289: Chapter 287 Seclusion

Qingzhu Courtyard was not large, consisting of three main rooms and two side rooms, with blue bricks and grey tiles. In the corner of the courtyard grew a cluster of emerald bamboo, rustling as the wind blew past.

Ning Yuanzhou had made very thoughtful arrangements; the bedding and tea sets were all new, and a plate of seasonal fresh fruit was placed on the table.

Two servants stood at the courtyard gate, waiting to be summoned.

Yun Ming sent them away.

"No need for anyone to serve. Do not enter this courtyard unless necessary."

His tone was not heavy, but it brooked no argument.

The servants acknowledged this and retreated.

Yun Ming closed the door, took out several Spirit Stones from the map of mountains and rivers, and set up a simple sound-isolating array inside and outside the main room. It was not to guard against anyone, but rather, he did not want to be disturbed by the noise of the Mortal world. He sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, sank his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness, and opened the System panel.

Name: Yun Ming

Dao Fruit: Dao Fruit of Longevity (Rainbow)

Realm: Golden Core Great Perfection

Entries: "I Will Definitely Return" (Rainbow), "Serious Punch" (Gold), "Accidentally Entering the Heavenly Family" (Gold), "Youre So Flamboyant" (Purple), "Budget Warrior" (Blue), "The Strong Never Complain About the Environment" (Purple), "I Want to Check the Cards" (Purple)...

Profession: Fourth-Tier Low Grade Alchemist

Cultivation Techniques: Dao Scripture Incomplete Manual (Fifth-Tier Top Grade, Qi Refining to nascent soul chapter), Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record (Rainbow, cultivated to the fourth layer), Law of Heaven and Earth (Rainbow, first layer), Tahua Zizai Escape Technique (Gold, third layer), Purple Cloud Divine Thunder Curse (Purple, fourth layer), Cold Spring Jade Quenching Record (Gold, third layer), Indestructible Body of Ten Thousand Tribulations (Gold, third layer), Great Thousand Star Evolution Sword Diagram (Gold, second layer), Supreme Profound Pure Qi Art (Purple), Introduction to Alchemy Scripture (Blue, fully mastered), Wrong-Way Longevity (Forbidden technique, first layer)

Draw Count: Over 12,000 draws

Wealth: 180,000 Top-Grade Spirit Stones, several High Grade, Medium Grade, and Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Items:

Supreme Lifebound Treasure: map of mountains and rivers (Rainbow) — Lifebound Treasure, contains a Small World, Spiritual Vein has been born, Laws are incomplete.

Spirit Plant: enlightenment tea Tree (Rainbow) — Sixth-Tier Top Grade, matures once per Yuan Hui. Qinghe Sword (Fifth-Tier Top Grade Dao Artifact) — comes with the Qi of wood growth, can catalyze Spirit Medicine, inserted in the Spirit Medicine garden of the map of mountains and rivers.

Pill Furnace Flame: mother qi cauldron of all things (Gold) — Fifth-Tier Top Grade, contains golden crow feather (Sixth-Tier Top Grade), cauldron body is intact.

Magic Treasure/Spiritual Artifact: void-piercing boat (Gold) — Fifth-Tier Top Grade, jiuyou soul-capturing banner (Gold) — Fifth-Tier Top Grade, can refine Divine Soul into soul puppets. nine-aperture enlightened lotus (Gold). void meta-magnetic marrow crystal (Gold). nine-turn jade infant pill Pill Formula (Gold). beauty preserving pill Pill Formula (Purple). enlightenment card × 92 (Purple) — can be used for instant enlightenment, learning a Cultivation Technique or forbidden technique.

Consumables/Miscellaneous: One set of portable Teleportation Array. Several various Medicinal Pills, stored in the Medicinal Pill warehouse of the map of mountains and rivers.

Yun Ming opened his eyes and exited his Sea of Consciousness. He glanced out the window; the sun was setting, and dusk was gathering. Qingzhu Courtyard was very quiet, with only the rustling sound of wind blowing through the bamboo leaves. He looked at the daily refreshing entry column on the System panel.

