Chapter 24: Bingo Resolution
"Xingzhe, give me your hand," Li Luoning reached out her hand to Mi Xingzhe.
Mi Xingzhe just hid his hand further behind his back, "Master..." Thinking he was going to be punished, he hid his hand even deeper.
Li Luoning stepped forward and grabbed Mi Xingzhe's hand, carefully examining it.
Mi Xingzhe wanted to pull his hand back, but he naturally didn't have the strength of the master, plus he was already feeling guilty, so he didn't dare to look up at the master.
Li Luoning's face darkened for a moment, and she moved her gaze to Mi Xingzhe's neck, carefully examining the wound on the back of his neck.
"It's just a scratch, Qingyi, go to the medicine room and get some healing ointment."
"Yes, Master."
Watching Yun Qingyi's back, Li Luoning turned her head and looked at Mi Xingzhe, with a hint of smile on her face.
"Xingzhe, is it Senior Brother's fault for hitting you?"
"It was my fault first, Senior Brother punished me, and I naturally accepted it, but... but Senior Brother..." Mi Xingzhe wasn't really mad at being punished by Yun Qingyi, but that punishment just now was really awkward.
Li Luoning gently took Mi Xingzhe's hand and sat down on the side.
"Feeling shy?" Li Luoning asked leisurely.
"I'm not a child. If Senior Brother wants to punish me, then punish me. Why use this kind of punishment meant for children?" Just thinking about the scene just now, Mi Xingzhe felt inexplicably frustrated.
"The whole Liao Yin Immortal Realm can turn Qingyi, who has a good temper, into this. I'm afraid only you, Mi Xingzhe, can do it." Li Luoning smiled wryly, feeling like a parent handling a quarrel between two brothers at this moment.
"I didn't mean to anger him." Mi Xingzhe muttered somewhat defiantly.
Li Luoning just found it both funny and annoying, shaking her head helplessly.
"Xingzhe? Do you understand the principle of 'the body is a gift from parents'?" Li Luoning asked softly.
"I don't have parents." Mi Xingzhe still insisted stubbornly.
Li Luoning smiled helplessly again, then patiently said, "Although you don't have your parents by your side now, your senior brother cares for you no less than your parents, right?"
Hearing the words of the master, Mi Xingzhe thought for a moment and couldn't help but feel guilty.
"Did you learn anything from the Ling Shu Jing you were reading recently?" Li Luoning asked.
Mi Xingzhe was somewhat surprised. Why did the master suddenly ask about this?
"Do you remember what was discussed in the seventeenth chapter?" Li Luoning reminded.
"Pulse diagnosis." Mi Xingzhe responded softly. He almost flipped through that book every night before going to bed and unknowingly remembered many contents from the Ling Shu Jing.
Li Luoning nodded satisfactorily, "Would you like to recite the pulse diagnosis?"
"The six yang of the hand extends from the hand to the head, five feet, five six three feet. The six yin of the hand extends from the hand to the chest, three feet five inches, three six one eight feet, five six three feet, combined two upright one foot." Mi Xingzhe smoothly continued with the following content. After reciting it, he felt incredulous himself that he could remember the content from the Ling Shu Jing so clearly.
Li Luoning seemed not surprised at all, but looked at Mi Xingzhe with a smile on her lips, "Now do you understand why?"
"I understand..."
"I believe that Qingyi is not feeling good now. But the relationship between you two still needs to be mediated by yourselves. If Xingzhe is no longer angry, why not go and see if the healing ointment is ready?"
As if intentionally adjusting the somewhat awkward relationship between the two disciples, Li Luoning said as she gestured towards the direction of the medicine room.
"Oh, then Master, I'll go see Senior Brother Qingyi." Mi Xingzhe understood the hint and bowed deeply to Li Luoning before leaving.
After Mi Xingzhe left, Li Luoning's originally smiling face gradually sank, her brows furrowed, seeming to be contemplating a very serious issue, with a hint of worry in her eyes.
In the medicine room, Yun Qingyi sat somewhat distracted, recalling the scene just now with Mi Xingzhe, feeling regretful and frowning, closing his eyes, and clenched his fists.
"Yun Qingyi, what have you done just now?" Looking at his own hands, Yun Qingyi lamented to himself.
Yun Qingyi recalled the speculation her master had mentioned a few days ago. She initially thought her master was just overly anxious. It wasn't until she found the needle from under the bed while tidying up Mi Xingzhe's clothes and then accidentally scratched him today.
