The anger in Ye Yuanhao's heart reignited. He said hatefully, "You..."
But before he could utter a word, he felt another sharp pain in his abdomen.
"Ah!"
Ye Yuanhao, already kicked by Zi Linling to a spot not far from the courtyard wall, was now sent flying directly towards it.
"Ah..."
Zi Jinling suddenly felt a void before her, and then a shadow flew over her head, startling a scream out of her.
Only when she realized the flying shadow was Ye Yuanhao, who had been protecting her, did she cry out, "Your Highness!"
Ye Yuanhao cursed his own carelessness. He had already suffered a setback before, so why did he dare let Zi Linling get close to him again?
But it was too late to say anything. He didn't have Zi Linling's extensive experience and could only watch as he crashed into the wall, bringing a large section of it down.
At the same time, Zi Jinling's scream echoed.
Ye Yuanhao landed heavily on the ground, groaning continuously.
Before Zi Jinling could recover from the shock, Zi Linling's foot was raised again.
Zi Jinling felt a pain in her backside, and she was sent flying towards where Ye Yuanhao had fallen.
"Ah..."
Zi Jinling's piercing scream resounded through the back courtyard of the Zi mansion. But no matter how much she screamed, it couldn't change the fact that she was being kicked away.
Thus, a cacophony of sounds erupted once more at the collapsed section of the courtyard wall.
"Boom!"
"Ah..."
"Ouch..."
"Rumble!"
Everyone in the courtyard, except for the perpetrator Zi Linling, was petrified.
"Xue Ying, throw the rest of these people out for this Venerable! From now on, without this Venerable's permission, anyone who dares step into Luoyu Pavilion will be dealt with in the same manner!"
Zi Linling's icy voice rang out above Luoyu Pavilion. At this moment, she exuded an aura of defiance.
Xue Ying, jolted from her shock, saw the radiant Zi Linling.
Inspired by Zi Linling's aura, she responded loudly, "Yes, Miss!"
With that, she casually picked up a wooden plank and began to beat those brought by Zi Jinling indiscriminately.
Instantly, cries of agony filled Luoyu Pavilion.
Zi Linling cast a faint smile at Xue Ying's actions and then turned back into her chambers.
After a while, Luoyu Pavilion finally fell silent.
After lunch, Zi Linling sat cross-legged on her bed, closed her eyes, and entered a state of cultivation.
The surrounding spiritual energy, with her body at its center, formed a vortex and poured into her.
However, the barrier of the tenth level of body tempering, though trembling, remained difficult to break.
By the time Zi Linling emerged from her cultivation, the sky had already darkened.
She opened her door and stepped into the courtyard for some air, pondering how to break through the tenth level of body tempering – the Brain Tempering realm.
The brain was the primary regulator of human life functions, extremely complex, and both the strongest and most fragile part of the body.
It was strong because it was protected within the skull; as long as the skull remained intact, external forces could not penetrate.
It was fragile because, once removed from the skull's protection, it could not withstand any force.
The tenth level of body tempering, the Brain Tempering realm, specifically targeted this fragility. Through tempering, it aimed to make the brain as strong as an unbreakable fortress, even without the protection of the skull.
Therefore, the tenth level of body tempering was extremely dangerous. Any slight mistake could result in becoming an imbecile, or worse, losing one's life.
Furthermore, no one seemed to know of this tenth level of body tempering. This meant Zi Linling had no experience to draw upon.
How could she break through? How could she break through?
Zi Linling stood under the moonlight, lost in thought.
"Little Ling Ling, who are you putting on such a long face for?"
Situ Yunfeng's playful voice interrupted Zi Linling.
Zi Linling retorted unhappily, "Young Master Situ, why aren't you sleeping at this late hour and coming to my Luoyu Pavilion?"
A hint of grievance flickered in Situ Yunfeng's enchanting, peach-blossom eyes.
"Little Ling Ling, you truly have a heart of stone. This young master has visited this Zi mansion no less than ten times just to bring you these two Soul Nurturing Herbs!"
As he spoke, he produced two potted Soul Nurturing Herbs from seemingly nowhere and handed them to Zi Linling.
The Soul Nurturing Herb resembled a Buddha's hand, was entirely transparent, and extremely pure. It bloomed once every twenty years, producing white flowers, and was an essential ingredient for refining the Soul Nurturing Pill.
The moment Zi Linling saw the Soul Nurturing Herb, she felt a flash of enlightenment.
That's right! Before tempering the brain, one needed to protect its meridians.
The Meridian Protecting Pill!
That was it!
With her mind unburdened, Zi Linling's mood immediately lifted. She smiled at Situ Yunfeng and said, "Thank you!"
This simple "thank you" left Situ Yunfeng bewildered. He even forgot the teasing remarks he had prepared.
"Little Ling Ling, are you alright? This young master feels a chill down his spine?"
Zi Linling was speechless.
Did this young master of Medicine King Valley have a masochistic tendency? Why did he become uncomfortable when she was nice to him?
Never mind, she still had to research the formula and ingredients for the Meridian Protecting Pill!
"If Young Master Situ has nothing else, then this Venerable will excuse herself!"
Zi Linling said, intending to take the Soul Nurturing Herbs back to her room.
"Little Ling Ling, are you really going to treat this young master like this?"
Situ Yunfeng's heart sank at her dismissal.
Zi Linling paused and said, "This Venerable did not mean that. It is simply late, and it is time to rest. Secondly, this Venerable truly has something to attend to!"
"Little Ling Ling, why are you always so busy? You were only missing for three to four days, and now that you're back, you can't even exchange a few words before rushing this young master away?"
Situ Yunfeng felt a deep sense of disappointment.
Zi Linling was at a loss for words, but she thought that given Situ Yunfeng had just delivered the Soul Nurturing Herbs, it was indeed a bit excessive to rush him away immediately.
So, she patiently said, "Young Master Situ..."
"Call me Situ!"
Situ Yunfeng was acting like a petulant child.
Zi Linling said helplessly, "Alright, Situ, I truly have something to do. Perhaps..."
"Something to do? Don't tell me you're going to research how to repair Shen Liuxing's heart meridians?"
The moment Situ Yunfeng spoke, he regretted it, wishing he could slap himself twice.
Zi Linling froze. How could she have completely forgotten about this? If Situ Yunfeng hadn't brought it up, who knew when she would have remembered!
If Situ Yunfeng knew that his misplaced jealousy had given Shen Liuxing an opportunity to approach Zi Linling, he would probably regret it to his dying day.
Zi Linling thought for a moment and said, "Situ, thank you for reminding me. How about this: tomorrow, you accompany me to treat Young Master Shen."