Chapter 150: Time for a Little Imagination

The butterfly’s situation had finally been resolved, but as for Qu Qiuming’s bizarre “medical technique,” no one had the faintest clue. Even the butterfly herself couldn’t explain what he had done.

“Fellow Daoist Yun, what do you think?” Hall Master Xu asked, glancing toward the unconscious man on the bed. He couldn’t make sense of it either, except that it was clear Qu Qiuming didn’t truly understand medicine.

Yun Jiao had a bold suspicion forming in her mind. After a pause, she said, “Let’s wake him up first.” Then she pulled out a needle and jabbed it into one of his pain points.

“AAAHHH!” Qu Qiuming’s scream pierced the air as he bolted upright, eyes wide with lingering terror from before. “Monster! The monster!” he shouted, scrambling backward in panic. He toppled off the bed with a loud thud, then continued crawling until his back hit the wall. Only when he could retreat no further did he stop, panting and trembling.

His frightened gaze darted around the room. Slowly realizing that everyone present were humans, not demons, he cautiously patted his own body. “I… I’m alive? Then… where’s that monster?”

“She’s not here,” Hall Master Xu said, frowning as he stepped forward. “Mister Qu, why did you draw the demonic energy out of the butterfly demon’s body?” Yun Jiao had said earlier that he’d extracted the last of her demon qi—and the butterfly’s transformation had confirmed it. But demon qi only suited demons. How could a human possibly absorb it?

“Demon energy?!” Qu Qiuming flinched, his face twisting as he recalled the butterfly’s true form. “I didn’t know she was a monster! She disguised herself as a human—she must have wanted to harm me! Yes, that’s it! You have to kill her before she hurts anyone else!”

The crowd’s expressions darkened instantly.

Moments ago, he’d been calling her “sister” with doting affection—and now, upon learning she was a demon, he wanted her dead? That turn was whiplash fast.

A year ago, such an attitude wouldn’t have been surprising. Relations between the Celestial Masters and the demon realm had always been uneasy—especially after the great Mirage Demon incident five centuries prior, which nearly broke all diplomatic ties.

But in recent years, the situation had changed. For reasons unknown, the demon realm had actively reached out to the Celestial Masters Hall—sending rare gifts, offering information about rogue demons that endangered humans, and even helping to maintain peace.

Most demons didn’t harm humans anyway; those that did were rare exceptions. As long as a demon filed a report with the Hall and followed the rules, no sect would bother them. That was why Sect Leader Jin of Qiuhua had confidently offered the butterfly a place to heal—because she carried no blood or malice, only the aura of a harmless spirit beast.

In short: the two worlds were getting along decently now.

So for Qu Qiuming to react like this—to scream “kill it!” the moment he saw a demon—was proof he’d never actually moved in cultivation circles. Otherwise, as a so-called “spiritual healer,” he would have known better.

“Mister Qu,” Hall Master Xu said again, his tone cooling, “you still haven’t answered. Why did you absorb another’s demonic energy?”

Qu Qiuming stiffened, his eyes darting around nervously. Then, stubbornly, he snapped, “I don’t know what you’re talking about! I didn’t absorb anything. I was healing her!”

The hall fell silent for a moment, every face darkening.

Even now, he was sticking to his lie.

They remembered the earlier hunter case—how he’d driven out the corruption but left the wounds unbandaged. At the time, they’d thought it arrogance. Now it was obvious—he simply didn’t know how.

But technically speaking, he had “healed” people, so there wasn’t much they could charge him with—just a severe lack of ethics.

“If you refuse to speak, we won’t force you,” Hall Master Xu said coldly. “But your so-called medical art has serious flaws. The Celestial Masters Hall cannot approve you. You will not be registered, and from this day forward, you are forbidden from calling yourself a spiritual healer of the sect.”

Qu Qiuming’s face turned black with rage. “What?! I saved hundreds in Tianfang City! I have medical skill! You have no right to deny me!”

“By the authority of the Celestial Masters Hall,” Xu said sternly, “we do have that right. The righteous path does not tolerate frauds and pretenders!”

“You—!” Qu Qiuming’s expression grew uglier by the second. But with so many masters watching, he didn’t dare throw a tantrum. He clenched his fists, then sneered, “Hmph! So what if you refuse me? I don’t need your registry! Let’s see if you can truly control every healer in the world. When people come begging me for help, you’ll regret this!”

It was the smug bravado of a petty man—full of bitterness and self-importance.

Everyone’s faces darkened further.

Then Yun Jiao, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

“Whether anyone will beg you later, I don’t know,” she said calmly, “but very soon, you’ll be begging me.”

Qu Qiuming blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

Yun Jiao tilted her head slightly, her tone matter-of-fact. “Haven’t you noticed? The people you treated were all infected with either ghostly or demonic energy. Do you know what happens when a human body absorbs that?”

He froze, eyes going wide.

“Those energies are poisonous to humans,” she continued evenly. “Others merely came in contact with a little of it and nearly died. And you—who absorbed it directly—what do you think will happen to you?”

A wave of horror washed over him. His face drained of color, his limbs trembling. “No… impossible! You’re lying! I’m fine—I’m—”

“You know what it felt like every time you ‘healed’ someone,” Yun Jiao interrupted coolly. “Believe me—or don’t. That’s up to you.”

Her voice was utterly serious—devoid of any hint of jest.

Something in his mind cracked. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, shivering as his thoughts spiraled into panic. Whatever he was imagining clearly terrified him beyond reason.

“Cherish the days you have left,” Yun Jiao said lightly, then turned to the others. “The registration exam isn’t over yet. Let’s get back to the main hall.”

She walked out, the masters following one by one until the room was empty.

Halfway back, the old man finally couldn’t help asking, “Girl, did that man really absorb ghostly and demonic energy?”

“Of course not,” Yun Jiao said breezily. “If he had, he’d be long dead.”

“Then why did you…”

“Oh.” Yun Jiao looked perfectly serious. “I was bluffing.”

The old man: “……”

Hall Master Xu: “……”

The sect masters: “……”

Yun Jiao glanced back at their dumbfounded faces and patted the hall master’s shoulder.

“For people like him,” she said sagely, “we need to give them a little time to imagine the consequences. Only then will they tell the truth.”

(￣△￣；)

(End of Chapter)