How The Little Medical Cultivator Saves the Furries – CH41

Chapter 41

Ye Yumeng’s convoy gradually drove farther away.

They had set out at three in the afternoon. At this speed, they would likely reach the Royal Sanatorium around ten that night.

The hovercars moved steadily along, and every now and then they passed other vehicles on the road.

The area around the East Wing was livelier than the area near the Royal Institute.

Besides the bustling little market town, there were also several children in the fields, laughing and chasing after passing vehicles, with adults behind them shouting curses the whole way.

Those children were probably still not very skilled at controlling their bodies. Furry ears sat atop their heads, and fluffy tails of varying lengths swayed behind them.

“Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!”

One of them got especially worked up and simply turned into a little dog, racing wildly along the ridge between the fields.

Ye Yumeng leaned against the window and looked outside.

It was the kind of peace and harmony that both he and the original owner had rarely ever experienced. Technology, nature, and people blended together perfectly, making one unable to resist longing for it.

He watched and watched, until the voices of the crowd gradually faded into the distance.

Lu Nanzhou sat opposite him, quietly watching Ye Yumeng, taking in the yearning and lingering fondness in his eyes.

No one spoke in the car.

Ye Yumeng watched the scenery. Lu Nanzhou watched him.

As for Mo “giant lightbulb” Yin, he was still thinking about what had happened outside the isolation room.

He was sure he himself had not made a move. Of course, he could not rule out the natural traits of a Type-A Cognition-Devouring Parasite—supposedly, that kind of creature could not remain exposed to open air for long.

Could it be that it had failed because it exceeded its time limit without successfully parasitizing a host?

But Mo Yin always felt that a creature so cunning, so skilled at disguise, and so intelligent should not make such a low-level mistake.

And besides…

Mo Yin again thought of that fleeting mental fluctuation. He was certain he had not mistaken it.

But how could His Majesty possibly have appeared in the East Wing?

No matter how special Doctor Ye was to His Majesty, with His Majesty’s current physical condition, personally protecting Doctor Ye’s safety was simply beyond his means.

Mo Yin frowned in thought, but no matter how much he considered it, he could not make sense of it.

More than two hours later, the hovercars drove onto a winding road through the open plains.

As the sun gradually slanted westward, the sky ignited with brilliant evening clouds. Like a painted canvas, shades of orange-red and blue-violet spread outward layer by layer from the horizon.

The clouds piled against the sky like little mountains had also been edged in gold, and the light, soft and beautiful, streamed in through the windows and laid a layer of warmth over the interior of the cars as well.

Immersed in the scenery, Ye Yumeng let the evening wind brush against him and felt his heart grow broad and light.

Just then, the hovercar that had been moving forward at a steady pace suddenly slowed to a stop.

He was forced out of his daze.

What was it? Had something happened to Old Mister Yan?

He withdrew his gaze and was about to look back at the vehicles behind them when he saw Yan Xueyun already hurrying over.

“Doctor Ye, could we stop here for a little while?”

Her hands were clasped before her, and her attitude was respectful and somewhat restrained, slightly different from before.

“Did something happen to Old Mister Yan?”

Ye Yumeng quickly got out of the car.

He had been about to go check on the old man, but the moment his feet touched the ground, he saw the elderly lion leap down from the car as well.

Though his movements were slow, he did not look like someone whose condition had suddenly worsened.

“Old Mister Yan?” Ye Yumeng walked over in confusion.

The lion lowered himself to the ground. Only when Ye Yumeng had reached him did he begin speaking in a low voice.

“Doctor Ye.”

His aged voice was somewhat deeper and fuller than it had been in human form, no longer so hoarse.

So adults who could fully beastify could still speak? Was it because he was fully grown?

Ye Yumeng was thinking this when he heard Old Mister Yan continue, “I want to stay here for a little while.”

“If you have matters to attend to, you need not mind me. You may take the aircraft and leave first. Whether I make it to the Royal Sanatorium or not, the Yan family will keep its promise.”

Ye Yumeng asked, puzzled, “Could you tell me why?”

The old lion’s weathered eyes looked not at him, but past him. The wind lifted his mane gently, while the slanting sunlight cast a halo around him.

“I want to take one last good look at this world.”

Ye Yumeng followed his line of sight and turned to look behind him. He, too, was instantly captivated.

Just moments ago, he had only been looking at the evening glow in the sky. He had not noticed that on the far side of the slope lay a sea of flowers stretching beyond sight, vast and seemingly endless.

