CHAPTER 10

— Medicinal Bath —

"Enough, no more wasting time. Come to the backyard." Yuan Qiongshuang stood up and walked toward the courtyard.

"Oh..." Tong Tong obediently responded and followed her into the yard, only to be instantly stunned by the sight before her. "Th-this..."

How could a large pit suddenly appear in her backyard within just a few breaths, with water gurgling out of it?

She distinctly remembered this place being an empty plot of land!

Yuan Qiongshuang moved her hands continuously, as if drawing some kind of talisman array. Her entire being exuded an aura of icy elegance, like a flower atop a high peak, making Tong Tong feel an inexplicable urge to bow in reverence—if it were any other cultivator with some foundation, they would recognize this as a high-level concealment barrier, effective against anyone below the Nascent Soul stage.

Half a moment later, Yuan Qiongshuang withdrew her hands, tilted her head, and said coldly, "Take off your clothes."

Still in a daze, Tong Tong clutched her collar in panic, wearing the expression of an unyielding, chaste woman who refused to be violated. "T-take off my clothes? Why should I take off my clothes... Wh-what are you trying to do?"

"Stop your nonsense. What do you think I'm trying to do?" Yuan Qiongshuang crossed her arms, scrutinizing Tong Tong with an annoyed look. A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips, but her words were utterly humiliating. "This Seat has only just realized that your figure is exactly like your intelligence."

Tong Tong, still oblivious, blurted out, "Like what?"

Yuan Qiongshuang actually smiled—though the smile was so faint it could almost be ignored, for someone as expressionless as her, it was nothing short of a miracle. Her tone was light and almost regretful. "Lacking..."

"Hey!" Tong Tong wasn't truly foolish and quickly realized she was being mocked. Her pretty face tightened with indignation as she flung open her outer robe, revealing the plain-colored inner garment underneath, which faintly hinted at some curves.

Puffing out her chest and stepping closer, she huffed in protest, "Who says I'm lacking? I may not be as big as you, but I still have something! Don't you understand the charm of being petite and delicate? What's the use of being big anyway? It'll just..." She grew more agitated as she spoke, moving closer and closer to Yuan Qiongshuang until she was almost pressed against her.

Yuan Qiongshuang raised an eyebrow and subtly shifted her body, her elbow coincidentally pressing against Tong Tong's waist, causing her to stumble a few steps backward—and the newly formed pit was just two steps away.

Thus, Tong Tong quite naturally stepped into the pit, now filled with water—or rather, it should be called a pool.

"...sag." These were Tong Tong's last words before she fell into the water with a splash.

Her hands flailed in the air, trying to grab onto something, but inertia carried her inexorably into the pool.

"I can't swim... I'm doomed..." Tong Tong closed her eyes in fear, feeling instantly enveloped by water. Even her breathing was choked by the liquid—water rushed into her mouth and nose from all directions, suffocating her. It was clear, warm, almost like human body temperature, as if she had experienced something similar in her memory...

"Gurgle..." But there was no time to think further. The fear of her life slipping away slowly invaded her mind, and darkness gradually clouded her vision... Was this it?

Suddenly, her collar tightened as she was lifted by the neck. Light flooded her vision, and fresh air rushed into her lungs, bringing her consciousness back. "Cough, cough, spit, spit..."

'That was close—I almost drowned just now...' It's all that Obasan's fault! She always knew that one day she'd end up dying at the hands of that Obasan!

Glaring at Yuan Qiongshuang, who had just released her grip and was casually flicking the water droplets from her fingers, Tong Tong resembled a drenched kitten. Her bristling fur had been flattened by the water, leaving only an unyielding stubbornness that made her irresistibly adorable—and, of course, stirred the urge to tease her mercilessly once more. Not that Elder Yuan was the type to indulge in such mischievous whims.

So, she merely pointed at the pool where Tong Tong was submerged and remarked coolly, "Being able to drown in water that only reaches your waist... that is a talent in itself."

