But before Ye Lanshan could explain, Ye Yu spoke first.
He had just finished practicing his sword in the space and hadn't even rested when he suddenly appeared here. Confused, he looked at the two unfamiliar people before him and asked, "Miss, who are they?"
"This is Sikong Kuang, who will treat your meridians, and this is his nephew, Yun Di." Ye Lanshan briefly introduced the two to him.
"Oh, so you're Sikong Kuang. I've heard a lot about you." Upon hearing Ye Lanshan's introduction, Ye Yu instinctively bowed.
Then, suddenly realizing something, he pointed at Sikong Kuang and stammered, "M-Miss, what did you say? He, he, he's Sikong Kuang, the Valley Master Si?"
"Yes, that's right." Under Ye Yu's gaze, Ye Lanshan calmly nodded.
"Valley Master Si, please have a seat." Ye Yu scanned the room, finally found a stool, wiped it clean, placed it under Sikong Kuang, and helped him sit down.
"There's no need to call me Valley Master anymore. I've long since stopped being the Valley Master of the Medicine Valley." Recalling the time he was imprisoned, a bitter smile flickered across Sikong Kuang's face.
Since Ye Yu had been in Ye Lanshan's space all this time, he didn't know what had happened outside. But seeing Sikong Kuang's sorrowful expression, he tactfully refrained from poking at his sore spot.
"I've brought you here today to diagnose the condition of your meridians. Let's not talk about anything else for now—just tell me, can you still feel any pain in your meridians?" Sikong Kuang was quite serious when it came to treating illnesses.
Ye Yu shook his head and said, "I don't feel any pain at all."
"What about this?" Sikong Kuang grabbed his hand and channeled mystic energy into his meridians.
Ye Yu focused carefully, then replied dejectedly, "Still no feeling."
"And this?" Sikong Kuang increased the intensity of the mystic energy.
Ye Yu concentrated again, and his furrowed brows relaxed. He said excitedly, "A little now—there's some pain and a bit of an itch."
"As long as you can still feel pain, that's good." Sikong Kuang then probed into his meridians with his mystic energy to examine them.
"It seems the situation isn't too bad. Was it properly treated back then?"
Hearing Sikong Kuang's question, Ye Lanshan replied, "Yes, right after his meridians were injured, I took him to an obscure courtyard owned by the Lan family in Chaoyang City. Lan Youli performed some simple treatments on Ye Yu there."
When Sikong Kuang heard the mention of the Lan family, his gaze froze slightly, and a look of understanding dawned on his face as he murmured, "So it was someone from the Lan family. No wonder his meridians are shattered like this, yet he moves so naturally."
"I'll leave him in your hands. If you need any herbs, just ask. I'll get the Twin Fruit for you as soon as possible." After settling Sikong Kuang and the others, Ye Lanshan handed Ye Yu over to them.
"Alright." Sikong Kuang nodded. Seeing this, the stone that had been weighing on Ye Lanshan's heart finally lifted.
As long as Sikong Kuang agreed to heal Ye Yu, and once his meridians were fixed, she could find a way to restore them to their original state.
"Miss Ye, who are these people?" Fu Tian had just finished training the children when he came out and saw Ye Lanshan standing with three unfamiliar men at the northwest corner of the house, talking.
Seeing Fu Tian approach, Ye Lanshan introduced him, "This is my best brother, Ye Yu."
"Miss." Ye Yu was about to protest but was stopped by a look from Ye Lanshan, so he shut his mouth.
Ye Lanshan then pointed to the man on the far left and said, "This is my friend Yun Di, and the one in the middle is Sikong Kuang."
"You, you, what did you say? He's Sikong Kuang?" Fu Tian had been calm at first, but upon hearing that name, he immediately lost his composure.
He pulled Ye Lanshan aside and whispered, "How did you find Sikong Kuang and bring him back?"
"I've heard that Sikong Kuang's whereabouts are unpredictable and his temperament is strange. Anyone who seeks his treatment ends up empty-handed."
"Yun Di is his nephew. I don't need to say more about the rest." Ye Lanshan glanced toward Yun Di.
Fu Tian was silent for a moment before saying, "Miss Ye, your methods are truly impressive. I almost wish you'd confront the Holy Land sooner."
"With your skills and Fu Feng's talent, if we could get the Mystic Spirit Academy on our side, our chances would be much greater."
"The Mystic Spirit Academy, huh? It's worth cultivating a relationship with." Hearing his words, Ye Lanshan gazed at the setting sun, her eyes distant.
"The Holy Land is like this dusk—sooner or later, we'll push it into the night."
"Indeed, but who knows who will replace the Holy Land as the rising sun in the east?" Fu Tian's words carried a hint of probing.
"Whoever becomes the rising sun, as long as it doesn't shine on me, it's none of my concern." Ye Lanshan's words made it clear that as long as she wasn't provoked, she wouldn't involve herself in any war beyond destroying the Holy Land.
Fu Tian nodded and said, "That's good. Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I won't let the Holy Land capture you."
Ye Lanshan smiled dismissively, not taking his words to heart. If he were truly that capable, he wouldn't have been severely injured by the Holy Land's people.
She had saved him only because she valued Fu Feng's talent.
Just as she was about to leave, a thought struck her, and she turned back to instruct Fu Tian, "By the way, keep an eye on outsiders lately. Don't let anyone know that Sikong Kuang is here."
"I know. Even if you hadn't said it, I wouldn't have let it slip." Fu Tian was already thinking about how to recruit Sikong Kuang to his side—why would he let anyone else steal that opportunity?
As if reading his mind, Ye Lanshan casually remarked, "Sikong Kuang prefers peace and quiet and dislikes power struggles. It's best not to disturb him. If you anger him, I don't need to spell out the consequences."
Fu Tian's smile stiffened, and he forced an unnatural grin. "Of course. Sikong Kuang is a distinguished guest invited by Miss Ye. How could I dare to bother him casually?"
Ye Lanshan didn't reply but turned and walked toward the door.
Just as her figure was about to disappear, a faint voice drifted into his ears: "No matter what, Sikong Kuang will be on our side. Whether you recruit him or not makes no difference."
Fu Tian had still harbored a sliver of hope to win him over, but upon hearing this, he gave up completely.
After leaving the courtyard, Ye Lanshan didn't return to the Ye family but headed to the Dream Red Pavilion.
"Master, you're here. Why didn't you tell us? We weren't prepared. Who would you like to serve you today?" Qing Dai spotted Ye Lanshan immediately in the noisy crowd.
Seeing Qing Dai's wink, Ye Lanshan instantly understood the meaning. She pulled out her fan and said with a handsome smile, "I was planning to enjoy the show from the crowd, but I didn't expect you to recognize me. Oh well, oh well, it's your girls' beauty that's to blame."
"Let's have Qiu Yue serve me today."