Ruan Mingzhu ultimately did not regain consciousness.
Qin Xi's mood was heavy. Leaving Zhili Study, he went to the main hall to find Dao Lord Jinghe.
Dao Lord Jinghe was sitting cross-legged on his dragon throne, flipping through stacks of books and jade slips. Seeing Qin Xi emerge, he merely glanced up. "So soon today?"
Qin Xi did not answer. Sitting not far from him, he also picked up a few books and leafed through them, asking, "Master, what are you still looking for?"
Dao Lord Jinghe did not look up, continuing to search as he spoke. "Looking for a method to save Mingzhu." After a moment, hearing no reply but seeing Qin Xi sitting there seemingly lost in thought, he couldn't help but add, "You should think of a solution too. We can't just abandon her."
Qin Xi snapped back to attention. "Master, I have a suggestion."
"Hmm?"
"We... perhaps we should hand Mingzhu over to Senior Brother Xuanyin."
Dao Lord Jinghe looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.
Qin Xi spoke slowly. "Mingzhu's mental state has collapsed. I've thought it over, and I believe it's all because she relies on us too much. If we hand her over to Senior Brother Xuanyin... Senior Brother Xuanyin has many disciples. Perhaps she could experience a different kind of life."
"..." Dao Lord Jinghe stroked his beard, deep in thought. After a long while, he said, "What you say isn't without reason."
Qin Xi continued. "Master, you've always kept Mingzhu by your side, so her status is far more esteemed than that of an ordinary disciple. This has allowed her to gain more than ordinary disciples, but it has also caused her to lose the opportunity to learn from fellow cultivators of the same rank. Now, Senior Brother Xuanyin's disciples are still at the Foundation Establishment stage. Mingzhu would be on equal footing with them. Perhaps she could learn something from them."
"...But," Dao Lord Jinghe hesitated again, "the disciple Mingzhu injured back then was precisely Xuanyin's disciple. Wouldn't they hold a grudge..."
"They will certainly hold a grudge," Qin Xi said. "However, Senior Brother Xuanyin has always been fair in his dealings. Qingyu and Fengxue have good temperaments, and that Wei Jiasi who was injured back then isn't bad at heart either. If Master personally gives the order, even if they harbor resentment, they won't make things difficult for Mingzhu."
After a pause, Qin Xi added, "Besides, it might be good for Mingzhu to experience the cold treatment ordinary disciples sometimes face. She has forgotten everything now. If she can start over like an ordinary disciple, perhaps she won't develop the temperament she had before."
After hearing this, Dao Lord Jinghe lowered his head in contemplation. He had originally been thinking about how to restore Mingzhu's sanity. Now, it seemed, perhaps her character could be reshaped instead?
"What you say... is also very reasonable." Dao Lord Jinghe pondered. "Even if her sanity were restored, Mingzhu's collapsed mental state couldn't be repaired to its original state. It might be better to start anew."
"That's exactly what I think." Qin Xi paused, then brought up another matter. "Master, there's something strange. I don't know if you know the reason."
"What is it?"
"I... I've discovered that when I heal Tian Ge's injuries, my Spiritual Qi doesn't deplete. Instead, it increases slightly."
Hearing this, the previously distracted Dao Lord Jinghe snapped to attention, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Truly?"
"Yes." Qin Xi nodded. "It's been like this all these days. I've tried many times, and there hasn't been a single exception."
This clearly defied common sense. Dao Lord Jinghe extended his hand. "Let me see."
Qin Xi offered his right hand. Dao Lord Jinghe touched his pulse point and channeled Spiritual Qi into it. After a moment, he frowned.
Seeing his expression, Qin Xi couldn't help but ask, "Master, is something wrong?"
Only after a good while did Dao Lord Jinghe release his hand, shaking his head. "Haven't you noticed? A small cycle has formed within your body."
Qin Xi was startled. He raised his hand and circulated his own Spiritual Qi. Warm Yang Spiritual Qi flowed through his meridians, reached his Dantian, and then flowed out from it—no, that wasn't right. Within his Yang Spiritual Qi, there was an extremely pure strand of Yin spiritual energy. It mingled with the neutral energy he had stored deep within his Dantian, circulating back and forth in a corner of his Dantian.
This Yin spiritual energy was different from the Yin spiritual energy he had before cultivating the Pure Yang Arts. Back then, the Yin spiritual energy was also impure, mixed with Yang Spiritual Qi and difficult to distinguish. But this strand of Yin spiritual energy was extremely pure, without a trace of impurity. It mingled with the Yang Spiritual Qi and neutral energy, yet remained distinct, cycling with them.
After a moment, he withdrew his power and said, "Since I couldn't find Taiyin Energy, I suppressed the neutral energy deep within my Dantian. I never expected such a change... Master?"
Dao Lord Jinghe, after all, was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with vast experience. In this short time, he had already formed a hypothesis. Stroking his short beard, he said slowly, "Do you remember the characteristics of Tian Ge's Hunyuan Cultivation Method?"
Qin Xi was taken aback. "The Hunyuan Cultivation Method is practiced by those with perfectly balanced Five Elements spirit roots. Its principle is the Primordial Chaos, where the Five Elements generate and restrain each other, and Yin and Yang cycle endlessly, achieving a state of perpetual regeneration."
"Correct." This section of the cultivation method was something Mo Tiange naturally couldn't hide from Dao Lord Jinghe, so both of them knew exactly what the Hunyuan Cultivation Method entailed. Dao Lord Jinghe pinched his beard and said, "Within Tian Ge's body is the Five Elements cycle of Yin spiritual energy. Originally, this cultivation method was completely different from what you practice. Your Metal and Fire spirit roots are both excellent, and you've focused on Fire-attribute techniques since childhood. Plus, you refined the Yang Spirit Pearl, making the Yang energy within your body extremely potent. What you seek is purity. Yet, you cultivated the Three Primal Cycle Arts. Having the Sun and Neutral energies together is one thing, but adding Taiyin Energy creates another kind of cycle."
