The Meridian Scriptures

Inside Mirror Cloud Residence, Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi were copying the contents of medical books in the study.

Outside the courtyard, Mi Xingzhe and Bingo were playing together. Occasionally, Mi Xingzhe's joyful laughter could be heard clearly.

It was rare to have such peaceful and joyful moments inside Mirror Cloud Residence. Li Luoning lifted his head to look at Mi Xingzhe in the distance, examining him from top to bottom. His gaze, initially affectionate, became somewhat serious. Then he put down the book in his hand.

Seeing Li Luoning put down the book, Yun Qingyi also stopped writing and looked at Li Luoning.

"What's wrong, Master?" Yun Qingyi asked.

"Qingyi, in these days, you must pay special attention to Xingzhe's changes," Li Luoning frowned slightly, then instructed.

"What could be wrong with Xingzhe?" Yun Qingyi was puzzled.

"I'm not sure either, but I feel like he's hiding something from us. I've tried to probe a few times, but he doesn't want to talk about it."

Li Luoning's eyes were fixed on Mi Xingzhe in the distance, dressed in white, his knees stained with a glaring red.

Following Li Luoning's gaze, Yun Qingyi first saw Mi Xingzhe playing happily, then noticed the injured area on Mi Xingzhe's knee, which had turned red after being wounded.

"How did he get hurt like this, yet Xingzhe seems to have no reaction at all?" Yun Qingyi nervously put down the pen in his hand, stood up to confirm that what he had just seen was not an illusion.

"Although the poison in his body has been neutralized, his five senses should have recovered long ago. But looking at his current condition, it seems that he still hasn't regained his sense of pain. I'm worried not only about this, but also about his recent strange tone of speech, avoiding eye contact, and locking himself in his room for long periods. I'm afraid..." Li Luoning didn't continue speaking, hoping that his worries were unfounded.

"What is Master worried about?"

Li Luoning pointed to a book beside his hand, "This is what I found in his room. Based on what I know about him, this doesn't seem like the usual content Xingzhe enjoys reading. This book appearing in his room out of nowhere is definitely not a coincidence."

"This is? The Meridian Scriptures? Is Xingzhe suddenly interested in meridian circulation?" Yun Qingyi picked up the book beside him and flipped through it.

"Can you tell which scrolls he's been flipping through repeatedly?" Li Luoning asked.

"It seems to be the Five Colors, discussing pain and bone density..." Yun Qingyi looked at these pages, paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Master thinks Xingzhe is doing this intentionally?"

Li Luoning nodded in agreement. He had long noticed that Xingzhe's emotions were off, but the slow recovery of his sense of pain made him suspicious. "He has indeed been somewhat depressed recently. I thought it was just because of his illness. But now, if my guess is correct..."

As the two were talking, Mi Xingzhe, who had finished playing, returned to the room. Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi stopped discussing the topic just now with tacit understanding, pretending nothing had happened, and continued with their respective tasks as if nothing had happened.

Mi Xingzhe poured himself a cup of tea and drank it all in one go.

Little Bingo approached Li Luoning, rubbing his nose gently against Li Luoning's hand, then chased after a butterfly.

"Master, Senior Brother, I won't be having dinner together tonight," Mi Xingzhe said.

"What's wrong? Are you not hungry again?" Yun Qingyi asked.

"No, it's Senior Sister Yue Ruling. She just passed by here during her patrol and said she had something to discuss with me. She asked me to come over later for dinner together," Mi Xingzhe explained.

"Oh, then go ahead. Hey, Xingzhe, no drinking, okay?" Yun Qingyi pointed a finger at Mi Xingzhe as a warning.

"I know~ Alright, I'm going." Seeing Li Luoning's approval, Mi Xingzhe took a step to leave.

"Hey, come back, come back." Yun Qingyi grabbed Mi Xingzhe.

"What's up? Didn't you agree to let me go?" Mi Xingzhe was a little impatient.

"I didn't say you couldn't go, but are you going to see her in these clothes? Senior Sister Yue Ruling is still a lady. Is it appropriate for you to go to her all sweaty like this?" Yun Qingyi pulled Mi Xingzhe's clothes, looking disgusted.

"But my other clothes haven't been washed yet." Mi Xingzhe sniffed himself and didn't feel anything wrong.

"Here, wear this." Yun Qingyi handed him the clothes in his hand.

"Haha, Senior Brother is always the best." Seeing the clothes handed over by Yun Qingyi, Mi Xingzhe immediately smiled.

Together, Yun Qingyi and Mi Xingzhe went to his room. As Mi Xingzhe pulled his arms out of the long shirt, Yun Qingyi clearly saw a row of marks on the back of Mi Xingzhe's arms on both sides.