Days passed one by one. Every day, Yun Ming practiced cultivation, meditated, and studied Pill Formula in Qingzhu Courtyard, occasionally flipping through the books he had brought out from the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion. He did not go out, did not meet guests, and did not interact with anyone. The servants in the Ning Mansion only knew that this Mr. Yun was the savior of the old lady and a distinguished guest personally entrusted by the Eldest Young Master, with an eccentric temper and a dislike for meeting people, so they dared not disturb him.

Ah Yuan took over everything outside.

The old lady's illness improved day by day. By the third day, she could sit up and drink porridge by herself; by the fifth day, she could get out of bed and walk a few steps; by the tenth day, she could walk slowly in the courtyard. Ning Wanqing was so happy she shed tears, holding Ah Yuan's hands and thanking her profusely. When the news spread, Linan City exploded.

"A divine doctor has come to the Ning Mansion! She saved the old lady who was about to die!"

"Not a divine doctor, but a young girl. Only fifteen or sixteen years old, as beautiful as if she came out of a painting."

"What divine doctor, she is a goddess! I heard that she can know what the illness is just by taking a pulse, and one dose of medicine cures it."

"Have you seen her?"

"My second uncle's cousin's neighbor works in the Ning Mansion and saw it with their own eyes!"

The rumors became more and more outrageous; Ah Yuan went from "divine doctor" to "goddess," and from "goddess" to "a Fairy descended from the heavens." Every day, commoners guarded the back door of the Ning Mansion, begging Ah Yuan for treatment. Ning Wanqing asked for Ah Yuan's instructions, and Ah Yuan thought for a moment and said: "See patients for two hours every morning until finished. No consultation fee, provide your own medicine costs."

Ning Wanqing arranged a side hall for Ah Yuan to use for consultations. The first day, over a dozen people came; the second day, dozens came; by the third day, the threshold of the side hall was almost worn down. Ah Yuan took their pulses one by one and prescribed formulas one by one. Her medical skills were learned from Yun Ming, and the prescriptions were copied from the Secret Volume of Qingwei Alchemy (Mortal version), which was more than enough to treat the illnesses of Mortals. After half a month, the reputation of the Ning Mansion in Linan City was at its peak. The commoners said that the Ning Mansion was kind-hearted, that Young Miss Ning was benevolent, and that Miss Ah Yuan was a living Bodhisattva. Even Ning Yuanzhou's reputation in the imperial court improved.

Ah Yuan enjoyed it. Every day after returning from consultations, she would occasionally go to Qingzhu Courtyard to pay respects to Yun Ming and tell him the interesting things happening outside.

Every time she left Qingzhu Courtyard, her steps were light, and her heart felt warm. Although Master did not like to talk, he was always listening, always watching, and always guiding her. She was called a "divine doctor" and "goddess" outside, but she knew that the true divine doctor was Master. She was just Master's shadow.

Yun Ming continued his seclusion.

He inventoried the items in the map of mountains and rivers again. He hadn't used the jiuyou soul-capturing banner yet; that thing had too much Yin Qi, and he didn't really want to touch it. He also didn't know what the nine-aperture enlightened lotus and void meta-magnetic marrow crystal were for, so they were thrown in a corner of the map, gathering dust. He did take out the nine enlightenment cards to look at them, placing them on the table one by one, then putting them away. He was waiting, waiting for a suitable entry, and then he would use the cards. Not now.

Every day, he would glance at the entry on the System panel. One day it was "Suitable for Artifact Refining today," one day it was "Suitable for array setting today," and one day it was "Suitable for Alchemy today." He remained unmoved. The day he was waiting for never came. He was not anxious, nor disappointed. Entries like these were things you couldn't force.

Time passed day by day. Autumn in Linan City arrived; the emerald bamboo in the courtyard was still green, but the distant mountains were already tinged with autumn colors. The number of patients Ah Yuan saw every day increased, and her reputation reached surrounding counties, with some even traveling from over a hundred miles away to seek treatment. Ning Wanqing added two helpers for her to assist with dispensing medicine, registering, and maintaining order. Ah Yuan was so busy she couldn't catch her breath, but there was always a smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Yun Ming finally waited for the daily entry he wanted.

"Ding! Today is suitable for card drawing, the probability of obtaining high-tier items is increased, ten consecutive draws have been issued."

Yun Ming took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and poured the 12,000 draws he had accumulated for a long time into the sea of stars.

His mind stirred, the card-drawing interface lit up with brilliant light, and countless streams of light began to shuttle before his eyes.