The purple-blue blossoms swayed gracefully in the evening breeze. Their naturally cool and vivid tones had been brushed by the burning clouds at the horizon, and some had turned into a warm golden orange.

A huge flock of birds swept across the sky, like a giant whale drifting through the ocean—massive and graceful.

“Winter is almost here.”

The lion crouched behind him spoke again, his deep, aged voice carrying a peculiar sense of story and time.

“This flower is called Ziqiu. It only blooms in late autumn.”

“The flowering period of Ziqiu is very short. At this level of brilliance, it will probably wither in a day or two.”

“I… want to look at it properly,” Old Mister Yan said. “Because after this, I most likely won’t be able to see such a sight again.”

After saying those words, the old lion did not wait for Ye Yumeng’s reply. He simply began walking down the hillside, step by step.

His gait was slow and unsteady, but every step was firm.

Though this choice might bring his life to an end sooner, at least in his final moments, he would not die bedridden and pitiful.

For Yan Jin, once the Lion King, that was already the greatest mercy.

Yan Xueyun’s eyes brimmed with tears. After giving Ye Yumeng a nod of thanks, she hurried after her father down the slope.

Ye Yumeng watched as the father and daughter made their way to a tree in the middle of the flower sea.

The old lion looked exhausted. He lay beneath the tree, panting, while Yan Xueyun wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his mane, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

Though Ye Yumeng had long grown used to partings between life and death, at this moment, he still could not help feeling sorrow.

“Doctor Ye, should we head back first?”

Mo Yin’s rational voice sounded at his side. Having seen too much life and death on the battlefield, Mo Yin had not been thrown into emotional turmoil by the lion father and daughter’s farewell.

No matter what, His Majesty’s life was still the most important. Only if His Majesty remained safe could interstellar peace be ensured and more tragedies prevented.

“Young Master is still waiting for you.”

Ye Yumeng’s emotions were interrupted as well, but they did not improve.

He thought for a moment, then asked, “How is the little rabbit doing?”

“According to Director Lei’s reply, Young Master’s condition is stable for the moment. He has remained in deep sleep the entire day.”

Ye Yumeng nodded, but his gaze once again turned toward the flower sea.

“Go down and take a walk.”

At that moment, he heard Lu Nanzhou, standing quietly beside him, speak in a low voice.

That voice was unlike Mo Yin’s gentle politeness. It carried a cooler texture. If one only heard the tone and not the content, it would sound rather cold.

Yet hearing those words, Ye Yumeng’s heart stirred.

He turned his head and looked at the golden-haired man who had always been beside him, quiet yet impossibly present.

Lu Nanzhou looked back at him. His voice, deliberately softened, carried a trace of subtle gentleness. “Go. A little more time won’t matter.”

“Mm.”

Ye Yumeng really was persuaded. Sniffling, he said to Mo Yin, “I want to stay a little longer. We’re still within the planned time, so there’s no need to rush.”

Mo Yin paused, puzzled, and followed the direction where Ye Yumeng had been looking.

There was nothing there at all.

Had he seen wrong?

Ye Yumeng had already turned and run back to the car, grabbed his bag, slung it over his back, and then ran down toward the sea of flowers.

Mo Yin did not follow.

Logically, he ought to have followed Ye Yumeng closely and protected him in person. But for some reason, he had a feeling that it would be better to stay here and keep watch instead.

How strange…

There were simply too many unsolved mysteries surrounding Doctor Ye.

“So comfortable!”

As he went deeper into the flowers, as petals and fragrance swirled around him, Ye Yumeng took a deep breath and felt his whole body relax.

This was the purest essence of vegetation, made more lush and concentrated under the nourishment of sun and moon.

Ye Yumeng loosened his guard and let the plant essence soak into him. His earlier heaviness of heart gradually calmed.

The sadness and longing that had arisen from thinking about medical cultivators and Xueqiu also seemed to be soothed.

Thinking of something, he took out his smartbrain and switched it to recording mode.

“This place is really beautiful.”

Looking at the endless sea of flowers, Ye Yumeng could not help saying it aloud.

Then the lens slowly turned toward Lu Nanzhou, though of course the smartbrain could not capture his spirit form.

Ye Yumeng’s gaze left the screen, and he looked up at Lu Nanzhou in a daze.

