Ren Yingying grew increasingly anxious and quickly said, “I can go find Brother Chong. He’s always righteous and compassionate; he’ll definitely use the Cosmic Absorption Technique to save your friend.”

“Unfortunately, he’s not at Blackwood Cliff right now. A distant solution can’t quench immediate thirst,” Song Qingshu shook his head. “Besides, Linghu Chong’s Cosmic Absorption Technique is an incomplete version, riddled with flaws. Once the internal energy he absorbs reaches a critical point, his True Qi will lose control, and the consequences will be catastrophic.”

“What?” Ren Yingying was shocked, momentarily forgetting her predicament. “Why is Brother Chong’s Cosmic Absorption Technique incomplete?”

“Do you know why your father was overthrown as leader by Dongfang Bubai?” Song Qingshu explained the differences between the two versions of the Cosmic Absorption Technique.

Ren Yingying’s expression shifted unpredictably before she suddenly bit her lip and said, “Fine, I’ll help you.”

“Huh?” This time, it was Song Qingshu’s turn to be surprised. She had been fighting him tooth and nail just moments ago; now she was willingly offering her assistance?

Seeing his expression, Ren Yingying realized he had misunderstood and angrily retorted, “What are you thinking? It’s not the kind of ‘help’ you were just talking about!”

Song Qingshu pulled her back down onto the bed with him, laughing as he said, “I thought you were so devoted to your lover that you’d even give up your purity to save him.”

Lying partially in his arms, Ren Yingying felt extremely uncomfortable. “Let me go this instant!”

“You!” Ren Yingying was furious, but there was nothing she could do. Besides, recalling the times they had been in even more compromising situations, this seemed trivial in comparison.

The only thing that gave her some relief was that Song Qingshu’s hands, though holding her, were otherwise quite proper, with no excessive movements.

“You’d better think of another way quickly. I don’t have the patience to wait around,” Song Qingshu said irritably, though internally, he sighed in relief. Forcing a pure young w0man was something he found utterly repugnant. Though he didn’t see himself as a gentleman, he didn’t want to become a despicable scoundrel either.

His plan from the start had been to persuade Ren Yingying to cooperate willingly. However, directly revealing his intentions wouldn’t work; given their strained relationship, there was no way she’d agree. He had to frame her options as “help while dressed or help while undressed” rather than “help or not help.”

“Since I’ve agreed to cooperate, there’s no need for such a depraved method of practicing martial arts…” Ren Yingying, being clever, gradually pieced together his intentions. “I have a type of medicine that can cause temporary chaos in a person’s True Qi. Fooling my father wouldn’t be difficult, but he’ll definitely summon a doctor from the sect. It won’t be easy to deceive them.” Her delicate brows furrowed as she spoke.

“I can take care of the doctor,” Song Qingshu said confidently, his eyes flashing with calculation, clearly having anticipated this obstacle.

Ren Yingying looked at him suspiciously. “Deceiving the leader of the Holy Cult is a grave offense. No one but me would dare to lie to my father.”

“If I say it’s doable, then it’s doable. You should focus on how to fool your father,” Song Qingshu asserted firmly.

For some reason, Ren Yingying instinctively chose to trust him. Though he was detestable, he had accomplished many astonishing feats over the years…

*****

Ren Woxing was meditating in his room when he suddenly sensed something and opened his eyes. Looking toward the door, he asked coldly, “What is it?”

“Reporting to the Holy Leader, the young mistress, she… she…” came a maid’s panicked voice from outside. Ren Woxing recognized her as one of Ren Yingying’s attendants.

In a flash, Ren Woxing was at the door. Grabbing the maid’s shoulder, he demanded angrily, “What happened to Yingying?”

His wife had passed away long ago, and Ren Yingying was his only daughter, his most treasured possession. The thought of her being in trouble filled him with dread.

“The young mistress seems to have suddenly gone into Qi deviation,” the maid replied tearfully.

Ren Woxing’s expression darkened. Releasing her, he hurried toward Ren Yingying’s courtyard.

*****

“Yingying, why is your True Qi so chaotic?” After examining her pulse, Ren Woxing’s brow furrowed deeply.

“I don’t know, Father. I was practicing martial arts, and suddenly my whole body shook, and I ended up like this,” Ren Yingying replied weakly from the bed, her pale face filled with guilt. She hadn’t expected to team up with that scoundrel to deceive her own father.

“You seem to have traces of foreign True Qi in your body,” Ren Woxing muttered as he paced back and forth in the room before shouting, “Where is the doctor?!”

“Coming! Coming!” A man stumbled in moments later.

Ren Yingying glanced at him and was startled. This man, surnamed Jia, was one of the sect’s stewards. After Ping Yizhi left, he had become the most skilled doctor in the sect. Fooling him would be nearly impossible.

Ren Yingying scanned the surroundings anxiously but found no trace of Song Qingshu, making her even more nervous.

“Huh?” Doctor Jia’s expression turned strange as soon as he checked Ren Yingying’s pulse.

“How is Yingying?” Ren Woxing asked urgently.

Ren Yingying felt despair rising within her. It was over; she’d been exposed.

To her surprise, Doctor Jia replied, “Reporting to the Holy Leader, the young mistress has several types of foreign True Qi in her body. They cannot be expelled, neutralized, or suppressed. This has caused her current predicament. I am powerless, as this is a matter of True Qi, beyond the scope of medicine…”

“Yingying, how did foreign True Qi enter your body?” Ren Woxing asked sternly.

“I don’t know, Father. Perhaps I sustained some hidden injury during my trip to Shandong,” Ren Yingying said, feeling both uneasy and curious as to why Doctor Jia was covering for her.

“Shandong?” Ren Woxing’s fury erupted. “The only person you encountered in Shandong capable of harming you silently is that brat Song Qingshu! If anything happens to you, I’ll make him pay dearly!”

Ren Yingying secretly stuck out her tongue, thinking how her father’s wild guess had hit the mark by sheer coincidence.

Doctor Jia coughed awkwardly. “Holy Leader, I might have thought of a solution. May I propose it?”

“Speak!” Ren Woxing frowned, feeling something off about Doctor Jia’s demeanor today but too worried about his daughter to dwell on it.

“The young mistress’s condition stems from the entanglement of foreign True Qi with her own internal energy. They’ve reached a delicate balance, making it impossible for ordinary masters to resolve. However, your divine martial arts are uniquely suited to suppress all forms of True Qi…” Doctor Jia suggested, glancing at Ren Woxing.

Ren Woxing’s eyes lit up. “Indeed! Back then, Linghu Chong was also tormented by foreign True Qi, and my Cosmic Absorption Technique resolved it. But wait… could that damn Linghu Chong have passed this affliction to my daughter?!”

Check out my other projects: Dual Cultivation with a Fox Demon, Ask the Mirror (recommended), and Immortal Divine Tribulation, The Way of Restraint