Liu Xuanyi is too complex a person; I can’t see through him.
But I’m also grateful he isn’t standing on the opposite side from me. Otherwise, I would have died without a burial place on the night of the sacrifice.
Liu Xuanyi stood up and reached out to ruffle my hair. “Huai Yan, you’re too tense. Relax a little.”
Shen Li called us for lunch, and for the rest of the afternoon, Liu Xuanyi was in the study discussing matters with Chang Di.
In the evening, Mr. Gu arrived, and I excitedly went to greet him.
Mr. Gu apologized, “Miss Huai, I’m sorry. The Five Emperors copper coin was stolen.”
“Stolen?” I was a bit puzzled. “Do you know who took it?”
Mr. Gu shook his head. He said that after Old Mr. Gu was cremated, he had locked the Five Emperors copper coin in the safe in his bedroom. When he was ready to bring it here after Old Mr. Gu was buried in the ancestral grave, he discovered it was missing.
The Gu family had always been well-off, and their business had been doing well in recent years. Cameras were installed in every corner of the house. He immediately checked all the surveillance footage but found no suspicious individuals entering the bedroom.
My Five Emperors copper coin had vanished into thin air just like that.
Mr. Gu felt deeply guilty, and I was also somewhat saddened. After all, it was one of the few keepsakes Grandmother had left me.
“I’ll search more carefully. If it really can’t be found, I’ll find a way to get a similar one to compensate you, Miss Huai.”
I shook my head. “It’s just an ancient copper coin. Please don’t worry about it.”
·
Because of the Feng family matter, I felt somewhat unsettled.
That night, Liu Xuanyi was still busy in the study. I brought him a cup of hot tea and saw him studying an old, worn-out map.
I tentatively asked, “Are you going out?”
Liu Xuanyi nodded.
“Where to?”
“The Eastern Yi Salt Sea.”
I was startled. “You’ve decided to help the Feng family?”
Liu Xuanyi was still examining the map carefully with a magnifying glass and said casually, “It depends on his sincerity.”
“Sincerity?”
“Wait two days.” Liu Xuanyi straightened up and looked at me. “Whether his sincerity arrives or not in two days, we’ll set off to retrieve the Turtle Shell.”
I was about to ask why but immediately understood. “You’re determined to get it.”
The Feng family had something Liu Xuanyi wanted, and the Turtle Shell in the Eastern Yi Salt Sea was the key to forcing Feng Lao to hand it over.
Liu Xuanyi reached out and pulled me into his embrace. With one hand, he opened a drawer and took out a small book.
The book was palm-sized, very old and tattered. Inside were drawings of snakes raising their heads toward the moon. On the title page was a line of delicate, elegant handwriting: “Breathing across ten thousand miles, inhaling and exhaling the spiritual tide.”
The signature consisted of only one character: Zhen.
I immediately realized that this small book must have been given to Liu Xuanyi by Liu Zhen. Why was he showing it to me?
“Exhaling the old and inhaling the new—this is the Daoist way of nurturing life and the foundation of cultivation.” Liu Xuanyi placed the book in my hands. “Huai Yan, take it back and study it carefully. It will benefit you.”
I didn’t want it. “In a few days, I’ll return to school for my thesis defense and complete my studies. Liu Xuanyi, cultivation isn’t part of my life plan.”
But Liu Xuanyi didn’t think so. “Life is constantly changing. Don’t speak too definitively. Trying it won’t hurt.”
I had no choice but to accept it. For the next two days, Liu Xuanyi forced me to practice exhalation and inhalation.
Unfortunately, as a mere mortal, I could only mimic the movements and felt no changes in my body whatsoever.
·
Two days later, Chang Di checked the supplies and personnel, making all the necessary preparations. They were just waiting for Liu Xuanyi’s order to set off for the Eastern Yi Salt Sea.
I was a bit nervous, and since no one had told me what to bring, I just packed a few sets of clothes.
Liu Xuanyi leaned against the doorway, watching me with a smile. “Are you planning to come with us?”
“Huh?” I was puzzled. “I don’t need to go?”
“Do you know where the Eastern Yi Salt Sea is? Or what it’s like?”
“I studied ancient artifact restoration and preservation, so I’ve read some unofficial histories about the Eastern Yi Salt Sea. It seems to be on a tributary of the East Sea, but that’s all I know.”
“The Eastern Yi Salt Sea is a dead sea formed by long-term backflow from a tributary of the East Sea. Within a hundred meters of its coast, not a single blade of grass grows. It’s not only extremely cold and yin, but also highly corrosive. If an ordinary person falls in, not even a trace of them will remain.”
I was horrified. “If I go, wouldn’t that mean I’d never return?”
“That’s why I never intended for you to come.”
Alright, so I was just overthinking things.
Liu Xuanyi walked over and said seriously, “We’ll be gone for at least a week, maybe half a month. During this time, stay home and practice your breathing exercises diligently. I’ll check your progress when I return. If you do well, there’ll be a reward. If not, there’ll be punishment.”
I protested, “What kind of punishment?”
Liu Xuanyi lifted my chin with one hand and lightly kissed my lips.
My face instantly flushed red. Just as I was about to struggle, Chang Di rushed in, waving a box excitedly. “Fifth Brother, the old man from the Feng family sent something over.”
Embarrassed, I hid behind Liu Xuanyi. He cleared his throat lightly, and Chang Di acted as if he hadn’t seen anything, eagerly bringing the box over.
The box was made of bronze, about the length of a chopstick, densely carved with various symbols and emanating a chilling aura.
“He finally decided to hand it over.” Liu Xuanyi passed the box to me. “Open it and take a look.”
I took the box, understanding that this was the sincerity Liu Xuanyi had wanted from the Feng family. Carefully, I lifted the lid.
Inside the bronze box was a layer of bright yellow brocade. Unfolding it, I saw a Plum Blossom Coffin Nail, about the length of a chopstick, lying inside.
I screamed, throwing the box away, and collapsed onto the bed. The birthmark on my body instantly turned icy cold, piercing to the bone and unbearably painful.
“Chang Di, lock all the doors and windows. Guard the courtyard well with your men. No one is allowed in or out without my orders.”
Chang Di immediately obeyed and left.
Liu Xuanyi held my trembling body, his right hand forming a Sword Finger and pressing it against my forehead. A warm current surged into my body, calming me slightly.
“Huai Yan, don’t be afraid. I’m here. You don’t need to be afraid.”
“Open your eyes and take a good look at it.”
I shook my head, my teeth chattering. “I don’t know why I’m so scared, and my whole body hurts. Liu Xuanyi, don’t force me. Take it away!”
“It’s called Shen, corresponding to the acupoint five fen below the outer ankle of your right foot. In a moment, I’ll drive it in. It will be very painful, so bear with it.”
My entire body stiffened. I looked up at Liu Xuanyi, unable to believe what I’d heard. “You… what did you say?”
Liu Xuanyi said gravely, “Huai Yan, this is a necessary path. Neither of us has a choice.”
I instinctively broke free from his embrace and scrambled toward the foot of the bed.
Liu Xuanyi picked up the Plum Blossom Coffin Nail and walked toward me, grabbing my right foot.
I clung to the edge of the bed, kicking my right leg, trying to escape.
But I was no match for Liu Xuanyi. He quickly pulled me back, pressing the cold Plum Blossom Coffin Nail against the spot below my right ankle.
This reminded me of that night on the second day of the second lunar month, when the villagers pressed those Plum Blossom Coffin Nails onto me in the same way.
Only, those Plum Blossom Coffin Nails were different from this one—they weren’t as cold, nor did they fill me with such fear…