Supported by Liu Yiyi and Xiaochunhua on either side, Chen Yang made his way down the loft with some difficulty.
In the courtyard.
The seven or eight inner disciples all turned their gazes toward him at once.
Chen Yang immediately spotted Zhou Shan — the bald, broad-shouldered man with a pale face but a hearty grin, leaning on the quiet female disciple beside him for support.
He quickly cupped his fists in greeting, his voice still a little weak:
"Senior Brother Zhou, everyone — what brings you all here?"
Zhou Shan let out a booming laugh, though his breath was slightly short:
"Why, to pay our respects to our savior, of course — you, Junior Brother Chen!"
He stood on one leg, steadied by the female disciple at his side, and looked at Chen Yang with eyes full of genuine gratitude:
"If you hadn't stepped up yesterday and drawn that thirty-meter crocodile away, buying us the time to escape and call for help, none of us would have made it out alive! I, Zhou Shan, will never forget this debt!"
The other inner disciples chimed in one after another, casting looks of admiration and gratitude toward Chen Yang.
Chen Yang felt a flush of embarrassment creep into his cheeks.
He knew the truth in his heart.
The thirty-meter crocodile had most likely been drawn to him because of the demon core aura still clinging to his body.
Luring it away had, in a sense, been an act of necessity — even a case of redirecting disaster onto others.
He waved his hand hastily:
"Senior Brother Zhou, you give me too much credit. I was acting on instinct in the heat of the moment — I don't deserve to be called a hero."
Zhou Shan paid no mind to that and clapped Chen Yang firmly on the shoulder:
"Ah, stop being so modest, Junior Brother Chen! By the way, how did you manage to escape? After we got out, we happened to run into Senior Brother Lin Yang from Qin Valley, who was gathering herbs in Butterfly Valley, and we begged him for help. Could it be… that Senior Brother Lin was the one who saved you?"
At the mention of Lin Yang's name, Chen Yang's expression stiffened slightly. He drew a slow breath and could only nod, saying vaguely:
"Mm… Lin Yang happened to arrive just in time. He frightened off the demon beast, and I was lucky enough to keep my life."
"It really was Senior Brother Lin!"
Zhou Shan sighed with feeling:
"You truly can't judge a book by its cover. All this time, Senior Brother Lin has kept to himself in Qin Valley, rarely going out and seeming rather cold to others — yet at the critical moment, he showed such chivalrous spirit, venturing deep into the back mountains to save someone without a second thought! It seems we misjudged Senior Brother Lin all along. That kind of fellowship among sect members is truly admirable!"
The other disciples nodded in agreement, their impression of Lin Yang greatly improved.
Chen Yang listened to their praise of Lin Yang, his feelings a tangled mess.
He could only manage a strained smile and changed the subject:
"Senior Brother Zhou, your leg… how is the injury?"
At the mention of his leg, Zhou Shan's broad grin dimmed for a moment, a shadow crossing his face — but he quickly rallied, slapping the empty trouser leg with his hand:
"Heh, it's just one leg — no big deal! Ordinary Pills can't reattach it, but if I can form my golden core someday, the wondrous power of core energy might make regrowing a lost limb possible!"
"Form her golden core? Regrowing a lost limb?"
Chen Yang was stunned.
He had been so absorbed in his own cultivation that he knew little of the extraordinary Divine Abilities available to higher-realm cultivators.
The Core Formation realm was still a distant legend to him.
He had never imagined such heaven-defying power was possible!
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Just then.
The quiet female disciple who had been silently supporting Zhou Shan stepped forward. She drew a Small White Jade Vial from her Storage Bag and held it out to Chen Yang, her voice soft and gentle:
"Junior Brother Chen, your injuries are serious. This vial contains three Minor Vitality Cultivation Pills — they are exceptionally mild and nourishing, with a remarkable effect on repairing damaged meridians. Please accept them."
Chen Yang was taken aback and quickly tried to refuse:
"Senior Sister Zhuxiu, these are far too precious! I rested and regulated my breathing yesterday, and my injuries are no longer critical — I truly cannot accept such a generous gift!"
He had experienced the miraculous effects of the Minor Vitality Cultivation Pills firsthand and knew their worth was extraordinary.
The female disciple named Senior Sister Zhuxiu smiled gently, her manner graceful and warm:
"Junior Brother Chen, there is no need to refuse. These Pills may be precious to others, but to me they are nothing extraordinary. I am a distant relative of Foundation Establishment Elder Zhu of Crimson Glow Peak, so obtaining Pills is naturally a little easier for me than for ordinary inner disciples."
Chen Yang understood at once.
He had not expected this seemingly ordinary senior sister to have such a background.
Zhou Shan chuckled from the side:
"Just take them, Junior Brother Chen! Back when that scoundrel Li Yan was targeting me and I couldn't buy Pills at Crimson Glow Peak, it was Senior Sister Zhuxiu who quietly helped me out!"
As he said this, the look he directed at Senior Sister Zhuxiu was one of undisguised warmth and gratitude.
