Interlude

Soon, Su Xian arrived as well.

"Fulan, how are the lads doing?" he asked, carrying various delicacies bought in the inner city and sharing them with the group.

"They're mostly fine, just need a few days of rest. But Sister Lan, she..." Lian Fulan took the pastries and food Su Xian offered, placed them on the table, and led him to Lan Jinxi's side.

"Hmm..." Su Xian pondered for a moment, then looked at some samples of the dark blood Lian Fulan had left earlier. Hesitantly, he asked, "She's from the Yunshui Clan, right?"

Lian Fulan nodded.

"Twin lineages, yin usurps while yang bestows... a deficiency in yin leads to excessive yang and scorching heat; a shortage of yang results in flourishing yin and profound cold..." Su Xian frowned in thought, then seemingly sent a voice transmission to ask someone. His expression cleared with sudden understanding. "Chi! Is Jinxi your dao companion?"

Chi nodded. Yan and the others silently began munching on their metaphorical melon seeds.

"Do you wish to save her?" Su Xian inquired further.

"Senior, do you have a method to save her?" Chi rolled off the bed, stumbled to his knees before Su Xian with a limp.

"No need for that!" Su Xian hastily helped Chi up. "Jinxi has a deficit in her yang channels. Theoretically, replenishing with corresponding substances while cultivating a matching technique could turn the crisis around, perhaps even advance her cultivation!"

"You mean..." Chi hesitated. "Supplementing yang... the fastest method would be..."

"Given Jinxi's current state... if there's any reluctance in her heart, it's not yet that urgent. It just requires a portion of your bloodline. If it's not incompatible with Jinxi's, we can dilute it and inject a small amount. Then, seek a harmonizing technique from her clan." Su Xian paused, then shook his head with an awkward laugh. "I'll take some blood from you and Jinxi and send it to that elder for analysis."

Then, Su Xian drew some blood from both Chi's and Lan Jinxi's arms and promptly departed.

Lian Fulan and Mo Wenxi ate pastries, casting peculiar glances at Chi. The others lounging nearby, also 'snacking on melons,' didn't know what to think, their faces flushing red.

"Chi, really, I'm just a bit tired, it's fine! There's no need to go back and ask for that technique... we... can't get it!" Lan Jinxi wanted to say something to Chi but didn't know how, feeling her words were awkward, and closed her mouth again.

"Why wouldn't we?" Chi was somewhat puzzled, pressing for an answer, but Lan Jinxi turned her head away, clearly unwilling to continue the topic.

Outside, Su Wu and Yun Feng walked along the streets of the Imperial City. It was somewhat deserted, but a trace of lively atmosphere remained.

A man and a woman. The man wore dark green robes, the woman a light green dress with a white undergarment—a rather matching outfit.

Seeing it was still early, Su Wu took Yun Feng to see several scenic spots in the Imperial City. During this, he even bought her an exquisitely carved jade hairpin, clumsily fixing it into her beautiful hair.

A bit later, as the night market grew more crowded, they went there. All sorts of pastries were displayed, still steaming hot and fragrant. Yun Feng stared, her eyes wide and fixed.

Seeing her look like a greedy kitten, Su Wu smiled with narrowed eyes, bought out the entire stall outright, and let Yun Feng choose what she wanted to eat. The rest he packed up to take back to the group at the medical area. Any remaining portions were randomly given to other citizens who also fancied them.

Yun Feng was first shocked, then her eyes filled with gratitude as she hurriedly thanked him. Happily satisfied, she picked up a pile of food, sampling this one, then that one. Su Wu watched her with a somewhat infatuated gaze from the side.

"Um... Yun Feng, I recall that later on, there will be operatic performances here. Third Brother used to love bringing Sister-in-Law to see them. Does Zi Guan intend to check it out a bit later?" Su Wu said somewhat apprehensively.

"Ah? Alright, Senior." Yun Feng also felt a bit flustered. She understood the implication in Su Wu's words, but it still felt somewhat unfamiliar.

"Our… the age difference isn't that great. Zi… you can call me Wu Ge!" Su Wu's mind was a bit muddled, his words stumbling out.

"Mmhm, understood, Wu Ge!" Yun Feng nodded briskly and shifted a bit closer to Su Wu.