The first time he summoned Lu Qi, when he had seen him standing by the window looking at the moon, Ye Yumeng had wondered what those golden curls would look like in clear sunlight…

And now, he had finally seen it with his own eyes!

The magnificent evening glow stretched across the sky, shining through Lu Nanzhou’s thick curls until the pale gold became a translucent reddish gold. His satin-like hair drifted gently in the air, giving off an almost sacred brilliance.

In Ye Yumeng’s heart, a longing rose uncontrollably.

How wonderful it would be if he could keep Lu Qi by his side, so that every day when he opened his eyes, he would see him…

Just like today—no matter where he went, Lu Qi stayed with him. Whenever he turned his head, he could see him and speak to him.

Xueqiu had once been the same, always by his side, never parting from him for even a moment.

But could he really do something like that?

Even if he managed to refine a spirit artifact, binding a person’s soul to remain at his side was still a selfish and cruel act…

At that moment, Lu Nanzhou seemed to sense something and turned his head to look at him.

The young man, small-boned and slender, stood in the purple-blue flower sea like an elf who had strayed into the mortal world—beautiful and pure, yet fragile as jade, as though he might shatter at the slightest touch.

He needed to be carefully treasured, carefully protected.

Lu Nanzhou gazed at him deeply. Perhaps because of the attachment and sorrow in Ye Yumeng’s eyes, a sudden impulse stirred within him.

He wanted to draw him into an embrace. He wanted to wipe away the melancholy that so often surfaced in those eyes…

Just then, a gust of wind blew through.

A Ziqiu blossom, still attached to its stem, drifted between them.

Ye Yumeng blinked, his attention instinctively drawn to it.

Seeing that, Lu Nanzhou focused his power and stopped the flower in midair, at the same time wrapping it in mental energy to shield its delicate petals from being ruined by the cold wind.

Ye Yumeng watched as the Ziqiu blossom floated slowly toward him, and he could not help going still.

Almost unconsciously, he reached out, and the purple-blue flower, blazing beautifully in the evening light, came to rest lightly in his palm.

“You’re giving it to me?” he asked, staring at the flower.

Lu Nanzhou paused slightly, then nodded.

In truth, he had only noticed that Ye Yumeng wanted it and had simply acted to satisfy him. But… yes, it could be considered that.

Yet Ye Yumeng’s next words left him momentarily stunned.

“So this time it’s a gift, not compensation.”

Ye Yumeng lifted his head to look at him. In the evening light, his beautiful eyes shimmered with smiling points of light. Tilting his head a little, adorably, he asked, “Right?”

Looking at the expectation in Ye Yumeng’s eyes, Lu Nanzhou thought back to that morning’s conversation and suddenly understood—

So that was why he had gotten upset and sulked?

What Ye Yumeng wanted…

Was a gift, not compensation?

Lu Nanzhou’s heart moved. He thought over the difference between the two, then looked again at Ye Yumeng’s smiling eyes, and at last gave a faint nod.

“Mm. It’s a gift.”

In fact, that virtual holographic pod had also been a gift. He really had spoken poorly.

Ye Yumeng immediately beamed. He held the flower carefully and admired it for a while, then tucked it behind his ear.

When he looked up again, he found Lu Nanzhou staring fixedly at him. Yet the moment their eyes met, the man turned his gaze away.

There seemed to be a trace of confusion or fluster in him that Ye Yumeng could not quite understand.

Probably just his imagination.

Ye Yumeng did not think too much of it. Smiling, he said, “I want to give you a gift too.”

He lowered his head and looked around, then bent over and pulled up a few blades of wild grass of suitable length. Once he had gathered what he needed, he began weaving.

Lu Nanzhou, who had only just looked away because he had realized his loss of composure, found his gaze returning to Ye Yumeng again.

The young man sat quietly on a stone, bathed in the warm orange afterglow of sunset.

His head was lowered slightly, exposing a slender, fragile stretch of neck. His attention was fixed on his hands, and his pale fingers moved with nimble dexterity.

The Ziqiu flower by his ear cast gently swaying shadows against his cheek as he moved. He looked calm and tender, yet also vividly alive.

Truly, he was lovelier than any flower, more brilliant than the most splendidly blooming Ziqiu.

Lu Nanzhou watched him with such focus, as though trying to carve this entire moment into his memory.

At last, Ye Yumeng stopped moving. He had finished.

“Look!”

He lifted the braided grass cord happily. A little grasshopper woven of grass swung and bounced in the air, lifelike and vivid.

