Inside the Liao Yin Immortal Realm's book depository, Yue Ruling was so absorbed in turning the pages that she failed to notice the figure closing in behind her, step by soundless step.
A sudden wave of hostility swept over her.
Yue Ruling's instincts snapped awake. She shifted sideways, reaching to seize the attacker's wrist—
But the assailant moved faster. The wrist rotated neatly out of her grasp, and an open palm struck her shoulder. In a blur, Yue Ruling couldn't evade in time. She was shoved back, her spine hitting the bookshelf behind her.
"Master!" Yue Ruling protested, half laughing, half aggrieved. "Who ambushes someone when they're immersed in reading?"
Only then did she see who it was.
Qingyuan.
"Ling." With a smooth flick, Qingyuan retrieved the dagger he'd used, then adjusted his cuff with his free hand, his voice carrying quiet admonishment. "I've told you many times: the more alone you are, the more vigilant you must be."
"Doesn't it depend on the place?" Yue Ruling pouted, rubbing her shoulder. "If I were outside the Liao Yin Immortal Realm, of course I'd be cautious. But who stays on guard all the time in their own home?"
"A vigilant mind is necessary."
"I don't care—this doesn't count." Yue Ruling bent down and began picking up the books that had fallen during the scuffle, her lips pursed in stubborn dissatisfaction. "How can Master attack me when I'm concentrating on reading?"
"The enemy doesn't care what you're doing," Qingyuan replied, strolling over to sit down. He pointed at her with an expression that was openly smug. "Any moment you let your guard down is an opening. You lost this round again."
"Alright, alright—you win this round, Master," Yue Ruling said, still a little wronged, but unable to deny the truth in his words. "So what does Ling have to do now?"
It was their bet.
If Yue Ruling could fend off Qingyuan's hundred ambushes, Qingyuan would give her that precious suit of armor. Each time she failed, she owed him one favor—anything he asked.
Qingyuan rubbed his chin, considering. "Mm… I haven't decided yet. You can owe me for now. I'll tell you once I think of something."
"You can't just leave it hanging like that," Yue Ruling snapped, waving her hand. "If you can't think of anything, then forget it."
"No." Qingyuan's refusal was immediate. "Promises must be kept." Then his gaze shifted, curious. "But Ling—when I came in, I saw you searching so earnestly. What are you looking for?"
"Ah…" Yue Ruling dropped her gaze again, flipping through the medical book in her hands. "I wanted to see if I could find some older medical texts by Li Luoning. I visited Mi Xingzhe a few days ago and learned more about him. I thought… maybe I could help. So I came to look."
"Oh." Qingyuan let out a sound of disbelief. "So my disciple is a fool."
"Master, you're the fool!" Yue Ruling's eyes flared. In an instant she was like an offended kitten, baring tiny claws. "You're so foolish you can't even come up with a request!"
"If you weren't a fool, how could you come up with such a foolish idea?" Qingyuan countered lazily. "Let me ask you—was Li Luoning in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm before you?"
"Yes," Yue Ruling answered, blinking, confused.
"And what does he do every day?"
"Read medical books, study pharmacology, and mess with herbs," she replied, still baffled. "What's wrong with that?"
"Then let me ask you one more thing." Qingyuan's tone was almost amused. "What do most immortals call him?"
"Some call him Li Luoning," Yue Ruling said as she spread the book open, "but most call him Medicine Idiot. But what does that have to do with me looking for his books?"
"So?" Qingyuan shrugged. "He's a Medicine Idiot. With that obsession, do you really think there's a single book in this depository Li Luoning hasn't already read?"
Yue Ruling froze.
Then she sighed, deflating. In irritation, she tossed the book in her hand to the floor. "Then I really wasted the whole day."
"It's not a waste," Qingyuan said, standing. His voice softened as he reached to steady her mood. "At least you learned some pharmacology yourself."
"Fine." Yue Ruling exhaled, then shook it off, as if tossing away a sulk. "Master, you always say whatever we learn will be useful someday. But speaking of which—did you come to me for something?"
"I did." Qingyuan's expression turned serious in an instant.
Yue Ruling's face sobered as well. The playful pout disappeared, replaced by attentive composure.
"Is it because there's a battle Ling must go to?"
Qingyuan waved his hand, indicating that wasn't it.
"For some reason, in recent years, both Wuming Demon Mountain and the Pingyan region have been unstable." His voice was steady, measured. "My investigation suggests those two places have been colluding in secret for some time. Their intentions may not be good."
"Though with their current strength," he continued, "they shouldn't be able to cause a major disturbance in the short term. But in the future… things may change."
"What do you mean, Master?" Yue Ruling asked, brows faintly knit.
"You have received my true transmission," Qingyuan said, "but you have not yet passed the Tribulation of Seven Emotions and Six Desires. I worry that if you must face demonic soldiers in the future, it will unsettle your mind and spirit."
He paused, then leaned forward. His gaze fixed on hers, grave and direct.
"Ling." Slowly, he asked, "are you willing to accompany me to undergo the Tribulation in the mortal realm?"
Inside Mirror Cloud Residence…
Mi Xingzhe sat alone in the study, transcribing his heart techniques.
The brush tip glided over clean paper. After days of copying, he had begun to love the quiet steadiness of it—the way each stroke demanded patience, the way the world seemed to narrow to ink and breath.
But today, his hand was unsteady.
His mind kept snagging on what he'd overheard earlier that morning.
"I heard Yue Ruling went to undergo the Tribulation in the mortal realm?" a white-and-cyan robed celestial servant whispered to another.
