Mo Sigui had no direct evidence to prove that Lou Mingyue was Qiu Ningyu—it was merely an intuition. He had time to verify it slowly.
"Your meridians still show no improvement," Mo Sigui mused, stroking his chin and clicking his tongue. "You seem inherently at odds with me, always throwing obstacles in my path of medicine. But it’s quite thrilling."
An Jiu had previously gone to ask Sheng Zhangku because she didn’t trust Gu Jinghong. Now, comparatively, she trusted Mo Sigui more. "Given the state of my meridians, am I suited to practice the Tendon Severing Palm?"
"Whoa there! Tendon Severing Palm!" Mo Sigui’s expression twisted oddly.
An Jiu looked at him questioningly.
"Hah! Just hearing the name makes it sound like some shady martial arts technique," Mo Sigui explained, his tone dripping with blatant mockery. "Your meridians won’t recover anytime soon, so practicing external martial arts in moderation won’t hurt. But the Tendon Severing Palm… ha, what a joke. Just dabble in it if you must. I will fix your meridians, no matter what."
"Understood." Having received a clear answer, An Jiu decided to focus on her training. To strengthen herself, she was willing to endure any hardship.
Before returning to her room, she glanced at Lou Mingyue’s tightly shut door. "If you like her, you should take responsibility. Don’t be a cowardly bastard."
"Hey! Stop right there—who’re you calling a bastard?!" Mo Sigui yelped, hopping in agitation.
But his outrage was all bark and no bite—he didn’t actually chase after her. In truth, An Jiu saw the situation clearly: Lou Mingyue had embarked on a path of vengeance with overwhelming hatred. To love her meant sharing that burden, and for Mo Sigui, that was already a heavy load to bear.
Part of him hoped Lou Mingyue was Qiu Ningyu, and part of him hoped she wasn’t.
During his time at the Hua residence, he had asked Hua Rongjian to investigate the Qiu family, but nothing turned up. Yet all the clues pointed to the possibility that Qiu Ningyu was still alive.
"Lou Er," Mo Sigui called as he approached her door. "You’re Ningyu, aren’t you?"
The door opened.
Lou Mingyue stared at him coldly. "If you call me Lou Er, then don’t ask unnecessary questions. Mo Sigui, I’ve told you before—your life-saving grace will be repaid in my next life."
Mo Sigui fell silent. If she really was Qiu Ningyu, she would never acknowledge him—because his Ningyu would never drag him into her path of vengeance.
"Fine. I’m staying next to Shi Si. If you need anything, come find me," Mo Sigui said with a grin. "Might as well see this through to the end. I’ve got a conscience, after all."
The area was packed with people, and each assigned room was originally a large space partitioned into two. Mo Sigui’s current quarters had actually been An Jiu’s before Sheng Zhangku temporarily reassigned it.
"Hey!" An Jiu warned him from the window. "People here like to ambush others from time to time. Be careful."
Mo Sigui lit a lamp and sprawled lazily on the bed, mumbling, "Mhm. Just don’t overdo your body tempering—pushing too hard will only worsen your meridians."
An Jiu punched the window open and glared at him. "What are the odds you can cure me? And how long will it take?"
Mo Sigui scrambled up from the bed, indignant. "Mei Shisi, are you doubting my medical skills?"
An Jiu stared at him in silence.
"Alright, fine," Mo Sigui sighed, not wanting to waste time in a staring contest. "Fifty percent chance. As for how long—could be a year or two, or maybe ten or twenty!"
An Jiu gave a curt nod and walked away."Mei Shisi, what kind of attitude is that!" Mo Sigui roared. "With injuries like yours, I'm the only one in the world who dares claim a fifty percent chance of success!"
An Jiu believed him, but she didn't have much time to wait, nor enough chips to gamble with. Once she entered the Crane Control Institute, she had to improve herself as quickly as possible—for her final redemption.
To begin External Cultivation, she first needed to understand what it truly was.
When An Jiu was first reborn, she had considered possession, so she'd skimmed through some books about Inner Cultivators and Taoism. Later, as she gradually abandoned the idea of possession amidst Mei Yanran's maternal love for Mei Jiu, she lost interest in those topics. As for External Cultivation, she genuinely didn't know much about it.
Taking advantage of her still-healing injuries, she spent her days buried in the library, studying the basics of External Cultivation. After reading over a dozen books, she had a general understanding.
Physical training, combat techniques, martial arts—these should all be considered part of External Cultivation, focusing on muscle strength, coordination, and speed. Practicing these required not only good innate physical conditioning but also immense endurance and perseverance. The External Cultivation of this world was far more brutal than the training she'd undergone in her past life.
