Lu Qing’an was stunned by her question, and only then did she recall what Qi Manmeng was referring to.
Although Qi Manmeng had instructed her to look for that herb, due to a twist of fate, Lu Qing’an had never managed to get around to it.
Who could have expected that after being confined in solitary for so long, this matter would end up being delayed?
Qi Manmeng moved with light steps toward Lu Qing’an until the tips of her toes brushed against Lu Qing’an’s.
The two stood extremely close to each other.
Lu Qing’an could feel the gentle warmth radiating from Qi Manmeng and the exceedingly rich fragrance of lily of the valley.
Influenced by the event that had just transpired, even though Lu Qing’an’s heart was beating rapidly due to Qi Manmeng’s intentional or unintentional actions, she did not dare to reveal any sign of abnormality.
She took a few steps back, taking the initiative to distance herself from Qi Manmeng for the very first time.
“Master, I will work hard to search for it and will not disappoint your expectations.”
Qi Manmeng merely wore a playful smile, her fox-like eyes fixing on her for a brief moment. She offered no reply to this, nor did she correct Lu Qing’an’s form of address.
She turned around, raising a finger to hook Ji Zhixing’s chin. “You help her well.”
Ji Zhixing likewise took a step back. “I shall strictly obey Master’s command.”
Their rigid and formal demeanors made Qi Manmeng feel rather bored. She waved her hand and dismissed the two of them.
Walking beside Ji Zhixing, Lu Qing’an could not help but recall the lingering fragrance on Qi Manmeng. “Has Master always been like this?”
On the way back to the small courtyard, Lu Qing’an asked.
Ji Zhixing shook her head. “Master seems very busy. I usually do not go looking for her. I did not expect her to personally instruct you on what to do either.”
Ji Zhixing assumed Lu Qing’an was asking about Qi Manmeng instructing her to look for the Three Thousand Green Threads.
Lu Qing’an nodded, her bangs swaying with the movement of her head.
There was no other conversation along the way.
Usually, Lu Qing’an was the one to initiate topics, but at this moment, her mind was entirely consumed by Qi Manmeng, whom she had just met.
She could not spare any attention to joke around.
The two returned to the courtyard in silence.
The moment she saw the familiar place, Lu Qing’an stopped thinking about other matters. Just as she planned to rest well, she was stopped at the door by Ji Zhixing.
“No, you have not practiced your techniques today.”
Ji Zhixing reminded her from the side.
Though called a reminder, her voice actually carried a subtle hint of a threat.
Detecting the danger within it, Lu Qing’an’s small face fell, displaying complete reluctance. Yet the instant she turned to face Ji Zhixing, it turned into a flattering smile.
Lu Qing’an tugged at Ji Zhixing’s sleeve. “Good Senior Sister, I beg you.”
“Just rest for one day.”
She extended her well-defined index finger, holding it up high before Ji Zhixing’s eyes, playfully swaying it left and right.
“Senior Sister, Senior Sister.”
Lu Qing’an badgered her relentlessly.
Ji Zhixing let out a quiet sigh, releasing her clenched fist.
“Then perform the horse stance for two hours today.”
Seeing her relent, Lu Qing’an felt a surge of joy in her heart.
Once she relented, things would be easy to manage.
To be honest, she did not even want to hold the stance for fifteen minutes.
Before her mouth could open to negotiate further, Ji Zhixing cast a glance at her from the corner of her eye.
That single glance flashed with a touch of complete understanding.
“Hold it right now. For every extra word you speak, add half an hour.”
Ji Zhixing was well aware of Lu Qing’an’s skill in pushing her luck.
Back during their confinement, she had bargained her way out of a lot of practice just like this.
Lu Qing’an could only resign herself to fate, bending her knees and forming fists with her hands in front of her body.
Ji Zhixing sat down nearby to meditate and cultivate, supervising her for a while before getting up.
Seeing the direction in which she was walking, Lu Qing’an rejoiced in her heart.