Senior Sister Zhuxiu's cheeks flushed faintly. She shot Zhou Shan a reproachful glance and murmured:
"You've lost a leg and you're still running your mouth! Go home and rest properly — that's what matters."
The easy familiarity and affection between the two was plain for anyone to see.
Another disciple nearby laughed and teased:
"That's right, Junior Brother Chen — this is a heartfelt gift from Senior Sister Zhuxiu and Senior Brother Zhou. A beauty offering Pills — don't let their kindness go to waste."
Unable to decline such warm insistence, Chen Yang accepted the jade vial and thanked them sincerely:
"In that case, thank you, Senior Sister Zhuxiu, Senior Brother Zhou, and thank you all!"
After a few more pleasantries, Chen Yang asked about the sect's situation in the aftermath.
Zhou Shan let out a sigh, his expression grave:
"They're still tallying the damage. This beast tide took a heavy toll — quite a few laborers and outer disciples were killed or wounded… Alas."
His gaze swept over the laborer female disciples in the courtyard — still shaken, listening quietly to the conversation — and his admiration for Chen Yang's kindness deepened further.
Had Chen Yang not taken them in, the fate of these low-cultivation female disciples was easy to imagine.
Those laborer female disciples, hearing Zhou Shan's words, felt a fresh wave of lingering fear and turned grateful eyes toward Chen Yang.
Zhou Shan and the others could not stay long and prepared to take their leave.
The laborer female disciples, seeing the crisis had passed and the inner disciples had come, knew they had no reason to linger further. They each stepped forward to kowtow their thanks to Chen Yang before departing the courtyard one by one.
Xiaochunhua watched them go and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Those "potential threats" were finally gone.
Just before leaving, Zhou Shan seemed to remember something and said to Chen Yang:
"Junior Brother Chen, there's one more piece of news. Word is that the sect's upper leadership is quite displeased with certain inner disciples who cowered and acted selfishly during the beast tide. On the other hand, they have decided to richly reward disciples like you who showed courage and protected their fellow sect members. This isn't just a matter of spirit stones and Magical Artifacts — reportedly, those who distinguished themselves may even catch the eye of a Foundation Establishment Elder and be taken on as a registered disciple, and with enough fortune, becoming a Personal Disciple is not out of the question!"
Chen Yang was momentarily stunned.
He had acted yesterday purely on instinct, without any thought of reward.
He nodded:
"Thank you for letting me know, Senior Brother Zhou."
After seeing Zhou Shan and his group off, the courtyard finally returned to quiet.
Chen Yang went back upstairs to rest. Liu Yiyi carefully prepared a rice porridge infused with mild spirit medicine for him to take.
Touched by her thoughtfulness, Chen Yang forced himself to eat a little.
Afterward, he sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, circulating the Yimu Immortality Art to nourish his body while guiding the medicinal power of the Minor Vitality Cultivation Pills to slowly repair his damaged meridians.
The process was slow and painful, but he could clearly feel his injuries improving bit by bit.
Night fell silently.
After two days of harrowing events, both Liu Yiyi and Xiaochunhua were utterly exhausted and retired to their rooms early.
The loft and its surroundings fell into complete stillness, broken only by the soft rustle of wind through the leaves.
Chen Yang was deep in focused meditation.
Suddenly.
He sensed a faint, almost imperceptible ripple from the simple protective restriction surrounding the courtyard.
His mind stirred, and he opened his eyes.
"A ripple in the restriction? Could it be demon beasts again?"
But on second thought, the beast tide had already subsided — that seemed unlikely.
He then recalled that Lin Yang had mentioned kicking down the courtyard gate yesterday; perhaps the restriction had been damaged in the process and not yet repaired, causing it to be unstable.
"Looks like I'll need to find a steward disciple tomorrow to report the damage."
With that thought, he paid it no further mind and prepared to return to meditation.
However.
Just as he closed his eyes — in a fleeting moment —
Knock, knock, knock.
Three clear, soft knocks broke the silence of the night without warning.
They landed on his door — and on his heart.
Chen Yang's eyes snapped open, a faint sense of alarm rising within him.
This late at night — who could it be?
Liu Yiyi and Xiaochunhua would never disturb him at this hour.
He drew a slow breath, suppressed the discomfort of his injuries, rose carefully, walked to the door, and with a touch of wariness, gently pulled it open.
Outside the door.
Cold moonlight spilled down, illuminating a figure he had never expected to see.
Silver hair white as snow, loosely gathered behind her head, with a few loose strands falling across her forehead, only making that face appear all the more cool and jade-like.
A simple cyan Daoist robe — though she was no longer young, it did nothing to conceal her extraordinary bearing.
She stood there quietly, her gaze calm and steady as she looked at him, as though she had been waiting for some time.
In the air, there was the faint, lingering scent of ocean waves.
Who else could it be but Shen Hongmei, the Elder of Spirit Sword Peak?
"Silver-haired… Senior?"