In a warm haze of confusion, Xu Wanci gradually regained consciousness.
She did not indulge in the comforting warmth. Instead, the moment her mind cleared, she immediately began recalling everything that had happened after she defeated Chu Qingchuan.
At the time, her injuries had been too severe, forcing her to immerse herself in a role and act purely on instinct.
She meticulously reviewed every word and action after seeing the Three-Leaf Lotus, ensuring she had left no traces of deception. Only then did she finally relax.
As she sensed her consciousness being nurtured by the Three-Leaf Lotus, a thought stirred in her heart:
As expected of one of the male lead’s most important treasures.
She had come infinitely close to replicating the state of resonance described in the original novel when Chu Qingchuan connected with the Three-Leaf Lotus—yet she had still nearly failed.
In the final moment, she succeeded—
Was it because her soul had begun to scatter under the weight of her injuries?
Or was it because of the desperate longing and hope she had poured into the Three-Leaf Lotus as her soul fragmented?
She couldn’t say.
But regardless of the reason, the conditions for resonating with the Three-Leaf Lotus were exceedingly harsh.
This was perfect.
Now, she alone would know the true power of the Three-Leaf Lotus.
At this thought, Xu Wanci’s consciousness settled into a quiet reassurance.
In the original story, after discovering the Three-Leaf Lotus’s abilities, Chu Qingchuan had subtly tested numerous high-ranking cultivators—yet not a single one noticed anything amiss.
Later, he wielded the Three-Leaf Lotus to move unhindered through illusions, his unwavering resistance to temptation earning him the admiration of countless talented young women.
Suppressing the mockery in her heart, Xu Wanci calmly considered what might unfold after she awoke:
If no one in the original story could detect the Three-Leaf Lotus’s true nature—
Then even if the elders and venerables of the Taiqing Sect witnessed her resonance with it and grew suspicious, their investigations would only lead them to believe it was an ordinary fourth-grade artifact.
But they had seen everything that day. Knowing the Three-Leaf Lotus was a creation of Immortal Venerable Qingyan, would they truly trust their own findings?
With her—the one who had resonated with it—right before them, the simplest solution would be to question her directly after she awoke.
How should she answer to convince them?
Or rather, how should she answer to convince someone as perceptive as Xie Tingbai?
For reasons unknown, she finally felt at ease and allowed herself to wake fully.
On the bamboo bed, Xu Wanci’s long lashes fluttered faintly.
The next moment, her eyes opened, revealing irises as clear and untroubled as glass.
She blinked slowly, seemingly unbothered by the unfamiliar surroundings, her gaze instinctively dropping to her right hand.
Only after confirming the Three-Leaf Lotus was still there did she relax.
Xie Tingbai stood at the doorway, observing her every move.
A faint smile touched his lips as he stepped leisurely into the bamboo hut.
The air inside immediately carried a soothing freshness, as if infused with the essence of lush greenery.
Hearing footsteps, Xu Wanci turned her head slightly, her eyes filled with childlike confusion and uncertainty.
Meeting her gaze, Xie Tingbai paused mid-step.
Her injuries were too severe.
Over the past ten days, he had healed the wounds inflicted by the Thousand Silence Flames—but after such prolonged unconsciousness, her body and soul had not yet fully synchronized.
Only her physical form had awakened.
Every action she took now was purely instinctive.
His gaze darkened briefly as he noticed how tightly she clutched the Three-Leaf Lotus even in this state, but his expression swiftly softened into gentle concern.
Approaching the bed, Xie Tingbai leaned down slightly. His hand hovered near her waist without touching, channeling a warm, vegetative energy to help her sit up.
With a flick of his fingers, a Soul-Nurturing Pill materialized in his palm.
All his probing was concealed beneath tender encouragement:
"This is a pill to nourish the soul."
"Since you’ve just awakened from severe injuries, taking this will aid your recovery."
Xu Wanci looked up at him, accepting the pill without hesitation and obediently swallowing it.
Xie Tingbai froze momentarily.
The Xu Wanci before him had always been calm and detached—like an exquisitely crafted doll.
Even when he stood right in front of her, her eyes had never truly held his presence.
The pills and rare herbs he sent under the guise of concern had never earned so much as a second glance.
All her emotions, it seemed, were reserved for that one person alone.
Now, watching her docile demeanor, his fingers twitched slightly, summoning a vial of Jade Spirit Dew.
He offered it to her, his voice even gentler:
"You’ve just woken. Would you like some dew to soothe your throat?"
Xu Wanci took the vial obediently, sipping from it in small, delicate motions.
With another wave of his hand, Xie Tingbai produced a plate of pale green tea cakes. He set them on the nearby table before picking one up and holding it out to her:
"You must be hungry. Would you care for some Jade Bamboo Cake?"
Xu Wanci glanced down at her hands—both occupied—and after a brief pause, she set the Jade Spirit Dew in Xie Tingbai’s outstretched hand rather than release the Three-Leaf Lotus.
