Fangshi

The evening breeze swept through, and Li Qingjun, soaked through and unable to muster any true qi, shivered slightly. Qin Yi acted as if he didn't see it, showing no intention of helping her.

Li Qingjun gritted her teeth and endured the cold, picking up the rabbit from the ground. "I injected it with the poison I brought. Your so-called antidote for all poisons can't cure it at all. Give me an explanation!"

Qin Yi laughed. "The medicine sold at the foot of the mountain is only for this mountain. What does poison brought from outside have to do with me? If there's an African swine fever outbreak, would you blame me?"

Li Qingjun automatically filtered out the word "African" which she didn't understand, and said angrily, "I knew you'd say that. So, do you have the ability to cure its poison? If not, you're just a quack with no medical knowledge."

Qin Yi took the rabbit and found that its body was stiff as iron.

"It's not poisoned at all, but affected by a fangshi technique that makes muscles like gold and stone. It's beneficial for people to take during battle, but it has some side effects." Qin Yi casually tossed the rabbit aside. "The effect will wear off in half an hour. Why would I need to cure it? Should I help it loosen its muscles and eliminate the side effects? I think not, being stiff is actually quite good..."

Li Qingjun stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say.

To put it bluntly, she had been willful. She was angry that her brother, who was supposed to accompany her on her search for immortals, had other plans, making her enthusiastic journey seem like child's play. She couldn't stand it and deliberately wanted to prove her brother wrong.

But it seemed... her brother was right.

This Gold and Stone Powder was indeed concocted by the Imperial Advisor Dong Huazi, something ordinary apothecaries wouldn't recognize. This Qin Yi recognized it at a glance, proving he was indeed a reclusive fangshi.

With her anger dissipated, Li Qingjun suddenly felt the coldassault, hugging her arms and shrinking into the chair, shivering. White liquid still dripped from her hair, her face was covered in spots, and her hair was messy, making her look very helpless.

Just as Qin Yi thought the little girl was about to cry, he saw her slowly stand up and say softly, "I apologize, I misunderstood Mr. Qin."

With that, she turned around abruptly, picked up her spear, and strode out, her slender back straight as the spear.

"A very strong-willed little girl," Liu Su muttered in his sea of consciousness. "Her muscles are sore and weak now, and she has no true qi, yet she refuses to ask you for help. She's not afraid of being snatched by wolves going out like this. Hey, I say, are you a eunuch? You're not going to do anything?"

This reminded Qin Yi, and he said, "Please stay, Miss."

Li Qingjun's steps paused, and she said indifferently, "Does the gentleman want compensation?"

"My humble abode offers lodging services, a warm bed, hot tea, a herbal bath, to relax muscles and promote blood circulation. It's only three coins for one night."

Li Qingjun hadn't expected Qin Yi to have this attitude. She was about to refuse subconsciously, but the cold wind hit her, and she couldn't help but sneeze. Thinking that the mountain was not safe, and her current state made the journey to find her brother dangerous, she swallowed back her refusal.

After a moment of silence, she took out a piece of broken silver and placed it on the stone table in the courtyard. With a blank expression, she walked past Qin Yi and into the house. "Innkeeper, get some water."

Qin Yi turned his head to look at her retreating figure entering the house and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "A stubborn little girl."

Liu Su sneered, "A stubborn man."

Watching the door close, Qin Yi lowered his voice. "How am I stubborn?"

"Who carries a mace into a bath?"

"Isn't this a sign of our good relationship, being inseparable..."

"Cut the act," Liu Su's voice was laced with sarcasm. "You curled up when she broke in, but you're not afraid that I'm a woman and will see you naked?"

Qin Yi scoffed. "Do artifact spirits have genders? Fine, even if they do, can such a manly mace give birth to a female artifact spirit? And planning to possess a man's body? Don't be ridiculous. Even if it's a woman, she's probably green-faced with fangs, big and strong, with a waist like a water bucket."

Liu Su did not reply.

Li Qingjun soaked in the hot water, staring blankly at the furnishings in the guest room.

It was an ordinary small wooden house, not even painted, but planed very carefully. The pillars were round and smooth, and one could almost imagine the boy's focus and dedication while planing the wood. The clean wood color was covered with a layer of smooth gel, seemingly to prevent decay. On the windowsill was a small pot of flowers, blooming faintly under the moonlight, their fragrance lingering and refreshing.

The quilt was also plain white silk floss, emitting the fragrance of sunshine, neatly laid out.

There were paintings on the wall, depicting mountains, forests, clouds, and mist. The brushwork was somewhat peculiar, seemingly drawn with a sharpened eyebrow pencil, only in black and white, but surprisingly achieving a sense of distance and light and shadow, remarkably lifelike. In Li Qingjun's eyes, the paintings leaned towards being skillful but lacked a bit of charm and artistic conception, but for a young boy, it was already quite impressive, not to mention the novel style.

The paintings were signed: Qin Yi's doodle on the 8th day of the 2nd month of the 1st year.

She didn't know what this timing meant...

In short, it was elegant and fresh. Li Qingjun could feel an attitude from it, a sense of a simple and refined life. It was hard to imagine this was the home of a country boy, and there was no discernible connection to the so-called mysterious Fangshi. Instead, it resembled the home of a scholarly family.

The hot water in the tub had herbs added to it. The warmth permeated her limbs and bones, dispelling all the chill from being soaked earlier. The effects of the Tendon Weakening Powder were also driven out, and the blocked meridians were cleared, allowing her true qi to flow again.

