The first snow blanketed Bianjing.
In the dim light of dawn, as the city gates had just opened, two riders and two tigers entered the city, galloping straight to the Hua residence.
Mei Yanran had long been waiting at the entrance with an umbrella. Seeing the arrivals, she hurried forward a few steps. "You're finally back."
The person on the second horse was wrapped in a loose camel-colored robe, making their figure nearly indistinguishable. They dismounted, pushed back the hood, and revealed a gaunt face. "Aunt—"
"Come with me quickly." Before he could finish, Mei Yanran pulled him inside, speaking as they walked. "Shi Si has been unconscious for many days. Without you here, we could only use items beneficial to mental strength to sustain her, but her body has been wasting away day by day."
"Let me catch my breath, catch my breath." Mo Sigui was practically dragged into the room at a jog.
Da Jiu bounded in happily, nuzzling An Jiu's bedside with his large head. Seeing no response from her, he turned to Mo Sigui in confusion.
"It's been a hard journey." Chu Dingjiang stood up to offer him a seat.
Under normal circumstances, Mo Sigui would have mocked him, but seeing An Jiu lying emaciated on the bed, he held his tongue. After sitting by the bed and steadying his breathing, he began taking her pulse.
The room was silent, even the faint sound of Da Jiu's tail brushing the floor was crystal clear.
It felt like an eternity before Mo Sigui slowly exhaled.
Chu Dingjiang had been eagerly awaiting Mo Sigui's return for answers, but now that the moment had arrived, he found himself reluctant to hear them.
"How is she?" Mei Yanran asked.
Mo Sigui replied, "On the way here, I considered every possible method. Mental strength is intangible, beyond the reach of ordinary medicine. However, the heart connects to all orifices and is the best nourisher of mental strength."
"We've been feeding her that medicinal pill daily, but it hasn't shown any effect," Chu Dingjiang said.
Mo Sigui knew which pill he meant. "It does have an effect, just an extremely minor one! Gu Jinghong's blood is saturated with medicine. It wasn't cultivated for An Jiu's sake—how could it be the right remedy?"
Sui Yunzhu, surprised, asked, "Does that mean we need to find someone with high mental strength and raise a new medicine man?"
"The ideal medicine man should be cultivated from the womb. We don’t have that kind of time. The best method is to use blood as a medicinal catalyst." Mo Sigui had spent the journey pondering how to treat mental strength injuries, devising many plans, waiting only to confirm the illness before deciding on the approach. "But this blood..."
"Use mine," Chu Dingjiang said without hesitation.
Mo Sigui shook his head. "Your mental strength has reached the Transformation Realm, and your physique is exceptionally robust. On the surface, you seem the perfect candidate, but your mental strength differs from A Jiu's. The effect might not be significant."
"Where could we find such a person on such short notice? We can't just sit and wait for death." Mei Yanran watched as An Jiu's vitality faded day by day, her anxiety growing. "My mental strength isn't high, but I wonder if it's similar to hers."
Mo Sigui looked at Chu Dingjiang. "There's one ready-made."
A name suddenly flashed in Chu Dingjiang's mind. "Wei Yuzhi."
"Exactly!" Mo Sigui said. "Not only is his mental strength of the same type as A Jiu's, it's even more concentrated and solid. If we can obtain his heart blood to nourish her, there's hope for her recovery."
"Capture Wei Yuzhi alive?" Mei Yanran frowned. Wei Yuzhi was elusive—how easy would that be?
Chu Dingjiang pondered. "What do you think the chances are if we offer Gu Jinghong's heart blood in exchange?"Mo Sigui didn't hesitate. "Less than ten percent. A Jiu and Wei Yuzhi's type of mental strength is a double-edged sword. It harms others as well as oneself. I've heard Wei Yuzhi has always been in poor health, often vomiting blood. Though I haven't personally examined him, I can roughly guess his lifespan won't be long. If we take a few drops of his heart's blood, he probably won't have more than a few years left to live."
