Mi Xingzhe was dragged back to Mirror Cloud Residence by Yun Qingyi, who had him by the ear the whole way. "Ow, ow, ow, Qingyi! Senior Brother, let go, let go!"
"Sit down," Yun Qingyi commanded, pushing Mi Xingzhe into a chair.
"What are you doing? You're going to pull my ear off," Mi Xingzhe complained, rubbing his reddened ear.
Yun Qingyi paced back and forth, pointing a stern finger at Mi Xingzhe's forehead. "You dare talk back? Do you get itchy if you're not beaten every three days? Making such a commotion—just wait until Master returns, you'll be in big trouble."
A few hours earlier...
Mi Xingzhe had brought wine to the usual meeting place with Yue Ruling.
"Junior Brother." Yue Ruling, dressed simply today, looked exceptionally fresh and elegant.
Mi Xingzhe smiled and shook the wine jug in his hand. "Senior Sister."
"Try this, Senior Sister," Mi Xingzhe said, pouring her a cup of wine.
"This wine is completely different from your Master's Blue Snow Clear Brew. It's rich and fragrant. Where did you get it?" Yue Ruling asked, sipping the wine and praising it.
Mi Xingzhe responded nonchalantly, "From my Master's storeroom."
"Pfft, it's your Master's wine again? You're quite bold, almost drinking up all of your Master's wine."
"He loves medical books. These wines and treasures just sit in the storeroom collecting dust. He probably doesn't even remember he has them. Such good wine shouldn't be wasted," Mi Xingzhe said, picking up another wine jug.
"Heavenly Blessing of the Mountains, sounds like it's aged," Mi Xingzhe remarked.
"Junior Brother, I haven't seen you in a while. What have you been busy with?" Yue Ruling asked.
"Oh, just taking care of the person who saved my life."
"You mean that little demon from the hall last time? He didn't seem too badly hurt," Yue Ruling asked, surprised.
"No, not him. There was also a girl named Hua Ruoying with him," Mi Xingzhe explained.
"Hua Ruoying? You didn't mention her last time."
"I didn't want to involve her in unnecessary trouble," Mi Xingzhe said, taking another sip of wine.
"But Junior Brother, you're usually so well-mannered. Why were you so rude in the hall that day? Master must have punished you," Yue Ruling recalled.
"How was I to know that Immortal Lord was so unreasonable? I was fine outside the hall, but as soon as I entered, I felt an uncontrollable anger," Mi Xingzhe said, reminiscing.
"You mustn't be so rude next time. Even if the Immortal Lord usually shows your Master some respect, he's still an Immortal Lord. Disrespecting him puts your Master in a difficult position," Yue Ruling gently advised.
"I didn't do it on purpose," Mi Xingzhe scratched his head, embarrassed.
"By the way, you mentioned Hua Ruoying. Is she sick?" Yue Ruling asked.
"She was injured," Mi Xingzhe replied.
"Injured?"
"She's originally from Wuming Demon Mountain. Master found they had nowhere to go and temporarily housed them in the wooden house in the peach blossom forest. Master said she overheard something on the road and was discovered and attacked," Mi Xingzhe explained.
"Overheard? What could be worth plotting in The Liao Yin Immortal Realm? Those people from Wuming Demon Mountain really know how to make up stories," Yue Ruling scoffed. "Did she accidentally stumble upon someone having an affair?"
"Senior Sister! She saw two men!" Mi Xingzhe protested.
"Two men? Ew, in broad daylight?" Yue Ruling wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Plotting, plotting! Senior Sister, what are you thinking?" Mi Xingzhe was exasperated.
"Just something I read in a storybook. Alright, enough joking. What did she hear?" Yue Ruling asked.
"I don't know, but it had something to do with inner alchemy. Master even went out of his way to..." Mi Xingzhe caught himself before he revealed too much.
"Went where?" Yue Ruling pressed.
"Oh, it's a long story. Let's drink," Mi Xingzhe quickly changed the subject.
After a few rounds, night had fallen.
