Yue Ruling was hesitating outside the Mirror Cloud Residence, unsure whether to go in or not...
"After all, it was me who encouraged Junior Brother to steal the wine. He got punished, so I should at least visit him." Yue Ruling muttered to herself, but then hesitated again, thinking,
"Elder Yi is usually kind to me. If he finds out I was behind Junior Brother's actions, he might be disappointed... Oh dear, what should I do?"
She wanted to see Mi Xingzhe, but felt it might not be appropriate to go in without a good excuse. So, she lingered at the door, trying to come up with a better reason.
"Ruling? What brings you here today?" Yun Qingyi happened to pass by and saw Yue Ruling pacing nearby. He called out softly.
"Brother Qingyi." Yue Ruling turned and saw Yun Qingyi walking past with a bowl of medicine, immediately putting on a smile and trotting over.
Thinking that she wanted to eat ice hails, Yue Ruling had been worried about finding a suitable reason to enter, but Yun Qingyi came to the rescue.
"Is Ruling here to see Nian Nian?" Yun Qingyi asked softly, with a hint of tenderness and indulgence in his eyes.
"Yes, I heard Junior Brother got punished last time for drinking the Blue Snow Clear Brew, so I came to see him." Yue Ruling responded with a guilty expression.
"Oh, I wonder who Nian Nian was enjoying the wine with last time, shouting and making a scene in the courtyard after returning, only to be caught by Master." Yun Qingyi seemed deliberate, casting a glance at Yue Ruling while speaking.
Seeing Yue Ruling feeling remorseful, Yun Qingyi changed the subject,
"In fact, Nian Nian was punished not just for stealing Master's wine." Yun Qingyi looked at Yue Ruling and explained with a smile.
"Why was that?"
Yun Qingyi smirked, gesturing with his eyes towards the medicine bowl in Yue Ruling's hand. Yue Ruling looked at the bowl in confusion, then at Yun Qingyi, shaking her head to indicate she didn't quite understand.
"Nian Nian was punished because he secretly poured away the medicine Master gave him for his illness." Yun Qingyi put down the medicine bowl and emphasized his explanation.
"Poured away?" Yue Ruling asked softly, "But your Master is an apothecary. Isn't Nian Nian indirectly questioning his medical skills?"
"We don't even know how many times he did it, staining the Blue Snow Flowers under the window at the back of the house. If it weren't for Senior Uncle Mu Han coming to find Master for a drink and enjoying the flowers, we might not have found out until now." Yun Qingyi's voice carried a hint of frustration and helplessness.
"In that case, Junior Brother deserved the punishment. It's no wonder Master was so angry. Pouring away the medicine given by Master is a serious mistake." Yue Ruling, hearing the reason, also felt angry and clenched her fist.
"From what I know about Master, he has been quite tolerant of Nian Nian lately. If it weren't for his still fragile health, he would have been beaten by Master countless times by now. It's really worrying." Yun Qingyi sighed, shaking his head with a sense of helplessness.
"I didn't expect Master Yi, who usually appears so gentle, to be so strict when it comes to disciplining his disciples. By the way, Brother Qingyi, have you noticed that Junior Brother's personality has changed recently? It's like... he's become much smarter and more agile than before?" Yue Ruling and Yun Qingyi walked forward slowly, and she asked with concern.
Yun Qingyi smiled faintly and nodded in agreement with Yue Ruling's observation,
"It's because of the elixir." Yun Qingyi said leisurely.
"What does the elixir have to do with it?" Yue Ruling was curious.
"Nian Nian used to have a vacant body, although it was quite different from other vacant bodies, but compared to ordinary people, it was still somewhat clumsy, and his thinking naturally wasn't as sharp. With the elixir missing and no spiritual power driving inside him, his three souls and six spirits naturally couldn't come together. Since he got the elixir, it has repaired the deficiencies in his body. Plus, he no longer has to wander around like before, nor live in fear every day. His character naturally improves, and he can be his true self." Yun Qingyi explained slowly.
"It sounds like Junior Brother used to be quite pitiful. But the uses of this elixir are truly miraculous. It can unleash different powers in different people's bodies." Yue Ruling sighed at Yun Qingyi's description.
"It seems he has told you everything?" Yun Qingyi asked softly, seeming unsurprised that Mi Xingzhe would confide in Yue Ruling.
"Yeah, he... told me about... drinking... last time." Suddenly mentioning drinking, Yue Ruling scratched her neck awkwardly and smiled.
Flashback to the day Mi Xingzhe and Yue Ruling were at the Starlight Pavilion...
The aftertaste of the Blue Snow Clear Brew was strong. What was supposed to be just a casual drink had unknowingly made the two a bit tipsy.
"Hey, speaking of which, Junior Brother, how did you come to the Liao Yin Immortal Realm?" After three rounds of drinking, Yue Ruling asked leisurely.
"Master picked me up." Mi Xingzhe responded nonchalantly.
"Picked up again! Your Master sure loves picking up disciples for himself. It's like when Brother Qingyi was picked up by Master Yi while gathering herbs in some place." Yue Ruling's tongue felt a bit stiff as she spoke.
"Qingyi Ge?" Mi Xingzhe asked.
"Yeah, I heard that when your senior brother was picked up years ago, it seemed like his inner elixir was damaged. Your Master, back then, also secluded himself for a long time before pulling Qingyi Ge back from the brink of death. You brothers have been through a lot. Either the inner elixir is severely damaged or simply non-existent. Your Master seems to enjoy finding trouble for himself." Yue Ruling said leisurely.
"I never thought that Qingyi Ge also..." Mi Xingzhe was already a bit tipsy, speaking in a daze.
Yue Ruling snapped out of her daze.
"Qingyi Ge, the truth is, I was the one who told Little Junior Brother to steal the wine. I only wanted to take a small bottle to taste it, but this kid unexpectedly took out two bottles. And, as you know, the taste of Blue Snow Clear Brew is quite good. We just wanted to have a little, but then..." Yue Ruling's face was full of guilt, regretting her rashness at the time.
"You! I knew it! How did Little Junior Brother know about Master's Blue Snow Clear Brew? It turns out it was your idea, greedy for wine and theft, even corrupting your junior brother. Your courage is getting bigger and bigger now. Aren't you afraid I'll tell your Master?" Yun Qingyi pretended to be angry, poking Yue Ruling's head.
Meanwhile, Yun Qingyi and Yue Ruling arrived at Mi Xingzhe's door.
"Sister Ruling! Why are you here?" Mi Xingzhe, who was originally copying books, happily put down the pen in his hand and ran over, step by step.
"I came to check on your copying." Yue Ruling joked.
"You still say~ If it weren't for you insisting on that Blue Snow Clear Brew, I wouldn't have been punished by Master. Look, it's still red now!" Mi Xingzhe pouted, putting his hand in front of Yue Ruling to show her the slightly reddened mark on his palm.
"You! If it weren't for you secretly pouring out the medicine, you deserve to be punished." Yue Ruling denied, hands on her hips, looking to the side.
"Brother~ How could you, you tell everything to Sister?" Mi Xingzhe, seeing that he hadn't fooled her, complained to Yun Qingyi.
"Alright, you two. No more stealing wine next time. If I catch you, both of you will be punished together." Yun Qingyi pointed to the two people in front of him, smiling.
Yue Ruling and Mi Xingzhe looked at each other and shrugged.
"Okay, Xingzhe, drink this. I'll watch you drink it this time." Yun Qingyi picked up the medicine bowl, gently blew on it, and handed it over.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Perhaps the medicine was too strong, or Mi Xingzhe drank too quickly and was choked by the intense taste, causing him to cough violently.
Yun Qingyi quickly took the bowl of medicine, which still had half of it left, and put it aside, gently patting Mi Xingzhe's back to help him breathe.
"Senior Brother, why is the medicine so bitter today?" Mi Xingzhe complained.
"It's because you poured out the medicine before. Master had to add something extra to the new medicine." Yun Qingyi explained.
Mi Xingzhe reluctantly finished the last two sips of medicine, then quickly poured himself a large glass of water and gulped it down.
"Sister, I can't come to play with you these days. Master asked me to copy some mental methods, and there are still many left." Mi Xingzhe looked a bit disappointed, pointing to the direction of the table.
"I just came to see you to make sure you're okay. Then I'll be relieved." Yue Ruling said.
"But, but I'm stuck in the room copying books all day. It's so boring!" Mi Xingzhe sighed with frustration, sneakily glancing at Yun Qingyi as if the words were actually meant for him.
