Chapter 65

Song Qingshi was in an excellent mood. As he reached the covered walkway, he took Yue Wuhuan's hand and led him briskly to the study.

Yue Wuhuan hesitated for a moment, trying to withdraw his hand, but Song Qingshi's grip was too tight, leaving him unsure how to pull away. In the end, he was dragged into the study, pressed onto the daybed, and presented with a pile of documents. Flipping through a few pages, he found most of them were Song Qingshi’s learning notes, progressing from basic to advanced, interspersed with numerous records of pharmaceutical experiments.

"I want to categorize and organize the research ideas and methods for these medicines and pass them on to Qing Luan," Song Qingshi said cheerfully. "The workload is a bit heavy—will you help me?"

Yue Wuhuan hesitated. "Master seems to think highly of her?"

Song Qingshi smiled. "Wuhuan, you don’t actually enjoy being a physician or saving lives, do you?"

Yue Wuhuan fell silent for a moment before answering, "No, I don’t."

His knowledge of medicine and alchemy had all been acquired for the sake of saving one person. He much preferred studying toxicology, rune arrays, mechanisms, and sword techniques—skills meant for killing.

Song Qingshi asked, "What do you think of Qing Luan?"

"She’s intelligent, but too soft-hearted—foolishly kind," Yue Wuhuan replied cautiously. "Master, you seem quite interested in her?"

"No, don’t misunderstand," Song Qingshi said, pulling out some penicillin research notes with a smile. "I’m just intrigued by her medical theories—they’re a direction I’ve never considered before. My past pharmaceutical research always aimed for the most perfect therapeutic effects, never thinking about how to reduce costs or mass-produce."

His world was too simple; he rarely paid attention to others' lives. He seldom treated ordinary patients, mostly sealing Medicine King Valley with poisonous mist while holed up inside, researching techniques. When short on funds, he would refine pills to sell. The only patients who received his personal treatment were either extremely lucky, cases he needed to study, or wealthy individuals who came bearing rare medicinal ingredients.

Yue Wuhuan had set up several production lines for mass-producing low-grade medicines, but under Ye Lin’s tearful pleas, they had all been converted into Jade Beauty Cream, earning them a fortune. Yet Song Qingshi still felt something was missing.

"During this trip, I noticed how well the master-disciple relationship was in the Red Dragon Sect. I feel Medicine King Valley also needs a legacy," Song Qingshi said, shamelessly making demands while acting spoiled. "Wuhuan, you know how clumsy I am with words—I can never explain things clearly. Only someone as intelligent as you can understand what I’m saying. Will you help me teach these things to Qing Luan and the others? Qing Luan has the makings of a good physician. I’m curious to see how far her ideas can go."

Yue Wuhuan knew he had failed his Grandmaster and could never achieve anything in healing philanthropy. But he also knew that Medicine King Valley’s survival in this dark, corrupt world—untouched by outside forces—relied on its irreplaceable medical skills. Normally, shutting the doors and only selling pills was fine, but if an important figure was severely injured or ill, and only Medicine King Immortal could save them, they would disregard all courtesy and force their way in for treatment.

Who knew what kind of disgusting people those petitioners might be?

He didn’t want his Master exposed to such filthy outsiders.

Yue Wuhuan steadied his breathing, thought carefully, and concluded that Song Qingshi’s plan was correct. In the long run, cultivating a few competent physicians for Medicine King Valley was the best choice.

Though Qing Luan was a mortal, she was clever, and her aptitude could be boosted to Foundation Establishment with pills. Her personality was gentle yet resilient—perfect for a physician. Moreover, she had many weaknesses, a simple mind, and was easy to control, posing no threat to the Master... His tolerance for her was also slightly higher than for others; she wasn’t too "dirty."

Song Qingshi, seeing him deep in thought, cautiously asked again, "Do you think Qing Luan is suitable?"

Yue Wuhuan smiled. "She’s decent. We can try."

Song Qingshi sighed in relief. "I hope she becomes a good physician."

"Mm," Yue Wuhuan replied softly, glancing at the documents in his hand. "She definitely will."

Qing Luan understood propriety—she would obey and study diligently.

...

A Messenger Bird flew in through the window, carrying a letter from Red Dragon Sect’s Immortal Lord Yan Yuan. Inside were thirty sets of mathematics assignments completed by Nian Nian in less than a week—though some papers had strange water stains smudging the ink, likely from accidentally spilling water while solving problems. She also included a thank-you note to Medicine King Immortal and Immortal Master Wuhuan for their guidance. The wording was formal and heartfelt, but each character was written with such force that the strokes trembled slightly, as if written with visible emotion.

"Basic geometry and algebra aren’t too hard, right?" Song Qingshi felt a twinge of guilt. "I considered she’s only eight and didn’t give her difficult problems. And... I think I only assigned ten sets?"

"I added a bit of difficulty and quantity," Yue Wuhuan replied with an even gentler smile, like the most responsible senior, always thinking of others. "Don’t worry, Master. I’ve assessed her abilities—she’s bright, learns quickly, and has great potential. There’s no need to treat her like an ordinary child. The cultivation world is cruel; one must fight at all times. Comfort now is fatal danger later."

Song Qingshi found this reasoning impeccable...

After checking Nian Nian’s homework, he confirmed she had the makings of a genius scholar—it would be a waste not to nurture it.

Song Qingshi decisively announced, "Increase the difficulty of her assignments."

Yue Wuhuan smiled. "Understood."

