Red Dust Tranquility

Li Luoning pushed aside the waist-high weeds and made his way to the original location of the Li family's backyard.

The Li family was originally in the business of medicine, with several generations making a living from medical pharmacology. It wasn't until Li's father's generation that, by chance, some precious medicinal materials were found, leading to the prosperity of the Li family. The former Li Mansion, while not extravagant, was still a wealthy household. Even the backyard was carefully designed, with the ground laid with whole pieces of bluestone brought down from the mountains. Therefore, even though it was now overgrown with weeds, there were still some places where one could step.

Relying on memory, Li Luoning tried to recall the original layout of the Li family's backyard. Covered by numerous weeds, apart from the dilapidated eaves visible from the outside, it was really hard to distinguish anything else.

Perhaps because he was a little anxious when he heard the news just now, Li Luoning searched for a long time but couldn't find the place the old lady had just mentioned. He had to stand still, take a deep breath, and calm down. The great fire at the Li Mansion was his nemesis, and he had always thought that the fire at the Li Mansion was just an accident. But if what that old lady said was true, if it wasn't an accident?

He had to find that stone and find out the truth.

If everything was as the old lady said, then this area near the hot stone would not have grown weeds for so many years. Indeed, when Li Luoning calmed down and looked around in a bald patch of ground, he easily found the stone mentioned by the old lady.

It was more like a hot charcoal fire than just a hot stone. The intense heat emitted by this stone could instantly ignite any nearby object, even birds flying low would have their feathers singed. Such intense heat was definitely not something ordinary, and with a mortal physique, one could not approach this stone at all.

Li Luoning reached out and felt that although he could feel the heat, it wasn't as unbearable as it was for others.

"Better take it back and study it. What exactly is this?"

Li Luoning clasped his fingers together, chanted a spell, flipped his wrist, and pointed downwards. The hot stone was instantly covered with a layer of frosty bubbles, slowly floating towards Li Luoning from the ground until it stopped in front of him.

Looking at the stone in front of him, which was no different in size from ordinary stones but could emit such intense heat, Li Luoning recalled that the place where the stone fell was the haystack storage shed and stables of the Li family back then. If it was indeed like this, then this stone must have something to do with the great fire of the Li family.

Li Luoning brought the stone closer and carefully observed it. The angular style on all six sides, like dice used in gambling, and the six faces put together seemed to form a pattern, which seemed familiar to him.

"Why does this thing seem somewhat familiar?"

After looking at it for a long time, Li Luoning really couldn't remember what this thing was, so he collected the stone.

"Better take it back and ask Senior Brother. Maybe he knows something."

In the pharmacy of Mirror Cloud Residence, wisps of blue smoke rose,

The air was filled with a strong herbal scent.

Yun Qingyi was gently fanning the folding fan in the pharmacy, leisurely reading the medical book in his hand.

"Is Master Qingyi here?" A voice as clear as a spring came from outside the pharmacy.

Yun Qingyi closed the medical book in his hand, set aside the folding fan, and walked out in response, "I'm here."

At the entrance of the pharmacy stood a slender figure dressed in white gauze, with a silver hairpin on his head and a purple and white jade belt with a flower motif, giving him a somewhat delicate yet handsome appearance.

"O Shinan? What brings you here?" Yun Qingyi was somewhat surprised to see the visitor. Although his master had a good relationship with the Medicine King, he rarely interacted with O Shinan, the Medicine King's adoptive son.

Although he was the Medicine King's adoptive son, O Shinan was no less impressive than his master in many aspects, and his character was even more gentle and amiable. Therefore, he was quite well-known in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm.

The only difference was that O Shinan was obsessed with pharmacology and seemed to be particularly adept at using poisons and antidotes.

"I apologize for coming unannounced. I heard that Master Xiao Yi was taking disciples, but at that time, my father and I were traveling outside and didn't have a chance to send a congratulatory gift. Today, my father specifically instructed me to come and make up for that."

"The Medicine King is very thoughtful. Please allow me to thank Master on behalf of my master. When Master returns, I will convey your message."

O Shinan nodded gently, his smiling eyes flickering as he extended a faint purple light towards Yun Qingyi.

"This is? A Sky Lotus Flower?" Yun Qingyi exclaimed as he looked at the item that appeared before him.

"Master Qingyi has sharp eyes. This Sky Lotus Flower is a treasure that my father, the Medicine King, has collected for many years. My father believes that only such a rare treasure is worthy of Master Xiao Yi, to congratulate him on accepting closed-door disciples." O Shinan smiled lightly, revealing a faint dimple on his face as he spoke softly.

"The Medicine King truly understands my master. This gift will surely be appreciated by Master." Yun Qingyi said as he carefully accepted the Sky Lotus Flower.

"By the way, Master Qingyi, I have another matter to discuss with you." O Shinan first lowered his eyes in thought, then continued after a pause.

"No need to be polite, O Shinan. If there's anything I can help with, I'll do my best." Yun Qingyi replied courteously.

"It's not a big deal, just that I came today to ask Master Qingyi for a rare medicinal ingredient." O Shinan continued, his long eyes sparkling with a faint smile.

"Oh? What kind of rare medicinal ingredient is so rare that even the disciples of the Medicine King need to come to Mirror Cloud Residence to ask for it?" Yun Qingyi asked in return.

"It's not that my father is asking for it, but rather, I am fond of it. It seems that only Mirror Cloud Residence has it." O Shinan pointed to the Blue Snow Flowers planted in the courtyard.

"That shouldn't be difficult. Let me inform my master, and tomorrow, we will have a fairy child deliver it to you." Yun Qingyi looked in the direction pointed out by O Shinan and politely responded.

"I have other matters tomorrow. I wonder if Master Qingyi could do me a favor and allow me to take some of these Blue Snow Flowers today?" Upon hearing that Yun Qingyi needed to discuss the matter of the Blue Snow Flowers with Li Luoning, O Shinan's eyes flashed with a trace of imperceptible surprise.

"Well... Each Blue Snow Flower in Mirror Cloud Residence was personally planted by my master. If I casually take one to give away, it would be somewhat inappropriate." Yun Qingyi hesitated, as all the Blue Snow Flowers in the courtyard were personally planted by Li Luoning and carefully tended to every day. He didn't dare to casually dig out one to give away.

"That's true. Then... how about this? If Brother Yun could give me a few flower seeds, I'll take them back and plant them myself. What do you think?" O Shinan thought for a moment and then suggested an alternative.

"Seeds are fine. Please wait here for a moment, O Shinan." Yun Qingyi felt that this was also a good idea and agreed. Then he left to fetch the flower seeds.

"Thank you." O Shinan bowed in gratitude, then watched as Yun Qingyi disappeared around the corner of the courtyard.

As he watched Yun Qingyi's figure disappear, O Shinan's eyes suddenly turned somewhat cold, and then he turned to look at the blue smoke rising from the chimney of the pharmacy.

Before long, Yun Qingyi returned with a bag of Blue Snow Flower seeds.

"Thank you, Brother Qingyi. I just smelled the fragrance of medicinal herbs coming from your pharmacy. Are you brewing some high-quality tonics?" O Shinan smiled and asked.

"Indeed, it's O Shinan. You can discern the ingredients just by smelling it. It's just some medicinal formulas for my junior brother's health."

"Is Junior Brother Wan Nian feeling unwell?" O Shinan asked, his expression showing a hint of concern.

"Thank you for your concern, O Shinan. Junior Brother Wan Nian is not seriously ill, but for some reason, he has been having trouble sleeping at night lately. He needs some calming medicine to soothe his nerves." Yun Qingyi sighed.

O Shinan thought for a moment, then took something out from his pocket and handed it to Yun Qingyi.

"This item is called 'Red Dust Tranquility'. It's a treasure I found earlier. It can help stabilize one's mind." O Shinan waved his hand, and a belt-like object appeared in the air above his palm, which he then pushed towards Yun Qingyi.

"This? Is O Shinan giving this to my junior brother?" Yun Qingyi was puzzled. After all, he and O Shinan had little interaction before, so he was surprised that O Shinan would give something to his junior brother based on just a few words.

"I indeed have such intentions. Since Brother Yun gave me flower seeds, it's only right for me to reciprocate." O Shinan said calmly with a smile.

"Well..." Yun Qingyi hesitated. After all, this object didn't seem like an ordinary belt.

"Although I haven't met Junior Brother Wan Nian, this 'Red Dust Tranquility' was originally only half complete when I found it. But now, after refining it, it has become an artifact that can stabilize one's mind. Consider it a gift for him from me. If there's a chance in the future, Brother Yun can introduce us." O Shinan's lips curled slightly, then he bowed lightly and said.

"Alright, I'll accept it with gratitude then. Thank you, O Brother." Yun Qingyi accepted the gift and returned the gesture.

"Very well, I won't disturb you any longer, Brother Yun. I'll take my leave now. Thank you for your generous gift." O Shinan waved the seeds in his hand and said.

Yun Qingyi watched O Shinan leave, then turned and went back to the pharmacy.

After sniffing the jar's contents and determining that the decoction was ready, he poured it out and carried the tray out.

As O Shinan left Mirror Cloud Residence, he didn't notice a dark figure lurking nearby.

Yun Qingyi, carrying the medicine bowl, was completely unaware of the faint white powder on the stove nearby.

---

On Wuming Demon Mountain...

Hua Ruoying sat alone in the room, clutching a bottle tightly in her hand, her mind constantly replaying the scene of being whipped by Hua Qiu. Each lash felt like it struck her heart, and she tightly closed her eyes, forcing back tears, sinking into memories.

"Brother, where can we go in the future?" Young Hua Ruoying tugged at Hua Qiu's clothes, crying as she asked.

"Don't be afraid, Ruoying. With Brother here, I'll protect you in the future." Young Hua Qiu's voice was young but firm, his eyes full of anger.

Hua Qiu and Hua Ruoying's mother was originally a green fox from Bingzhu Forest. She fell in love with a scholar in the human world and gave birth to Hua Qiu and Hua Ruoying. But because society couldn't accept the love between a human and a demon, the scholar eventually succumbed to societal pressure and betrayed the green fox. In order to find a place to settle in this world, the green fox had no choice but to take her two children and escape to the Pingyan Realm.

In the Pingyan Realm, a place where humans, demons, and immortals coexisted, with a mixture of spiritual energy and various beings, it was chaotic and lawless. Since the establishment of the Boundary River, the Pingyan Realm had been regarded as a place of abandonment, where criminals, evil demons, and renegade immortals could live without fear of being captured. However, the three realms had long agreed not to interfere in the affairs of the Pingyan Realm, so anything could happen here, and it was a place of survival of the fittest.

Hua Qiu inherited his mother's agility and had excellent martial arts skills since he was a child. Combined with his innate spiritual energy, he had martial arts at a young age.

However, Hua Ruoying seemed to have nothing special. Although she was not bad at practicing spells, her effects were mediocre. However, she had an exceptional memory and was particularly interested in pharmacology and toxicology.

After successfully sending the two children into the boundary of the Pingyan Realm, the green fox finally couldn't hold on anymore and left the world. From then on, Hua Qiu and Hua Ruoying led a life of wandering and hardship.

Initially, the two survived by begging, but because the Pingyan Realm was chaotic and no one would take pity on two ragged children, they almost became prey for evil demons several times, but were fortunately saved by the Demon Lord at the time. Seeing that the two were still young, the Demon Lord left them in the Demon Realm.

"If it weren't for finding the antidote to this Crystal Orchid as soon as possible, I would have killed you long ago." Sitting in the room, Hua Ruoying's eyes were filled with anger, and she slammed her hand heavily on the table.

What she didn't know was that not far outside her house, Hua Qiu was watching her every move through the window. Even though his lower face was covered by black sand, his eyes were full of apology. 

"Ruoying, forgive your brother for everything he's done. It's only because of this that he can protect you. The more I care about you, the more that devil will pay attention to you." Hua Qiu's heart was full of remorse, but at this moment, he could only sit quietly on the eaves, watching his sister's every move, and then closed his eyes, gently blowing the flower flute in his hand.