The Inner Qi refined by Taiping Duke’s method could encompass all distinct forms of power.
Thus, the originally expansive and tranquil Inner Qi then gained strands and wisps of vitality. Murong Qiushui felt a familiar sensation flowing into her meridians. She paused slightly, and the spread of vitality within her meridians felt both familiar and strange.
She looked at Li Guanyi, the Jiangnan breeze sweeping past the youth’s temples. A beauty mark next to his eye diffused any ominous aura. Murong Qiushui felt dazed, as if she saw a gentle woman with a beauty mark by her eye, sitting there reading a book, holding her wrist, tending to a scrape caused by mischief.
In a trance, the image vanished.
She had now reached the age she was back then, and her son was just like her younger self.
Murong Qiushui stared blankly, softly saying, "Green Bird..."
Li Guanyi looked at her and replied, "I remember now."
Murong Qiushui pursed her lips. Li Guanyi said nothing more, only smiling. He expressed no hatred or anger, gently saying,
"Just like Auntie said, my mother was really beautiful."
Murong Qiushui slightly narrowed her eyes, and said nothing.
Under the flow of Qi Mechanism, it seemed one could faintly see the Green Bird soaring and circling around. Li Guanyi’s Inner Qi didn’t dissipate like the last time, and he could sense that despite Auntie’s frail body, she was healthy and had no serious illness.
The breath was also long.
If there were no problems with the essence.
Then the root of the condition could only be in one place.
With the Dharma Form of the Green Bird flowing, the bronze tripod suddenly buzzed. The Dharma Form fell upon Li Guanyi, and the power of the Red Dragon and White Tiger layered on top of the Green Bird through the Imperial Pole Worldly Scripture, then the Dharma Form sensed Murong Qiushui’s divine essence.
Qi Mechanism misted within Li Guanyi’s eyes.
It was the innate Pupil Skill of the bronze tripod.
He caught a glimpse of Murong Qiushui’s Primordial Spirit, a bird of incomparable beauty with crimson-gold feathers, similar yet distinct and more splendid than the Green Bird he bore, a Dharma Form only possessed by the world’s topmost masters who were versed in music.
That represented Murong Qiushui’s Primordial Spirit.
Yet now, Murong Qiushui’s Dharma Form of the Primordial Spirit was bound by chains, preventing the divine bird from manifesting and even making sustaining its existence difficult.
Murong Qiushui’s Dharma Form was locked.
This was the true hidden injury, under such circumstances, using the Dharma Form and Zither Sound would damage her vital essence, which was why she suddenly coughed violently when she taught Li Guanyi the Zither Sound, probably due to manipulating her Primordial Spirit and being backlashed by the seals.
Li Guanyi looked at Auntie, wanting to inquire about the injury.
But the youth opened his mouth, yet didn’t ask.
If Auntie could have cured the damage to her Primordial Spirit, she would have done so long ago.
Asking now, apart from making Auntie worry more about his reckless actions, what use would it have?
Li Guanyi withdrew his inquiry and just said as usual,
"Auntie, your body doesn’t have any illness."
"You’re very healthy, are you just teasing me?"
Murong Qiushui playfully said, "Ah, Li Nu’er has found out."
Li Guanyi half knelt beside Murong Qiushui, placing her hand back, the youth gazed down, his eyes brimming with a warm smile, softly saying, "Auntie’s body is healthy, surely you will live a long, joyous life without worries."
Murong Qiushui stretched out her hand to ruffle Li Guanyi’s hair, softly saying, "The final ordeal and affairs of your father and mother, I don’t know much, that night was too chaotic, I don’t know why just a night banquet ended that way."
"Why your father, who stood indomitable on the battlefield, fell in the peace of the Imperial Palace."
A killing intent swirled in Li Guanyi’s heart, he asked calmly, "Was it the Emperor?"
Murong Qiushui shook her head, "I don’t know."
"I can only speculate, it involved someone from the Royal Family, I was only seventeen that night, before that night, I was proud and haughty, thinking all the famed scholars of the land were but chickens and dogs, yet in the end, I could only leave the Capital City with your help, too much happened in the Capital City that night."
"I even don’t know if the Emperor was meant to die that day, just that your parents happened to be there."
"I don’t know who played the main role in it, whether it was the aristocratic family, the Gate faction, or the Royal Family, or even, perhaps, the interference of other countries’ forces."
Murong Qiushui gently pressed on Li Guanyi’s hand, saying, "Guan Yi is to go to the Capital City."
"The Emperor has commanded, leaving at this time would be more conspicuous."
"Chen Country’s Ti Qi will investigate thoroughly."
In this, Li Guanyi had no choice.
Murong Qiushui lightly rubbed the beauty mark by the youth’s eye, softly saying, "Even so, you must promise Auntie one thing, Li Nu’er."
"Don’t act rashly, don’t recklessly do anything, alright?"
Li Guanyi looked at her, slowly exhaling, saying, "Mhm."
"I certainly won’t take risks."
Murong Qiushui thought for a moment, saying, "If you indeed encounter danger, you must go to the Imperial Palace, find someone, even if your identity is completely exposed, that person can lead you out of the Imperial Palace, ensuring your safety."
Murong Qiushui slightly closed her eyes, seemingly recalling the once haughty red-dressed woman, softly saying: