Volume One, Chapter 20: She Is Lying

Ji Muzhi glanced at Cheng Xi once more before saying, "Master, this young lady is congenitally weak and has never been properly nurtured. Long-standing chronic ailments have left her body frail, and she is now too weak to tolerate potent tonics."

Li Zhi'an eyed Ji Muzhi with suspicion. "Are you telling the truth?"

Considering how Cheng Xi had been swinging her blade to kill, she hardly looked like someone suffering from chronic ailments.

"Of course it is the truth." Ji Muzhi gritted his teeth; even the Master could not question his professional standards as an alchemist. Would he really lie?

"But she just wounded several bandits not long ago, and today at the Tianwei Teahouse, she drew a talisman in mid-air to block the path of the Four-Eyed Demon Fox. Though it only lasted for an instant, you are telling me someone with such ability is physically weak?" Li Zhi'an’s dark eyes fixed on Ji Muzhi.

"My Lord, are you certain?" Ji Muzhi looked stunned. "How is that possible? Her pulse does not suggest she could perform such a feat. How strange. Has this young lady awakened any natural talents?"

Li Zhi'an stared at him with an expression that suggested he was looking at an idiot.

Ji Muzhi: ...

He had forgotten that the Master just said she drew a talisman in mid-air.

"Drawing a talisman in mid-air?" Ji Muzhi’s eyes were filled with disbelief. In the Tongtian Bureau, only Ji Guanqi was capable of such a feat.

This young lady was truly a talent.

Ji Muzhi’s expression turned solemn immediately. "Master, this young lady has great potential. She must be properly cared for."

Li Zhi'an: ?

What nonsense are you spouting!

How she is cared for is a matter for the Cheng family; what does it have to do with him?

"Properly cared for? How exactly?" Li Zhi'an asked, merely out of curiosity.

"She cannot tolerate tonics and her foundation is weak. The only way is to nurture her carefully. She must not be overworked, and she must be kept in good spirits. Otherwise, given her current state, cultivation will be extremely troublesome in the future. You have to lay a solid foundation before you can build a house, after all."

Li Zhi'an’s face darkened, and he flicked his sleeves and walked away.

Is he raising a person or an ancestor!

Ji Muzhi chased after him, shouting, "Master! If she is well-cared for, she might live another twenty or thirty years. If not, her lifespan is hard to predict."

Li Zhi'an stopped in his tracks, his dark eyes locking onto Ji Muzhi.

Feeling the weight of the Master's gaze, Ji Muzhi felt his hair stand on end. He only spoke up because he cherished talent. "Master, please pretend I said nothing. I will go back and rewrite the prescription."

"Stop! Is she this weak simply because she was born frail and never properly nurtured?"

"Master, that is all I can see. If there are other reasons, we must wait for the young lady to speak for herself, or you could invite the Overseer to take a look." This time, Ji Muzhi did not dare to joke; he spoke with utmost seriousness.

Li Zhi'an did not reply, and Ji Muzhi, not daring to say another word, quietly withdrew.

He drafted a new prescription, deliberating carefully, before personally gathering the herbs and brewing the medicine.

Such a fine talent, yet... the heavens are truly jealous of such brilliance.

Cheng Xi drifted in a haze of sleep, plagued by dreams where her past and present lives blurred together. The dreams were bizarre and grotesque; faces of men, demons, and ghosts slammed into her. She gripped her sword, wanting to strike out, only to realize her sword was gone...

Right. Her sword had shattered.

If not for the broken sword and the wounds she sustained, she never would have lost control of her soul and crossed over.

After sleeping for an unknown amount of time, Cheng Xi finally opened her eyes.

The room was quiet. As she collected her thoughts, she remembered why she had fainted. If her enemies from her past life could see this—being knocked unconscious by a single swipe from a mere Four-Eyed Demon Fox—they would surely laugh themselves to death.

A tiger in the lowlands is bullied by dogs; a dragon in shallow waters is mocked by shrimp.

