Long Xiaoyao's figure disappeared into the night, but the image of his parting smile, that sickeningly charming, innocent curve of his lips, remained burned into Wei Ruo's vision.
The vein in her forehead didn't just throb; it felt ready to burst.
She whipped around, her silk robes snapping with the violence of her turn, and glared at the row of maids standing with their heads bowed.
"How dare that prince treat me without a shred of respect!". She paced the room, her fingernails digging into her palms.
"Does he not know where he stands? This is Myriad Leaf City, not the Imperial Capital! He thinks he can prance around and do whatever he pleases? Here, the Meng family, our family controls everything from the earth to the sky!"
She stopped before a vase and smashed it to the floor, the porcelain shattering like her patience. "Does he think he can act this way simply because my husband, is away? Does he take us for toothless tigers?"
The maids shrank back, terrified of becoming the target of her wrath. Finally, the youngest among them, trembling so hard her knees knocked together, dared to speak up in a whisper.
"M-Madam... please appease your anger," the maid stammered, staring at the floor.
"This servant heard rumors... it is said that the Prince seems to have successfully broken through to the Qi Refining Realm. Perhaps... perhaps this newfound strength is why his actions have become so arrogant, compared to his polite and timid personality of the past."
Wei Ruo froze. Then, a cold, mocking scoff escaped her lips.
"A breakthrough?" she laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "He is merely at the 1st Layer of Qi Refining, achieved through nothing but sheer, dumb luck. Does he think that makes him a dragon among men?"
Her eyes narrowed. "The General is at the 5th level, and my father is already at the 2nd Layer of Qi Refining. The difference between the layers is like the distance between heaven and earth. My father could crush that upstart prince into meat paste with a single strike!"
She flicked her sleeve, dismissing the maid's concern, before her expression darkened further. A new thought struck her, one that fueled her anger even more than the Prince's insolence.
"Go," she commanded, her voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "Find my son. Call Meng Hao back here immediately!"
She gritted her teeth, staring at the closed doors. "That stupid boy... what was going through his head? Why did he tell the Prince about Shu Hui's condition? To leak such a crucial secret... when he returns, he will wish he had never opened his mouth.
A slightly older maid, sensing the shifting winds of her mistress's mood, stepped forward with a bowed head. She signaled for the others to clean up the shattered vase while she poured a cup of hot tea, offering it to Wei Ruo with both hands.
"Madam, please, there is no need to damage your precious health over such a trifle," she said, her voice smooth and ingratiating. "If this servant may speak freely, there is truly no cause for alarm regarding the Prince's visit to the Second Mistress."
Wei Ruo accepted the tea but didn't drink, eyeing the maid sharply. "Speak."
"Based on all our information, he is merely a novice cultivator. He does not possess the Knowledge required to even identify a common cold, let alone the 2nd Mistress's condition"
The maid lowered her voice, leaning in conspiratorially.
"Furthermore, the General and the Madam acquired it at a heavenly price. It is rare and extremely complex that would baffle even the city's most knowledgeable persons. To think a boy who has barely dried behind the ears could simply walk in and cure it? It is impossible."
Seeing Wei Ruo's shoulders relax slightly, another maid chimed in, seizing the chance to flatter her mistress.
"Exactly, Madam! In fact, perhaps we have misunderstood his intentions," the second maid said quickly. "The Prince may be arrogant, but he isn't blind. He must know the terrifying power the Meng Family holds in Myriad Leaf City."
"Yes," the older maid agreed, nodding vigorously.
"He knows his position is precarious. Perhaps he visited the Second Mistress not to provoke you, but to put on a show of concern? He is likely trying to curry favor with General Meng by pretending to care for the General's concubine. He is merely trying to survive under the shadow of your family's greatness."
Wei Ruo swirled the tea in her cup, the corner of her lip curling up in a sneer. The flattery was working. "Trying to curry favor, is he? Like a dog wagging its tail to please its master?"
"Precisely, Madam," the maids chorused. "He knows who the real rulers of this city are."
----
Long Xiaoyao stepped into Meng Lin's mother's courtyard.
The atmosphere here was distinctly different from the rest of the estate; the air was heavier, carrying a stillness that felt unnatural.
[Warning. The Host is about to enter the range of an active spiritual array.]
Long Xiaoyao paused, his foot hovering inches above the ground. He withdrew his leg and narrowed his eyes, scanning the seemingly empty courtyard. To the naked eye, nothing seemed amiss, but his skin prickled with a faint, phantom chill.