At these words, Tong Tong's face, which she had been straining into a fierce expression, froze. Following Elder Yuan's gesture, she looked down—and indeed, the warm, clear water in the pool seemed to only reach her waist. If she hadn't been flailing around in a panic, she could have easily steadied herself and avoided all that suffering.

"Uh... s-sorry..." Accepting criticism humbly but never learning from it had always been the comment Tong Tong's high school homeroom teacher gave her, a testament to her stubbornly forgetful nature.

—Of course, it also reflected another side of her: a good kid who acknowledged her mistakes and faced them bravely.

Thus, whenever she admitted her faults and apologized, Tong Tong was always utterly sincere.

With her large, watery eyes, flushed cheeks, and thoroughly drenched, disheveled appearance, few could bring themselves to give her a hard time—though Elder Yuan was no ordinary person.

With a cold snort, Yuan flicked her hand, and Tong Tong felt a sudden chill as her inner robe and undergarments vanished from her body.

"Ah!" Letting out a shriek, she crouched down, sinking into the water and wrapping her arms around herself. She stared pitifully at Yuan Qiongshuang, like a helpless maiden fearing for her virtue—while the powerful tyrant who had effortlessly stripped her clothes stood above her, expressionless.

Disdainful of Tong Tong's futile attempt at concealment—the water was too clear for it to matter—Yuan Qiongshuang had no intention of wasting words. She simply instructed calmly, "Stay in there. Do not come out until I tell you to."

"Mmm... okay." Muttering in resignation, Tong Tong huddled in a corner of the pool, silently watching as Yuan Qiongshuang pulled numerous bottles, jars, and an assortment of colorful, unknown plants from a small silver pouch at her waist, then dumped them all into the pool.

These heavenly treasures and divine medicines, which would have sparked frenzied competition among cultivators in the market, were nothing more than hazardous materials akin to biochemical weapons in Tong Tong's eyes, making her want to steer clear.

The crystal-clear water began to change color, starting from red and cycling through the rainbow spectrum before settling on purple—a choice Tong Tong suspected was due to Yuan Qiongshuang's personal taste—and then began emitting a strange odor.

"Eww... so gross..." It wasn't just the smell, even the color was unbearable to look at. Tong Tong thought to herself that if Yuan Qiongshuang hadn't taken her clothes, she would have jumped out immediately. If this was supposed to be a medicinal bath, shouldn't it have a refreshing fragrance or at least the bitter smell of traditional herbs?

Nothing could compare to the present moment—the eerie colors, the strange odors, and most unsettling of all, the person standing silently by the pool. Tong Tong looked up resentfully, inwardly cursing: 'D@mn it! She actually fell asleep! I hate these Obasans the most!'

At some point, Yuan Qiongshuang had placed a rocking chair by the pool. While Tong Tong was too disgusted by the bizarre water to move, Yuan Qiongshuang lay leisurely in the rocking chair, her beautiful eyes half-closed, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, as if she had long since drifted off to dreamland.

Pouting, Tong Tong stuck out her tongue at her and made a few faces before turning back, bored. She leaned against the edge of the pool, wondering if the small silver pouch was the legendary Qiankun Bag. The warm water gently caressed her skin, her pores seemed to open up, and she slowly drifted off to sleep as well.

A short while later, Yuan Qiongshuang's half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open, sharp and alert, with no trace of sleepiness whatsoever.

She rose from the rocking chair, glanced at the sleeping Tong Tong, and seeing her peaceful expression, even a hint of drool at the corner of her mouth, she sighed softly. From the silver Qiankun pouch, she retrieved the clothes she had collected earlier, rummaged through them, and pulled out the jade slip that controlled the Yunyin Courtyard. With a light tap of her fingertip, the jade slip flashed with light, and a circle of orange-red flames ignited around the pool, as if tongues of fire were burning from the heart of the earth.

Yuan Qiongshuang hadn't told Tong Tong that the Yunyin Courtyard had not originally been intended as a disciple's dwelling but as an alchemy chamber.

