Puppeteer Pill
Here's the translation of your specified content, adjusted for grammar and style to fit the context of a fantasy xianxia novel:
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The morning sun was splendid as Yun Qingyi carried a freshly brewed medicinal soup to Mi Xingzhe's room, gently knocking on the door.
"Xingzhe, it's time to get up." Receiving no response and thinking that Mi Xingzhe was still asleep, Yun Qingyi pushed open the door and entered.
"Xingzhe, get up and drink your medicine. If you wish to sleep more, you can do so after breakfast." Yun Qingyi gently set the medicine bowl on the table and turned to look towards Mi Xingzhe's bed.
The bed was empty, with the blankets neatly piled to one side, as if it hadn't been slept in at all.
Yun Qingyi approached and touched the bed, finding it cold, then closely inspected it to confirm there were no signs of it having been used.
"Could it be that he didn't sleep at all last night?" Yun Qingyi muttered to himself, standing up to check the incense burner, which was devoid of any ash.
Mi Xingzhe suffered from insomnia and nightmares, and Yun Qingyi often reminded him to light calming incense before sleep, which Mi Xingzhe faithfully did every night.
However, seeing the clean incense burner and the untouched calming incense next to it, Yun Qingyi almost certainly concluded that Mi Xingzhe had not returned last night.
"Where could he have gone all night?" As Li Luoning happened to pass by Mi Xingzhe's room, he noticed Yun Qingyi standing inside with a serious expression.
"Qingyi, what's the matter?" Li Luoning asked upon seeing Yun Qingyi's concerned face.
"Master, it seems that Xingzhe did not return last night," Yun Qingyi reported with a worried tone.
"He didn't come back?" Li Luoning repeated, his brow furrowing.
Both men in the room were now deep in thought about where Mi Xingzhe could have gone if he hadn't spent the night in his room.
"Little junior brother, weren't you supposed to join me for practice this morning? Don't tell me you overslept." Yue Ruling entered the room loudly calling out, surprised to find Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi standing there solemnly.
"Did I come at a bad time?" Yue Ruling asked somewhat awkwardly.
"Ruling, did you just say Xingzhe had arranged to practice with you this morning?" Yun Qingyi inquired.
"Yes, he's set it up for these few days each month. I waited for him for a long time this morning and he didn't show, so I came here to look for him. Isn't he here?" Yue Ruling looked around puzzled.
"Xingzhe wasn't in his room last night," Yun Qingyi explained with growing anxiety.
"Not in his room? Where else could he be?" Yue Ruling asked.
"I checked this morning when I brought him his medicine. The bedding hadn't been touched. If Xingzhe wasn't with you last night, I can't think of anywhere else he might have gone," Yun Qingyi said, his brow locked in worry.
"I was at the banquet all day yesterday; how could I have been with junior brother? He couldn't have sneaked out to play, could he?" Yue Ruling pondered before asking.
"Master took his Empty Flower Token; he couldn't have gone anywhere but The Liao Yin Immortal Realm," Yun Qingyi responded with a serious tone.
Li Luoning, who had been silent, seemed to suddenly realize something and looked at Yun Qingyi.
"Yun Qingyi, perhaps it's time to use the Amita Compass again," Li Luoning instructed.
"Yes, Master." Yun Qingyi nodded solemnly and quickly left the room.
"Yun Qingyi, what exactly has gone wrong?" Yue Ruling asked as she hurried after Yun Qingyi.
Left alone in the room, Li Luoning's expression was grave, his fists clenched as he pondered the possible implications of Mi Xingzhe's disappearance.
Here's the translation of the text you provided, with modifications for the named entities as per your request:
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In the early morning sunlight, Yun Qingyi, carrying freshly brewed medicine, approached Mi Xingzhe's room door and knocked gently.
"Xingzhe, it's time to get up." Receiving no response and thinking Mi Xingzhe was still asleep, he pushed the door open and entered.
