Yuan Weiyang was astonished. As the scholar flower entered her belly, she felt a warmth rising from within, a radiant yang energy like the great sun’s reflection, penetrating deep into her marrow!
The Yuan family was renowned for their supreme mastery of spirit sense, possessing secret arts to refine the physical body through spirit sense. Yet for such a profound family technique to be matched by a single scholar flower was truly remarkable.
Eating the flower not only warmed her but caused her vital essence to fluctuate, her cultivation base rising perceptibly. She finally realized just how much benefit Xu Ying and Yuan Qi had been gaining over these past few days of "messing around"!
The two humans and one serpent finished the entire large branch in quick succession, eating until their bodies steamed with heat. Fine beads of sweat appeared on Yuan Weiyang's forehead, and her entire body surged with yang energy, cleansing her meridians and washing her marrow.
Xu Ying stood up and began practicing the Great Yin Nurturing Art to circulate his energy. He moved through the eight postures: Great, Yin, Nurturing, Origin, One, Yang, Eternal, and True.
The great serpent was also wriggling nearby, seemingly practicing the same Great Yin Nurturing Art. At times it formed its body into the shape of the character "Yi", then "Ao", and after a while, "Tu".
Yuan Weiyang sat watching. She vaguely heard the sound of vital essence and spirit sense flowing within Xu Ying and the great serpent, accompanied by the mysterious whispers of their souls and the rustling sounds from within their marrow.
Light seemed to glow within their bodies, gradually rising. As it reached various acupoints, divine radiance would seep out from each one.
The internal structures of these acupoints were projected into the air by the divine light, detailed and crystal clear. Yuan Weiyang was surprised to find that the interior of each acupoint looked like a natural Grotto-Heaven or palace!
"This technique is extraordinary. The longer one practices, the more changes occur. It is indeed far superior to the Scripture of Tuoyu!" she thought.
Watching in silence, as she observed these acupoint projections, a realization dawned. "From these projections," she reasoned, "I can combine the Celestial Resonance of the Yuan Dao with my inner visualization techniques to create a Divine Repository Art. I can hide a spirit within each acupoint across the body, forming a total of three hundred and sixty-five Divine Repositories."
This inspiration burst forth, and she suddenly felt that obtaining the Great Yin Nurturing Art was no longer the most important thing.
"However, I need clear internal structures of these acupoints to perfect the Divine Repository," she mused.
"My mouth feels a bit bland. Brother Yuan, let's go catch loaches!" Xu Ying grabbed Yuan Weiyang's hand and ran toward the river flowing along the tree trunk. Yuan Weiyang stumbled as she was pulled along but quickly hurried to keep up.
"Why would there be loaches here?" Yuan Weiyang asked in surprise, looking at the river before them.
Xu Ying let go of her hand and shouted: "Yuan Qi, go upstream and block the river! We'll dig for loaches downstream. We'll give you a few more later!"
Yuan Qi agreed and swam upstream, using its massive body to block the riverbed.
The water wasn't particularly swift, but due to the incline, a section of the river was quickly emptied, leaving only a shallow layer that barely covered the ankles. The mud, however, was quite deep.
Xu Ying bent down and rolled up his trouser legs. "Brother Yuan, roll up your trousers like this so you don't get your clothes dirty. Oh, your legs are so white!"
Yuan Weiyang bent down and rolled up her trousers. Her skin was pale and delicate, and Xu Ying couldn't help but touch her leg, complimenting: "Smooth as silk."
Yuan Weiyang felt her heart skip a beat, but fortunately Xu Ying had already withdrawn his hand.
Xu Ying then taught her how to roll her sleeves so they wouldn't slip down. Afterward, he jumped into the riverbed, where the mud reached his knees.
Seeing this, Yuan Weiyang relaxed and carefully stepped into the river. She watched as Xu Ying plunged his hands into the mud, digging around, and asked, puzzled: "Are there really loaches here? We are currently higher than most mountains in the world. How could there be loaches in a place like this?"
Xu Ying whispered: "There are. The loaches here are very large and taste delicious—you can't find them on the ground... I found one!"
He quickly pulled his hands out, grabbed Yuan Weiyang's hands, and shoved them into the mud. "Feel around yourself. Be careful not to startle it."
Yuan Weiyang bent down and carefully felt around, laughing: "Where... oh, it's huge!"
She let out a cry of surprise: "Such a thick one... it's so slippery, I can't hold it at all!"
The more she tried to grab it, the more it eluded her, slipping away into the mud.
Suddenly, the mud surged, and with a "plop," a "loach" about five or six feet long leaped out of the muck. It opened its cavernous mouth, filled with peg-like teeth, and lunged at Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang!
Ordinary loaches were rarely more than a foot long, with small mouths and whiskers. But this "loach" was shockingly large, with a dragon-like head, dorsal fins, and long whiskers trailing from its mouth—utterly fierce.
