"Love Flower, do you think Seventh Sister might be trapped in the illusion, unable to get out?"
After waiting two days, Dongfang Minghui grew so restless that she finally voiced the question weighing on her mind.
Love Flower poked a blossom out of the spatial ring 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 woken earlier than he did."
Hearing Love Flower's words only made her more worried.
"Then what should we do?"
Love Flower shook its head. "The Illusion Mirror Shard has shattered. This is beyond my abilities. Wait patiently. If she still hasn't emerged after another day, she may never come out."
Dongfang Minghui froze in shock. That's terrifying, okay? If Her Ladyship the Female Lead doesn't come out, how is the rest of the story supposed to play out?
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 yourself be bound by a tiny illusion?"
"Seventh Sister, strengthen your heart, and the illusion will shatter."
Then Dongfang Minghui realized something was wrong. Love Flower had said the illusion was already broken. Could Her Ladyship the Female Lead have fallen into her own inner demons?
That would be even worse.
She sat beside her, rambling on about anything and everything.
Everything within the illusion was peaceful and serene. Birds sang and flowers bloomed everywhere, and Dongfang Minghui kept her company. Dongfang Wanyu should have been satisfied with such a life.
Yet amid that contentment, something seemed to be missing.
Then a very familiar voice sounded beside her ear.
"The Qian Family?"
Yes, she belonged to the Qian Family. Why had her parents abandoned her? Why had they left her with the insignificant Dongfang Family, where she suffered nothing but cold looks?
Yes, she had more important things to do. She had to wake up immediately.
"Seventh Sister, we're holding the ceremony tomorrow. You'll have to take good care of me from now on, okay?" Dongfang Minghui winked playfully at her, but those eyes lacked life. The appearance matched, but the spirit did not.
For someone like this, she had willingly let herself sink, content to remain in her company without the slightest desire to leave.
"Little Nine."
Dongfang Wanyu stroked her small 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 softly at the nape of her neck, looking utterly entranced. "Indeed. I forgot."
Dongfang Minghui kept rambling until her mouth went dry. Dongfang Wanyu still showed no sign of stirring, and she could not help feeling dejected. What the hell kind of illusion could keep Her Ladyship the Female Lead trapped?
Good grief! She scratched her head in frustration. There were only four hours until dawn. If Her Ladyship the Female Lead dies like this, won't this whole world collapse?
She would end up dying all the same.
"Seventh Sister, wake up!"
Dongfang Wanyu suddenly opened her eyes, startling her half to death. Then Dongfang Minghui's eyes widened in wild delight. "Seventh Sister, you're awake?"
Dongfang Wanyu simply watched her quietly, then reached out to caress her cheek. It was the same as in the illusion, yet more vivid and alive. It was real.
Her Ladyship the Female Lead is so gentle-so gentle it makes my scalp prickle. This isn't how her character is supposed to be!
Dongfang Minghui immediately stepped back, avoiding the hand whose touch made her tremble with apprehension. She laughed awkwardly. "Seventh Sister, you had us worried sick. 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 up. "Ninth Sister, were you the one talking to me earlier?"
Is she settling accounts now?
She desperately recalled all the nonsense she had babbled beside the female lead. Damn it, it was all stuff from later in the story! Sob, sob... To wake Her Ladyship the Female Lead, I seem to have accidentally spoiled the plot.
Dongfang Minghui shook her head faster than a pellet drum. "No, I didn't say anything. Seventh Sister, did you mishear?"
Yes. Deny it to the bitter end.
Dongfang Wanyu smiled faintly and said no more about it. "Did you find the Love Flower Seed?"
Seeing that she was no longer pressing the issue, Dongfang Minghui secretly sighed in relief and nodded. Then she remembered something. "Seventh Sister, let me tell you-there's good stuff in these caves."
Good stuff?
The fifteen caves were meant to confuse intruders. Each contained a different trap, and anyone who charged in blindly would certainly meet a miserable end.
Like those who came seeking Love Flower, most would enter the illusion and never emerge again. This was more dangerous than the other caves: it disposed of great swaths of people without spilling a drop of blood. They had nearly fallen victim themselves.