"Xingzhe, get up and drink your medicine. If you want to sleep more, you can after breakfast." Yun Qingyi gently set the bowl of medicine on the table and turned to look at Mi Xingzhe's bed.
Mi Xingzhe's bed was empty, the blankets neatly piled to one side as if no one had slept there last night.
Yun Qingyi stepped forward and touched the bed, finding it cold. He then inspected it closely and saw no signs of disturbance that would suggest it had been slept in.
"Could it be he didn't sleep at all last night?" Yun Qingyi murmured, turning to check the incense burner. Finding no residual ash inside, he confirmed his suspicion.
Mi Xingzhe suffered from insomnia and nightmares, and Yun Qingyi often reminded him to light calming incense before bed, which Mi Xingzhe faithfully did.
Seeing the clean incense burner and untouched calming incense next to it, Yun Qingyi almost certainly concluded that Mi Xingzhe had not returned last night.
"Where could he have been all night?" Just as Li Luoning happened to pass by Mi Xingzhe's room, entering because of the late-night drinking he had done with Yun Qingyi the night before, he decided to check on Mi Xingzhe early this morning and stumbled upon Yun Qingyi standing worriedly in the room.
"What's wrong?" Li Luoning asked, noticing Yun Qingyi's expression.
"Master, it seems Xingzhe did not return last night." Yun Qingyi spoke with a tone of concern.
"He didn't return?" Li Luoning repeated, his brow furrowing.
In the room, both men were now deeply pondering where Mi Xingzhe could have possibly gone if he hadn't spent the night in his bed.
"Little brother, weren't you supposed to practice with me early this morning? You didn't oversleep, did you?" Yue Ruling walked in, calling out as she entered. Seeing the serious expressions of Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi, she hesitantly asked, "Did I come at a bad time?"
"Ruling, did you just say that Xingzhe had arranged to practice with you this morning?" Yun Qingyi inquired.
"Yes, he's been saying that for a few days each month. I waited for him a long time this morning, and when he didn't show up, I came looking for him. Is he not here?" Yue Ruling looked around in confusion.
"Xingzhe was not in his room last night at all." Yun Qingyi's tone was becoming more anxious.
"Not in his room? Where else could he be?" Yue Ruling asked.
"I checked when I brought him his medicine this morning. There were no signs that the bed had been slept in. If Xingzhe wasn't with you last night, I can't think of where else he could have gone." Yun Qingyi was clearly worried now, his forehead creased with tension.
"I was at the feast all last night; how could I have been with our little brother? Could he have sneaked out to play?" Yue Ruling pondered for a moment before asking.
"Master confiscated his Empty Flower Token. Aside from The Liao Yin Immortal Realm, he couldn't have gone anywhere else."
Hearing Yue Ruling's words, Li Luoning seemed to suddenly realize something and looked towards Yun Qingyi.
Yun Qingyi quickly understood, exclaiming, "This is bad."
"What's bad? Yun brother, did you think of something?" Yue Ruling, seeing Yun Qingyi's reaction, asked.
"Yun, borrow the Xi Nan Navigator again," Li Luoning instructed.
"Yes, Master." Yun Qingyi responded, his expression grave as he left the room.
"Xi Nan Navigator? Hey, Yun brother, what exactly is bad?" Yue Ruling followed anxiously as Yun Qingyi hurried out.
Li Luoning remained in the room, his expression grave, fists clenched tightly in concern.
"I dare not," Hua Ruoying quickly admitted her fault, realizing she might have misspoken.
"You're in no position to concern yourself with my affairs," Li Minghan stated unhappily, his eyes briefly flicking to Mi Xingzhe, who lay unconscious on the bed, his lips curling slightly.
"Guests deserve hospitality, especially when they are disciples of Li Luoning. As an elder, it's only right that I treat him well," Li Minghan said with a cold laugh, gesturing for his subordinates to bring something forward.
