Hearing Ren Woxing curse Linghu Chong angrily, Physician Jia, standing nearby, had a peculiar expression, seemingly suppressing laughter.

Meanwhile, Ren Yingying, lying on the bed, found it both frustrating and amusing. “Father~”

Hearing the reproachful tone in his daughter’s voice, Ren Woxing’s eyes widened as if they were bronze bells.

“What now? Are you siding with an outsider so soon?”

Ren Yingying bit her lip in dissatisfaction. “This habit isn’t something Brother Chong passed on to me–it’s because I…” Halfway through her sentence, she abruptly stopped speaking. After all, she needed to keep up her act to ‘trick’ her father into teaching her the Cosmic Absorption Technique–not for the despicable Song Qingshu, but for Linghu Chong.

She understood her father’s intentions. If Linghu Chong refused to join the Sun Moon Holy Cult, her father would never disclose the method to resolve the hidden dangers of the Cosmic Absorption Technique. Yet, given her Brother Chong’s temperament, how could he possibly yield? Hence, she had to cooperate with Song Qingshu to deceive her father–despicable Song would save his friend, while she would save Linghu Chong.

Fortunately, Ren Woxing, preoccupied with her health, didn’t notice the flaw in her words. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly asked Physician Jia, “If I use the Cosmic Absorption Technique to draw the foreign True Qi from Yingying’s body, will that work?”

“Absolutely not!” Physician Jia exclaimed, his face pale with fright. “The foreign True Qi and the young lady’s internal energy have long been intertwined. If you forcibly use the Cosmic Absorption Technique, you’ll extract her own internal energy along with the foreign one, leaving her as a cripple.”

“That’s precisely what I was concerned about,” Ren Woxing nodded in agreement. He gazed lovingly at his daughter lying on the bed. “Yingying, it seems you’ll have to learn the Cosmic Absorption Technique yourself to resolve the crisis within you.”

“Silly child, no divine skill is as precious as my daughter’s life,” Ren Woxing said softly, his tone full of tenderness. However, when he turned to his followers, his face turned stern and cold. “Spread the word–within ten zhang of this place, not even a mosquito is allowed to fly in.”

“Yes!” Physician Jia responded solemnly and quickly left with the others.

Once everyone had departed, Ren Woxing closed his eyes, releasing his aura to sense the surroundings. Finding no one within ten zhang, he nodded slightly and turned back to Ren Yingying. “Listen carefully, Yingying. Here are the formulas of the Cosmic Absorption Technique. You’re smart and talented, and with me protecting you, there shouldn’t be any issues. Don’t be afraid.”

Seeing her nod, Ren Woxing began reciting the formulas: “…Keep the dantian like an empty box, always resembling a deep valley. The empty box can store items; the deep valley can hold water. If there is internal energy, disperse it into the various acupoints along the Ren meridian…”

While committing the formulas to memory, Ren Yingying thought to herself: ‘I wonder where that despicable Song is now. Hmph, it’s better if he’s not here. When he comes to me later, I’ll alter some critical points–no way am I letting my father’s divine technique leak out.’

She didn’t consider that her actions might endanger an innocent person. Even if she did, she wouldn’t care. Her gentle and sweet demeanor was reserved for her beloved; the rest of the time, she was the revered Saintess who controlled the fates of many in the martial world.

Noticing the light flickering in her eyes and her hesitation to practice, Ren Woxing grew suspicious. “Yingying, why aren’t you dispersing your internal energy according to the formulas?”

Her face changed slightly, and she hurriedly explained, “Father, you’ve said before that the most dangerous part of this technique is during the dispersing stage. I’m worried I might forget the formulas at a critical moment, so I want to memorize them thoroughly first.”

“That makes sense,” Ren Woxing smiled faintly, praising her. “Daughters are indeed more meticulous.”

Ren Yingying forced a smile, silently lamenting her plight. With her father watching over her, would she really have to give up all her hard-earned internal energy to practice this?

Although the Cosmic Absorption Technique was immensely powerful, the internal energy she had cultivated for over a decade was from the divine techniques of the sect. Giving it up all at once was truly heart-wrenching.

After some time, inspiration struck Ren Yingying, and she exclaimed joyfully, “Father, the foreign True Qi in my body seems to be… gradually disappearing.” The medicinal effects of the pill she had taken earlier had worn off, and her internal energy had indeed stabilized.