That direction led toward the entrance of the courtyard. In other words, Senior Sister was going out. If Senior Sister was not here watching, wouldn’t she be free?
In her excitement, she blurted out her inner thoughts.
Looking at the uncontrollable smile on her face, Ji Zhixing understood completely without letting it show.
Wearing her familiar gentle smile, she moved her hand, shooting a streak of spiritual energy toward Lu Qing’an.
Although she was not proficient in human acupoints, she at least knew a few major ones.
Being immobilized, Lu Qing’an froze on the spot.
She watched helplessly as Ji Zhixing walked away in an unhurried, graceful manner.
The sun slowly descended from high above. Lu Qing’an watched her shadow circle around her for half a turn, feeling an unbearable soreness and pain in her legs.
Senior Sister lied.
This was not two hours at all.
In the blink of an eye, the setting sun stained the edge of the sky red.
Lu Qing’an estimated in her heart that she had been squatting for at least an extra hour.
Then tomorrow she would squat for one hour less.
The stars emerged.
Amid Lu Qing’an’s desperate longing, Ji Zhixing finally returned.
She pushed the door open, and what entered ahead of her body was the spiritual energy from her fingertips.
It drifted toward her through the crack in the door.
Lu Qing’an saw the spiritual energy enter her body and then felt control return to her physical form. Unable to adapt in time, she fell flat on her rear onto the ground.
Fortunately, her injuries had healed, otherwise this fall would have definitely caused her wounds to split open.
Rubbing her bottom, she looked at the newly returned Ji Zhixing with quite an aggrieved expression.
Ji Zhixing sat on a stone stool. Looking at Lu Qing’an’s state, a trace of embarrassment appeared on her face.
Rubbing her thighs, Lu Qing’an limped over to her step by step.
There was no helping it; this time she had practiced for far too long, and her legs simply could not support her weight.
“Senior Sister, where did you go? Why did you stay out for so long?”
She sat down familiarly on the stone stool next to Ji Zhixing, her small mouth chattering endlessly.
“I practiced for so much longer today, so I won’t practice tomorrow. Let me think, I held the horse stance for at least four extra hours.”
When mentioning the duration, she casually and nonchalantly scanned Ji Zhixing’s expression.
However, she was instantly stopped from continuing by the deep exhaustion beneath Ji Zhixing’s eyes.
Only then did she notice that Ji Zhixing’s hair was messy, one of her earrings was missing, and there were several small tears on her clothes, looking like scratches from an unknown source.
Lu Qing’an felt a surge of self-reproach in her heart. She had only noticed it now.
Senior Sister had been inside for so long, yet she had failed to realize it all this time.
“Senior Sister, you…”
She originally wanted to ask Ji Zhixing what had happened, but she saw Ji Zhixing lower her eyes, looking so exhausted that she did not even want to open her mouth to speak.
If it were not for the human body requiring breath, Ji Zhixing would probably not even be able to maintain the most basic survival right now, Lu Qing’an thought silently.
Suddenly, she saw Ji Zhixing’s lowered eyes close tightly, her head nodding repeatedly.
Looking at her senior sister like this, Lu Qing’an found it quite amusing.
She looked utterly exhausted and desperate to sleep. Lu Qing’an was familiar with this state, as she had often been like this during the master’s lessons back in school.
But she could not sleep out here, Lu Qing’an thought silently to herself.
Right after, Ji Zhixing’s head dropped heavily.
Lu Qing’an extended her palm in the nick of time to support Ji Zhixing’s chin. Otherwise, if she hit the bottom, her forehead would have certainly slammed against the table.
Keeping her left palm supporting her chin, her body moved slowly, circling behind Ji Zhixing.
Placing her right hand behind Ji Zhixing’s neck, she cooperated with the movement of her left hand, gradually shifting the weight of Ji Zhixing’s head to her right hand.
Then Lu Qing’an bent her waist, slid her freed left hand through the bend of Ji Zhixing’s knees, held her breath, and applied force slowly, lifting her entirely into her arms.
