Sweet dream (1)

"Love Blossom, do you think Seventh Sister might be trapped in the illusion, unable to get out?"

After waiting for two days, Dongfang Minghui was beside herself with anxiety and finally voiced the question troubling her.

Love Blossom poked a flower out of the space and glanced at Situ Hao, who was cultivating nearby, before saying, "Strange. Your Seventh Sister's illusion shattered before the man beside you woke up. She should have awakened before him."

Its words only made her more worried.

"What do we do, then?"

Love Blossom shook its head. "The illusion mirror has shattered. This is beyond my abilities. Wait patiently. If she still hasn't come out in another day, she might never come out at all."

Dongfang Minghui froze in disbelief. Isn't that terrifying? If The Female Lead doesn't wake up, how is the rest of the story supposed to continue?

The moment their conversation ended, she hurried over to Dongfang Wanyu and murmured beside her, "Seventh Sister, wake up."

"Seventh Sister, if you don't wake up, how will you investigate your origins? Why did the Qian family abandon you? Seventh Sister, can you really accept that?"

"Seventh Sister, don't you have more important things to do? Why would you let a little illusion hold you captive?"

"Seventh Sister, strengthen your resolve, and the illusion will shatter."

Then Dongfang Minghui realized something was wrong. Love Blossom had said the illusion was already broken. Could The Female Lead have become trapped by her own Heart Demon?

That would be even worse.

She sat beside her and kept rambling on about anything she could think of.

Everything within the illusion was peaceful and serene. Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and Dongfang Minghui was there with her. Dongfang Wanyu should have been content with such a life.

Yet beneath that contentment, something seemed to be missing.

Until a very familiar voice sounded beside her ear.

"The Qian family?"

Yes, I belong to the Qian family. Why did my parents abandon me? Why did they leave me in the insignificant Dongfang Family, where I suffered such contempt?

Yes, I have more important things to do. I must wake up immediately.

"Seventh Sister, our ceremony is tomorrow. You'll take good care of me afterward, won't you?" Dongfang Minghui winked playfully at her, but those eyes lacked their spark. She looked the same, yet her spirit was different.

For someone like this, she had willingly surrendered, so happy in her company that she no longer wanted to leave.

"Little Nine."

Dongfang Wanyu stroked her little face and smiled gently. "How is your practice of the skill I gave you coming along?"

"You're joking, Seventh Sister. I can't cultivate in the first place. Don't you know that?" With that, Dongfang Minghui turned away.

Dongfang Wanyu gently embraced her from behind and breathed in the scent at the nape of her neck, looking utterly entranced. "Indeed. I forgot."

Dongfang Minghui kept muttering until her mouth went dry, yet Dongfang Wanyu still showed no response. She felt utterly frustrated. What the hell kind of illusion could hold The Female Lead captive?

She scratched her head irritably. There were only four hours left until dawn. If the heroine died like this, wouldn't the whole world collapse?

She would end up dead all the same.

"Seventh Sister, wake up."

Dongfang Wanyu suddenly opened her eyes, nearly scaring her to death. Then Dongfang Minghui's eyes widened with wild delight. "Seventh Sister, you're awake?"

Dongfang Wanyu simply watched her quietly, reaching out to stroke her cheek. It was the same as in the illusion, but more vivid, more alive. She was real.

The Female Lead was so gentle that Dongfang Minghui's scalp tingled. This wasn't how The Female Lead was supposed to act!

Dongfang Minghui immediately stepped back, avoiding the hand whose touch set her nerves on edge. She laughed awkwardly. "Seventh Sister, you had us so worried. If you hadn't woken up, I wouldn't have known what to do."

Dongfang Wanyu's smile faded. She glanced at the cave wall and stood. "Ninth Sister, were you the one talking to me earlier?"

Is this where she settles the score?

