Chapter Fifty-One
Under normal circumstances, Mo Sigui’s appearance, coupled with his serene and lofty gaze, would have given him an air of transcendence. However, he seemed to have forgotten that his nose was currently bruised purple, with two silk strips dangling from his nostrils. This dignified visage was nothing short of comical.
An Jiu watched him, her teeth itching with irritation. She clenched her fists, resisting the urge to punch his face a few more times.
Elder Qi, who could "raise the dead and regenerate flesh and bones," had not needed to conduct a full diagnosis through observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking for many years to determine an illness. Yet, the case before him was truly rare. Out of caution and curiosity, he inquired, "Fourteen Lady, do you feel anything unusual yourself?"
This question was both profound and challenging for An Jiu. If she denied it, she might lose the chance to change her current situation. If she admitted it, Elder Qi would surely press for details. How could she conceal the truth of the dual souls while still allowing Elder Qi to understand part of the situation?
In truth, it wasn’t difficult—she could simply fabricate a story, revealing only what she wanted to disclose and feigning ignorance about the unexplainable parts. A simple matter, wasn’t it? But for Mei Jiu and An Jiu, it was a struggle. Neither of them was skilled at spinning tales or lying.
"You handle this," Mei Jiu tossed the problem to An Jiu. "Didn’t you once say that humans dominate animals because they can deceive?"
An Jiu decided to take a gamble. "It seems... a little different."
Mo Sigui, seeing her willingness to speak, eagerly pressed, "How so?"
"I don’t know," An Jiu replied. She had developed an extremely cautious nature—a killer could only trust their weapon. Blindly placing trust in others was a path to self-destruction, so she would never easily confide in anyone. "I can’t explain it. It’s just a feeling."
An Jiu wasn’t afraid of death, but she wouldn’t court it. Unfamiliar phenomena always invited skepticism. Admitting to the existence of two souls in one body might be easy, but what if they treated her as a monster? An Jiu refused to be labeled a mental patient again, living under surveillance.
"I can also sense two distinct mental strengths," Elder Zhi stated with certainty. "Is there a way to resolve this? The instability of her mental strength causes drastic fluctuations in her condition, which is detrimental to martial training."
Elder Qi stroked his beard, pondering for a long moment before saying, "We can attempt to suppress the weaker mental strength or merge the two into one."
An Jiu absolutely could not tolerate the idea of merging with someone like Mei Jiu!
Mei Jiu was stunned. She knew she was the weaker one. And she realized An Jiu would never agree to merge—which meant she would have to die! Even if, by some slim chance, An Jiu was willing, they were two individuals with their own consciousness, personalities, and memories. What would become of them after merging?
"Which method is more reliable?" Elder Zhi asked.
Not a single person present considered preserving the weaker mental strength. Elder Zhi, in particular, would never allow his disciple to become useless.
"Merging the two," Elder Qi declared.
An Jiu was deeply dissatisfied with this conclusion. Just as she was about to object, Elder Qi continued, "The relationship between the physical body and the three souls and seven spirits is mysterious and subtle. Even after decades of medical practice, I cannot claim full understanding. Take, for example, the 'living dead'—most never awaken, yet some revive through their own strength and opportunity. Life is fragile yet tenacious, and mental strength plays a significant role. A person with a resolute will can summon their strongest mental strength to resist when gravely injured. What concerns me is..."Everyone held their breath in anticipation. Elder Qi said, "If Fourteen Lady suffers severe damage, she would display stronger mental strength to resist. Conversely, the weaker one would hide, meaning only the strong would be suppressed. However, this is merely my speculation. I cannot be certain."
An Jiu found his reasoning quite plausible and felt somewhat convinced. "Elder, when you speak of mental strength, do you mean the soul?"
"One could say it is part of the soul. Those of us who practice martial arts not only strengthen our bodies and cultivate inner force but also temper our mental strength. Mental strength can also be called fighting spirit or battle intent," Elder Qi explained.
Mo Sigui grinned and said, "Cousin, since you've never practiced martial arts, you wouldn't know. Let me give you an analogy—Taoists speak of divine consciousness, primordial spirit, and original spirit. Mental strength is roughly what they refer to as divine consciousness."
Elder Qi nodded. "Though Mo Sigui's analogy isn't entirely accurate, upon reflection, it does make some sense."
"But why is stronger mental strength more susceptible to damage?" Mo Sigui asked, puzzled.
Elder Zhi replied, "The reason martial artists temper their mental strength is that when consciousness grows powerful, it permeates every part of the body, sharpening one's senses and allowing greater control over physical movements. Conversely, without it, actions become sluggish. Precisely because strong mental strength permeates the body, any act of suppression risks damaging it."
It was like a forest where the wind fells the tallest trees, leaving only the shorter ones standing.
An Jiu agreed with Elder Qi's explanation. When she fell from the horse last time, she was the one who suffered the injury, while Mei Jiu remained unharmed.
Mo Sigui's medical expertise was still at the stage of treating physical injuries. Though he had achieved considerable success, he had yet to delve into such matters. His curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn't resist asking, "So, if one type of mental strength is injured while controlling the body, does the other suffer as well?"
An Jiu glanced at Mo Sigui. The man had terrible character, but his mind was sharp. Though the discussion had revolved around the martial concept of mental strength without touching upon the idea of two souls in one body, An Jiu felt they were already close to the truth.
However, the news she received wasn’t exactly good.