Beneath the surface of the Yunyin Courtyard, there had once been a rich spiritual vein abundant with fiery spiritual energy, making it an ideal place for alchemy. However, a thousand years ago, the underground spiritual vein was inexplicably destroyed, causing the fiery spiritual energy to dissipate and rendering it useless for alchemy. Thus, it was abandoned.

This was why Tong Tong was able to live here so cheaply.

Yet, aside from elders like her, who were both senior in the sect and skilled in alchemy, few knew the secrets of the Yunyin Courtyard.

Although it was an abandoned place, the residual fiery spiritual energy was still sufficient—at least enough to help Tong Tong cleanse her marrow and refine her meridians.

Another thing she hadn't told Tong Tong was that the Primordial Chaos Meridian was highly beneficial for a cultivator's progress, but it required nourishment from true essence. If someone with this meridian lacked true essence, the meridian would gradually wither, fade, and eventually vanish without a trace as they aged.

She knew that, given Tong Tong's aptitude, it was impossible for her to quickly step onto the path of cultivation and draw spiritual energy into her body. Therefore, she could only resort to extraordinary means to assist her.

Using a large amount of precious medicinal herbs, combined with the water of the Heavenly Pool and supplemented by the fiery spiritual energy of the earth vein, she would purge the impurities from Tong Tong's body to facilitate the absorption of spiritual energy. Even a major sect like Chonghua could not afford such a luxurious method to nurture disciples. It had to be said that meeting Yuan Qiongshuang was truly Tong Tong's good fortune.

Yet, from another perspective, who could say that meeting Tong Tong wasn't also Yuan Qiongshuang's own opportunity?

She only hoped this child could truly help her and not let her efforts go to waste...

With her hands forming a seal, Yuan Qiongshuang inscribed a spirit-gathering array by the poolside before lying back in the rocking chair, quietly recovering the vast amount of true essence she had expended and suppressing the flood of thoughts in her mind.

This medicinal bath lasted for three months.

After enduring the daily ordeal of being thrown into the pool by Yuan Qiongshuang for forced baths, just as Tong Tong felt her skin was about to turn that eerie purple color, Yuan Qiongshuang finally mercifully announced that the medicinal baths were no longer necessary.

Upon hearing this news, Tong Tong was so excited that she immediately threw on her clothes and retreated to a distance, eyeing the Elder like she was a predator, terrified she might make any inappropriate moves.

Yuan Qiongshuang's eyes turned cold, her brows furrowed so tightly they seemed almost knotted.

Just then, Ding Ding happened to knock on the door—during Tong Tong's "devilish" medicinal bath training, Ding Ding had visited a few times, only to be driven away each time—it was a wonder he still had the perseverance to keep coming back.

With a cold snort, she pulled open the door and said to Ding Ding in a flat tone, "Take her to the Sword Tomb to pick a sword." With a flick of her sleeve, she left.

Ding Ding timidly agreed, sidestepping to the side. Only after the figure in purple was out of sight did he reluctantly withdraw his gaze and stride into the courtyard. "You poor child... Tong Tong, your brother is here to see you... How are you? Still alive? Surviving under that old witch is truly remarkable!" Giving her a thumbs up, Ding Ding unceremoniously sat down on the rocking chair Yuan Qiongshuang had left behind and casually asked, "What has that old witch been doing with you these past three months? So secretive, not even letting anyone visit..."

But Tong Tong pouted, looked up at the sky, and replied gloomily, "Nothing much, just bathing..."

"What?" Ding Ding abruptly turned his head, staring at her in disbelief, nearly twisting his neck.

"My innocence... is gone... sob sob..." Tong Tong seemed to recall something sad, clutching her collar tightly as she wailed mournfully.

"..." Ding Ding didn't know how to comfort her, who appeared utterly heartbroken, so he chose to remain silent. Inwardly, however, he grumbled: 'Come on, you're both women! Besides, if we ignore faces and just go by figures, who knows who would be harassing whom...'

Of course, he kept these thoughts to himself and didn't dare voice them.

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