Seeing Song Yao appear at the entrance of the cellar, he snapped his head up and shouted, “Run! It's too dangerous here! I can handle this!”
Stepping over the spider silk, Song Yao walked toward him at a leisurely pace. “I'm just a pill cultivator. I have no intention of getting involved.”
Jiang Jin paused, using his sword to block a strand of spider silk shooting toward his face. “Then what are you doing here?”
“I'm a pill cultivator. What else would I be doing? Feeding you medicine, of course.”
Song Yao walked up behind him and found a safe spot to squat down.
Rummaging through her spatial pouch, she stuffed two pills into his mouth. “This is a high-grade pill that boosts spiritual energy—that'll be thirty thousand spirit stones. And this one is for healing—two thousand spirit stones. Remember to pay me back later.”
Jiang Jin: “???”
Wasn't a pill that boosted spiritual energy only ten thousand spirit stones?!
And wasn't a healing pill only one thousand?!
Perhaps because of the sudden presence of another human, the three human-faced spiders abruptly grew violent, the human faces on their backs twisting into hideous grimaces.
Their eight long legs slammed heavily against the ground, shaking the cellar so hard that dust rained down in sheets. Green-glowing spider silk swept toward Jiang Jin like a torrential downpour.
At that exact moment, the pills took effect.
Spiritual energy exploded through Jiang Jin's meridians, and his previously chaotic aura instantly grew burning hot and abundant.
He didn't have time to think. Gripping his hilt tightly, he snapped his wrist, sweeping out a wave of sword Qi that forcibly severed the webs wrapping his body. He kicked off the ground and surged forward, his white robes trailing a mist of blood as he crashed into the oncoming spiders.
His blade struck the spiders' hard joints, sending blinding sparks flying.
Song Yao followed closely behind him, dodging through the openings cleared by his sword Qi. Whenever she saw an opportunity, she stuffed another pill into his mouth. “Detoxifying Pill, to cure the spider venom in your system. Five thousand spirit stones!”
“Mind-Concentrating Pill, so you don't get distracted and tangled up. Eight thousand spirit stones!”
“Qi-Replenishing Pill, since you're burning through your spiritual energy so fast. Two thousand spirit stones!”
Jiang Jin felt his entire body burning up from the pills she was shoving down his throat. His spiritual energy surged wildly. As he swung his sword to sever one of the spider's front legs, he finally lost his temper and roared, “I'm not eating any more!”
“I'm really not eating any more!!”
“Stop feeding me!!”
Song Yao paused, then fished out another healing pill and stuffed it into his mouth. “I'm a pill cultivator, this is my duty. You're welcome.”
Jiang Jin pierced the human-faced weak spot of the spider in front of him, nearly spitting blood from sheer fury. “I wasn't being polite!!”
If they were free, that would be one thing!
But these prices were more exorbitant than the black market!!
Having stuffed him with enough pills, Song Yao covered her head with her hands and retreated from the battle.
Jiang Jin had the male lead's protagonist halo; he would definitely defeat these demons.
However, since she had intercepted the plotline where he healed Second Senior Sister, he hadn't been able to use that opportunity to cultivate with her and break through to the Golden Core Stage. Because of this, dealing with these demons would likely be much harder for him.
In order to successfully escape, she had to step in and do something.
And promote her pills along the way.
Just as she was looking for a safe spot to hide and observe, a faint sound echoed from the depths of the cellar.
Song Yao narrowed her eyes and crept silently toward the back of the cellar.
The further in she went, the denser the spiderwebs became, and a sticky, metallic stench rushed at her.
In the deepest corner, the spiderwebs were woven into a massive cocoon, trapping a young boy and girl who looked to be around her age.
The two shared similar features and were exceptionally delicate and beautiful.
However, their faces were pale with terror, and they huddled together, trembling violently.
Jiang Jin, having slain the last spider demon, rushed over. He froze upon seeing the scene. “Aren't these the wraiths from the village? Second Senior Sister clearly slew them already!”
