Mu Yin sat on the bed leaning against the pillow, looking around at the crowded room in confusion.
“Father, Mother, why are you all in my room?” Mu Yin couldn’t help but ask.
Yu Luo exchanged a glance with her husband before walking over to sit by the bed. “Do you really not remember anything?” she asked.
Mu Yin frowned slightly and said to Yu Luo, “I think I have some vague memories.”
She continued, “This afternoon, I saw the teapot and teacups arguing, and I tried to mediate. After that, I think I returned to my room and saw many strange things. Some of the furniture was talking, and my house lost its roof.”
Mu Yin glanced up at the still-intact ceiling and sighed in relief. “Thank goodness the roof is still here. I remember seeing disciples from the Five Skandha Sect riding broomsticks in the sky, asking me to join their class. I refused.”
There seemed to be many more events after that, but Mu Yin couldn’t recall clearly. Her head felt dizzy and muddled.
Hearing this, the elder from the Medicine Sect said to Yu Luo and Si Muzhou, “The young mistress likely still has residual toxins in her system. A night’s rest should restore her.”
Si Muzhou gave a grim “Hmm” before approaching Mu Yin. “I heard your poisoning was caused by conjuring poisonous mushrooms. You must never eat such things again, understand?”
After this ordeal, even without Si Muzhou’s warning, Mu Yin wouldn’t dare consume her own conjured poisonous mushrooms again. She nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Later, Si Muzhou and Yu Luo inquired further with the elder about the mushrooms. From their conversation, Mu Yin gained several insights.
The mushrooms she conjured indeed contained certain toxins, and presumably other varieties might have similar effects.
Moreover, these toxins were undetectable. Even the most experienced elders from the Medicine Sect couldn’t identify the cause of her condition. Various methods had been attempted without fully eliminating the toxins from her system. Ultimately, Mu Yin had regained consciousness on her own.
If that were truly the case, didn’t that mean her conjured mushrooms were tasteless, odorless, and incurable?
Mu Yin’s eyes lit up as she finally saw the future development path for her mushroom spirit root!
She firmly believed that as her Magical Power advanced, she could conjure many other types of mushrooms. If she could remove the toxins from poisonous varieties, it would be a boon for mushroom enthusiasts!
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, filling her with excitement.
Yet no matter how excited she was, rest was necessary especially since some toxins remained. Mu Yin needed several days of quiet recuperation.
If only I could conjure mushrooms that detoxify, she thought drowsily as she lay in bed.
Today’s incident had frightened everyone. Hong Zhuang remained by Mu Yin’s bedside until she fell asleep, only returning to her own quarters at midnight.
Not long after Hong Zhuang left, an eerie wind swept through Mu Yin’s room.
Si Lingqing stood beside Mu Yin’s bed, gazing down at the sleeping woman.
She hadn’t visited these past few days, having been occupied with official duties in the Underworld.
It wasn’t that the work was particularly demanding, but during her time in the Underworld, Si Lingqing had encountered that Mu Yin her rightful wife.
That Mu Yin clearly didn’t recognize Si Lingqing, mistaking her for one of the Underworld’s spirits. Thus, she answered whatever questions Si Lingqing asked.
Mu Yin told Si Lingqing that she had died by crashing into the bridal sedan, all to avoid marrying Si Lingqing in the underworld ceremony.
Mu Yin had been bullied by her family since childhood, with no one to care for her. She felt that marrying a dead person was simply jumping from one pit of fire into another, so she would rather die.
But after arriving in the underworld, the officials discovered discrepancies.
Her soul had come, yet her physical body was still alive.
This didn’t match the records in the Book of Life and Death at all. So for the past month, Mu Yin had been wandering the underworld like a squatter, sometimes bullied by malevolent spirits, other times by underworld staff.
In short, whether alive or dead, Mu Yin had a miserable existence.
Si Lingqing was puzzled. Who, then, was the soul currently residing in Mu Yin’s body?
She had considered that perhaps some wandering soul had taken over the body. But Si Lingqing was the Ghost King, having lived for tens of thousands of years. She could distinguish between human and ghost at a glance. Having already been intimate with Mu Yin, how could she not tell?
Realizing this, Si Lingqing grew even more suspicious.
If even she couldn’t detect the secret of the soul within Mu Yin’s body, it could only mean the other party was no ordinary being.
Strength was one thing, but the fact that this presence had stayed by Si Lingqing’s side undetected for over half a month was already an earth-shattering matter.
Now, Si Lingqing stood by the bed, gazing down at the unconscious Mu Yin with a dark expression.
“Who exactly are you?”
Si Lingqing’s cold, pitch-black eyes studied Mu Yin as she reached out to touch the warmth of her cheek, murmuring, “Do you have other ulterior motives?”
The next morning, Mu Yin slowly opened her eyes.
Yesterday’s poisoning had thrown everyone into chaos. After a night’s sleep, Mu Yin still felt unwell, her entire body ached, a dull soreness seeping into the very marrow of her bones.
Was this the aftermath of poisoning?
Mu Yin wrinkled her nose and tried to get up to wash, only to feel something in her blankets.
