Xu Henshui shuddered, placing those few herbs into the medicine cabinet with deep resentment. But Ji Liuli remained unsatisfied and gestured toward an empty compartment with her chin.
Xu Henshui produced an exquisite little box from an inner pocket, painted all over with orchids. He popped open the lid, revealing several pitch-black grains the size of rice—what sort of medicinal herb it was, nobody could tell. Yet from the twitching corner of his mouth, these inconspicuous little specks were clearly extraordinary. He suddenly snapped his head around and glared at Ji Liuli, his eyes burning with fury.
This was the first time Wei Yuan had seen Xu Henshui's face—a countenance far more delicate and exquisite than that of most women, possessing a captivating charm even in anger. Truly, the man was like his Dao Foundation.
Xu Henshui gritted his teeth. "Do not push people too far!"
"I? Pushing? People? Too? Far?" With each word Ji Liuli uttered, she peeled off a petal from the orchid. At last, she pinched the pistil between two fingers and gave it a gentle rub.
"Ahhh—!" Xu Henshui went weak at the knees and nearly collapsed. Supporting himself against the medicine cabinet, he bit his lip and muttered, "...You're ruthless!"
Seeing Xu Henshui place those granules into the cabinet, Ji Liuli was finally satisfied, and the orchid in her hand vanished into thin air. Looking at his gnashing teeth, she said dismissively, "So stingy! It's not like I'm not paying you!"
Enraged, Xu Henshui snapped, "Can money even buy those? How about I give you money and you buy me some back? Besides, with the pittance you pay, you have the nerve to call that money?"
Ji Liuli felt a bit abashed and defended herself, "You can't blame me for that! Isn't it because Sky Azure Hall refuses to pay its debts?"
Xu Henshui huffed, sweeping his sleeve. "Whatever messy business you have between you, why drag me into it?"
Ji Liuli chuckled. "Because fate brought us together!"
"Bah, bah, bah! Who wants fate with you!" Unwilling to stay another moment, Xu Henshui bolted out the door.
As he passed Wei Yuan, he deliberately looked Wei Yuan up and down, sneering, "Just like your master, a fine sapling planted right into that pile of cow dung called Sky Azure Hall!"
Wei Yuan was baffled by the remark. Just what had Sky Azure Hall done to have everyone badmouthing it? And if they were going to badmouth it, why did each and every one of them stop halfway and refuse to explain properly?
Ji Liuli looked at Wei Yuan in high spirits and smiled brightly. "Now that the herbs are all here, today we're going for something fierce!"
Wei Yuan shivered instinctively.
There had been several "fierce" sessions in the past, each torturing him within an inch of his life. But Eldest Senior Sister Liuli was not consulting him; she was notifying him.
Seeing Ji Liuli set up the wooden tub, Wei Yuan stripped off his clothes. Over the past few years, this action had become instinctual. If he didn't strip, Eldest Senior Sister would peel them off herself, so he might as well do it on his own. There was actually a Daoist technique called the Robe Stripping Art; it seemed sinister, and in truth it practically was, used during battles of magical arts to strip away an opponent's robes, armor, or personal treasures. But Eldest Senior Sister didn't seem to know this art—she just preferred using her own hands.
Another year had turned, and Wei Yuan had grown a little taller. Standing before Ji Liuli now, he was nearly eye to eye with her. Just like before, Ji Liuli crushed pills between her hands, mixing up a tub of medicinal bath in the blink of an eye.
The moment Wei Yuan soaked in, he knew it was fierce indeed. Scalding heat surged through him as if he were submerged in subterranean magma. Wisps of heat pierced into his body like needles and coursed through him; everywhere they went, his flesh underwent subtle changes, and his growth rate accelerated dozens of times over.
Wei Yuan felt an unbearable tingling and itching all over, as though tens of thousands of ants were crawling over him, while a stifling fiery heat built up in his chest with no outlet. Gradually, he felt more and more restless and flushed, yearning to smash something to vent, or perhaps go pick another fight with the Traditionalist Faction—having a barrage of fists and kicks rain down on his body sounded remarkably cathartic.
With great difficulty, two hours passed. The medicinal brew had turned into clear water. Wei Yuan struggled to climb out of the tub, only to discover in astonishment that he had actually grown over an inch taller!
As usual, Ji Liuli inspected Wei Yuan's entire body so she could adjust the next prescription. The results of this cleansing were extraordinarily good, leaving even her thoroughly satisfied. But as her gaze swept over his lower abdomen, she suddenly noticed a thin black line below his navel. She reached out and rubbed it, but it didn't rub off. Nor did it trigger any spiritual energy reaction; it seemed just like a naturally born dark mark.
Yet for a cultivator of her caliber, a photographic memory was second nature. She remembered clearly that Wei Yuan had possessed no such dark line the last time; its sudden appearance now could be no small matter.
Lost in thought, Ji Liuli caught sight out of the corner of her eye of a half-dead little bird. She had seen this little bird plenty of times over the past few years. Finding it an eyesore right now, she casually gave it a flick.
Flicked on the head, the little bird flew into a sudden rage, flapping its wings and raising its head—until it actually turned into a majestic eagle!
Both of them froze.
Eldest Senior Sister was worldly and experienced after all; she rose as if nothing had happened and tossed Wei Yuan his clothes. Wei Yuan's mind was completely blank. He dressed by instinct, but even after he was fully dressed, that eagle still refused to settle down, clearly possessing a stubborn streak of its own.
After leaving the Hall of Affairs, Wei Yuan did not head straight home, but went to the Hall of Broad Thought instead.
He stammered and mumbled, unable to make himself clear for the longest time. Fortunately, the senior brothers at the Hall of Broad Thought were also worldly and astute. Piecing together his meaning from a few disjointed words, one of them slipped into the inner hall and returned shortly with a thick stack of jade sheets—all containing secret arts of the Great Dao of Yin and Yang, and dual cultivation techniques.
Wei Yuan didn't know whether to accept or refuse, but the senior brother gave him an understanding look of someone who had been there, shoved the whole bundle into his hands, and even thoughtfully waived half the borrowing fee.
Unable to refuse such kindness, Wei Yuan hid the jade sheets and returned to his courtyard. But where to put them became another thorny problem.
They certainly couldn't be left out openly in plain sight, and since they had to be returned, he couldn't destroy them after reading. So Wei Yuan racked his brains and surveyed the entire courtyard, inspecting everything from the rafters and under the bed to the stove and the latrine.
He even considered placing the jade sheets on the bookshelf, but felt that was too much of a gamble. What if Zhang Sheng picked them up to flip through them on a whim? His master had a habit of doing that.
After a great deal of fuss, he finally dispersed the jade sheets into corners Zhang Sheng wouldn't normally touch. By the time he was done, Wei Yuan was drenched in sweat, his heart thumping wildly.
From then on, besides taking in lunar radiance each day, Wei Yuan had many secret manuals to study. After several days of hard reading, he had managed only a small fraction, and even that was half-understood, leaving him marveling at how profound and inscrutable the Great Dao of Yin and Yang truly was—no wonder just the twin qi of yin and yang could be ranked as an Earth-grade foundation.
Shrinking from difficulty was not Wei Yuan's style; the harder it was to grasp, the more determined he was to read. Wei Yuan never feared hardship.
That night, Wei Yuan took out a jade sheet and was just about to apply himself when a hand reached over his shoulder from behind and plucked it away. Then came Zhang Sheng's voice: "What are you reading?"
Chapter 51