A person's demeanor is truly important.
When An Jiu first met Mo Sigui, she thought he was a handsome young man. But after several encounters, she realized his character was dragging his appearance down, to the point where she wanted to punch him every time she saw him.
"Doctors really are no good," An Jiu thought to herself.
Mei Jiu remained silent, not daring to bring up An Jiu's painful past. From the memories she had inherited, An Jiu's father was a doctor—a madman who experimented on his own wife with medicine. After suffering a great tragedy, An Jiu's mind had been damaged. Her behavior became excessively violent, either killing others or harming herself, so the doctors had no choice but to forcefully restrain her. As a result, An Jiu had always harbored resentment toward all medical practitioners.
After a while, Mo Sigui and the two elders emerged from the Medicine Garden.
Elder Qi was only four years younger than Elder Zhi, but when they stood side by side, they looked like they were a decade apart! At sixty-three, Elder Qi appeared vigorous, resembling a man in his fifties. Though his legs were strong, he held a white jade-like cane in his hand.
Elder Qi gave An Jiu a gentle, appraising look.
Feeling uneasy, An Jiu followed Yao Ye in bowing to the two elders.
"Hmph." Elder Zhi, seeing her awkward demeanor, felt his anger rise again.
An Jiu spoke earnestly and sincerely, "Elder, I was wrong to anger you earlier. How many beatings will it take for you to calm down? I won’t dodge a single one."
Hearing this, Mei Jiu shuddered. "At least discuss it with me first! The pain won’t be yours alone!"
"Ha, old friend, your disciple is quite amusing," Elder Qi remarked. Though stubborn at heart, he was usually mild-tempered—only Mo Sigui could truly provoke him.
"Likewise," Elder Zhi grumbled.
Elder Qi was the eldest son of the main branch. Though lacking in Martial Arts, he was a medical genius, utterly devoted to The Way of Medicine and indifferent to all else. It wasn’t until his only child was sent to the Crane Control Army that he felt regret. After becoming a Mei Shi elder and learning more about the Crane Control Army, that regret became unbearable. The memory of his son’s melancholy expression before joining the army haunted him like a nightmare. Stubborn to the core, once he fixated on something, he would never turn back—even if it meant hitting a wall. He believed he had failed his son, and no one could convince him otherwise.
Elder Qi doted on Mo Sigui, treating him like his own grandson. He deliberately prevented Mo Sigui from joining Mei Shi but privately passed on all his knowledge without reservation. Elder Zhi, who saw the world clearly, could easily guess Elder Qi’s intentions—he simply chose to turn a blind eye.
"Let’s go. We’ll talk inside," Elder Qi said.
An Jiu grew wary. She had come to apologize to Elder Zhi—Elder Qi had nothing to do with it. Why were they all going inside to talk?
"Girl, ever since you were registered under my name, I’ve been observing your words and actions," Elder Zhi said, his gaze piercing as if he could see through secrets. "Elder Qi is not only skilled in medicine but also well-versed in various Mystic Arts and Arcane Arts. But rest assured, I mean you no harm."
His words seemed to suggest he already knew two souls resided in her body.
Mei Jiu fretted, "What do we do? It seems we’ve been discovered?"If Elder Qi could truly see through the dual souls within one body, An Jiu felt it was worth a gamble. What was the point of being trapped in a body with an owner? Was she alive or dead? If there was a way to separate them, that would be ideal. If she ended up dissipating into nothingness, she might as well consider herself already dead from the moment her head was blown off. But if they failed to notice, she absolutely wouldn’t admit it voluntarily.
Having made up her mind, An Jiu cautiously asked Mei Jiu a question, "What are Mystic Arts and Arcane Arts?"
"You don’t know?" Mei Jiu, who had been called an idiot all day, felt her patience wearing thin. She immediately wanted to mock her, "Weren’t you the one who called yourself a genius?"
