Li Yaoqing was sick.
Or so the Immortal Child said.
This extraordinarily talented little prodigy seemed to never grow up.
When he left Li Yaoqing's alchemy courtyard, his small face was set in serious lines, but the moment he ran outside, panic overtook him.
He dashed through all the cultivation grounds of the Li Clan's older generation, crying and shouting the whole way.
He couldn't help but panic. Ever since breaking free from being a 'caged bird', he had stayed right by the Apothecary's side.
The Apothecary could be fierce sometimes, but whenever he got hurt, she would definitely heal his wounds with a face full of reprimand and feed him all the best things.
Having walked the martial world for many years, in his heart, the Apothecary was a loving mother.
The Apothecary refined pills every day.
When facing enemies outside, standing in front of her brought him absolute peace of mind.
Everyone in Azure Cloud Prefecture said that having the Apothecary was like having a god's protection, a god blessing the entire Azure Cloud Prefecture.
The Immortal Child knew that every time a pill was successfully refined and clinked into the bottle, the sound was exactly like the joyful cheers of the people of Azure Cloud.
But very few people in the entire Azure Cloud Prefecture knew that the god-like Apothecary was full of worldly flaws—she would get lost, was unkempt, and now, she was plagued by an immortal.
The Immortal Child thought of the pills inside the furnace; the Apothecary was just like those pills, silently nourishing the entirety of Azure Cloud Prefecture.
He was terrified that the Apothecary would just melt away like a pill.
This frantic run took him all over Azure Cloud Prefecture.
Three days later, the Immortal Child suppressed the panic in his heart.
He washed his face clean, used Dao methods to cleanse the wretchedness from his appearance, and returned to the thatched cottage, acting as if nothing had happened.
The Apothecary was dozing off again, and he quietly resumed fanning the furnace fire.
...
When Li Yaoqing woke up, outside the thatched cottage stood a crowd of people with incredibly heavy expressions.
She instantly understood everything and cast a blaming glare at the Immortal Child, who merely stuck his tongue out at her.
Li Yaotie walked up to Li Yaoqing's rocking chair and immediately squatted down.
He didn't bicker with her upon meeting like he usually did. Instead, he pulled the Golden Chapter of Enlightenment out of his spatial ring and placed it on the rocking chair.
After pondering for a moment, he rummaged through his ring again and placed a pile of items next to her—every single one of them an invaluable treasure.
"What are you doing?" Li Yaoqing's face darkened.
Her third brother's behavior almost made her review her entire life in a flash—jumping straight to thoughts of her own grave.
"Sister," Li Yaotie said gently. "I won't fight with you anymore. Whatever you want, I will give it to you."
Li Yaoqing's face grew even darker. She glared furiously at the Immortal Child. "What exactly did you tell them?"
The Immortal Child's neck stiffened as he stubbornly continued tending to his furnace.
He hadn't actually said much, just ran around crying and shouting that the Apothecary had been possessed by an immortal, wailing that he didn't want to see the Apothecary turn into a monster like the Zhao Clan's Old Ancestor or the watchdog.
"Sister, the Immortal Child said you have an immortal inside you, and that the Red Dust Immortal fell to his knees as soon as he came before you..." Li Yaotie's voice grew lower and lower.
"He was struck by the Red Dust Immortal's illusion magic," Li Yaoqing said without the slightest hesitation.
She looked at the family retainers standing nearby, as well as the numerous experts of Azure Cloud Prefecture, and waved her hand.
"All of you, go back first. I am perfectly fine right now. If something really happens, I won't hide it from you."
Despite her waving, the crowd didn't leave. Generation after generation in Azure Cloud Prefecture had never made strict distinctions between 'you' and 'me'.
Though there might be occasional scheming and petty calculations in daily life, when a major crisis truly occurred, countless memories would instantly pop into their heads—like who had blocked a fatal blade for whom, or who had fed a life-saving pill to whom when they were severely injured.
Seeing the crowd refusing to leave, Li Yaoqing took a deep breath. "There's an immortal inside me, happy now?"
"This..." Li Yaotie slumped onto his rear on the ground, his bald head gleaming.
Looking at the gazes full of worry, Li Yaoqing shook her head and let out a sigh.
"It woke up many years ago. At least, I felt it wake up. But it wasn't until a few days ago that It spoke for the very first time. It is the origin of the power inside my body."
"The Divine Art."
Li Yaotie's mind went blank. The method 'Divine Art' originated from the 'Thousand Herbs Classic'.
Second Sister had mastered this method many, many years ago.
At that time, the family was completely overjoyed by the sudden karmic opportunity; a small blade of grass had sprouted inside Second Sister's body.
"Second Sister, dig It out!" Li Yaotie gritted his teeth.
"And then what? Become a cripple?" Li Yaoqing said calmly,
"Everything on me, except for my knowledge of medicine and alchemy, was given by It.
I know better than any of you what the consequences of extracting It would be. Besides, It also needs me."
"Needs you?" Li Yaotie was stunned for a moment.
"The 'Thousand Herbs Classic' has been passed down for generations, but those who successfully cultivated the Divine Art are extremely few.
Furthermore, the Golden Core realm was a massive hurdle. Have you forgotten how difficult my Nascent Soul breakthrough was?"
As Li Yaoqing's words fell, Li Yaotie's thoughts drifted back. It was during the battle with the Wu Tribe.
His second sister's breakthrough had the support of a grand array that nullified several portions of the heavenly tribulation, yet it was still a nine-deaths-one-life, near-fatal experience.
"From Nascent Soul to Divinity Transformation, and now to Void Refinement and Body Integration.
If It wants to grow, without us, finding someone else to help It probably wouldn't be that easy."
Li Yaoqing said arrogantly, "Having cultivated to this day, if even I cannot solve my own problem, do you really think you can? Go on, leave."
"Then..." Li Yaotie stammered.
"Then what?"
"Then can I take the Golden Chapter back?"
"Get lost!"
The group dispersed in a chaotic uproar, as if the heavy tension from moments ago had never happened.
Li Yaoqing's arrogance from just a moment ago vanished without a trace. The moment she closed her eyes, she entered the Ancestral Space.
The Old Ancestor was sitting cross-legged on the ground, gazing intently at her.
After a long while, the Old Ancestor let out a compassionate sigh. "You lied."
"Old Ancestor!"
A person's emotional breakdown occurs in just a split second.
Looking at the Old Ancestor who had protected her for her entire life, Li Yaoqing instantly ran to him, curling up and burying her face in his lap.
The Old Ancestor's body was very warm, causing her to constantly recall the children and her good friends from Azure Cloud Prefecture waiting outside the thatched cottage just now.
It turned out she had so many people she couldn't bear to let go of.
She looked up and stared at the Old Ancestor. "Old Ancestor, am I... am I going to die?"
"No." Li Wei gently stroked the child's head, trying his best to keep his voice soft and soothing.