However, the movement was still too large.
Ji Zhixing regained consciousness. Before opening her eyes, she felt a rapid heartbeat coming from near her ear.
A scent belonging to Lu Qing’an lingered at the tip of her nose. Ji Zhixing could not quite describe what it was.
If she had to describe it, it felt a bit like a quilt that had been baked in the sun for a long time, smelling warm and cozy.
She closed her eyes, listened to Lu Qing’an’s heartbeat, and a smile curved at the corners of her lips.
Carrying Ji Zhixing, Lu Qing’an had not released her held breath, and because of the lack of oxygen, her heart was beating rapidly.
She placed Ji Zhixing onto the bed and took off her shoes, but left her socks and outer robe on.
Ji Zhixing’s quilt was folded on the inner side against the wall. Lu Qing’an gathered her robes and knelt with one knee on the side of Ji Zhixing’s bed.
Leaning over the space above Ji Zhixing, she reached for that neatly folded quilt.
Ji Zhixing did not open her eyes, but the quilt beside her sank, sensing that Lu Qing’an seemed to be getting onto her bed.
Ji Zhixing unconsciously tightened her grip.
In the next second, the quilt was gently and comfortably draped over her body.
However, because it might not have been used for two months, the fabric touching her skin felt a little cold.
She thought silently to herself that she should take it out to air in the sun tomorrow.
Seeing Ji Zhixing sleeping peacefully and soundly, Lu Qing’an felt happy in her heart as well.
At this moment, Ji Zhixing only revealed her head, looking sweet and quiet.
Tucking in the corners of the quilt, she removed the remaining earring and hairpins for Ji Zhixing. After confirming everything was proper, Lu Qing’an finally left Ji Zhixing’s side.
Inside this small hut, there was already her own bed, which Ji Zhixing had specially prepared for her.
It was much larger and far easier to sleep on than the bed in the solitary confinement hut.
Lu Qing’an was extremely satisfied.
The next day, Lu Qing’an was forcibly awakened by Ji Zhixing.
Opening her eyes, Lu Qing’an looked completely dazed. She looked at Ji Zhixing. “Senior Sister, what time is it right now?”
Outside, the sky was as dark as spilled ink.
Lu Qing’an turned her head, intending to go back to sleep.
Ji Zhixing gave her no such opportunity, forcibly dragging her into the middle of the courtyard.
Lu Qing’an’s spirit and soul were still floating with the Sandman. Even while standing there, her body kept leaning forward, looking as though she was about to fall asleep at any moment.
Lu Qing’an felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier. Just as she was about to completely lose consciousness, she suddenly felt a bolt of lightning strike right at her feet.
Lu Qing’an was startled, and her consciousness instantly cleared.
She was just sleeping; there was no need to get struck by lightning like this, right?
Lu Qing’an raised her head and saw no storm clouds. Instead, she saw a shadow standing on the eaves of the courtyard gate.
With her sharp eyes, she even saw that the shadow’s raised palm held a tiny spark of lightning, flashing with white light.
Lu Qing’an instantly flew into a rage, and all her morning crankiness exploded out at once. “Hey, old man up there, who do you think you are?”
What welcomed her was yet another bolt of heavenly lightning.
Lu Qing’an was forced to jump to the side again, followed by dozens of lightning bolts cascading down.
Driven into a corner, she had no time or breath left to say anything else. She could only dodge continuously, while the lightning bolts she failed to dodge landed directly on her body.
Lu Qing’an only felt her head growing groggier and groggier.
After being knocked unconscious by a strike, she would be jolted conscious by the next one. Coming one after another, Lu Qing’an did not even get the chance to collapse to the ground.
She oscillated repeatedly between fainting and regaining consciousness.
No wonder Ji Zhixing had been so sleepy after coming back yesterday.
Only now did Lu Qing’an realize that falling unconscious was a luxury.