Song Qingshi opened Immortal Lord Yan Yuan’s letter, which was filled with lengthy expressions of gratitude for nurturing Nian Nian. At the end, Yan Yuan subtly lamented his inability to break through to Golden Core, his declining health, and how a minor sect like Red Dragon with limited resources was holding Nian Nian’s talent back.

"It feels like he’s hinting at a request but is too embarrassed to say it outright," Song Qingshi mused, feeling he’d made progress in understanding human affairs. He handed the letter to Yue Wuhuan. "Does he want free pills?"

Yue Wuhuan read it and chuckled. "He hopes to secure a better future for Nian Nian—he’s asking you for a recommendation."

Song Qingshi was puzzled. "Immortal Lord Yan Yuan adores Nian Nian..."

Then it dawned on him—precisely because he loved her, Yan Yuan wanted to send her somewhere better, to soar higher.

Even if it meant letting her go.

Song Qingshi remained silent for a long moment.

Yue Wuhuan, noticing his conflict, reassured him, "He knows this request is shameless, which is why he was vague. If it displeases you, just ignore it."

Song Qingshi spoke slowly, "I can write a recommendation letter to Madam Lingmiao."

Madam Lingmiao was a renowned figure in the immortal realm. Gifted and once naive, she had been deceived into marrying into a powerful family, bearing children and managing household affairs, cutting short her cultivation. Unfortunately, she married poorly—amidst the drama of aristocratic conflicts, love entanglements, and political machinations (which Song Qingshi had ignored when Immortal Lord Ye Lin went on), her beloved daughter was murdered. She cut away all sentiment, returned to the path of immortality, slaughtered her husband’s entire family, and became the feared Madam Lingmiao, a name that made immoral men tremble.

Immortal Spirit Isle was rich in resources and had strong foundations.

Madam Lingmiao pitied girls with tragic fates and especially adored clever little girls.

Nian Nian would undoubtedly gain her approval.

Though Medicine King Immortal’s reputation wasn’t perfect, he wasn’t a scoundrel—he never toyed with emotions and had even developed rejuvenation pills and Jade Beauty Cream, beloved by women. Immortal Spirit Isle was populated entirely by female cultivators, all of whom held him in high regard, eagerly awaiting his next cosmetic elixirs.

A recommendation letter from him shouldn’t be rejected...

With this in mind, Song Qingshi pulled out a fresh sheet of paper, adjusted his writing posture, and painstakingly began composing the letter, attaching Nian Nian’s homework and rune arrays as proof of her outstanding potential.

Yue Wuhuan, seeing him struggle, took over to refine the phrasing. "Why go to such lengths?"

Song Qingshi smiled. "The Chaos Principle."

Yue Wuhuan paused. "*The butterfly effect?*"

"I’m not thinking that far ahead," Song Qingshi said, lifting the finished letter to dry the ink. He glanced at the ominously darkening sky outside and said softly, "I just want to try planting seeds... to see if little butterflies can stir up storms."

...

The Black Death Butterfly experiments failed again and again.

Song Qingshi was so absorbed in the problem that he sometimes froze mid-step or paused with his eating utensils in the air, deep in contemplation.

Yue Wuhuan was both annoyed and amused, knowing his Master would never give up on something he was determined to solve. So he set aside other matters and devoted himself to assisting in perfecting the toxin.

At night, the two always slept together.

Song Qingshi seemed addicted to holding him. Waking up halfway through the night to find himself in an odd sleeping posture, Yue Wuhuan considered it for a long time. He expected Song Qingshi to quietly return to his own bed, but instead, the man gave up on correcting his posture entirely, holding on tighter each night until Yue Wuhuan woke up in his arms every morning.

This was improper!

Yue Wuhuan became concerned and carefully inquired, "Master... I heard you cultivate the Emotionless Path?"

Song Qingshi froze, then understood, "Did *that guy* tell you?"

Yue Wuhuan sensed his ease and apparent indifference to the matter, so he asked directly, "How is your... Dao Heart lately?"

Song Qingshi's mind jolted awake. Going against heaven's will to forcibly preserve his Nascent Soul had left him in such pain recently that he struggled to sleep, and only by holding something he liked could he find some comfort. But a true man should never complain about such trivial matters in front of others! Moreover, he had already decided how to destroy his Nascent Soul and had no intention of dragging anyone else into it.

He answered firmly, "It's fine."

As long as the Nascent Soul was still there, it was fine. Only when it was destroyed would it truly be "not fine."

Yue Wuhuan directly extended his Divine Sense to probe into Song Qingshi's Nascent Soul, confirming that it remained intact within his dantian. Though surrounded by sealed shadowy flames, making the details unclear, there were no signs of collapse. A steady Dao Heart meant neither emotional turmoil nor desire, leaving Yue Wuhuan puzzled about what Song Qingshi was truly experiencing.

Perhaps... it was just mere attachment?

The Master was actually quite afraid of loneliness, though somewhat unaware of it, and it showed in his actions.

His life had been detached from society, leaving him ignorant of normal interactions, occasionally displaying childish tendencies...

Eccentrics always came with their share of oddities, their actions difficult for ordinary people to understand.

Yue Wuhuan lay on the bed in confusion, his thoughts growing increasingly tangled and complex.

Song Qingshi crawled over and planted a familiar kiss: "Goodnight kiss."

This was something he did every morning and night, occasionally adding late-night treats as if treating Yue Wuhuan like candy.

Yue Wuhuan felt he had grown accustomed to the kisses, his emotions shifting from initial unease to eager anticipation, becoming more relaxed and natural with each passing day. Sleeping innocently beside the person he adored—aside from the unending need for medicine to curb his desires—seemed rather nice, didn’t it?

It just felt a little... something felt off.