"..." Qin Xi furrowed his brow, thinking for a long time before saying, "Master, are you suggesting that my Three Primal Cycle Arts actually shares the same underlying principle as the Hunyuan Cultivation Method?"
Dao Lord Jinghe nodded. "That is precisely my conjecture. However, hers is a Five Elements cycle, while yours is a Yin-Yang cycle. After you became a Pure Yang Body, you suppressed the neutral energy deep within your Dantian, and you never obtained Taiyin Energy, so the Three Primal Cycle Arts were almost ineffective. These past few days, while healing Tian Ge's injuries, you obtained pure Yin spiritual energy from her. Therefore, your Three Primal Cycle Arts have truly begun to operate."
Qin Xi lowered his head in thought for a moment, then was startled. "Master! According to what you say, could these Three Primal Cycle Arts form a small chaos within the body, making Spiritual Qi regenerate perpetually?"
Dao Lord Jinghe, however, shook his head. "This is merely my speculation. I cannot answer you now. If you want to know, you must verify it yourself."
"..." Qin Xi remained silent for a long time. His expression was grave. If what his master said was true, it would mean a monumental change for his path of cultivation.
If the Three Primal Cycle Arts were used in this way, then he had been cultivating this technique incorrectly all along. He had originally believed that whether it was his Spiritual Qi or his physique, what he pursued was purity. Yet, it turned out that above purity lay balance and cycle.
Dao Lord Jinghe, thinking it over, suddenly laughed. "Who would have thought! In that case, you and Tian Ge truly are a match made in heaven. I've seen her cultivation method. The so-called Hunyuan Cultivation Method is originally a Five Elements cycle with alternating Yin and Yang, forming chaos within the body. Yet, she is a Pure Yin Body and has only cultivated the Five Elements balance of Yin spiritual energy. As for you, the Three Primal Cycle Arts solely lacks Taiyin Energy. Without obtaining Taiyin Energy, this technique could never be fully mastered. Yet, you were transformed into a Pure Yang Body and cannot cultivate Taiyin Energy. If the two of you were to engage in Dual Cultivation, Tian Ge could obtain pure Yang energy from you, allowing her to cultivate the true Hunyuan Cultivation Method. And your Three Primal Cycle Arts, after receiving her Taiyin Energy, could also achieve the state of the Three Primal Cycle. Hahaha, this is even more suitable than the pure Dual Cultivation of Pure Yang and Pure Yin bodies!"
After finishing, Dao Lord Jinghe saw Qin Xi's displeased expression and asked, "What? Isn't this good?"
After a long while, Qin Xi shook his head. "I don't want... to involve cultivation matters in this." If it were just for cultivation, why would he have waited until now? His master had long said that the most convenient way for him to obtain Taiyin Energy was through Dual Cultivation with her. Yet, he had always been unwilling because he didn't want the act of Dual Cultivation to be tainted by excessive utilitarianism.
"Hey!" Dao Lord Jinghe frowned, looking at him disapprovingly. "Are you overthinking this? Why must you avoid the benefits of Dual Cultivation? Something that benefits both parties is good, isn't it?"
"..." Qin Xi lowered his head, silent for a long time.
Seeing him like this, Dao Lord Jinghe couldn't help but add, "Hey, hey, why aren't you speaking? I really don't understand. Others would be overjoyed if Dual Cultivation offered more benefits, yet you are unwilling in every way."
"I..." Qin Xi hesitated before speaking. "If it's like this, I always feel as if I'm using her."
"What use or not use?" Dao Lord Jinghe exclaimed. "Child, what's wrong with your head? This is an incidental benefit, incidental, understand? Just because Dual Cultivation benefits you both, does that negate the feelings between you?"
Qin Xi, however, smiled bitterly. "Master, do you think she has feelings for me?"
"..." This question made Dao Lord Jinghe hesitate for a long time. "This... there should be, right? To say there aren't any, I truly don't believe it."
"But to say there are, I don't believe it either." Qin Xi lowered his head, smiling self-deprecatingly. "Back when I brought her back from East Kunwu, I could see her heart stirring along the way, yet I deliberately avoided it. She is also intelligent. She didn't take advantage of the opportunity of being alone together to get closer like other women might have. Instead, she controlled herself and maintained distance... It was precisely because of this that I thought more highly of her. Now, thirty or forty years have passed. How many opportunities have we had to meet? Even if her heart stirred back then, I'm afraid she has long forgotten."
"But I usually see she's not indifferent to you..."
"Moreover," Qin Xi interrupted him, continuing, "how do I explain my identity? To this day, I have never told her that Qin Xi is Qin Shoujing. Her fondness for Qin Xi stems firstly from the two months I accompanied her after her second uncle passed away, rescuing her from a difficult situation. Secondly, she believes I am a cultivator of the same rank, that we are equals. Master, you also know how strong her self-respect is. If she knew the truth, would she be willing to take another step closer to me?"
Seeing Dao Lord Jinghe also rendered speechless, Qin Xi could only smile bitterly. "Alright, let's take a step back. Suppose she still has feelings for me to this day. But would those feelings be enough for her to forgive my deception? Although I believe I have never wronged her, I also cannot explain this matter with a clear conscience."
He sighed softly. "Feelings that may not even exist, the concealment of my identity, plus the benefits of Dual Cultivation we just discussed... With so many things piled together, it's really hard to predict how she would react."
[Author's Note: Fell asleep, got up early and ran around in high heels. Sat down and was extremely sleepy. Just one chapter today. Will make it up tomorrow if there's time.]