First, if one's innate physical condition wasn't perfect, they had to undergo Reforging with Medicine. The books listed medical formulas for reforging tendons and bones, though they didn't explain the principles, only vaguely stating that "flesh, blood, tendons, and bones would be renewed as if reborn." Second, upon reaching each new level, one had to temper their body with Medicine.
An Jiu's innate condition was decent, but due to the severe damage her Meridians had suffered, Mo Sigui recommended Reforging.
Mo Sigui adjusted the original medical formula accordingly.
One major advantage of the Crane Control Institute was its endless supply of resources. The Institute didn't impose strict controls on basic materials—as long as it helped improve Internal Energy, they didn't mind footing the bill. Mo Sigui bribed the Profound Instructor with a bottle of pills that boosted Internal Energy, securing only the finest medicinal ingredients.
Reforging tendons and bones required applying medicinal paste all over the body. An Jiu went looking for Lou Mingyue several times, but Lou Mingyue seemed to be deliberately avoiding Mo Sigui lately, disappearing to who-knows-where and not returning for days.
Realizing she'd need to reapply the Medicine midway through the process, An Jiu simply decided to let Mo Sigui assist her.
After a bashful initial refusal, the scoundrel readily agreed.
The room was filled with the faint aroma of Medicine.
"Prepare to get in the water," Mo Sigui said, pointing at the steaming bathtub, his peach-blossom eyes gleaming with excitement.
This was his first time preparing a medicinal bath for External Cultivation, and An Jiu had the honor of being his test subject. He was eagerly anticipating the results.
"Any side effects?" An Jiu asked.
"Of course not!" Mo Sigui denied.
"Your face is practically screaming four words right now."
Mo Sigui raised an eyebrow. "What words?"
An Jiu enunciated each syllable. "Reckless. Disregard. For. Life."
"It won't be harmful, I swear on my reputation," Mo Sigui insisted, fanning himself impatiently as she hesitated.
"Swear it," An Jiu said, fixing him with a heavy stare. "If you're lying, you'll never make it in The Way of Medicine again."
"That's too cruel!" Mo Sigui snapped his folding fan shut and grinned shamelessly. "Alright, fine, it might hurt a tiny bit—like an ant bite or a bee sting—but there definitely won't be any lasting effects. Otherwise, I, Mo Sigui, will never succeed in The Way of Medicine again!"
An Jiu nodded and began removing her clothes.Mo Sigui carried a bucket of paste-like medicine and saw An Jiu already completely naked. His cheeks flushed red as he averted his gaze and coughed dryly a few times. "Uh... you don't mind, do you?"
"Too late for modesty now," An Jiu said coldly.
Despite his thick skin, this was Mo Sigui's first time seeing a woman undressed like this, and he couldn't help feeling awkward. As he silently smeared the medicine over An Jiu's body, he muttered under his breath, "Sin, sin. I'm so sorry, my dear Xiaoyu."
An Jiu scoffed. "Playing innocent after taking advantage—such shameless behavior is truly despicable."
"What advantage?!" Mo Sigui's embarrassment faded as he pointed at her with a bamboo spatula. "No chest, no ass—what's there to take advantage of?!"
Bam!
An Jiu punched him square in the face. "Hurry up!"
After taking the hit, Mo Sigui finally quieted down and swiftly coated her entire body with the ointment before tightly wrapping her in bandages.
An Jiu sat inside the wooden tub.
Mo Sigui sealed the lid.
"Mo Sigui," An Jiu suddenly asked, thinking of Chu Dingjiang, "since you've seen a woman's body, do you feel any sense of responsibility?"
Mo Sigui was smearing mud around the tub when he slammed his filthy hands onto the lid. "I’ve already sacrificed this much! I don’t care—I’m only responsible for my Xiaoyu. I saw her naked when she was five! Besides, as a doctor, I really don’t have the capacity to take responsibility for every patient!"
"I never said you had to. Stop looking like you’ve been violated!" If she weren’t trapped in the tub, An Jiu would have stood up and beaten him senseless.
"You scared me half to death." The thought of An Jiu’s many misdeeds made it impossible for Mo Sigui to harbor any romantic notions about her. For instance, on their wedding night, she might grab his manhood and say coldly, "So small!" Or like now, standing naked before him without a shred of shyness, flexing her muscles and throwing punches at him...
Heaven above! Just thinking about it made him break into a cold sweat.
Mo Sigui shuddered and quickly placed a massive iron weight on top of the tub lid.
"What’s this for?" An Jiu frowned.
Fanning himself, his hair fluttering in the breeze, Mo Sigui grinned brightly. "You’ll find out soon." (To be continued...)
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