Yuan Di’s motives were unclear, but she certainly harbored no good intentions.
Ghost Axe Chen Youde wanted to use him as a material for artifact refining.
Zheng Xiao’s willingness to marry in her sister’s place suggested she was up to no good.
And then there was the Disciple of the Demon Emperor, lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment…
On top of all that, his own progress with the Demonic Art, *Huitian*, remained dangerously unpredictable.
Consumed by worry, Wang Sandong developed mouth ulcers.
The sores were painful enough that even opening his mouth to speak hurt.
It was a minor ailment, but an incredibly annoying one.
He immediately scribbled down a prescription and handed it to Wang Tong, instructing him to fetch the medicine.
Wang Tong looked at him with wide-eyed surprise.
“Young Master, since when do you know how to write prescriptions?”
“I don’t. This is something Mr. Yi taught me before. He said it’s for tea to clear internal heat,” Wang Sandong improvised, covering the corner of his mouth with his hand.
“Stop talking and just go.”
In reality, he had formulated the prescription specifically for his own constitution.
After killing Mr. Yi, Wang Sandong had directly inherited the man’s memories.
For a renowned physician, writing a script to clear heat and toxins was as natural as breathing.
In other words, Wang Sandong was now a master physician in his own right.
This was a massive gain—one far more practical than the *Noble Spirit Art* or the *Life-Taking Sword Manual*.
After all, as miraculous as those two techniques were, he couldn’t actually use them yet.
The knowledge of a master physician, however, could save his life in a critical moment.
He had to marvel at the wonders of *Huitian* and Soul Snatching.
He hadn’t read more than a handful of medical books across two lifetimes, yet he had effortlessly become a master doctor.
‘Plundering memories is truly convenient. It’s practically getting something for nothing. How wonderful!’
While he was lost in thought, he noticed traces of Demonic Qi appearing under his fingernails again.
Wang Sandong reflexively stuck his finger into his mouth to suck on it, his mind churning for a way to prevent this from happening.
Now that he possessed the knowledge and experience of a master physician, he had a whole new perspective on this leakage of Demonic Qi.
After a deep analysis, Wang Sandong concluded that the leakage wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
It was like a bucket already filled to the brim with water.
If you refused to let the water overflow while continuously pouring more in, what would happen?
The bucket would burst!
In other words, if he completely suppressed the Demonic Qi, the excessive energy in his body would likely tear his physical form apart.
Therefore, the overflow was necessary.
However, the fingernails were too conspicuous.
If someone saw the Demonic Qi there, it would lead to trouble.
If only he could find a way to shift the location of the overflow…
For instance, the seven orifices of the head…
No, that would be even more obvious.
Or…
Wang Sandong’s gaze drifted toward his lower abdomen.
A few ridiculous and dangerous ideas flashed through his mind, causing his fingertips to twitch instinctively.
But a second later, he snapped out of it.
‘This is playing with fire!’
The *Huitian* technique was bizarre, and his body was incredibly weak.
If he experienced even a slight surge of carnal desire, he might actually ‘die of pleasure.’
‘No, no, I can’t go looking for death. What if I die before I can even pull my pants up? How embarrassing would that be?’
Wang Sandong quickly withdrew his hand and took a deep breath, forcibly crushing those stray thoughts.
‘Calm down. Deep breaths. How can I be daydreaming at a time like this?’
He needed to focus on how to deal with Ghost Axe Chen Youde.
Though the old man wasn’t known for his combat prowess, he still possessed Rank 5 Cultivation.
He was not to be underestimated.
In truth, the Ghost Axe was anything but simple.
It was a miraculous method capable of forcibly extracting a Spiritual Root.
This meant Chen Youde was never just the “knife-bearer” Wang Sandong had previously assumed him to be.
Even the method of stripping the Spiritual Root had been taught to Wang Zhongyi by him.
Sigh…
‘Chen Youde, oh Chen Youde. In this world, you are the one person who absolutely must die!’
But…
With his current strength, how could he kill the man?
Should he focus on cultivation and wait until he reached Rank 5 Cultivation before acting?
He feared there wasn’t enough time.
“Third Young Master, enjoying the sun, are we?”
Someone called out.
Hearing that voice sent a shiver through Wang Sandong’s heart.
“Uncle De?”
Wang Sandong greeted him with a smile.
“What a rarity. What brings you to Anzhi Courtyard?”
His tone was casual, but his heart was in his throat.
“Haha, the great day is approaching,” Chen Youde said with a laugh.
“This old servant has come to explain some of the important procedures to the Third Young Master, so you won’t be flustered when the time comes.”
‘Just to explain procedures? Not to drag me off to be refined into an artifact?’
Wang Sandong didn’t dare lower his guard.
