"Who has struck the Blood Bell?"
From afar, a voice echoed, distant and profound.
Everyone instinctively turned to look at the speaker.
The next second, everyone's breathing grew rapid, some even flushing and trembling uncontrollably!
The reason was simple.
It was none other than the Sect Master of Shennong Sect, the True Person Cang Juezi, who had appeared!
It was known that for so many years, no matter how desperately all those seeking medicine cried out "I want to see the Sect Master," not a single one had ever truly met him!
Essentially, it was always the core disciples who provided treatment, or if they were luckier, an elder.
In fact, the Sect Master had not taken action for a full five years.
And this time, the Sect Master himself had appeared?
"Sect Master! It's the Sect Master!"
"Sect Master, please save my father! I'll kneel to you!"
"The Wang clan of the Southwest merchants, pays respects to the Sect Master!"
With a whoosh, a sea of desperate individuals knelt down.
Their eyes were filled with reverence and hope towards Cang Juezi.
Cang Juezi, with his robes fluttering, glided through the air.
Seeing this scene, he nodded with great satisfaction.
Then, his gaze fell directly upon the young couple.
As for Aunt Tang, she was conveniently obscured behind the kneeling crowd and thus overlooked by Cang Juezi.
"It was you who struck the Blood Bell? Excellent, excellent. You have commendable courage. Especially at such a young age, to possess such a state of mind, it is even more rare."
Cang Juezi, seeing the bloodstains on the couple, had jumped to the conclusion that they were the ones who struck the Blood Bell.
The couple exchanged a glance, clearly understanding each other's thoughts.
If they admitted to striking the Blood Bell, would their daughter then receive the Sect Master's personal treatment?
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, if missed, might never come again.
On one side, their daughter's life; on the other, their own integrity.
Both husband and wife hesitated.
But the next second, the wife spoke first, shaking her head firmly, "It was not us."
Then, the wife pointed at Ying Chen, "It was him."
Seeing this, the husband's eyes flashed with a hint of regret, but he did not blame his wife.
"Oh?" Cang Juezi clearly had not expected the one who struck the Blood Bell to be someone else.
His gaze shifted to Ying Chen, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
Although his mind was filled with confusion as to why Ying Chen was spotlessly clean, with no traces of kowtowing or dust from prostration?
Why Ying Chen's forehead was unharmed, with no sign of bleeding or striking the bell with his life?
He decided to temporarily set aside these questions.
To investigate such minor details in front of so many supplicants would only make their Shennong Sect appear petty.
"Very good, very good. Another young talent, boundless potential!"
Cang Juezi spoke in the manner of an elder commending a junior.
He absolutely did not expect that the junior he was commending was actually over two thousand years older than him.
Even if he were to kneel and call him grandfather, Ying Chen might not even agree.
Due to the difference in generation.
"Young man, according to the rules of our Shennong Sect, since you have struck the Blood Bell, I will fulfill one request for you."
"Speak, what do you wish for me to do? To treat your friends and family, or to refine for you an elixir of longevity? Or perhaps help you resolve a calamity?"
Upon hearing Cang Juezi's words, everyone's eyes widened.
So, striking the Blood Bell had so many benefits?
Not only could they ask the Sect Master to treat illnesses and save lives, but they could also ask the Sect Master to refine an immortal elixir of longevity, or even to resolve a calamity?
If they had known this, they would have risked their lives to strike the Blood Bell!
"Elixir, elixir! Compared to the lives of loved ones, one's own life is naturally more important! If it were me, I would definitely choose the elixir!"
"Resolve calamity, resolve calamity! What treatment, what elixir, is as valuable as resolving a calamity! Those at our level of status and position are bound to offend some powerful figures! Then, asking the Sect Master to act would be like killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, immediately deterring everyone! Everyone would mistakenly believe that our backing is the Shennong Sect, and our status and wealth would skyrocket!"
"Children make choices, adults want them all! If it were me, I would strike the Blood Bell three times – for treatment, for an elixir, and for calamity resolution, all of them!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Everyone was fantasizing about what they would choose if they were in Ying Chen's shoes.
Despite differing opinions, one point was unanimously agreed upon.
That is – absolutely no one would refuse Cang Juezi's kindness!
Or rather, only an idiot would refuse!
And were there such idiots in this world?
To everyone's surprise, there truly was such an idiot in this world.
Ying Chen's lips curved into a half-smile, and after gazing at Cang Juezi for two seconds, he shook his head.
"I want none of it."
"Because what you can do, I can also do; and what I can do, you cannot."
"Therefore, what right do you have to bestow kindness upon me?"
Whoosh!
The entire place erupted in an uproar.
Everyone looked at Ying Chen with expressions of shock, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Does this guy have a screw loose?
Not only did he refuse Cang Juezi's kindness, but he even shamelessly claimed that Cang Juezi was not qualified to bestow kindness upon him?
He's gone mad, he must be mad!
Cang Juezi's face immediately turned extremely unpleasant.
He had envisioned Ying Chen being grateful to him, kneeling and kowtowing in thanks, and becoming a loyal dog of the Shennong Sect.
But he had never expected Ying Chen to refuse his kindness and even step on him in return! This was truly an unprecedented humiliation in the four hundred years of the Shennong Sect's founding! If other Xuanmen Dao friends found out, they would likely laugh their teeth out!
"Do you know what you are saying?"
A chilling glint appeared in Cang Juezi's eyes, suppressing the rage about to erupt from his chest, he sternly questioned.
"I will give you one more chance to rephrase your words, consider what you said before as nonsense spoken out of delirium!"
"The Sect Master is benevolent!" Compliments rained down from the crowd.
"The Sect Master is still willing to give someone like this another chance, I would have killed him long ago!"
"Sect Master, such a person cannot be kept alive! I suggest we kill him and give his opportunity to one of us present."
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
In the face of self-interest, the ugliness of human nature was fully exposed.
Cang Juezi remained silent, merely staring at Ying Chen.
He seemed determined to give Ying Chen another chance.
Logically, facing this additional opportunity, this divinely bestowed revival item, even the most mindless person would know what to say.
Yet, Ying Chen remained unmoved!
He even glanced sideways at Cang Juezi and asked, "What, you're not convinced?"
This statement was like a bomb dropped into a calm lake.
Instantly, everyone exploded!
Even though everyone wished Ying Chen dead so they could have the opportunity, they still had to honestly admit – Arrogant! Truly, fucking arrogant!
Ying Chen was the first man to truly embody the saying "showing off with his life!"