The meridians of the human body were a matter of great importance.
Liu Erlong couldn't imagine that Mo Li would dare use her as a test subject based on some damn ancient book. Was he crazy?
And he hadn't even said a word about it. He clearly hadn't given her a second thought.
The more she thought about it, the angrier Liu Erlong became.
After a long while, Liu Erlong let go of Mo Li's wrist, somewhat dispirited. She turned her face away and sat there in silence.
Mo Li felt as though the room had grown several degrees colder.
He hurried to his feet and went around behind Liu Erlong, leaning to the side to get a look at her expression.
They were very close now. Mo Li could even see Liu Erlong's eyelashes twitch slightly, though her anger was still plain on her face.
Mo Li gave an awkward laugh. "Sorry for worrying you again, Sister Erlong."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Mo Li felt a little awkward, but there was no helping it.
Whether it was opening the Eight Meridians or absorbing a Soul Ring beyond its age limit, if he had the means and the ability, he would never give up the chance.
In this world, strength was everything. Without strength, what could one say about dignity? He was far from strong enough to protect himself and those around him.
Hearing Mo Li speak, Liu Erlong lifted her eyes to meet his. Her brows rose as she said angrily, "Ancient books, ancient books. You trust everything written in them that much? Did you even stop to think whether it was true? What if something went wrong?"
"As they say, fortune favors the bold. I didn't think that much about it. If it could really speed up my cultivation, I figured I'd give it a try. And it worked, didn't it?"
Mo Li cleared his throat and explained softly.
But Liu Erlong clearly wasn't so easy to fool. She let out a deep sigh. "Whale Rubber, this, whatever comes next—if I hadn't found out, were you planning to hide it from me forever?"
Her tone was angry, but beneath that anger lay a sense of helplessness and sadness.
"You said you trusted me."
"I think you were just placating me. You said you'd never lie to me again..."
By the end, Liu Erlong's voice even held a hint of reproach.
Mo Li explained helplessly, "Sister Erlong, how have I been lying to you? I came clean about the Whale Rubber myself. This really, truly is the last time I'll keep something from you. If anything like this happens again, then let me have an accident or something, all right..."
"No!"
"Don't say things like that!"
Hearing the latter half of Mo Li's words, Liu Erlong cut him off in a fury. She pulled him in front of her and fixed her gleaming, obsidian-black eyes on him.
"I know you didn't mean to keep it from me, but I can't help worrying. I don't need you to tell me everything, because that wouldn't mean anything."
Liu Erlong pressed a finger lightly against Mo Li's lips as he tried to speak. Then she cupped his face and said quietly, "Sometimes I really want to open up your head and see what you've got hidden in there."
"Please don't, Sister Erlong. That sounds terrifying."
With Liu Erlong holding his face, Mo Li couldn't even look away. Still, he couldn't help laughing at what she'd said.
Seeing Mo Li laugh, Liu Erlong couldn't hold back either. She giggled and let go.
"Sister Erlong, I understand. I promise that if anything like this happens again, I definitely won't deliberately keep it from you, okay?"
"That's more like it." Liu Erlong finally nodded in satisfaction.
After Mo Li's verbal promise, Liu Erlong's mood eased considerably. She asked, "Was your surprise going to be helping me open those Eight Meridians?"
"The Eight Extraordinary Meridians."
"You don't have to tell me again!"
Mo Li held back a laugh. "So, shall we start now?"
"Mm. What do I need to do?" Liu Erlong asked, looking up.
Mo Li pointed to the only bed in the room. "Sister Erlong, lie down on the bed and rest for a bit. Get your strength back."
"All right." Hearing that she'd need to lie on the bed, Liu Erlong hesitated for a moment, but did as he asked.
Half an hour later, Liu Erlong opened her eyes as she sat cross-legged on the bed. "I'm ready. What's next?"
"I'll take it from here."
Mo Li climbed onto the bed as well and sat cross-legged behind Liu Erlong. He slowly raised his hand and placed it against her back.
Wisps of black Soul Power flowed along Mo Li's arm and slowly entered Liu Erlong's body. He released his Spiritual Power without holding anything back.
As his Soul Power entered Liu Erlong's body through his palm, her body trembled slightly, and her breathing grew unsteady.
It took a great deal of courage to let another person's Soul Power enter one's body without reservation.
If that person had ill intentions, even a single wisp of Soul Power could inflict serious internal damage. But Mo Li was behind her, and that was enough.
Though Liu Erlong was nervous, it was only her body's instinctive reaction. After tensing for a moment, she gradually relaxed.
She trusted Mo Li—trusted him with her whole heart.
She let Mo Li's Soul Power wander through her body, though each time it passed somewhere, it left her with a strange sensation.
It felt as if she were lying there naked, at another's mercy—shameful beyond words.
Feeling the Spiritual pressure around her, Liu Erlong was also slightly startled. With her cultivation, she could naturally sense the strength of this Spiritual Power. It was no weak force; it was at the level of a Soul King.
There were only two people in the room, her and Mo Li. In other words, this Spiritual Power belonged to Mo Li.
Liu Erlong's heart stirred, but she made no other move. Instead, she relaxed completely, even suppressing her body's instinctive defensive response.
At first, she had thought Mo Li was being far too reckless. Now, perhaps she had wronged him...
While Liu Erlong's thoughts raced, Mo Li's mind was intensely focused. He felt out the distribution of the wisps of Soul Power that had entered Liu Erlong's body.
When he had examined his own meridians, it had been nowhere near as difficult as probing Liu Erlong's body now.
If examining himself had been like looking at a crystal-clear map, then searching Liu Erlong's body was like wandering through a maze.
That was why Mo Li hadn't dared to search for her Eight Meridians rashly. Sending Soul Power into someone's body was no joke; the slightest mistake could leave them seriously injured.
He absolutely didn't want anything to happen to Liu Erlong, nor did he want to collapse unconscious halfway through because his Spiritual Power had run dry.
On the soft bed, both of them had their eyes slightly closed. Liu Erlong had also let down all her defenses.
It would be no exaggeration to say that this was the most vulnerable moment in the life of this Soul Saint.
Mo Li kept Peering at Heaven and Earth active as he continued his search. The meridians were generally in the same places in everyone's body, but that wasn't always the case.
"Sister Erlong, remember the location of this meridian."
"Mm."
In less than half an hour, Mo Li had confirmed the location of the second meridian in Liu Erlong's body. It was much thicker than the corresponding meridian in his own body.
But that didn't mean it was a good thing. It was a result of her age. In other words, Liu Erlong would clearly have to put in more effort to open the Eight Meridians.
Still, for a Soul Saint like Liu Erlong, that only meant spending a little more time. One shouldn't underestimate the reserves of a Soul Saint.
Time passed slowly.
Whenever Liu Erlong felt a slight, inexplicable heat rise within her heart and body, as though the Evil Fire were about to flare up, Mo Li would remind her at just the right moment to memorize the meridian's location.
The uncomfortable sensation made Liu Erlong's delicate brows knit together. She couldn't help wanting to lose her temper.
But when she remembered that Mo Li was behind her, she forced herself to suppress the restless urge.