"If you're bored, you can stay at home for me. With your current cultivation level, if you run around casually, any small beast can hurt you badly. Then you'll need treatment and medicine again. I see you, it's better to stay quiet for a few days, and don't go anywhere." Yun Qingyi's gentle voice carried a hint of severity.
"Hmph," Mi Xingzhe snorted in dissatisfaction.
"Well, how about this, when you finish copying, I'll take you to wander around The Liao Yin Immortal Realm in a few days. With me by your side, your Master and Qingyi Ge don't need to worry about your safety." Yue Ruling suggested.
"Okay, okay." Hearing Yue Ruling's suggestion, Mi Xingzhe instantly perked up, agreeing repeatedly, then turned to Yun Qingyi, blinking his eyes pitifully, looking at his eldest martial brother.
Yue Ruling also made the same expression very tacitly, looking at Yun Qingyi together with Mi Xingzhe.
"You two~ Well, okay, okay, I'll allow you two to go out to play nearby once every ten days. I'll talk to Master about it. But let me make it clear first, you can only wander around The Liao Yin Immortal Realm, you can't go beyond the boundary privately, and you can't get drunk. Do you hear me?" Yun Qingyi, helpless, could only agree, pretending to warn them seriously.
"Thank you, Qingyi Ge." The two of them replied in unison.
"Oh, Qingyi Ge, I haven't seen Master all day today. What happened?" Mi Xingzhe asked.
"Master went to visit an elder. I'm afraid he left early this morning." Yun Qingyi explained.
"Have you recently changed the medicine room I gave you?" Li Luoning lightly wiped his hands and turned to ask the Dragon King Yanding, who was lying on the bed. Although Dragon King Yanding's temples were gray, under his thick and spirited eyebrows were eyes as blue as the sea.
"Not really, I've just been feeling a bit unwell these days, but it's all minor ailments. Next time something like this happens, just let Qingyi come over, no need to trouble yourself to come all the way to my deep sea. Since childhood, you've been warm, and you're not accustomed to the deep cold of the deep sea." Yanding Dragon King cautioned with concern.
"No problem, as a junior, I should come to visit you. I just checked your pulse. Your liver qi has been a bit excessive recently. Who angered you?" Li Luoning said casually.
"Nothing of the sort." Yanding Dragon King waved his hand, not admitting it. Even at his advanced age, his indomitable spirit remained undiminished, but at this moment, his lips were a bit pale, his face weak and tired.
"I just sensed your liver qi surging and your spiritual power unstable. Has something happened recently?" Li Luoning asked again.
"I have this cold Dragon Palace of mine. Who could innocently come and pick a fight with me? Nothing else has happened recently, just
a few days ago, the Medicine King sent someone to deliver a few pills he recently refined to me." Yanding Dragon King pondered for a moment before answering.
"New pills?" Li Luoning was a little curious. With his relationship with the Medicine King, if the Medicine King had refined new pills, he wouldn't be unaware.
"I still have those pills. Can you bring them out for me to examine?" Li Luoning asked nervously.
"They're on that shelf over there. You can get them yourself." Yanding Dragon King pointed to the side.
Newly refined pills emit a strong medicinal fragrance. Li Luoning's nose accurately found which one was the box that had been placed recently. After opening the box, there were only two pills left inside, but judging by the slots on the box, there should have been four pills originally, and it was estimated that Yanding Dragon King had already eaten two pills.
Li Luoning brought the pills closer to his nose and sniffed, feeling a little surprised.
"This is... Dragon Ling Pill." [The Dragon Ling Pill is refined from Qing Ling, and this Qing Ling itself has the effect of nourishing liver qi. Yanding Dragon King has always had excessive liver qi, so the Dragon Ling Pill is of no benefit to him. In theory, the Medicine King shouldn't be unaware of this.] Li Luoning was full of doubts at the moment.
"That old fool of the Medicine King probably picked up the wrong pills for a while. I'll go back and settle accounts with him later." Yanding Dragon King didn't take it seriously, casually cursing.
"Is this medicine personally delivered by the Medicine King?" Li Luoning felt that something was amiss. The Medicine King couldn't make such a simple mistake. Moreover, the Medicine King had known Yanding Dragon King for many years and couldn't randomly send pills to the elderly Dragon King.