Chapter 55 The Mysterious Master

Mingyue fled in a panic toward the depths of the peach grove. Recalling the alluring bathing scene she had just witnessed, her heart fluttered wildly and beat incessantly.

Who was he? Was he the mysterious master of this peach blossom wonderland? Would he kill her to silence her? What on earth was going on here? Why did it feel as though she were dreaming? Mingyue thought with mortification that this was simply too embarrassing.

The man in white caught up to the petite maiden in just a few bounds, suddenly blocking her path.

"G-G-Great God, d-don't kill me! I didn't mean to barge in here!" Mingyue peered through the gaps between her fingers at the white-clad figure before her, covering her face as she cried out, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to watch you bathe!"

The man in white furrowed his brow as he looked at the maiden, who was covering her face and refusing to lift her head. Her familiar petite figure and soft, sweet voice prompted him to ask with a puzzled expression, "Yue'er?"

The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Shivering with fright, Mingyue peeked out furtively through her fingers.

The person standing before her was tall and strikingly handsome, dressed in white robes that fluttered in the breeze. His raven hair cascaded like a waterfall, and an air of lazy nonchalance emanated from his entire being. A pair of slender, phoenix-like eyes regarded her with a mixture of concern and bewilderment. Thousands of peach trees formed a backdrop behind him, making his ethereal, immortal grace stand out with dazzling brilliance.

The man was so familiar that Mingyue's shock far outweighed her surprise. She stammered, "P-Phoenix Qingcheng? Why is it you?" Mingyue felt her face instantly burn with intense heat, completely forgetting to address him by his usual title of "Elder Lord."

She screamed inwardly: What kind of situation is this? Why on earth did Phoenix Qingcheng run off to this ghostly place to bathe? And why did she have to run into him of all people? How was she supposed to face him in the future? This was truly too embarrassing.

"How long are you planning to hide your face? Are you trying to suffocate yourself?" Phoenix Qingcheng asked teasingly, seeing her use her tiny hands to cover her face so tightly that she was too shy to look up at him.

Mingyue's fragile little heart began to race like a startled deer once more. Overcome with shyness, she kept her face covered and lowered her head, speaking in a low voice like a child who had done something wrong: "Elder Lord, I-I'm sorry... I... I really didn't mean to watch you bathe."

The person opposite her stared at her intently, remaining completely silent.

After waiting for a long time without any movement from him, Mingyue had no choice but to lower her hands. Her cheeks were flushed as red as two ripe apples. She raised her gaze to look at him innocently, wearing an expression that was both bashful and aggrieved. She even forgot to wipe away the nosebleed from earlier; the blood had dried beneath her nose, making her look somewhat comical yet adorably foolish. "I really didn't know anyone was there... uh... bathing..." she cried out aggrievedly.

He gazed with a solemn expression at the striking trace of blood beneath her nose, catching a strange, subtle fragrance in the air. The scent was remarkably unique, causing his brows to knit tightly in puzzlement.

Since when did she start wearing scented powder? He examined her face closely; it was flushed with an abnormal warmth, and her breathing was somewhat hurried.

Could it be caused by shyness? he wondered dubiously.

"I only saw your... well, I really didn't see any of the crucial parts." Seeing that he still wore a cold, stern, and somewhat dissatisfied expression, Mingyue wondered how she should phrase things to sound more sincere. *Should I take responsibility for you? Since I saw you all, should I offer you my hand in marriage?* Weren't plots like that only found in plays? Suddenly hitting upon a brilliant idea, she asked in a pitiful tone, "To compensate you for... um... that loss, how about I forfeit my monthly salary from now on?"

The person opposite her seemed somewhat surprised, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her with amusement. "Just that?"

"Ah? Is that not enough?" Mingyue thought to herself that this silver was a vast fortune. A deep pang of heartache gripped her as she reflected that if she hadn't been implicated by him, how could she have possibly ended up in this ghostly place and seen him bathe?

Grumbling inwardly and recalling the sight of Phoenix Qingcheng and Nalan Meidai embracing in the study, a wave of unreasonalbe anger washed over her. Such a man was truly... hypocritical. Didn't everyone say he was steadfast in his ascetic cultivation? Then why was he holding Nalan Meidai in such an intimate embrace?

Filled with boundless contempt for him in her heart, Mingyue let her words take on a teasing tone: "Elder Lord, you surely wouldn't expect me to offer you my hand in marriage, would you? Hehe..."