Due to her mother’s influence, An Jiu knew a bit about Eastern culture and had even lived there for a while, but she was no match for someone born and raised in ancient times.
"What’s the issue? The difference is obvious." An Jiu remained completely serious, not a hint of embarrassment on her face. "Since I’m humbly asking for your guidance, you should answer properly. Being born an idiot is one thing, but don’t throw away the virtues you’ve painstakingly cultivated later in life."
Mei Jiu deeply doubted whether this person was really an assassin. She privately believed assassins should be like Mu Qianshan—cold, taciturn, with an unapproachable, lifeless expression. An Jiu did have a menacing aura and was hard to approach, but she certainly wasn’t the silent type. Thinking back, An Jiu was cold and reserved when she took over the body, yet around Mei Jiu, she turned into a chatterbox!
A chatterbox was one thing, but every word out of her mouth was a blow to one’s self-esteem!
Despite her irritation, Mei Jiu obediently answered, "Mystic Arts cover a wide range, including some Medicine and self-cultivation practices. It’s essential knowledge for great physicians. Beyond that, Mystic Arts also include divination and physiognomy, and legends even speak of summoning spirits, immortality, and more. Arcane Arts, on the other hand, focus more on the spiritual and supernatural aspects of Mystic Arts, encompassing geomancy, formations, fate calculation, and so on."
Mei Jiu had read extensively, but her understanding of these subjects was only superficial. She had no innate talent for the Yi studies—no matter how many times she flipped through the Book of Changes , she could only grasp its surface meaning.
Mo Sigui couldn’t resist sidling up to An Jiu again. "I knew you had to be sick in the head."
An Jiu abruptly swung her fist and punched him square in the face.
"Ow—!" Mo Sigui clutched his face and howled. "I still need my face to make a living!"
Whack! Elder Qi smacked the back of his head with his cane, displeased. "Are you saying the medical skills I taught you won’t feed you? Must you rely on that shameless mug of yours to survive?"
Yao Ye and Mei Jiu had been worried, but the commotion made them burst into laughter.
Elder Qi hadn’t hit hard, but An Jiu hadn’t held back—her punch sent Mo Sigui’s nose bleeding profusely. He rummaged through several bottles and jars from his sleeves, fumbled for a while, then tore a handkerchief to stuff up his nostrils before finally stopping the bleeding.
Thankfully, Mei Jiu’s body wasn’t very strong, or Mo Sigui would’ve either been disfigured or had his nose broken.
Back in Enlightenment Hall, Elder Qi led them into a Medicine room.
Only upon entering did they realize that Elder Qi’s residence wasn’t just different from Elder Zhi’s in appearance—the interior was worlds apart. Elder Zhi’s dwelling was vast, with nothing but open, spotless space and not a single unnecessary decoration. Elder Qi’s Medicine room, however, was a chaotic mess of bottles and jars piled haphazardly, herbs strewn everywhere, nearly burying the furniture. Many of the bottles looked identical, making it impossible to tell what Medicine was inside."No need for formalities, make yourselves comfortable," Elder Qi said kindly.
But where to sit?
Elder Zhi spotted a chair. He brushed off the bottles and jars sitting on it and took a seat.
An Jiu followed suit by clearing off another chair.
The clattering of broken porcelain made Elder Qi's eye twitch. He sighed, "Like master, like disciple. Sigui, find my Soul-Soothing Powder for me."
Mo Sigui's nose bridge was bruised purple, with silk strips stuffed in his nostrils that fluttered wildly when he spoke. He looked at Elder Qi with innocent eyes, "I can't help right now."
With so many bottles and jars, he needed his keen sense of smell to locate the medicine. But his nose was smeared with ointment, its strong medicinal scent overwhelming almost everything else.
"Your eyes still work, don't they?" Elder Zhi's tone remained gentle, but his request was exceedingly demanding.
None of the bottles here were labeled. Trying to identify the ingredients of pills or powders by sight alone was unimaginably difficult.