"System," Long Xiaoyao thought, communicating silently. "Analyze the area. What kind of formation is this?"
[This is a Low-Rank Yin Convergence Formation. It is designed to siphon spiritual qi and convert it, drastically increasing the density of Yin energy at the center of the array.]
'A Yin gathering array?' Long Xiaoyao frowned. 'Why would someone place this in a living quarter?'
[Please direct your attention to the vegetation flanking the entrance. It serves as the eye of the formation's perimeter.]
Long Xiaoyao looked down at the plants potted on either side of the door. At first glance, they looked like dying weeds, but upon closer inspection, he realized they were rare spiritual herbs.
[It was the Moon Petal Flower.]
It resembled a small, weeping shrub, its branches heavy and listless, drooping all the way to touch the soil. The leaves were not green, but a pale, ghostly silver that seemed to absorb the moonlight
[Analysis: The Moonpetal Flower anchors the Yin energy,] the System continued in its flat, monotone voice.[For a male cultivator, particularly one with the Host's constitution, this formation is harmless. You possess sufficient Yang energy to negate the effects; you will merely feel a cold aura, akin to a winter draft.]
Long Xiaoyao reached out, brushing his fingertips against the silver leaves. They were ice-cold to the touch.
[However, for a female cultivator, the effects are drastically different. This formation will amplify their Yin energy to unnatural levels. While this can speed up cultivation speed for certain techniques, it violates the Dao of Balance.]
Long Xiaoyao retracted his hand, a grave look crossing his face. 'Yin cannot exist without Yang.'
[Correct. Without a supplemental source of Yang energy to harmonize the flow, the excess Yin will stagnate. Instead of nourishing the cultivator, this formation will eventually backfire, freezing their meridians and poisoning their foundation.]
Long Xiaoyao looked past the weeping silver shrub toward the inner room of the courtyard. If Meng Lin's mother had been living in this environment for years, her condition was likely far worse than he had anticipated.
Long Xiaoyao shifted his gaze to the woman standing beside him. Mo Qingqui stood elegantly, though she seemed to unconsciously wrap her robes tighter around herself, her brow furrowing slightly as the unnatural chill from the courtyard drifted toward them.
A sudden wave of concern washed over him. If this formation was potent enough to backfire on a cultivator at 3rd Level of Qi Refining and poison their foundation, was she in danger just by being in proximity to it being two levels lower?
'System,' Long Xiaoyao asked internally, his tone sharp. 'What about Mo Qingqui? She is with me. If she enters this romation, will this amplified Yin energy affect her negatively?'
[It will not. While the ambient Yin levels within the courtyard are abnormally high, they are not aggressive. The formation operates on the principle of attraction and absorption. It relies on the cultivator voluntarily drawing the energy into their dantian.]
[As long as she does not enter a meditative state, attempt to cultivate, or actively cycle her spiritual energy to absorb the surrounding Qi while inside the formation, she will remain unharmed. She will merely feel a temperature drop like you, nothing more.]
Long Xiaoyao let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. The invisible tension in his shoulders released. He turned to Mo Qingqui, his expression turning serious as he blocked the path with his arm for a moment.
"Qingqui," he said, his voice low and commanding. "Listen to me carefully. Do not circulate your cultivation technique, and under no circumstances should you try to absorb the spiritual energy in there."
Mo Qingqui blinked, surprised by his sudden sternness, but she nodded. "I understand, Your Highness. I will follow your command."
Meng Lin, who had been walking slightly ahead, stopped in his tracks. He had caught the tail end of Long Xiaoyao's strict instructions to Mo Qingqui
He turned back, his brow furrowed in confusion and growing anxiety. He gaze flitted from Mo Qingqui's serious expression to Long Xiaoyao's stern face.
"You Highness?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. "Is... is there a problem with my mother's courtyard?"
Long Xiaoyao turned his gaze from the Moon Petal Flower to the young man. He didn't answer immediately, letting the silence stretch for a moment as he assessed the heavy, Yin-laden air one last time to be certain.
"Meng Lin," he said, his voice calm but carrying a weight. He gestured vaguely at the space around them. "This environment... it is not as peaceful as it appears."
He took a step forward, looking him dead in the eye.
"I cannot say for certain until I see your mother," Long Xiaoyao continued, "but based on what I see here at the entrance... I believe I have found the root cause of your mother's suffering."