112: We understand his heart.

"Will this really work?"

Mo Yingqi was soaking in the warm hot spring, his back exposed. Luo Yongan was holding silver needles, pressing against his acupoints to insert them into his body.

"Rest assured, Yingqi, there will definitely be no problems." Luo Yongan explained patiently as she applied the needles. "Hot springs are best for stimulating blood circulation, and when supplemented with acupuncture, it will surely boost your internal energy by a significant margin."

For martial artists, the cultivation of internal energy is paramount. Although internal energy sounds mysterious and obscure, it does not mean it does not exist.

Mo Yingqi could not defeat that Taoist. The gap in experience and worldly wisdom went without saying, but the most important factor was the disparity in internal energy. Ordinary martial artists only focus on training their external muscles, bones, and skin, as well as refining their techniques. Once they reach a certain age, or their martial arts cultivation breaks through to a certain level, it becomes entirely a matter of their internal energy cultivation.

Mo Yingqi had followed Xie Qingfeng since he was young and grew up in the harsh, freezing Northern Territory. When he first arrived there, Mo Yingqi truly could not handle the cold of the Northern Territory.

It was from that time that Xie Qingfeng taught him the method of cultivating internal energy. And this Old Scoundrel truly did not treat him like a human being; every day, he required him to practice martial arts and physical training while simultaneously forcing him to circulate his internal energy at all times.

Fortunately, Mo Yingqi's talent was truly astonishing, yet even so, he suffered a great deal in the beginning. However, as time went on and Mo Yingqi slowly adapted, he only needed to wear ordinary warm clothing to be able to carry a blade and a bow, chasing prey through the cold forest sea without feeling the cold at all.

Even with his current physique and internal energy, he wouldn't feel any discomfort even if he were to run shirtless in the ice and snow.

"My Junior Martial Uncle never teaches his Disciple properly; he just thinks that as long as you don't die, it's fine." Luo Yongan said with a hint of complaint and dissatisfaction. "He didn't even teach you your internal energy cultivation method properly. It's fortunate that our Yingqi has good natural talent, otherwise, you would have been tormented to death by him! Even so, it still delayed Yingqi's progress."

"Um, actually, it's not that bad, is it?" Mo Yingqi smiled helplessly. "You both know my Master; it's not that he didn't teach me properly. But he himself said that when he was apprenticed to Maternal Grandmother's master for the second time, his master treated him the same way."

This really couldn't be blamed on Xie Qingfeng. In his early years, he was a martial arts fanatic, fond of fighting and brawling. He grew up fighting his way through, and only after following Nangong Wumeng's master did he begin to cultivate in an organized manner.

However, he was also the type who believed that "the master leads you to the door, but cultivation depends on the individual," so Xie Qingfeng's guidance to Mo Yingqi was exactly the same.

"Even so, it shouldn't be like this, right?" Luo Yongning sat to the side holding a tray, placing the snacks and tea inside beside the hot spring. "Junior Martial Uncle is just lazy. Usually, he is either curled up in bed sleeping or drinking wine. If we had known, we should have let Maternal Grandmother teach Yingqi from the start."

"You ask why I didn't let my Senior Martial Sister teach my Disciple? Ha, grandmother!" Xie Qingfeng, who was drinking in a small tavern, was mistaken for a pitiful, lonely old man by someone who saw his advanced age and offered him free drinks. After a few cups, he suddenly began to complain about how his Disciple had been disobedient since childhood and how his Senior Martial Sister oppressed him.

The person treating him to drinks was stunned, and naturally asked why he didn't let his Senior Martial Sister take care of his Disciple. Hearing this, Xie Qingfeng couldn't help but curse.

"Are you joking? Have you ever seen anyone send a perfectly good sapling to that crazy woman?" After saying this, Xie Qingfeng picked up the braised pork knuckle on the table and started eating. "Tsk, that old hag actually brought this up to me back then, you know? Could I help her with that? Pfft, she wants to snatch this precious Disciple from my hands to continue her lineage? In her dreams!"

"Tsk, still the same as before; after drinking a few cups of yellow soup, he forgets his own name!" In an inconspicuous carriage outside the tavern, Nangong Wumeng frowned after hearing the report: "Send two people to drag that disgraceful Old Scoundrel back to me!"

"Old Madam, calm your anger." An old woman of similar age to Nangong Wumeng smiled to mediate. "Old Xie has been guarding that bitter, cold Northern Territory for too long. Since the Imperial Son-in-law left, it has inevitably been lonely for him. Furthermore... you were indeed a bit too oppressive towards him back then."