But then, seeing Lu Nanzhou’s somewhat translucent spirit body, he realized that he probably had no way to hand it over just yet… Still, that was alright!

“I’ll keep it with me for now. When we meet in the future, I’ll give it to you then,” he said with a smile.

To receive a gift made with Ye Yumeng’s own hands should have made Lu Nanzhou happy, but…

He studied the little grasshopper and hesitated. “That’s… some kind of insect, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Ye Yumeng nodded. “You can eat them. The taste is… well, alright. Though they probably don’t have them here.”

“You’ve eaten them before?”

“I ate them when I was little.”

Ye Yumeng said, “They aren’t very good raw. Fried is better.”

As a wandering orphan, he naturally had not been in any position to be picky about food, so most of the insects he ate back then had simply been eaten raw.

Only once had a kind old woman shared some fried grasshoppers with him, and to this day he still remembered that crisp, fragrant taste.

He spoke lightly, as if recalling a childhood anecdote. But Lu Nanzhou’s heart felt terribly uncomfortable hearing it.

Because his parents died young, had Ye Yumeng really needed to eat insects to stave off hunger as a child?

Lu Nanzhou felt both heartache and a surge of misplaced anger. The welfare system of the Xihe Federation was outrageously poor!

After hesitating for a moment, he still followed Ye Yumeng’s words and said, “Then we can try them someday.”

Ye Yumeng blinked, then smiled and shook his head. “Better not. You don’t like eating bugs.”

After he entered the path of cultivation and learned to subsist without food, he had stopped eating them anyway.

Besides, he also remembered that in the interstellar world, “bugs” basically meant “the zerg race,” and from Ah Mo and the others’ reactions, he could tell they were definitely not well liked.

“If you don’t like the grasshopper, I can weave you something else.”

Ye Yumeng started thinking. But all that came to mind at first were butterflies, mantises, dragonflies… which all still seemed to be insects.

“No need,” Lu Nanzhou said. “I want this one.”

“Really?” Ye Yumeng looked at him suspiciously. “If you don’t like it, you really don’t have to force yourself.”

“It carries your story,” Lu Nanzhou said seriously. “I want it.”

Ye Yumeng went still, and suddenly his ears felt a little warm again.

“Then… alright.” He said, “When we meet in the future, I’ll hand it to you myself. And when that time comes, you can’t go back on your word and refuse it.”

“Mm.”

So Ye Yumeng carefully put the grasshopper into his bag.

Looking up at the sunset hanging on the horizon, he slowly calmed down.

This was the meeting point of day and night, and with such a grand and sweeping scene before him, the energy pathways in his body opened naturally. The Nine-Turn Spirit Pivot Scripture began to circulate on its own, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Lu Nanzhou could feel the changes in the energy field around him, and did not speak again to disturb him.

Suddenly, he sensed something and turned his head to look behind and to the right.

There, under the large tree, the old lion lay alone. Yan Xueyun had already stood up and returned to her husband’s side.

The lion was not admiring the scenery. Those eyes of his, as though they could see through all things, were fixed on this direction from afar, as if he were meeting Lu Nanzhou’s gaze.

Lu Nanzhou raised a brow faintly, feeling a wave of mental energy.

“Your Majesty.”

He heard Yan Jin’s aged voice sound directly beside his ear.

The sun sank in the west. Night spread over the land, and the temperature began to drop.

The old lion had already returned to the hovercar. After all, he had only wanted one last look at this beautiful world—not to freeze to death in the chilly autumn night.

He lay inside the car, deep thought in his eyes.

Earlier, out on that open plain, the moment he greeted him, that faint figure had vanished from where it stood. The next instant, it had appeared above him, looking down at him from on high.

Even now, just recalling it, the old lion still felt lingering fear.

That young ruler’s face no longer held the gentleness it showed only when facing Doctor Ye. The green eyes fixed on him had been sharp and cold.

“You can see me?”

Mental pressure like a raging tide had descended on him from all sides, making it hard for him to breathe and forcing him to bow his head humbly, begging that emperor for forgiveness.

The truth was, while he had still been inside the ward, Yan Jin had already seen the emperor’s figure.

At the time, he had thought his eyes were deceiving him with age. But later, when he prepared to leave the ward, he once again saw that tall figure standing beside that young doctor.

Then, later still, he had seen them talking in the sea of flowers.

