"Who are you?"
Although Zhiran clearly knew who he was, he didn't act like he recognized him.
Instead, he gripped his sword tightly, channeled whatever pitiful spiritual energy he had, and took a stance to fight, as if he were facing a huge enemy.
"Me? I'm an Inner Sect Elder of the Divine Cauldron Sect."
Seeing Zhiran's reaction, the elder smiled slightly and answered. Then he repeated the same question he had already asked twice.
"Are you from the Outer Division of the Divine Cauldron Sect?"
"Inner Sect Elder?"
Hearing him, Zhiran acted as if he were suspicious, but he slowly breathed a sigh of relief and answered in a low voice,
"Yeah, I am from the Outer Sect. Elder, please don't mind my intrusion, I was doing my mission."
He bowed slightly, just like a normal outer sect disciple should when meeting an elder.
"If there isn't anything else, I will take my leave."
After that, Zhiran tried to leave, as if in a hurry to exit this place, only to be stopped by the elder, obviously.
"Wait, I have something to ask of you."
Seeing that Zhiran was about to go, the elder moved in front of him.
"Since you are a disciple of the Divine Cauldron Sect, it makes things easier for me."
He smiled amiably and asked,
"Can you help me deliver this letter to someone inside the sect? Once you complete the mission, I will surely reward you handsomely."
Before Zhiran could even respond, he immediately grabbed his hand, pressing a talisman-like letter into it.
The letter shimmered faintly with spiritual energy.
Only, Zhiran's attention wasn't on the letter, but on the back of his hand, where he felt a slight piercing just now. It was so faint that if he hadn't been reborn and had better perception, he would never have noticed.
'What is this?'
When Zhiran turned his hand to look, what he saw was a small green patch on his skin that looked like it would peel off immediately.
'Jadedove Poison?'
However, the moment he saw the patch, his heart skipped a beat as he immediately realized what it was.
Jadedove Poison, a lower-rank poison that was lethal to anyone below the Foundation Establishment realm.
Without an antidote, a Qi Condensation cultivator would surely die, their meridians poisoned and their heart wracked with agony.
The only relief was that it was a relatively slow poison, giving one time to search for an antidote.
Zhiran knew this at a glance because he had used this poison before in his previous life.
That small green patch on his skin, barely noticeable, was without a doubt Jadedove Poison.
'Fuck!'
"Oh? You have a good perception."
Elder Shuren also noticed Zhiran's movement and said with surprise,
"Don't worry, it's just a small trick of mine to stop you from doing something reckless."
"Take these ten Spirit Stones as a reward, and be sure to deliver this letter to Ember Lotus Peak."
Elder Shuren waved his hand, producing ten Spirit Stones and handing them to Zhiran lightly.
"As long as you complete my task, I will personally help you enter the Inner Sect. So, make the most of this opportunity."
Feeling he might be coming on a little strong, he gave Zhiran a small, reassuring nod. Then he walked toward the center and sat down, urging Zhiran once more:
"Now, go quickly. The poison won't act for twelve hours, so don't worry. I will wait for your return here."
After that, he closed his eyes as if meditating.
From start to finish, he looked like an elder guiding and testing a disciple, and nothing else.
'Bastard!'
Only, Zhiran didn't feel like a trainee right now, as evidenced by the extreme rage bubbling inside of him.
'You want my help and you poison me? Is this just your little trick? And what is this reward?'
Zhiran looked at the ten Spirit Stones in his hand speechlessly.
This many Spirit Stones were needed just to travel back and forth; how could that be considered a reward?
'And do I need your help to enter the Inner Sect?'
Seeing how completely different the situation was from what Tianyu experienced before, Zhiran almost wanted to laugh in anger.
Was this how heaven treated a protagonist and a side character?
Zhiran belatedly realized he was foolish to believe he could snatch something from Tianyu just because he arrived earlier.
Unlike Tianyu, although he had found the Elder, the man wasn't unconscious.
Now, the situation had turned for the worse, and Zhiran was poisoned instead, forced to run an errand for a flimsy promise that might never be kept.
'Sigh! I am stupid. How could I believe I could get something as easily as that bastard loved by heaven?'
Zhiran sighed inwardly, glanced once more at the meditating elder, then turned around and left as if he was really going on the errand excitedly.
There was one thing about Zhiran that was clearly different from any other person.
He was absolutely calm in any situation.
He was someone who liked to calculate things before taking any risk, and it couldn't be denied that he had already considered this situation before coming here.
As Zhiran left with light steps, no one noticed the growing coldness in his eyes, colder than the depths of the abyss.
'Since I can't get something, I can only snatch it.'
'Since heaven doesn't want me to become the protagonist, I will become a villain. Let's see how that goes.'
The more he thought, the firmer his steps became, his resolve getting stronger.
After gaining a new life, Zhiran had high expectations for himself. He absolutely wasn't going to settle for less or be played around with.
He tried becoming a protagonist using the knowledge of his previous life just in case, but failed miserably.
Now, he would try becoming a villain once again, even if there was a high chance he would fail again.
'Did he finally leave?'
As soon as Zhiran's figure disappeared from the cave, the elder who had been silently meditating opened his eyes.
Only, the moment he did, he could no longer control himself and collapsed to the floor, coughing violently.
Blood and gore spilled from his mouth as his robe shifted to the side, revealing the severity of his injuries.