32: What? You're afraid to drink?

In the valley, the fragrance of medicine curled in the air.

Ye Nianxin held the "unconscious" Qin Feng in her arms, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Her elegant and pretty face was filled with anxiety and self-reproach.

It was all her fault!

If she hadn't insisted on dragging Junior Brother to the Pill Room, his old injuries wouldn't have suddenly flared up!

His body was already severely depleted, and he had just forced himself to chat with her for so long; he definitely couldn't hold on anymore!

"Junior Brother, hang in there! I'll perform Alchemy for you right away!"

Ye Nianxin's heart was nearly breaking.

Looking at Qin Feng's "pale" handsome face, a wave of unprecedented heartache surged within her.

She supported Qin Feng and laboriously, step by step, moved him into a guest room on the first floor of the bamboo building, laying him on a soft bamboo bed.

Then, she rushed into the Pill Room on the second floor. Without even taking a breath, she immediately lit the Pill Furnace and began brewing the "ten-complete great tonic soup" she had prepared for a long time.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng, lying on the bed, quietly opened a sliver of his eyes.

He watched the ice-blue sword light galloping toward them outside the window, filled with an aura of world-ending destruction, and thought to himself, "This is bad."

Things have gone out of hand!

Looking at this momentum, she didn't seem like she was here to catch an affair, but rather like she was here to blow both the adulterer and the adulteress away together!

[Ding!]

[Severe threat to the Host's life detected. Issuing emergency self-rescue mission!]

[Option 1: Continue playing dead. Bet that your Revered Master will soften her heart upon seeing your "gasping for breath" state.]

[Option 2: Immediately jump up and kneel to beg for mercy. Admit your mistakes and strive for lenient treatment.]

[Option 3: Turn the tables and seize the initiative! Let her know what true "weakness" is!]

Qin Feng watched the three options appearing in his mind, the corners of his eyes twitching wildly.

Option 1 was seeking death. Revered Master was currently in a fit of rage; seeing him play dead would only add fuel to the fire.

Option 2 was too cowardly; it didn't fit his "self-reliant" persona.

It seemed... only Option 3 offered a glimmer of hope!

Let's do this!

In an instant, Qin Feng made a decision!

Just as that ice-blue sword light was about to slash down upon the bamboo building,

Qin Feng suddenly leaped up from the bed!

He didn't run, nor did he go to meet the attack.

Instead, with lightning speed, he rushed to the entrance of the Pill Room on the second floor!

"Senior Sister! No!"

He let out a grief-stricken "shout"!

Inside the Pill Room, Ye Nianxin, who was focusing on controlling the fire, was startled by his shout and whipped her head around.

Then, she saw Qin Feng spreading his arms wide, like a mountain, blocking the entrance of the Pill Room.

And behind him, a cold and ruthless sword light had already slashed down!

"No!"

Ye Nianxin's pupils suddenly contracted to their limit!

She watched helplessly as the sword light slashed across Qin Feng's back!

However, the expected scene of flesh and blood flying did not occur.

The sword light, capable of cleaving mountains, abruptly stopped when it was less than an inch from Qin Feng's back.

Then, it transformed into a sky full of ice crystals and dissipated into the air.

A cold and beautiful figure appeared before Qin Feng.

It was indeed Zhao Muxue.

Holding the ice soul sword, she radiated a bone-chilling cold. In her phoenix eyes, a raging fire of anger burned as she glared intently at Qin Feng.

"Rebellious Disciple! Get out of my way!"

"I won't!"

Qin Feng spread his arms, guarding the Pill Room's entrance tightly, his face filled with "heroic and fearless" determination.

"Revered Master! If you want to punish someone, punish me alone!"

"Third Senior Sister was only trying to heal my injuries! She doesn't know anything!"

"If you want to strike, you'll have to step over my corpse first!"

He spoke these words with such righteous indignation and soul-stirring emotion.

Standing behind him, Ye Nianxin was moved almost to tears.

Junior Brother!

He... he actually disregarded his own life just to protect me!

