“Ahem! Speaking of which, I am also a victim.” Yu Zitong began by trying to win Han Li’s sympathy, attempting to distance himself as much as possible from Doctor Mo’s affairs. However, seeing that Han Li remained unmoved, he had no choice but to continue: “I was originally a cultivator…”
Yu Zitong honestly recounted his origins and the entire sequence of events in detail. Of course, in his telling, he portrayed himself as a pitiful wretch forced into complicity by Doctor Mo, shifting all responsibility onto the deceased physician.
Naturally, Han Li did not fully believe his story. However, by combining it with what Doctor Mo had previously revealed, he was able to deduce about seventy to eighty percent of the truth.
After filtering out the likely false parts of Yu Zitong’s account, Han Li gained a general understanding of the events.
The part of the story Doctor Mo had previously told him—up to the point where he was ambushed and went searching for a way to restore his cultivation—was likely true. There had been no need for deception at that stage.
However, the earlier claim about finding an extraordinary book in some mysterious place and discovering a method to restore his cultivation was entirely fabricated. In reality, it was because of Yu Zitong that Doctor Mo had managed to recover, but it was also because of Yu Zitong that he became cursed.
As it turned out, Yu Zitong was originally a member of a so-called cultivator family. He had trained in the Evergreen Art to the seventh layer, achieving a certain level of proficiency. However, limited by his innate talent, he could progress no further and was unable to meet the requirements for formal Foundation Establishment.
A cultivator who fails to establish a foundation cannot truly be considered part of the cultivation world nor officially step into its circles. Left with no other options, Yu Zitong emerged from his seclusion and ventured into the mortal world, hoping to gain experience and see if he could break through his current bottleneck through mental refinement.
If possible, he also hoped to find some precious medicinal herbs to bring back for refining spiritual pills. Though he knew this hope was slim, it was still a matter of luck—perhaps he would have a stroke of fortune and stumble upon a rare find!
Driven by this tempting ambition, Yu Zitong, then in his twenties, entered what cultivators referred to as the mortal world.
The dazzling outside world quickly captivated him. His mental fortitude was never particularly strong, and within a few years, he completely succumbed to decadence, becoming a favored guest of a certain powerful family. He began indulging in worldly luxuries and glory, gradually losing interest in cultivation.
For disciples like Yu Zitong who abandoned their path midway, his family would inevitably strike his name from the clan registry after a hundred years. From then on, his lineage would be considered part of the mortal world, forbidden from contacting the main family unless a descendant with exceptional talent emerged, allowing them to return and acknowledge their ancestry.
If things had continued this way, Yu Zitong, though having no hope of achieving the Great Dao or further cultivation, could still have expected a long life of wealth and comfort. This outcome was quite common among cultivators who failed to establish a foundation and was hardly remarkable.
But whether it was heaven finally smiling upon him or his luck turning, one day several years later, while idly strolling through the streets, he habitually wandered into a pharmacy. There, he unexpectedly discovered a rare Blood Spirit Grass. This spiritual herb closely resembled common Red Oil Flowers, so the unknowing shopkeeper had displayed them together.
Overjoyed at the sight, Yu Zitong felt renewed hope of breaking through his bottleneck, and his desire for cultivation stirred once again. He immediately prepared to purchase the herb.
Unexpectedly, complications arose. Another cultivator entered the shop and also noticed the herb, refusing to let it go. The two began arguing on the spot.
Seeing this, the shop owner recognized the herb’s value and decided to let them bid against each other, promising the herb to whoever offered more silver. As Yu Zitong happened to have slightly more money on him, he naturally secured the spiritual medicine.
However, he was no fool. Knowing the other party would not let the matter rest, he fled his residence that very night and hurried toward his family’s territory. But halfway there, the other cultivator caught up with him, leading to an inevitable battle.
The opponent’s magical power was significantly stronger than his. Yu Zitong was defeated, coughing up blood, but he could not bear to relinquish the hard-won herb. Gritting his teeth, he activated a life-preserving talisman he had brought from his family, using a mutual destruction technique to scare off his pursuer and escape.
By then, however, he was seriously injured. It was in this state that he encountered Doctor Mo, who was also searching for a remedy.
As fate would have it, despite having spent several years in the mortal world, Yu Zitong had no experience dealing with worldly martial artists. After discerning Doctor Mo’s physical condition, he carelessly revealed it and inadvertently let slip that he possessed effective medicine.
This proved to be a fatal mistake. Doctor Mo, desperate and unable to find a cure after extensive searching, suddenly heard that the other party had medicine that could treat him. He naturally employed every means possible, pleading earnestly.
However, the “effective medicine” Yu Zitong referred to—though not as rare as the Blood Spirit Grass—was still made from over a dozen precious herbs refined through a cultivator’s method at great cost to his vitality. He had very little left, and in his severely injured state, he cherished it even more. How could he willingly give it to a mortal he viewed as insignificant?
Seeing that his humble pleas yielded no results, Doctor Mo grew furious and secretly followed Yu Zitong to a deserted place. There, he ambushed him from behind using a specially formulated poison.
Logically, ordinary poison should have been ineffective against Yu Zitong. However, the secret poison Doctor Mo used was so potent that even he did not fully understand its power, and it worked instantly.
Already severely wounded, Yu Zitong now suffered from the poison attacking his heart, leaving him on the verge of death. It was then that Doctor Mo revealed himself, boldly searching Yu Zitong’s body.
Realizing what had happened, Yu Zitong, in a fit of rage, instinctively unleashed the “Blood Arrow Soul Curse,” transforming all his vital essence into a curse sprayed onto Doctor Mo’s head. He then abandoned his physical body, and his primordial spirit quietly drifted out.
After leaving his body, Yu Zitong realized he had acted impulsively without preparing a vessel for his spirit. Left with no choice, he infiltrated Doctor Mo’s body to temporarily avoid the dissipation of his primordial spirit.
Doctor Mo, initially startled by the blood sprayed on his head, dismissed it when he noticed no unusual effects.
Relying on his knowledge of medicines, he identified several pills from Yu Zitong’s body and consumed them joyfully. True to their reputation, the pills cured his ailment, and Doctor Mo’s cultivation was fully restored.
Overjoyed, Doctor Mo gathered the items he had looted from Yu Zitong’s body, along with an incomprehensible manual on the Evergreen Art, and prepared to return to Lan Province to seek revenge and restore his former glory.
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