Phoenix Qingcheng's sharp, phoenix-like eyes suddenly fixed on her with profound meaning, causing Mingyue to realize that the atmosphere had grown somewhat awkward. In the mortal world, it was only when a man saw a woman's body that he would make her offer her hand in marriage... Realizing her gaffe, she clamped a hand over her mouth and stammered, "Haha, Elder Lord, I-I was just joking with you..."

"Are you that eager for me to offer you my hand in marriage?" he asked in a deep voice, raising his handsome brows.

Mingyue laughed awkwardly. "I was really... just joking. I know that you and Nalan Meidai have... well, gotten together... Actually, I don't really like sharing things with others."

"Sharing things with others?" Phoenix Qingcheng raised an eyebrow. "When did she and I get together? How come I didn't know about it?"

Mingyue looked at him, inwardly scoffing: *When you two got together, how would I know? If it weren't for your lover, why would I have fallen down here and seen you bathe?*

Phoenix Qingcheng suddenly turned serious and asked, "Do you care that much about matters between her and me?"

Of course Mingyue cared. If their relationship hadn't been out of the ordinary, why would Nalan Meidai have targeted her, a humble pill-refiner's apprentice, time and time again, attempting to take her life and nearly costing her her small life? Furthermore, she had bumped right into the scene of them hugging in the study, leaving her utterly mortified.

With a trace of petulance, she retorted, "Of course. Even if you two are like this, you should still consider other people's feelings." As soon as she finished speaking, she froze abruptly, raising her head to look at him in panic. Would he misunderstand her meaning?

Phoenix Qingcheng gazed at her with burning intensity, as if trying to peer deep into her soul. Panic instantly seized Mingyue's heart; she frantically clutched the hem of her garment, wanting to explain yet having no idea how to do so.

Phoenix Qingcheng gave a faint chuckle, paused for a moment, and said, "She and I are merely cousins. Don't believe those rumors." He then leaned down, brought his face close to Mingyue's ear, and whispered, "Actually, I don't like sharing things with others either..."

The warmth of his breath tickled her ear, and Mingyue felt her ear burning with heat. Hearing his words, enlightenment finally dawned on her. So those rumors spread everywhere by Nalan Meidai were all false? Phoenix Qingcheng wasn't engaged to Nalan Meidai at all; it had all been nothing more than Nalan Meidai's wishful thinking?

On the other hand, she wondered, could Phoenix Qingcheng be deceiving her? But why would he want to deceive her?

As if reading her mind, Phoenix Qingcheng said calmly, "Sometimes, what the eyes see is not necessarily the truth."

Mingyue raised her head, looking at Phoenix Qingcheng in bewilderment.

Phoenix Qingcheng smiled, tapped her little head gently, and said, "What kind of nonsense are you running through your head all day long? As for the question you asked just now, I accept."

"Wh-Which question? Are you really going to dock my salary?" Mingyue asked foolishly.

Phoenix Qingcheng glanced at her indifferently without answering.

Mingyue rubbed her head, carefully retracing the words she had just spoken. A sudden jolt went through her heart—could it be... the joking remark about asking him to offer his hand in marriage? Surely not? That was just a joke; he couldn't possibly have taken it seriously. It must have been something else entirely.

"Which sentence on earth do you mean..." she asked with a depressed expression.

Instead, Phoenix Qingcheng turned around with his hands behind his back and strolled leisurely forward, as graceful as a white cloud in the sky. Remembering the little girl's frantic, jumping reaction from moments before, Phoenix Qingcheng chuckled inwardly, though Mingyue failed to catch the profound and mischievous smile hidden within his phoenix-like eyes.

Which sentence could it possibly be? Was it really not about docking her salary? Beating her chest in despair, Mingyue hung her head and trailed dejectedly behind him. If this wages were gone, she wouldn't have any source of livelihood in the future.

Nan Gong Yurou had told her long ago that her upbringing had been simple and her nature naive, advising her to always keep her guard up in the future so she wouldn't end up being sold by someone while happily counting the money for them. Wasn't she right now being sold by Phoenix Qingcheng while still helping him count the money?

She raised her head to gaze at the sky, lifting her arm feebly. Suddenly, a wave of stifling distress washed over her; that sweet, fishy sensation welled up once again, making her feel slightly nauseous and short of breath.