She desperately recalled the nonsense she had spouted beside The Female Lead. Damn it, it had all been about later plot developments. Oh no. I think I accidentally spoiled the story while trying to wake her up.

Dongfang Minghui shook her head faster than a rattle drum. "No, I didn't say anything. Seventh Sister, did you mishear?"

Yes. Deny everything.

Dongfang Wanyu smiled faintly and said nothing more about it. "Did you find the Love Blossom seed?"

Relieved that she wasn't pressing the issue, Dongfang Minghui nodded, then remembered something. "Seventh Sister, let me tell you. There are good things in these caves."

Good things?

The fifteen caves were meant to confuse intruders. In truth, each contained a different trap. Anyone who charged in blindly would certainly meet a terrible end.

Like those who had come seeking Love Blossom, most would enter the illusion and never return. This was more dangerous than the other caves, wiping out countless people without spilling a drop of blood. They had nearly fallen victim themselves.

The three of them followed the Love Blossom seed into a cave. Bones lay everywhere along the way, crunching beneath their feet with an unnerving sound.

Still, with Situ Hao and The Female Lead present, she felt considerably safer.

"Love Blossom said we can't take everything, or we'll trigger the cave's final mechanism," Dongfang Minghui repeated.

Dongfang Minghui and Situ Hao took a look and were both astonished. The pills here were remarkably pure. They gathered up a haul of excellent finds.

Then they went to another cave. Dongfang Minghui pretended to pick up a few things behind them, though her Spatial Ring was already nearly full.

Once she returned to the Snow Capital, she would definitely replace it with a higher-grade Spatial Ring. Running out of storage space was quite frustrating.

After they had all but finished looting the two caves, Dongfang Minghui led them to another. This time, however, she stayed at the entrance and pointed inside. "This place is full of Death Aura. Love Blossom said we'd better not go in. None of the people who went inside looking for treasure ever came back."

Situ Hao's eyes widened as he pondered it. "If different treasures are hidden in these caves, could this also be a treasure cave, containing everything a death Spirit Master deliberately left behind?"

What quick thinking. He had realized there were treasures inside so soon that Dongfang Minghui wanted to applaud him.

She had originally intended to tell The Female Lead secretly, but then reconsidered. If she aroused The Female Lead's suspicions, wouldn't she only be making trouble for herself?

She might as well reveal it openly.

"Maybe. Love Blossom has never been inside either." Dongfang Minghui quietly told a lie.

After thinking it over, Situ Hao said, "If a death Spirit Master left these things behind, they must be the culmination of a lifetime's work. I don't think we can let them see the light of day. They would surely cause a terrible disaster. The best thing to do is destroy them."

Dongfang Minghui pressed a hand to her forehead. This wasn't quite what she had expected.

"How?" she asked resentfully. "Situ Hao, can't you use your head? There are only three of us, and you're the only Light Spirit Master."

Dongfang Wanyu watched them calmly, a little puzzled by Dongfang Minghui's strong reaction.

"Qing Mo, while I was trapped in the illusion, did Ninth Sister say anything strange? Anything about the Qian family, for example?"

"Wanyu, are you asking because you think your Ninth Sister is strange? As soon as you entered the illusion, I was bound and cut off from everything outside."

"I heard Ninth Sister's voice in the illusion. She told me to investigate the Qian family and uncover the truth about why they abandoned me. That was how I finally woke up."

Because she refused to accept it.

"I told you long ago that something was strange about your Ninth Sister, but you wouldn't believe me. You might as well test her again," Qing Mo suggested.

"Qian Wanyu, tell me. Do you agree with me or not?" Situ Hao was almost driven mad by Qian Minghui.

"I agree with you. We must destroy it completely." As though worried Dongfang Minghui might not understand, Dongfang Wanyu specifically explained, "Ninth Sister, the danger posed by the Death Legion is immeasurable. We must destroy it so it cannot fall into malicious hands."