Mo Sigui reluctantly shifted, "At least give me a general area!"
"I recall it was roughly placed over there," Elder Qi pointed his cane toward a corner.
Mo Sigui tiptoed over, squatting to rummage through the items on the floor.
An Jiu was wondering if he'd actually find it when suddenly three fingers clamped around her wrist. She jerked her hand free, halting her counterattack mid-motion.
"Apologies," An Jiu said after realizing it was Elder Qi beside her. After a brief hesitation, she extended her hand again.
This pulse-reading lasted an unusually long time. The room was quiet, making Mo Sigui's clattering with the bottles particularly noticeable.
Elder Qi finally released An Jiu's wrist and moved to check her neck pulse, testing several pulse points before murmuring, "There's an anomaly in the Extraordinary Meridians."
"What kind of anomaly?" Mo Sigui eagerly rushed over, reaching to grab An Jiu's wrist.
Mei Jiu wanted to sigh. This guy... the wound hadn't even scarred yet, and he'd already forgotten the pain.
An Jiu withdrew her hand and looked at Elder Qi.
"You may leave now," Elder Qi glanced at Yao Ye.
Yao Ye was both worried and puzzled, wanting to stay but not daring to disobey the elder's order, so she complied and withdrew.
Failing to take An Jiu's pulse, Mo Sigui pressed on impatiently, "Elder, what kind of anomaly?"
The Governing Meridian (Ren) and Conception Meridian (Du), one yin and one yang, connect the qi and blood of all internal organs throughout the body. Together, they are called the Extraordinary Meridians. In martial arts, anomalies in these meridians could mean one of two things: either they were naturally interconnected from birth, indicating extraordinary martial talent; or the collateral meridians were so complex that the two main meridians were unclear and obstructed, making one a martial failure—no matter how much effort was put in, they could never reach the pinnacle.
If it was the latter, that would be disastrous! Elder Zhi straightened slightly, "Celestial Meridians or Defective Meridians?"
Elder Qi shook his head, "Neither. Although Fourteen Lady's Extraordinary Meridians weren't naturally interconnected from birth, both meridians are clearly defined. Moreover, I observe that her bone structure is exceptional, with excellent innate potential. It's a pity she started martial arts too late—otherwise, she would have reached at least the fourth rank by now."
Mei Jiu had never practiced martial arts before. The fact that she had killed martial arts masters with just a bamboo bow wasn't the main reason Elder Zhi took her as a disciple. Initially, it was because her innate potential was promising, and her temperament suited his preferences.
Hearing Elder Qi's words, Elder Zhi finally relaxed, "Then what is it...?"
"Her two meridians alternate between stagnation and flow, with irregular pacing," Elder Qi frowned and said slowly. "In theory, a person's qi and blood are constant, and the Governing and Conception Meridians operate autonomously. Such a condition shouldn't normally occur. From a martial perspective, perhaps mental strength could influence these meridians..."Elder Qi spoke, suddenly organizing his thoughts, "So I speculate that Fourteen Lady has dual Mental Strength. When these Mental Strengths intertwine, it might cause such strange phenomena."
"You mean like a Madman, right?" Mo Sigui interjected, "I've seen this kind of pulse condition before in Bianjing. It was a bodyguard who was usually crazy—one moment claiming to be the top martial artist in the world, the next saying he was a farmer who'd lost his wife. The fluctuations in his pulse were quite extreme! When he claimed to be the top martial artist, his Inner Force actually doubled, jumping directly from the third tier to the fourth, only to drop back when he regained clarity. Cousin's situation is quite similar, though that bodyguard was clearly abnormal, while Cousin shows no signs of madness. That's why I'm particularly interested."
He rattled off a long explanation, then turned his clear, lofty gaze toward An Jiu: See, your cousin is actually quite upright at heart—truly just concerned about the illness, with not the slightest hint of impropriety. (To be continued...)
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