The first snow blanketed Bianjing.

In the misty dawn, just as the city gates opened, two riders and two tigers entered the city, racing straight to Hua Manor.

Mei Yanran was already waiting at the door with an umbrella. Seeing the arrivals, she hurried forward a few steps. “You’re finally back.”

The person riding the second horse was wrapped in a large camel-colored robe, making their form almost indistinguishable. They leaped off the horse’s back, and lifted their hood, revealing a thin face. “Aunt…”

“Quickly, come with me,” Mei Yanran interrupted, pulling him inside. As they walked, she said, “Fourteen has been unconscious for many days. While you were gone, we could only sustain her with items beneficial to spiritual power, but her body is growing thinner by the day.”

“Let me catch my breath, catch my breath,” Mo Sigui was practically jogging as he was dragged into the house.

Da Jiu happily bounded in, nuzzling up to An Jiu’s bedside. Seeing no response from her, he looked questioningly at Mo Sigui.

“It’s been a tiring journey,” Chu Dingjiang stood up to offer him a seat.

Ordinarily, Mo Sigui would have teased him, but seeing An Jiu lying on the bed, her form wasted away, he said nothing more. He sat by the bed, and after steadying his breath, began to take her pulse.

The room fell silent, even the sound of Da Jiu’s tail sweeping the floor was audible.

After what seemed like an eternity, Mo Sigui slowly exhaled.

Chu Dingjiang had been hoping for Mo Sigui’s return to provide an answer, but now that the moment had arrived, he was somewhat reluctant to know.

“How is her condition?” Mei Yanran asked.

Mo Sigui said, “On the way here, I thought of every method. Spiritual power is ethereal, beyond the reach of ordinary medicine. However, the heart is connected to all the orifices and is best for nourishing spiritual power.”

“We’ve been feeding her that pill daily, but it shows no effect,” Chu Dingjiang said.

Mo Sigui knew what medicine he was referring to. “There is an effect, but it’s minuscule! Gu Jingfeng’s blood is full of drugs. It wasn’t cultivated for An Jiu’s sake, so how could it be targeted?”

Sui Yunzhu was surprised. “Does this mean we need to find someone with high spiritual power and cultivate another medicine person?”

“A medicine person is best cultivated from the mother’s womb, but we don’t have that time. The best method is to use blood as a medicinal catalyst,” Mo Sigui had been considering how to treat spiritual power injuries throughout his journey, thinking of many plans, and waiting to see the patient’s condition before deciding which method to use. “But this blood…”

“Use mine,” Chu Dingjiang said without hesitation.

Mo Sigui shook his head. “Your spiritual power has reached perfection, and your physique is extremely robust. You seem like the ideal candidate, but your spiritual power is different from An Jiu’s. The effect might not be very significant.”

“Where can we find such a person at short notice? We can’t just sit and wait for her to die,” Mei Yanran watched An Jiu’s breath grow weaker day by day, her heart anxious. “My spiritual power isn’t high, but I don’t know if it’s similar to hers.”

Mo Sigui looked at Chu Dingjiang and said, “There’s one ready-made candidate.”

A name suddenly popped into Chu Dingjiang’s mind. “Wei Yuzhi.”

“Exactly!” Mo Sigui said. “Not only is his spiritual power of the same type as An Jiu’s, but it’s also more concentrated and condensed. If we could use his heart blood to nourish her, An Jiu’s condition might recover.”

“We need to capture Wei Yuzhi alive?” Mei Yanran frowned. Wei Yuzhi was elusive. How could he be easily caught?

Chu Dingjiang pondered, “If we offer Gu Jingfeng’s heart blood in exchange, what are the chances of success?”

Mo Sigui didn’t even need to think. “Less than ten percent. The spiritual power of An Jiu and Wei Yuzhi is a double-edged sword. It harms others as well as oneself. I’ve heard Wei Yuzhi’s health has always been poor, often coughing up blood. Although I haven’t examined him personally, I can guess his lifespan won’t be long. If we take a few drops of his heart blood, he might not have many years left to live.”

Wei Yuzhi still had ambitions and wasn’t the type to blindly sacrifice his life for his master.

Chu Dingjiang was silent for a moment. “I’ll go find him.”

Wei Yuzhi wouldn’t leave any contact information. The only way was to use Zhu Pianzhan to spread the news through the merchant society to draw him out.

The winter night in Bianjing was particularly cold. Chu Dingjiang sat on the roof with a jug of wine, but even the fierce cold wind couldn’t dispel the gloom in his heart.

After washing up, Mo Sigui was about to rest for a moment when the light in the room flickered, and a strong smell of alcohol wafted in. Without turning around, Mo Sigui knew Chu Dingjiang was behind him.

“It’s rare for Lord Chu to want to chat,” Mo Sigui sat down and poured two cups of tea. “But I’ve quit drinking.”

“I have some concerns,” Chu Dingjiang sat opposite him.

Mo Sigui raised an eyebrow, looking at him with interest. In Mo Sigui’s impression, Chu Dingjiang was a person with extremely repressed emotions, who would never seek to confide in others.

Chu Dingjiang couldn’t understand. “An Jiu has always taken pills made from Gu Jingfeng’s heart blood, and I had no reservations. But thinking about using Wei Yuzhi’s blood makes me feel uneasy. Are there any hidden dangers in using Wei Yuzhi’s blood?”

Mo Sigui was surprised by Chu Dingjiang’s sensitivity. Even without fully understanding the interactions of spiritual power, he could sense something amiss. “This kind of spiritual power is too aggressive, always a double-edged sword. I can use drugs to control it to some extent, but ultimately it depends on whether An Jiu can make it her own.”

Chu Dingjiang had never fought with Wei Yuzhi. “How strong is it?”

“He can kill someone just by imagining it, without lifting a finger,” Mo Sigui thought for a moment. “That might not be entirely accurate, but it’s close enough.”

Chu Dingjiang slowly frowned. “In An Jiu’s current state, with her spiritual power almost completely gone, how can she suppress Wei Yuzhi’s power?”

“Wei Yuzhi’s heart blood contains his will, so it’s best if he’s willing,” Mo Sigui lit a cigarette, squinting as he exhaled smoke. “If not, we’ll have to use drugs to forcibly guide it, which certainly carries some risk. But we have no better option now.”

Chu Dingjiang asked, “How confident are you in suppressing it?”

Mo Sigui replied, “Spiritual power weakens when separated from the body. I’m about 80-90% confident.”

The smoke was like gauze or silk. Chu Dingjiang saw the undisguised gloom between Mo Sigui’s brows. Looking closely, he realized Mo Sigui had changed dramatically from before. He still had those alluring peach blossom eyes, but his complexion had diminished considerably. He was no longer the young, carefree figure of the past. Now, his unrestrained demeanor was not laziness, but deep fatigue.

Judging by appearance alone, Mo Sigui wasn’t as handsome as before, but he was more captivating.

Mo Sigui noticed Chu Dingjiang’s gaze and glanced at him. “What’s that look? Don’t fall in love with me.”

“You finally look a bit more mature,” his tone carried the pride of a parent seeing their child grow up.

Mo Sigui took a drag on his cigarette, smoke escaping from his mouth and nose as he spoke, “An Jiu calls you uncle, but I think her assessment is clouded by personal feelings. Tell me honestly, which grave did you crawl out of, ancestor?”

Chu Dingjiang remained silent. Mo Sigui continued, “Before when An Jiu was willing to have her meridians crippled by Elder Zhi just to get me out of Meihua Li, I thought this girl was really stupid! Now I know she wasn’t stupid. Damn it, she used her meridians to commit to me for a lifetime!”