Chapter 1 Jinshan City, Suburbs

The noise of the airplane propeller swept across the sky and landed on a low building in the suburbs.

With a "crack," two figures crashed through pine trees and fell into the forest.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Kou Beiyue rolled among the fallen leaves, curled up, his face twisted as he coughed violently.

Xiao Yuan was shocked and rushed to Kou Beiyue's side to check his condition, her heart sinking.

Kou Beiyue's pulse was weak, his heart beat slowly, and his organs were rapidly withering. Previously, he had relied on the blood reservoir stored by the Bug Enchantress's exclusive weapon to activate his berserk ability and temporarily suppress the illness.

Now that the essence of the blood had been completely consumed by the bacteria, the disease was eroding his body again.

Xiao Yuan quickly opened her inventory, took out a black jar, grabbed two fat, white silkworm pupae from it, and stuffed them into Kou Beiyue's mouth, urging, "Swallow them."

Kou Beiyue's consciousness was already blurred, but he heard Xiao Yuan's voice and instinctively swallowed. After the two silkworm pupae went down, his breathing became even, and his heartbeat returned to normal. But not long after, Kou Beiyue began to breathe rapidly again, and his heartbeat became erratic. The silkworm pupae, like the Essence of Life, provided enormous vitality, specifically for repairing injuries. But the bacteria were not an injury. Providing enormous vitality could temporarily save a dying person, but it would also nourish the bacteria. It was a temporary solution, not a permanent cure.

To treat the bacteria, what was needed was medicine!

Among the various professions, only the Wood Spirit and the Scholar could concoct medicinal pills.

Xiao Yuan's heart sank. Given Kou Beiyue's current condition, he wouldn't last an hour. Should she go to Songhai?

No, Yuan Shi's situation was unpredictable. With the official's ability to set up ambushes, they might already have people arranged in Songhai, waiting for her to walk into their trap.

Returning to the hotel... Master Wuchen had not responded to her request for help, indicating that he was isolated from reality. The hotel's location had long been exposed, and returning to the hotel was also walking into a trap.

As her thoughts flashed, she, in her Bee Woman form, took out Kou Beiyue's phone from his pocket. She had left her phone in the bedroom.

Skillfully unlocking it with his fingerprint, she opened the chat group. She pursed her lips and sent a message to the Dan team group: "Kou Beiyue: I'm Xiao Yuan. We were attacked by the authorities. Liang Chen and Tong Tong have sacrificed themselves."

Xiao Yuan felt a pang of pain in her heart as she sent the second half of the sentence.

"Kou Beiyue: Beiyue has been infected with the Rain Master's Plague Transformation and is in critical condition. I need medicine to cure him. I need everyone's help."

After sending the message, she waited with guilt for the information to flood the group.

Aunt Fang regarded Tong Tong as her granddaughter. She would be grief-stricken if she knew Tong Tong had returned to the Lingjing Xingzhe.

Uncle Yang, who had dedicated half his life to teaching and educating people, would not be able to withstand such a blow. She hoped he could endure it.

Lin Chong definitely had a strong stress response when facing such tragic events and often made extreme and irrational decisions.

As Xiao Yuan thought about this, she received no response for a long time, which made her feel a strong sense of unease and suspicion.

The official ambush, the failure to seek help from Master Wuchen, the small group with no one responding, the already lost members... The more Xiao Yuan thought about it, the more wrong she felt, and the more frightened she became. She trembled slightly.

A soft sigh came: "The forest flowers fade, the spring is ending all too soon. Helplessly, morning brings cold rain, evening brings wind. Rouge tears, let us stay drunk together. When will we meet again? It is of course, that life is ever full of regrets, flowing away like the waters running east."

Xiao Yuan was greatly alarmed, looking around, but she saw no one. It wasn't until the last line, "It is of course, that life is ever full of regrets, flowing away like the waters running east" was spoken that she finally saw the uninvited guest. It was a man wearing a light blue suit and slim-fitting pants.

He wore a black wide-brimmed hat, facing away from her, his head tilted forty-five degrees to the right, his right hand pinching the brim of the hat, his right toes raised, and his knees slightly bent.

He was imitating a famous Western superstar. From this angle, Xiao Yuan could see half of his face, covered by a silver mask.

"I don't like your expressions, vigilant and containing hostility. A trendsetting man like me should receive cheers and applause," the masked man's voice was like a chant, profound and meaningful.

Xiao Yuan's body tensed, protecting Kou Beiyue, her black gemstone-like compound eyes staring intently at the man, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Don't be so hostile. I'm here to help you," the man conjured a porcelain bottle from the void and threw it over from afar. "This is my sincerity."

The porcelain bottle landed accurately at Xiao Yuan's feet.

Xiao Yuan ignored it, staring at him coldly.

The man said, "His condition is worse than I imagined. Although he is far away from the source of infection, the bacteria have absorbed the power of Bloodthirsty Rampage and become stronger. There is a panacea pill in the bottle, one pill a day, and he will be fine in three days."

Only then did Xiao Yuan turn her attention to the bottle, saying coldly, "Who are you? What is your purpose?"

"I am a chess player, and you are my new chess piece. Of course, the chess player must protect the chess piece," the masked man said frankly.

Xiao Yuan thought for a few seconds, picked up the porcelain bottle, poured out a dark brown pill with a medicinal fragrance, and stuffed it into Kou Beiyue's mouth.

Kou Beiyue's body was already in very bad shape. She had no choice. Anyway, the result couldn't be worse. After taking the pill, the dying young man's breathing immediately stabilized, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Xiao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the mysterious man, "A chess piece? What do I need to do?"

The man took out a talisman engraved with strange runes from his pocket, "Open the altar at the appropriate time and pray to Wushi Wuhen."

"Master Wuchen!" Xiao Yuan stared at the man's back, asking eagerly, "What exactly happened? Can you tell me?"

She had already realized that tonight's encounter was not as simple as she had imagined.

"Wushi Wuhen attacked the demigod realm, violating the interests of too many people, and even touching the taboo of a certain force in the Lingjing Xingzhe. He's finished."

The masked man sighed, "The members of your team, except for you and this kid, have all returned to the Lingjing Xingzhe."

Xiao Yuan's mind "boomed" as if struck by lightning, and her face instantly turned pale.

The news came too suddenly, like a sharp knife inserted into her chest, bringing a heart-wrenching pain.

She was unwilling to believe it, but Master Wuchen's silence and the small group with no one replying were telling her that all of this was true.