Situ Hao nodded in agreement. Dongfang Minghui tilted her head. Perhaps she ought to nod along too.

"Little Minghui, see? Your Seventh Sister agrees with me," Situ Hao crowed.

Dongfang Minghui pursed her lips. She didn't believe The Female Lead would make such a suggestion without another motive. "Fine. Since you both agree, destroy it. It's not as though we could use those things anyway."

The Female Lead's plot armor was incredibly powerful. She didn't believe something meant for her would be so easily destroyed.

Dongfang Wanyu discreetly glanced at her conflicted expression and patted her shoulder. "You've only just recovered. Stay outside the cave, and don't come too close."

Dongfang Minghui certainly wasn't going to get involved. She nodded and ran outside.

Love Blossom emerged from the space. "You humans are so strange. If you want it, why destroy it? And why did you lie to them just now? I know what's inside."

It couldn't understand what the three of them were doing at all.

Propping up her head, Dongfang Minghui told it, "Love Blossom, Death Aura is too powerful. Many people can't find a way to counter it. We can't leave it for someone with Dark-Type Spirit Power, or the consequences would be unimaginable. As for lying to them, I didn't want them killing each other over the treasures. Better to destroy them outright."

Love Blossom swayed its flower, shaking its head. "Human hearts are too complicated. I don't understand. I don't understand."

Dongfang Minghui touched it gently. "Love Blossom, I'm guessing those two alone can't destroy the Death Aura in that cave, right?"

"Right."

Then she would let Situ Hao try. Once he hit a wall, he would be willing to turn back.

When the two emerged looking thoroughly bedraggled, Dongfang Minghui concealed the amusement in her eyes and feigned concern. "Oh, Seventh Sister, are you all right?"

Situ Hao said remorsefully, "Wanyu, I'm sorry. I overestimated myself and dragged you into it. The Death Aura here is too powerful. This is a serious matter. I think we must report it to the Royal Academy and let them decide how to handle it."

"Enough. Let's recover first."

Dongfang Wanyu closed her eyes and immediately sat cross-legged on the ground.

Situ Hao said to Dongfang Minghui, "Little Minghui, sorry for the trouble, but please stand guard for us."

Dongfang Minghui nodded. Crouching nearby, she couldn't help sighing. Why had this escalated to the point where they had to notify the Royal Academy?

Once that happened, obtaining the things inside would become much harder for The Female Lead.

"Let's go."

After the two recovered, they immediately left Death Valley.

"Wanyu, you must find a way to get what's inside that cave. Once the Royal Academy's people arrive, your chances will be slim," Qing Mo discussed with her in her Soul Sea.

"We need a way to keep Situ Hao from meddling."

With a Light Spirit Master nearby, everything was inconvenient.

"Seventh Sister, we still haven't found whoever was behind the Skeleton Soldiers that attacked us. Is it really all right to leave like this?" Dongfang Minghui suddenly asked, holding out both hands. "Besides, I haven't had time to treat my wounds, and you both just used up a great deal of Spiritual Power. Why don't we stay another night and recover?"

That did sound quite reasonable.

Seeing her pitiful expression, Dongfang Wanyu said, "All right. I'll help you reapply your medicine when we get back. Get a good night's sleep, and we'll leave tomorrow."

Since both ladies had spoken, he ought to show some gentlemanly courtesy. "In that case, let's stay another day."

As soon as they returned to the inn, Dongfang Minghui stripped off her outer clothes and trousers, leaving only her undergarments. Looking at the bruises covering her body, she pouted.

"Good grief. I'm practically gambling with my life."

Dongfang Minghui couldn't help complaining. Why was she always the one with the worst injuries?

Knock, knock, knock.

"Ninth Sister, I'm coming in."

"Okay."

Dongfang Minghui didn't mind The Female Lead coming in. They were both women, after all. They had all the same parts, with nothing extra.