The three followed the Love Flower Seed into a cave. Along the way, white bones lay everywhere, crunching beneath their feet with an unnerving sound.
Still, with both Situ Hao and Her Ladyship the Female Lead present, she felt considerably safer.
"Love Flower said we can't take everything, or we'll trigger the final mechanism in the cave," Dongfang Minghui repeated.
Dongfang Minghui and Situ Hao looked around, both astonished by the remarkable purity of the pills here. They gathered up a haul, all of it good stuff.
Then they moved to another cave. Dongfang Minghui pretended to pick up a few things behind them, though her spatial ring was actually almost full already.
Once she returned to the Snow Capital, she would definitely have to replace it with a High-Grade Spatial Ring. Running out of storage space was quite frustrating.
After they had nearly finished gathering things from those 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 Flower said we'd better not go in. Everyone who went in looking for treasure never came out."
Situ Hao's eyes widened as he thought it over. "If the caves each contain different treasures, can I assume this one holds treasure too-the lifetime collection deliberately left behind by a Death Spirit Master?"
What quick thinking! He had realized there was good stuff inside so quickly that Dongfang Minghui wanted to give him a thumbs-up.
She had originally intended to secretly tip off the female lead, but then thought better of it. If I arouse her suspicions, won't I be lifting a rock only to smash my own foot?
She might as well reveal it outright.
"Maybe. Love Flower hasn't been inside either." Dongfang Minghui slipped in a little lie.
Situ Hao pondered it from every angle. "Since a Death Spirit Master left these things, they must represent the finest achievements of their lifetime. I don't think we can allow them to see the light of day, or they'll surely bring about a tremendous disaster. The best solution is to destroy them."
Dongfang Minghui pressed a hand to her forehead. This was not quite what she had envisioned.
"How?" she asked resentfully. "Situ Hao, can't you use your head? There are only three of us, and you're the only light-element Spirit Master."
Dongfang Wanyu calmly glanced at them both, somewhat puzzled by Dongfang Minghui's strong reaction.
"Qing Mo, while I was trapped in the illusion, did Ninth Sister say anything strange? About the Qian Family, for example?"
"Wanyu, are you asking because you think your ninth sister is strange? The moment you entered the illusion, I was bound as well. Everything outside was blocked off."
"I heard Ninth Sister's voice inside the illusion. She told me to investigate the Qian Family and uncover the truth about why they abandoned me. That was how I finally managed to wake up completely."
Because she refused to accept it.
"I told you long ago that there was something odd 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 nearly driven mad with frustration by Qian Minghui.
"My thoughts coincide with yours. We must destroy it completely." As though afraid Dongfang Minghui would not understand, Dongfang Wanyu specifically explained, "Ninth Sister, the danger posed by the Death Legion is immeasurable. We must destroy it to keep it out of the hands of those with ulterior motives."
Situ Hao nodded in agreement. Dongfang Minghui tilted her head. Perhaps she ought to nod and agree too.
"Little Minghui, see? Your seventh sister agrees too," Situ Hao declared smugly.
Dongfang Minghui curled her lips. She did not believe the female lead would propose this without another motive. "Fine. Since you both agree, destroy it. It's not as if we could use it anyway."
The female lead's halo was enormously powerful. She did not believe something meant for her could be destroyed so easily.
Dongfang Wanyu unobtrusively glanced at her conflicted expression and gently patted her shoulder. "You've only just recovered. Stay outside the cave, and don't come too close."
Dongfang Minghui certainly had no intention of getting involved. She nodded and ran outside.
Love Flower emerged from the spatial ring. "You humans are so strange. If you want to obtain it, why destroy it? And why did you lie to them just now? I know what's inside."
It could not make any sense of what the three of them were doing.
Resting her chin in her hand, Dongfang Minghui told it, "Love Flower, death aura is too powerful. Many people have no way to counter it. We can't leave it for someone with dark-element spiritual power, or the consequences would be unthinkable. As for lying to them just now, I didn't want them to kill each other over the treasure. Better to simply destroy it."
Love Flower bobbed its blossom, swaying its head. "Human hearts are too complicated. I don't understand. I don't understand."
