Pushed

Wei Yuan had managed to escape the Hall of Xuanming's sick ward with great difficulty. When the Daoist had washed his wound, he had poured on too much medicinal liquid, forcing him to dust on another handful of flesh-sprouting powder. Then he used a bit too much powder, so he had to sprinkle more liquid. If not for Wei Yuan's robust physique, the Daoist would have long since tortured him into a serious injury. In his panic, the Daoist had accidentally let slip that he was only eighteen, had not actually completed his apprenticeship, lacked any talent for medicine, and had never been permitted to practice independently. It was only because the hall was short on hands and the Xin-rank wards were perpetually understaffed that his superiors had assigned him here. After leaving the ward, Wei Yuan felt that by all rules of etiquette, he ought to pay Bao Yun a visit to thank her for risking her life to save him. But how could one show up to express gratitude empty-handed? Yet Wei Yuan was utterly destitute and truly had nothing decent to present. After scouring his entire lodge, he barely managed to turn up a bottle of Origin-Nourishing Pills that was presentable enough, so he took it along to visit Bao Yun. Bao Yun's courtyard was several dozen li away from Wei Yuan's residence. Wei Yuan could not bear to spend money on a carriage within the palace grounds, so relying on his youth and boundless stamina, he ran all the way to her courtyard. From the outside, Bao Yun's residence looked no different from Wei Yuan's. Both were standardized small courtyards built against the mountain, complete with a two-story pavilion and a cultivation chamber built directly inside a cavern abode. However, just standing at the entrance, Wei Yuan could catch a faint scent that refreshed the mind and lifted the spirits. Wei Yuan knocked on the courtyard gate. An elderly servant opened it, beamed when he saw Wei Yuan, and ushered him inside. The moment he stepped into the courtyard, Wei Yuan saw a flowering tree growing in the central courtyard. About a zhang tall, it was covered in blue, pentagonal leaves that shed specks of blue starlight as they swayed. Celestial Star Nightshade! Wei Yuan recognized the tree at a glance—for no other reason than its sheer fame. Its leaves were one of the primary ingredients for Origin-Nourishing Pills. A tree of this size was at least a thousand years old; a single canopy of leaves could probably yield several hundred bottles of Origin-Nourishing Pills, and top-grade ones at that. Peak-grade Origin-Nourishing Pills were twenty percent more potent than ordinary ones and cost twice as much, so Wei Yuan had never tasted one. So how much immortal silver was this thousand-year-old tree worth? What was more, it seemed to have been planted here not for harvesting, but merely as a screen wall to prevent visitors from seeing straight into the main hall upon entering the courtyard. While Wei Yuan was still reeling from shock, a flash of vivid crimson caught the corner of his eye. In a corner of the courtyard stood an exotic tree, fiery red all over and shaped like coral. It had branches but no leaves, with flames rising between them. The fragrance Wei Yuan had smelled outside the gate was precisely what this exotic tree gave off. Wei Yuan recognized this Red Jade Coral as well; after all, it was one of the three precious medicines used to assist in forging a Dao Foundation, a priceless treasure. During the Theory of Arts class, the teacher had shown them a sprig of Red Jade Coral—not only forbidding them from touching it, but refusing to let them look at it for long. That one had been roughly half the size of the one before him. Among the precious medicines Cui Yu needed to secure a Heaven Tier foundation, there was also a sprig of Red Jade Coral. Aside from this, the tables and chairs in the courtyard were all carved from North Sea Ice Jade Marrow. Ice jade was cheap, but once the word "marrow" was attached, no amount of money could buy it. Wei Yuan could not even identify the material of the tea set on the table, not to mention the grass growing across the lawn or the vines bearing small red fruit that climbed the courtyard walls... "Junior Brother Wei is here? Please, come in!" Bao Yun's voice carried out from the main hall. Wei Yuan followed the old servant into the main hall. The moment he stepped inside, he sensed spiritual energy so dense it seemed on the verge of condensing into misty drizzle! The concentration of spiritual energy here was more than ten times higher than in Wei Yuan's courtyard; cultivating here, even without using any pills, one would progress two or three times faster than ordinary people. Wei Yuan glanced around and understood at once: while this pavilion looked identical to the standard build from the outside, it had actually been demolished and completely rebuilt. Bao