He gave a casual nod, maintaining his lazy expression while his internal tension remained high.
Chen Youde stepped closer and pulled a small booklet from his robe, beginning to outline the process.
Since this was a marriage between two of the families of the Nine Surnamed Kings, the procedures were incredibly tedious, yet no errors were permitted.
Otherwise, they would become the laughingstock of the capital.
“The Celebration Grand Ceremony will be held on the second, and the wedding is set for the sixth. Therefore, the Head of the Clan will certainly be present on the day you marry, Third Young Master.”
Chen Youde spoke with a smile, looking every bit the kind, elderly servant.
“In other places, the custom is to serve tea to the Head of the Clan first. But in the Old Capital, parents come first. You must serve your parents first…”
Wang Sandong appeared to be listening intently, but he wasn’t paying any attention to Chen Youde’s words.
He was focused entirely on the man, terrified that he might suddenly strike.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
“A girl named Zheng Xiao told me something,” Wang Sandong said, staring directly into Chen Youde’s eyes.
“She said she’s going to marry me in her sister’s place.”
Chen Youde maintained his smile and gave a slight nod.
“This Lady Zheng Xiao is even more beautiful than the previous one. Since you’ve met her, Young Master, I assume you’re quite satisfied?”
“She’s fine.”
Wang Sandong sighed.
“With this body of mine, even if I don’t die immediately, I’m in a bad way. Whoever marries me will likely be a widow in waiting. First a living widow, then a dead one.”
He paused before adding, “So, I’m truly curious. Why would Zheng Xiao be so willing to marry me? What is she after?”
Chen Youde laughed.
“Naturally, she is after the Third Young Master’s extraordinary charm and noble bearing. In all of the Old Capital, one would be hard-pressed to find a man more handsome than you.”
‘Handsome?’
Certainly.
But “extraordinary charm” was pushing it, and “noble bearing” was pure nonsense.
For a sickly person like him, where was the noble bearing supposed to come from?
‘This old fox! Does he know something and is just playing dumb with me?’
Most likely.
“You’re quite the flatterer,” Wang Sandong scoffed with a smile.
“I’m honored.”
Chen Youde replied, “Third Young Master, I see your complexion isn’t great. How about I check your pulse? This old servant knows a bit of the medical arts as well.”
As he spoke, he took another step forward.
Wang Sandong was startled.
Suppressing his emotions, he said, “There’s no need. When has my complexion ever been good?”
He mocked himself before quickly changing the subject.
“By the way, is my Eldest Brother returning soon?”
“Likely after the Celebration Grand Ceremony,” Chen Youde answered.
“The Eldest Young Master is well-loved by the Human Sovereign; perhaps he will stay in the New Capital to celebrate with him.”
“Hm, that makes sense. You may leave.”
“This old servant should still check your pulse…”
Chen Youde reached out his hand as he spoke.
“Third Young Master.”
Hearing the voice, Chen Youde’s hand paused before he withdrew it.
Wang Sandong’s heart thudded again.
He looked toward the source of the voice and saw Hongxiu, the maid of his mother, Madam Wang.
Hongxiu walked over with a smile.
“Uncle De is here as well.”
Chen Youde looked at her.
After a brief moment of blankness, he broke into a grin.
“Ah, Hongxiu is here.”
Turning back to Wang Sandong, he said, “Young Master, those are the wedding procedures. Please keep them in mind. This old servant will take his leave.”
Hongxiu bowed as Chen Youde departed, then turned to Wang Sandong.
“Third Young Master, how is your health? The Madam said you were very close with Mr. Yi and feared you might be overcome with grief, so she sent me to check on you.”
“I’m fine,” Wang Sandong replied.
Internally, he grumbled: ‘If Mother was so worried about me, why didn’t she come herself instead of sending a maid?’
“That’s good then.”
Hongxiu’s face remained bright.
“There is nothing else. I shall take my leave.”
She turned to go, then paused and looked back.
“Oh, that’s right. There is only one manservant in Anzhi Courtyard; I fear you aren’t being properly cared for. If the Young Master has any needs, you can come find me at any time.”
‘Those words…’
There seemed to be a hidden meaning behind them.
“I will,” Wang Sandong agreed.
Watching Hongxiu’s slender figure recede, Wang Sandong slowly unclenched the fists he had hidden in his sleeves.
The wind brushed against his palms, drying the cold sweat.
It felt freezing.
‘Chen Youde was adamant about checking my pulse. He definitely had bad intentions. He’s like a farmer checking on his crops…’
Whether Hongxiu knew about his Demon Cultivation was still unclear.
However, she was definitely not as simple as she appeared.
Wang Sandong felt physically and mentally exhausted.