Since he had retired many years ago, Yan Jin had not spent much time with the emperor. Seeing the gentleness and quietness of the man when he was with Doctor Ye had given him the wrong impression.

He had thought that this emperor differed from the rumors. That was why, after being noticed, he had taken the initiative to greet him…

Reality proved otherwise. To have ascended the throne at fifteen and, after twelve years in power, still not allowed authority to slip from his hands, this ruler truly possessed a strength and temper that no one dared offend.

Fortunately, as the former lion-clan leader, Yan Jin had once fought shoulder to shoulder with the late emperor against the invasion of the Nebulari race—

Since the Yaojin Empire began expanding into the stars, aside from its over-decade-long war with the zerg race, it had also fought countless other wars large and small against outside enemies.

The late emperor’s main opponent had been the zerg race known as the Nebulari.

They possessed intelligence on par with humans, had no fixed physical form, and excelled at manufacturing and controlling machines. They often went to war with the Yaojin Empire over resources.

It was also because the late emperor had been seriously wounded in the war against the Nebulari that, later, when the zergs attacked, he died on the battlefield.

And so the throne fell to Lu Nanzhou, who had been only fifteen at the time.

“When I first heard the news that Your Majesty had been gravely injured and was near death, I felt only that Heaven was unjust—why should the same tragedy repeat itself…”

“But now, seeing that Your Majesty is still as heroic and imposing as ever, I can at last die in peace.”

Perhaps it was because Yan Jin had immediately lowered his posture and declared his loyalty that the emperor’s suspicion had been soothed. In the end, he had not made things difficult for him, and certainly had not killed him to silence him…

Still, watching the emperor’s “spirit body” return to that Doctor Ye’s side, Yan Jin could not help thinking more deeply.

Although he had spent the past year on Medical Planet and, aside from his daughter, refused visits and companionship from others, that did not mean he knew nothing.

He could see clearly that the prince—still legally underage, lacking both power and any advantage of age—had no ability to inherit the throne…

But what if this were a trap laid by the Yaojin imperial family?

What if the emperor was not truly near death at all, but merely, like Yan Jin before, coldly observing the struggles of every clan?

The difference being that Yan Jin’s indifference had come from approaching death and losing heart, while the emperor’s…

A deep worry surfaced in the old lion’s eyes.

That rebellious son of his had not already led the lion clan into doing something irreparable, had he?

“Ah Mo, thank you so much! You’re so thoughtful!”

Ye Yumeng had also returned to the hovercar. At the moment, he was taking a metal case from Mo Yin’s hands and carefully placing the Ziqiu blossom Lu Nanzhou had given him inside it.

“It’s nothing.”

Mo Yin smiled and shook his head.

It had originally been a weapon case, but seeing how precious Ye Yumeng treated that flower, he had taken the weapon out and given him the empty case instead.

Once Ye Yumeng had put the flower away, he looked at Mo Yin and asked, “Ah Mo, are you in the military?”

He still remembered that Dean Xiang Hongfu had called him “Colonel Mo”…

“Mm. I used to be.”

Since it had already slipped out, Mo Yin did not bother hiding it anymore. “I retired two or three years ago.”

Although the legal age of adulthood in the Yaojin Empire was twenty-five, because Lu Nanzhou had ascended the throne at fifteen, the team he personally built up had naturally all been quite young—especially the members of Blade Squad.

Mo Yin himself was only twenty-nine this year, which was why so many people lamented the loss of one of his arms.

“You’re amazing.” Ye Yumeng did not know much about the Yaojin Empire’s system, but judging by Dean Xiang and everyone else’s reactions, that rank had to be a high one.

“That’s all in the past now.” Mo Yin shook his head. “Right now, all I want is to stay by Young Master’s side and watch him get better.”

“Don’t worry, the little rabbit will definitely get better!”

Seeing Ye Yumeng so full of confidence, Mo Yin could not help smiling, some of the heaviness in his gaze fading. “Mm. Then I’m counting on you, Doctor Ye.”

Ye Yumeng looked at his arm, hesitated, then said, “Just wait a little longer.”

Mo Yin paused. Naturally, it would be false to say he had not kept Ye Yumeng’s earlier promise in mind.

No one wanted a complete body more than he himself did…

“Alright. Thank you, Doctor Ye.”

He nodded and gave a serious word of thanks.

Seated nearby, Lu Nanzhou quietly watched them talk. In the end, he said nothing, only turned his gaze to the window.

