Healing

The fat duck puffed out its chest and boasted grandly, though it was actually incredibly nervous inside.

Although it could borrow a bit of the power of spatial laws, its cultivation was only at the rank four late stage, after all. Trapping a rank five giant python was already its limit.

If those eight great demons had attacked together just now, it would have had no choice but to run back to Xiaoyao to call for reinforcements.

Although it would have ultimately achieved its goal of healing its little junior sister, where would it hide its face as an auspicious beast?

How could it maintain its image and pride in front of its little junior sister?

Fortunately, most fortunately, that little tiger of Mount Wuji knew when to back down, and the other demon beasts weren't too stubborn either.

Since it was still early before dark, Gu Ningyun simply slid off the fat duck's back and set up a barbecue grill by the river.

“You worked hard fighting, Senior Brother. I'll make you some delicious food.”

The fat duck exclaimed, “There's such a treat!” Slurp!

Bai Daying barked, “Awooo!”

During her previous training expedition at sea, the spirit plants and sea beasts she had collected in her spatial ocean had already reproduced for several generations.

She used her spirit energy to scoop blindly inside her spatial ocean, quickly filling a large basin with sea spiders, sea crabs, sea cucumbers... all kinds of sea beasts and spirit herbs.

Even if she couldn't use her food cultivation techniques, the ingredients were so fresh that a simple cooking method would make them exceptionally delicious.

Gu Ningyun used her sword to carve the words “Bai Daying” onto a food box to make it the puppy's exclusive bowl. Inside was some squab soup she had packed away previously.

As she placed the box on the ground, she felt a little worried.

Could such a tiny puppy eat roasted squab?

If it couldn't, that would be troublesome. It couldn't just survive on peaches alone, or it would end up malnourished.

Bai Daying opened its mouth with a gulp, burying its entire head in the food box. With a swipe of its tongue, both the squab and the soup vanished instantly without a trace.

After finishing, it smacked its lips, looking completely unsatisfied.

Gu Ningyun was speechless. Well, she had worried for nothing.

Bai Daying was certainly no ordinary dog!

With a senior brother to reward and a puppy to raise, Gu Ningyun rolled up her sleeves and began her grand barbecuing endeavor.

If anyone were to ask her now what her mood had been when she was cooped up in her room half a day ago, she would probably just wave her hand and reply that such nonsense didn't matter.

An hour later, the sun's afterglow gradually faded.

The puppy was already full and lay sprawled beside its food box. In front of the fat duck, hundreds of filled food boxes were neatly stacked.

“The moon is out, little girl.”

Gu Ningyun packed away the barbecue grill. After a moment's thought, she bent down to scoop the puppy into her arms. “I'm ready, Senior Brother.”

The fat duck glanced at the puppy but didn't stop her. It merely used a Cleaning Technique to elegantly wipe Gu Ningyun's hands and the puppy's snout.

“Then let us begin.”

The night wind blew, stirring gentle ripples across the lake.

Under the moonlight, the Wangshu slowly bloomed.

Layer upon layer of cream-white petals unfolded, revealing a transparent pistil at the very center.

The Wangshu's stem was about five meters tall, its petals were a meter long, and its pistil was half a meter in diameter.

Fully bloomed, the entire flower spanned a whopping two and a half meters in diameter, resembling a soft bed of petals.

“Martial Aunt Yi Shu said you cannot use spirit energy right now. You just need to lie on it and let the lunar power enter your acupoints naturally to nourish your meridians.”

The fat duck flapped its wings and flew to the small island in the center of the lake, gently placing Gu Ningyun onto the flower. “I will guard you from the side. If you get bored just lying there, call me, and your senior brother will read a storybook to you.”

“Okay. Senior Brother, do you want to set up a protective array plate?”

“No need, I will do it myself.”

Gu Ningyun was startled.

She had no idea how many days this healing process would take. She had assumed the fat duck would set up a protective array plate so it could cultivate with the help of the Wangshu while guarding her, which would prevent it from getting too bored.

Who would have thought it planned to guard her directly without any array?

Without an array plate, guarding her meant staying alert at all times. It was fine for a short while, but over a long period, anyone would find it exhausting. Even if it could handle it, she didn't want to waste the fat duck's time like this.

With this in mind, she leaned over the edge of the petals and looked down.

She saw the fat duck paddling leisurely in the lake water, its red webbed feet stirring clear ripples.

On the grassy ground of the island lay several open food boxes, the grilled seafood inside sizzling and steaming.

The fat duck propped itself up with its right wing, its wingtip pinching a jade slip. On it was written—《Seducing Master: Stolen Love is Especially Sweet》, written by Mr. Xueyue.

Gu Ningyun opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but when she saw the title of the storybook, she quickly pulled her head back.

She fell silent.

Once the Wangshu bloomed, its petals and pistil aligned on a flat plane. When she lay down, the pistil parted like flowing water.

She rolled around on the flower before obediently returning to the very center, crossing her hands over her lower abdomen and closing her eyes.

A very light, faint fragrance wafted around, requiring a deep breath to detect. It was not cloying, but rather refreshing and delightful. It was the scent of the Wangshu.

With the bright moon hanging high, the lunar power rose like waves from the petals and pistil, gently enveloping and covering her, seeping from her acupoints into her meridians.

Martial Aunt Yi Shu and Senior Brother Linchuan might have guessed that she had a method to cultivate star power, but what they didn't know was that she practiced two cultivation techniques simultaneously.

One of her cultivation techniques, the Record of Primordial Stars, could run automatically without her active initiation.

Since she didn't have to exert her divine sense or spirit energy, this automatic rotation did not tax her mind or harm her meridians, even with her injuries. The healing effect was far better than the two elders had anticipated.

The lunar power was actively absorbed, flowing from her acupoints through her meridians and into her dantian. Cycle by cycle, it gradually formed a Major Orbit.

Her meridians, which had been radiating a scorching fiery energy, instantly shed their burning sensation upon meeting the pure lunar power, like a hot barbecue grill doused in ice water.

She swallowed a Meridian-Moisturizing Pill. With nothing blocking it, the medicinal force smoothly seeped into the injured areas of her meridians.

A faint itch from the healing meridians arose, only to be washed away by the cool lunar power.

The star-studded sky draped down endless silver threads, which were drawn into her body by her Innate Star Body and the Record of Primordial Stars. Alongside the lunar power, they completed one Major Orbit after another.

Her dantian, which had been drained of star power, slowly recovered amidst the floral fragrance.

The puppy curled up at her feet. The star power that Gu Ningyun couldn't fully absorb was drawn into the puppy's body with every breath it took.

On nights with the Innate Star Body and the puppy, the stars seemed exceptionally generous, showering down silver threads far more abundant than before.

The Wangshu stretched its stems in the moonlight, the entire flower appearing much more vibrant than usual.

Cultivation knew no passage of time, and in the blink of an eye, morning arrived.

The Wangshu slowly closed, its petals arching to gently envelop Gu Ningyun inside.

As the first ray of sunlight fell upon the petals, it was filtered repeatedly until only a wisp of the gentlest purple qi of solar power remained, which Gu Ningyun refined into her body.

This kind of purple qi would neither aggravate her meridian burns nor cause an imbalance of yin and yang by neutralizing some of the lunar power. It was perfect for Gu Ningyun's current state.

Days and nights alternated as the stars shifted and the seasons turned.

After an unknown number of days, the puppy that had been lying at Gu Ningyun's feet twitched its eyelids and opened its eyes.

It sniffed the air, lowered its head to nudge aside Gu Ningyun's stocking, and gave her ankle a gentle nip.

“Ouch—Bai Daying?”