Her fingers brushed against something furry. In one swift motion, she flung the covers aside and found a small black cat curled up beside her.
Si Lingqing lazily cracked open one eye to glance at Mu Yin before burying her face back into her paws, flicking her tail irritably, a clear sign she was still sleepy.
“Where have you been these past few days?” Mu Yin wasn’t about to indulge her. She scooped the cat up under her arms, cradling her against her chest and nuzzling her. “Didn’t you say you’d only be gone for a little while? I missed you so much! Let me get a good sniff!”
With that, Mu Yin buried her face into Si Lingqing’s belly, rubbing vigorously.
Si Lingqing’s dark eyes fixed on Mu Yin, watching her blissful, satisfied expression with bewilderment.
What kind of troublesome entity in this world behaved like this?
She looked no different from an ordinary young girl.
Could it be, this person wasn’t what she had suspected?
Si Lingqing remained silent, allowing Mu Yin to nuzzle her before snuggling back under the covers with her.
“I don’t feel well today, my whole body hurts,” Mu Yin whined, hugging Si Lingqing tightly. “Yesterday, I almost went to meet the King of Hell.”
At this, Si Lingqing lifted her gaze to give her a sidelong glance.
If you really had gone to the underworld, let’s hope you wouldn’t have been scared out of your wits.
Si Lingqing flicked her ears contentedly, nestled in Mu Yin’s arms as they rested together.
As for that Mu Yin from the Underworld, Si Lingqing had used her influence to arrange her reincarnation.
Considering she was, after all, her ‘original wife,’ Si Lingqing ensured she would have ten lifetimes of smooth and prosperous lives. Each life would be as nobility, cherished by her parents and adored by her beloved, living happily until a peaceful natural death.
It was Si Lingqing’s parting gift to her.
As for the one before her now, Si Lingqing decided to observe her a little longer.
Hong Zhuang arrived soon after, visibly delighted to see Si Lingqing, chattering away with endearments like “Coal Boss” this and “Coal Boss” that. Si Lingqing paid her no mind.
Only when she heard that Mu Yin had suffered mushroom poisoning the previous day did Si Lingqing lift her eyelids to glance at Mu Yin, who was sitting in her undergarments sipping porridge.
So foolish. Surely she couldn’t be the one to destroy the Nine Provinces?
Si Lingqing mused idly.
The elder from the Medicine Sect came for a follow-up examination, but Mu Yin still felt unwell all over. She was advised to rest properly and was prescribed several medicinal concoctions, yet there was no sign of improvement in fact, her condition seemed to worsen.
Especially at night, Mu Yin felt as though something was wriggling through the gaps in her bones, and by the early hours, the pain would often jolt her awake.
How could this be?
Mu Yin found it strange. Logically, the effects of the poisonous mushroom should have cleared within a day or two. The initial discomfort could be dismissed as lingering aftereffects, but why was she feeling worse instead?
She lay on the bed, drenched in sweat from the pain, her forehead slick, her entire body soaked.
Si Lingqing stretched lazily, hopped off the bed, and transformed into her human form.
She was still clad in her dark-patterned black robe, now calmly watching Mu Yin writhing in pain. With a flick of her sleeve, she sat down beside Mu Yin’s bed.
Seeing her approach, Mu Yin weakly reached out to tug at her clothes and whispered, “Si Lingqing, my whole body hurts so much. Am I going to die?”
Si Lingqing’s gaze remained serene as she shook her head slightly. “You’re fine. It’s just that your Yin Immortal Body requires periodic replenishment of yin energy. Otherwise, you’ll suffer this kind of pain.”
Mu Yin’s eyes glazed over momentarily, she seemed to recall something.
Before leaving the Nine Stars Gate, Jiang Fan had indeed warned her about this, explaining that the Yin Immortal Body needed regular infusions of yin energy.
At the time, Mu Yin hadn’t taken it seriously. But now, she finally grasped the severity of the situation.
Frowning, she lay back and asked in confusion, “But why was I fine before? Even at the Nine Stars Gate, nothing happened.”
Si Lingqing explained calmly, “You were living in the southern courtyard of the Nine Stars Gate, an area abundant in yin energy. Naturally, you absorbed it daily without issue. But the Five Skandha Sect is a righteous stronghold in the world, there’s no yin energy for you to absorb here.”
Mu Yin frowned. “Then what should I do? Where can I find a place with enough yin energy?”
Si Lingqing didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she studied Mu Yin, drenched and trembling on the bed, before finally saying after a long silence, “Actually, you don’t need to seek out a place rich in yin energy at all.”
Mu Yin looked at her in bewilderment. Assuming Si Lingqing, with her vast powers, must have a solution, she grasped her hand and pleaded earnestly, “You have a way, don’t you?”
Si Lingqing nodded.
She looked at Mu Yin, whose fingers trembled slightly from the pain, and leaned down.
Her long, night-black hair cascaded over Si Lingqing’s shoulders in a graceful arc. Mu Yin could even catch the faint scent emanating from her, and inexplicably, the pain within her body seemed to ease a little.
Si Lingqing gazed at Mu Yin, pressing her hand against the pillow, and whispered softly, “Naturally, it’s to Dual cultivate with me.”