But to Zhao Muxue, these words were no different from adding fuel to the fire!

Fine!

You fine Rebellious Disciple!

Acting out a hero-saving-the-beauty act right in front of me, are you?

Step over your corpse?

Do you think I won't dare!

Zhao Muxue trembled with rage, raising the ice soul sword once more.

"Revered Master! No!"

Ye Nianxin finally reacted. Ignoring the Pill Furnace, she hurriedly rushed out and stood in front of Qin Feng, spreading her arms to protect him with her delicate body.

"Revered Master! If you want to kill someone, kill me!"

"Fourth Junior Brother was injured because he saved me! Everything is my fault!"

Zhao Muxue: "..."

She looked at the two Disciples before her, each protecting the other like characters in a melodrama. Her sword remained raised for a long time, but she couldn't bring herself to strike.

What could she do?

She couldn't actually cleave them both apart, could she?

Especially Ye Nianxin; she had always been well-behaved and sensible, and Zhao Muxue had always doted on her.

Zhao Muxue's chest heaved violently; she felt like she was about to suffer a Qi Deviation from the anger these two Rebellious Disciples caused her.

"Both of you, get out of my way!"

Ultimately, she withdrew her sword and barked coldly.

Step by step, she walked up to them, her cold eyes staring intently at Qin Feng, who was shielded by Ye Nianxin.

"You... are very good."

She squeezed those words out through gritted teeth.

"It seems my Cold Ice Pool isn't cold enough."

She turned to look at Ye Nianxin, her voice softening slightly but remaining cold.

"Nianming, you too."

"I allowed you to perform Alchemy, but not so you could use your Origin spiritual power to feed an ungrateful wolf!"

"Revered Master, I..."

Ye Nianxin lowered her head aggrievedly.

"Enough."

Zhao Muxue waved her hand impatiently.

She didn't want to hear another word right now.

Her gaze fell upon the Pill Furnace inside the Pill Room, which was still bubbling and emitting steam.

A dense fragrance, filled with the essence of various top-tier Spirit Medicines, wafted out from it.

"What is this?"

She asked coldly.

"It's... it's the ten-complete great tonic soup this Disciple brewed for Fourth Junior Brother."

Ye Nianxin replied in a low voice.

"ten-complete great tonic soup?"

Hearing this, the corners of Zhao Muxue's mouth curled into a cold, dangerous arc.

She turned to look at Qin Feng and said word by word:

"Fine."

"Since it is your Third Senior Sister's kind intention, then you should drink it."

"In front of all of us, drink it all down for me, without leaving a single drop!"

Qin Feng's heart skipped a beat.

He looked at the "divine soup" in the Pill Furnace—dark as ink, bubbling, and brewed from countless top-tier yang-attribute Spirit Medicines—and felt his legs go a bit weak.

How was this soup?

This was clearly a nuclear bomb!

If he drank this, he had no doubt he would explode on the spot!

"What? Don't dare to drink?"

Zhao Muxue sneered.

"Or is it that you, this 'ungrateful wolf', look down on your Third Senior Sister's skill?"

"No! I wouldn't dare!"

Qin Feng's survival instinct kicked in again.

He knew that he had to drink this bowl of soup today, whether he wanted to or not.

If he drank it, at most he'd be tormented to death by Revered Master tonight.

If he didn't, he'd be cleaved by Revered Master's sword right now.

Between two evils, choose the lesser!

"This Disciple will drink it now!"

Qin Feng gritted his teeth, walked to the Pill Furnace, and looked at the boiling "nuclear bomb soup," a flash of determination in his eyes.

It's just a bowl of soup!

I, Qin Feng, possess the Dragon-Elephant Prison Suppression Technique; what is there to fear!

He picked up a jade bowl larger than his face and filled it to the brim.

Then, under the complex gazes of Zhao Muxue and Ye Nianxin,

He tilted his head back and gulped it down!

"Gulp! Gulp!"

Boom!

The moment the soup hit his throat, Qin Feng felt as if ten thousand suns had exploded simultaneously in his stomach!

...