Chirp---
The birds in the forest greeted the white sky, and fine snow fell in the courtyard, covering the roof of the house with a layer of white.
On the bed, Ye Anping's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and the moment his mind cleared, he felt refreshed.
The severe pain caused by the first thunder tribulation and the blood boiling caused by more than twenty kinds of poisonous substances were all dispelled.
This was the first time in several days that he had slept this comfortably.
Ye Anping exhaled and opened his eyes, glancing sideways at the table beside the bed.
There were still various earthly treasures on the table that were extremely effective but on the other hand, had serious side effects.
Most of these natural treasures were looted by Liang Zhu and Ye Waner from the secret vault of the Imperial Sect.
Other natural materials such as " Cold Snow Lotus " and " Black Yellow Fruit ", which were pretty rare, were also collected from the black market or monster nests in the Western Region in the past few days.
It could be said that what was now on this simple wooden table was the value of a second-rate sect's goods.
And all these natural treasures had one thing in common.
That is, they were all main medicines with strong medicinal properties but also had strong side effects and toxicity.
If ordinary sects randomly chose any one of them to make medicine, they would have to also use countless auxiliary medications to counter the side effects and remove the toxicity.
But Ye Anping had taken twenty different kinds in one go without any auxiliary medicines.
It could be said that if he and his sister had not ingested poison for a year in order to kill the Magical Poison Sect's Grand Master Wu You, he would have spurted blood from all his orifices and returned to dust the moment he took the medicine yesterday.
Ye Anping was actually grateful to Wu You. If it weren't for his 'motivation', he probably wouldn't have reached this stage now...
After completing the Core Formation , he would go to Wuxi Town to build a tombstone for Wu You to repay this favor.
"Sigh..."
However, as he was feeling emotional...
"Hmm?"
Why am I so relaxed now?
Ye Anping instantly came to his senses. He sat up from the bed, raised his hand, and clenched his fist, finding that his arm was full of strength. He quickly submerged his spiritual sense internally and explored the meridians in his body.
When he saw the current situation of his meridians and energy pool, he was a little incredulous, and even raised his hand to pinch his face, thinking he was dreaming.
?!
---The meridians that should have been injured by the thunder tribulation had completely recovered.
---The energy and blood should have brimmed with the poison of the natural materials but the poison seemed to have been dispelled, leaving only the medicinal effect.
---The energy reserve, which should have been depleted, was now overflowing with vitality.
...
It was as if a player whose blood was about to run out suddenly got a full blood bar after one night and with a whole lot of enhancing "buffs".
If it was a game, it would not be surprising, as the characters were not living creatures.
But this world was real.
Ye Anping even began to wonder if this was his last burst of energy before his death.
He checked his physical condition several times again with his spiritual sense.
However, the conclusion was the same as before -- his blood was cleansed and his energy was replenished.
But why? How could that be?
Ye Anping was slightly perplexed. Although his current state was undoubtedly a good thing, this kind of "pie falling from the sky" situation made him extremely uneasy.
Same as with those natural treasures; the better the medicinal effect, the greater the probability of side effects. He didn't know what price he had to pay for this benefit.
Ye Anping frowned and started looking for reasons in his mind.
---Did he somehow acquire the self-healing ability Feng Yu Die had because of the Heavenly Dao Scroll ?
---Could the twenty high-level natural treasures, turn by chance into a medicine that could replenish spiritual energy and repair meridians overnight?
---Could this place have the aura of spring that nurtures all things?
...
He came up with dozens of whimsical possibilities, but he had no way to determine which one it was.
After a while, Ye Anping was finally ready to get out of bed. He moved his hands and feet a little and checked his body condition.
But just when he lifted the quilt and prepared to get out of bed...
A triangular strip of cloth slipped off the bed and fell to the ground.
The strip of cloth was completely black and looked like the cotton cloud material commonly used for the immortals' clothes, slightly transparent, and with a string on each side of the strip of cloth.
"..."
Ye Anping was stunned. He held it from the string in front of his eyes and stared at it for a while.
Without a doubt, this was underwear.
However, the piece of cloth was too small. If a girl wore it, her "sweet cheeks" would probably show, and with the somewhat see-through material, it was almost the same as not wearing anything at all.
Although he bought all his sister's clothes, and he even had some spare sets in his storage bag, he was sure that he had never bought this style.
