156: Chapter 156 Brother Aotian, he's so childish!

Xiao Ninger held a green jade bowl, the dark brown liquid inside still steaming.

Without hesitation, she tilted her head back and drank it in one gulp, a trace of coolness sliding down her throat.

Then she handed the empty bowl back to Qing Yuan.

Qing Yuan took it with both hands, stepped back two paces, and stood with her head bowed.

Subsequently, Xiao Ninger closed her eyes and activated her Cultivation Technique, preparing to refine the medicinal power.

Only three breaths later, her brow furrowed.

The circulation of the True God Bloodline within her body slowed down; a powerful wave of drowsiness surged from her Dantian to her forehead, and her eyelids became too heavy to lift.

"Qing Yuan, this soup..." She forced her eyelids open, her voice so small it was almost inaudible.

Qing Yuan looked up, her face devoid of expression.

Under the dim candlelight, a dark red floral mark lit up deep within her pupils, flashing with a bloody light.

She then walked step by step to the bedside and responded in a low voice: "Young Miss, this soup is for calming the nerves."

The moment those words left her mouth.

Her vision went black, Xiao Ninger's body went limp, and she collapsed onto the Spirit Jade bed.

Her breathing quickly became long and deep.

The True God Bloodline sensed something was wrong and began to circulate automatically, attempting to dispel the foreign substance.

Qing Yuan did not hesitate, extending two fingers to tap on Xiao Ninger's brow.

A wisp of dark red blood-qi emerged from her fingertip; it was exactly the drop of Heart-Eating Soul-Tethering Lead that Zi Yun had given her.

The blood-qi followed Xiao Ninger's brow and instantly bored its way inside.

Immediately after, she closed her eyes, and her Divine Sense followed that wisp of blood-qi, rushing into Xiao Ninger's Sea of Consciousness.

Xiao Ninger's Sea of Consciousness was a golden ocean that stretched beyond the horizon.

A nine-colored sun hung in the sky, a mark left by the Xiao Family Old Ancestor to protect her.

The Heart-Eating Soul-Tethering Lead did not dare touch that sun.

The dark red blood-qi exploded at the bottom of the sea, turning into countless tiny red threads that clung to the deepest darkness, quietly spreading toward the center.

Qing Yuan followed the method Zi Yun had taught her, her hands quickly forming seals.

The red threads accurately located several key light orbs, which contained Xiao Ninger's deepest emotions and memories.

Then, she controlled the red threads to cut into a core light orb emitting white light.

That contained all the memories regarding Lin Aotian.

Scenes of the two knowing each other since childhood, Cultivating together, and Lin Aotian swearing to be with her forever flashed incessantly as the red threads touched them.

Qing Yuan's gaze was cold as she suddenly activated the power of the Soul Seed.

Countless barbs grew on the surface of the red threads, stabbing into the white light.

They began to extract the contents of the light orb.

Emotions of admiration, heartbeat, and dependency were forcibly pulled out strand by strand.

The white light dimmed visibly to the naked eye.

The memory images remained, but all the feelings within them were gone, turning into a dry piece of footage.

Next, Qing Yuan guided the extracted emotional vacancy toward the deepest part of the Sea of Consciousness.

Using a wisp of aura left by Su Yun, she created a shadow on the golden seabed.

The shadow wore black robes and stood with hands behind its back; though the face was unclear, the pressure of looking down upon the world filled the entire Sea of Consciousness.

Qing Yuan forcibly smashed this shadow into the center of Xiao Ninger's subconscious, replacing all of her obsessions.

Submission.

Qing Yuan carved this logic beneath the shadow.

The golden seawater began to churn. The nine-colored sun in the sky sensed something was wrong and emitted rings of high heat, preparing to attack.

Qing Yuan immediately severed the connection.

All the red threads vanished instantly, merging into the golden seawater without leaving a single trace.

The nine-colored sun scanned the Sea of Consciousness but found no intruder; the high heat slowly receded, and peace was restored.

Outside.

Qing Yuan opened both eyes, her forehead covered in cold sweat.

Modifying the subconscious of a True God Bloodline possessor, even with the help of the Mistress's secret technique, had consumed thirty percent of her Divine Soul power.

But the seed had already been planted.

She then stood straight, looking at the soundly sleeping Xiao Ninger.

She reached out to pull up the thin quilt, covering Xiao Ninger's shoulders, then turned to pick up the empty bowl and silently retreated from the room.

The next morning, the morning light filtered through the window.

Xiao Ninger opened her eyes and saw the familiar bed curtains.

She sat up and rubbed her temples.

The True God Bloodline inside her flowed smoothly, and her spiritual energy was abundant.

She felt full of energy.

Her memories of last night only went as far as finishing that bowl of soup.

After that, she had simply slept until dawn.

The door was pushed open, and Qing Yuan walked in carrying a basin of hot water; her steps were a bit light, and her face was still frighteningly pale.

"Young Miss is awake." She set down the bronze basin, wrung out a towel soaked in hot water, and handed it over.

Xiao Ninger took the towel and applied it to her face; the warm steam made her feel very comfortable.

Removing the towel, her gaze fell on Qing Yuan's bloodless face.

"Your injuries haven't healed yet; you don't need to do these things personally. Just let the servants from the outer hall do it." Xiao Ninger's tone was very flat.

