The young master of the valley must be having a terrible time right now.
Jing Yuanming sighed softly, but at this moment, noisy sounds echoed from the foot of the mountain.
"The head of the Tai family is here again."
Bai Ran turned his head and saw a complex expression in Jing Yuanming's eyes, mixed with much worry.
"The Tai family?" Bai Ran asked.
Jing Yuanming nodded, "The head of the Tai family always claims our Valley Master, no, the former Valley Master, killed the child who married into their family."
"But we've never heard of this so-called child."
The head of the Tai family came to cause trouble periodically, and it had become increasingly frequent in recent years.
After speaking, Jing Yuanming seemed to realize something and suddenly looked at Xuan Qinghong.
Could the child who was brutally killed, according to the Tai family, be the young master's mother?
Bai Ran pointed at Xuan Hongsheng, who was lying on the ground. "If his body is handed over, will the Tai family cease their complaints?"
Jing Yuanming's brows furrowed. "It's uncertain. After all, their child will never return..."
"It's alright, I will escort the former Valley Master's body down the mountain and issue a public notice throughout the Medicine Valley about the crimes he committed."
Jing Yuanming stood up. Bai Ran dragged over Xue Yi's body as well. "Take her down the mountain too. Hopefully, it will quell the Tai family's anger."
Jing Yuanming nodded, dragging one body with each hand, and pulled the two corpses down the mountain.
After Jing Yuanming walked away, Bai Ran looked at Xuan Qinghong.
He stood there, his gaze fixed on some distant point, his thoughts unknown.
Only Xuan Qinghong, who had always been steadfast in his principles, seemed somewhat lost at this moment.
"Master, you once taught me not to be blinded by hatred."
Bai Ran walked step by step towards Xuan Qinghong and stood before him. "Do you still remember?"
Xuan Qinghong's eyes trembled, and his heart followed suit. "This old man... remembers..."
He chuckled lightly, his smile tinged with bitterness. It was easy to preach to a disciple.
But when he himself fell into such a predicament, all his teachings were cast aside.
"This old man... is not worthy of being your master..."
His voice was soft, yet heavy.
Bai Ran lowered his gaze. "No, you are not my master."
Xuan Qinghong turned his head, only to meet Bai Ran's raised eyes.
"A master for a day is a father for a lifetime."
"I never had a father since I was young, so I've long considered you my closest kin."
Warm herbal tea in winter, medicinal plasters placed by the bedside when injured, and sweet candies tucked into his pocket.
Incense to aid sleep when weary, and stern discipline when he made mistakes...
All of it made Bai Ran experience what fatherly love was.
Punishment when deserved, a pillar of support when vulnerable; a master like a mountain, stable and dependable.
"For your disciple, you returned to the Medicine Valley you detested. Just this act alone makes you forever my master."
Hope flickered in Bai Ran's eyes, so fervent it nearly burned Xuan Qinghong.
Xuan Qinghong let out a deep chuckle, his smile no longer bitter, but rather tinged with relief.
"This old man has not lived his life in vain..."
He looked at Bai Ran beside him, his heart overflowing with warmth.
"Master, I want some of that warm herbal tea."
"Alright—this old man will make it for you."
The master and disciple walked down the mountain, chatting and laughing.
...
"The Ghost King is leaving. What do we do?"
"What else can we do? Follow him."
"Let's go, let's go. Following the Ghost King means good fortune."
The vengeful spirits in the mountains discussed amongst themselves and followed Bai Ran and the other's footsteps.
...
At the foot of the mountain, the head of the Tai family nearly fainted upon seeing the corpses on the ground.
Jing Yuanming scratched his cheek sheepishly. Xuan Hongsheng's body had been bumped and scraped on the way down, his intestines and stomach scattered across the ground.
The Tai family members now looked at the mess on the ground, their stomachs churning. Even the valley disciples who had come to watch were feeling nauseous.
"The Valley Master is dead!"
After a moment to adjust, the disciples finally recovered and realized the corpses were Xuan Hongsheng and Xue Yi.
"The Valley Master has been murdered! And in such a brutal manner! Who did this!"
"How detestable! We must find this killer!"
"Yes! The Valley Master worked tirelessly for the Medicine Valley for so many years; we must avenge him!"
The disciples, looking at Xuan Hongsheng's unrecognizable corpse, clenched their fists and their eyes reddened.
The head of the Tai family, supported by his servants, trembled, his finger shaking as he pointed at Xuan Hongsheng's body.
"He's finally dead! This ungrateful wretch is finally dead!"
"Head of the Tai family! How dare you slander others!"
"How dare an outsider criticize our Medicine Valley's Valley Master! Especially when he's in such a state!"
"Facing such a situation, you still want to make baseless accusations against us!"
"Throw out the head of the Tai family!"
"Yes! Throw him out! The Medicine Valley does not welcome him!"
The disciples' strong dissatisfaction erupted, their hatred directed squarely at the head of the Tai family.
Jing Yuanming pursed his lips and interrupted the disciples' outcry. "The former Valley Master brought his fate upon himself. No one else is to blame."
The surroundings fell silent instantly, faces young and full of disbelief.
"Senior Disciple Brother, as the Valley Master's top disciple and the eldest disciple of the Medicine Valley, how can you help an outsider insult the Valley Master?"
"Yes, the Valley Master was always good to us, and he doted on you. When did you become so heartless?"
Jing Yuanming's gaze sharpened, his fists, hanging by his robes, slowly clenched.
"Everything! Everything was a crime personally committed by Xuan Hongsheng!"
His voice was loud and clear. The surrounding disciples gradually quieted down, though a murmur of discontent still lingered.
"Xuan Hongsheng married the woman the Tai family cherished, yet he despised her and allowed his newly wed concubine, Xue Yi, to torment her."
"This caused the Tai family's daughter to suffer immense humiliation and die within the Medicine Valley!"
The disciples fell completely silent, turning their heads to look at the head of the Tai family.
The head of the Tai family's eyes were already red, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed uncontrollably.
Is it true...? They couldn't believe it at all...
"He killed newly admitted disciples to refine pills with their blood, causing vengeful spirits to haunt an entire peak."
"When the matter was exposed, instead of repenting, he chose to silence witnesses."
The disciples' expressions became strange, their gazes towards Xuan Hongsheng now odd.
Over the years, disciples in the valley had frequently gone missing; they had been harmed by the Valley Master... for blood refining pills...
"He concealed evidence and even attempted to kill his own child. He was utterly depraved!"
"The three charges listed above are all well-supported by evidence! His death was deserved!"
By the end of his furious shout, veins bulged on Jing Yuanming's neck, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Such a beast! How is he worthy of being the Master of our Medicine Valley! The object of our disciples' faith!"
Silence reigned all around. In every pair of eyes looking at Xuan Hongsheng, there was disbelief and resentment.
"Did the Valley Master... truly commit these crimes?"
Jing Yuanming gritted his teeth, "I am willing to swear an oath to the heavens and earth to prove all of this! If I speak even half a lie, may heaven and earth destroy me!"
Once the oath to heaven and earth was invoked, the disciples had no choice but to believe, even if they were reluctant.
In an instant, the atmosphere turned heavy and oppressive. The deeds Xuan Hongsheng had committed were each more horrifying than the last.