So, there was an obvious conclusion left. Someone sneaked into the small cave he set up temporarily and left this cloth strip...
Ye Anping was silent for a moment, then looked down and saw that his clothes were undisturbed. He looked up and scanned the room again.
There were no signs of any intruders in the room. The high-level talismans posted on the four corners had not been consumed, and there were no signs of the prohibitions and small formations being destroyed...
However, this piece of cloth could also explain why his energy was replenished overnight.
That uninvited guest must have used dual cultivation techniques to give him her spiritual power and helped him remove the poison in his meridians...
But who was it?
His sister and Xiao Yunluo were now in the Black Star Sect hundreds of miles away.
The two of them should have already started to form the core, so it was unlikely that they would come here. Even if it was them, they would not leave without saying a word.
It was even more unlikely to be Li Longling or Yun Yiyi, as they were nearly a thousand miles away from the Hundred Lotus Sect...
Ye Waner?
No way! Ye Waner had no reason, and she should still be at the Western Region 's southern border to get the Scorpion Poison Five Elements ...
Xiaodie and Ating?
Pah---
Ye Anping slapped himself on the forehead, feeling that his thoughts were getting more and more wayward. He emptied his mind again and rubbed his temples...
"Si Xuanji..."
He murmured the name but was still a little uncertain.
Si Xuanji should be in the Bright Star Sect discussing the affairs of the Central Region with several other Void Returning cultivators at this moment. How could she possibly come here...
Looking at the triangular cloth strip in his hand, Ye Anping was silent for a long time, and then slowly brought the cloth strip to his nose...
"Sniff--"
He took a deep breath.
A gardenia fragrance similar to Xiao Yunluo's, but a little stronger, drilled into his nostrils.
In addition, it also had a bit of the deep fragrance from the old lady's closet... It was Si Xuanji all right.
"..."
Ye Anping frowned, feeling mixed emotions.
A several thousand-year-old granny, sneaking into his house in the middle of the night and then pouncing on him...
Holy shit~~
Ye Anping hesitated for a while, staring at the underwear in his hand, and brought it to his nose again.
"Hmm...it's definitely her."
And at this time...
Creak---
Liang Zhu, with a bamboo hat on his head and a cape with some snow on it, opened the door and peeked inside. When he saw Ye Anping sitting on the bed, he froze.
"..."
"..."
The two looked at each other, then Liang Zhu's gaze slightly lowered and fell on the cloth strip Ye Anping had at his nose, but his expression was still very serious.
"Heh."
"..."
Liang Zhu walked inside, removing his bamboo hat and cloak and hanging them on a coat rack to the side before sweeping a glance at the strip of cloth in his hand. "You bought this kind of panties for your sister?"
Ye Anping didn't want to explain, so he put the cloth into the storage bag and asked, "Brother Liang, you're back so soon?"
"Yeah." Liang Zhu nodded, took out a glass jar from his storage bag, and sent it into Ye Anping's hand. "This is the ' Five Elements Mysterious Wind Powder ' you asked me to buy on the black market before. What else do you need?"
"Brother Liang, please send some spirit stones and ordinary cultivation pills every ten days or so."
Liang Zhu heard this and noticed that Ye Anping, who should have been pale from blood loss, now had a ruddy complexion and recovered a lot of his spiritual energy.
When he saw Ye Anping's face a few days ago, he looked almost dead.
"What did you do? How did you recover so quickly?"
Ye Anping shook his head with a wry smile. "I suddenly got another chance."
"So... the Heavenly Dao golden core, can you do it?"
"Well, before, I estimated I only had 60%. Now, with this opportunity... I'd say 97%."
"..."
Liang Zhu seemed to have expected it. He let out a sigh. "That's a pity. I've already found a new home. I thought you would die in the thunder tribulation in two days, so I was ready to move with Ating and my seventh sister."
"Brother Liang, you're really efficient."
"Heh..."
Liang Zhu's poker face inadvertently revealed a little smile, and then he turned and walked out of the room.
"Don't worry. The tombstone has been carved for you, and the coffin has been prepared. I will come here every ten days or so."
Ye Anping stood up and cupped his hand. "Many thanks."
Watching Liang Zhu close the door and leave, Ye Anping also closed his eyes and calmed down.
