"What are you standing there in a daze for? Hurry up and take it, let's see how it works." Ye Lanshan found it amusing to watch Ye Yu, who was lost in thought.
"Ah, oh." Ye Yu seemed to snap out of it only then. He quickly swallowed the pill, and the moment it went down, a violent pain surged through his entire body.
Ye Lanshan immediately rushed over in three quick steps, grabbing his pulse. She channeled her spiritual power into his body as a probe. Inside, his meridians were shattering inch by inch, only to grow new ones in their place—this was what they called "no destruction, no creation."
The meridians appeared to break rapidly, but in reality, it was a very slow process. It took an entire day for the already fractured meridians to completely disappear. The newly formed meridians couldn't keep up with the speed of the destruction, and it took nearly two more days lying in bed before they were fully healed.
"Try it now—can you cultivate?" Ye Lanshan was genuinely pleased. Now that she had finally healed Ye Yu's meridians, the guilt she felt toward him had finally dissipated.
"Yeah, I can cultivate." Ye Yu broke into a joyful smile. He had always told himself that not being able to cultivate was fine—he had other skills, after all. But deep down, there was always an undeniable sense of loss. Even though his unique techniques could match a Xuan Emperor in battle, and no matter how much he forced himself to stay indifferent, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy toward others who could wield spiritual power.
"Since you can cultivate, that's settled. But your new meridians are too fragile, so you'll need to consume more things that nourish them." Seeing the smile on his face, one he thought he'd lost forever, Ye Lanshan's mood lightened as well.
This man, who had risked his life to protect her the moment she arrived on this continent, who comforted her saying it was fine even as his meridians shattered, who had found a cultivation method in some unknown world and trained relentlessly just to avoid holding her back—he had finally shown the most genuine smile in a long time. She believed that soon, Ye Yu would become one of her most formidable generals, because his will was tougher than anyone's.
"Nourish the meridians? You mean that soup you gave me before?" Ye Yu's most vivid memory was the black chicken soup Ye Lanshan had brought him, said to have miraculous effects on meridians.
"Hmm, actually, the real nourishing ingredient was the hundred-flower honey. It just happened to be in that soup." Ye Lanshan had originally planned to have him eat the honey directly, but now she hesitated—maybe turning it into a medicinal meal would yield even better results.
"Oh, then can Master Sikong have some with me?" Ye Yu remembered that Sikong Kuang's meridians had also been damaged, and they were still very weak.
"Of course, that's fine." Ye Lanshan had already taken Sikong Kuang under her wing, so she wouldn't be stingy about it.
"Is this the taste of hundred-flower honey?" Sikong Kuang, while eating dinner, took a bite and paused, unsure. He tasted it again carefully—it was indeed the flavor of hundred-flower honey.
"Yeah, your meridians aren't in good shape, so you need to eat more hundred-flower honey to nourish them." Ye Lanshan's cool voice rang out. Sikong Kuang looked up and met her smiling eyes, a warm surge rising in his heart—indescribable, unclear, yet it nourished his long-dried soul.
Sikong Kuang had been so absorbed in alchemy that even when Ye Lanshan suddenly brought him food, he hadn't thought much of it. Only now did he realize why she had been doing it.
"If your meridians were bad, you should have told me sooner." Ye Lanshan shook her head. If he had, she would have made this medicinal meal for him long ago.
"What's there to say about something so shameful?" Sikong Kuang's gaze was bleak. He had thought he'd spend his life in darkness, never expecting Yun Di to risk everything to save him, nor that he'd live so comfortably under Ye Lanshan's care.
But despite that, he could never forget the scars of the past, nor the fact that, though he seemed to be living well, he was still just surviving by the skin of his teeth.
"Don't worry, the Sikong family will belong to you." Ye Lanshan felt the sorrow radiating from the old man and knew exactly what he was thinking. She could empathize—being betrayed by the one you trusted most, the one you thought would never turn on you, was a bitter pill to swallow.
But it was all in the past. She believed Sikong Kuang could get through it.
"You want to help us reclaim the Sikong family, don't you? There's no need for that trouble. The Holy Land is already a tough opponent—why provoke another force? I'm fine here, I can still refine pills for you." Sikong Kuang had long passed the age of hot-headedness. He saw things clearly and could tell that Ye Lanshan's situation was already difficult. There was no need for her to take on another enemy for his sake.
"Actually, helping you also helps me. If you regain control of the Sikong family, it would be a huge boon for me." Ye Lanshan knew Sikong Kuang meant well, but had she ever done anything without weighing the consequences? This was a win-win situation, and besides, she had promised Yun Di—reclaiming the Sikong family was a must.
Sikong Kuang paused, then slowly smiled. "I'm getting old. This is the young people's world now. I can't meddle in this—at most, I'll help you refine pills."
"Leave this to me and Yun Di. Just wait to return to the Sikong family in glory." Ye Lanshan's confidence radiated like a blazing light, the glow from within always drawing others' attention.
Ye Yu stood at the door, momentarily dazed.
"Ye Yu, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Ye Lanshan looked at him with concern.
"Oh, Miss, I'm fine." Ye Yu's face flushed. He quickly lowered his head, afraid she might notice something.
Seeing that he was truly okay, Ye Lanshan turned and went back inside.
"Really?" Ye Lanshan eyed Mu Xinlian suspiciously. She hadn't expected that after all this secret surveillance, there wasn't even a single suspect.
"Every one of them acts perfectly normal. I can't tell who the mole is." Mu Xinlian was also frustrated. She had been watching the Spirit Clan members closely, but not one had shown any sign of abnormality.
"Alright, I understand. Keep watching in secret—we'll catch them eventually." Ye Lanshan narrowed her eyes, a hint of cunning flashing in them.
"Okay, do you have a plan?" Mu Xinlian nodded, then looked intrigued.
"Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed. You'll find out later."
Seeing that Ye Lanshan didn't want to elaborate, Mu Xinlian didn't press further. She simply turned and headed back to the small courtyard to continue monitoring the Spirit Clan.