Chapter 57: The Storm of Rumors: The Label of a Devil Clan Spy

Shen Yan had just stepped out of the side door of the library, the warmth of the phone screen still lingering on his fingertips. He was about to pull up the log from the silent scan when three mournful bell tolls suddenly exploded in his ears.

Boom—

Boom—

Boom—

This wasn’t the morning assembly call—it was Medicine Valley’s highest-level alarm.

The square ahead instantly swarmed with disciples. Medicine Boys scrambled to line up, while several Stewards rushed over with grim expressions. Shen Yan’s heart tightened, and he instinctively tucked the phone deeper into his sleeve.

Before he could react, Xie Wujiu was already standing on the high platform in front of the main hall, holding a dark purple crystal in his hand. Its glow was as cold and eerie as fireflies dug up from a graveyard.

“Last night at midnight!” His voice rose, drowning out the crowd. “I saw with my own eyes—this man infiltrated the Forbidden Land of the library and made contact with a demonic remnant soul for half an hour! This—” He abruptly raised the crystal. “—is a Demonic Energy crystal extracted from the Jade Slip he touched!”

The crowd erupted.

Someone roared, “It really is an outsider bringing disaster!”

Another drew their sword halfway, its cold gleam pointed directly at Shen Yan.

Others had already begun chanting incantations and forming seals, Spiritual Energy churning in their palms.

Shen Yan stood still, but his mind raced. He quickly opened the Terminal Interface, preparing to scan the energy spectrum of the crystal—only for the screen to flash, displaying a line of green text:

【Signal Blocked: Detected ancient Classics Seal Array】

【Function Restricted: Source Code analysis paused】

Damn, they planned this.

He looked up at Xie Wujiu, who wore a cold smile at the corner of his mouth, his eyes fixed on Shen Yan as if he were a fish already nailed to the chopping block.

Spiritual pressure gradually built around him, Sword Intent pricking his skin like needles. Shen Yan knew that if he didn’t speak now, he’d be pinned to the ground and beaten to a pulp in the next second.

Just as he opened his mouth, a figure in light green suddenly stepped in front of him.

Pei Yue.

She stood with her back to him, the jade hairpin in her hair swaying gently, like the final tremble before a wind chime rings.

Then, she raised her right hand and pressed the tip of the cold jade hairpin against her palm.

“I, Pei Yue.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it fell like icy spring water into boiling oil, instantly silencing the entire square. “Saintess of Medicine Valley, swear by my Bloodline—if Shen Yan is truly a Devil Clan spy, tainted by evil filth, may I suffer Heavenly Punishment, my soul scattered to dust.”

The moment her words fell, blood trickled down the lines of her palm, dripping onto the bluestone floor.

There was no explosion, no thunder—only a faint golden light spreading from the bloodstain.

Then, words appeared on the ground:

“Spiritual Veins Revitalization Technique Success Rate = (Spiritual Power Value + Medicinal Coefficient × Loop Variable i) ÷ Constant K, terminate when i ≤ 5.”

Shen Yan’s pupils contracted.

This was the original formula from the Taisu Medical Canon—the correct, unaltered version he had recorded in his phone last night!

And now, it was being written on the ground, stroke by stroke, with Pei Yue’s blood.

This wasn’t an illusion or a projection of an array. This was the legendary “Original Text Imprint of the Classics,” an ancient Contract that could only be awakened by the Saintess of Medicine Valley when her heart was pure and her Bloodline untainted, staking her life to do so.

Whoever altered the Classics was the true traitor.

The System Terminal quietly displayed a Notice:

【Detected Dark Jade Cold Pulse activating ancient text imprint】

【Original Text traceback completed】

【Conclusion: Large-scale knowledge pollution detected in current environment】

Shen Yan stared at the line of golden, shimmering formula, his throat suddenly tightening.

He knew what this meant—Pei Yue wasn’t just helping him clear his name; she was betting her own life on the word “trust.”

The platform below fell into dead silence.

The disciple who had been shouting the loudest earlier could barely hold his sword steady. Several stewards exchanged uneasy glances, not daring to breathe too heavily.

Xie Wujiu’s expression changed.

He glared fiercely at the line of formula, then shifted his gaze to the wound on Pei Yue’s palm, which was continuously oozing blood. His eyes seemed ready to spit fire.