With his dual spiritual roots, even with so many natural treasures collected from the Imperial Sect and various places in the Western Region , and the spiritual sword inherited from Immortal Yun Jian, he dared not guarantee that he could 100% form the Heavenly Dao golden core.
But now, with Si Xuanji taking care of him, he didn't have to worry about anything anymore.
Even if he didn't make it in the end, there was a good chance that Si Xuanji would step in to save his life...
The only question now was how to repay Si Xuanji for saving his life.
"Heh..."
Ye Anping thought for a moment, then took out the small cloth strip from the storage bag, prepared a basin of hot water, and personally scrubbed Si Xuanji's underwear before drying it with a fire talisman.
Then, he took out a pen and paper.
After deliberating for a while, he wrote on the paper with strong and vigorous calligraphy. "May I ask your name? Thank you for your help. I have prepared some high-quality pills and some Tribute Flower Tea. I hope you will accept them."
After finishing writing, Ye Anping used a bottle of pills and a box of tea leaves looted from the secret vault of the Imperial Sect as a weight to press down on the paper and then folded the small piece of cloth and put it aside.
After that, he went to the Spiritual Gathering Array in the corner of the room to condense his energy, preparing for the second thunder tribulation.
...
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Rumble---
A golden bolt of lightning cracked the sky and shook the earth, splitting day and night in the moonlit sky. Cultivators hundreds of miles away heard the noise and knew someone was going through the tribulation here, so they took a detour.
Soon, the dark clouds that gathered on the nameless mountain were dispersed by the golden light.
A heavy rain followed.
Tick... Tick...
Crash---
Heavy rain, accompanied by thunder, swept across the surrounding mountains and forests.
Si Xuanji, dressed in purple clothes and holding an oil-paper umbrella, slowly walked to Ye Anping's makeshift cave residence.
Squeak---
She raised her hand and gently pushed the wooden door.
The room was dimly lit, and the table was still filled with various natural treasures, just like when she came here twelve days ago.
Ye Anping was lying on the bed at this moment, his robe in tatters, and there were cracks on his neck that were emitting golden light and making a hissing noise.
"This idiot..."
Seeing him, Si Xuanji bit her lip and cursed, then quickly walked over to him, crouching down and lifting him so that he could rest in her arms.
Then, she sent her spiritual energy into Ye Anping's body to help him suppress the aftermath of that heavenly thunder.
"Why are you doing this? Suffering so much for a heavenly golden core."
Seeing Ye Anping gnashing his teeth despite fainting, she exhaled slightly and flicked her sleeves.
Creak---
The door slowly closed.
Si Xuanji's eyes revealed a little dissatisfaction. On the table next to her, she suddenly noticed a bottle of pills, a box of tea, and a small piece of cloth that she had left here last time.
"..."
After Si Xuanji placed Ye Anping on the bed, she walked to the table and picked up the letter he had left for her.
The yin-yang eyes scanned the lines one by one.
She grumbled, bristling. "You want to get rid of me with a box of tea and a bottle of pills?"
But then she laughed.
It seemed that Ye Anping had not guessed who helped him. Si Xuanji pursed her lips slightly before turning to look at him lying unconscious on the bed. "You are usually quite smart, but you can be so stupid sometimes."
Si Xuanji thought for a moment, and a smile appeared on her face. She took out a pen and paper from her storage bag, and after a moment of choosing the right words, she wrote:
"I happened to see someone trying to pass the Heavenly Dao golden core tribulation here, so I came over to take a look, only to find out that it was actually a kid with a death wish. I saw that you are a pretty boy, so I decided to help you. We each get what we need. Whether you can successfully pass the tribulation and form the core depends on your own luck!
---Master Tianji."
After Si Xuanji finished writing, she read it again carefully.
She felt that writing like this was very heroic, so she nodded with satisfaction and then waved her hand to put the pills, tea leaves, and her panties back into the storage bag.
After pressing the paper with something, she turned her head to look at Ye Anping on the bed and waved to close all the windows in the house. Then, she walked to the bedside and gently started to undress Ye Anping.
Jingle-ling...
Jingle-ling...
A rhythmic and pleasant bell sound rang in the room.
The light sound disappeared completely only when the dark clouds in the sky dispersed and the rainstorm stopped.
Then, the forest returned to peace and quiet.
Si Xuanji left quietly.
Just as she came quietly.
With a wave of her sleeves,
she took away the youth's yang energy.