Mi Xingzhe lay on the bed, his meridians pulsating as if something were surging within him. Visible veins throbbed at his neck, and his complexion was pallid. He struggled to breathe, his hands bound by a golden light across his chest.
Li Luoning had temporarily sealed his meridians with three golden lights, protecting his heart meridians while gently guiding his inner energy.
"Master, what's happening to Xingzhe?" Yun Qingyi asked anxiously, her expression tense and concerned.
"I've safeguarded Nezha's heart meridians. Fortunately, the poisoning isn't severe enough to endanger his life. However, based on his meridian condition, it's not just the poison. There's a force within his elixir field trying to break free. But due to his shallow cultivation, he can't control it well, and the toxin has inadvertently stimulated this force. Moreover, Xingzhe may have intentionally suppressed and repelled this force, causing his internal energy to be injured," Li Luoning explained gravely.
"Master, did you say Xingzhe was poisoned?" Yun Qingyi asked urgently.
"Yes, but he's not in mortal danger. I'll transfer some inner energy to him in the following days. With time, he should recover. That's not my main concern, however..."
Li Luoning gazed at the semi-conscious Mi Xingzhe on the bed, sighing deeply.
"Who could poison Xingzhe within Mirror Cloud Residence?"
"Come to think of it, someone did visit today while I was brewing medicine," Yun Qingyi recalled.
"Who visited?"
"O Shinan came today, claiming to bring a congratulatory gift from the Medicine King to celebrate your acceptance of closed-door discipleship. He requested some Blue Snow Flower seeds from me on behalf of the Medicine King and even brought a gift for Xingzhe, claiming it would help him relax and sleep better," Yun Qingyi recounted the day's events.
"In that case, perhaps O Shinan's visit was merely coincidental. But I fear there's someone with ill intentions lurking within The Liao Yin Immortal Realm," Li Luoning pondered, his expression growing grave.
"Master, are you suggesting that someone intentionally harmed Xingzhe to create misunderstanding?" Yun Qingyi immediately grasped Li Luoning's implication.
"Yes, if that's the case, then The Liao Yin Immortal Realm may have a schemer among us..." Li Luoning sighed deeply, lost in thought.
At a cliff's edge, a figure clad in austere robes approached from behind, casting a glance at O Shinan.
"Is it done?" the man's voice inquired.
"I've never failed to fulfill your requests," O Shinan replied with a smile, his tone tinged with confidence.
The man remained silent, his fingers clenched around his chest.
"Now that it's done, are you sure that thing will work on Xingzhe's elixir field?" O Shinan asked after a moment of contemplation.
"I'm well aware of the power of Red Dust into Silence. Even if he's just a novice immortal, Li Luoning may not withstand its force," the man replied, his voice cold and slightly subdued.
"What's your next move?" O Shinan asked softly upon seeing the man's demeanor.
The man turned slowly, holding a delicately carved golden incense burner in his hand...
Inside Mirror Cloud Residence, Li Luoning sat beside the bed, one hand hovering over Mi Xingzhe's forehead, gently infusing golden mist into his body.
As Li Luoning transferred his cultivation to Mi Xingzhe, he glimpsed some of Xingzhe's deeply buried memories.
"A mere cleaner like you managed to spill a water bucket? How did I end up with such a useless son?" a drunken middle-aged woman muttered, her head resting on the table. With her words, she hurled a wine jug at him.
The slender Mi Xingzhe stumbled as the jug hit him, then quickly scrambled to his feet, kneeling to continue wiping the floor with a cloth.
"He's not my son; I wouldn't give birth to such a spiritless waste," a woman on a bed, just after childbirth, slurred her words, waving a dismissive hand towards her mother-in-law.
The mother-in-law understood and took the newborn baby, handing him to a waiting servant while slipping a packet of silver into his hand. She whispered, "The chaotic burial mound west of the city, don't let anyone find out." Then she quietly closed the door, and soon after, a voice was heard saying, "Master, the young master has passed away."
