Shen Yuan frowned as sweat dripped down from his face. Despite what was going on in his head, he did not show anything on his face.

The robe had turned red from around the chest and back with the amount of blood that was leaking from his body.

"The Blood Chain Gu?" His eyebrows slowly knitted together. "I’ve never heard that name before."

"He-he-he." Shi jin started laughing eerily upon hearing his response.

With a flick of his hand, he stabbed Shen Yuan in the bicep of the same arm where he stabbed before.

"Argh..."

"Come on. I told you, do not lie to me." This time Shi Jin did not twist the blade but gently slid it downwards along the muscle. "There is no way you did not know about the poisonous Gu inside the pill Overseer Jiang gave you. Because if you did not, you would still have that Gu inside your body."

’Finally, I am so close to knowing the truth.’ Shen Yuan wheezed through the pain and asked, "You work for Overseer Jiang?"

Shi Jin paused.

For the first time since entering the cave...

The smile on his face faded ever so slightly.

"You really ask interesting questions."

He slowly pulled the knife free from Shen Yuan’s arm.

Fresh blood trickled down his sleeve before dripping onto the stone floor.

Drip.

Drip.

Shi Jin calmly wiped the blade clean against a cloth resting on the torture table.

"You think Overseer Jiang is behind this?"

He chuckled and shook his head.

"No."

"I work for the sect."

"The real sect."

"As for Overseer Jiang..."

"He merely carries out the orders given to him."

Shen Yuan quietly lowered his eyes.

’Just as I thought.’

’Overseer Jiang is only a pawn.’

His thoughts immediately drifted toward a single person.

Elder Jun.

The elder who had personally praised him during the

Shi Jin paused.

For the first time since entering the cave...

The smile on his face faded ever so slightly.

"You really ask interesting questions."

He slowly pulled the knife free from Shen Yuan’s arm.

Fresh blood trickled down his sleeve before dripping onto the stone floor.

Drip.

Drip.

Shi Jin calmly wiped the blade clean against a cloth resting on the torture table.

"You think Overseer Jiang is behind this?"

He chuckled and shook his head.

"No."

"I work for the sect."

"The real sect."

"As for Overseer Jiang..."

"He merely carries out the orders given to him."

Shen Yuan quietly lowered his eyes.

’Just as I thought.’

’Overseer Jiang is only a pawn.’

His thoughts immediately drifted toward a single person.

Elder Jun.

The elder who had personally praised him during the deadly mission had received it from him.

"Are... huff!! You... talking about the pill he gave me during the task I took? How do you know about it? it was supposed to be a secret. Was it all a hoax? Why us? Why me?"

"Hoax? For the likes of you?" Shi Jin did not even realize when he was being drawn into Shen Yuan’s rhythm and the boy was taking control of the conversation ever so subtly. "They just used a tragedy that had already happened to make the best out of it."

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

Two notifications went off in Shen Yuan’s mind, but he ignored them. ’Now that I have gotten what I wanted, I have to get out of here.’

Shi Jin suddenly stopped walking; he snapped towards Shen Yuan and clutched a handful of his hair, yanking his head up.

"They might think of your talent as noteworthy for some reason, but they won’t care about it if you are dead. So, stop strolling and tell me what I want to know or else..."

"Wait! I will tell you."

For a moment it looked like Shi Jin’s threats were working.

For a brief moment...

Shi Jin loosened his grip on Shen Yuan’s hair.

"...Go on."

Shen Yuan took several deep breaths before speaking.

"Before I entered the Blood Moon Sect..."

"I was a physician."

Shi Jin frowned.

"A physician?"

Shen Yuan nodded weakly.

"My cultivation talent was terrible."

"So I studied herbs instead."

"For years I studied medicinal plants, perfected pills, and read every medical book I could find. I wasn’t particularly talented..."

"But I knew more about herbs than the average person."

Shi Jin remained silent.

He simply listened.

"One day..."

"I stumbled across an old book, and from it I learned about all the Gu that are used within the sect." Shen Yuan coughed, fresh blood staining his lips.

"When my life force suddenly began disappearing, I remembered that record. So, I started suspecting I had been infected by some kind of Gu."

Shi Jin’s eyes narrowed. "You identified the Blood Chain Gu?"

"I wasn’t certain. I only guessed after comparing the symptoms. The loss of lifespan is at the start, and then everything seems normal before you feel a strange loss of control over your body over time. It starts as nothing but an itch in the nerves."

Shen Yuan was spitting pure bullshit, and he knew it.

But he was mixing lines with truth. He had shown the book on herbs to Shi Jin on purpose before leaving.

He explained the symptoms from the information he learned from the system.

Shi Jin slowly folded his arms. "Continue."

Shen Yuan nodded.

"I searched everywhere for a cure, but I couldn’t find one. So, I knew I had to give up or else I would go mad." A bitter smile appeared on his face. "I thought I was going to die anyway."

"But then, My luck changed."

Shi Jin’s expression became serious.

"I encountered a powerful spirit herb while escaping from a spirit beast. I don’t know what it is. I only knew..."

"...that if I didn’t keep running I would die."

"So I ate the herb before I even realized it." Shen Yuan lowered his head like he was feeling ashamed, but he was hiding a painful look that had appeared on his face out of nowhere. ’What is happening? What is all this—"

"What happened then?" Shi Jin urged with a frown on his face. For some reason, he was more desperate to know about the cure than Shen Yuan had guessed.

So not to give himself away, he hid the changes underneath the pain from his wounds.

"The herb was terrifying. It felt like my entire body was being torn apart. Everything felt as though it was being reforged."

"I nearly died."

"But when I finally woke up... My body had become much stronger. My cultivation had improved."

"And..."

"The symptoms disappeared."

Shi Jin’s breathing unconsciously slowed. "The Blood Chain Gu?"

"It was gone."