"Sigh, this Junior Martial Brother of mine is truly a miserable soul." Nangong Wumeng sighed. "Back then, there was a Junior Martial Sister below him, but unfortunately, she had been sickly since childhood. If not for being taken in by our master, she would have likely passed away long ago. Yet my Junior Martial Brother, knowing she wouldn't live long, still gave his heart to her."

"It is just a pity that the Junior Martial Sister eventually passed away. The reason my Junior Martial Brother went to the Northern Territory alone for so many years is because she had once said that if they could ever get married one day, they would definitely go to the Northern Territory to enjoy the snow scenery and spend their days sitting together by the campfire."

"That stubborn fool really went to the Northern Territory to settle down alone in the end. You see him acting all happy-go-lucky and unserious every day, but he has never married all these years, preferring to live as a loner and grow old in the Northern Territory. If it weren't for him taking in the Imperial Son-in-law as a Disciple, I fear I wouldn't even know if he died in the Northern Territory one day!"

Although Nangong Wumeng only loved her husband, she didn't just treat her Junior Martial Brother like a mule to be driven. Especially since Xie Qingfeng was a man of deep affection, he was just using this way to cover up the suffering of his longing for his Junior Martial Sister all these years.

"Forget it, forget it. I can't be bothered to argue with him. Rong Luo, you go and bring him here; there are still matters to discuss with him." Thinking of this, Nangong Wumeng was full of helplessness and sorrow. "Yong'an and Luo Yongning have now taken the Imperial Son-in-law to the villa; I fear they are proceeding to the final step. Someone needs to test that Taoist's true capabilities. I, a dignified Duchess, cannot possibly take action myself, right?"

"Um, Old Madam, aren't you still just ordering him around?"

"That is true, but who told him I am his Senior Martial Sister?" Nangong Wumeng said with an indifferent air. "Sympathy is sympathy, and ordering him around is ordering him around; they cannot be confused. Besides, as long as that Old Scoundrel is not removed, my husband will not have a day of peace. If he is not at peace, how can I enjoy my golden years with him? Yong'an and Luo Yongning are now chasing after the Imperial Son-in-law, and Ying Hong is handling the affairs of Partridge Sky. Sigh... yet I cannot say anything. I am already very satisfied that my granddaughters, whom I raised myself, can achieve this much."

"Old Madam, regardless of anything else, the fact that The Two Highnesses want to do what you were unable to do back then..." Rong Luo thought for a moment, still full of worry. "I only fear that regarding the Imperial Son-in-law, will there be any accidents?"

"Rest assured. If it were anyone else, I might truly be worried, but if it is Mo Yingqi..." Nangong Wumeng said, revealing a faint smile. "Sometimes I wonder if there really is some Old Man under the Moon who tied a red thread for the three of them. Mo Yingqi seems as if he was born to be the husband prepared for those sisters."

"If an ordinary person were to catalyze 'Love Follows,' especially the 'Love Follows' that binds three people, the gu-insect would likely go berserk and cause the person to explode and die. But Mo Yingqi's Ren and Du meridians were naturally open. Luo Yongan also informed me that his body has almost no rejection towards the gu-insect. Back then, after I planted the gu-insect in my husband, he experienced brief symptoms of discomfort."

"Yet this child, after having the gu-insect planted, has shown absolutely no anomalies, and the effect of the gu-insect within his body is truly excellent. It is because of this that Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning have decided to completely catalyze the gu-insect."

Rong Luo was shocked to hear this. But thinking about it, it seems to be true. Mo Yingqi's appearance was like a gift bestowed by the gods upon Yong'an and Luo Yongning. But all things work together; aren't these two sisters the people in this world who care most about Mo Yingqi?

"Now, the conflict between my Imperial Son-in-law the Emperor and that Old Scoundrel is intensifying day by day. Ha, that old guy really has some tricks; he finally took action." Nangong Wumeng sneered. "The Special Imperial Examination is imminent, and his side has already begun plotting how to cause trouble for this Special Imperial Examination. Furthermore, his eyes and ears in various places are also stirring. If these matters are not resolved, I fear this Daxing Dynasty will fall into chaos."

"Isn't it said that Princess Luo Yongan has already found some clues regarding that Taoist's Universal Poison Immunity?" Rong Luo pondered. "If we can really kill that Taoist without a drop of blood, then the Grand Chancellor will be isolated and helpless, and I assume he could be captured easily, right?"