Unfortunately for it, facing young experts like Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang, it didn't even have a chance to bite before being knocked unconscious. The two were splattered with the mud it had kicked up.
"It looks like a Dragon Loach!"
Yuan Weiyang studied it closely and exclaimed: "It really is a Dragon Loach! I read about it in the Yuan family's records. A Dragon Loach has four whiskers on each side of its mouth, a dragon's head on a loach's body, and is too slippery to hold. It is an extremely rare exotic beast! It's recorded in the *Myriad Methods Record*, the *Supreme Dao Emperor Chronicle*, and the *Martial Saint Annals*!"
Xu Ying tossed the Dragon Loach onto the bank, his eyes shining: "Does the book say how to eat it?"
Yuan Weiyang was speechless for a moment before stammering: "N-no, it doesn't."
Xu Ying shook his head: "The books you read definitely aren't the right kind. Proper books always tell you if something is edible and how to eat it."
Yuan Weiyang was exasperated: "How can you say that?"
Xu Ying felt a bit guilty and changed the subject: "Brother Yuan, when you feel around, be sure to watch for air holes in the mud. Don't put your hand down where there's a hole—that's where the Dragon Loach's head is, and you'll get a bite. A slightly indented area is its tail."
He taught her by hand, caught another Dragon Loach, and then let her try on her own.
Yuan Weiyang's heart pounded wildly. Though she was far more powerful than any Dragon Loach, the excitement, anxiety, and thrill of the catch were an experience she had never known.
After digging along a stretch of the riverbed, they caught seven Dragon Loaches. The water upstream continued to accumulate; Yuan Qi was struggling to hold it back with its body. Seeing the water level rise, Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang scrambled back onto the bank.
Yuan Qi released the blockade, and the river surged forth.
Xu Ying looked at the mud covering his body and laughed: "Brother Yuan, let's jump in the river and wash off!"
Yuan Weiyang was startled: "Wash? Wash what? How do we wash?"
Xu Ying was confused: "Naturally, we take off our clothes and jump into the river to wash off the mud. What else could we do? City people are so strange. I'll turn my back first, and you can scrub my back. Then I'll turn around and scrub yours."
He quickly stripped off his shirt and then began to take off his trousers.
Yuan Weiyang's face flushed crimson. She watched as Xu Ying didn't stop even when he was down to his shorts, stripping down completely.
Yuan Weiyang let out a cry of alarm: "How can you strip completely?!"
Xu Ying looked down at himself, feeling a bit helpless: "Another one grew." He then gave it a hard yank.
Yuan Weiyang's eyes widened. Before she could cover them, she saw Demon King Xu Ying running around bare-bottomed like a madman before splashing into the water with a loud "plop"!
The scene was too much for her; she was stunned for a long while.
Xu Ying dove deep into the river until the water reached his neck. He splashed water toward Yuan Weiyang while jumping around, laughing: "Brother Yuan, come down and play!"
Yuan Weiyang's face turned even redder. She lowered her head and walked upstream, shouting: "I'll wash over there. I'm not used to washing with others..."
Her steps quickened into a jog, and she hurried upstream.
"Strange city rules. We in the countryside all wash together," Xu Ying muttered, shaking his head.
Yuan Weiyang walked several miles upstream, almost reaching the source of the river before stopping. She looked around and searched with her spirit sense. Seeing no one, she finally began to undress.
The thought of Xu Ying stripping at a moment's notice made her face burn.
Then she thought of him diving into the river bare-bottomed, and her face burned even hotter.
After removing her last garment, she folded her clothes neatly and stood up carefully, her arms crossed over her chest. Suddenly, as if by some whim, she looked down, then reached down with two fingers, pinched a hair, and yanked it out, giggling as she did.
Mimicking Xu Ying, she dashed toward the river with a joyful cry, shouting "Ya-ya!" before splashing in with a resounding "plop," sending up a spray of water.
In the middle of the river, a girl splashed vigorously, spinning and sending up sprays of water, laughing: "How free this feels!"
It took a long time for her to remember she needed to wash off the mud. She scrubbed her body, rubbing it clean several times. Then she moved to the shallower water, conjuring four bright mirrors that surrounded her. She checked over and over to ensure she was perfectly clean.
She gently rubbed areas where dirt tended to hide—under her breasts and behind her knees—paying careful attention to the spaces between her toes and under her fingernails. Only then did she climb out and dress, piece by piece.
Checking her reflection in the mirror, after a while, the girl once again became a handsome young man.
Yuan Weiyang retraced her steps to where Xu Ying had been bathing. Neither Xu Ying nor the great serpent was there, but a fragrant aroma drifted over, making her mouth water.
Following the scent, she found Xu Ying and the great serpent. They had set up the Great Bell, using it as a pot. It was filled with water, and the Dragon Loaches were already inside.
The Great Bell was shouting: "He who eats must not speak ill, and he who uses help must keep his mouth shut! No one is allowed to speak of today's events, or I'll smash his skull!"