Qing Yuan bowed her head as she took the towel back, answering softly.

"Your Servant is used to serving Young Miss; the other servants are clumsy, and I wouldn't be at ease. This small injury is no matter."

Xiao Ninger stood up and walked to the dressing table to sit down.

Qing Yuan then picked up a wooden comb and stood behind her to brush her long hair.

Xiao Ninger looked at herself in the bronze mirror.

Her appearance was exquisite, her temperament cold and elegant.

Logically speaking, the first person she should think of every morning upon waking up was Lin Aotian.

That Brother Aotian who always said he would stand at the peak of the world with her.

Today, Lin Aotian's figure appeared again.

Xiao Ninger recalled that face in her memory, and her brow gradually furrowed.

Something was wrong.

Previously, whenever she thought of Lin Aotian, her heart would race, and her heart would feel warm.

But now, looking at Lin Aotian's 'Heavens are number one and he is number two' attitude in her memory, there wasn't a single ripple in her heart.

She even felt that his arrogance was a bit laughable, and a bit of an eyesore.

"What's going on..." Xiao Ninger muttered under her breath, pressing her hand against her chest.

Her heartbeat was steady; there wasn't the slightest reaction.

Her feelings for him seemed to have changed.

Her previous fire-like passion now had no flavor left at all.

"Young Miss? Do you feel unwell somewhere?" Qing Yuan stopped the wooden comb in her hand and asked with concern.

Xiao Ninger snapped out of it, lowered her right hand, and gently shook her head.

It must be because she had been too tired these past few days, having consumed too much essence blood to reconstruct Lin Aotian's body, causing her to have wild thoughts.

Once she recovered in a few days, this feeling should disappear.

She found an excuse for herself and suppressed this strange feeling.

"It's nothing, continue combing." Xiao Ninger's face returned to its cold state.

Qing Yuan continued combing her long hair, a trace of cold mockery flashing deep within her lowered eyes.

The Mistress's method was truly ruthless.

Not deleting memories, but only extracting the emotions.

In this way, the most beloved person would also become the most familiar stranger.

After she finished washing and dressing, Qing Yuan brought a cup of celestial dew.

Xiao Ninger took it and drank it in one go.

The communication Jade Slip on the table suddenly lit up.

This was something she had made with her own hands, specifically used for contacting Lin Aotian.

In the past, as soon as the Jade Slip lit up, she would definitely have picked it up with a smile immediately.

But today, she only gave it a faint glance and didn't move.

The Jade Slip flashed eight times, and the light was almost extinguished before she finally extended two fingers to pick it up.

Her Divine Sense swept inside.

"Nickname, I have already opened the third main meridian; the primordial life liquid truly has extraordinary divine effects. The weather on the Divine Mountain is excellent today; I would like to invite you to the Spirit Garden in the back mountain to have tea together, are you free? Left by Aotian."

Lin Aotian's happy voice came from the Jade Slip, even carrying a bit of showing off.

After Xiao Ninger finished listening, she threw the Jade Slip back onto the table, her expression unchanged.

She didn't feel happy, nor did she want to reply.

That boastful sentence sounded truly childish.

A grown man, having only opened one meridian, had to specifically run over to tell her.

With this kind of Heart-Nature, how could he support a large Family in the future?

As soon as this thought emerged, Xiao Ninger herself was stunned.

Why would she think Brother Aotian was childish?

Hadn't she previously praised him for having perseverance?

Where did these suddenly heightened requirements come from?

A blurry back of a black-robed figure flashed deep in her mind.

Though she couldn't see the face, that pressure of looking down upon the world made her breathing hitch suddenly.

An urge to kneel down and worship emerged from her very bones.

She bit the tip of her tongue hard, the sharp pain causing that image to shatter instantly.

"Young Miss?" Qing Yuan timely handed over a silk handkerchief.

"It's nothing." Xiao Ninger took the handkerchief and wiped the corner of her mouth, not even looking at that Jade Slip, nor replying.

Qing Yuan retreated to the corner, silent and still.

It seemed the medicinal catalyst had taken effect; the strongest fortress was collapsing from within.

Half an hour later, Xiao Ninger sat behind her desk, flipping through the secret scrolls of the clan.

A guard's report came from outside the hall.

"Young Miss, Young Master Lin requests an audience. He has been waiting outside for a long time; seeing that you didn't reply to the Jade Slip, he specifically brewed a spirit meal to come see you."

Xiao Ninger's fingers flipping through the secret scroll stopped in mid-air, pinching a crease into the paper.

Her brow furrowed deeply, and her voice turned cold.

"Why has he come again?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Xiao Ninger herself was stunned, her entire person freezing in the chair.

She touched her own lips in disbelief.

Had she said those words?

She would actually find that Brother Aotian, who came to see her every day, annoying?

She was the Xiao Ninger who was willing to die for him.

Where on earth did this absurd feeling come from!

Xiao Ninger pinched her brow hard, trying to drive these messy thoughts out of her head.

"Young Miss, shall I invite Young Master Lin into the hall?" Qing Yuan stood to the side, asking in a low voice, her tone betraying no emotion.

Xiao Ninger took a deep breath, her chest heaving a few times as she forcibly suppressed that inexplicable sense of repulsion in her heart and smoothed her sleeves.

"Let him in..."