"It's not that simple, at least not for us." Nangong Wumeng leaned back slightly. "Alright, go and bring that good-for-nothing guy here. If he drinks a few more cups, I fear he will sell out the entire sect!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

"Be good, Yingqi, just bear with it a little longer, okay?" Mo Yingqi didn't know how much suffering his Master was enduring over there, but now he only knew that he was suffering quite a bit himself.

As Luo Yongan applied the needles, he didn't know why, but waves of swelling pain kept coming from his body. What was most unbearable was that Luo Yongan insisted on applying needles to his knees and elbows as well.

In normal times, this would definitely be fine, but now, even just having the needles touch his skin made him feel excruciating pain. Because of this, he kept complaining bitterly.

"Yingqi, do not avoid medical treatment out of fear of pain; this is all for your own good." Luo Yongning said as she smilingly brought a piece of pastry to Mo Yingqi's lips. "Be good, Yingqi, eat something, and just endure it for another cup of tea's time."

"But it really hurts!"

Mo Yingqi didn't know what was wrong with himself; usually, such minor issues meant nothing to him. But for some reason, today his body felt exceptionally painful, and even the moderate temperature of the hot spring began to slowly become scalding hot.

"Alright, we can pull out all the silver needles in a moment." Luo Yongan gently wiped the fragrant sweat from her forehead. "After about seven or eight more days of acupuncture, it should be just about complete."

"What the heck? Another seven or eight days?" Mo Yingqi was about to get up when he was immediately pressed back down by Luo Yongning. "No way, no way! If we do this again, I'll either be scalded to death or die from the pain!"

"Yingqi, do you still want to become stronger?" Luo Yongan suddenly said seriously. "How are you still the same as when you were a child? If you act like this, Sister will be angry, okay?"

"Alright, I understand." Although Mo Yingqi was still uncomfortable, he obediently sat back in the hot spring. "You didn't say at the beginning that you needed to insert silver needles into my acupoints, did you?"

"Because we didn't tell you. Rest assured, Yingqi, would Sister and I harm you?" Luo Yongning blinked. "Oh my, but soaking here is really comfortable. Sister, why don't I soak a bit too?"

"Don't be silly, Yongning. Yingqi still has silver needles on him." Luo Yongan glared at her sister. "There must always be priorities in everything, isn't that right?"

Mo Yingqi was just about to open his mouth to agree, but upon thinking about it, he felt that something was not quite right. Priorities—did that mean...

As if to verify Mo Yingqi's thoughts, Luo Yongan's tone suddenly became extremely gentle: "Yingqi, be obedient. After the acupuncture is finished, Yongning and I will serve you well here and let you relax completely, how about that?"

"That's really not necessary!"

Of course, facts proved that any resistance from Mo Yingqi was meaningless. However, for some reason, today he felt exceptionally exhausted. Fortunately, there was a small hut beside the hot spring with a bed and bedding inside. After being exhausted for a while, Mo Yingqi lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

"It has already started to have an effect..." Luo Yongan held a round fan, gently fanning the sleeping Mo Yingqi, the blush on her face not yet faded. Gently stroking Mo Yingqi's forehead, Luo Yongan closed her eyes slightly, then slowly opened them.

"Fortunately, as long as we continue for the next few days, the gu-insect in Yingqi and in our bodies will be able to reach complete resonance." Luo Yongan opened her eyes, licking her lips with a dangerous smile. "It's fortunate that there is that Taoist; otherwise, I really wouldn't know how to coax Yingqi into being obedient..."

"Actually, Sister, even if we directly said we were helping Yingqi improve his internal energy, I don't think he would have any suspicions, would he?" Luo Yongning adjusted her dress. "Now, Yingqi is even more obedient to us than when he was in the Northern Territory. If we told him, I assume he wouldn't object either."

"It is better to be careful; after all, Yingqi does not know yet." Luo Yongan placed the round fan aside. "If we tell him, it would be bad if we scared him. Yongning, just wait. Everything must be done without any omissions, especially regarding this matter concerning Yingqi; we must be even more careful."

"Mm, okay, Sister, I'll listen to you."

Luo Yongning did not have as much scheming as her sister. Although she was very intelligent, there were many things she could not think through as comprehensively as her sister.

Leaning down to embrace Mo Yingqi, Luo Yongning couldn't help but kiss him incessantly, as if he were some precious treasure, fearing that he might suddenly disappear.

"It will be done very soon. Maternal Grandmother is still too relaxed. Although she taught us many things, I feel... we should have done more."

Luo Yongan held Mo Yingqi's hand, her eyes filled with love and paranoia: "Everything he thinks, everything in his heart, we... will understand. Only by achieving this, even if Yingqi wants to run, he will never be able to run away again..."