Chapter 1081

Miao He quickly helped her up: "Grandmaster said you're fine before noon—you stayed too long in the Underworld, you need more sun."

Pan Yun drank the water in one gulp; all her memories sealed by the protective mechanism returned. She touched her chest, knowing she'd done something foolish—but…

Her eyes sparkled as she silently recited: "Everything that happens benefits me!"

Though her soul and body were both damaged, this journey to the Huang Quan had given her a subtle insight.

She seemed to have brushed against the edge of something.

Zhang Zijin appeared silently, standing in the shadow of the wall, watching her—no one knew how long he'd been there.

Wang Feiyin was about to walk toward his little sister, but suddenly turned and stepped beside him, smiling without warmth: "Senior Zhang seems very concerned about my little sister. Is the imperial palace that idle?"

Zhang Zijin glanced at him and said: "Live in the imperial palace for a year and you'll understand."

Wang Feiyin, though fond of staying in one place, disliked the palace, and smiled婉拒.

Ha! Though both places confined him and forbade easy departure, on Mount Sanqing he was king—free to roam heaven and earth, inside and outside the mountains;

but in the palace, above him stood the Emperor, below him the hundred officials, and morally bound by the Three Bonds and Five Constants—every step required hours of thought. He wasn't a masochist; why seek suffering?

With this thought, Wang Feiyin's gaze toward his little sister changed, filled with reverence.

Zhang Zijin entered the palace out of necessity; she walked in willingly.

Looking at Zhang Zijin now, his eyes unconsciously held three parts pity.

He had been trapped in this palace for seventy years.

Zhang Zijin had only come to check on Pan Yun; seeing she hadn't become a fool, he turned to leave.

Wang Feiyin hurriedly called out: "Senior Zhang, I know you possess a piece of wood-jade that nurtures the soul—I'd like to borrow it for three years."

Zhang Zijin looked at him with a half-smile: "Borrow? What's the interest?"

Wang Feiyin: "Yellow Spring water."

Zhang Zijin's smile vanished; his gaze turned instantly sharp as he sized up Wang Feiyin: "Boldness beyond measure."

Then his eyes fell on Pan Yun in the courtyard, and he murmured softly: "Clever tactic."

Wang Feiyin: … Why am I the bold one, but my little sister is the one using tactics?

For a moment Wang Feiyin felt resentment, but quickly remembered—he wasn't new to descending into the Huang Quan. The first time, he couldn't even bring out a grain of soil. No wonder Zhang Zijin instantly realized the key to extracting Yellow Spring water lay with his little sister.

Zhang Zijin lowered his gaze and thought for nearly fifteen minutes before speaking: "One year."

Wang Feiyin pressed immediately: "Two years and eight months!"

Zhang Zijin gave him a faint glance and turned to leave.

Wang Feiyin clenched his teeth and hurried after him: "Senior, Senior, two years—how about two years? Can't be any shorter. This is Yellow Spring water—unique in the world."

Zhang Zijin paused for a long while, then slowly nodded: "Bring the Yellow Spring water to my courtyard before sunset."

Wang Feiyin gladly agreed.

Due to the nature of Yellow Spring water, before removing it from the spiritual realm, Wang Feiyin set three layers of arrays and took out a stone bottle he'd specially prepared.

Ten stone bottles lined up in a row, each a different color—some gray-dominant, some white-dominant, some flesh-red-dominant, others mixed hues like streaked jade. Their surfaces were polished smooth, yet still betrayed fine, dense pores.

Pan Yun picked up one bottle—it was a little larger than her palm—and squinted inside. It was dry and fine, no inclusions—just stone hollowed out.

"These stone bottles look kind of familiar?"

"How could they not? All of Mount Sanqing is made of this stone," Wang Feiyin waved proudly: "All sourced locally. How's the polishing? Don't they look just like jade bottles?"

Pan Yun put down the bottle, puzzled: "Brother, aren't the rocks on Mount Sanqing granite? Why dig them into bottles?"

She couldn't imagine why anyone would go through such pointless effort.

Wang Feiyin spoke with an air of profundity: "I'm practicing finer control over my Yuan energy."

Pan Yun was half-skeptical.

Seeing Miao Zhen hesitantly asked: "Isn't it just because you're bored?"

Pan Yun suddenly understood, looking at him with a gaze of envy tinged with resentment.

Wang Feiyin rubbed his nose, defending himself: "Time means nothing in the mountains—I'm just finding ways to amuse myself."

In his spare time between cultivation, Wang Feiyin, bored, besides refining pills and growing herbs, spent his hands making Daily necessities.

He didn't just dig out many stone bottles—he also fired clay pots, carved stone cauldrons and stone spoons, and even polished chopsticks from granite.

Smooth and refined, even prettier than the bottles, they looked exactly like jade.

Pan Yun took a clay pot of Yellow Spring water from her spiritual realm; the five sect members gathered, carefully lifting the lid and using a spoon to transfer the water into the stone bottles.

After filling ten bottles, the clay pot was only one-third empty.

Wang Feiyin packed away the bottles and the pot, then said to Pan Yun: "Give me another clay pot."

"Oh."

Pan Yun obediently pulled out another clay pot of Yellow Spring water for him.

Wang Feiyin said: "Be careful—Yellow Spring water isn't a toy. Before using it, double-check, triple-check everything."

Miao He asked curiously: "Grandmaster, what's the use of Yellow Spring water?"

"How should I know?" Wang Feiyin answered confidently: "If I knew, would I leave you half of it?"

Pan Yun and the other three: …

Wang Feiyin glanced outside at the sky, stood up, and brushed off his pants: "I'm leaving tonight. For the next few days, remember to sunbathe morning and evening to purge the yin from your body. Miao He, prepare a tonic for your little auntie—after sunbathing, make sure she replenishes her Yuan energy."

Miao He agreed.

Pan Yun now felt cold seeping through every bone seam; it was summer, yet she still wore a wool blanket over her shoulders. She tried circulating her cultivation method, but after several rounds, not a trace of the chill vanished. She asked: "Big brother, do you have a method to dispel yin-cold?"

"Methods won't help you now. Only yang energy from the sun will. Go sunbathe every day—focus on your back," Wang Feiyin said. "Luckily it's July, the peak of yang energy in the year. If it were any other time, prolonged yin would turn to illness—you'd lose your talent."

Wang Feiyin tapped her forehead in reprimand: "Next time you act recklessly, I'll throw you into the Yellow Spring water and give you a good rinse."

Pan Yun grinned: "Then what comes out won't be me anymore."

Wang Feiyin snorted, took one bottle of Yellow Spring water, and went to find Zhang Zijin.