Dongfang Minghui touched it lightly. "Love Flower, I'm guessing those two alone can't destroy the death aura inside that cave, right?"
"Right."
So she would let Situ Hao struggle. Once he ran headfirst into 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 regretfully, "Wanyu, I'm sorry. I overestimated myself and insisted on dragging 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."
"Say no more. Let's recover first."
Dongfang Wanyu closed her eyes and immediately sat cross-legged on the ground.
Situ Hao said to Dongfang Minghui, "Sorry for the trouble, Little Minghui, but please stand guard for us."
Dongfang Minghui nodded. Crouching nearby, she could not help sighing. Why had things escalated to the point where they needed to notify the Royal Academy?
Then it would be even harder for the female lead to obtain what was inside.
"Let's go."
Once the two had recovered, they immediately left Death Valley.
"Wanyu, we need to find a way to get our hands on the things in that cave. Once the Royal Academy's people arrive, your chances will be slim," Qing Mo discussed with her within her soul sea.
"We need to find a way to keep Situ Hao from meddling."
With a light-element Spirit Master beside her, nothing was convenient.
"Seventh Sister, we still haven't found whoever was behind the Skeleton Soldier Bones that attacked us. Is it really all right to leave like this?" Dongfang Minghui suddenly asked, holding out her hands. "Besides, I haven't had time to treat my wounds, and you both used up a lot of spiritual power just now. Why don't we stay another night and build up our strength?"
That was 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 display a man's gentlemanly manners. "In that case, let's stay another day."
As soon as they returned to the inn, Dongfang Minghui stripped off her clothes and trousers, leaving only her inner robe and underpants. Looking at the bruises covering her body, she could not help pouting.
"Good grief, I'm practically gambling with my life here."
Dongfang Minghui could not resist complaining. Why was she always the one who suffered the worst injuries?
Knock, knock, knock.
"Ninth Sister, I'm coming in."
"Okay."
Dongfang Minghui felt it was fine for the female lead to come in. They were both women, after all. They had everything they should have, and certainly nothing extra that they should not.
When Dongfang Wanyu pushed the door open, she saw a beauty reclining against the head of the bed, clothes disheveled and a fragrant shoulder half exposed, smiling at her with curved lips. Heat rushed to her head, and she felt as though something had broken through its restraints.
She immediately reached back and shut the door.
A faint fragrance filled the room, probably from the pills. It was almost identical to the scent in the illusion.
Feeling a burning gaze fixed on her, Dongfang Minghui looked up and found the female lead still standing dazedly by the door.
"Seventh Sister, sit down for a bit. I'll finish applying the medicine soon."
She pulled back the covers, exposing her legs. Her once flawless white skin was covered in bruises, with some places even scraped raw. Somehow, despite the miserable state she was in, Dongfang Wanyu found the sight irresistibly alluring, every part of it steeped in sensuality. 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 pain still made her frown.
Dongfang Wanyu approached step by step and sat directly 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 trace of tenderness flashing through her eyes that even she did not understand. With practiced ease, she crushed a pill and applied it to the wound.
"Have you cleaned all these wounds?"
Dongfang Minghui shook her head. "I've been cleaning them as I apply the medicine."
Hearing that, Dongfang Wanyu set the porcelain bottle aside and picked up the clear liquid on the other side. A light sniff revealed that it was alcohol.
"This will hurt. Bear with it."
Despite saying that, Dongfang Wanyu found the task anything but easy. It seemed that the slightest touch made the other woman instinctively flinch away. Clearly, she was terribly afraid of pain.
"When we return to the academy, you'll stay with me. When I cultivate, you'll cultivate too. You won't stop for even a moment." Dongfang Wanyu had figured it out: the only way to reduce the chances of her getting hurt again was to improve her own strength.
She herself also had to grow stronger, and stronger still-strong enough to protect her, strong enough to keep her bound to her side, just like in the illusion.
Dongfang Minghui looked utterly hopeless. "Seventh Sister, you know I'm a pharmacist. Pharmacists improve their ability to make pills."
"But you need the ability to stay alive before you can keep making potions, don't you?"
Her words made so much sense that Dongfang Minghui could not refute them.
