Chapter 14: A Loss? Not a Chance

Ying Zhao was somewhat surprised that Tianbao would ask such a question, so she asked: [Do you not want me to save him?]

Tianbao quickly replied: [He is too ordinary. Even if Master saves him, you will only earn one merit point. However, Master has already spent thousands of merit points, and if you were to purchase the Rejuvenation Pill, it would cost at least another hundred. It is too much of a loss.]

Ying Zhao laughed; she found that this Tianbao was quite adorably foolish: [Who said I was going to buy a Rejuvenation Pill?]

She hadn't bought this outfit merely to save this man.

In this world, the social hierarchy was strictly enforced, and her true identity was far too ordinary, making many things impossible to accomplish.

Those clans would not hold a mere commoner like her in any regard. Once she revealed the items from the Mall, they would swarm her like bloodthirsty wolves, tearing her and her family limb from limb.

Therefore, for the sake of safety, she had to put on a "disguise."

For instance, when she encountered Zhou Fang previously, she had posed as a powerful expert, not only beating up Zhou Fang's guards but also issuing threats.

If Zhou Fang knew it was her, how could she possibly be feared? Zhou Fang and the Zhou Jing behind her would only seek brutal revenge against her entire family!

And this current "Great Shaman" persona was also extremely useful.

When she arrived earlier, although the people from the Shamanic Medical Hall did not stop her from entering, they had ignored her completely, treating her as if she were invisible.

Now that she had swapped into the persona of a Great Shaman, they were filled with trepidation, terrified of offending her.

This was the benefit of a disguise.

Although buying this outfit cost quite a few merit points, she would have great uses for it in the future; how could this be considered a waste?

Moreover, she had no intention of buying a Rejuvenation Pill to save this man.

A low-grade Rejuvenation Pill was insufficient to restore him instantly, while a mid-grade one was far too expensive.

Ying Zhao planned to take a shortcut and, incidentally... she also wanted to test those sudden memories and the acupuncture techniques she had just learned.

Thus, after laughing, she quickly purchased surgical tools, saline, an old ginseng root, and wound-healing ointment.

She sliced a piece of the old ginseng and stuffed it into the young man's mouth to sustain his life, then used the Forty-Nine Heavenly Travels Needles to protect his heart vessels. Next, she stopped the bleeding, cleaned the wound, sutured it, applied the healing ointment, stitched the opened abdomen, and then applied more medicine.

The wound-healing ointment, as the name suggested, was a salve capable of making wounds heal.

Its effect was somewhat similar to the Rejuvenation Pill, but not as potent, so its price was much lower—a large box could be bought for only a hundred merit points.

Once the medicine was applied, as long as the wound wasn't too deep, it would heal rapidly.

The sutures Ying Zhao purchased were made of a special kind of silk; once stitched, they did not need to be pulled out, as they would be absorbed by the body.

After using the medicine, the young man's lacerated intestines had nearly healed halfway. The wound on his abdomen was deeper, so it healed more slowly, but a blood scab had already formed on the surface, showing promising results.

Ying Zhao checked the young man's pulse and found that his vitality had recovered significantly. As long as nothing unexpected happened, his life was certainly secured, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She then asked Tianbao: [Tianbao, how much time has passed?]

Tianbao's tone was excited: [Master is very fast; only half an hour has passed.]

Hearing this, Ying Zhao felt even more satisfied.

Only half an hour—for saving a life, this was definitely not a long time. It seemed she had done well just now, and her movements were fast enough.

Unexpectedly, Tianbao soon added: [An old shamanic doctor and a County Lieutenant have arrived outside. Master, you must be careful!]

Ying Zhao's expression darkened: [I know.]

She was not surprised that the shamanic doctor would come; after all, she had come to the Shamanic Medical Hall, and the staff would surely notify him.

However, she had not expected the County Lieutenant to show up as well!

This Qingshan County was merely a small county town, and there was only one County Lieutenant in the town, named Zhao Xing.

This man had a deep connection to her family; her father was a clerk under Zhao Xing's command, not only working for him but also having all his merits stolen by Zhao Xing.

Now that Zhao Xing had actually arrived...

