A simple, small courtyard, surrounded by walls made of cobblestones mixed with earth, and within the courtyard stands a wooden house with a brick tile roof.

Wang Xiao'Er sat on a small stool, lighting a small fire in the courtyard. A sand kettle was placed over the fire, emitting a strong medicinal smell.

He was already used to it, gently fanning with a palm fan in one hand while stirring the charcoal with a small stick.

Suddenly, the soil beside the pile of firewood began to surge, and a head emerged out of it.

It was as if a crop had grown from the ground.

Even more peculiar, this head seemed to recognize him.

How could it possibly not recognize?

This was the third time Han Yu had encountered him.

This city was very large, so large that two fools couldn't find themselves.

Yet the city was also very small, so small that one could repeatedly run into the same person.

Though the third meeting was somewhat awkward, Han Yu had instinctively tunneled through the ground, estimating his position in his mind before poking his head out.

As a result, as soon as his head emerged, there was a pile of firewood in front of him; if he had deviated slightly, he might have had the firewood on his head.

Wang Xiao'Er displayed unusual calmness, simply staring silently at the suddenly appeared head before getting up and walking away.

After a short while, he returned, carrying a hoe, and softly asked.

"Do you need help digging yourself out?"

Uh...

"No need."

Han Yu smiled awkwardly, then his body rose from the ground as if he were standing up from a pool of water. Once he was fully out, a flicker of astonishment flashed in Wang Xiao'Er's eyes, though his expression remained unchanged.

A pungent medicinal scent invaded his nose. The bitter, slightly sour taste seemed almost fully brewed as Wang Xiao'Er returned with a wet cloth and a porcelain bowl.

Carefully pouring the medicine into the bowl, he then took the sand kettle outside to empty it, returning to clean it quietly.

He did all this at a leisurely pace, as if Han Yu wasn't even there.

Han Yu's gaze never wavered as he watched Wang Xiao'Er calmly carry on until he had nothing else to do. Then he approached the bowl placed on the stool, gently blowing its contents.

The pungent medicine seemed commonplace as Wang Xiao'Er drank it calmly without a change in expression.

"Are you ill?"

Han Yu softly inquired.

After placing the bowl down, Wang Xiao'Er turned back to look at him, seemingly considering whether to engage with this peculiar cultivator.

From the moment Han Yu emerged from the earth, he knew he was a cultivator; only a cultivator could possess such methods.

"Yes, an illness that could take my life at any time."

Seeing Han Yu wasn't that much older than him, Wang Xiao'Er eventually began to speak slowly.

Though he said it was life-threatening, his expression remained so serene.

"Is it serious?"

Han Yu frowned unwarrantedly.

Since it was life-threatening, how could it not be serious? Han Yu realized how foolish his question was as soon as he finished asking.

Wang Xiao'Er was quite indifferent, pointing at his heart, saying.

"I was born missing a thread in my heart arteries; I can't have any drastic emotional fluctuations, can't laugh or cry loudly."

He paused slightly.

"I shouldn't last much longer. I can feel my heart getting stronger, yet my heart arteries can't sustain it. The doctor said that when the heart blood surges, I will die."

Han Yu was astonished, watching as the person before him spoke about death with such calmness, finding it all absurd.

"Yet, with your condition, you still go to the Imperial Court selection?"

"Because the doctor also said that by becoming a cultivator through training, there might be a slim chance of saving my life."

Wang Xiao'Er said with a light smile.

So, while others might have various motives to participate in the selection to become a cultivator, he only tried time after time to claw at life.

Becoming a cultivator is the only chance to save his life, but he simply doesn't have the slightest capability to cultivate.

This is not just illness; it is fate.

"No, it's just an illness. I never believed in fate."

Seemingly seeing through Han Yu's thoughts, Wang Xiao'Er's serene face displayed a stubborn expression for the first time.

Perhaps he wasn't the first one to say it was fate to his face!

Han Yu withdrew his sympathetic gaze. For a person like this, sympathy was akin to insult.

The two fell into a period of silence.

Han Yu gradually got up and walked to the door, reaching the courtyard's exit quickly. But after a moment, he returned, looking at Wang Xiao'Er with a complex expression.

"What if I told you that I have a pill which, if taken, will subject you to three calamities and six difficulties within seven days, and you would be on the brink of death? However, if you endure, not only won't you die, but maybe you will become very powerful. But the side effect is that the Qi Fortune will detest you. Would you take it?"

Within the small courtyard, Wang Xiao'Er's face gradually turned incredulous, as if hearing an outlandish tale.

Han Yu's gaze finally rested on him with a sigh.

"If you believe and aren't afraid to die, come find me at the city's inn tomorrow."

After speaking, Han Yu truly walked away without looking back.

On his way back, he suddenly pondered out loud within his Sea of Consciousness.

"Do you think such a pill might have appeared especially for him?"

Within his Sea of Consciousness, Glass gave him a big roll of eyes and sneered.

"If you think that way, it can only show your naivety. The Reversing Fate Pill won't change for anyone, the Ping won't open up shortcuts for anyone, and I won't modify the West River Pill's price for anyone."

"Your strength comes from sacrifice, and his life and death must be decided by the rules of the Reversing Fate Pill as well."

To the Artifact Spirit, this was especially contentious.

Considering the effects of the Reversing Fate Pill, it could even be regarded as a Poison Pill. If it were given to those two fools just now, it would certainly end one of them.

A pill that could poison a ordinary person and a Great Perfection in Divine Gaze Realm alike, in terms of value, Han Yu's decision wasn't wise.

Han Yu grinned noncommittally.

For most, the Reversing Fate Pill might indeed resemble potent poison.

But for someone in such dire straits, why can't it be the last straw...

——

Twenty miles outside the city, Zhao Yulin was as if searching the ground inch by inch, as he, along with ten other people, had been patrolling in mid-air for two hours and were still unable to find any trace of Han Yu.

Frustrated, the nine cultivators in the Divine Gaze Realm suffered a tirade, one by one enduring a severe scolding.

"From today onward, keep your eyes peeled. I want everything peaceful not just inside the city but outside as well."

The nine Divine Gaze Realm cultivators lamented immediately.

This isn't feasible. They could manage in the city by dividing the regions among nine people to keep a close watch.

But outside the city is a different challenge. A State Prefecture so vast, not talking of the entire State Prefecture, but even monitoring twenty miles of the surroundings with nine people is a monumental task.

Listening to his subordinates complain, Zhao Yulin couldn't help but bellow angrily.

"This is a military order; I must adhere to it just the same, and I will also be watching."

He had a gut feeling that this matter was far from over; besides the fleeing Han Yu, there were two more individuals lurking around.

No matter what they intended, they must not cause trouble within the city...

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