The hovercar continued onward at a constant speed, moving toward the Royal Sanatorium under the starlight.

It was past eleven at night by the time they arrived safely. Yan Jin was admitted to the tenth floor of the Core Inpatient Department, and Ye Yumeng cast the Minor Rejuvenation Technique on him twice more.

For ease of care, Ye Yumeng stayed the night in the top-floor ward as well.

During the time he had been away, the little rabbit had remained asleep the entire time. Compared to before, the situation was obviously a little different, but his vital signs and monitored data had not gone beyond the normal range.

Ye Yumeng decided to observe a little longer. After all, he had already begun treating the little rabbit, and obvious changes were to be expected.

As for the one-time Flow Shadow Talisman storing the Minor Rejuvenation Technique, naturally there had been no chance to use it.

“Just leave it in the room. It’ll be useful sooner or later,” Ye Yumeng said, shaking his head when Lei Qi tried to return it.

“I’ll be in the room next door. I need a quiet environment, so unless something happens to the little rabbit, I hope no one will disturb me.”

“Understood. Please rest assured.”

So Ye Yumeng left the room, carrying both the Red Leaf Lotus and the Green Jade Bamboo with him into the next one.

Lu Nanzhou looked once at the body on the hospital bed, then at Mo Yin and Lei Qi. In the end, he withdrew his gaze and followed Ye Yumeng out.

“Will I disturb you if I stay here?” Lu Nanzhou asked.

“No.”

Ye Yumeng switched the room to Do Not Disturb mode and took the materials he had stored in the cabinet back out.

“You’re not resting?”

“No. I already slept last night.”

Lu Nanzhou frowned slightly. Slept last night… so he did not need to sleep tonight?

Ye Yumeng did not explain that he no longer needed sleep. For him, that had long since become completely natural.

He was preparing to make a spirit brush.

After being nurtured by the Nurturing Treasure Art, all the materials had reached their best possible state.

But just as he was about to begin, he glanced at the surveillance camera in the room, and hesitation appeared on his face.

“What is it?” Lu Nanzhou asked.

“Lu Qi, do you know how to make it so the camera can’t capture what I’m doing?”

Lu Nanzhou thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll try.”

He closed his eyes and released his mental energy. About ten seconds later, he opened them again and looked at Ye Yumeng. “Done.”

Ye Yumeng was startled. “You broke the camera?”

Would he have to pay for it?

Lu Nanzhou shook his head. “No. I just modified the program a little and blurred your image.”

Actually, given Ye Yumeng’s current security clearance, aside from Lu Nanzhou and Lu Yuanqing, no one was allowed to view what he was doing through the surveillance system.

But Ye Yumeng had specifically asked, and Lu Nanzhou found that he wanted to satisfy him.

From now on, aside from himself, no one else would be allowed to see what Ye Yumeng did in this room.

Hearing that, Ye Yumeng’s eyes lit up like stars.

He truly disliked doing private things while being watched by a surveillance camera. But since he also could not just stay in the dormitory forever, he had no choice but to tolerate it.

Now that Lu Qi was here, he could finally work freely!

“Lu Qi, you’re amazing.”

“It’s so good having you here!”

Lu Nanzhou paused. He could not quite keep the corners of his lips from wanting to lift, yet he still replied with restrained dignity, “It’s nothing much.”

“How is that nothing much?”

“You’ve helped me enormously!”

Ye Yumeng rubbed his hands together excitedly and began making the spirit brush.

He first checked the Peace-Binding Talisman he had made yesterday. Unlike the Flow Shadow Talisman, the Peace-Binding Talisman did not store a spell, but rather a self-operating talismanic pattern.

So long as the spiritual energy within it had not dispersed, it would continue functioning.

It was still effective now, but the spiritual energy had already dissipated by more than half. The rate was far faster than it had been in the cultivation world.

By Ye Yumeng’s estimate, at best it would probably only last two more days, far short of what he wanted.

He could only hope that once he finished making the spirit brush, the duration could be extended much more.

First, Ye Yumeng took out a section of Green Jade Bamboo. After being nurtured since morning, the bamboo’s spiritual nature had now been fully brought out.

The Green Jade Bamboo had been a spiritual plant to begin with, and under the effect of the Nurturing Treasure Art, it had become even more spiritually vibrant and green, giving off a jade-like sheen.