When Dongfang Wanyu pushed the door open, she saw a beauty reclining against the head of the bed, clothes disheveled and shoulders half exposed, smiling at her. Heat rushed to her head, and she felt as though something had broken free of its restraints.

She immediately reached back and shut the door.

A faint fragrance filled the room, probably from the medicinal pills. It was almost identical to the scent in the illusion.

Feeling a burning gaze on her, Dongfang Minghui looked up and found The Female Lead still standing blankly by the door.

"Seventh Sister, sit down for a bit. I'll finish applying the medicine soon."

She pulled back the covers, revealing her legs. Bruises covered skin that had once been flawless and fair, and some places were even scraped raw. Somehow, despite the sorry sight, Dongfang Wanyu found the scene irresistibly alluring, every detail steeped in intimacy. She swallowed and forced herself to regain her senses.

"Hiss." She had never been good at enduring pain. When she crushed a pill and applied it to a wound, the sting still made her frown.

Dongfang Wanyu approached and sat on the edge of the bed. "Your hands are injured too. Let me."

She took the porcelain bottle straight from Dongfang Minghui's hand. A flicker of tenderness she herself didn't understand crossed her eyes as she deftly crushed a pill and applied it to the wound.

"Have you cleaned all these wounds yourself?"

Dongfang Minghui shook her head. "I've been cleaning each one as I apply the medicine."

Hearing that, Dongfang Wanyu set the porcelain bottle aside and picked up the clear liquid nearby. A quick sniff told her it was alcohol.

"This will hurt. Bear with it."

Despite her words, Dongfang Wanyu found the task anything but easy. Even her lightest touch seemed to make the other woman instinctively flinch away. She was clearly terrified of pain.

"Once we return to the academy, you're staying with me. When I cultivate, you'll cultivate too. You won't stop even for a moment." Dongfang Wanyu had figured it out. The only way to reduce the chances of her being injured again was to improve her own strength.

She, too, had to become stronger and stronger, powerful enough to protect her, powerful enough to keep her bound to her side, just as in the illusion.

Dongfang Minghui looked utterly despondent. "Seventh Sister, you know I'm a pharmacist. Pharmacists improve their ability to make medicinal pills."

"But you need to be capable of staying alive before you can keep making medicine, don't you?"

Her words made so much sense that Dongfang Minghui couldn't refute them.

Dongfang Minghui played dead beside her, then couldn't resist running her mouth again. "Seventh Sister, what did you experience in the illusion? Love Blossom said you should have woken up long ago."

Dongfang Wanyu's hand paused. Looking into those eyes sparkling with curiosity, she gave a tender smile and gently pinched her. "I experienced a sweet dream in the illusion."

"Huh?"

Dongfang Minghui thought The Female Lead must have lost her mind. A sweet dream? Why hadn't it been a nightmare?

She pressed a hand to her forehead. After The Female Lead left, she would have to have a serious talk about life with Love Blossom.

Thinking about the woman before her, Dongfang Wanyu involuntarily let her smile fade and resumed applying medicine to her thighs. Dongfang Minghui kept twitching. She was actually rather ticklish.

"Seventh Sister, tell me what the sweet dream was like." Dongfang Minghui was terribly curious. No wonder The Female Lead had been trapped for so long. If she were having a sweet dream herself, she certainly wouldn't want to wake up.

Seen that way, the illusion really was terrifying. Whether a nightmare or a sweet dream, it tested a person's resolve. One wrong step could leave them doomed forever.

"Get some rest."

Dongfang Wanyu lost the inclination to continue halfway through applying her medicine. She left after that brief reminder.

Dongfang Minghui didn't even dare roll over. She lay flat on the bed. "Love Blossom, why did Seventh Sister say she experienced a sweet dream?"

Love Blossom emerged from the space. "Perhaps it was a dream no less dangerous than a nightmare."

In truth, it didn't know either.

Dongfang Minghui slept soundly. When she opened her eyes, it was already daylight, and her whole body felt better. The three packed up and headed straight back to the city.