Mi Xingzhe and Yue Ruling, both quite drunk, parted ways and stumbled towards their respective residences.
Mi Xingzhe, too drunk to find his way, somehow ended up outside the alchemist's room of the Medicine King.
"Alchemist... room?" Mi Xingzhe, with bleary eyes, looked at the plaque above the door. "What am I doing here?"
As he stood swaying at the door, looking up at the characters, he didn't notice the person sitting on the roof behind him.
The white figure on the roof was also drinking alone under the moonlight.
"I didn't mean to hurt you that day," the figure said, drawing a short knife. "I'll make it up to you," he murmured before stabbing himself in the shoulder.
The figure's attention was drawn by Mi Xingzhe's voice.
"Why is it you again? So annoying. Since you're so curious, go ahead and take a look." The figure smirked evilly, his voice low and sinister.
He casually drew a few strokes in the air, and a dark red aura silently slipped into Mi Xingzhe's waistband.
Mi Xingzhe, who had been swaying like a drunk shrimp, suddenly stopped. He looked down, then up at the alchemist's room, his eyes flashing with red.
The figure on the roof took a sip of wine and waved towards the alchemist's room. The door opened in response.
Mi Xingzhe, as if controlled, walked step by step into the alchemist's room.
Mi Xingzhe, now inside the alchemist's room, looked around stiffly before walking to a wall where numerous pills were stored. He began taking the pills down one by one, opening the boxes, and pouring the contents onto the floor.
The young immortal guarding the alchemist's room was under a spell, slumped over the desk in a deep sleep, completely unaware of the commotion Mi Xingzhe was causing nearby.
As more and more pills were destroyed, the person on the roof grew increasingly delighted, even breaking into a dance. "Tonight, the moon shines brightly, but who shares my lonely thoughts? The heavens love the moon, but only lament the sorrows, never fulfilling people's desires."
Seeing that enough damage had been done, the person on the roof cast two more spells. One hit Mi Xingzhe, causing him to kick over the alchemy furnace inside the room. The other broke the barrier surrounding the young immortal, waking him to a scene of utter chaos and a drunken Mi Xingzhe lying by the overturned furnace.
When Yun Qingyi heard the news, he was furious. He hurried to the alchemist's room with the young immortal. As he entered the courtyard, he saw Mi Xingzhe standing at the door, looking bewildered.
The old Medicine King, known for his benevolence, simply chuckled at the destruction. He instructed Yun Qingyi to take Mi Xingzhe back to Mirror Cloud Residence and not to spread the incident.
"How could you get so drunk and go to the alchemist's room, causing such a commotion? If it weren't for the Medicine King's willingness to keep this quiet, I'd have to go plead with the Immortal Lord again," Yun Qingyi scolded Mi Xingzhe as they walked back, occasionally poking his forehead in anger.
"I don't remember what happened. I just remember seeing the words 'alchemist's room' and then my body moved on its own," Mi Xingzhe said defensively.
By the time they reached the entrance to Mirror Cloud Residence, Mi Xingzhe hesitated, knowing that if his master found out, he would be in big trouble. He stood at the gate, debating whether to hide.
"If you weren't so drunk, would you not remember anything? Did you steal Master's wine again and sneak off to meet Ruling?" Yun Qingyi's anger made him speak bluntly.
"Meeting? That's a harsh word. We were just chatting and drinking," Mi Xingzhe said, displeased.
"Fine, my choice of words was poor, but you did steal the wine, didn't you?"
Yun Qingyi took a few steps before noticing Mi Xingzhe hadn't followed. "What now? Are you scared?" he asked, seeing Mi Xingzhe standing reluctantly at the gate.
"Senior Brother, maybe I should go check on Miss Ruoying first and come back later," Mi Xingzhe tried to find an excuse.
"Don't try that with me. Come back with me right now. If Master doesn't find out, you're lucky. If he does and you're not here, I won't know how to cover for you," Yun Qingyi said, pulling Mi Xingzhe towards him.
Mi Xingzhe, desperate to escape, instinctively pulled his arm back.