This was obviously the result of his body curling up, unconsciously causing wounds when embracing his arms. The bloodstains on them had turned into deep red scabs, indicating that this was not a recent occurrence.

Yun Qingyi stepped forward and grabbed Mi Xingzhe's bicep, staring fixedly at the scars on his arm.

"Senior Brother, what are you doing?" Mi Xingzhe was first stunned, then seeing Yun Qingyi staring at the wounds on his arm, he felt guilty and wanted to pull his arm back.

"I, I don't know when I got this." Mi Xingzhe felt a bit guilty under Yun Qingyi's glare, then explained.

"Don't pretend you don't know. These are clearly your finger marks. Do you have any other injuries on your body?" Yun Qingyi asked seriously, then began to inspect Mi Xingzhe's body.

"No, no, Qingyi brother, there really isn't." Mi Xingzhe nervously pushed away Yun Qingyi's hand to prevent him from checking.

"Yun Wan Nian, let me warn you. Your body is a gift from your parents. If you intentionally harm it, see how I'll deal with you!" Yun Qingyi threatened, waving his hand with a hint of menace.

"But I don't have parents..." Mi Xingzhe muttered softly.

"What did you say?" Yun Qingyi naturally heard his words and asked angrily.

"Oh, Senior Brother, I understand now. It's not a big deal, just a minor injury. It's okay, no need to make a fuss." Mi Xingzhe pushed away Yun Qingyi's hand playfully and quickly hid his arm in his sleeve.

"Don't give me that playful attitude. I'm warning you, if it's accidentally bruised or injured, it's fine. But if I find out you did it intentionally, see how I'll deal with you!" Yun Qingyi poked Mi Xingzhe's head warningly.

"Okay, okay, I know. If you keep scolding me, I'll be late." Mi Xingzhe responded impatiently while adjusting his clothes.

"Go on then, but don't stay out too late. Got it?" Yun Qingyi's expression softened again as he spoke gently.

"I got it, Senior Brother is the best, I'm going." Mi Xingzhe smiled sweetly, then turned and ran outside.

"Xingzhe, no drinking, okay?!" Yun Qingyi shouted behind him, the scene resembling a mom reminding her child not to drink before going to school.

"I got it." Mi Xingzhe's response came from a distance.

Watching Mi Xingzhe's rare good mood, Yun Qingyi felt happy for him. Turning back, he intended to take away the clothes Mi Xingzhe had just changed out of to wash. As he shook the clothes, he heard a sound, as if something had fallen to the ground.

"Forgetful as always." Yun Qingyi seemed accustomed to this and shook his head without paying much attention.

Following the sound, Yun Qingyi looked around and crouched down, only to see a box pushed deep under the bed. Curious, Yun Qingyi hooked out the box and opened it. As soon as the box was opened, he gasped in cold air, his eyes widening in disbelief at what was inside.

---

The night breeze was gentle, occasionally blowing a few peach blossom petals, making the pavilion particularly poetic at this moment.

Mi Xingzhe and Yue Ruling sat opposite each other at the stone table, with several small dishes on the table, and a pot of... Blue Snow Clear Brew beside them.

"Didn't your Senior Brother say not to let you drink?" Yue Ruling complained a bit, but still took the wine glass handed to her by Mi Xingzhe very honestly.

"Oh, Senior Sister, since you've prepared the dishes, I have to pair them with good wine. Besides, with the cool breeze of the night and the beautiful scenery before us, if there's no wine, it would be less enjoyable, don't you think?" Mi Xingzhe said with a smile.

"You, let me tell you, drinking is fine, but just a small amount. I don't want to be lectured by Senior Brother Qingyi." Yue Ruling said as she picked up the wine glass, then took a sip.

"I know, I know, I'll be careful. Senior Sister, why did you call me here today?" Mi Xingzhe asked after taking a sip of wine.

"Master asked me to go through the human realm tribulation to elevate my cultivation. This time, I'll be gone for a short period, maybe ten days to half a month, or as long as a year or two. I wanted to tell you beforehand." Yue Ruling put down her wine glass and said.

"The tribulation can enhance cultivation? So, Senior Sister, you're going to the human realm not because of me?" Mi Xingzhe suddenly realized.

"Because of you? What are you talking about?" Yue Ruling was puzzled.

"I heard them say that it's because I always drag you to drink, so you were punished to go to the human realm by the God of War..." Mi Xingzhe muttered softly.

"Who told you that?" Yue Ruling tapped Mi Xingzhe's head, somewhat amused and bewildered.

