After Being Reborn, I Refuse To Be The Holy Son Of The Sect Anymore

Chapter 116:

Xiao Yang did not conceal his identity in front of Ning Shu. Nor did he have any reason to hide it. Before stepping forward, he removed his golden dragon-patterned mask and changed into his usual attire.

Li Kuang was still hiding somewhere in the city, but so what? Even if Li Kuang discovered that Xiao Yang was the mysterious figure behind the mask, it wouldn’t matter. Who would believe the words of a remnant of the Demonic Sect? More importantly, Jiang Ting and the others had assumed Xiao Yang was merely impersonating the mysterious Sword Saint. No one suspected that Xiao Yang actually was the Sword Saint.

This layer of deception allowed Xiao Yang to move with confidence. He didn’t fear his identity being exposed.

At this moment, Tang Chen of the Heavenly Medical Sect, eager to humiliate Xiao Yang, had agreed to the wager. What Tang Chen didn’t realize was that Xiao Yang, armed with memories from his previous life, only needed a single pill formula to save the entire city. The outcome of this bet was predetermined. It was nearly impossible for Xiao Yang to lose.

“Bring me paper and ink!” Xiao Yang commanded.

Disciples of the Heavenly Medical Sect always carried paper and ink with them. These were essential tools for prescribing medicine.

The other disciples glanced at Tang Chen. Everyone knew Tang Chen harbored feelings for their Holy Maiden, Ning Shu. However, Ning Shu treated everyone with the same aloof demeanor, including Tang Chen. Now, seeing Xiao Yang daring to pinch Ning Shu’s face, the Heavenly Medical Sect disciples were seething with anger, particularly Tang Chen.

Given the chance to humiliate Xiao Yang, how could Tang Chen resist?

“Give it to him!” Tang Chen ordered one of his junior disciples.

The disciple reluctantly stepped forward, pulled out paper and ink, and handed them to Xiao Yang with a sour expression.

“Thanks!” Xiao Yang grinned, taking the materials. Without hesitation, he began writing down a pill formula.

“Follow this formula to prepare the ingredients and refine the antidote pills. In about half a day, you’ll have the pills ready to neutralize the poison,” Xiao Yang explained.

“What… poison?”

The poisoned crowd, cordoned off by the Heavenly Medical Sect disciples, were stunned.

“You said it was a plague! How can it be poison?”

A commotion erupted in the square.

“Everyone, calm down! The antidote pills can be prepared in half a day, and the poison will be cured,” Xiao Yang announced.

“If you disrupt the process and prevent Ning Fairy from refining the pills, the ones who die in the end will be you,” he added sternly.

Hearing this, the crowd grew quiet. Xiao Yang handed the formula to Ning Shu, who took it skeptically and began to read.

“This…” Ning Shu was astonished. At a glance, she could tell that the formula was indeed for an antidote pill.

“These two ingredients can be used like this? Why didn’t I think of that?” she muttered. The formula felt like a revelation, clearing away the fog in her mind.

“Junior Sister, this man cannot be trusted!” Tang Chen interjected, glancing warily at Xiao Yang. The newcomer’s presence filled him with a sense of crisis.

“Prepare the furnace!” Ning Shu ignored Tang Chen’s warning. With a wave of her hand, a pill furnace flew out from her sleeve, expanding as it landed in an open space in the square.

The crowd instinctively stepped back. Ning Fairy of the Heavenly Medical Sect was about to refine pills. The entire square fell into a tense hush; their lives were at stake.

Ning Shu’s pill-refining skills were impeccable. Following Xiao Yang’s formula, she carefully prepared the ingredients and added them to the furnace step by step. Everyone watched her with bated breath.

Tang Chen’s expression was conflicted. He didn’t want the antidote pills to succeed. If they did, he would lose his Heaven-Mending Pill, a priceless treasure he had been saving for his breakthrough to the Divine Martial Realm. Losing it would be a bitter pill to swallow—pun intended.

Thanks to the treasure-grade pill furnace Ning Shu used, the process took far less time than expected. In just over an hour, the rich aroma of pills wafted from the furnace.

“So fast?” Even Xiao Yang was surprised. Ning Shu’s skill from ignition to completion was flawless.

“It’s done!” Ning Shu’s heart leapt with joy. With a flick of her wrist, she opened the furnace, and over a dozen pitch-black pills flew out, landing neatly in a prepared jade bottle.

“Can these pills really neutralize the poison?” The Heavenly Medical Sect disciples were skeptical. The antidote pills looked unremarkable.

Ning Shu poured out one pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

Junior Sister, you—!”
“Holy Maiden!”

The crowd gasped in shock. Testing pills was highly dangerous; a slight imbalance in the refining process could turn a remedy into poison. Even for a cultivator like Ning Shu, consuming a toxic pill could have serious consequences.

Everyone watched her anxiously as she closed her eyes to focus on the effects. After a moment, she exhaled deeply in relief.

“These pills can’t possibly save everyone in the city,” Ning Shu said, looking at Xiao Yang.

“Yes, only a dozen pills—how will they cure an entire city?” Tang Chen scoffed. The crowd began murmuring again.

Xiao Yang shot Tang Chen a disdainful look. This guy was like a pot stirring chaos for its own sake.

“Who says a dozen pills can’t save the whole city?” Xiao Yang retorted loudly.

“How can they? The bet was to save everyone. If you can only save a few, does that mean you win or lose?” Tang Chen mocked.

“A dimwit like you could never figure it out. That’s why you’re useless,” Xiao Yang replied scornfully.

“You dare call me stupid?” Tang Chen fumed.

“Well, if the shoe fits…” Xiao Yang shrugged.

“Enough! What’s your plan?” Ning Shu interjected, cutting through the tension.

“How many public wells are there in the city?” Xiao Yang asked.

“There are nineteen public wells. As for private wells, we’ve never counted,” Ning Shu replied.

“Why do you ask?” she added, curious.

“One pill for each well. Dissolve them in the water, then have everyone fetch water to drink,” Xiao Yang explained.

“That simple?” Ning Shu blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected such an uncomplicated solution.

“Yes, that simple,” Xiao Yang affirmed.

Without hesitation, Ning Shu ordered her disciples to dissolve the antidote pills in the public wells. Announcements were made throughout the city, instructing everyone to drink the well water.

Before long, the poisoned citizens began to recover. The pain and symptoms vanished, and their joy was palpable. Even the most skeptical among them were convinced.

“Xiao Yang, you saved the entire city!” Ning Shu, overwhelmed with emotion, threw her arms around him.

“What are you doing?!” A furious voice rang out from the street.

Xiao Yang turned to see Jiang Ting storming toward him, her face livid.

Ning Shu quickly released Xiao Yang, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Senior Brother, who is she?” Jiang Ting demanded, glaring at Ning Shu.