Would Father be outside as well?

Thinking of this possibility, Ying Zhao suddenly felt nervous: She was currently in disguise; Father shouldn't be able to recognize her, right?

Meanwhile, the people outside had various motives.

The news that a shaman had arrived in town had already spread throughout the entire county. The shamanic doctor Sun Sheng and the County Magistrate had received the news almost simultaneously.

Magistrate Wu Lin had intended to come personally but was dissuaded by Vice Magistrate Tang Bao, who felt that since Ying Zhao's identity had not yet been confirmed, it was inappropriate to make a grand spectacle.

In the end, he sent County Lieutenant Zhao Xing to investigate.

At this moment, Zhao Xing was pacing back and forth with a dark, impatient face. He wanted to force his way in, but because he was wary of Ying Zhao's status as a shaman, he could only repeatedly signal Ying Zhan with his eyes, indicating for him to kick the door.

However, Ying Zhan acted as if he were blind, showing no reaction at all!

Zhao Xing was dissatisfied, yet he did not dare to speak directly for fear of giving others ammunition to use against him. He could only glare at Ying Zhan, cursing him incessantly in his heart.

Ying Zhan, however, remained as still as a meditating monk, guarding the side with his hand on his sword hilt, refusing to kick the door.

Inside the room, Ying Zhao was naturally unaware of this. She felt a moment of tension but quickly calmed down, instructing Tianbao to retract the barrier in preparation to go out.

Unexpectedly, just as she pulled the door open, she heard Zhao Xing's teeth-gritting voice from outside—

"Ying Zhan, go over and check!"

Ying Zhan replied with composure: "Why is the County Lieutenant in such a hurry? Since His Excellency the Shaman said that no one is to be disturbed, perhaps the Lord should wait a while longer."

Hearing this, Ying Zhao stepped out with a cold expression.

She questioned icily: "Who is making such a racket outside?"

Seeing her emerge, Zhao Xing's expression changed instantly: "Are you the Shaman?"

"Are you questioning me?" Ying Zhao demanded, walking toward Zhao Xing step by step. "I observe your countenance; not only is your temperament fierce and greedy, but you are also lecherous, prone to bullying subordinates, deceiving superiors, and oppressing the weak. If you can reform yourself and sincerely admit your faults, there may be a glimmer of hope. Otherwise, within ten days, disaster will strike you, and you will meet a miserable death."

"You—" Zhao Xing glared at Ying Zhao in fury. His right hand gripped his sword hilt tightly, and he suddenly drew his blade, thrusting it toward Ying Zhao. "You audacious bandit! How dare you impersonate a shaman to spread deceptive words! I shall eliminate you today!"

Seeing this, the onlookers' faces changed drastically.

Ying Zhan attempted to intervene, but he saw Ying Zhao suddenly draw her sword. A flash of white light appeared, followed by a "clang"—Zhao Xing's long sword was actually severed!

Before the crowd could even see Ying Zhao's movements clearly, they saw the tip of her sword pressed against Zhao Xing's throat.

Even more shocking was that the long sword in her hand was unlike any they had seen before. It was not only more slender, but the blade was a brilliant silver-white, clearly extraordinary at a glance.

In contrast, Zhao Xing stood frozen, holding only a broken half of a sword.

The remaining half of the blade fell to the ground, a jarring sight.

The onlookers swallowed hard in terror. Only Zhao Xing dared not move a muscle, staring at Ying Zhao with eyes full of horror.

The surroundings fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard. Everyone was as silent as cicadas in winter, except for Ying Zhan, whose eyes lit up as he stared intently at the Moonshadow Sword in Ying Zhao's hand.

Ying Zhao felt a bit nervous under his gaze, when suddenly she heard—

[Detected a person of destiny. Unlocking 《Hunyuan Art》]

[Detected a successor of 《Soul-Severing Spear Technique》. Unlocking 《Soul-Severing Spear Technique》]

Ying Zhao: [!!!]

Ying Zhao: *Are you moved?*

Zhao Xing: *I dare not move.*

Ying Zhan: *I feel like this person's silhouette looks somewhat familiar!*