The Kill Matt Bird’s voice grew even lower, like the purring melody of a reed pipe, rippling like waterweed brushing the surface.
“How did you think to change the pill’s flavor?”
Shen He was baffled. “To sell better.”
Pei Jiye: “Gah?”
Shen He answered honestly, “Senior Brother Pang and I come from a restaurant background. We’re used to this. An ordinary radish costs five copper coins, but carve it into a peony flower and it sells for fifty. Carve a red radish into a phoenix shape, place it on cauliflower to mimic a phoenix perched on a parasol tree, and you can sell it for a tael of silver!”
The Kill Matt Bird: “…”
The tiny bird turned into a statue, frozen on the Crimson Tree Branch.
“Our Qi Gathering Pills are of good quality, but we have no foundation in the Sect, so no steady customers. To break into the market, we need to make our pills more competitive, so we improved the Pill Formula. So far, it seems effective—plenty of senior brothers and sisters are pre-ordering from us… Ahh!!”
Mid-sentence, Shen He’s vision blurred. The lethally gaudy Kill Matt Senior charged at his face like an out-of-control Flying Shuttle.
Instinctively, Shen He pulled out the unrefined White Bone Bell. But this poor Protective Artifact lasted only a second before shattering like paper with a crisp crack.
Seeing his face about to be clawed into bloody gashes by the terrifying Night Senior, in this life-or-death moment, Shen He instinctively summoned his newly refined Emerald Jade Sword.
The verdant sword blade shot from Shen He’s mouth, colliding head-on with the oncoming Kill Matt Bird.
Bang—
Shen He was sent flying with his sword by the horrific force, smashing the Pill Room’s door into splinters. Even the Protective Formation outside shattered under the impact of the dreadful Demonic Qi.
Shen He rolled twice on the ground, instinctively cradling his head and scrambling away, fearing a follow-up attack.
But fortunately, Night Senior seemed to come back to his senses. After letting out an extremely angry, ear-piercing screech followed by crackling sounds, he vanished.
Shen He stared blankly at the wrecked Pill Room door, then at the senior brothers, sisters, and menial disciples peeking around. He gave a wry smile.
This Night Senior was so hard to deal with—moody and unpredictable.
With a heavy and weary heart, Shen He tidied up the Pill Room a bit before hurrying back to his room.
Pang Sanxian’s arm had fully recovered. Seeing the obvious red swelling on Shen He’s face from a sword blade slap, Pang Sanxian actually breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh, I was afraid you’d suffer too, but seeing you like this… I’m actually pretty happy.”
Shen He rolled his eyes. Senior Brother Pang still had that young master temper.
He silently pulled out his shattered White Bone Bell.
Pang Sanxian sucked in a breath. “Isn’t this the Protective Artifact True Person Lin Yu gave you? How did it…”
He looked at Shen He pityingly. “Why don’t you talk to Senior Brother Hong? Ask him to put in a word and request another Magic Artifact from True Person Lin Yu?”
Shen He let out a long sigh. “I’ve already sent a message to Senior Brother Hong explaining everything, but after Master Lin handed Night Senior to me, he left the Sect. He’s not here.”
He added, “Senior Brother Pang, you’re a menial disciple in the Pill Room. No slacking off. Either come with me to the Pill Room, or I’ll go to Senior Brother Zheng and say you didn’t complete your duties.”
Pang Sanxian glared at Shen He. “We’re fellow disciples! And you treat me like this?!”
Shen He smiled faintly. “No choice. I’m worried about dragging you down too, but seeing us both suffer… I’m actually pretty happy.”
Pang Sanxian: “…”
Helpless, Pang Sanxian had no choice but to go to the Pill Room with Shen He the next day to face the terrifying Night Senior.
But contrary to Pang Sanxian and Shen He’s expectations, the Crimson Tree Branch rack was empty—Night Senior was gone! Great!
Pang Sanxian and Shen He happily high-fived, then one hurried off to cultivate while the other continued his money-making venture.
In a place the two didn’t notice, the Kill Matt Bird hid in the shadows, coldly staring at the two demonic cultivator disciples.
Like a strand of black ink, he glided lightly under the Sect’s eaves, through treetops, and in the cracks of gravel paths, closely observing Shen He’s every move.
He watched for five straight days and found that Shen He was truly just an ordinary Silent Night Palace disciple—no signs of rebirth, no private mutterings, no secret practice of any world-destroying Cultivation Methods.
In that moment, the Kill Matt Bird seemed to lose all strength. He simply turned into a wisp of green smoke and returned to the deepest quiet chamber in Silent Night Palace.
He needed time to recover.
Yet another night passed. In the early morning, Xie Linlang abruptly awoke, absorbing the first strand of heaven-and-earth yin-yang transformative qi. He checked his progress and found his originally loose Divine Soul had condensed significantly.
Good. The first seven days were done. Just two more seven-day cycles, and he could complete the prerequisites for reshaping his immortal body.
In an excellent mood, Xie Linlang asked Shen He, “How have things been these past few days? Nothing happened, right?”