"I heard it from the celestial servants. It made me feel guilty for days." Mi Xingzhe pouted and complained.

"You, next time you have such doubts, just come and ask me directly. What can't you tell me, your Senior Sister? Is it fun to speculate alone?" Yue Ruling felt somewhat helpless.

"That's true," Mi Xingzhe replied.

"Oh, little junior brother, this is for you." At this point, Yue Ruling suddenly remembered something and took out a delicately embroidered sachet from her bosom.

"For me? What's this good thing?" Mi Xingzhe asked as he held it in his hand.

"There's a pocket on the side of this sachet, inside are several Dragon Lily Pills, which have the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. Keep them for the next time you're punished to kneel by Master." Yue Ruling smiled as she spoke.

"Sister, can't you hope for something better for me?" Mi Xingzhe casually accepted the sachet.

"I got these Dragon Lily Pills from a friend. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even bother asking for them. You make your sister look like a bootlicker, just to get a few of these." Yue Ruling took a sip of wine and said.

"Thanks for your concern, Sister. You're the best." Mi Xingzhe elongated his tone.

"By the way, little junior brother, how have you been these days? Didn't your body recover well recently? How come you got poisoned again?" Yue Ruling asked.

"I don't know. I just drank the medicine Master gave me that day, and then I started vomiting blood. I don't know if Master carelessly prepared the wrong medicine." Mi Xingzhe recalled as he spoke.

"It shouldn't be like this. Even if your Inner Dan transformed from the Immortal Spirit Grass has internal power, it shouldn't be strong enough to be uncontrollable, let alone react with medication. This is really strange." Yue Ruling analyzed.

"Maybe Master did it on purpose to mess with me." Mi Xingzhe complained with a hint of grievance.

"Don't talk nonsense. Your Master is not such a boring person. Besides, given how much he dotes on you, he wouldn't experiment with uncertain medicine on you." Yue Ruling was the first to disagree when Mi Xingzhe doubted Li Luoning.

"He dotes on me? All he does is have a cold face all day long. He either makes me recite books or drink medicine. I feel like I'm being pickled." Mi Xingzhe grumbled discontentedly.

"Not doting on you? What about this jade pendant he painstakingly carved for you?" Yue Ruling said as she gestured towards the jade pendant around Mi Xingzhe's waist.

"This? It's just a token of apprenticeship, what's so special about it?" Mi Xingzhe picked up the jade pendant and asked bewilderedly.

"Don't underestimate this jade pendant. It contains your Master's cultivation. When necessary, it can save your life." Yue Ruling explained.

"So powerful!" Mi Xingzhe exclaimed.

"Of course. Did you really think this was just a simple jade pendant? It's just that your current cultivation is not high enough to see the mysteries inside." Yue Ruling explained.

"Master also knows how to carve?" Mi Xingzhe muttered with a pout, unconsciously rubbing the beast-shaped gold-threaded jade pendant in his hand.

"You, still don't understand the painstaking efforts of your Master." Yue Ruling held a wine glass in one hand, speaking with a slightly mocking tone.

"I..." Mi Xingzhe wanted to say something, but his words stuck in his throat, and he looked down at the jade pendant in his hand.

Jiuling, the setting sun dyed half of the sky crimson, and a figure in a black cloak stood nearby, gazing in the direction of the Fuli Valley opposite.

O Shinan walked slowly from behind, his lips curled into a mischievous smile, and his face showing an expression as if he had anticipated this encounter, indicating that he knew who was coming.

"Brother Minghan, you always seem to enjoy this sunset scenery, oh, wait, I should say Lord Minghan." O Shinan lightly closed the folding fan in his hand and took two steps forward to the side of the black cloak.

"O Shinan, you are no different. You have always preferred this last touch of brilliance before darkness falls." Li Minghan under the black cloak turned slowly and spoke.

"Lord Minghan, it's been a long time. What brings you here today?" O Shinan lightly waved his fan, his lips carrying a hint of expected smile.

"I came today to make an interesting deal with Mr. O." Li Minghan's voice was calm, with a hint of expectation in his tone, as if he was certain that O Shinan would be interested in what he was about to reveal.

"Oh? Do tell." O Shinan smirked, extending a hand in invitation.

After whispering a few words with O Shinan, a playful smile appeared on O Shinan's face.

"Well, this sounds intriguing, but it might be a bit difficult to handle." O Shinan pretended to ponder, stroking his chin.

"Recently, there has been an increase in the research on the Wuxiang Gold Powder in Fuli Valley, I wonder..." Li Minghan said, opening his hand, which held a sachet.

"In that case, I'll gladly accept." O Shinan tactfully took the sachet with a gesture of respect.