The stream behind Medicine King Valley, encircling the valley, had no visible source.
Nan Shiying gazed into the distance, her view of the mountains blurred by mist.
The cave the poison elder had taken her to contained only a crystal coffin. Though that place was situated at the mountain's peak, with paths that were both arduous and steep, she, if counted accurately, was merely a first-rate master. Could Yue Ming truly have placed her body in such a cave?
The Medicine Venerable had said that the former valley master coveted the Nirvana within her body. The old man had also mentioned that the herbs used to refine the medicinal people contained unique ingredients from Medicine King Valley.
Medicine King Valley, Miao Jiang, and the Longevity Sect were intrinsically linked.
The first-generation valley master had been an orphan adopted by Yue Ming.
She herself inherited the medical and Taoist arts of the Longevity Dao Sect. As for Miao Jiang, the imperial family of Dali was a branch that had split from Miao Jiang. Medicine King Valley accepted disciples regardless of family background or origin, valuing only character and talent. Despite the valley's rule of non-interference in political affairs, this method of disciple recruitment could not overcome the disciples' patriotism.
Medical arts knew no national or regional boundaries, but physicians did.
Nan Shiying still couldn't piece together what had truly happened back then, nor did she know whether the disappearance of her body and the hijacking of her soul were accidents or part of a scheme.
Now, in Medicine King Valley, she still felt as if she were wandering in a fog, unable to discern her path forward or her direction.
The scorpion circled in place, digging at the ground with its large pincers before burying its head. The cerulean snake slithered forward, entering the water.
Nan Shiying crouched down. Sparse sunlight pierced the mist and fell on the water's surface, rippling and shimmering. The scales of the cerulean snake remained resplendent beneath the water. The stream was clear to the bottom, with faint glimpses of strange rocks. The cerulean shadow weaved among the stones, its tail stirring up layers of water ripples.
The scorpion emerged from the ground by Nan Shiying's feet, its pincers clutching a stone fragment no larger than half a thumbnail.
It tapped Nan Shiying's shoe with its tail.
Nan Shiying extended her palm. The scorpion crawled to her hand and placed the stone fragment into her palm.
A meteorite!
She picked up the stone and examined it closely under the sunlight. A fleeting golden glint in her eyes allowed her to see the stone clearly.
It was a fragment of a meteorite.
The cerulean snake also surfaced from the water, a black flower held in its mouth.
...
Qing Yuan stewed a pot of black chicken and mushroom soup. Qing Ning crouched nearby, secretly swallowing. She heard Qing Yuan say that her junior uncle had gone to the back mountain and had not yet returned. Her grand-aunt was currently squatting… no, standing on the stone wall behind the mountain, looking up expectantly for the person's return.
Truly touching master-disciple affection.
Qing Ning's tears flowed from the corners of her mouth. While Qing Yuan wasn't paying attention, she opened the pot lid. Just as she extended her sinful hand, Qing Yuan caught her.
"Why are you still stealing food?"
Qing Yuan questioned.
"You clearly ate five steamed buns, gnawed on a chicken, and drank a bowl of congee last night, and you even ate fruit afterward!"
Qing Ning patted her stomach and replied righteously, "It's already digested!"
"I'll just have a bite, just one bite!"
Qing Ning pleaded.
Qing Yuan glared, protecting the pot, "This is what I stewed for my junior uncle!"
Second Peak had always been rather quiet, with little noise heard. Seeing the two young girls, one guarding the pot and the other trying to snatch it, the poison elder nudged Nan Shiying's arm teasingly and gestured to her.
Nan Shiying gave him a sidelong glance.
"Ahem!"
She cupped her hands around her mouth and coughed softly.
Hearing the sound, Qing Yuan and Qing Ning immediately fell silent and turned to look.
"Junior Uncle?"
Seeing Nan Shiying, Qing Yuan's eyes smiled happily, but her body refused to leave the pot. Qing Ning's cheeks puffed out in annoyance.
I won't steal food in front of my junior uncle and grand-aunt.
Hmph!
"Gulp, gulp, gulp~ Ah~"
Qing Ning finished the food in her bowl, then picked up the bowl and gulped down the soup with gusto. Afterward, she let out a satisfied burp and leaned back in her chair, holding her stomach, as content as a little orange cat that had gorged on dried fish.
Comfortable!
Great!
Qing Yuan's eyes twitched slightly.
She had drunk half the pot of soup. If she had known her junior uncle would invite this glutton to eat, she would have turned a blind eye and let her steal a bowl. She would then feign discovery after Qing Ning finished and scold her away, rather than having half of this entire pot of soup go into her stomach.
Nan Shiying, however, found eating with someone who enjoyed food so much to be quite appetizing. Seeing her eat so heartily made the food taste even better than usual.
Qing Ning and Qing Yuan were both disciples' grandchildren. One followed Ji Feng, and the other followed Ji Wu. After Ji Wu's death, Qing Zhu and Qing Yuan were placed under Ji Cheng.
Qing Ning was five years older than Qing Yuan and slightly younger than Qing Zhu. Her master was unreliable, and she, too, was somewhat unreliable. Her medical skills were only slightly better than Qing Yuan's. Second Peak and Third Peak were adjacent and seemed connected from a distance, but they were not close. It took about half an hour to walk from Second Peak to Third Peak, yet one could still hear Ji Feng's enraged shouts scolding Qing Ning.
This showed that Ji Feng had been angered to the point of summoning his primeval strength.
Nan Shiying held her bowl, picked up a piece of food, and her gaze shifted upwards to Qing Ning. She naturally asked, "Qing Ning, have you finished your homework for today?"
Qing Ning: (⊙_⊙)?
Σ(°д°lll)