Chapter Sixty-Nine
"Let me check your pulse." Mo Sigui's eyes sparkled with excitement. Ever since he learned to use True Energy for pulse diagnosis, he had been experimenting on anyone he could find. This method was infinitely more precise than traditional pulse-taking, and he was eager to discover how the pulse of someone with dual souls differed from an ordinary person's.
Mo Sigui placed his fingers on An Jiu's wrist, threads of True Energy transforming into fine strands that slowly seeped inward.
He meticulously explored every inch of her Meridians but found nothing unusual. Unwilling to give up, he repeated the process again and again.
After the time it took to drink two cups of tea, Mo Sigui finally detected a subtle anomaly near the heart Meridian—tiny fluctuations that didn't align with the overall steady rhythm. He attempted to probe closer with his True Energy, but the fluctuations abruptly vanished.
An Jiu noticed beads of sweat forming at Mo Sigui's temples, his face growing increasingly pale. "Are you done yet?" she asked.
Mo Sigui frowned slightly but didn't respond.
The only sound in the room was the bubbling of the Medicine pot. Suddenly, An Jiu felt a faint disturbance in the air as a clean, strong hand abruptly seized Mo Sigui's wrist.
She sensed the True Energy within her dissipating rapidly. Tilting her head back, she saw Elder Qi's furious expression.
A moment later, when Mo Sigui opened his eyes, Elder Qi smacked the back of his head and roared, "You reckless brat! If you want to die, get out of my Medicine hut! People only come in here lying down—none leave that way!"
Used to such scoldings, Mo Sigui calmly smoothed the hair at the back of his head, mussed by the slap. "I'm still alive and kicking, aren't I?"
"Alive and kicking!" The usually composed Miracle Doctor, who had spent decades cultivating patience, was now panting with rage. "Tell me! How many times have I pulled you back from the brink these past few days? If you don’t start behaving, get the hell out!"
Elder Qi had just returned from gathering herbs in the mountains when he spotted a Shadow Guard unconscious on a beam in the corridor. A few steps closer, he caught the scent of a sedative mixed into the calming Medicine—immediately recognizing it as another of Mo Sigui's misdeeds.
At this moment, Elder Qi deeply regretted teaching Mo Sigui the True Energy pulse diagnosis technique. The boy was highly talented and grasped concepts quickly, which had initially delighted Elder Qi. But within days, he realized he had made a grave mistake—this reckless brat was testing the method on anyone he could get his hands on, treating Inner Force like some worthless trash picked up off the street!
The True Energy pulse technique was extremely taxing on both Inner Force and Mental Strength. Used sparingly, it could temper Mental Strength, benefiting the practitioner in the long run. But excessive use in a short period could lead to Inner Force depletion, Mental Strength deterioration, and even sudden death.
Elder Qi had reasoned with him, appealed to his emotions, and sternly warned him multiple times—but to no avail. Mo Sigui simply couldn't curb his insatiable curiosity.
Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, Elder Qi issued another warning. "You better behave, or I’ll break those troublesome hands of yours!"
Mo Sigui lazily leaned against a nearby Medicine cabinet, resting his chin on his folding fan as he grinned. "I’ve been good—haven’t tried it for three whole hours. This was just a special case."
"Three hours! What an eternity!" Elder Qi kicked him away in exasperation.
Having spent enough time with Elder Qi, Mo Sigui knew exactly what he wanted. He quickly jumped up, obsequiously wiping a stool with his sleeve before fanning it vigorously with his folding fan. Then, with an exaggerated gesture, he helped Elder Qi sit down. "Please, have a seat."
"Ah!" Elder Qi sighed helplessly.Elder Qi had a peculiar temper, yet he was helpless when it came to Mo Sigui. Sometimes, when angered to the extreme, he truly considered kicking him out. But the thought of his exceptional talent always made him reluctant.
Just imagine—who else in this world could earn the title of "Miracle Doctor" in Bianjing at the age of twelve or thirteen? Even if most people found his youth remarkable and gave him some extra praise, without genuine skill, he could never have upheld such a grand reputation.
Mo Sigui's innate understanding of the way of medicine left even Elder Qi sighing in admiration. His curiosity and dedication to medicine were qualities Elder Qi greatly appreciated, yet they were also the very things that gave him headaches.
"Is there something wrong?" Elder Qi asked An Jiu.
Before An Jiu could respond, Mo Sigui interjected, "She said the weaker mental strength has gone silent—no idea if it disappeared or what."
An Jiu nodded.
Elder Qi shot him a glare and asked, "What did your pulse diagnosis reveal?"
"The other mental strength has weakened but hasn't vanished yet," Mo Sigui added. "I'm not entirely certain, but I’m about seventy to eighty percent sure."
"I’ve never encountered a case of dual souls in one body before," Elder Qi said. "But after scouring ancient texts these past few days, I found a few fragmented records. After much contemplation, I believe such a state won’t last long. Two tigers cannot share one mountain—sooner or later, the stronger will consume the weaker, barring any unforeseen circumstances."
Elder Qi placed his fingers on An Jiu’s wrist, feeling her pulse for a while before speaking slowly. "Survival of the fittest—whether you will it or not."
"How is she now?" An Jiu asked.
Elder Qi shook his head, his expression unreadable. "Such matters are profoundly mysterious. I can scarcely grasp even a fraction of it."
Realizing she wouldn’t get any answers, An Jiu stood up. "Thank you."
"Hmm." Elder Qi accepted her gratitude without hesitation.
Seeing An Jiu about to leave, Mo Sigui sprang up. "Let me walk you out!"
"Si Gui!" Elder Qi called after him.
"Don’t worry, I won’t go looking for death," Mo Sigui tossed back before stepping out of the room first.
Outside, the sunlight was brilliant. Icicles hanging from the eaves refracted golden rays, and the snow’s glare was blindingly white.
An Jiu squinted.
"If you and Shi Si aren’t the same person, do you have a name?" Mo Sigui asked.
An Jiu walked silently toward the gate. Only when she was nearly out did she reply, "An Jiu."
She responded to Mo Sigui because she hadn’t given up on the idea of self-destruction. Elder Qi wasn’t easy to work with, but Mo Sigui was quite interested in the matter.
"An?" Mo Sigui crossed his arms, pondering. "You even have a full name. Are you a wandering spirit? Did you do too many wicked deeds to reincarnate? Should I find some monks to chant scriptures for your salvation?"
"You can start preparing," An Jiu said without looking at him, stepping through the gate. "I suspect someone of your character might commit plenty of wicked deeds. When you’re on your deathbed, hire hundreds of monks to chant for a hundred days—maybe you’ll end up like me."
"I’m just trying to help. Can’t you show a little gratitude?" Mo Sigui fumed for a moment, but when she showed no reaction, he trotted after her, smoothing things over himself. "Ah, forget it. Who am I to complain, being so kind-hearted? Tell me, what good deeds have you done in the past? I’ll hire a high monk to mention them before the Buddha now and then—might do some good."
Some things were too mystical to dismiss. An Jiu, choosing to believe just in case, thought carefully. "I let the neighbor’s child play with my favorite toy for three days."Although she had beaten the child severely when he ended up breaking the toy.
"..." Mo Sigui widened his eyes, then after a long pause said, "Anything bigger, more meaningful?"
An Jiu pondered for a while before her furrowed brows relaxed. "When volunteering in the community, I helped an old lady feed her dog for a month."
"You..." Mo Sigui met her icy glare and quickly added, "That's truly a great act of merit."
"Can you really not test Mei Jiu's condition?" An Jiu asked. (To be continued...)
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