Only after returning to the Snow Capital did Dongfang Minghui finally feel at ease.

"Are you going straight back to the Royal Academy, or would you like to visit my home?" Situ Hao was actually quite fond of the two sisters.

Dongfang Minghui waved a hand. "I'm going shopping."

She swore she would get herself a higher-grade Spatial Ring. But when she checked her pockets, she wanted to cry.

Seeing her conflicted expression, Dongfang Wanyu said, "Come on. I'll replace your belt."

That loose belt of hers looked far too insecure. Dongfang Wanyu decided they would finish shopping before returning to the academy. Otherwise, it might be another month before they could come out again.

Dongfang Minghui stole a glance at her. She could tell she was in a good mood. Did that mean she had already obtained the things in the cave?

"You said you wanted to shop. What were you planning to buy?" Dongfang Wanyu suddenly asked.

She scratched her head awkwardly. "Seventh Sister, I just remembered I don't seem to need it anymore."

"What is it?"

Dongfang Minghui coughed. "Well, it's like this. Seventh Sister, that gift you gave me before, that egg, takes up too much space. And now there's Love Blossom too. I don't think my Spatial Ring has enough room, so I wanted to buy a—"

Better one.

Then she had miserably discovered she was so poor she didn't even have a single copper coin.

Dongfang Minghui pouted. She was supposed to be a wealthy young lady, yet she had ended up completely penniless. It was so humiliating that she was too embarrassed to admit it.

"Why don't you want to buy anything now?" Seeing her lower her head, Dongfang Wanyu couldn't help wanting to reach out and stroke it.

"I didn't bring any money."

Dongfang Wanyu smiled. "You little silly. Haven't you made plenty of pills? If you set up a stall at the Royal Academy, you could earn lots of spirit stones. You can use those to buy whatever you want outside."

"Right!" Dongfang Minghui slapped her forehead, her eyes lighting up. "I completely forgot!"

Thinking it over, she suddenly realized she was actually quite wealthy. Dongfang Minghui secretly wondered whether she should take out some of the pills and other things she had found in the cave and put them up for auction.

Seeing the mischievous smile on her face, Dongfang Wanyu found it rather amusing, but didn't expose her. "Never mind. Let's head back for today."

Strolling brazenly through the Snow Capital with a Love Blossom in tow was probably something no one but her carefree Ninth Sister would do.

"Sure, Seventh Sister."

The two returned to the Medicine Department and went to the dean's office together.

"You're finally back! How did the trip go?" The Chubby Old Man's face was wreathed in smiles. When Hao had told him earlier, he had hardly believed it.

It was Dongfang Minghui's first time seeing the dean smile so broadly. She immediately knew he was up to something. "Dean, there's something I need to make clear first."

"Is it about the Love Blossom seeds?"

Dongfang Minghui nodded. "I promised Love Blossom I wouldn't hand it over to anyone. It has to stay with me. As for the seeds we discussed before, it will only provide one to treat Nan Fei's legs."

The dean immediately frowned and stroked his beard. "Was that your idea, or its demand?"

"Its demand, of course. Otherwise, why would it have come back with me?" Dongfang Minghui was also thinking of her own survival. Love Blossom had already threatened to poison her to death if she dared betray it.

Since Love Blossom could even resist Death Aura, its poison was probably terrifying too. Just thinking about it made her shudder.

The dean paced around his office with his hands behind his back, glancing at Dongfang Minghui from time to time.

His looks were making Dongfang Minghui uneasy. She had no idea what the Chubby Old Man was considering.

"Little Minghui."

"Dean."

"Could you give me one more?" the dean asked cautiously, narrowing his eyes and holding up a pudgy finger. "Just one more."

Dongfang Minghui was dumbfounded. "Dean, what do you want a Love Blossom seed for?"

"Just tell me whether you can."