Dongfang Minghui played dead nearby, but could not keep her troublesome mouth shut. "Seventh Sister, what did you experience in the illusion? Love Flower said you should have woken up much earlier."
Dongfang Wanyu's hand paused. Looking into those eyes sparkling with curiosity, she curved her lips into a very gentle smile and gave her a light pinch. "I experienced a sweet dream in the illusion."
"Huh?"
Dongfang Minghui felt that something had gone wrong with the female lead's head. A sweet dream? Why wasn't it a nightmare?
She pressed a hand to her forehead. Once the female lead left, she would have to have a proper talk about life with Love Flower.
Thinking of the woman before her, Dongfang Wanyu involuntarily withdrew her smile and continued 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 intensely curious. No wonder the female lead had been trapped for so long. If she were having a sweet dream herself, she would certainly be reluctant to wake.
Thinking of it that way, the illusion truly was terrifying. Whether it offered nightmares or sweet dreams, it tested a person's heart. One careless step, and they would be doomed beyond redemption.
"Get some rest."
Dongfang Wanyu had only helped apply half the medicine when she lost the heart to continue. After leaving that reminder, she departed.
Dongfang Minghui did not even dare roll over. She lay flat on the bed. "Love Flower, why did Seventh Sister say she experienced a sweet dream?"
Love Flower emerged from the spatial ring. "Probably a dream no less dangerous than a nightmare."
In truth, it did not know either.
Dongfang Minghui slept soundly. When she opened her eyes, dawn had already arrived, and her whole body felt comfortable. The three packed up and set off straight back to the city.
Only when they returned 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 need to go shopping."
She swore she would get herself a High-Grade Spatial Ring. But when she felt her pockets, she wanted to cry.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Dongfang Wanyu said, "Come on. I'll replace your belt."
That loose, sagging belt looked terribly insecure to her. She decided they would finish shopping before returning to the academy; otherwise, it might be another month before they came out again.
Dongfang Minghui stole a glance at her. She could tell that the other woman was in a fairly good mood. Does that mean she's already obtained the things in the cave?
"You said you wanted to shop. What did you want to buy?" Dongfang Wanyu suddenly asked.
She scratched her head, looking embarrassed. "Seventh Sister, I just remembered that I don't seem to need anything after all."
"What is it?"
Dongfang Minghui coughed lightly. "Actually, it's like this. Seventh Sister, that gift you gave me before-the egg-it takes up too much room. And now there's Love Flower too. I feel like my spatial ring doesn't have enough space, so I wanted to buy a-"
A better one.
Unfortunately, she had discovered that she was so poor she did not have even a single copper coin.
Dongfang Minghui pouted. She was a dignified young lady from a wealthy family, yet she had ended up without a penny. It was so humiliating that she was too embarrassed to say it.
"Why don't you want to buy anything anymore?" Seeing her lower her head, Dongfang Wanyu could not resist the urge to reach out and stroke it.
"I didn't bring any money."
Dongfang Wanyu's lips curved into a smile. "You little fool. Haven't you made plenty of pills? If you set up a stall at the Royal Academy and sold them, you could earn lots of spirit stones. You can use those to buy whatever you want outside."
"That's right!" Dongfang Minghui smacked her forehead, her eyes lighting up. "I completely forgot!"
Doing the sums, she suddenly realized she was quite a wealthy woman. Dongfang Minghui secretly wondered whether she should take out some of the pills she had found in the cave and put them up for auction.
Seeing the mischievous grin on her face, Dongfang Wanyu found it amusing but did not expose her. "Never mind. Let's head back for today."
Strutting through the Snow Capital with a Love Flower in tow-probably no one except her carefree ninth sister could do such a thing.
"All right, Seventh Sister."
The two returned to the Pharmacy Institute and went together to the dean's office.
"You're finally back. How did the trip go?" The stout old man's face was wreathed in smiles. When Hao had come to tell him earlier, he had hardly dared believe it.
It was Dongfang Minghui's first time seeing the dean smile so broadly. With a smile like that, she immediately knew he was up to no good. "Dean, there's something I need to make clear first."
