s lips.
She spoke softly to Jiu Li in her sea of consciousness.
“You see?”
“The fish has taken the bait.”
Creeak—
The courtyard’s wooden gate was thrust open.
A young woman with long, straight black hair, clad in crimson warrior’s garb, strode into the courtyard.
A long, slender blade hung at her waist, and her aura was sharp and imposing.
Behind her trailed a villager, looking somewhat timid.
Su Qinghan recognized him.
It was Li Erniu, who had come to see her a few days ago. He had been plagued by nightmares, his spirit drained, and she had used a Tranquility Talisman to grant him a peaceful night’s sleep.
Now, however, Li Erniu cowered behind the red-clad woman, pointing a finger at Su Qinghan.
“Officer! It’s her!”
“It’s this woman! She doesn’t use herbal tonics, just some mumbo-jumbo to treat people! She must be some kind of demonic sorcerer!”
The red-clad woman’s gaze, sharp as a blade, fell upon Su Qinghan.
She scrutinized the frail woman in the wheelchair from head to toe, her brow furrowed.
She hardly looked like a malevolent sorcerer capable of stirring up trouble.
But the Demon Exorcism Division operated on evidence, not appearances.
Her own master had met his end precisely because he had foolishly trusted such charlatans, only to be slain by a malevolent spirit.
Ever since, she had harbored a deep-seated hatred for all things metaphysical.
The young woman stepped forward and produced a dark iron token from her robes, engraved with the words “Demon Exorcism.” Her voice was crisp and resonant.
“Lu Hongzhuang, Seventh-Rank Exorcist of the Demon Exorcism Division.”
“You are suspected of using demonic arts to bewitch the villagers. You’re to come with us!”
“By order of the Division, I am here to apprehend a demonic practitioner!”
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore I Want To Bite You. Start reading now!
Read : I Want To Bite You
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