Yun Qingyi saw this and firmly grabbed Mi Xingzhe's ear. "Ow, ow, ow, let go, Senior Brother, I don't want to go back!" Mi Xingzhe yelped in pain, reluctantly following Yun Qingyi inside.
"You keep causing trouble every day. Just wait until Master comes back," Yun Qingyi scolded, raising his hand threateningly.
"Please, Senior Brother, you're the best. You have to save me. I didn't mean it. Look, I even burned my arm on the furnace," Mi Xingzhe pleaded, showing his burnt arm.
"Serves you right. Do you know how hot that furnace is? Stay here. I'll get some medicine," Yun Qingyi grumbled but still went to fetch the medicine, taking out some bottles and clean cloth.
"Dear Senior Brother, can I ask you a favor?" Mi Xingzhe asked cautiously as Yun Qingyi applied the ointment.
"Even if I don't tell him, Master will find out," Yun Qingyi replied grumpily.
"Not that. Can you remove the restraint on my wrist?" Mi Xingzhe pointed to his wrist.
"The restraint? Why?" Yun Qingyi paused, unsure of Mi Xingzhe's intentions.
"Please, Senior Brother, have pity on me," Mi Xingzhe pouted, shaking his injured hand.
"You should be tied up to prevent more trouble. But fine," Yun Qingyi muttered, chanting a spell to remove the restraint.
Seeing the restraint undone, Mi Xingzhe beamed with joy.
"Master will be back soon. If he doesn't know, fine. If he does, you'd better think of a good explanation," Yun Qingyi warned, putting the medicine bottles back on the shelf.
"Xingzhe, this time...where did he go?" Yun Qingyi turned around, only to find Mi Xingzhe had already slipped out.
As fate would have it, Li Luoning had just come to borrow some medical books from the Medicine King. Entering the courtyard, he saw the young immortals cleaning up the mess.
The Medicine King emerged from the alchemist's room, and Li Luoning hurried to greet him.
"Medicine King, are you cleaning the alchemist's room today?" Li Luoning asked.
"Perfect timing, Xiaoyi. Here is a bottle of ointment for burns. Take it back for your little disciple. The fire from my alchemy furnace is hot, and it needs careful treatment to avoid scarring," the Medicine King said, handing a bottle to Li Luoning.
"Burn ointment?" Li Luoning was puzzled.
"Give it to your disciple, Yun Wan Nian. He fell and burned himself in my alchemist's room. It's not a big deal," the Medicine King chuckled.
"Xingzhe? Why was he in your alchemist's room?"
"It's nothing major. Your disciple got drunk and accidentally fell in my alchemist's room. Fortunately, the furnace wasn't too hot, or he'd be severely injured. I had Qingyi take him back this morning," the Medicine King explained.
"Again with the drinking! I apologize on his behalf. It's my fault for not teaching him properly," Li Luoning said, bowing in apology.
"No need to apologize. Young people occasionally drinking is not a big deal. I used to be the same," the Medicine King laughed.
"You jest, Medicine King. Xingzhe's behavior is due to my poor discipline," Li Luoning apologized again.
"Don't worry about it. Some pills were wasted, but it's no big deal. Your disciple, who has a kind heart, will grow into a great person if he dedicates himself to cultivation," the Medicine King said with a smile.
"Thank you for your kind words. I will strictly discipline him and bring him to apologize to you properly another day," Li Luoning promised.
"No need to fret. Youngsters making trouble isn't necessarily a bad thing. Go on," the Medicine King waved him off and returned to the alchemist's room.
Li Luoning bowed again and walked out of the courtyard, passing by two young immortals.
"The person who got drunk last night really went too far. He wasted so many precious herbs," one young immortal complained.
"Exactly. So many valuable ingredients were wasted, and the Medicine King didn't even hold him accountable," the other replied.
"It's only because of his master's influence that he's being let off," they whispered, then quickly fell silent as they saw Li Luoning approaching.
Hearing the young immortals' complaints, Li Luoning sighed heavily and made his way back to Mirror Cloud Residence.