"Is it about the Love Flower Seed?"
Dongfang Minghui nodded. "I promised the Love Flower Seed that 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. The Love Flower had already declared that if she dared betray it, it would poison her to death.
Since it could even resist Death Aura, the Love Flower's poison was probably terrifying too. The mere thought made her shiver.
With his hands behind his back, the dean paced around the office, glancing at Dongfang Minghui from time to time.
His looks made Dongfang Minghui's skin crawl. She truly had no idea what this stout old man was considering.
"Little Minghui."
"Dean."
"Could you give me another seed?" the dean asked cautiously, narrowing his eyes and holding up one plump finger. "Just one more."
Dongfang Minghui stared blankly. "Dean, what do you want a Love Flower Seed for?"
"Just tell me whether you can."
Her eyes darted slyly. "I can't make that decision. I have to ask the Love Flower Seed before I can answer you."
Seeing her look like a little fox made Dongfang Wanyu's heart itch. She adored this side of her.
The stout old man rubbed his hands. "Then ask it for me."
Dongfang Minghui blinked at him for quite a while before saying, "The Love Flower doesn't want to see any of you right now."
Dongfang Wanyu was curious too. To think there was such an arrogant plant in this world. The Love Flower Seed was indeed a spirit medicine that made people covet it with red-eyed envy. It was the only thing in the world capable of resisting Death Aura.
"Dean, even I haven't seen the Love Flower's true appearance." Dongfang Wanyu's words made it clear that Dongfang Minghui was not deliberately singling him out; the Love Flower simply would not give any of them the time of day.
The dean rubbed his forehead and stroked his beard, looking somewhat agitated. "Little Minghui, ask it for this old man when you get back. As long as it provides one seed, it can name any conditions it likes."
Dongfang Minghui's eyes widened further. Wonderful! Those were precisely the words she had been waiting for.
The two returned to the little courtyard, and Dongfang Minghui immediately moved the Love Flower out of her space.
"You like this courtyard, don't you?"
Dongfang Minghui crouched down and pointed at the Beauty Bamboo shoots that had emerged, along with some spirit medicines. There were not many, just over twenty varieties.
The Love Flower surveyed the place imperiously and soon found somewhere to settle. It pointed at Blue Star Dream's spot. "I'll stay beside it."
With that, it moved over and put down roots without even needing her help.
Dongfang Minghui could not make heads or tails of it. Why did they all choose this unremarkable corner? Little Lecher had previously said there was something in this courtyard. Perhaps there really was something here.
Dongfang Wanyu stood to one side, stunned for a long time. Surely this plant had cultivated into a spirit.
"Love Flower, you heard what the dean said just now, didn't you?" She moved over and stayed beside Blue Star Dream to speak to it.
"No."
The Love Flower gave her no face whatsoever. "It takes me a hundred years to bloom and bear fruit once. I only managed to save up three seeds with great difficulty, and I've already promised you one."
Dongfang Minghui's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. Counting on her fingers, she realized it had to be at least three or four hundred years old.
And a single seed represented a hundred years of cultivation. She suddenly felt that Nan Fei's legs were worth quite a fortune.
"If you're unwilling, that's fine. I'll turn the dean down. Just settle in here comfortably."
Pleased that she had not taken a mile after being given an inch, the Love Flower swayed, turned into a stalk of Beauty Bamboo again, and quietly became Blue Star Dream's neighbor.
Had Dongfang Wanyu not been watching it the whole time, she would never have recognized that this Beauty Bamboo was actually the Love Flower. She did not know what it had discussed with her ninth sister, but from her expression, she could tell that the dean's request had probably been refused.
"Ninth Sister, only you, me, the dean, and Situ Hao know about the Love Flower. Don't tell anyone else," Dongfang Wanyu reminded her softly.
"All right. I understand." Seeing how seriously everyone took it, she suddenly felt as though she had invited a hot potato home.
Even the dean coveted its seeds. They had to be something good.
"Minghui, Wanyu, you're back."
Their words had barely fallen when Nan Nan came in, pushing Nan Fei.
Dongfang Wanyu nodded to them and spoke with rare warmth. "We've obtained the Love Flower seed. Your elder brother's legs will recover soon."