As the scenes from his memories unfolded, Li Luoning was transported to another place.
Young Mi Xingzhe was being pelted with stones by two youths, despite his frantic attempts to flee. They showed no mercy, relentlessly chasing him down.
Unconsciously, they were chased to the lakeside, where one of the older boys slowly approached Mi Xingzhe, reaching out for something.
After being refused, the boy pulled out a long needle from somewhere and viciously jabbed it into Mi Xingzhe's finger. In an instant, a searing heat rushed over him, but the boy showed no signs of stopping.
With Mi Xingzhe's cries, Li Luoning was jolted out of the memory, and the flow of energy from his hand ceased. Yet, even in these fragmented memories, the hardships of Mi Xingzhe's youth were palpable. How had he lived before this?
As Mi Xingzhe, now infused with some of Li Luoning's cultivation, slowly regained consciousness, he opened his eyes and glanced at Li Luoning, seeming surprised. Slowly, he tried to sit up.
"Nezha, your body is still weak," Li Luoning advised, gently restraining him while helping him up.
"Master, I've caused you trouble again," Mi Xingzhe said with a hint of guilt, bowing his head.
Li Luoning was taken aback; he hadn't expected Mi Xingzhe's first words upon waking to be this.
"Nezha, how do you feel?" Ignoring his previous statement, Li Luoning asked with concern, his eyes filled with tenderness, perhaps stirred by the memories of Mi Xingzhe's childhood.
Mi Xingzhe shook his head gently, not saying anything. His mind was still filled with the idle gossip he had overheard earlier. Those words struck at the most vulnerable and insecure parts of his heart.
Seeing his reaction, Li Luoning furrowed his brows slightly.
"Nezha, if you have something to say, you can tell me," Li Luoning sensed that Mi Xingzhe was hiding something and decided to ask.
Mi Xingzhe simply shook his head again, keeping his gaze down, avoiding Li Luoning's eyes.
"Don't get out of bed yet. I'll ask Qingyi to bring the medicine over," Li Luoning refrained from pressing further, lightly patting Mi Xingzhe's shoulder before standing up.
Soon, Yun Qingyi entered with a bowl of medicine.
"Nezha, drink this medicine quickly," Yun Qingyi, with her good temper, blew on the bowl of medicine and coaxed Mi Xingzhe to drink it.
Reluctantly, Mi Xingzhe wrinkled his brow and took a sip, expecting the usual bitter taste. To his surprise, it wasn't as bitter as he had anticipated. He looked at his senior brother, who was helping him, with some confusion.
Observing everything, Li Luoning sat down, pouring tea as he spoke, "Although the poison in you can be neutralized, it still causes some damage. Currently, three of your senses are impaired and need time to recover. During this period, you may not have a clear sense of smell, taste, or touch."
"Master, can't you completely detoxify Nezha?" Yun Qingyi asked with concern, hearing Li Luoning's explanation.
"I still don't know why there's a mysterious force colliding with his elixir field. Rushing to administer an antidote might harm his elixir. The medicine I've prepared for him is gentle and mild. It should heal him within a few dozen days," Li Luoning explained calmly, casting a sidelong glance at Mi Xingzhe.
In fact, besides the antidote being too intense, Li Luoning also intentionally chose a mild formula to cater to Mi Xingzhe's pickiness. This way, he wouldn't damage his elixir, and Mi Xingzhe would have to comply with taking the medicine under the pretext of detoxification, allowing Li Luoning to properly adjust his heavily injured body.
"You've really gone through a lot of trouble," Mi Xingzhe said with a touch of sarcasm, keenly aware of Li Luoning's gaze and underlying meaning.
Reflecting on the words of the two immortals from earlier and comparing them to his current situation, he couldn't help but agree with their assessment of him.
"Qingyi, was there anything unusual in the pharmacy that day?" Li Luoning set down his teacup and turned to Yun Qingyi.
