Caring for His Own Wife—How Could He Not Be Attentive?

Xiao E could hardly believe it. Mu Zibai had truly kept watch all night, and what mattered was that he was still full of energy, without the slightest trace of drowsiness. Was he even an ordinary person?

Mu Zibai let out a breath. After an entire night, his points had reached a terrifying 38,760.

He asked Xiao E, "Is it time to serve tea now?"

"No need. Master instructed us last night that he would be entering the palace early this morning."

"I see." Mu Zibai nodded slightly. That was good too—it would not delay him from farming points, and he would not need to return to his bride's family tomorrow either.

Mu Zibai let out a long breath. He truly felt as though he might be welded to this little wooden stool forever.

Wenren Lingmeng had not slept that night either. To her, day and night had long since become indistinguishable. Every day, she lay in this bed.

Other than sleeping, feeling the touch of others, listening to the news Xiao E brought her, or her mother's comfort and her father's melodramatic talk of life and death, there was nothing else for her to do.

Most of the time, Wenren Lingmeng was alone. The silent surroundings, with not a sound by her ears, made her feel terribly lonely. How she wished someone would speak beside her.

But who would willingly keep talking to a vegetable for no reason?

Thus, what Wenren Lingmeng lacked least was sleep. Other than sleeping, she slept, until she could no longer tell day from night.

Only when Xiao E's voice reached her ears and told her night had fallen did she know it was time to sleep. Only when Xiao E wiped her face and fed her did she know it was daytime.

At that moment, a maidservant entered carrying a food box.

"Son-in-law, breakfast is ready. Don't tell me you plan to hold Miss's hand while eating breakfast too?"

"Uh..."

Mu Zibai awkwardly released her hand. Then, holding up a bowl of porridge, he said, "How about I do it?"

"Mm." Xiao E nodded.

Mu Zibai carefully fed Wenren Lingmeng some plain porridge. Xiao E touched Wenren Lingmeng's neck, and Wenren Lingmeng's throat moved as the porridge went down.

"What kind of technique is that?" Mu Zibai asked curiously.

He had seen similar methods before, but they could not make patients swallow everything completely. Most of it would get stuck in their throats.

Yet Xiao E's method had allowed the porridge to enter Wenren Lingmeng's stomach completely.

"It's very simple. Isn't the son-in-law interested in cultivation?"

"I understand." Mu Zibai caught on. So it was a cultivation method. He had thought Xiao E was merely skilled with her hands.

After feeding Wenren Lingmeng a bowl of plain porridge, Mu Zibai drank a bowl himself to fill his stomach. Although Energy-Boosting Coffee meant he did not need to sleep, it had never said he did not need to eat.

"I never expected the son-in-law to be such an attentive person," Xiao E said with a smile.

When he had fed her porridge just now, Mu Zibai had been extremely cautious and meticulous—even more attentive than those maidservants. It had truly surprised Xiao E.

"When caring for one's own wife, how could one not be attentive?" Mu Zibai picked up the handkerchief beside him and wiped Wenren Lingmeng's mouth.

Xiao E stepped forward and took the handkerchief from Mu Zibai's hand. "I need to wash Miss now, so please, son-in-law..."

Mu Zibai nodded slightly, then left the room to give them privacy.

Wenren Lingmeng secretly let out a breath of relief. Hearing Mu Zibai leave, she was glad he knew what was proper. Otherwise, how awkward would that have been?

She was also somewhat moved by Mu Zibai. This fellow had really watched over her all night. Throughout the night, he had stayed by her side, holding her hand.

From time to time, he had even spoken a word or two to her. Feeling Mu Zibai's goodwill, Wenren Lingmeng felt an unprecedented sense of ease, along with a faint thread of happiness.

At last, there was someone to talk to. No longer would the long nights be spent in bored, vacant silence.

Mu Zibai sat down on a stone stool in the courtyard outside the door and reviewed Shen Nong's Herbal Compendium in his mind.

He absolutely would not waste even a moment of time. He had to be a qualified master of time management.

Mu Zibai did not focus on knowledge of plants and herbs. Instead, he concentrated on difficult and complicated illnesses, such as treating Soul Loss Syndrome.

Shen Nong's Herbal Compendium recorded treatments for all kinds of Soul Loss Syndrome, but at its root, everything still depended on the patient's own mental fortitude. That was where things became difficult.

He would set aside treating Wenren Lingmeng for now. First, his medical skills were insufficient; second, he had not farmed enough points yet. There was no need to rush. Accumulating experience was what mattered most right now.

After reading through the cases of Soul Loss Syndrome recorded in Shen Nong's Herbal Compendium, he silently closed it and followed the method of circulating Qi described within, guiding his own Qi through the various meridians.

Before even completing one full cycle, the circulation became exceedingly difficult. In many places, his Qi could not pass through at all; it was blocked. Breaking through those obstructions was not something that could be done overnight.

He took out a Qi Nourishing Pill. It could strengthen the Qi within the body and make it purer.

To break through into the Profound Armor Realm, one needed at least to open all the meridians throughout the body, allowing the cultivation technique to circulate and the Qi to complete one full cycle within. The Qi Nourishing Pill was undoubtedly the best aid.

However, most people did not possess Qi Nourishing Pills. Their price was moderate by market standards, but one still cost at least a hundred taels of silver. How could ordinary people afford such consumption?

If one relied on cultivating Qi alone to open the meridians, it would be an extremely long process. Most people were born with weak Qi to begin with, and opening the meridians was like shedding one's mortal body and exchanging one's bones. How could it possibly be easy?

Looking at the Qi Nourishing Pill in his hand, Mu Zibai thought that wealthy families ate these things until they no longer wanted them, while ordinary families might empty their homes and still be unable to afford one.

He swallowed the Qi Nourishing Pill. The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth, and a mass of Qi flowed into Mu Zibai's body, quickly merging with his original Qi.

The Qi inside his body was renewed as though it had undergone metabolism, becoming purer and stronger than before.

Once more, he circulated the meridian diagram from Shen Nong's Herbal Compendium, striking at the blocked points in his meridians.

The Qi Nourishing Pill's effects were remarkable. If Mu Zibai had relied on his own cultivation to break through, it would have taken him at least one or two years to open them all.

After one Qi Nourishing Pill, two or three tenths of the blocked meridians in his body had been opened. With perhaps two more pills, all his meridians would be fully unblocked. Then, his cultivation would flow without hindrance.

Mu Zibai drew a deep breath and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. He opened his eyes, and the restless Qi within him gradually settled down.

The Qi cultivated through Shen Nong's Herbal Compendium leaned toward the wood element and was very gentle. If cultivated well, it could allow one to become a physician or an alchemist. Wood-element Qi was mild and possessed an innate affinity with the way of plants and herbs, making it exceptionally effective for healing the sick and saving lives.

Before long, Xiao E came out. Seeing Mu Zibai waiting at the doorway, she asked, "Does the son-in-law need a bath?"

"No need. Have you finished?"

"We have. What, son-in-law? Are you so impatient to keep Miss company?" Xiao E asked with a smile.

Mu Zibai did not answer. He simply walked into the room and saw that Wenren Lingmeng had changed into a fresh set of clothes and was lying quietly on the bed.

Xiao E followed behind Mu Zibai and said, "Is the son-in-law planning to keep Miss company again? Aren't you going to look at your own room? Or do you have nothing of your own to do? I heard the son-in-law is a scholar. Won't you read some books? The Imperial Examination is next year."

Xiao E was utterly puzzled. What exactly was this son-in-law trying to do? From the look of it, he planned to stay here all day. Did he not have anything of his own to do?