Chapter 85: Treating the Patient at the Qi Residence

Lian Village was located just ten miles outside Pingdan City—not far at all—and was a prosperous settlement with a large population. As Yun Jiao and her group walked along the path, they passed many villagers working in the fields. Upon hearing that the visitors were from Tianshi Hall, the locals immediately brightened up and hurriedly led them to see the village chief.

“The heavenly masters have finally arrived!” The village chief, a man around sixty, came rushing forward as soon as he saw them. His expression was filled with relief and excitement. “Masters, please, you must subdue that monster and save the children of our village!”

“Monster?” Yun Jiao frowned slightly. “How do you know it’s a monster that’s taking the children?” The steward earlier had said they hadn’t identified what kind of evil force it was.

“That’s what the previous heavenly masters discovered,” the village chief explained. “They said the culprit was a powerful demon, one who’s been capturing our children to cultivate its demonic arts.”

“The previous heavenly masters are still in the village?” the old man asked in surprise. Weren’t they supposed to have vanished?

“No…” The village chief’s face darkened, and he sighed. “Those masters went up the mountain to subdue the demon and never came back. What we know about the demon came from Young Master Qi, the village’s benefactor.”

“Qi… benefactor?” The old man blinked, confused.

Yun Jiao stepped forward, her tone turning serious. “Village Chief, please tell us everything you know about the heavenly masters who came before us—every detail.”

The village chief nodded, motioning for them to sit, and began recounting the events from the start.

The disappearances had begun two months ago. Around ten days ago, four heavenly masters from Tianshi Hall had arrived. They searched the village for a week but found no trace of the evil presence. Worried that more children might go missing, they placed tracking seals on all the children.

That very night, something happened. A child from the eastern side of the village was almost taken.

Fortunately, the young master of the Qi family heard the commotion and rushed out to stop the creature. He fought desperately, sustaining serious injuries, but managed to hold out until the four heavenly masters arrived. The child was saved, but the monster escaped.

The next morning, the heavenly masters pursued it into the mountains—and never returned. Young Master Qi fell gravely ill afterward.

“The Qi family is one of the wealthiest in our village,” the chief continued. “Half the farmland here belongs to them. When Old Master Qi was alive, he often helped the poor and was known far and wide as a benevolent man. His son followed in his footsteps—always kind, always generous. So everyone here calls him ‘Little Benefactor Qi.’ Who would have thought such a good man would suffer like this…” He sighed deeply, his lined face filled with worry. “Heavenly Masters, please—you must rid us of this demon and save our village from this curse.”

Yun Jiao pondered for a moment before saying, “Village Chief, could you take us to see this Young Master Qi?”

“Of course, of course.” The chief stood up at once and led them toward the eastern part of the village, stopping before a large estate that stood out starkly from the surrounding farmhouses.

He explained the situation to the servant guarding the gate, whose eyes lit up at once. “The heavenly masters have arrived! Please, come in quickly!”

As he hurriedly led them inside, he kept glancing anxiously over his shoulder. “Please, masters, you must save my young master. His condition grows worse by the day!”

The village chief quickly added, “Yes, yes, Young Master Qi is such a kind soul—he doesn’t deserve to suffer at the hands of that demon. Masters, we’re counting on you.”

It seemed the young master was well-loved by everyone. Bai Yu exchanged a quick glance with Yun Jiao—she was a spirit physician, after all. If the man’s illness was caused by demonic energy, she was the only one capable of treating him.

“Let’s take a look first,” Yun Jiao replied calmly.

They followed the servant deeper into the residence. Even before reaching the inner room, they could already hear the harsh, racking coughs that filled the air, mingled with the pungent scent of medicine.

The servant announced their arrival, and soon the door was opened from within.

A young woman stood at the entrance. She wore plain clothing, yet her every movement carried the graceful composure of a lady from a noble household. Still, her brows were tightly furrowed with worry.

“Young Madam!” the servant greeted her respectfully before introducing the visitors. “These are the heavenly masters sent by Tianshi Hall.”

Her face lit up at once. “Please, come in—please! Masters, I beg you, save my husband. He won’t hold on much longer.” Her voice trembled, and her eyes glistened with tears.

Yun Jiao and the others followed her inside.

On the bed lay a young man—pale, frail, his breathing shallow and uneven. He was clearly the young master of the Qi family. His condition was indeed dire; his complexion was ashen, and his chest rose weakly with every breath, as though he could pass away at any moment.

“Masters…” he rasped when he heard them enter. He tried to sit up but lacked the strength, and could only give them an apologetic look. But as he moved, a faint wisp of greenish aura flickered briefly around him.

“Demonic energy!” the old man exclaimed in shock.

After more than a year of Yun Jiao’s relentless crash-course tutoring, he’d made great progress. He wasn’t capable of opening his spiritual eyes yet, but he could at least distinguish the presence of yin and demonic energy now.

“Girl…” he muttered, glancing at Yun Jiao. So it really was a demon’s work—the young master had been tainted by demonic qi!

“Mm.” Yun Jiao nodded slightly and stepped up to the bed. Her gaze swept over the patient. “You’re gravely injured. Was it the demon that did this to you?”

The young man managed a faint, polite smile, still maintaining the poise of a gentleman despite his weakness. After a few shallow breaths, he replied hoarsely, “It is as the masters say… Qi was careless and fell for the demon’s tricks.”

“Do you mind if I take a look?” Yun Jiao asked.

“I would be grateful,” he said, a glimmer of relief appearing in his weary eyes.

Yun Jiao reached out instinctively to take his pulse, but as her fingers neared his wrist, he suddenly flinched back, looking at her with a mix of surprise and confusion. “Master, what are you doing? Aren’t you going to exorcise it?”

He glanced at her empty hands, clearly expecting her to pull out talismans or incantations—not touch him directly.

The old man immediately stepped in before the misunderstanding grew. “Young Master Qi, our Yun girl is a spirit physician, not an ordinary exorcist. If the demonic energy has entered your body, charms alone might not be enough. Let her examine you properly—it’s safer that way.”

The explanation seemed to ease everyone present. The village chief and servants all looked relieved—except for the patient himself. For a brief moment, his expression froze, but it quickly smoothed over into polite composure. “Ah, I see. Then I’ll trouble this master.”

Yun Jiao didn’t notice the fleeting hesitation. She placed her fingers on his wrist and quietly felt for his pulse.

A few moments later, her brows furrowed. Something about his pulse was… off.

She turned slightly, glancing at the figure standing behind her—her Grandmaster.

Ye Yuan’s expression was calm and unreadable. He gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

Oh no.

This was not going to be simple.

(End of Chapter)