Before Mo Sigui prepared the antidote, he had Mei Yanran and An Jiu round up all the shadow units from Plum Blossom Village and bring them back to the island, where they were forced to take a certain medicine.
After understanding its effects, An Jiu took the liberty of calling it "Zombie Powder." Mo Sigui, however, insisted on naming it "One Night to Erase Past Sorrows" and complained that An Jiu had disrespected his medicine. In the end, Mei Yanran suggested the name "Severing Past Lives," which finally put an end to their dispute.
"Severing Past Lives" was essentially a memory-altering drug—those who took it would forget their past.
Perhaps the potency of the medicine was too strong, for after taking it, the six individuals' physical agility noticeably declined. They had once been capable of gliding effortlessly over water with qinggong, but now they couldn’t even match An Jiu, who lacked Inner Force.
Since acquiring these six people, the Apothecary's apprentice had been overjoyed, thinking he would no longer be at the beck and call of the Miracle Doctor!
At first, he did indeed enjoy two days of leisure, but after that, tragedy struck once more.
An Jiu practiced Plum Fist in the courtyard while Mei Yanran prepared lunch, occasionally offering her guidance. The weather was pleasant, and the atmosphere was relaxed—except for the Apothecary's apprentice, who could be seen darting frantically from one place to another.
If the apprentice dared slack off, Mo Sigui wouldn’t get angry—he’d just play tricks on him with medicine.
An Jiu usually ignored most things, but using medicine on someone close to her crossed a line.
She entered the room and sat directly across from Mo Sigui, her expression icy.
Mo Sigui, absorbed in sorting herbs, glanced up briefly but said nothing.
An Jiu remained silent as well. When she grew tired of sitting, she stood wordlessly beside him. When standing became too much, she leaned against his desk, lingering like a vengeful spirit.
Mo Sigui felt an eerie chill creeping over him and finally couldn’t take it anymore. He slammed a Medicine Bottle onto the table. "An Da Jiu, what the hell do you want?"
"I’ll talk once you’re done," An Jiu replied coldly.
Hearing the edge in her tone, Mo Sigui momentarily forgot his irritation. "Go ahead."
"That apprentice follows you. Not only did you not give him a proper name, but you also use him to test your medicine?" An Jiu fixed him with a piercing stare.
Mo Sigui leaned back. "Who says he doesn’t have a name? He’s called Xiao Yao. Besides, back when the old man taught me medicine, this was exactly how it was done. The formulas I test on Xiao Yao are ones I developed long ago—I don’t see any need for further trials."
Only then did An Jiu realize she had misunderstood him, and her tension eased. "Good. But… that counts as a name?"
The six Crane Control Army Shadow Guards were respectively named: Da Yao, Er Yao, San Yao, Si Yao, Wu Yao, and Liu Yao.
"How can I waste my precious energy on such trivial nonsense?" Mo Sigui’s stamina had declined significantly since developing severe insomnia. Three years ago, he might have indulged in whimsical naming on a whim, but now? Absolutely not.
An Jiu’s interruption gave him a chance to rest. He poured himself a cup of water and took a sip. "What’s gotten into you, playing the good guy?"
Good guy? Those two words had nothing to do with her. An Jiu suddenly recalled a film she’d once seen—she couldn’t remember the plot, but one line stood out vividly, matching her current mood perfectly: "I always wanted to be a good person, but fate never gave me the chance."
Mo Sigui paused mid-sip, then scoffed. "Tch. Such emotional words don’t sound like something you’d say.""I have plenty of emotions too," she sometimes felt crushed by the weight of those so-called emotions.
"Let's not dwell on the past. Have you ever liked anyone now? Hated anyone? Had any regrets?" Mo Sigui asked.
An Jiu pondered for a moment. "From the first time I saw you, I was very interested. After getting to know you slowly, I realized my judgment was indeed accurate... You really do need to be put in your place."
"Accurate judgment?" Mo Sigui scoffed, openly disdainful.
"I like..." An Jiu started counting names on her fingers but soon realized most couldn’t be categorized as "liking."
With Mei Jiu, it was the bond of shared hardship in one body, but An Jiu didn’t particularly admire or like her as a person. As for Mei Yanran, it was more about making up for the regret hidden deep in her heart. The others were mostly casual acquaintances.
"Chu Dingjiang," An Jiu uttered the name and then nodded, affirming her statement.
"What kind of liking? Wanting to be his wife—"
Before Mo Sigui could finish, An Jiu interrupted, "No."
"Then as a friend?" Mo Sigui rarely showed interest in anything outside The Way of Medicine, but he genuinely couldn’t imagine what it would be like for An Jiu to fall in love.
"Are you and I friends?" An Jiu needed a reference point.
Mo Sigui nodded wordlessly.
"Then no," An Jiu said.
Her relationship with Chu Dingjiang was something like "more than friends, less than lovers," but she didn’t even understand what a "lover" was, let alone the in-between.
"Sometimes when I think about it alone, I feel a certain... impulse toward him," An Jiu confessed honestly. "But when I see him, I never actually feel that impulse."
Mo Sigui was stunned for a long moment before snapping out of it. He clicked his tongue and finally managed a dry compliment, "Those two uses of 'impulse' were... well-chosen."
"Does that count as liking?" An Jiu asked.
Mo Sigui summed it up: she had feelings for Chu Dingjiang and occasionally imagined doing this or that with him, but she’d never thought about marrying him...
"Were you originally a man?" Mo Sigui finally found an explanation.
But An Jiu immediately denied it. "No."
"Then it’s just..." Mo Sigui slapped his thigh. "You’re just a bit impulsive, but you haven’t acted on it. It must be because Chu Dingjiang seems unreliable."
Mo Sigui disliked Chu Dingjiang, but in all fairness, the man did seem steady and capable of handling all sorts of matters.
An Jiu shook her head. "I don’t want to marry anyone."
"I can see that," Mo Sigui smoothed his hair. "With someone as peerlessly magnificent as me right in front of you, and you still don’t feel the impulse to marry, no one else will ever catch your eye."
"And here I thought you’d say something sensible!" An Jiu turned away in slight irritation and strode out the door.
Da Jiu trotted after her, while Xiao Yue lay on the couch, chin raised, watching Da Jiu depart with an air of noble indifference. Once the room was quiet again, she lazily flopped back down.
Mo Sigui bent over his desk, repeatedly adjusting and testing his medical formula.
He scooped out a bit of the ground medicine powder and added a drop of Mei Yanran’s blood. The powder visibly darkened and emitted a strong, foul stench!
Mo Sigui’s expression changed drastically.
Outside, Mei Yanran had just finished cooking. Seeing An Jiu and Da Jiu emerge, she called, "Come and eat.""Mm." An Jiu walked over, but Da Jiu darted ahead even faster than her.
Mei Yanran watched the lively Da Jiu with a smile, about to bend down and pat its head, when Mo Sigui rushed out of the house like a gust of wind. "Aunt, let me check your eyes." (To be continued...)
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