Following his gaze, Li Yin naturally saw it too.
His eyes moved again, lightly glancing at the curiously watching girl. “This is a Purification Gu. Wear it while moving around the valley, and it’ll protect you from poisons.”
Even as he said this, he showed no intention of handing the item to her.
Li Yin instinctively sensed something off but kept it from her face, still looking curiously at the gu.
Whether this gu was truly a Purification Gu remained to be seen. What if it was a Reincarnation Gu, a deliberate trap?
She stayed seated without moving. Wen Xunzhu gave a bright smile. “From its aura, this gu was personally refined by the Valley Master, Little Madam. Rest assured—since it’s his handiwork, this Purification Gu’s effects are sure to be excellent.”
With his endorsement, Li Yin finally relaxed.
Noticing the subtle change in the girl’s demeanor, Ci Yuan let out a soft chuckle from between his lips, staring at her as he said, “This gu was refined with my blood.”
The girl’s body stiffened. She looked at the gu, then at him, seemingly startled by the refining method.
The man’s pale fingertip moved, gently pressing down on the silver vessel holding the gu. “My body isn’t like a mortal’s. My blood, my bodily fluids—they all carry poison. Refined with my blood, this gu can ward off the poisons on my body, allowing you to get close to me.”
“However, during Gu Transformation Cultivation, I won’t perceive the outside world. No matter how close you get to me—even if you push and shove—I won’t wake. So…” He paused slightly. “If anything comes up, just go straight to Elder Wen.”
Such an arrangement made sense, and his words even reminded the Player of certain past events from the save files. His unwillingness to dual cultivate with her might have been due to his poisonous body too.
The man’s enunciation was cool yet mellifluous, and that unintentional pause suddenly sparked some bold ideas in Li Yin.
Suppressing her sudden playfulness, she followed his words and looked toward Wen Xunzhu. The youth smiled gently at her.
Li Yin said “Alright,” seemingly agreeing to his plan while countless ideas flashed through her mind. Then, she realized something and looked again at the Purification Gu by his hand.
After saying so much, the man still hadn’t given her the gu—as if waiting for her to ask for it herself.
Li Yin showed no eagerness, instead asking, “So where will I stay these next few days? With you?”
Ci Yuan’s lips curved slightly, his purple pupils growing even more eerily alluring. “Eternal Law Pavilion has empty rooms. Pick one.”
“Since I’m your dao companion from a past life, shouldn’t I stay with you?” The girl feigned confusion and continued, “I saw from Doctor Wen that there’s a way to restore memories for reincarnated people. Why don’t you give me some Reincarnation Gu? That way, I can remember the past.”
With this proactive strike, Ci Yuan abruptly flattened his lips and refused coldly, “No.”
To the side, Wen Xunzhu didn’t understand.
Why had the Valley Master refused when Little Madam proactively suggested taking Reincarnation Gu?
Seeing Little Madam about to speak up again to ask for the Reincarnation Gu, the Valley Master suddenly stood and flung his sleeve as he left.
The gathering ended unpleasantly, leaving Wen Xunzhu anxiously worried.
He knew little of the inside story from back then. Kind-hearted by nature, Wen Xunzhu did not want to see the Valley Master arguing with the little madam.
After the Valley Master left, he had no way to stop him and could only turn to look at the little madam.
“Madam, please don’t be angry. The Valley Master’s temperament is just like that…” he said hesitantly. But then he felt that this kind of consolation was wronging the madam too, so the youth got stuck for a moment, not knowing what to say.
Yet he saw the little madam pick up the Purification Gu that the Valley Master had left behind.
Li Yin examined it back and forth but couldn’t tell much. After confirming with the youth that it was indeed the Purification Gu, she finally relaxed.
Wen Xunzhu didn’t quite understand her actions. Li Yin smiled. “I’m fine. I’m not angry. I don’t know if this gu is meant for me. Later, I’ll go find the Valley Master to confirm and have a good chat with him along the way.”
Hearing this, Wen Xunzhu breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
“By the way, where does the Valley Master usually cultivate?” Li Yin put away the gu and asked probing questions.
Wen Xunzhu harbored no suspicions and explained the layout of the Eternal Law Pavilion, including the location of the Valley Master’s cultivation chamber. It hadn’t changed much from the Save File. He also mentioned matters related to Gu Transformation Cultivation—as the Valley Master had said, the fleshly body would lose perception of the outside world while cultivating this way.
As he spoke, he took out some candied fruits and tea he carried with him, using them as after-dinner snacks.
Li Yin cooperated with him, picking up a cup and taking a sip. Who knew the tea would taste rather bitter? The sudden bitterness made her frown.
Wen Xunzhu had been worried about her mood all along and was deliberately staying by her side. He immediately noticed the change in her expression.
Realizing she didn’t like the taste of the tea, he hurriedly picked up a piece of candied fruit with his fair, slender fingers and fed it to her to dispel the bitterness. He apologized repeatedly. “Little madam, I grabbed the wrong one. This tea is what I usually drink…”
Drinking slightly bitter tea wasn’t a big deal, but the youth’s attitude was so good. His pale, slender fingers held the candied fruit right up to her lips.
The girl paused almost imperceptibly, pretending not to notice as she ate the candied fruit straight from his hand.