Yun Qingyi pondered for a moment before replying truthfully, "That day, just like I told Master, only O Shinan came by. There was nothing else out of the ordinary."
"O Shinan," Li Luoning repeated the name, a frequent occurrence lately.
"Yes, but when I went to get flower seeds for him, I happened to see him coming out of the pharmacy," Yun Qingyi added, a hint of surprise creeping into her voice.
"Master, could it be that he poisoned Nezha?"
"On the surface, O Shinan does seem suspicious. However, if he truly intended to harm Nezha, this would seem too obvious. With O Shinan's intelligence, he wouldn't resort to such crude and direct methods. Moreover, he and Nezha have never met, let alone any grudges between them. He simply wouldn't have the motive to harm Nezha. Let's drop this matter for now, and neither of you should mention it to anyone else," Li Luoning concluded after some thought.
"Yes, Master," Yun Qingyi replied obediently.
"O Shinan," Li Luoning murmured softly.
Wuming Demon Mountain, in a dark chamber...
Li Minghan once again came to visit Shentu Zhajia, carrying a delicate food box in his hand.
"Elder Brother, have you been feeling better lately?" Li Minghan asked with a knowing tone, gently opening the food box in his hand.
Shentu Zhajia, still with his back turned, paid him no mind.
"I remember your favorite used to be the camellia cakes from the foot of the mountain, made from the flowers of the Fánlí Valley. Fortunately, I recently acquired some new tea from the Mòzhī Mountain," Li Minghan said, taking out items from the food box one by one.
"You've been in seclusion here for so long; you must need some new clothes. I thought this stone-ne color robe, paired with the grass-white floral pattern, would suit your noble demeanor very well," he said, placing a new garment aside.
"Noble demeanor? Are you here today to mock me, Brother?" Shentu Zhajia finally spoke, emitting a cold laugh.
"What nonsense are you talking about, Brother? Although our younger brother now manages the affairs of the Fánlí Valley in your stead, someday it will all return to you. Or should I say, if you want it, one day the entire world will be yours," Li Minghan said, his expression suddenly becoming somewhat sinister as he walked up slowly, lightly tugging at Shentu Zhajia's sleeve.
"Li Minghan! Put away your hypocritical face. I won't fall for your tricks, nor do I desire to be some ruler of the world," Shentu Zhajia retorted angrily, shaking off the tugged sleeve.
A trace of displeasure flashed across Li Minghan's face, quickly suppressed. Instead, a faint smile graced his lips under the mask, and he followed closely behind Shentu Zhajia with graceful steps.
"Elder Brother, why deceive yourself like this? Are you content to live in this dark Wuming Demon Mountain, guarding the demon realm and the Fánlí Valley, spending your days in obscurity? Even if you don't realize it, have you ever considered whether the demon clan of Wuming Demon Mountain and the people of Fánlí Valley truly wish to live this inferior life with you?" Li Minghan sneered.
"What business is it of yours to meddle in the affairs of Wuming Demon Mountain?" Shentu Zhajia countered.
"Don't forget, everyone now believes that I am the Demon Lord. Since ancient times, immortals and demons have been at odds, and rebellion among the demon clan is ingrained. If I truly wanted to awaken their rebellious spirit, it would be effortless," Li Minghan chuckled softly, his eyes carrying a sinister charm as he replied with a smile that seemed both mocking and affectionate.
"What have you done?" Shentu Zhajia knew Li Minghan too well; upon hearing his words, he knew something had happened.
Li Minghan did not answer; he lightly sipped his tea, then turned and left, leaving behind a thought-provoking smirk before closing the door to the dark chamber.
Outside the door, Hua Qiuyuan had been waiting for some time. Seeing Li Minghan emerge from inside, she hurried forward to report,
"My Lord, the task you assigned earlier has been completed as instructed," Hua Qiuyuan whispered.
"Very well, send someone to inform him, meet at the usual place," Li Minghan replied.