Yun still wore a goose-yellow dress. She was already exceptionally beautiful, and having now reached Spirit Refinement, her skin seemed faintly translucent, suffused with a glow from within. Every subtle frown and smile seemed to illuminate the entire main hall. "Please take a seat, Junior Brother!" Bao Yun had Wei Yuan sit down before gracefully taking a seat across from him. Sitting opposite Bao Yun, Wei Yuan felt somewhat nervous. Yet under her gaze, he could not remain silent, so he braced himself and said, "I came this time to thank you, Senior Sister, for risking your life to save me. I brought a humble gift—truly nothing worthy of respect." Wei Yuan set the bottle of Origin-Nourishing Pills on the table, his movements stiff and awkward, as though he were lifting a small mountain. Looking at it now, this gift was indeed rather meager. After all, she had a thousand-year-old Celestial Star Nightshade growing right in her courtyard; Wei Yuan was practically giving her a single leaf, and not an aged one at that. Bao Yun did not accept it right away. Instead, she stared at Wei Yuan, the corners of her lips curling slightly as she asked, "What makes you so nervous, Junior Brother? Could it be that I'm not pleasant to look at?" "I'm not nervous!" Wei Yuan flatly denied it. He knew he was merely being stubborn; his nervousness stemmed first from how thoroughly meager his gift was, and second from facing his creditor, which naturally gave him a guilty conscience. Bao Yun suddenly broke into a smile, and in an instant, the main hall seemed filled with blooming flowers. By now, she had shed much of her childishness, revealing the first glimpses of peerless beauty; when she smiled, she was breathtaking beyond compare. Bao Yun took the bottle of Origin-Nourishing Pills and said, "As for risking my life to save you, Junior Brother, please don't mention it again. To tell you the truth, I really had no intention of saving you back then, and I certainly wouldn't have thrown myself in harm's way for your sake. Still, this is the first gift you've ever given me, Junior Brother, so I'll take it!" Wei Yuan assumed Bao Yun was just thin-skinned like him, too embarrassed to admit having saved someone. After all, everyone had seen Bao Yun block the sword with her own body; no matter how she denied it, Wei Yuan had to acknowledge the debt of gratitude. Seeing her accept the gift, Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, though he found her tone a bit odd. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Wei Yuan rose to take his leave. Bao Yun did not detain him and walked him to the courtyard gate. At that moment, the old servant presented a gift box, saying it was a return gift from the young mistress. How could Wei Yuan accept this? He immediately declined with firm resolve. Bao Yun said, "We have been classmates for three years, after all. Are we really so distant with each other that you won't accept even a small return gift?" With those words spoken, Wei Yuan had no way to refuse. He could only accept the gift box and hurry away, moving so fast it was like fleeing in defeat. Bao Yun and the old servant watched Wei Yuan disappear into the distance before closing the courtyard gate. The old servant nodded slightly and said, "This boy is not bad! Not ostentatious in the least. He doesn't even forget to temper his body on the way back and forth—far better than those fair-weather friends of yours." Bao Yun snorted. "He just can't bear to spend money on a carriage! You're getting younger and younger at heart in your old age, old sir—managing to make stinginess sound so refreshingly elevated. So annoying! I even had to put on a fake smile for him." The old servant raised a hand, drawing the bottle of Origin-Nourishing Pills into his grip, and said, "Oh? If that is the case, this old man will just throw these pills away." "You can't!" Bao Yun snatched the bottle back, returned to her study, and slammed the door shut with a loud bang. In the study, Bao Yun casually moved to toss the bottle of Origin-Nourishing Pills into a drawer, but after a second thought, she placed it on the curio shelf instead. The entire shelf was laden with treasures; any single item taken from it could buy several hundred bottles of Origin-Nourishing Pills. Sitting by the window, lost in thought, she felt inexplicably irritable. Suddenly, she gritted her teeth and snapped, "If I ever find out who shoved me out there, this young lady will never let you hear the end of it!" After returning to his lodge, Wei Yuan carefully opened the gift box. Inside lay two translucent, egg-sized fruits, each marked with blue veining. During the Theory of Arts class, the teacher had taught them about such fruits: they were the seeds of the Celestial Star Nightshade. The seeds of such a spiritual plant were worth at least tens of thousands of taels.