Wait a minute, where is my master?

Within the territory of Great Xia, Shangjing City.

The sky was cloudless for miles with only a solitary sun hanging at the edge.

Even in the evening, the streets of Shangjing City were still bustling with noise.

This capital of Great Xia always appeared as a scene brimming with worldly hustle and bustle.

However...

Suddenly, a discordant and loud noise shattered this lively atmosphere.

The sound originated from a royal venue in the eastern part of Shangjing City.

This noise so alarmed the street vendors, shopkeepers, and pedestrians that they all stopped in their tracks.

Even a flock of birds in the sky, upon hearing this noise, scattered in disarray.

"Excuse me, may I ask you something? Has this venue been turned into a brothel?"

A passerby, dressed like a wealthy merchant and startled by the noise from the venue, asked a woman selling buns on the street.

"Hey, what are you talking about? This is a legitimate royal venue."

The woman skillfully tossed wood into her stove and casually added, "Besides, have you ever heard so many men howling in a brothel? That's not an opera house."

The merchant was somewhat overwhelmed by the woman's forceful response and awkwardly said, "Ahem, then what is this place..."

"You look like you've just arrived in Shangjing City. Today, there is a Wash Essence and Marrow event held here, presided over by our Great Xia's royal uncle himself."

An elderly man dressed in a simple robe and cap, emerging from some corner, explained softly to the merchant with his hands in his sleeves.

"Oh... I see."

The merchant's eyes revealed a touch of disappointment; he had thought it was some intriguing establishment and wanted to give it a try.

"Sir, if you are looking for that kind of place, just follow me."

The old man, noticing the disappointed look in the merchant's eyes and gauging that this could be his potential client, revealed a knowing smile.

Hearing this, the previously disappointed merchant's eyes lit up, and he followed the old man into a nearby alley.

At the site, the bun-selling woman watched the two men walk away and disdainfully spat to the side.

...

Inside the royal venue.

On the martial arts field.

The little Taoist impassively watched the cultivators surrounding him.

He had just performed the Body Purification Skill on these people and was about to leave the martial arts field.

But before he could step out, suddenly, one of the cultivators who had collapsed on the ground from extreme comfort, shouted out.

"The Black Yin Evil that had troubled me for over a decade is gone! Taoist Jin, can your magic cure diseases and save people besides performing Wash Essence and Marrow!?"

The man's tone and expression were so dramatic they could have easily made him a guest on a health channel.

Truly, an actor.

Jin Xu, hearing this shout, instinctively tensed, fearing that something untoward might happen.

Sure enough, what occurred next was just as he had anticipated.

This first group of several hundred cultivators who received the Wash Essence and Marrow, having roamed the Cultivation World for many years, how could they not have their small ailments and disasters?

After the first cultivator who discovered the toxins in his body had disappeared shouted out, two or three others also cried out in astonishment.

One said that he had suffered a covert injury in his early years with a piece of a magical artifact stuck near his Dantian, which had never been removed but now had vanished.

Another mentioned that a ghost soul had once invaded his Sea of Consciousness, leaving behind an indelible trace of resentment, which had now also dissipated.

Thus, these hundreds of people began to examine themselves.

Then, continuous exclamations of surprise arose on the martial arts field.

The first few to start exclaiming, with faltering steps, approached the little Taoist to express their gratitude.

However...

Not all cultivators had minor ailments or disasters; among these hundreds, there were also some who were robust and healthy, having never suffered any injuries.

But everyone around you was exclaiming how this ailment and that ailment were healed by Taoist Jin's Wash Essence and Marrow technique. They all crowded in front of the little Taoist to show their familiar faces and express their gratitude.

Wouldn't you feel compelled to find some fault in yourself as well?

So, the scene on the martial field gradually started to get weird.

At first, the issues everyone talked about were fairly normal, like hidden injuries or chronic toxins and such.

But later on...

Some chanted that their yang deficiency was healed, some cried out that their legs had been broken upon arrival but were healed after Wash Essence and Marrow.

There were even those, perhaps too eager to progress, who outright claimed that their herniated discs were cured by Jin Xu.

And then rushed up to express their gratitude.

The young Taoist looked expressionlessly at the one claiming about the herniated disc, only to find that the person was a Cultivator in the Void Refinement Realm.

"You, a Cultivator in the Void Refinement Realm, could serve as a minor official in Great Xia. How can you even have a herniated disc!?"

A wave of great exasperation silently flowed through Jin Xu's mind.

A full hour passed.

The Cultivators that had surrounded the young Taoist to curry favor gradually dispersed.

Jin Xu watched as the crowd slowly thinned and let out a sigh of relief.

"Whew, next time after performing the 'Body Purification Skill,' I must fly away immediately. Otherwise, these people are just too enthusiastic," he said.

He hurried toward the edge of the martial field, intending to quickly return to the grand mansion Xia Yunzhao had given him.

After all, before coming here, the young Taoist and his demon pet had agreed to have a hot pot tonight. If he returned late, with Little White and Yu Yaoer's appetites, there might only be the pot left at home.

However, fate had other plans.

As the young Taoist was walking by the side of the martial field,

a slight, petite girl, wearing a foreign tiara and bare her delicate white feet, suddenly stopped him.

"Taoist Jin Xu..."

The young girl appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old. She spoke in a soft, weak voice and quickly lowered her head after glancing at Jin Xu.

A faint blush emerged on her wheat-colored cheeks.

"What is it, young lady? If it's just to say thanks, then no need to mention it,"

said the young Taoist, thinking her to be another one come to feign familiarity.

"I'm not here to say thanks... well, thanks are still in order, Taoist Jin. But there's another matter..."

The barefoot young girl faltered in her speech.

Jin Xu was inwardly anxious.

His savoury and tender hotpot meat, dipped in sesame sauce and bursting with happiness as it entered the mouth, was waiting for him!

"What is it, miss? Please be quick; I have other pressing matters to attend to," he urged.

But the more anxious the young Taoist became, the more nervous the young girl in front of him seemed.

She stammered for a long time.

Just as Jin Xu considered whether or not to carry her along while he continued walking,

The young girl finally spoke up: "Taoist Jin Xu... I... I wanted to ask if your magic can be reversed?"

The young Taoist: ⊙▽⊙

"I am a Gu Cultivator. Before receiving your Wash Essence and Marrow, my Gu Worms were hidden within my blood and Dantian.

But after experiencing your... your Wash Essence and Marrow, aside from my Lifebound Gu,

All other Gu Worms have disappeared..."

The barefoot young girl looked distressed, her face nearly bursting into tears.

Jin Xu was stunned on hearing this.

Then felt a sudden toothache.

"Ah, what in the world is this mess."