Earlier, she had been too nervous to notice much. Now that she had relaxed, the injuries on her back flared up with wave after wave of searing pain. The world spun before Mingyue's eyes. She opened her mouth, intending to smile at Phoenix Qingcheng, who had turned his head to look back at her, but darkness overcame her vision, and she collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

Phoenix Qingcheng rushed forward and caught her in his arms, his nostrils once again catching that strange, distinctive fragrance.

Taking her pulse, he discovered that she had sustained severe internal injuries. That peculiar fragrance was actually emanating from her back, where fresh blood was oozing out—the scent came entirely from her blood.

Carefully removing her outer garments, Phoenix Qingcheng revealed a back that was a bloody mess. An expression of deep anxiety surfaced in his eyes. He swiftly pressed several acupoints on her body to stem the bleeding, then drew a medicinal pill from his bosom and fed it to her. It was the Wuji Pill, renowned for its exceptional efficacy in treating internal injuries.

"Silly girl, what on earth did you run into to sustain such severe internal injuries?" Phoenix Qingcheng murmured, his slender, phoenix-like eyes brimming with tender heartache.

Picking her up, Phoenix Qingcheng moved swiftly to the edge of the hot spring pool. He laid her down gently, positioning her on her side upon the stone slabs beside the water.

With utmost care, he removed her outer garments, exposing a petite and exquisite figure clad only in a bodice. Her limbs were slender, and her breasts were full and rounded, stretching the bodice taut and revealing graceful curves. The severe abrasions behind her delicate arms had caused her outer garment to stick fast to the wounds, leaving her back a mangled mess of blood and flesh where some of the blood had already begun to coagulate.

Unconscious, she lay there quietly. Her pale, delicate face looked as though she were simply asleep, resembling a helpless infant. Standing in stark contrast to her usual mischievous, stubborn, and resilient self, she now appeared so frail that it tugged at his heartstrings.

Phoenix Qingcheng produced a snow-white silk handkerchief, moistened it with the hot spring water, and meticulously cleaned the wounds on her back and arms.

As her blood mingled with the hot spring water, it cast a faint, luminous glow in the dimness. A few drops that dripped onto the ground caused tender green vines to sprout at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Holding the blood-stained handkerchief, Phoenix Qingcheng stared blankly at the newly sprouted vine.

He gazed fixedly at her, rapidly turning several questions over in his mind: What kind of person was she? Why was her constitution different from ordinary people?

With a grave expression, Phoenix Qingcheng did not stop his cleaning. Once the wounds were cleansed, he produced a bottle of brown medicinal powder and dusted it over her injuries, a remedy specifically for external wounds.

The maiden's breathing was heavy, and she let out a muffled groan in her unconsciousness, appearing to be in great pain.

Lifting her into a seated posture, Phoenix Qingcheng pressed his palms against her back and channeled his inner energy to heal her internal injuries for a while, until her breathing grew steady once more.

Finally, he inspected the wounds on her back. After the medicinal powder had been applied, they were healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Her wounds healed far faster than those of ordinary people, and before long, scabs began to form, with some areas even revealing skin as white and smooth as jade. The magical fragrance gradually faded as well.

Phoenix Qingcheng's brows were tightly knitted as he suddenly recalled a record in an ancient text: in primordial times, there existed a mysterious nine-tailed fox clan whose wounds possessed extraordinary self-healing capabilities. However, that mysterious clan had long vanished into the river of history, and the texts had never mentioned anything about their blood carrying a strange fragrance.

As for all demonic clans, because they needed to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon to complete their physical cultivation, their immortal meridians differed from those of humans. While human meridians consisted of only a single pathway, demonic meridians had two branches, granting them lifespans far exceeding those of humans.

Placing his hands against her back once more, Phoenix Qingcheng extended his divine sense to carefully examine her immortal meridians. One look left him utterly stunned. Mingyue actually possessed *three* immortal meridians! Aside from her primary meridian being broader and tougher than those of ordinary people, there were two slender branches running alongside it. No wonder her cultivation speed far surpassed that of others despite her tender age.

Phoenix Qingcheng pondered deeply; not a single book in the world contained any records concerning three immortal meridians.

Withdrawing his divine sense, he looked down at the petite maiden resting quietly before him. Her thin, delicate frame and defenseless posture stirred a deep sense of protectiveness.

Gazing at her helpless form, a sudden resolve blossomed in Phoenix Qingcheng's heart to protect her for the rest of his life.