(Second update delivered)
Behind every delicate young lady lies a formidable and meddlesome mother—this is an eternal truth.
Elder Zhi had a cold and rigid temper, but he was not an impulsive man. His visit to Elder Qi today wasn’t entirely due to being provoked by An Jiu. Though her sharp words had angered him, he genuinely admired the intensity she displayed when handling crossbows. That was why he seized the opportunity to seek Elder Qi’s help in "curing" her.
Elder Zhi had not obtained the result he desired, and his mood was already heavy. Now, listening to Mei Jiu’s sobs, his irritation flared. "Stop crying! Explain clearly what’s going on!"
Mei Jiu choked back her tears, her reddened eyes timidly glancing at Elder Zhi like a frightened rabbit.
Mo Sigui’s heart swelled with pity for the delicate girl. He spoke gently, "Cousin, you may speak freely. Elder Qi’s medical skills are unparalleled in the world—he will surely be able to help you. Besides, we are all family, and you are also Elder Zhi’s disciple..."
Under Mo Sigui’s coaxing, Mei Jiu steadied herself, only to fall into deep conflict. She desperately wanted to reveal the truth to save herself, yet she couldn’t bear to harm An Jiu.
By the time Elder Zhi’s patience was nearly exhausted, she finally spoke hesitantly, "If I tell the truth, you must promise not to harm her."
The three of them had made various speculations, but they were merely conjectures—none truly believed it until they heard her admit it outright. Their faces betrayed their shock.
Mo Sigui, though stunned, inwardly sighed at Mei Jiu’s naivety. Elder Zhi’s stance was clear—he valued strength over weakness—and he would never change his decision simply because of familial ties. If forced to choose between the two, Mo Sigui would bet his head that Elder Zhi wouldn’t hesitate to pick the stronger one.
"We are actually two people," Mei Jiu said, the complete opposite of An Jiu in her readiness to trust others. "When I was being chased by those black-clad men, she suddenly appeared inside my body..."
Mei Jiu recounted the events in full detail.
The more they listened, the more bizarre it sounded. Finally, Mo Sigui exclaimed in disbelief, "This isn’t some delusion, is it?"
The two elders fell into silence.
After a long contemplation, Elder Qi finally spoke. "Pulse readings don’t lie. There are no signs of delusion."
Mo Sigui’s eyes lit up as he glared at Mei Jiu. "Call her out! I want revenge!"
"Is there a way to wake her?" Elder Zhi quickly adjusted his emotions. As long as the origins were clear, a solution could be found.
"We can only wait for her to wake on her own." If it was merely a wandering soul, even Elder Qi’s unparalleled medical skills couldn’t reach it.
Elder Zhi nodded and glanced at Mei Jiu. "You may return and rest for now. This matter must not be spoken of outside."
His words weren’t directed solely at Mei Jiu. Elder Qi and Mo Sigui understood and immediately swore oaths never to reveal even a word of it.
Mo Sigui escorted Mei Jiu out.
The Medicine room fell into dead silence.
After an unknown length of time, Elder Zhi finally broke the silence. "If what she said is true, is there a way to deal with it?"
This was beyond the scope of Medicine. Elder Qi, confident in his ability to revive the dead, had no faith in dealing with something intangible. "I have a close friend—a Daoist master of great renown. Perhaps I should personally seek his assistance."
"That would be best!" Even now, Elder Zhi didn’t fully believe Mei Jiu’s story, nor did he think Daoists possessed any supernatural abilities. But he rephrased his words to achieve his goal. "Stay a few more days and observe carefully. When you meet your old friend, you’ll be able to explain the situation in detail.""Indeed, elder brother speaks wisely." Elder Qi also had his own plans. The clan elders were the pillars of their people. Embarking on a long journey was no easy matter, but he absolutely had to facilitate this trip to Taihang!
Bringing Mo Sigui under his wing had already drawn much discontent from others, with many eyes watching closely. They wanted him to pass on his medical skills to disciples of their own clan, but even within the clan—let alone the wider world—how many could match Mo Sigui's innate talent in the way of medicine?
Though Mo Sigui lacked steadiness, his comprehension was unparalleled. With such a rare gem right before him, how could Elder Qi possibly settle for ordinary stones? While he never refused those the clan sent his way, he had long resolved that his true knowledge would only be passed to Mo Sigui.
The way of medicine was Elder Qi's lifelong pursuit. Only a successor of exceptional talent could do justice to his life's work. Meeting Mo Sigui made Elder Qi deeply grateful for heaven's favor, so even if it cost him his life, he would not allow any regrets in this matter.
After Elder Zhi left, Mo Sigui rushed back into the medicine room like a gust of wind. "Elder, how did you detect the anomaly in the Extraordinary Meridians earlier?"
This was prying into another's secret techniques! Officially, Mo Sigui had no chance of becoming Elder Qi's disciple. Anyone else would have been too embarrassed to ask, but Mo Sigui, though not lacking in dignity, would shamelessly inquire about anything related to the fascinating way of medicine.
This very fervor for medicine was something Elder Qi admired.
"Such a racket! Do you not get beaten enough?" Elder Qi struck him with his cane, yet with his other hand, he grasped Mo Sigui's wrist, demonstrating the secret technique of using True Energy to diagnose pulses.
Threads of True Energy invaded, and Mo Sigui even forgot to cry out in pain.
"Well?" Elder Qi asked quietly.
Without answering, Mo Sigui immediately reversed their positions, gripping Elder Qi's pulse. Mimicking the method just shown, he condensed his own True Energy at his fingertips, then used his Mental Strength to divide it into three strands, probing in different directions. However, his Martial Arts were only at the fifth tier, and this was his first attempt—the gathered True Energy soon dissipated.
Elder Qi was first astonished, then overjoyed, exclaiming excitedly, "Good, good!"
"Unfortunately, I can only split it into three strands at most, and it doesn't last. Sigh, Elder, am I very stupid?" Mo Sigui wore an expression of exaggerated concern.
Elder Qi's smile froze, and he couldn't resist striking him again. "Do you think my secret techniques are mere street performances?! You just need more beating!"
Mo Sigui howled in protest.
Pulse diagnosis with True Energy was one of Elder Qi's secret techniques, requiring immense Inner Force, True Energy, and Mental Strength from the practitioner—especially during the initial division. Afterward, increasing one's Inner Force allowed for more strands and longer duration. It had taken him over a decade of painstaking practice to divide True Energy into three strands!
Amid the clattering commotion inside, Mei Tingzhao, standing on the opposite corridor, saw Mo Sigui dart out covering his face and seized the moment to mock, "Cousin, I think you should save your efforts. Even street performers wouldn't teach you so easily, let alone the Elder's secret techniques!"
"Go play somewhere else!" Mo Sigui stormed into the adjacent room to apply Medicine.
He was long accustomed to it—Elder Qi would beat him every few days to test the quality of his Medicine preparations. For minor injuries like these, the swelling would subside in just two ke (a unit of time, approximately 30 minutes) now.Elder Qi had a particular method when it came to disciplining Mo Sigui. He noticed that if he hit the mischievous child on the body, the brat wouldn't show any urgency at all. Only when he struck the face would Mo Sigui frantically rush to concoct a fast-acting Medicine that wouldn't leave scars. (To be continued...)
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