Yuan Weiyang hurried over, feeling both alarmed and amused.
This Great Bell possessed self-awareness and could even cultivate, communicating freely with others. It was clearly a top-tier artifact!
Who would have thought that Xu Ying and the others would use it as a pot to boil loaches? And it wasn't even ashamed, instead shouting that anyone who leaked the secret would be killed.
This shameless behavior was quite unexpected.
"Is Grandpa Bell's injury healed?" Yuan Weiyang asked.
The Great Bell praised: "Young Master Yuan is much more sensible than you two. You come back wanting to eat and don't even ask about me. My external wounds have healed, but the internal injuries remain. That demoness was incredibly powerful. To erase the mark she left, I need to steal more qi and blood. Hmm, I also need to cultivate diligently."
"Steal qi and blood," Yuan Qi said indignantly.
The Great Bell clanged furiously: "Steal, not steal! Steal, heh..."
The Dragon Loach soup was incredibly flavorful. Drinking it made one feel as if vital essence was wriggling like loaches inside, clearing meridians and providing immense comfort. The Dragon Loach meat was also exceptionally tender and refreshing.
Xu Ying used leaves as bowls and stems as chopsticks. Yuan Weiyang never realized she could eat so much; she felt that this single meal and its drinks likely exceeded what she had consumed in the past fifteen years combined!
Full and satisfied, the two humans and one serpent lay directly on the ground, sprawled out and unwilling to move.
The Great Bell shouted for them to get up and clean it, but they were all so stuffed that they couldn't even lift a finger, let alone perform the tedious task of cleaning a bell.
The Great Bell cursed and went to the river to wash itself.
A short while later, Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and Yuan Weiyang all leaped up simultaneously and began to cultivate without prior coordination.
The Great Bell raged at their sudden diligence, not realizing they were forced to cultivate because they had eaten too many Dragon Loaches, their bodies stuffed with an overwhelming amount of energy that needed to be channeled.
As Xu Ying and Yuan Qi stimulated their guiding arts, they also assumed various strange postures. The two techniques progressed simultaneously without interference. Yuan Weiyang, meanwhile, practiced the Celestial Resonance of the Yuan Dao while observing the acupoint projections around Xu Ying’s body. Gradually, a new technique began to form in her mind.
By the time the energy from the Dragon Loach soup was fully digested, Xu Ying's soul and spirit sense had ascended to the first heaven beyond the Mysterious Gate in the Domain of the Ineffable!
Standing upon that first heaven, he looked between the sky and the earth, a surge of heroic spirit filling his chest. Looking at the current state of the world, with signs of chaos emerging, could there be a place for a snake catcher from Yongzhou?
They threw the scholar tree branches and loach bones into the fire pit to destroy the evidence. After cleaning up thoroughly, they descended from the tree.
Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang jumped down, stepping lightly on the bark every dozen zhang or so to cushion their descent before jumping again. They moved lightly like agile foxes and gracefully like a pair of butterflies.
Yuan Qi slithered rapidly through the cracks in the bark. Suddenly, it called out: "A-Ying, I’ve eaten too many good things. I’m afraid I’m about to knock on the Gate! Oh no, I might be about to undergo another transformation!"
Xu Ying stopped and looked back: "Your last transformation took several days. Now that you're both knocking on the Gate and undergoing a transformation, it will likely take many more days to complete. Stay up here for now. Grandpa Bell will protect you. Once the transformation is finished, come down to find me."
The Great Bell flew from behind his head to Yuan Qi’s side.
Xu Ying turned and leaped down, increasing his speed to catch up with Yuan Weiyang.
"Brother Yuan, the Zhou family ancestor is not a good person. When you have the chance, you and Xiao Bo must escape immediately," Xu Ying warned in a low voice.
Yuan Weiyang's heart trembled slightly, and she looked at him, puzzled.
Xu Ying recounted his discovery of the stone chamber in Qinyan Cave. "The scriptures he couldn't take with him, he burned them all. If he treats scriptures this way, what about people? Once we finish deciphering the Scripture of Tuoyu, we will be nothing more than scriptures he cannot take with him."
Yuan Weiyang understood immediately. "To him, leaving us alive is the same as leaving those scriptures in the cave. He burned the scriptures then, and he will use the same reasoning to kill us."
They arrived at the foot of the great scholar tree and were met by the stern-faced blue-robed elder, Xiao Bo, who seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
Upon seeing Xiao Bo, Yuan Weiyang landed and instantly hid her girlish feelings, returning to the persona of a refined nobleman. She walked toward the blue-robed elder and said gently: "Xiao Bo, have you been waiting long?"
She turned back and gave Xu Ying a slight smile: "Demon King Xu, let us meet another day. I look forward to our next exchange."
Xu Ying gave a slight bow, and Yuan Weiyang nodded as well.
Xiao Bo glared fiercely at Xu Ying before following Yuan Weiyang away. However, he did not know that once the long-imprisoned nature had been released, how long could it truly be locked away again?