My mind is unsettled

“Awake?”

Chang Wan looked away uncomfortably, her tone rather cool, “You stay here, you can’t go anywhere.”

It was so awkward. The amount of information in the jade slip was overwhelming. She had barely managed to sort out a small part when the male lead’s fever recurred. She had been changing his dressings and wiping his body—she hadn’t been able to take a single full breath since transmigrating.

This Spirit Solitude stage master-level body wouldn’t get tired, but her spirit couldn’t keep up. In the end, she couldn’t resist exhaustion. After changing the male lead’s dressings, she fell asleep.

The moment she woke up, she found him looking at her with an inscrutable expression, and his hand seemed to be reaching for her neck again, as if he were about to choke her to death again…

She was terrified, okay?!

The young man withdrew his hand, his voice flat and calm, “What do you want?”

The desire in his heart was suppressed by reason.

She had detoxified him and even risked rescuing him from the mountain prison. This woman didn’t do business without profit.

She did possess a beauty that could confuse him, but no matter what, it couldn’t hide her venomous heart.

All the torment could be understood, but saving him, if discovered, wouldn’t bring her any good reputation.

—What did she want to gain from him?

Chang Wan heard this and tugged at the corner of her mouth—What did she want?

—She wanted you to become a good person, a great good person like a White Lotus.

Saying that would invite a beating.

Finally, Chang Wan said, “I don’t want you to die.”

She turned around, picked up the jade slip from the table, and said with an arrogant tone, “That’s it.”

Brief and concise, arrogant.

That startled-deer-like gaze, like the bright moon on water or a floating flower in a mirror, was particularly captivating.

~

The jade tablet concisely recorded the cultivation methods and spells the original owner practiced, along with some of her understanding of the Dao.

Although she still knew nothing about the original owner’s past, the jade tablet had been a great help to Chang Wan.

After all, being a modern person who knew nothing suddenly becoming a seemingly formidable master who couldn’t utilize the power she possessed was an embarrassing situation.

In the past few days, she hadn’t been idle. She had roughly figured out the original owner’s routine and some of the Qingfeng Sect’s rules and regulations.

The Qingfeng Sect was very generous to its Elders, with generous stipends and lax management, but there were still mandatory duties, such as going to a place called the Sage Hall every three days to teach disciples who had just entered the Heart Movement stage some techniques for passing through this stage.

The first time she was notified to go to the Sage Hall, she was worrying about where to get clothes for the male lead to wear.

Ibuprofen worked well. Although the male lead was no longer feverish, his whip wounds were healing very slowly, and in fact—there were no signs of healing at all. But he couldn’t just be wrapped in bandages forever—his previous clothes were torn, and now…

Elder Xia had been driven back by her last time, and he was surely resentful, keeping an eye on her movements. If she openly went to find men’s clothing, wouldn’t that confirm the crime of harboring a fugitive?

Before she could figure out what to do, someone came to invite her to the Sage Hall to lecture on techniques.

…How would she know any techniques!!

Although she was interested in researching the Heart Movement stage, especially since the male lead was also in the dangerous Heart Movement stage, if he deviated into demonic cultivation, she would face the crisis of having her skin stripped and bones ground and being thrown out to rot in the wilderness.

But specialization was key. Perhaps the original owner was a genius in cultivation, but she clearly was not.

Fortunately, the Qingfeng Sect was large; only one Elder lectured each day, and a different group of disciples was chosen each time… The first time she went to the Sage Hall, relying on a blank expression, she clumsily transplanted the content from the jade slip and barely managed to pass.

The first time might work, but the second and third times would surely expose her.

After returning from the Sage Hall, Chang Wan sat in the original owner’s rocking chair, looking at the sweeping white-robed disciple, deep in thought.

That white-robed disciple was named Qiu Hu, a Foundation Establishment stage junior disciple, about eleven or twelve years old, somewhat timid. One of the disciples at the mountain prison before was him.

Chang Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief. The next class was in three days; she should first think about the clothing issue.

“Qiu Hu.”

“Disciple… Disciple is here.”

Qiu Hu had red lips and white teeth, clearly a shy young man as well.

Chang Wan was preoccupied and asked, “Where do you all receive your clothes?”

The original owner truly knew how to enjoy life. The Elder Hall occupied half a mountaintop, with pavilions and terraces, which was very beautiful. The consequence of this beauty was that after several days, Chang Wan still hadn’t figured out where everything was in her own residence.

Qiu Hu said, “At the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall behind the Elder Hall; they issue clothes to the disciples there.”

“Are there black ones?”

Qiu Hu said quietly, “Black clothes are… worn by Elder Qiu’s disciples.”

Chang Wan: “…”

The sect was divided among the three Elders. Chang Wan’s disciples wore white, Elder Xia’s wore purple, and Elder Qiu, whom she hadn’t met, had disciples wearing black.

White was so difficult to keep clean.

“I naturally know about such matters.” Chang Wan said calmly, “Go get me an undergarment.”