"Really?" A trace of a smile appeared on Nan Fei's face.
Nan Nan happily took both their hands. "Really? You really got the Love Flower Seed?"
"Yes. I'll discuss the treatment with the dean. All you need to do is take good care of your elder brother." Dongfang Minghui patted her hand reassuringly.
Afterward, Yong Xing told Dongfang Minghui that during the days she had been away, Nan Nan had looked after the courtyard's spirit medicines and kept everything clean. Usually, she only pushed her brother around near the dean's place for a stroll and went nowhere else.
Dongfang Minghui nodded. She reckoned Nan Nan truly wanted to repay her kindness by working like an ox or a horse, but she had chosen the wrong person to repay.
What was she supposed to do?
Back when she had stolen one of the heroine's men, the heroine had XXXX'd her. If she also stole a follower who rightfully belonged to the heroine, Dongfang Minghui would be unable to sleep at night.
Anything on this continent was fair game except the heroine's possessions.
Dongfang Minghui tossed and turned, thinking about it all night.
"I'm going into secluded cultivation soon," Dongfang Wanyu said early the next morning.
"Is there anything you need me to do?" Dongfang Minghui had long known she was a cultivation fanatic. Besides, the heroine had just returned from Death Valley and probably had plenty of things to study.
Dongfang Wanyu stroked her head. "Just take good care of yourself and don't make me worry."
Dongfang Minghui felt that something about this scene was not quite right, but nodded without thinking.
For a long stretch afterward, Dongfang Minghui spent her time in the dean's office extracting spirit medicines. After fetching all the spirit medicines Nan Fei needed from the back mountain, she threw herself into the work.
"Little girl, little Minghui, talk to the Love Flower again and ask it to spare me a seed. I'll compensate it." Whenever the stout old man had nothing to do, he clung to Dongfang Minghui like glue.
Round and round he went, but it always came back to wanting a Love Flower Seed.
"Old man, it only blooms and bears fruit once every hundred years. What could you possibly compensate it with?" Dongfang Minghui was nearly driven mad by his pestering. If not for Nan Fei's legs, she would have found somewhere to hide and enjoy some peace and quiet long ago.
The Love Flower had witnessed centuries of human warmth and coldness. Sometimes she felt that this plant was more mentally mature than she was, though that thought was rather demoralizing.
The stout old man's beard bristled and his eyes bulged with anger. "There really isn't any way?"
"No."
Dongfang Minghui answered without a moment's hesitation.
The old man huffed angrily. "Hmph! If you won't get me a Love Flower Seed, I won't save this man either."
"Hey, hey! How can you go back on your word like that, old man? These are two separate matters, yet you insist on making them one!" Dongfang Minghui was furious. She had truly never met anyone so stubborn.
She turned her back on him in a huff, but inwardly she was worrying. With hope for Nan Fei's legs finally in sight, how could she explain things to them if this old man really refused to save him?
Seeing that she was genuinely angry, the stout old man immediately softened his tone. "Hey, little girl, are you angry? I take back what I said. This old man has no choice. I just want a Love Flower Seed. You should know that the Love Flower is the only plant capable of resisting Death Aura, and there's only one in Death Valley. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't keep charging into Death Valley, one after another, risking death to capture it."
Dongfang Minghui felt like coughing up blood. So the dean had had his own selfish motives in sending her to seize the Love Flower. No wonder he had made Situ Hao follow her. She felt as though they had joined forces to swindle her.
"Wait another hundred years."
The stout old man: "..."
"In a hundred years, the Love Flower will definitely bloom and bear fruit again. I can discuss it properly with it then and ask it to spare you a seed."
Dongfang Minghui made it sound perfectly reasonable. She had forgotten, however, that she had no idea what obscure corner she might be in a hundred years from now.
The stout old man once again returned empty-handed.
Dongfang Minghui could not help grumbling inwardly. Give you a Love Flower Seed? So you can use it against the heroine someday?
Once all the spirit medicines were ready, Dongfang Minghui discussed the exact date of Nan Fei's treatment with the stout old man.
