Chapter 8: Daoist Master White Stone

The next morning, the sound of footsteps rang out from the western courtyard of the Yu Manor.

There were three people slowly making their way through the corridor leading to another courtyard.

The two people leading the way were walking shoulder by shoulder. One of them was an elderly daoist priest in a gray daoist robe with a lotus crown on his head, while the other was a woman wearing a light yellow palatial dress.

Trailing along behind the two was a young woman in servant attire, holding a three-layered hamper made from sandalwood.

The daoist priest was walking along with his white brows slightly furrowed, seemingly a little displeased, and his eyes were looking directly forward, clearly indicating that his mind was elsewhere.

The woman in the palatial dress was quite young, appearing to be around 17 to 18 years of age, and even though her body still wasn't fully developed, it was very well-proportioned. She had a set of beautiful facial features that were capped off by a pair of eyes that were as bright as stars, leaving a lasting impression on all those who saw them.

In addition to that, she had applied some rouge to her face, adding a hint of color to her fair cheeks that gave her an even more alluring appearance.

"My sincerest apologies for interrupting your pill refinement, Daoist Master White Stone," the woman said with an apologetic expression.

The elderly daoist priest temporarily set aside his train of thought as he replied, "I don't mind, but I'm just perplexed about why you insist on getting me to attend to a mortal with a mental ailment?"

"Allow me to explain. Yesterday..."

A faint smile appeared on the woman's face as she gave the daoist priest a brief recount of how Liu Shi had stopped the Azure Wind Horse the day before.

The elderly daoist priest listened with a thoughtful expression, and he raised an eyebrow slightly as he heard about how Liu Shi had managed to stop a rampaging Azure Wind Horse cold in its tracks with just a single hand.

"Seeing as you're somewhat indebted to him, I suppose I'm obligated to examine his condition," the elderly man said in an indifferent voice after hearing the young woman's story.

The young woman smiled in response as she extended a slight curtsey.

As for the servant, she was holding the hamper rather anxiously, trailing along behind the two in an obedient manner without making any sound.

Inside the western courtyard, Liu Le'er had already finished getting dressed and washing up, and she was seated on the edge of the bed, having another one-sided conversation with Liu Shi when she suddenly heard the sound of door-knocking ring out.

Once the trio arrived at the western courtyard, the servant immediately strode forward to knock on the door, then called out, "Sister Le'er, our young mistress has brought the immortal doctor here to see you."

Liu Le'er rose to her feet, but she didn't immediately open the door. Instead, she asked in a rather perplexed manner, "Who's this young mistress that you speak of?"

"It's me, Sister Le'er."

The voice coming from outside was rather familiar, and Liu Le'er's befuddlement was even further exacerbated.

After a brief hesitation, she made her way to the door before opening it.

As soon as the door was opened, she immediately caught a whiff of a faint medicinal scent, following which she was greeted by the sight of the three people standing outside.

First, her gaze fell upon the elderly daoist priest, and after ascertaining that the medicinal smell was coming from him, she turned to the servant, only to find that it was Xiao Wu, the personal servant of Yu Qi’s that she had met the day before.

Finally, Liu Le'er turned her gaze toward the woman in the yellow palatial dress, and initially, she faltered slightly, following which her mouth gaped open in shock.

"You're the young master from the day before!" she exclaimed as she threw a hand over her own mouth.

"That's right. You can call me Sister Qi if you'd like," the woman in the palatial dress said with an amused smile at the sight of Liu Le'er's surprised expression.

Liu Le'er also smiled upon hearing this. "No wonder I felt like you were a little..."

"A little what?" Yu Qi asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"A little... not like a man," Liu Le'er replied in a tactful manner after a moment of deliberation.

"You can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble by posing as a man. You'll know what I mean once you're all grown up in a few years," Yu Qi said with a faint smile.

Liu Le'er didn't quite understand what Yu Qi was referring to, but she still nodded in response before inviting the trio into the room.

"Sister Le'er, this is the immortal doctor I told you about, you can call him Daoist Master White Stone. Daoist Master White Stone, this is Liu Le'er, and that man over there is her brother, Liu Shi," Yu Qi introduced as she turned to the elderly daoist priest.

Liu Le'er had already guessed that the elderly man was most likely the immortal doctor, but her heart still jolted slightly upon hearing confirmation of her suspicions from Yu Qi, and she hurriedly lowered her head as she extended a respectful salute, not daring to meet Daoist Master White Stone's gaze. "I pay my respects to the esteemed immortal doctor."

Meanwhile, Liu Shi remained seated on the edge of the bed, displaying no reaction to the trio.

Daoist Master White Stone took a brief glance at Liu Le'er, then directed his gaze toward Liu Shi. He made his way over to Liu Shi's side before stepping over to his other side, examining him carefully from head to toe before focusing his gaze on Liu Shi's glabella.

A moment later, Daoist Master White Stone closed his eyes before raising a hand, joining his index and middle fingers together as he extended them toward Liu Shi's glabella.