Her eyes darted around slyly. "That isn't something I can decide. I'll have to ask Love Blossom before I can answer you."

That little fox look made Dongfang Wanyu's heart itch. She absolutely adored this side of her.

The Chubby Old Man rubbed his hands. "Then ask it for me."

Dongfang Minghui blinked at him for a long while before saying, "Love Blossom doesn't want to see any of you right now."

Dongfang Wanyu was curious too. To think such an arrogant plant existed. Love Blossom truly was a spirit herb that inspired envy and covetousness. It was the only thing in the world that could resist death aura.

"Dean, even I haven't seen Love Blossom's true appearance." Dongfang Wanyu's words made it clear that this wasn't a deliberate slight against him. Love Blossom simply refused to acknowledge them.

The dean rubbed his forehead and stroked his beard, looking a little irritable. "Little Minghui, ask it for this old man when you get back. As long as it provides one seed, it can name its terms."

Dongfang Minghui's eyes widened further. Wonderful! Those were exactly the words she had been waiting for.

When the two returned to the courtyard, Dongfang Minghui immediately brought Love Blossom out of her storage space.

"You like this courtyard, don't you?"

Dongfang Minghui crouched down and pointed at the Beauty Bamboo shoots that had emerged, along with the other spirit herbs. There weren't many, only twenty-odd varieties.

Love Blossom imperiously surveyed the area and soon found somewhere to settle. It pointed to Blue Star Dream's spot. "I'll stay beside it."

Without waiting for her help, it moved over and put down roots.

Dongfang Minghui was baffled. Why did they all choose this inconspicuous corner? Little Color had said there was something in this courtyard before. Perhaps there really was.

Standing nearby, Dongfang Wanyu remained astonished for a long time. Had this plant already cultivated into a sentient spirit?

"Love Blossom, you heard what the dean said earlier, didn't you?" She moved over and sat beside Blue Star Dream to speak to it.

"No."

Love Blossom gave her no leeway at all. "It takes me a hundred years to flower and bear fruit once. I only managed to save up three seeds after all that effort, and I've already promised you one."

Dongfang Minghui's eyes nearly popped out. Counting on her fingers, she realized it had to be at least three or four hundred years old.

And one seed represented a hundred years of cultivation. She suddenly felt that Nan Fei's legs were worth quite a fortune.

"It's fine if you don't want to. I'll turn the dean down. Just settle in here."

Satisfied that she hadn't pushed her luck, Love Blossom swayed, transformed into Beauty Bamboo again, and quietly became Blue Star Dream's neighbor.

If Dongfang Wanyu hadn't been watching it the whole time, she never would have recognized that this Beauty Bamboo was actually Love Blossom. She didn't know what it had discussed with her Ninth Sister, but judging from their expressions, the dean's request had probably been refused.

"Ninth Sister, only you, I, the dean, and Situ Hao know about Love Blossom. Don't tell anyone else," Dongfang Wanyu reminded her quietly.

"All right, I understand." Seeing how seriously everyone took this, she suddenly felt as though she had brought home a hot potato.

Even the dean coveted its seeds. They had to be something extraordinary.

"Minghui, Wanyu, you're back."

Just as they finished speaking, Nan Nan came in, pushing Nan Fei.

Dongfang Wanyu nodded to them and spoke with a rare warmth. "We have the Love Blossom seed. Your elder brother's legs will recover soon."

"Really?" A faint smile appeared on Nan Fei's face.

Nan Nan happily took their hands. "Really? You actually got the Love Blossom seed?"

"Yes. I'll discuss his treatment with the dean. All you need to do is take good care of your brother." Dongfang Minghui patted her hand reassuringly.

Afterward, Yong Xing told Dongfang Minghui that during her absence, Nan Nan had looked after the spirit herbs and kept the courtyard clean. Normally, she only pushed her brother around near the dean's place for a walk and went nowhere else.