Hua Ruoying did not fully grasp the implications of Li Minghan's words until she saw several demon servants enter, one carrying a box containing a golden pill surrounded by dark mists, and another holding a set of ordinary demon soldier's attire.
[This is... the Puppeteer!] Hua Ruoying immediately recognized the pill, a puppetry elixir she had concocted not long ago at Li Minghan's behest to sway demon soldiers to his will.
"You know what this is, I presume," Li Minghan approached, picking up the pill from the box with a manipulative gleam in his eye.
The one who consumes the Puppeteer appears normal but becomes utterly subservient upon receiving an order, losing all personal will.
Seeing Hua Ruoying's reluctance, Li Minghan commented, "Hesitant? This lad from The Liao Yin Immortal Realm has his uses for me. You may choose not to administer it, but I wonder if your dear brother can withstand even a moment's more suffering without it." He casually placed the pill back into the box, making as if to leave.
"Wait." Hua Ruoying stopped him urgently, knowing full well what Li Minghan implied. She stepped forward, took the pill with hesitation, glanced at Mi Xingzhe on the bed, then back at the indifferent Li Minghan.
"I'm sorry," she whispered internally, torn by her actions but driven by the need to alleviate her brother Hua Qiuyuan's suffering.
Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and forced the pill into Mi Xingzhe's mouth, turning away, unable to bear watching.
"I grow tired of this," Li Minghan said, satisfied as he watched Hua Ruoying administer the Puppeteer, then turned to leave.
Hua Ruoying sat by the bed, her face a mask of guilt, pondering the unknown intentions Li Minghan harbored for Mi Xingzhe. Now irreversibly a puppet to Li Minghan's whims, Mi Xingzhe's fate was sealed without a known antidote—none existed, as Hua Ruoying herself discovered after extensive, failed attempts to devise one post-creation.
Meanwhile, in The Liao Yin Immortal Realm...
Li Luoning had just crossed the icy bamboo forest to the border of The Flatland, his waist adorned with the Empty Flower Token previously granted by SiTu Fanzhi, thus bypassing the barrier effortlessly.
"How did Xingzhe pass through the barrier without the token?" Li Luoning wondered, pondering the token in his hand. He had taken it from Xingzhe the previous day to prevent any escapades, leaving no room for sneaking out.
With little time to deliberate further, he hastened towards The Flatland.
Due to his rushed departure, Li Luoning attracted attention from hidden lesser demons in the woods. Although mere nuisances, they delayed his journey to The Flatland's market, which was closing as dawn broke, the vendors packing up for the day.
At this early hour, only humans roamed the streets, as demons typically ventured out later. Spotting an open cloth shop, Li Luoning approached briskly.
"What can I do for you so early?" greeted a small, dark-skinned shopkeeper.
"Just this," Li Luoning said, picking up a garment without much thought.
"Ah, sir, forgive me, but this indigo and gold fox fur robe was specially made for Lord Nan Zhe. I cannot sell it to you. Perhaps you might like something else?" The shopkeeper carefully took back the robe, smoothing out its folds.
"Who is this Lord Nan Zhe you speak of?" Li Luoning asked while inspecting another garment.
"Are you new here? Lord Nan Zhe is a powerful figure in The Flatland, our patron and a major supporter of this shop," the shopkeeper explained, bowing respectfully towards the heavens.
"Oh? So he's quite influential?"
"Indeed, sir. If you're new, I'd advise against crossing paths with Lord Nan Zhe's men. They're quite ruthless with his backing."
"Thank you for the warning. Where might I find Lord Nan Zhe's residence?"
"His estate is located to the southeast, at the base of Yun Jiuling Mountain. It's best not to provoke him; anyone who offends Lord Nan Zhe meets a
gruesome end—no demon or man spared," the shopkeeper advised earnestly.
"Understood, I'll take this garment instead," Li Luoning concluded, choosing a less conspicuous item and continuing his inquiry about the region's power dynamics and geography.