"Because she's a monster!"

At that moment, a cursing voice came from outside the door, interrupting Xu Lai. A burly middle-aged man, clutching a bottle of liquor, staggered into the room. Behind him stood a plump woman. Shockingly, she was one of the people who had just been beating Wei Qing.

"Husband, it's this little wench who called the police," the plump woman said viciously, pointing at Ruan Tang.

"Hmm?"

The middle-aged man, Zhu Liu, rubbed his eyes vigorously. In this remote village, he was a notorious bully. He'd been sponging off his parents since he was twenty and was still doing it into his forties. He spent his days getting drunk and demanding money from his elderly parents, who were nearly seventy. He was also no stranger to petty theft and was a regular at the town's police station.

Zhu Liu ogled Ruan Tang without restraint, clicking his tongue in admiration. "What a beautiful little lady."

"Brother Zhu, they're my friends. Please, cut us some slack…"

Wei Qing's face was pale. She fumbled in her pockets for a long time before finally pulling out a hundred-yuan note and carefully handing it over.

Zhu Liu took the money, let out a drunken belch, and chuckled. "Alright, I'll give you face."

Wei Qing nodded repeatedly. "Thank you, Brother Zhu."

"You have your friend," Zhu Liu said, pointing at Ruan Tang with a lecherous gaze, "come visit my place for a few days, and I'll let you all off. Otherwise, my fists don't have eyes. Be careful…"

Before he could finish, Xu Lai slapped him so hard he went flying. "Get lost!"

Zhu Liu crashed to the ground, the alcohol-fueled haze instantly dissipating. Though his body ached and blood streaked from the corner of his mouth, he didn't howl in pain. Instead, his eyes lit up with excitement.

"You dare hit me? You're not leaving today unless you cough up hundreds of thousands! Wifey, call the police! Quick!"

"Mhm, mhm."

The plump woman's face lit up with glee. In the past two years, they'd scammed nearly everyone in the village. She hadn't expected these outsiders to be so accommodating.

Xu Lai was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

He squatted down, plucked the hundred-yuan note that belonged to Wei Qing from Zhu Liu's hand, and said earnestly, "I've lived for a hundred thousand years, and you're the first person who's ever dared to run a scam on me. For that alone, when you get to the Samsara Sea, you can ask for an extra bowl of Meng Po Soup."

"A hundred thousand years? Pah!" Zhu Liu scoffed. "Not only did you just hit me, you robbed me of a hundred yuan. In this country, robbery is a serious offense. So, what'll it be? Do we settle this privately or get the authorities involved?"

"Ruan Tang, take your boyfriend and go, quickly!" Wei Qing urged, her face white with fear. Was there anyone in the village scammed by Zhu Liu who wasn't bled dry?

"Leaving is impossible. You're not walking out this door for the rest of your life without paying up." Zhu Liu's wife plopped down in the doorway, blocking the exit. She cackled, "Of course, you could just step over me. But that'll cost you double!"

"Oh."

Xu Lai kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying out the door, then gave Zhu Liu another kick for good measure. Outside, the couple writhed in piercing pain, screaming their lungs out. But then, something eerie happened.

Zhu Liu and his wife felt immobilized, as if a heavy weight was pressing down on them. They struggled desperately, but it was utterly futile. When they tried to scream for help, they found their mouths wouldn't open. They couldn't move at all…

They'd seen a ghost!

Cold sweat drenched Zhu Liu's entire body.

Zhu Liu's wife was so terrified her vision went dark. Everyone in the village said Wei Qing was a monster, and it was true. This is Demon Art!

...

...

"It's over. They're going to pin this on you," Wei Qing said anxiously. "You should run, fast. There's still time."

"I came to save you," Xu Lai said. He had used the word 'save,' not 'treat.'

"Ignore those two scoundrels." Ruan Tang turned back to Xu Lai and asked quickly, "What did you mean when you said Wei Qing isn't sick?"

Although she held out no hope, Wei Qing also looked up, wanting to know what was happening to her.

"This is a blessed fate." Xu Lai looked deeply at Wei Qing, finally getting a clear view of her eyes. She indeed had double pupils, but not like an ordinary person's. Her eyes were exceptionally clear and clean, and the second pupil was so faint it was nearly invisible unless one looked very closely.

A blessed fate!?

Wei Qing's expression turned bitter. Because of this 'condition,' her parents' company, which once earned millions a year, had collapsed under the weight of massive debt. Now, she was forced to hide in this remote mountain village to live out the rest of her days.

"Don't be afraid of what I'm about to say," Xu Lai began, not waiting for a response. "You're not actually human."

"Right. The villagers all call me a monster." Wei Qing sat on the ground, hugging her knees. Her voice grew smaller, making her seem especially pitiful.

"You are indeed a demon," Xu Lai nodded.

"Xu Lai!" Ruan Tang glared at him, annoyed. "Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

"I do."

"Wei Qing is already shunned by her classmates and the villagers, and you're here rubbing salt in her wounds!?" Ruan Tang fumed.

Xu Lai was helpless. Wei Qing was indeed a demon, and no ordinary one at that. She possessed a trace of the Chongming Bird bloodline, however faint. Her current state was known as atavistic reversion.

This truly was a blessed fate.

In the Immortal Domain, the Chongming Bird was one of the ten great Royal Clans of the Demon Race. Their bloodline endowment was incredibly powerful. Not only were they immensely strong, but they were also born with an Innate Divine Ability. Their double-pupiled eyes could gaze directly into the origin of the Great Dao, making Cultivation as easy as cheating. On the racial talent list, they ranked forty-seventh.

Even in the Immortal Domain, a Chongming Bird capable of atavistic reversion might appear only once in ten thousand years, let alone a hybrid of the Human and Demon Races like Wei Qing, whose bloodline was so incredibly diluted. To be able to undergo such a reversion… it was as if she were favored by the Heavenly Dao itself.

"There, there." Xu Lai patted Ruan Tang's hair and smiled. "Give me five minutes, and I'll show you a completely new Wei Qing."

Ruan Tang was skeptical, momentarily forgetting to swat away the hand that was messing up her hair.

"I'm giving you a choice. You can live out a simple, happy life on Earth, or you can choose to leave this place and fight for a real future," Xu Lai said softly. "You don't have to answer me right away. Take your time and think."

As Wei Qing stared in confusion, Xu Lai tapped a finger between her eyebrows. An enormous amount of information instantly flooded her mind. Wei Qing couldn't help but close her eyes. Her expression shifted—at times frowning, then astonished, then fearful, and occasionally, breaking into a soft smile.

Ruan Tang had no idea what was happening to Wei Qing. She only saw the feathers falling from her body one by one. In the blink of an eye, the flawless, snow-white skin and beautiful figure hidden beneath were revealed.

Ruan Tang was both shocked and overjoyed.

Did Xu Lai really just cure Wei Qing's illness?

Before she even had time to wonder how he had done it, she glared at him. "What are you looking at? Turn around!"

I'm a doctor. There's no distinction between male and female patients.

But since his wife objected, Xu Lai obediently did as he was told.

Fortunately, Ruan Tang had a jacket in her bag. She draped it over Wei Qing, her own smile exceptionally joyful.

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