He closed his eyes lazily and soaked in the sun for a while longer.
Wang Tong returned and prepared tea for Wang Sandong using the herbs he had bought.
Once Wang Sandong had finished the tea and fallen asleep, Wang Tong returned to his own small room to practice the *Noble Spirit Art*.
His talent was exceptionally mediocre.
Despite his diligence, his cultivation speed was agonizingly slow.
But slowness had its advantages.
At the very least, his foundation would be solid.
In contrast, someone like Wang Sandong, who reached Grade 3 Cultivation in such a short time, would have an extremely superficial foundation.
The consequence was that further progress would become increasingly difficult, and he would be prone to disordered Qi and empty strength—a hollow rank.
When he woke up from his nap, Wang Sandong checked his own pulse and discovered these three exact problems.
Without the restriction of a Spiritual Root and due to his rapid progress, the Demonic Qi in his body was highly unstable.
Even a slight emotional disturbance could cause the Qi to run wild.
That was the disordered Qi.
As for the empty strength…
His face was becoming increasingly feminine and delicate, yet his physical frame remained weak.
That was the very definition of hollow strength.
Because of those two issues, being a “hollow rank” was inevitable.
He appeared to have Grade 3 Cultivation, but his actual combat power likely couldn’t match a Rank 2 practitioner.
His ability to kill three people in a row was mainly due to the bizarre nature of Soul Snatching, not because he was genuinely strong.
Or perhaps it was because Yuan Di had been secretly helping him?
Wang Sandong couldn’t help but sigh.
He felt like a porcelain vase—beautiful to look at, but incredibly fragile.
The sunset painted the horizon in shades of crimson, looking like blood.
In a daze, Wang Sandong suddenly recalled a memory.
It was from decades ago.
In the Southern Border, amidst a landscape of swirling mist.
“Wang Sandong” was saying goodbye to his master, Spring-Returning Hand.
Looking at his master’s young and handsome face, “Wang Sandong” spoke with a choked voice, “Master, after this parting, I don’t know when we shall see each other again.”
Spring-Returning Hand smiled calmly and said, “Silly child, all good things must come to an end.”
“Wang Sandong” sighed softly.
Just as Spring-Returning Hand was about to say more, his eyebrows shot up in annoyance.
“Chen Youde is here again.”
“That man is truly persistent,” “Wang Sandong” warned.
“Master, please be careful.”
“No matter. Though the Ghost Axe is strong, he has a fatal weakness. You head down the mountain; I shall go meet him.”
With that, his master drifted away.
The image of his master’s back remained frozen in the memory.
Wang Sandong frowned, unable to stop himself from grumbling about Mr. Yi.
‘Why didn’t you ask what the Ghost Axe’s fatal weakness was? “Master” is just as bad! I hate these riddle-mongers who only speak half the truth.’
He felt drained.
With this body, even thinking too much was exhausting.
He decided to go out for some fresh air.
“Wang Tong, ready the carriage!”
“Young Master, where are we going?”
Wang Sandong remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
“To the Zheng Clan.”
He wondered if his fiancée, Zheng Xiao, knew much about the legendary Ghost Axe.
The image of Zheng Xiao’s petite yet curvaceous figure surfaced in his mind.
‘Sigh… thinking is all I can do. I don’t dare try anything.’
Not only did his physical condition forbid it, but Zheng Xiao was also a seasoned hunter of demons.
Changing into his traveling robes, Wang Sandong looked at the handsome youth in the mirror and felt a pang of melancholy.
He suddenly felt a trace of regret.
‘Was it possible that even if I hadn’t practiced *Huitian*, I wouldn’t have died?’
Well, it was too late for regrets.
On the bright side, at least he had learned the miraculous killing technique, Soul Snatching.
Not only could he kill, but he could also steal memories…
Wait!
Wang Sandong froze.
Yuan Di didn’t know that Soul Snatching could take memories.
In that case…
What was the true purpose of Soul Snatching?
Was it just a simple killing technique?
Likely not.
Yuan Di didn’t seem like someone who took pleasure in slaughter.
A skill created by someone of her intellect wouldn’t be designed solely for killing.
Wang Sandong’s brow furrowed.
He held out his hand.
As he circulated his Demonic Qi, his fingernails on his fair, small hand rapidly turned pitch black.
Then, a faint, black shadowy palm flickered into existence.
‘Is this shadow just an image created by Demonic Qi? Or is it something else?’
He decided not to dwell on it for now.
He had to figure out how to face Zheng Xiao.
‘Zheng Xiao couldn’t be in league with Chen Youde, could she?’
If she was, he wouldn’t be able to handle it regardless of what he did; he would have to ask Yuan Di for help.
And if she wasn’t…
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