Dongfang Minghui nodded. She suspected Nan Nan truly intended to work herself to the bone to repay their kindness, but had chosen the wrong person to repay.

What was she supposed to do?

The last time she had stolen one of The Female Lead's men, she had ended up getting herself XXXX'd. If she stole someone who was supposed to become The Female Lead's follower too, Dongfang Minghui wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Anything on this continent was fair game except The Female Lead's things.

Dongfang Minghui tossed and turned, thinking about it all night.

"I'll be going into seclusion soon," Dongfang Wanyu announced early the following morning.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Dongfang Minghui already knew she was a cultivation fanatic. Besides, The Female Lead had just returned from Death Valley, so she probably had plenty to study.

Dongfang Wanyu stroked her head. "Just take care of yourself and don't make me worry."

Dongfang Minghui felt that something about this dynamic was a little off, but nodded without thinking.

For a long time afterward, Dongfang Minghui spent her days in the dean's office extracting spirit herbs. Once she had collected all the herbs Nan Fei needed from the Back Mountain, she became thoroughly busy.

"Little girl, little Minghui, talk to Love Blossom again and persuade it to give me a seed. I'll compensate it." Whenever the Chubby Old Man had nothing to do, he hovered around Dongfang Minghui.

No matter how he phrased it, he still wanted a Love Blossom seed.

"Old man, it only flowers and bears fruit once every hundred years. What exactly can you offer as compensation?" Dongfang Minghui was almost driven mad by his pestering. If not for Nan Fei's legs, she would have found somewhere to hide and enjoy some peace long ago.

Love Blossom had witnessed centuries of human warmth and coldness. Sometimes she felt that this plant was more mature than she was, discouraging though that thought was.

The Chubby Old Man bristled with anger. "There really isn't any way?"

"No."

Dongfang Minghui answered without hesitation.

The old man huffed. "Hmph! If you won't get me a Love Blossom seed, I won't treat him either."

"Hey, old man! How can you go back on your word like that? These are two separate matters, yet you insist on making them one!" Dongfang Minghui was furious. She had never met anyone so stubborn.

She angrily turned her back, but inwardly she was worrying. Now that there was finally hope for Nan Fei's legs, how would she explain it to them if this old man truly refused to treat him?

Seeing that she was genuinely angry, the plump old man immediately softened his tone. "Hey, little girl, are you angry? I take back what I said. This old man has his reasons too. I just want a Passion Flower Seed. You should know that Love Blossom is the only plant that can resist Death Aura, and there's only one in Death Valley. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't keep risking their lives to go into Death Valley and capture it."

Dongfang Minghui felt utterly exasperated. So the dean had had his own selfish motives for sending her after Love Blossom. No wonder he had made Situ Hao go along. She felt as though they had conspired to trick her.

"Wait another hundred years."

The Chubby Old Man: "..."

"In a hundred years, Love Blossom will definitely flower and bear fruit again. I can have a proper discussion with it then and ask it to give you one seed."

Dongfang Minghui made it sound perfectly reasonable. She had forgotten, however, that she had no idea what distant corner she would be in a hundred years from now.

The Chubby Old Man once again returned empty-handed.

Dongfang Minghui couldn't help grumbling inwardly. If I give you a Love Blossom seed, won't you end up using it against The Female Lead someday?

Once all the spirit herbs were ready, Dongfang Minghui discussed the exact date for Nan Fei's treatment with the Chubby Old Man.

"Tomorrow, then. Have them make their preparations today." The dean was still himself. He only became unreasonable where Love Blossom was concerned.

Dongfang Minghui nodded and knocked on Nan Fei's door after returning.

"Miss Qian."

She glanced inside. Nan Nan wasn't there. "Brother Nan, where did Nan Nan go?"

"She said she had something to take care of at the Alchemy Department and would be back soon."