Lu Nanzhou could already tell how extraordinary the materials were, and he began to feel anticipation for the finished product.

He watched in silence.

He saw Ye Yumeng form hand seals with both hands. Using spiritual energy as a blade, he began carving intricate and mysterious patterns into the green jade pen shaft.

One glowing fine line after another slowly took shape. When the final stroke was complete, the spirit pattern—which combined the functions of gathering and storing spiritual energy—flashed as a whole, then slowly dimmed and vanished into the shaft.

In Ye Yumeng’s eyes, the green jade pen shaft now flowed faintly with spiritual light. Its spirituality had risen to another level.

He smiled slightly, then took out the wolf-hair brush tip that had soaked and been nourished all night. As spiritual energy poured in, the originally soft hairs instantly straightened like fine needles.

Under his control, those “fine needles” pierced into one end of the green jade shaft one after another.

Beside him, Lu Nanzhou, who had quietly guarded him the entire time, could not help concentrating even more.

Though he did not know how Ye Yumeng was doing it, he had not felt any fluctuation of mental energy at all… what kind of power, exactly, was this thing called “spirit”?

He pondered, but his eyes could not help being drawn back to Ye Yumeng himself.

The clear, beautiful gentleness in Ye Yumeng’s eyes had disappeared, replaced by a sharp brilliance like cold stars.

He stared tightly at his own hands, utterly focused.

His slightly bent back trembled faintly from the strain, yet his hands were unbelievably steady. Every movement seemed carefully calculated—precise, restrained, and full of controlled force.

Lu Nanzhou watched him intently. Ripples slowly spread across the calm lake of his green eyes.

Perhaps it was only an illusion, but it seemed to him that a faint halo gradually began to surround Ye Yumeng, as though the young man’s profile had taken on a touch of sacredness…

This was extremely delicate work.

By the time the last strand of wolf hair had been embedded into the green bamboo pen tip, Ye Yumeng’s forehead was already covered in sweat.

And the spiritual energy within him was nearly exhausted.

When he finally withdrew his spiritual power, the hairs that had stood straight like needles softened and drooped again, yet remained firmly fixed in the jade-green shaft, appearing utterly natural.

In this world, Ye Yumeng had finally obtained the first spiritual artifact that truly belonged to him!

He held the spirit brush in both hands and examined it, satisfaction shining in his eyes.

The brush was fully green, with the texture of jade. He might as well call it Green Jade Brush, then. Once he found a suitable forge-fire and refined it further, the quality of this spirit brush could rise another level!

“Lu Qi, look!”

The moment Ye Yumeng turned his head and met Lu Nanzhou’s eyes, he could not help excitedly sharing it with him.

“This is a brush for making talismans?” Lu Nanzhou looked at the spirit brush. Although the spiritual light on it had already withdrawn, it was still obvious that it was no ordinary item.

Ye Yumeng nodded. “Using this brush to draw talismans reduces spiritual energy consumption, and also improves the quality of the talismans…”

He paused, then said to Lu Nanzhou, “This is a secret. You can’t tell anyone else.”

Lu Nanzhou lifted his gaze to him. “I told you before, I won’t do anything that harms you, and I certainly won’t allow anyone else to harm you. You can trust me.”

Ye Yumeng grinned. “I’m not saying I don’t trust you. Otherwise I would’ve kicked you out just now. It’s just that I want to keep a few things in reserve. It’s better if only the two of us know.”

Lu Nanzhou looked into Ye Yumeng’s smiling eyes. A secret shared by only the two of them? He liked the sound of that.

Though he would never have told anyone anyway, he still nodded. “Alright.”

Ye Yumeng spun the spirit brush lightly between his fingers, not rushing to test it. He placed it on the table, then said, “I need to circulate my energy and recover my spiritual power now. Can you protect me?”

“Protect you?”

“Mm. Just don’t let anyone interrupt me…”

He paused, then added, “The little rabbit might use his mental power to peek. If it’s him, just leave it alone.”

Seeing Lu Nanzhou’s expression turn a little strange, Ye Yumeng continued, “The little rabbit is really pitiful. That tiny little one suffered such terrible injuries and has to endure unimaginable torment every second.”

“If he likes watching, then let him watch. It can distract him and help him feel a bit better. I’m already used to it anyway, so he won’t disturb me.”

Lu Nanzhou coughed lightly and turned his face away. “Mm. I understand.”

Read More Extra Chapters (EPUB & PDF Format)