"I wonder if I hurt Xingzhe. Maybe I should make him some of his favorite snacks later to make up for it."
Yun Qingyi opened her palm, examined it, and frowned with guilt.
"Why can't I control my temper?" Yun Qingyi lamented, sitting alone at the table in the apothecary, holding a bottle of medicine, absentmindedly rubbing the bottle with her fingertips.
Mi Xingzhe had actually been standing at the door for a while, but he lacked the courage to come in. He was now pacing back and forth outside the apothecary door, unsure of how to explain to his senior brother about what had just happened.
[How should I start? Thank my senior brother for the lesson? No, that sounds too stiff. Or maybe... Sorry, Qingyi, for what happened? No, that's too insincere. Maybe I should just act like nothing happened and greet my senior brother as usual?] Mi Xingzhe rehearsed several versions of opening lines in his mind but couldn't find one that felt satisfactory and not awkward to break the silence.
Just as both inside and outside the room were in a state of confusion, Little Bingo, not knowing where it came from, ran straight into the apothecary, with something seemingly held in its mouth, and nestled into Yun Qingyi's arms, acting coquettishly.
"Ah, Bingo." Mi Xingzhe watched as Little Bingo ran past him, intending to call out to it, but Little Bingo was too fast. Before he knew it, it had slipped away from right in front of him.
Hearing Mi Xingzhe's voice, Yun Qingyi looked up and saw Mi Xingzhe standing by the door.
Seeing that Yun Qingyi had noticed him, Mi Xingzhe felt a little awkward, but he stepped forward.
In the room, the expressions of Yun Qingyi and Mi Xingzhe were hard to describe, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. The two sitting opposite each other didn't know what to say. Eventually, Yun Qingyi broke the silence, glanced at Little Bingo beside her, and reached out to take what it was holding in its mouth.
"Little Bingo, did you go to play in the ice bamboo forest again? Let me see what you've brought back this time. Is this... a dragon bone? Where did you find it?" Yun Qingyi asked, stroking Little Bingo's head.
Little Bingo stood by, seemingly displeased, shaking its head disdainfully. It kept tossing its head toward Yun Qingyi and then nudged Mi Xingzhe's hand with its head.
"Oh, is this for Xingzhe? You little rascal, you used me but don't even give me a good attitude." Yun Qingyi answered her own question with a smile, shaking her head gently.
Beasts like Little Bingo were intelligent and understanding. Yun Qingyi had been thinking about giving Mi Xingzhe some sedative medicine a few days ago, but she lacked dragon bones as a medicinal catalyst. Today, Little Bingo somehow found this item.
"Brother Qingyi, I just..." Mi Xingzhe sat on the side and finally spoke up.
"Xingzhe, what happened earlier was my impulsive mistake. I shouldn't have hit you. It's my fault." Yun Qingyi apologized gently.
"No, it's not. It's my fault. I made Master and Senior Brother worry, and I did something stupid. It's my fault. Brother Qingyi, you don't have to feel guilty about it." Mi Xingzhe quickly admitted his mistake, feeling apologetic and speaking softly.
"Xingzhe, I can tolerate whatever you do on a daily basis, and Senior Brother doesn't expect you to have a high level of cultivation. After all, with me and Master here, no one can hurt you. But if you make such foolish mistakes again like today..." Yun Qingyi paused, her voice choking up a bit.
"I won't, I won't, Qingyi ge, I promise I won't do it again." Hearing Yun Qingyi's words, Mi Xingzhe waved his hands repeatedly, solemnly assuring her.
"It's better be that way. Otherwise, next time, I'll definitely break your legs!" Looking at the junior brother in front of her, Yun Qingyi scolded, but her mouth was full of indulgence as she gently patted Mi Xingzhe's head.
"There won't be a next time. The lesson from this time will haunt me for a while." Mi Xingzhe muttered quietly, lowering his head.
"Xingzhe, although I'm not your blood relative, I worry about you just as much as anyone else. You know, when I saw those wounds on you, it felt like each one was cutting into my heart."
"Qingyi ge..." Hearing these words, Mi Xingzhe felt even more guilty.
"I even feel like I haven't cared enough about you, which led you to relieve your frustration in such a way." Yun Qingyi's expression was self-reproachful, her hand lightly touching her forehead.