The little madam’s lips were soft, lightly brushing over his fingertip as she took the candied fruit. Wen Xunzhu suddenly froze.
When he came back to his senses, he abruptly pulled back his hand. The girl’s face was innocent as she looked up at him. “What’s wrong?”
The youth covered the fingertip she had touched with one hand. “I… I suddenly remembered, there’s something undone at the medicine hall. Little madam, I…”
He stammered for a long time until the girl took the initiative. “If you have something to do, go take care of it first. I can look after myself.”
Li Yin smiled brightly. Seeing him nod in a panic, she directly took out the Little Roaming Immortal Gu. Thinking of something, she called out to him. “Doctor Wen—”
Wen Xunzhu stopped his movements. The little madam looked at him expectantly and made her request. “Doctor Wen, could you lend me this Little Roaming Immortal Gu for now? I’ll return it after I’m done. My cultivation isn’t high, so traveling takes too much time and energy…”
Before she finished, the flustered youth simply untied the silver vessel from his waist and gave it to her along with the gu. “Little madam, take it and use it. No need to return it.”
With that, his spiritual light fled into the distance. He ran away.
It seemed like she had scared him off, but she had gotten the item. Li Yin didn’t care about the rest. She quietly waited for the right moment to act.
Wen Xunzhu fled far away with one continuous burst before slowly calming his mind.
He stared at his fingertip—the spot the little madam had touched. As he spaced out, waves of heat kept rising to his cheeks.
Did he… did he a little… like the little madam?
Those feelings he had always overlooked had nothing to do with his naturally friendly personality toward everyone. In the end, the madam was different. She was different.
He hadn’t disliked the attention she paid him when they first met. He hadn’t disliked all the things the Valley Master had chattered to him about the madam. He hadn’t disliked the little madam’s vibrancy when they met again…
The youth took a deep breath, suppressing the heat in his cheeks. But he couldn’t help rubbing his fingertip.
He could still control his favorable impression. He couldn’t betray the Valley Master, nor could he betray the little madam…
Suddenly, he remembered something important. He had left in such a hurry that he forgot to tell the little madam.
With her cultivation level, she could only barely activate the Little Roaming Immortal Gu once in a short time.
–
Night fell, and all was quiet. The light of the everlasting lamps was soft and gentle. Most cultivators had entered meditation to cultivate. In the central area of the Eternal Law Pavilion valley, only two people remained inside the only two rooms, and it was utterly silent.
Li Yin passed through without obstruction. As Valley Master Ci Yuan had said, the restrictions inside the Eternal Law Pavilion were ineffective against her.
As she drew closer to the cultivation chamber of the Medical Poison Valley Lord bit by bit, she grew increasingly tense. She wasn’t sure what the other party was doing at the moment—whether his soul had exited his orifice for Gu Transformation Cultivation.
She carried both the Purification Gu and the Little Roaming Immortal Gu. The Player had only one goal this trip: to make up for the regret left unfulfilled in the Save File.
After a moment, a few soft knocks broke the silence. No one came to open the door, so the girl mustered her courage and slowly pushed open the door to the chamber.
The flickering restriction let her pass. She entered the room, but still no one came to greet her.
The Player felt even more certain now.
Layer upon layer of curtains hung in the room. Incense burned in the corner, giving off a wonderfully pleasant scent. She grew even more tempted and stepped forward to part the curtains. In the depths of the bedroom sat the silhouette of a man sitting quietly.
Li Yin stopped in her tracks and greeted him obediently. “Valley Master Ci Yuan?”
She called out softly. The other party was sitting with his head bowed on the prayer mat, showing no response.
Was he really cultivating?
The girl tentatively took a step forward. He still didn’t react. Her steps quickened lightly. In a few strides, she reached the man’s side and carefully observed his condition.
His ink-black hair like silk draped behind him, spreading all the way to the floor with a faint sheen of moisture and a light fragrance. The intricate ornaments had been removed, and he had changed into loose robes, as if he had bathed and burned incense not long ago.
His breathing was steady and nearly imperceptible. His long, dense lashes cast downward. His skin was white as porcelain, like a beauty statue fired in plain glaze. He wore black inner robes with purple outer ones, exuding a touch of nobility. The looseness revealed a hint of wild abandon.
“Valley Master Ci Yuan?” The girl whispered right in front of him, almost blowing into his ear.
“Ci Yuan?”
The beauty statue still showed no response.
Being this close, Li Yin noticed he hadn’t removed his earrings. The shiny silver ornaments were half-hidden among strands of black hair.
She raised her hand and gently lifted the hair draping over the side of his face, revealing his jade-like earlobe. The ornament adorning his ear swayed lightly from the disturbance.
The girl stared intently. Only after the ornament settled did she look her fill. Her gaze then roamed over his face, as if inspecting a toy or territory within her reach.
The beauty remained unaware, sitting there with eyes closed. A faint, alluring fragrance wafted from between his collar and hair.
Compared to the sharp-tongued man from earlier in the day, he looked exceptionally gentle now—like he had retracted all his hurtful thorns, leaving only softness for others to explore and toy with at will.
With the Purification Gu at hand, she no longer needed to worry about any poison in his bodily fluids.