Li Qingjun felt that this person named Qin Yi was very contradictory.

Setting traps at the courtyard gate, whether to guard against wild beasts or people, made him seem like a very insecure and cautious person. Yet, under the premise that they were now essentially enemies, he actually dared to leave her at his home and removed all restrictions on her.

Was he too soft-hearted?

Did he really think she wouldn't seek revenge?

Perhaps he had other confidence? Facing this strange "Fangshi," Li Qingjun couldn't be sure if he had some unfathomable means.

Forcing down the thought of revenge, Li Qingjun exhaled and reached for the washbasin by the tub.

The washbasin had been brought in by Qin Yi after he had prepared the hot water. It contained a towel and some strange things. Among them was something called "fragrant soap," which Qin Yi said he made himself to replace the commonly used soapberry for cleaning the body. There was also a kind of bath bean, which he said was for washing the face...

Li Qingjun tried it. The warm water was smooth, like washing congealed fat, with a faint fragrance. It was truly comfortable and cleaned exceptionally well. Her hair, which had been stained with the sticky, strange liquid before, was now washed clean and lustrous again.

And this... Li Qingjun curiously picked up a wooden handle. One end of the handle was densely packed with stiff bristles, fixed with something unknown. Qin Yi said this was for brushing teeth, replacing the usual tender willow twigs... Paired with it was something he made himself called "toothpaste," replacing salt powder...

Everything was strange, but she had to admit that it was really easy to use.

Was this the special quality of "Fangshi"? The things they refined were one stranger and more practical than the last.

But why didn't people like Dong Huazi refine these things? All they did all day was refine aphrodisiacs and elixirs of immortality for the king...

Li Qingjun even felt that it would be worth capturing this person surnamed Qin and taking him to the capital just for these things...

Unexpectedly reaching an agreement with her brother, Li Qingjun herself felt a bit like laughing, then quickly straightened her face. This Qin Yi had offended her greatly, and she wouldn't let him off easily!

She finally got up, took out a set of men's clothes from her bag, and changed into them. With a belt tied, she was once again a handsome young man.

Walking out of the guest room, Qin Yi was indeed not asleep. He was sitting in the courtyard, mixing medicine under the moonlight. She could vaguely hear him muttering to himself: "Purple lotus root can actually be asked of Brother Zhang San to bring back when he goes to the county, it's not necessary to go myself..."

He paused, then muttered again: "Alchemy furnace? Hmm... they should be everywhere..."

He suddenly stopped speaking at this point and turned to look at where Li Qingjun was standing.

A gentle breeze blew, Li Qingjun's clothes fluttered lightly, and her hair was still damp from her bath. Although she was wearing men's clothes, her girlishness could no longer be concealed. But she had a pair of extremely heroic eyes, and with her long spear planted on the ground, her figure was tall and straight, possessing a pride and sternness different from ordinary girls.

She was actually a very beautiful young girl...

Qin Yi's eyes moved slightly, and he asked, "Not resting yet?"

Li Qingjun said with a straight face, "You lack medicinal materials and a good alchemy furnace, right?"

"So what?"

"A personal alchemy furnace that suits you might not be satisfactory even if someone brings it for you. And your financial resources..." Li Qingjun looked around, a hint of mockery in her smile. "I'm afraid you can't afford many of the things you need."

"What does that have to do with you?"

"This Duke... This Young Master hires you as my family's alchemist. You only need to serve me as your master and refine medicine for me. My family will cover all your needs."

"Sick." Qin Yi rolled his eyes. "Still calling yourself Young Master? Haven't been hung enough, have you?"

"You!"

"Oh, right. What if I say what I need is you? Will your family cover that?"

Li Qingjun's face turned ashen. "Qin Yi, do you know what you're saying?"

"I don't know," Qin Yi said. "Being kept is supposed to include warming the bed. You want to keep me but won't let me warm the bed. Someone with professional ethics like me would feel bad about it, so let's just forget it."

Li Qingjun suppressed the urge to stab him with her spear, turned around sharply, and slammed the door shut with a "bang."

Liu Su's voice echoed in his sea of consciousness: Tsk tsk, a man who doesn't understand romance. The little girl is a bit proud. What's wrong with saying a few nice words to coax a little sister?

Qin Yi said lazily, "You know Big Yellow from the village head's house, right?"

"What about him?"

"That dog is pitiful. He licks Old Man Xu's shoe soles every day, but Old Man Xu doesn't even build him a doghouse. You see, lickspittles don't get houses."

"..." Liu Su was already used to Qin Yi's occasionally inexplicable and bizarre words and didn't dwell on them. She just complained, "I'm saying, are you not interested in women? I've never seen you talk much to any woman. I thought you didn't fancy the village girls. But this girl has skin like ice and bones like jade, naturally formed, and her brows have a heroic spirit, extraordinary. Even I was moved when I saw her, but you didn't react at all."

Qin Yi was surprised. "Hey, what do you mean? You're encouraging me to cultivate immortality on one hand and encouraging me to get close to women on the other? Aren't these two things contradictory?"

Liu Su was silent for a moment, as if she wanted to say something but held back. Suddenly, she laughed. "Although that's the principle, it's not as black and white as you imagine. The Xuan Gate has dual cultivation, and the evil path has harvesting and supplementing. One day, when you step onto the path of immortality, if you're still this broken state of hugging your shoulders and shrinking into a barrel, then maybe I'll often see you there in panic, 'Hey, hey, Immortal, please have some self-respect.'"