"Qingyi ge, don't blame yourself like this. It's not what you think. I just... I promise there won't be a next time, Qingyi ge, please don't blame yourself." Mi Xingzhe approached and gently pushed Yun Qingyi's arm, trying to comfort her.
Seeing Yun Qingyi blaming herself so much for his sake, Mi Xingzhe felt inexplicably moved. In his past life, there were so many moments when he wished to be protected, to feel cared for all the time. However, life back then was like surviving in a difficult situation. Even if he reached out for help, no one was willing to give him a moment of shelter. But now, Qingyi ge's words were like a long-awaited warm spring, soothing Mi Xingzhe's heart, letting him know that amidst the Three Realms, someone finally cared whether he lived or died.
Mi Xingzhe felt a warm surge in his heart, his eyes involuntarily reddening. He quickly lowered his head to conceal it. Glancing around, he saw the medical book placed next to Yun Qingyi, then looked back at her. Yun Qingyi naturally caught onto his emotions, picked up the medical book.
"Xingzhe, how long have you been reading this Ling Shu Classic?" Yun Qingyi held the medical book in front of Mi Xingzhe.
"Just... just for a while. Actually, it's... it's..." Seeing what Yun Qingyi was holding, Mi Xingzhe began to feign ignorance.
"Don't lie!" Yun Qingyi knew every move of his too well, raising her voice slightly.
"Well, it's been a while." Hearing Yun Qingyi's gentle rebuke, Mi Xingzhe smiled awkwardly, and his movements stopped.
"How long exactly? Master doesn't know, but I do. This Ling Shu Classic isn't from any version in our study. Where did you get this book from?" Yun Qingyi pressed on.
"Uh... I just picked it up on the way back when I was drunk, from the hands of a medical apprentice at the Medicine King's Pharmacy." Mi Xingzhe answered truthfully.
"Picked it up? You stole it!"
"Ah, Qingyi ge, lower your voice, don't let Master hear it." Mi Xingzhe quickly covered Yun Qingyi's mouth, nervously looking around.
"You—" Yun Qingyi was about to raise her hand and hit him again.
"Qingyi ge, good senior brother, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't tell Master." Mi Xingzhe reflexively held his head and begged for mercy.
"Yun Wan Nian! You're becoming more and more unruly. You even learned how to steal. If there's another time, I won't bother with you. I'll let Master deal with you." Yun Qingyi scolded, but she couldn't bear to do anything to him, only reproaching him and lightly pushing his head.
"I'm sorry, but that day, that immortal servant said that the medicine jar was picked up by my master for testing. I was so angry that I stole his medical book." Mi Xingzhe rubbed his head, feeling a bit guilty.
"You little rascal, if Master finds out you're stealing, you won't have that hand anymore." Yun Qingyi was both angry and unsure of what to do with this junior brother.
"I can do it anyway. When I was wandering before, I survived by stealing buns when I was hungry." Realizing he said the wrong thing, Mi Xingzhe quickly shut his mouth, meeting Yun Qingyi's stern gaze, then quickly turned his head away, looking at her face with his eyes.
Yun Qingyi hmphed softly, then picked up the medical book and threw it on the table.
"Ah, Qingyi ge, you've scolded me and hit me, please don't be angry anymore." Mi Xingzhe began to act coquettishly.
"If you do something like this again in the future, I won't bother with you. I'll hand you over to Master." Yun Qingyi responded.
"Okay, I promise I'll try not to do it again." Mi Xingzhe raised his hand and swore.
"Try?" Yun Qingyi raised an eyebrow at Mi Xingzhe. Did he think she was deaf?
"I'll definitely..." Seeing that Yun Qingyi noticed his little trick with words, Mi Xingzhe slowly put down his hand and muttered.
Not wanting to argue with this little guy, Yun Qingyi just sighed and gently pulled Mi Xingzhe over, carefully applying ointment to his neck.
The cool ointment felt comfortable on Mi Xingzhe's neck. He closed his eyes and enjoyed it. Then suddenly he remembered something and opened his eyes to ask, "Qingyi ge, Master shouldn't be able to tell there's a problem with this book, right?" Mi Xingzhe leaned back, then nervously asked.
"If Master finds out, do you think you can sit here so calmly? Don't move, stay still." Yun Qingyi scolded, adding a bit of force to her hand in anger.
"Ouch, hey, be gentle, it hurts." Mi Xingzhe said softly.
"Don't move, it'll be okay soon." Yun Qingyi said.
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