The opera was wonderful. Yun Feng's scent was also fragrant. Stroking her beautiful hair, he felt his whole being settle into quietude. Perhaps… perhaps this was what Third Brother felt when he met Sister-in-Law back then, or perhaps what little brother felt with sister-in-law. A marvelous feeling…

"Wu Ge, can you tell me what happened at the Imperial City?" After watching the opera, they walked along the mountain path, a bit weary. Relaxed, Yun Feng leaned against Su Wu's shoulder, gazing at the moon, which stirred memories within her, prompting her to ask.

"There were only eleven of us in our generation. Second Brother and Fourth Brother were immersed in research all day; people with ulterior motives took advantage of a moment of weakness and they perished in a calamity along with Eighth Brother. Ninth Brother was erased by the World's Will before he was even born. First Brother is busy, and Sixth and Seventh usually reside with the Wind Clan. I was closest to Xian Ge. Although he wasn't as towering and steadfast as First Brother, he always felt reassuring, very gentle, treating us younger brothers well. Afterwards, Tenth Brother was born. His life… ah~!" Su Wu also looked at the moon, bright, just like that night in the past. "He was the Heterodox Emperor's second son by a concubine, and his mother was the eldest daughter of the former Wind Clan chief, albeit an adopted one. Though his life should have been one of luxury and honor, he lost his mother at a tender age…

Afterwards, for a long time, he couldn't cultivate at all, suffering sleepless nights. It's hard to imagine he was just a child of a few years then. Third Brother took him, walking through every corner of the Imperial City. That's when we all met…

He was a good man, righteous, and didn't go astray. It's just his temper was too impetuous, just like those others, going mad without regard for his life, ultimately perishing there, erasing all traces of his own existence…"

Su Wu recounted the past events one by one, feeling a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his heart.

"Wu Ge…" Yun Feng saw a few teardrops fall from the corner of Su Wu's eyes. She took out a handkerchief to wipe them, wanting to comfort him, but found she didn't quite know how.

"Wu Ge, I come from humble beginnings. The only reason I stepped onto this immortal path is because an old man guided me into the Dao long ago. But we were rogue cultivators. What good is having unusual talent? It only makes various factions fear my potential more, wanting to strangle me in the cradle… During this time, that old man, who was like both teacher and father to me, also left me…" Yun Feng spoke, seeing Su Wu still full of sorrow, and added, "I… I'm saying all this to tell you, Wu Ge… I completely understand how you felt in the past…"

Su Wu snapped back to the present. Looking at Yun Feng holding the handkerchief to wipe his tears, he unconsciously revealed a happy smile, gently grasping Yun Feng's hand. It was so warm.

Wood-Grass Root is different from other spiritual roots. They seem capable of sensing and communicating with each other through some means, especially between Yun Feng and Su Wu. The cultivation techniques they practice were originally one technique split into male and female parts. Naturally, ever since Su Xian transmitted the other half of the technique to Yun Feng back then, a subtle connection had been established between the two. Add to that Su Xian's understanding of Su Wu—his preferences had long been discerned. Thus, although it was their first meeting, they were already subtly acquainted and understood each other.

Behind them in the woods, several pairs of eyes were stealthily peeking at the two. They clearly hadn't recovered fully, one even leaning on a crutch, but nothing could stop their fiercely burning gossip-fueled souls.

"Have your old wounds healed? Hiding here to spy!" Su Wu's tone turned icy again, back to its usual coldness. He had sensed someone following long ago, and their refusal to leave at this point clearly annoyed him.

Seeing they were discovered, the few individuals immediately skulked away in a rush. A few 'thump' sounds could even be heard—probably someone falling—but it didn't seem serious.

Yun Feng leaned against Su Wu's chest, watching the others' comical antics and couldn't help but chuckle.

Shifting back to Lan Jinxi's situation, Su Xian soon returned with the results. As he suspected, their blood was mutually repulsive. But with him there, using Mind Force to envelop each cell of Chi's blood before cautiously mixing it into Lan Jinxi's blood posed no major issues. It was troublesome, but at least it solved the immediate crisis.

"Senior, what if there's no harmonization technique?" After wrestling with the question internally for a long time, Chi finally managed to stammer it out in front of Su Xian.

"Tsk!" Su Xian felt a headache coming on. After running several mental simulations, he said, "In reality, as long as she doesn't recklessly use her cultivation or bloodline power and damages that layer of Mind Force, there shouldn't be too many problems."

Chi fell silent for a moment, glanced at Lan Jinxi, and nodded heavily.

Afterwards, Su Xian extracted the blood drawn from Chi's body, enveloped it with Mind Force, and then, after a series of complex procedures, infused it into Lan Jinxi's body. Her condition improved slightly; the dark lines faded. At least now she could manage to sit up.