She propped herself up with her arms, only to feel soreness throughout her body, causing her to gasp.

"You are awake. Are you feeling any discomfort?"

Cheng Xi stiffened and turned to look at the person sitting by the window.

He sat with his arms crossed, his gaze calm and his brow slightly furrowed in an impatient manner.

"Master Li, why are you here?" Cheng Xi asked. She realized then that she was not at the Cheng residence. "Where is this?"

"The Tongtian Bureau," Li Zhi'an said, standing up.

The Tongtian Bureau?

"Master Li saved me?" Cheng Xi remembered Li Zhi'an arriving in time to capture the Four-Eyed Demon Fox, but she did not know he had also saved her and brought her here.

"It was just on the way." Li Zhi'an watched as Cheng Xi, having taken the Spirit-Nurturing Pill, looked less pale than before. He turned to walk out. "Come eat once you are awake."

In someone else's territory, one must follow their rules. Cheng Xi rose to wash up. Seeing a set of new clothes hanging on the rack, she thought to herself that Li Zhi'an, despite being a man, was quite thoughtful.

The goose-yellow dress was made of fine silk, soft and comfortable against her skin. She looked in the mirror and twisted her hair into a simple bun; she didn't know how to do anything more complex.

Once ready, she left the room, followed the path through the corridor, and arrived at the front hall. The table was covered with steaming food.

Cheng Xi immediately felt hungry. As she entered, Jiang Boyu asked, "Miss Cheng, how are you feeling today? Any discomfort? We owe much to you for yesterday's success, otherwise the Four-Eyed Demon Fox might have escaped again."

"It was just a coincidence," Cheng Xi said, taking her seat. "Why did the Four-Eyed Demon Fox run away again? Did the fragrant bait I gave you not work?"

Jiang Boyu replied with some embarrassment, "No, Miss Cheng's bait was excellent. It was exactly what lured the creature out. But the beast was too alert. One of the guards was a bit anxious and moved too hastily, making a slight noise, and it fled."

"Eat first." Li Zhi'an’s eyes lingered on Cheng Xi’s clothes for a moment before he served her a bowl of porridge. "Ji Muzhi said you should drink more porridge to soothe your stomach and avoid cold or raw food." He then used serving chopsticks to place a fried dumpling on the small plate in front of her.

"Who is Ji Muzhi?" Cheng Xi asked curiously.

"The physician of the Tongtian Bureau," Li Zhi'an replied.

Jiang Boyu: ...

If Ji Muzhi heard that, he would surely jump up; a perfectly good alchemist reduced to a mere physician.

Cheng Xi nodded and lowered her head to eat. The porridge was soft and sweet, and the fried dumpling was fragrant and crisp on the bottom.

After finishing a bowl of porridge, Cheng Xi felt much better.

The last time she came to the Tongtian Bureau, she was thrown in a cell. She never expected that this time, she would be sharing a table for a meal.

"Drawing a talisman in mid-air, was that also taught by your master?"

Li Zhi'an spoke suddenly. Cheng Xi paused, swallowed the porridge in her mouth, and looked up to meet his somewhat sharp gaze. She tilted her head slightly and offered a faint smile. "Yes."

Jiang Boyu, failing to notice the subtle tension between them, added, "Miss Cheng, you should know that even in the Tongtian Bureau, only one person can draw talismans in mid-air. It is truly unexpected that a young lady like you would possess such ability."

Cheng Xi’s brows twitched, but she remained composed. "Is that difficult? My master said it was merely a trivial trick. He even scolded me for being slow to learn and called me hopelessly dull."

Jiang Boyu nearly jumped out of his seat. The young lady was extraordinary, and her master was even more so.

A skill like drawing talismans in mid-air was considered a "trivial trick" to them!

Li Zhi'an’s eyes rested on Cheng Xi’s slightly curved lips, which held a hint of mischief.

And the fool Jiang Boyu didn't even realize she was lying!