Chang Wan imagined the male lead’s physique. Although he was taller than her now, he was very thin. Her size should barely fit. She paused, then added, “It must be the softest fabric, preferably black.”

Black was more dirt-resistant.

Qiu Hu’s eyes widened, “Undergarment? Yours, Elder? Your undergarments are enchanted artifacts refined for you by the Dedicated Clothing Hall…”

Hers? And an artifact?

…Hers would be hers then; it was new anyway.

Chang Wan: “Then go fetch it.”

So many demands for a torn piece of clothing.

Qiu Hu was about to leave upon receiving the order, but Chang Wan called him back, “Wait, come back.”

Qiu Hu ran back again.

Chang Wan pondered for a while without speaking.

Qiu Hu looked at her expectantly.

Chang Wan let out a light breath, “…It’s nothing. See if you can bring me a clay flute.”

Qiu Hu looked at her strangely but left without overthinking it.

Chang Wan had originally intended to ask about the original owner’s sister. After thinking about the Qi deviation, she realized that no matter how she asked, she would expose herself.

Why would the original owner, who was on such bad terms with Elder Xia, entrust her sister to him?

She was ignorant of the complex implications. Asking rashly might lead to another storm.

No hurry; she would gather information slowly; there would surely be a harvest eventually.

~

Several candles illuminated the entire secret room.

The flickering candlelight, caused by the young girl’s arrival, cast deep and shallow shadows on the young man’s face. Beneath his long, thick eyelashes were a pair of tightly closed eyes.

Chang Wan, holding the clothes, was not at all surprised to see this sight.

His injuries were not minor; the whip marks were deep enough to reach the bone, and they weren’t healing. Chang Wan had discreetly inquired with Qiu Hu about the mountain prison before, only to learn that those whips and such were poisoned.

The poison prevented the wounds from healing and could even cause them to fester.

Needless to say, this was also Elder Xia’s masterpiece.

Therefore, even if the fever subsided, the injuries alone would be enough for him to suffer greatly.

Chang Wan couldn’t find an antidote for this kind of poison.

Chang Wan looked at the soft black undergarment in her hand, gentle and mild Wind Spiritual Energy wrapped around it, possessing healing properties.

She looked at the unconscious youth, then resignedly lowered her head, “I’ll serve you then.”

She lifted the blanket and carefully helped him sit up. The young man was slender, but the muscles wrapped in white bandages were firm and strong, and the key part… Stop!

Chang Wan stopped herself from thinking; one look and her face turned completely red.

She usually only liked reading novels, at most some light H-novels. This kind of real-life scene was a bit…

Chang Wan forced herself to be pure and slowly changed the clothes for him.

It was fine at first, very smooth, but soon, the youth’s expression suddenly became painful.

Chang Wan thought she might have accidentally touched one of his wounds, so she slowed her movements, but then she saw him struggling, dense cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Chang Wan immediately dared not move. The poison was already resolved—what was this now?

“Don’t…”

The youth seemed to be dreaming of some terrible scene; his face started turning blue, and the spiritual energy around him became chaotic. Chang Wan was startled and suddenly realized—

This was the sign of Qi deviation due to inner demon affliction during the Heart Movement stage!!

The jade slips from the past few days were not read in vain.

She roughly knew what it was like for someone in the Heart Movement stage to be afflicted by inner demons and deviate their Qi: irritable heart fire, unstable true essence, triggering a spiritual energy rampage. If it were an ordinary person, a slight mistake could lead to self-detonation and death!

Chu Changqing had a special bloodline and wouldn’t self-detonate, but if he wasn’t handled properly and went into Qi deviation… thinking of the Qingfeng Sect’s annihilation, to put it bluntly, death by self-detonation might have been better for him!

Survival instinct made Chang Wan hold her breath, pinning down his body. Following the method taught in the jade slip, she channeled her true essence to control the violent spiritual energy around him, isolating a vacuum area devoid of spiritual energy for him.

However, the youth’s pain did not lessen at all. He seemed to be dreaming of something extremely terrifying, his red lips turning pale blue, “Don’t… I can’t…”

What was he dreaming about?

Chang Wan didn’t know.

All she could do was hold his hand, pouring her wind-element true essence into his meridians, slowly guiding his chaotic true essence back onto the right track.

“…Don’t… stop…”

His lips parted slightly, and his lean body slowly curled up, as if he had suddenly lost all his ambition, dreams, soul, and fortitude, living in the agony of the past, without salvation.

Chang Wan didn’t have the original owner’s memories, but she remembered the plot she had just read.

No matter how the original owner whipped and tormented him, the youth remained indifferent.

He wasn’t afraid of pain or poison. Even when facing torment that would make ordinary people wish for death, he could manage a smile for her, and then, like a lone wolf in the snow at night, patiently wait for the right moment, suddenly jump out, and bite his enemy’s neck in one go.

But now.

Chang Wan’s hand was held tightly, painfully.

He seemed to be grasping a life-saving straw, or perhaps the faint light emerging from the darkness. His beautiful, charming peach blossom eyes were tightly closed, looking so fragile it was heartbreaking.