n my own!" I crouched down, silently reciting Qian Chong Xue's incantation to dispel the darkness outside.He gave me a shield-like barrier, I should be able to safely rush to my grandfather's table, r...His voice brushed past my ear softly.

I patted my own face and looked at Mu Wanchen who was so close to me: " ... Did you cast some kind of spell on me"

Mu Wanchen was slightly taken aback: "Why do you say that"

"I feel like there's something magical about the way you speak…especially hypnotic." I held my head and shook it.

"Hmph... Is it tempting you Don't be silly, let's go. Before it gets too dark."

"Shouldn't we go when it's late and everyone is asleep My father should be guarding inside."

"It's alright, the cold air of midnight is too heavy and not good. Let's take advantage of it before it reaches midnight."

Okay, okay. In the eyes of these cultivators, zishi seems to be a very special time period. During our previous casual conversations, I also often heard the little junior wife mention zishi.

Zishi is what people usually call 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. at night. Most people sleep during this time, some who pay attention to health go to bed before 11 p.m., and some who like to stay up late also sleep around the second half of Zishi, after all, most people have to work or study.

Most people think that Zi Shi (the eleventh hour in the Chinese timekeeping system) is the darkest and most sinister time, when yin energy is at its peak. However, according to ancient wisdom, this is actually when yang energy begins to "generate" and flourish.

Therefore, falling asleep during the 子時 (zi shi) hour is crucial for nurturing the generated yang qi, which is extremely important for one's overall health throughout the day.

The Huangdi Neijing divides Zi shi (the time from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.) as the time when the gallbladder meridian is in charge. This time is used for sleep to nourish qi and blood, requiring quiet lying down, relaxation into sleep, no unnecessary thoughts or worries, no anxiety or distress. When the gallbladder meridian flows smoothly, it benefits all five zang-organs and six fu-organs.

This is what the Classic of Internal Medicine says: "All eleven viscera originate from the gall bladder."

I understand the reasoning, but I've never managed to fall asleep properly before bedtime.

Mu Wanchen wanted me to go to sleep early, so taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't yet midnight, he opened the ritual.

It's really ridiculous that I even need a spell to enter my own room.

This is my father's study courtyard. He basically sleeps here. There's also a wing in this courtyard where Ms. Xue is currently staying.

At the courtyard entrance, my ninth senior brother was sitting on a small stool by the moon gate, wrapped in a thick cotton coat like a military one. He leaned his head against the wall and fell asleep just like that.

He is the youngest disciple. He always volunteers for the hard and tiring tasks, he is very aware and lovable.

He seemed to be on night watch here, too afraid to approach the door of the wing. He just sat in the yard, ready to get up and help at any call.

Mu Wanchen's technique was directly inscribed on the door, I glanced back at my ninth senior brother, he should be asleep and didn't notice our movements at all.

The room was deathly silent, as if even the air had solidified.

I understand what my sister means by saying that outsiders shouldn't approach. ... There are many places with such taboos.

People in a coma, on the verge of death, or who have just died, are tabooed from being approached by the living. In this state, they are easily stimulated by some spirits, which can cause trouble.

But it couldn't be completely sealed, there had to be ventilation. I saw a gap in the window on the other side of the room, and someone had propped open with some paper pasted onto the frame, preventing it from closing completely, leaving a sliver of space. They had also moved the folding screen from the study to block the window.

This faint breeze moved through the stifling room, carrying away the scent of medicine.

I smelled a strange fragrance. This was something my father treasured. No matter how high-ranking officials came to ask for this "soothing incense," he would only give them the tiniest speck, like the tip of a fingernail. Even your master brother would charge a hefty price.

Because this contains natural ambergris, which is extremely rare,

The Materia Medica states that ambergris has the effects of activating blood circulation, benefiting essence and marrow, assisting yang pathways, and promoting smooth blood flow. Throughout history, it has been a precious medicinal herb.

Ancient emperors and nobles would use a tiny amount in sachets or hang it above their beds to protect their health.

Father really used all his treasured belongings. I'm a little puzzled — does he truly love Ms. Xue that much

It's undeniable that Ms. Xue is beautiful. If you calculate carefully, she should be under forty years old. Her figure and appearance look like a mature woman in her early to mid-twenties.

If you look closely, she is very beautiful.

Almond-shaped eyes, phoenix-tail eyebrows, cherry-like lips, and a faint, almost imperceptible sneer.

Well, my old-fashioned father seems to be quite smitten with this mature woman... I wonder how they were as a couple when they were younger.

Father was incredibly devoted. During the years when Ms. Xue was away, I never saw him complain once, nor did I see him have any private interactions with any other women.

What kind of mind-altering soup did they feed you

Mrs. Xue's life or death is currently unknown, but he remains by her side, taking care of her without leaving or giving up anything.

"…" Mu Wanchen raised his hand and touched my face, signaling me to snap out of it.

I peered through the crack in the screen, and saw my father asleep at the table by the window. The bed curtains obscured the rest of the scene. I crept towards the screen, trying to bypass it, when my father suddenly let out a soft hum and turned his head.

The commotion startled me into freezing, unable to move. Mu Wanchen moved his fingers slightly, and I saw Lingzhen appear after a long time, flying onto my father's shoulder and wagging its tail...

"That...is...your...father..." I widened my eyes, mouthing each word to Mu Wanchen.

You actually want to use a scorpion to sting him Back off.

" ...I know my limits, so you won't accidentally bump into anything."

Okay, alright. I rubbed my face, his gentleness was just too hard to resist.

I went around the screen and to the foot of the bed, stealthily touching the bed curtain. A faint fragrance seeped out from inside, like magic. The scent, once inhaled, cleared my mind instantly.

Behind the curtains, lay that enigmatic woman.

Her black hair, like satin, was spread out on the pillow and combed neatly.

A soft quilt lay over her chest, and one wrist peeked out from beneath it, held aloft by a hand pillow. It seemed that whenever her father was awake, his fingers had never left her pulse.

It was too dark, I couldn't see her complexion. I looked at my father's phone on the table, Mu Wanchen seemed to have a telepathic connection, like a phantom, drifted over and handed me the phone.

I shielded the flashlight with my hand, avoiding a direct beam, and through the sliver of light that escaped between my fingers, I saw Ms. Xue's face.

A pointed, slender, and pallid chin, bloodless lips, and slightly sunken cheeks; her brows were flattened, yet still carried an ineffable melancholy and pride.

I reached out and touched her wrist. It was cold, but there was a faint pulse.

Mulian saw me from behind, tapped my shoulder, and gestured for me to move aside.

"Is there still any hope" I couldn't help but ask.

"Let's see how much blood gu is left..."ardless of whether he came here for the Goddess of Dawn, he's helped me a lot in the past. I can't just abandon him like this without any sense of loyalty.A gust of wind tore through the haze and fell...