"Tomorrow. Have them prepare properly today." The dean was still the dean; he only became abnormal when faced with the Love Flower.
Dongfang Minghui nodded and knocked on Nan Fei's door after returning.
"Miss Qian."
She glanced inside and found that Nan Nan was not there. "Brother Nan, where did Nan Nan go?"
"Nan Nan said there was something she needed to handle at the Alchemy Institute. She'll be back soon."
She went into the room anyway, pushed Nan Fei into the courtyard, and poured him a cup of Spirit Liquid. "Brother Nan, drink this. Replenish your spiritual power so things can go smoothly tomorrow."
She had mixed the Spirit Liquid according to the method Situ Hao had taught her. Bored after returning, she had made some herself. Whenever she watered the courtyard's spirit medicines with a little of it, they all became positively lively.
Nan Fei took a light sniff and knew she had given him something good. He smiled. "This must be worth quite a lot. Miss Qian, you've treated us so well that I don't know how I can ever repay you."
Repay her?
Dongfang Minghui blinked. "Nan Nan is my friend. Brother Nan Fei, you're being far too distant. If you truly want to repay me, just cooperate with the treatment. Once you recover, Nan Nan will be better off too."
Nan Fei smiled and nodded. "You're right, Miss Qian. I don't see things as clearly as you do."
Only by getting better himself could he make things better for those around him.
Nan Fei drained her Spirit Liquid in one gulp. Soon, he felt a surge of spiritual power rush from deep within him into his internal organs.
"Urgh." He clutched the wheelchair's armrests, his expression showing unbearable pain.
Dongfang Minghui jumped in fright. It had taken effect so quickly.
She immediately pushed Nan Fei's wheelchair toward the dean's office at a run.
On the way, Yong Xing saw them and immediately came to help. "Yong Xing, hurry and inform the dean. His reaction is much more severe than we expected."
"All right, all right."
Dongfang Minghui was puzzled too. "Who on earth did you offend? They were so vicious."
Circulating spiritual power throughout his body caused excruciating pain. No wonder the siblings had previously assumed it was the result of Nan Fei suffering cultivation deviation.
Nan Fei smiled bitterly. The culprit had spared his life but destroyed all his cultivation. He thought he knew who it was.
"Miss Qian, don't worry. I'm fine."
Dongfang Minghui could not help giving him a thumbs-up. He was in this state and still called himself fine.
"Let's have the dean examine you anyway. If he thinks you can undergo treatment today, we'll start today."
She gave him a warning in advance.
The dean's stout figure soon appeared before them. Taking Nan Fei's wrist to examine him, he could not help glaring at Dongfang Minghui. "I told you to give him a little spirit medicine. Why did you give him a whole bottle of concentrated Spirit Liquid? Do you think he's lived too long?"
The dean beckoned to Yong Xing, having him carry Nan Fei onto the bed that had already been prepared.
"Yong Xing, guard the door. Don't let anyone come in and disturb us."
Dongfang Minghui watched the dean put the pill they had spent several days refining into Nan Fei's mouth. It contained the essence of the Love Flower Seed and was lethally poisonous.
She watched Nan Fei's complexion turn bluish-purple in an instant. His entire face looked horrifying.
Nan Fei bit his lip hard without making a sound.
"Love Flower Poison really can suppress the poison already in his body." She could hardly believe fighting poison with poison was actually possible. Were they not afraid the poison might accidentally prove too strong and kill him outright?
The dean pushed her aside in annoyance. "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.
Seeing Nan Fei struggle as though on the verge of death, she could hardly bear it. Afterward, she watched the dean undertake the arduous, thankless task of using spiritual power to reconnect his leg bones bit by bit. The process was extremely slow.
She even saw sweat dripping from the dean's forehead.
Those three days and nights of treatment were torture for all three of them, tormenting both mind and body.
Once everything was over, Dongfang Minghui's first question was, "Dean, why did you have to break his legs first? Didn't you say before that they were merely blocked? Couldn't you just clear the blockage?"
Breaking someone's legs also inflicted considerable harm on the patient. Had Nan Fei not been strong enough, the treatment probably would not have gone so successfully.
"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 in the future-"
Before you continue