"Ah, yes, we plan to take him back to our sect's Serenity Lotus Spring to dispel the lingering impurities," Qu Zihao responded, taken aback by her concern.

From their adept technique and control, Zhi Yan deduced Qu Zihao and Tong Ye had to be in the late Core Formation stage, with Wang Qin trailing slightly behind If Wang Qin accidentally broke through one cultivation level, cleansing the impurities should have been as easy as waving their hand. The impurities should not have been so strong to render him unconscious. Yet when she felt his pulse and listened to his heart, she could hear his heart beating laboriously, in contrast to an ominous and rapid pulsation just beneath his skin. Black splotches marred his complexion, and a dark smoke lingered around him, emitting a burnt odor. 

It couldn't have been her doing. Even as a side effect the siphoning formation on the talisman she had secretly placed on him could not have pushed him to break two cultivation levels. It was a feedback loop fueled by his qi with her blood acting as a straw that let her feed off a bit without exerting him too much. And besides she lacked the external strength to siphon off more than the boy could handle. Unless... Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the Niu Hejun deftly braided several blades of grass into a crown to place on top of his ox. And as if sensing her suspicion, the infused talismans hummed from within the confines of her sleeve.

Zhi Yan's finger lightly pushed back his hair sticking to his forehead. His brows furrowed in misery as sweat dripped down his discolored face. A pale grey-blue hue tinted his skin. He looked like he was almost suffocating. Not almost. He was, slowly and surely. Mortal, it is your fortune to meet me for you will live to another day. This immortal was partially responsible and thus will fix all of you. 

She sat up, a little straighter now. "I would suggest a certain distance away from the impurities lest they attach themselves to you." Tong Ye, hovering over her shoulder, squinted skeptically but eventually backed off at Qu Zihao's insistence. 

Even Niu Hejun had moved away, though she could feel his intense gaze practically burn into her back like a beast watching its prey as it toyed with it thinking of all the ways to chase it down. I will ignore such audacious behavior for the usage of your help.

Discretely, she pulled out a talisman and activated a formation on herself. A formidable burst of energy surged through her veins and she held out her hand, the cleaver flying into it. How she had not noticed the sheer amount of energy in the talisman, she did not know. Zhi Yan efficiently pried back Wang Qin's robes revealing his chest but more importantly the meridian points. With a wave of her hand, the cleaver whipped across a small patch of grass. A glow enveloped the grass and slowly they all straightened in a vertical manner like hundreds of tiny little pins before they rotated into a horizontal manner.

Without warning, the blades shot forward at the unconscious Wang Qin. Tong Ye lunged for the woman his sword poised for attack, moving so fast that even Qu Zihao failed to stop him. 

Slam! A golden barrier erupted in front of him, knocking the man back. Before he could even stand up, the light swallowed him trapping Tong Ye within. Niu Hejun clicked his tongue in a chiding manner waving his hand. "You sect cultivators really have too much energy. Don't make too much noise or else the little lady can't do her work~"

Oblivious to the commotion, Zhi Yan placed the pin-like needles of grass onto certain acupuncture points. She felt his pulse again. Now, the skin was less taut and swollen under her fingertips as the redirected energy separated off to the smaller paths that were part of the twelve principal meridians. But it was still too much for the boy. The last time she used the siphoning technique, she didn't know the talisman had inadvertently allowed him to absorb a large portion of stored qi. Qi that was not his and qi that his vessels were not ready for.

When she pulled out the last talisman, Zhi Yan paused. Oh. That is quite unfortunate. But once she looked back at Wang Qin, she saw that the youthful and ruddy red had yet to return to his face, the decision solidified in her mind. The talisman was slapped on his sternum and she pricked the area beneath his collarbones with two grass blades. Dropping a few of blood drops onto the talisman, she activated one last formation. A siphoning formation. 

A nauseating rush of power slammed into her body and her nails sunk into her palm, a weak attempt to ground herself her. Suddenly, the boy's eyes flew open with a gasp. His chest violently inhaled and exhaled as disorientated wide eyes flickered about her. "Miss Yan, what are yo-"

The poor boy didn't even get a sentence out before she hit the back of his neck and he slumped unconscious in her arms. Zhi Yan ripped the talisman off her and crushed it in her palm. And just like that the visceral need to throw up faded as quickly as it came. 

"What have you done?" Tong Ye had broken free of his cage and was now pressing a cold blade into her neck. The nerve. 

This time though Qu Zihao solved the issue permanently. He pulled out a colorful feather, tucked it in Tong Ye's hair, and whispered, "Tongshan Sect." Tong Ye disappeared in a beam of light. Turning to Zhi Yan, he profusely muttered apologies all of which she waved aside as she unceremoniously dumped Wang Qin into his arms. 

Once he was on his sword, Qu Zihao gave her a slight bow. "Miss Yan of the Qitian Dao Sect, the Tongshan Sect, and I, Qu Zihao, are forever grateful for your generous assistance today."

"Mm." Zhi Yan was more concerned with the blood stains on her robes. But before he could leave, her calm voice rang out in the night. "I advise that the disciples of the Tongshan Sect start off with a well-thought-out plan next time."

"I'm afraid I do not follow Miss Yan."

"Rather than using a rock to render me unconscious and rob me. I simply suggest chasing the right person next time so that next time time is not wasted when a disciple is suffocating."

Qu Zihao paled and looked at the boy in his arms. "Of course." And he was off, leaving a streak of blue in his wake. 

"Oh Birdie you are so entertaining," She had forgotten that there was another headache still here. "I mean, what a show you have put on. Have you ever considered the stage? I think you would absolutely glow, little lady."

Ignoring him, Zhi Yan climbed onto her donkey. Just as she was about to move, Niu Hejun stepped in front of it, his sharp canines glinting in the moonlight as he smiled up at her. "Birdie, I think you're forgetting that I was supposed to kill you."