Liu Le'er was quite taken aback to see this, and she couldn't help but let loose a cry of alarm.

Daoist Master White Stone's arm instantly stiffened, and she turned around to give her a displeased look.

"There's no need for alarm, Sister Le'er. Daoist Master White Stone is examining your brother's condition," Yu Qi hurriedly explained as she gently tugged on Liu Le'er's arm.

"My apologies, Daoist Master White Stone. I didn't do it on purpose," Liu Le'er hurriedly apologized.

Daoist Master White Stone's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and he closed his eyes before extending his hand toward Liu Shi's glabella again.

As he extended his fingers forward, a burst of azure light emerged on Liu Shi's glabella, and circular ripples were spreading outward from the azure light, much like the ripples that would arise from a stone being tossed into a lake.

A short while later, a slightly befuddled look appeared on Daoist Master White Stone's face, and he withdrew his hand before slowly opening his eyes.

"How is my brother? Can you cure him?" Liu Le'er hurriedly asked.

Daoist Master White Stone took a glance at her out of the corners of his eyes and offered no response.

Yu Qi gently patted the back of Liu Le'er's hand in a reassuring gesture, indicating for her to be patient.

Liu Le'er reluctantly fell silent and asked no further questions, but her gaze remained fixed on Liu Shi.

Liu Shi seemed to have sensed her gaze, and he turned his face toward her before swallowing the pastry in his mouth, then gave her a faint smile.

Daoist Master White Stone contemplated the situation momentarily before flipping over a hand to summon a rather old copper mirror.

"Go!"

Azure light flashed from the round mirror, and it immediately rose up into the air at his behest, flying over to Liu Shi before coming to a halt directly above his head.

Daoist Master White Stone then began to chant an incantation while swiping his joined fingers through the air, seemingly inscribing some type of mysterious runes into the very air itself.

Shortly thereafter, his fingers fell still, and he pointed directly at the copper mirror.

The suspended copper mirror immediately began to tremble violently, and a layer of azure light emerged, causing its slightly rugged and uneven surface to become smooth and pristine.

Liu Le'er was scrutinizing the surface of the mirror intently with an anxious expression, and she could see that some changes were taking place within the azure light. It seemed that a rather murky image was about to appear.

However, after waiting for a short while, the azure light within the mirror's surface was still as murky as ever, and she was unable to discern anything from it.

Liu Shi also seemed to be rather annoyed by the mirror hovering over his head, and he raised his hand before swatting it through the air as if he were waving a mosquito away. Even though his hand didn't make direct contact with the mirror, it caused the azure light on the mirror's surface to flicker and become even murkier.

"Impossible!"

Daoist Master White Stone's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he immediately swept a sleeve toward the copper mirror, upon which it instantly flew up his sleeve, vanishing without a trace.

Liu Le'er was itching to ask more questions, but she learned to hold her tongue this time.

"Have you identified the problem, Daoist Master White Stone? Is his condition curable?" Yu Qi asked.

There was a rather uncertain look on Daoist Master White Stone's face, and he replied, "It's not impossible, but..."

Liu Le'er was ecstatic to hear this, and she hurriedly implored, "Please cure my brother, esteemed immortal doctor!"

"If you have a way to treat this man, then please do everything in your power, Daoist Master White Stone. I will cover all of your expenses," Yu Qi said.

Liu Le'er turned to Yu Qi with a grateful expression upon hearing this.

Daoist Master White Stone stared at Liu Shi in silence for a long while before finally making up his mind. "In that case, I will be sure to do my best. However, let me make this clear in advance: his soul is in a sealed-off state for some unknown reason, and it'll be very difficult to restore it to its normal state.

“Only by casting a spirit awakening array will there be a chance for his condition to be cured. In order to administer such a treatment, I require an independent secret chamber."

Liu Le'er hesitated momentarily before asking in a low voice, "Can I be there while you're administering the treatment, Daoist Master White Stone?"

"Why do you want to be there? To get in my way? Do you not trust me, you little brat?" Daoist Master White Stone's voice instantly spiked up a few octaves in indignation.

Liu Le'er's heart jolted upon hearing this, and she hurriedly waved her hands in response. "I wouldn't dare, Daoist Master White Stone! I just want to be by my brother's side. All I'll do is watch from the side, I'll make sure not to get in your way."

"Fine, do as you wish. A spirit awakening array is not just a run-of-the-mill array, so I have to go back and make some preparations," Daoist Master White Stone said as he turned to Yu Qi.

"Thank you for your efforts, Daoist Master White Stone," Yu Qi replied with a respectful curtsey.

Liu Le'er hurriedly followed her example, extending a curtsey of her own, but by then, Daoist Master White Stone had already departed from the room.

Following Daoist Master White Stone's departure, Yu Qi and Xiao Wu also left shortly thereafter. Before departing, she offered some words of reassurance to Liu Le'er, telling her not to worry about Liu Shi's condition.