“Absurd!” he finally spoke, though his voice trembled slightly. “How can a mere blood-revealed text prove innocence? Perhaps this is just a prearranged act between them!”

Pei Yue slowly turned around. Her face showed neither anger nor solemnity, only a calm, almost serene determination.

She looked at Shen Yan and said softly, “The code you wrote saved my life. Now, it’s my turn to repay you in my own way.”

Shen Yan opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a word.

He could only watch helplessly as the blood from her right palm dripped from her fingertips, shattering like rubies in the sunlight.

At that moment, the System popped up another message:

【Warning: External Data Packet injection detected】

【Suggestion: Establish Firewall Protocol immediately】

Shen Yan glanced down at his phone. The edges of the screen were already beginning to grow slightly warm.

He knew this turmoil was far from over.

Xie Wujiu glared at the two of them, gnashing his teeth, then suddenly sneered, “Very well. Today, you two put on this show together. Tomorrow, will you claim the entire Medicine Valley has been corrupted by Demonic Energy?”

As he spoke, he violently threw the Demonic Energy crystal to the ground.

With a sharp crack, the crystal shattered, and purple mist rose.

But strangely, the mist didn’t spread. Instead, it seemed to be drawn by something, quickly condensing into a thin line and drifting toward a corner of the library.

Shen Yan’s eyes sharpened.

That was… the direction where the Dark Shadow had disappeared last night.

Just as he was about to investigate, Pei Yue gently tugged at the corner of his sleeve.

She shook her head, then pointed to her still-bleeding palm and gestured toward a side hall at the edge of the square—the Medicine Valley’s Forbidden Treatment Hall, specifically for treating severe injuries or poisonings.

Her meaning was clear: Stop the bleeding first, then uncover the truth.

Shen Yan pressed his lips together and nodded.

At that moment, Xie Wujiu swept a cold gaze across the crowd and declared loudly, “Since the Saintess has sworn with her blood, this matter will be set aside for now. However, this person’s origins are unknown, and his actions are suspicious. He must remain under strict surveillance!”

No one objected.

After all, the scene just now had been too shocking. No one dared to act rashly again.

He cast one last glance at Shen Yan before turning to leave. As his sleeve shifted slightly, it revealed half of a pitch-black Jade Slip, trembling faintly.

Shen Yan stood in place, clutching his warm phone. His gaze pierced through the crowd, settling on the shattered remnants of the Demonic Energy crystal.

The purple mist had long dissipated, but the traces left on the ground displayed a peculiar ripple-like structure—almost like the topological diagram of some kind of Encrypted Signal.

He crouched down, gently scraped a bit of the powder with his fingernail, and tucked it into the Talisman Paper pouch he carried with him.

The System automatically identified it:

【Analyzing composition…】

【Anomalous Encoding Segment detected: suspected to be artificially implanted】

【Match rate: 78.3% with Backdoor Code from Alchemy Jade Slip】

It was fake, after all.

This was no Demonic Energy crystal—it was clearly a meticulously forged data carrier, specifically designed for framing someone.

And Xie Wujiu was merely a Puppet on the stage.

The true mastermind behind it all was still lurking in the shadows, waiting to watch the show unfold.

Shen Yan stood up and steadied Pei Yue by her arm. Her body temperature was slightly low, her face pale, yet her back remained straight and unwavering.

“Are you out of your mind?” he whispered. “What if something had happened?”

Pei Yue smiled softly, her voice barely audible. “You once said that Code can be changed, documents can be lost, but someone must always guard the original Version.”

Shen Yan was taken aback.

He suddenly remembered the new project document he had created—The Cultivation Knowledge Purification Plan.

So, he wasn’t fighting alone after all.

Some people had long been silently standing within the same line of Code.

He tightened his grip on his phone, his fingertips swiftly sliding across the Screen as he created a new sub-Program:

【Name: Trust Firewall】

【Function: Automatically marks and intercepts malicious information injections targeting core collaborators】

【Default Protected Target: Pei Yue】

The moment the Program was saved, a sudden commotion erupted in the distance.

A Medicine Boy stumbled in, holding a booklet with a charred corner. “It’s terrible! The latest copy of Lingshu Prescription Annotations… it burst into flames as soon as it was distributed!”

Shen Yan and Pei Yue exchanged a glance.

It had begun.

The purge had started.

(End of Chapter)