“No, that's not it...”
Hearing this, the girl's tears began to fall in large drops. She sobbed softly, “We were forced... They made us do those bad things to lure cultivators here.”
Jiang Jin frowned. “Is that true?”
“Yes, it's true.”
The boy whimpered, shivering. “My sister and I were just trying to survive together in this village. Then these spider demons suddenly invaded, devoured everyone, and brutally murdered the two of us. After we became wraiths, they trapped us here and refused to let us move on.”
“We didn't want to hurt anyone. We... we just wanted to live a normal life...”
The more they spoke, the more tragic their tale became. Jiang Jin's heart softened instantly. “You are indeed pitiful souls. We cultivators naturally do not slaughter the innocent. Rest assured, once I get out, I will ask the elders of my sect to come and guide you to the afterlife.”
Watching from the side, Song Yao raised an eyebrow.
She didn't recall reading about this plotline in the novel, but she could tell something was off at a single glance.
If they were truly the ones being controlled, why would the spider demons shield them here while going out to fight the enemies themselves?
Besides, the demon realm had not collapsed yet.
Therefore, the true masters of this place were actually this pair of twin wraiths.
Wait.
She seemed to recall that Jiang Jin was supposed to be possessed by some demon here. He eventually endured it and, relying on his protagonist halo, obtained a body immune to all poisons.
The possessing demons must be this pair of twin siblings.
She stopped in her tracks, hesitating slightly.
If it weren't to make money, she wouldn't have entered the demon realm to get involved in the male lead's plotline in the first place.
Since this was the male lead's fortuitous encounter, it was probably best not to interfere.
She silently took half a step back into the shadows, only to see the girl of the twins break free from the webs and kneel before Jiang Jin with tearful eyes. “Thank you, young hero, for sparing our lives.”
“Please, stand up.”
Caught off guard, Jiang Jin reached out to help her up. The girl took the opportunity to throw herself into his arms, her shoulders shaking violently as she wept. “You saved my brother and me from this living hell, young hero. We do not know how to repay your kindness. Why don't... why don't I follow you from now on...”
The classic tale of the farmer and the viper, the hero and the demon.
Song Yao watched with amusement, letting out a soft chuckle.
The next second, her smile froze.
The boy had also suddenly broken free from the spider silk and knelt directly in front of her. Looking up with a tear-streaked face, he asked, “Thank you for saving my life, miss. How would you like me to repay you?”
Song Yao: “...”
Wait a minute.
Why was she being dragged into this too?
She quietly took half a step back, pulling her leg away from the boy's reaching hand. “There's no need. If you want to thank someone, thank him.”
But the boy acted as if he hadn't heard her. Crawling forward on his knees, he drew closer, tears still glistening in his eyes as he spoke in a soft, cloying voice, “You are both our saviors, so naturally we must thank you both. We can never fully repay this debt of gratitude...”
Before he could finish his sentence, things suddenly took a sharp turn on Jiang Jin's side.
A green, toxic glow flared from the girl's fingertips as she stabbed viciously toward the back of his heart.
Jiang Jin reacted incredibly quickly, hastily twisting his body to dodge, but he had exhausted his spiritual energy fighting the spider demons earlier, and his wounds were still bleeding. Naturally, his movements were sluggish.
The toxic green light pierced straight into his shoulder, and a bone-chilling cold instantly spread through his meridians to his entire body.
With a muffled groan, the long sword in his hand clattered to the ground.
The girl's figure dissolved into a stream of dense, black resentment, slipping into his body through the wound.
Jiang Jin's entire body trembled violently, veins bulging on his forehead as he gritted his teeth, desperately trying to force the evil spirit out.
Unfortunately, the resentment clung too tightly, devouring his consciousness in the blink of an eye.
When he raised his eyes again, a dark shadow shrouded his handsome features. The whites of his eyes had turned a bizarre, greenish-black, and a sinister, twisted grin curved on his lips as he looked toward Song Yao.
“Your turn.”
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