Elder Qi said, "Everything I’ve said so far is based on years of speculation. If my theory holds, merging would be the safest option. If we must choose one to keep, I fear I’d only be capable of preserving the weaker one."
Elder Zhi recalled the moment the arrow was fired and the timid, trembling demeanor. He was absolutely certain he’d choose the former—even as a last resort, he couldn’t allow the stronger mental strength to be harmed. "What would happen after merging?"
Elder Qi fell silent. "It’s hard to say. The best outcome would be for the stronger mental strength to absorb and encompass the weaker one, suppressing the weaker aspect in daily life. I need to investigate further."
Elder Zhi had no intention of consulting the person involved and made the decision unilaterally. "Brother, do your best to preserve the stronger one and discard the weaker."
Elder Qi nodded, then frowned at Mo Sigui. "Have you found the Soul-Soothing Powder?"
"Here." Mo Sigui handed him two small bottles.
Elder Qi took the medicine bottles and sniffed them, his expression instantly relaxing.
"Honestly, Cousin is more charming when she’s timid," Mo Sigui remarked. Under the glare of the other three, he quickly added, "I mean... more lethal. Since ancient times, heroes have always fallen for beauties, haven’t they?"The three of them couldn't be bothered with his nonsense, but Mei Jiu was sobbing softly. Everyone wanted to eliminate her—only her cousin had spoken up for her. Though his words were rather frivolous, at this moment, they were enough to make her weep with gratitude.
"Take this and prepare the medicine," Elder Qi tossed the medicine bottle to Mo Sigui.
"Right." Mo Sigui genuinely thought this delicate cousin of his was breathtakingly beautiful when she was fragile. If only a domineering woman remained in the future, it would be such a waste of that lovely face and fine figure.
"Ah!" He sighed heavily and went to the next room to prepare the medicine.
In the meantime, Elder Qi carefully examined An Jiu's condition.
A short while later, Mo Sigui returned, carrying the medicine bowl to An Jiu.
Meeting An Jiu's icy gaze, he recalled the disastrous failure of the Dream Locking Technique last time and gloated, "This time, you won't be able to call upon heaven or earth for help!"
Cousin, whose side are you really on? Mei Jiu was both furious and heartbroken.
An Jiu lowered her eyes to stare at the reddish-brown medicine, weighing her options before decisively choosing to risk it all.
She lifted the bowl and drank it all in one go.
She had thought that with her willpower, she could at least retain a sliver of consciousness after drinking such a sedative. Yet, to her surprise, the medicine was far more potent than expected—within half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, she had completely lost consciousness.
The moment An Jiu fell unconscious, Mei Jiu automatically filled the void. Unfortunately, due to the medicine's effects, she too passed out in less than two breaths.
After a pause, Elder Qi stood up and retrieved a bamboo tube from the medicine shelf behind him. He unsealed the lid and held it under Mei Jiu's nose.
"Cough!"
A sharp, cool scent rushed straight to her brain, jolting Mei Jiu awake instantly.
The three of them stared intently at Mei Jiu.
Faced with their probing gazes, Mei Jiu recalled their earlier words and burst into tears again.
This pitiful sight delighted and frustrated Mo Sigui in equal measure. "I told you I'd seen her change before. Elder, do you believe me now?"
Elder Qi grasped Mei Jiu's wrist, closing his eyes to focus on her pulse. He channeled strands of his True Energy into her meridians, carefully sensing every subtle difference as it flowed through her veins.
Elder Zhi observed Mei Jiu closely, a bizarre thought surfacing in his mind—Mei Shisi was clearly acting timid now, crying so miserably. Could she have overheard them discussing the elimination of the weaker Mental Strength? These two Mental Strengths actually had their own independent thoughts! Could it be that they weren't two Mental Strengths, but two souls?
The concept of souls originated from Taoist teachings. Several emperors of the Great Song Dynasty had been devout Taoists, and the current Emperor spared no effort in promoting Taoism while suppressing Buddhism. Few like Elder Zhi still clung steadfastly to Zen practice. Nowadays, too many Taoist priests relied on mysticism, and he had long believed much of Taoist doctrine to be deliberately obscure. Had Mo Sigui not mentioned it, he would never have entertained such an idea.
Elder Zhi waited patiently until Elder Qi withdrew his hand before asking, "Well?"
"This time, the Ren and Du meridians show no abnormalities." Elder Qi was well-versed in Mystic Arts, Arcane Arts, and The Way of Medicine, which were inseparable from Taoist philosophy. Thus, he had considered the possibility of dual souls even earlier than Elder Zhi. However, being cautious by nature, he hadn't voiced it rashly. "The Mental Strength is extremely weak—even weaker than Tingzhao's."Elder Zhi's expression was grim. Mei Tingzhao was merely a seven-and-a-half-year-old child who had been sent to Elder Qi to study medicine due to poor innate constitution. To be inferior even to Mei Tingzhao meant being worse than ordinary people!
Elder Qi said, "When Yanran took her away, she was just a toddler. It's only natural for her to be frightened amidst the clash of swords and shadows. Moreover, Yanran deliberately spoiled her, never making her practice martial arts or endure hardships, so it's normal for her Mental strength to be weaker than average. On the contrary, that strangely powerful Mental strength is what's truly suspicious."
"Too much motherly love spoils the child!" Elder Zhi said unhappily, implying his agreement with Elder Qi's assessment. (To be continued...)
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