Wei Yuzhi still had ambitions in his heart and wasn't the type of blindly loyal fool who would willingly sacrifice his life for his master.
Chu Dingjiang remained silent for a moment. "I'll go find him."
Wei Yuzhi wouldn't leave any contact information. The only way was to have Zhu Pianxian use the merchant association to spread news and lure him out.
The winter night in Bianjing seemed exceptionally bleak and cold. Chu Dingjiang sat on a rooftop with a jug of wine, the biting cold wind unable to dispel the gloom in his heart.
After washing up and preparing to rest for a while, Mo Sigui noticed the lamplight flicker in his room as the strong scent of alcohol assaulted his nose. Without turning around, he knew Chu Dingjiang was behind him.
"How rare for Lord Chu to seek me out for a chat." Mo Sigui sat down and poured two cups of tea. "But I've quit drinking."
"Some concerns," Chu Dingjiang said as he sat opposite him.
Mo Sigui raised an eyebrow, looking at him with interest. In Mo Sigui's impression, Chu Dingjiang was an extremely reserved person who would never seek someone out to confide in.
Chu Dingjiang couldn't understand it. "A Jiu has been taking medicinal pills made from Gu Jinghong's heart's blood all along, and I had no concerns whatsoever. But the thought of using Wei Yuzhi's blood makes me uneasy. Are there hidden dangers in using Wei Yuzhi's blood?"
Mo Sigui was somewhat surprised by Chu Dingjiang's perceptiveness. Without much understanding of how mental strength interacted, he could still sense something amiss. "This type of mental strength is too aggressive—always a double-edged sword. I can use medicine to restrain it somewhat, but ultimately it depends on whether A Jiu can assimilate it for her own use."
Chu Dingjiang had never fought Wei Yuzhi. "How strong is he?"
"He doesn't need to lift a finger. He can kill someone with just his imagination." Mo Sigui thought for a moment. "That might not be entirely accurate, but it's roughly the case."
Chu Dingjiang slowly furrowed his brow. "In A Jiu's current state, with almost all her mental strength gone, how can she suppress Wei Yuzhi's power?"
"Wei Yuzhi's heart's blood contains his will, so it's best if he's willing to give it." Mo Sigui lit his pipe, squinting as he exhaled smoke. "If not, we'll have to use medicine to forcibly guide it. That inevitably carries risks, but there's no better option now."
Chu Dingjiang asked, "How confident are you that you can suppress it?"
Mo Sigui replied, "Mental strength weakens once separated from the body. I'd say there's an eighty to ninety percent chance."
The smoke hung like a veil. Chu Dingjiang noticed the gloom lingering between Mo Sigui's brows that he couldn't conceal. Looking closer, he realized Mo Sigui had changed drastically compared to before. He still had those captivating peach-blossom eyes, but his looks had diminished, no longer the youthful and dashing figure of the past. Now, his unrestrained demeanor wasn't laziness but deep exhaustion.
In terms of appearance alone, Mo Sigui wasn't as handsome as before, yet he was even more captivating.
Noticing Chu Dingjiang's gaze, Mo Sigui glanced at him and said, "What's with that look? Don't fall for me."
"Finally starting to look a bit more mature," Chu Dingjiang said, his tone carrying a touch of pride, as if watching a child grow up.Mo Sigui took a drag of his cigarette, smoke curling from his mouth and nose as he spoke, "A Jiu calls you 'uncle,' but I think her assessment is clouded by too much personal sentiment. Be honest—which grave did you crawl out of, ancestor?"
Chu Dingjiang remained silent. Mo Sigui continued, "Back then, A Jiu was willing to have her meridians crippled by Elder Zhi just to get me out of Plum Blossom Village. At the time, I thought, 'What a foolish girl!' Now I realize she wasn’t foolish—she damn well used those ruined meridians to shackle me for a lifetime!" (To be continued...)
OpenNovel