The moment Leng Heng stepped out of the room, his sinister aura vanished, replaced by the aloof, arrogant mask of a "transcendent physician."
The bamboo forest hissed in the wind. A group of enforcement disciples, clad in white robes with cloud patterns, stood guard around a central figure. The man was tall and upright, carrying a radiant longsword on his back Immortal Yunsong, the youngest genius of the Valley of Ten Thousand Medicines.
"Doctor Leng, disturbing you at this hour was truly not my intent." Yunsong nodded slightly, but his gaze was as sharp as a falcon's, cutting past Leng Heng's shoulder to drill into the tightly locked door.
Leng Heng adjusted his slightly ruffled sleeve with practiced ease, concealing the red scratch marks Li An had left on the back of his hand. "The Immortal overstates it. My back mountain has always been a sanctuary of silence; even the birds rarely venture here. I fail to see where this 'Divine Beast bloodline' you speak of could possibly originate."
"The altar was destroyed, and the beast fled wounded, leaving a trail of blood that leads directly to these woods." Yunsong took a step forward, his pressure suffocating as he approached the door. "Doctor Leng, that creature is vital to our sect's century-old legacy. If your room is indeed clean, perhaps you wouldn't mind opening the door for a quick inspection, if only to clear your name?"
Leng Heng lowered his eyelids, hiding the murderous intent churning beneath. He shifted his weight, standing firmly in front of the door frame, his tone turning razor-cold.
"Inside my pharmacy are several stalks of 'Nine Nether Orchids' currently being extracted. These flowers cannot endure light, let alone the presence of strangers. If the Immortal insists on barging in and ruining my medicine, I fear even you cannot account for the loss of a year's worth of the Valley's pill supply."
Two Golden Core-level pressures clashed in the air, causing the very atmosphere to solidify.
Meanwhile, inside the room.
The moment that red pill slid down Li An's throat, a wave of frigid energy surged through his meridians, sealing his senses.
He tried to move his fingers, but they felt as heavy as lead, sinking helplessly into the soft fox fur. The drug didn't just rob him of strength; it felt like a wad of cotton had been stuffed into his throat, preventing even a muffled groan.
The silver chain around his ankle scraped against the jade mat, letting out a sharp, grating sound.
[Host! Hold on!] The System's voice flickered urgently in his mind. [Yunsong's affection meter is fluctuating! His curiosity is peaking if you can just make a sound, he'll definitely break in!]
Li An replied with a mental sneer: "Make a sound? My tongue is completely numb."
He forced his eyelids open, his golden slit-pupils burning with a faint red hue born of pure rage. The humiliation of being treated as a pet, a medicinal ingredient, or a weakling to be "protected" triggered the dormant "Reaper" within his soul.
He knew exactly what Leng Heng feared.
Leng Heng feared him being taken by Yunsong. He feared this "perfect masterpiece" being glimpsed by another soul.
In that case, Li An would grant Leng Heng's wish by shattering the illusion of this "gilded cage" entirely.
Li An took a deep breath and began to violently force his spiritual power against the clashing hot and cold medicinal tides within him.
It felt like ten thousand ants were gnawing at his meridians; every bone screamed as if it were snapping. Due to the fierce battle between his soul and the body, his aura which had been suppressed by the pill suddenly leaked out in a sharp, sweet, and violent burst.
Outside.
Immortal Yunsong froze mid-sentence. His acute senses caught a fleeting scent in the air a fragrance that was both savage and intoxicatingly sweet.
The scent... of White Tiger blood.
"Leng Heng!" Yunsong's voice turned frost-cold, his sword sliding half an inch out of its sheath with a sharp clang. "There is blood beneath your medicinal scent. Do you still dare to claim the room is empty?"
"The Immortal hears things; it is merely the echo of a failed cauldron burst." Leng Heng's face darkened completely. Behind him, countless silver needles materialized in the void, gleaming with lethal light.
Just as the two were at each other's throats, a heavy thud erupted from inside the room!
Li An had exhausted his last shred of spiritual energy to throw himself off the bed, knocking over a heavy bronze incense burner in the process.
Li An lay on the cold floor, gasping for air. Due to the backlash of the medicine, his tiger ears were twitching violently, and his snowy tail was curled to the extreme in agony. His long hair was splayed across the floor he was a mess, yet he looked breathtakingly, hauntingly beautiful.
Immortal Yunsong could no longer hold back. His sword flew out of its sheath, trailing a streak of brilliant light as it struck directly for the door lock!
"GET BACK!" Leng Heng snapped, all pretenses of civility gone. His eyes were a twisted, manic crimson as he unleashed a rain of silver needles at Yunsong. "No one looks at him! No one touches him!"
These two powerful men, usually so high and unreachable, had completely torn away their hypocritical masks for the sake of the sickly, ruthless youth behind the door.
Li An lay on the hard floor, listening to the world-shaking battle outside. A mocking smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Fight. The harder you fight, the better.
No matter who wins, I'm just moving from one cage to another.
But I, Li An... have never been a quiet prisoner.