“What?” Ren Woxing’s eyes glinted coldly as he hurriedly checked her pulse. Indeed, her pulse had become more stable.

“I don’t know why this is happening, Father,” Ren Yingying said innocently.

“It seems you were poisoned with something that disrupted your internal energy,” Ren Woxing muttered with a furrowed brow. Suddenly, his expression darkened as he bellowed, “Jia! Get in here!”

Deep down, Ren Woxing realized he had been blinded by concern. Physician Jia couldn’t possibly mistake poison for internal injuries. Now that he thought about it, Jia had subtly guided him toward teaching Yingying the Cosmic Absorption Technique.

A chill ran through him. His first thought wasn’t of someone seeking his divine skill but rather that Physician Jia wouldn’t dare harm his beloved daughter without backing. Could it be Zhang Wuji, seeking to weaken his power?

Ren Woxing’s expression darkened further as countless possibilities flashed through his mind.

“Reporting to the Holy Leader, Physician Jia is nowhere to be found,” a subordinate reported from outside.

Ren Woxing’s face grew colder. “Dig three feet into the ground if you must, but find him!”

“Yingying, stay here and don’t go anywhere. I’ll assign more guards to protect you,” Ren Woxing said, cautious after his past experience with Dongfang Bubai’s usurpation. Suspecting a conspiracy on Heimuya, he left hurriedly to gather his confidants.

Ren Yingying watched her father leave, her face full of surprise. Doubts began to swirl in her mind: ‘Did that despicable Song say he could handle the arriving physician? Could Jia have been his spy all along?’

“Is the Saintess lost in thought because she’s thinking about me?” A teasing voice suddenly rang in her ear. Without turning around, Ren Yingying knew it was that scoundrel.

“How did you get in?” she asked through clenched teeth, knowing her father had just increased the guards outside.

“They can’t stop me,” Song Qingshu chuckled. “Now, my lady, please share the formulas with me.”

“How did you make Physician Jia lie?” Ren Yingying asked instead.

“Impressed by my skills, aren’t you?” Song Qingshu smirked. “But if I tell you, I’m afraid you’ll fall in love with me, so I’d better not say.”

“Who cares!” Ren Yingying snorted and recited the formulas quickly, hoping to get rid of him. Of course, she altered many key details.

After listening, Song Qingshu sighed and smiled slyly. “Lady Ren, you’re not being very honest with me. I refrained from using certain methods, yet you repay me like this?”

Her face turned pale, her voice faltering. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

Song Qingshu laughed. “With my skills, hearing Ren Woxing from ten zhang away is child’s play…”

Ren Yingying’s face went white. “Since you already know, why bother asking me?”

“To see if you’d lie to me, of course,” Song Qingshu replied, his gaze turning wicked. “As expected, the more beautiful the woman, the better she is at lying.”

Her heart raced as she instinctively retreated. “What… What are you going to do?”

“There’s no time today, so I’ll save this debt for later. But I must collect some interest now.” Song Qingshu lifted her delicate chin and k!ssed her deeply before leaving with a laugh, leaving her sitting stunned on the bed, lost in thought.

As Song Qingshu hummed a tune, heading toward Zhao Min and Li Mochou’s location, the tightened security of Blackwood Cliff proved futile against him.

*****

In Dongfang Muxue’s quiet courtyard, Song Qingshu pushed open the door. Seeing Zhao Min and Li Mochou seated inside, he was about to speak when a sudden sense of danger forced him to retreat.

With a loud ‘boom’, the spot he had just occupied was obliterated. Reacting swiftly had saved him from grave injury.

Before he could relax, a shadow shot out from within, exuding a menacing aura. Song Qingshu felt an unprecedented sense of danger, instantly pushing himself to his peak state. The two figures clashed at blinding speed, exchanging dozens of moves in mere moments, yet not a sound was heard.

Suddenly, the courtyard echoed with a muffled groan as the two figures separated rapidly.

“Your skills have improved since we last met,” a familiar voice rang out.

“Zhang Wuji?” Song Qingshu’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the man now standing beside Zhao Min and Li Mochou. The handsome man’s usual gentle demeanor was gone, replaced by a dark and ruthless air. Song Qingshu sneered. “So, the once-helpless Ming Cult Leader has returned.”

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