"Why would she go down to the mortal world for no reason?" the other asked, baffled.
"It's because of last time—when she was drinking with that Mi Xingzhe. She got punished," the servant said, sounding as if he'd uncovered something scandalous.
"How do you know?"
"I happened to pass by Starlight Pavilion that day. I saw the two of them drinking and talking." The servant's voice sharpened with disdain. "Yue Ruling, the war marshal—she usually looks so dignified. How could she associate with an unknown like him?"
"It's all because of his luck," the other scoffed. "He got accepted under Medicine Idiot. That position has been coveted for years, and it ended up going to someone like him."
"But it was just drinking," the younger one said, shocked. "Does War God Qingyuan really need to be that angry? Being banished to the mortal realm—isn't that punishment too severe?"
"I think War God Qingyuan simply wanted to use this chance to keep Yue Ruling from mixing with that Mi Xingzhe."
"It's all because of that useless Mi Xingzhe," the first servant complained bitterly. "No spiritual power, no diligence, and he drags others down with him. Now Yue Ruling has to undergo a Seven Emotions and Six Desires tribulation. Who knows if she can handle it."
"I heard the same," the other chimed in. "Medicine Idiot and Senior Qingyi spoil him. Brewing medicine, letting him sleep until late morning… I don't know what kind of luck he had in his last life to be taken in."
"Everyone has their fate," the first servant sighed softly. "Some are born with good fortune—getting what ordinary people can't, without lifting a finger. How could they be the same as us little immortals, only ever serving others?"
"Don't say that," a friendly-faced little celestial murmured weakly. "Maybe he truly has something special."
"A man of unknown background," someone scoffed. "If he really had something special, would no one in the Liao Yin Immortal Realm know?"
Their voices by the wall had been clear enough.
And now, sitting at his desk, Mi Xingzhe couldn't stop replaying every word.
His brush hovered over the page, ink pooling slightly at the tip.
He didn't even notice when Yun Qingyi entered.
Yun Qingyi stepped in carrying a bowl of medicine. Beside it on the tray sat a plate of exquisitely shaped pastries.
"Nian Nian," Yun Qingyi called softly, smiling as he set the tray on the table. "Look what I made for you."
Mi Xingzhe didn't respond.
Yun Qingyi walked closer. He gently patted Mi Xingzhe's shoulder and waved the pastries under his nose.
Mi Xingzhe jolted, blinking himself back into the room. "Ah—Brother Qingyi. When did you come?" His gaze landed on the pastries and widened. "And this…? Wow. They're gorgeous. Did you make them, Senior Brother?"
The pastries were crystal-clear—deep blue, translucent cakes adorned with gold and silver petals, releasing a sweet fragrance. Their appearance alone was enough to tempt anyone.
"Hold on," Yun Qingyi said, catching Mi Xingzhe's hand as it reached out. "Yes, I made them. But you drink the medicine first. Then you can eat."
"Ah… more medicine." Mi Xingzhe's enthusiasm collapsed instantly. His voice turned clingy with complaint. "Can't we skip it? I feel like I'm about to become medicine myself. Master's concoctions are far too bitter."
"This time is different." Yun Qingyi lifted the bowl. "It's a new prescription Master prepared specifically for you. Smell it—there's not as much bitterness."
Mi Xingzhe accepted it with reluctant curiosity and brought it to his nose.
"…Hm." His brows rose slightly. "It really doesn't smell as bitter. There's even… a faint fragrance."
Yun Qingyi smiled and pushed a pastry closer, as if coaxing. "Master and I put a lot of thought into this. Aside from herbs, most of our attention has been on you."
For once, Mi Xingzhe didn't struggle much. He swallowed it down quickly—almost proudly—then turned the empty bowl toward Yun Qingyi like proof.
But just as he lifted his hand toward the pastry again, his movement stopped midair.
His other hand flew to his chest.
Color drained from his face. Sweat broke out across his brow.
Yun Qingyi's smile vanished. "Nian Nian?"
Mi Xingzhe lifted a shaking hand, signaling him back. His whole body tensed, as if he were trying to restrain something inside himself.
Heat surged through him—violent, uncontrollable. His breathing hitched.
Yun Qingyi could no longer hold back. He stepped forward, reaching for Mi Xingzhe's wrist to check his pulse—
The instant he touched him, it was as if a dam burst.
Mi Xingzhe convulsed, then coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body lurched as he writhed in agony, the sound torn from him.
"Brother…" Mi Xingzhe gasped, voice breaking. "It's burning… so hot…"
His face flushed a frightening red. Veins stood out along his neck as his fingers clawed desperately at his throat, as if trying to tear the heat out of his body.
Yun Qingyi's hands shook as he tried to steady him, but Mi Xingzhe no longer seemed to see him—only his own torment.
At that moment, the door opened.
Li Luoning stepped in.
The instant he saw Mi Xingzhe, he moved—fast, decisive. He sealed Mi Xingzhe's pulse with a swift technique, forcing the raging flow inside him to still.
Mi Xingzhe's body shuddered once, then slackened.
With a ragged exhale, he fell unconscious.
Yun Qingyi stared at the blood on his hands, shock freezing him in place.
"M-Master… Xingzhe…" His voice trembled, fear and confusion colliding in his throat.
Li Luoning's expression was dark as he examined Mi Xingzhe, thoughts racing.
"Qingyi," he said, voice low and urgent, "prepare the barrier."
Yun Qingyi swallowed hard, then nodded. He lifted his hands and moved at once.
A protective barrier rose around Mirror Cloud Residence—sealing it shut from the outside world.