She went inside anyway and pushed Nan Fei out into the courtyard, then poured him a cup of Spirit Liquid. "Brother Nan, drink this. Replenish your Spiritual Power so tomorrow will go smoothly."

She had prepared the Spirit Liquid according to the method Situ Hao had taught her. Bored after returning, she had made some herself. Whenever she watered the spirit herbs in the courtyard with a little of it, they became positively exuberant.

Nan Fei gave it a gentle sniff and knew she had given him something good. He smiled. "This must be quite expensive. You've treated us so well, Miss Qian. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

Repay me?

Dongfang Minghui blinked. "Nan Nan is my friend. You're being far too formal, Brother Nan Fei. If you really want to repay me, cooperate with the treatment. Once you recover, Nan Nan will be better off too."

Nan Fei smiled and nodded. "You're right, Miss Qian. You see things more clearly than I do."

Only by recovering could he make life better for those around him.

Nan Fei drank all the Spirit Liquid in one gulp. Soon, he felt a surge of Spiritual Power rush from deep within him into his internal organs.

"Ugh." He gripped the wheelchair's armrests, his expression twisting with unbearable pain.

Dongfang Minghui was startled. It had taken effect so quickly.

She immediately pushed Nan Fei's wheelchair toward the dean's office at a run.

Yong Xing saw them on the way and immediately came to help. "Yong Xing, hurry and tell the dean! His reaction is much more severe than we expected."

"Right, right!"

Dongfang Minghui was puzzled too. "Who on earth did you offend? They were so ruthless."

The moment he circulated Spiritual Power through his whole body, he suffered excruciating pain. No wonder both siblings had thought he had suffered a cultivation deviation.

Nan Fei smiled bitterly. Rather than killing him, the culprit had crippled his cultivation. He thought he knew who it was.

"Don't worry, Miss Qian. I'm fine."

Dongfang Minghui couldn't help giving him a thumbs-up. He still called this fine?

"Let's have the dean examine you anyway. If he thinks you can undergo treatment today, we'll start today."

She gave him some advance warning.

The dean's plump figure soon appeared before them. He took Nan Fei's wrist to examine him, then glared at Dongfang Minghui. "I told you to give him a little medicinal preparation. Why did you give him a whole bottle of concentrated Spirit Liquid? Are you trying to shorten his life?"

The dean beckoned Yong Xing over and had him carry Nan Fei onto the bed they had already prepared.

"Yong Xing, stand guard outside. Don't let anyone come in and disturb us."

Dongfang Minghui watched the dean push the pill they had spent several days refining into Nan Fei's mouth. It contained the essence of the Love Blossom seed and was extremely poisonous.

She watched Nan Fei's face instantly turn a terrifying bluish purple.

Nan Fei bit down hard on his lip without making a sound.

"Passion Flower Poison really can suppress the poison already in his body." She could hardly believe fighting poison with poison was actually possible. Weren't they afraid that an overly potent dose would accidentally poison him to death?

The dean pushed her away impatiently. "Stand in the corner, keep quiet, and don't disturb me."

Then Dongfang Minghui witnessed a bloody, brutal scene. Covering her mouth, she watched the dean break every bone in Nan Fei's legs.

Watching Nan Fei struggle as though he were dying, she could hardly bear it. Then she saw the dean undertake the arduous task of using Spiritual Power to reconnect his leg bones bit by bit. The process was painfully slow.

She even saw sweat dripping from the dean's forehead.

The treatment lasted three days and three nights, tormenting all three of them both mentally and physically.

When everything was over, Dongfang Minghui's first question was, "Dean, why did you have to break his legs first? Didn't you say they were only blocked? Wouldn't clearing the blockage have been enough?"

Breaking his legs had inflicted further harm on the patient. If Nan Fei hadn't been so resilient, the treatment probably wouldn't have gone so well.

"His legs had been crippled for so long. If I didn't let them grow anew, he would still have lingering damage when he cultivated later—"