Only once he had taken the vial did she use her now-free left hand to pick up a cake, nibbling at it quietly.
Xie Tingbai watched her movements, lowering his lashes to veil his thoughts.
When he looked up again, his gaze had softened further. He offered the Jade Spirit Dew back to her, murmuring:
"Would you like another sip?"
Xu Wanci obediently handed over the half-eaten cake and took the dew once more.
Xie Tingbai’s eyes flickered to the Three-Leaf Lotus in her right hand, his tone laced with just the right amount of amusement:
"Do you cherish this treasure so much that you refuse to part with it for even a moment?"
At his words, Xu Wanci looked down at the Three-Leaf Lotus, her expression brimming with childlike affection.
"It is more precious to me than life itself."
Xie Tingbai’s gaze shifted imperceptibly, but he continued smoothly:
"Such an important artifact must serve you well, then."
Xu Wanci blinked, nodding earnestly.
"It lets me sleep peacefully."
"A sleep without sorrow or nightmares."
The hand holding the half-eaten cake stilled. Xie Tingbai’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he asked nothing further.
He already knew the answer.
A hundred years… without rest?
Noticing the drowsiness creeping into her eyes, he carefully took the Jade Spirit Dew from her and helped her lie back down.
His voice was as tender as a spring breeze:
"Sleep now."
At his words, Xu Wanci slowly closed her eyes.
Xu Wanci had passed Xie Tingbai’s test.
When she woke up, she immediately sensed that her body and soul were not entirely in sync.
Her soul, nurtured by the Three-Leaf Lotus, had grown increasingly solid and powerful, while her body, only recently recovered from severe injuries, lagged far behind. The disparity between the two created a faint sense of dissonance.
Yet, she wasn’t entirely without control over her body. If she wished, she could easily behave as if nothing were amiss.
But in front of Xie Tingbai, a docile, instinct-driven Xu Wanci—one devoid of conscious thought—was far more likely to earn his trust.
Her earlier performance had been nine parts truth, one part deception. She had even fooled herself, so Xie Tingbai surely wouldn’t suspect a thing.
The ability to induce peaceful sleep was a broad concept—it could mean calming the mind, stabilizing the soul…
As long as no one suspected it could pierce through illusions, it was enough.
Once Xie Tingbai learned of the Three-Leaf Lotus’s effects, he likely wouldn’t keep it a secret from the rest of the Taiqing Sect.
And so, the matter of the Three-Leaf Lotus was, for now, settled.
Now that she was on Qingzhu Peak, under Xie Tingbai’s keen perception of human nature—
She would have to tread carefully in her next steps.
However…
If she remembered correctly, during the sect’s grand competition, Xie Tingbai had been preoccupied with refining a long-lost pill from the cultivation world.
The Thousand Returns Pill.
The same Thousand Returns Pill described in the original text—infamous for its unbearable bitterness.
Her injuries were still severe, and her earlier conversation with Xie Tingbai had drained her mentally. Before she could ponder further, Xu Wanci fell into a deep slumber.
When she woke again, the sun had already set.
Sitting up, she calmly surveyed her surroundings.
This was an elegant bamboo hut, every corner imbued with a tranquil, verdant aura that soothed the soul without conscious effort.
She spared no further glances at the room, rising from the bed with practiced ease and stepping outside.
Just as she exited, a faint, acrid scent of medicine drifted toward her from a distance.
Her fingers twitched slightly, as if recalling something, and she walked unhurriedly toward the source.
Xie Tingbai stood silently before the remnants of a failed pill in the cauldron, his expression unreadable.
Every step he took was deliberate, every move calculated—rarely did he act on impulse.
Yet here he was, impulsively wasting one of his last two remaining batches of ingredients, knowing full well the attempt would fail, all for the sake of calming his restless mind through alchemy.
Xu Wanci…
The memory of her obediently eating pastries in front of him resurfaced, unsettling his already steady emotions once more.
He could discern the hearts of others with ease, and thus, he could just as easily dissect his own feelings.
Coolly, he analyzed everything that had transpired, tracing the shifts in his own mood.
Realizing that Xu Wanci was the unavoidable center of it all, he slowly closed his eyes.
Xu Wanci was different from everyone else to him.
At first, it had merely been suspicion—a curiosity about what lay beneath the mask she wore.
But no matter how he probed, he could never uncover the truth.
Until the day of the sect’s grand competition.
By then, he no longer had any reason to doubt her.
Recognizing the Three-Leaf Lotus refined by the Immortal Venerable Qingyan at first glance, even resonating with it—
Such a thing could not be achieved through deception alone.
At this thought, a shadow flickered in Xie Tingbai’s eyes.
Once, the Immortal Venerable Qingyan had stood above all, a figure revered by every cultivator in the world.
But now, a century after his passing, everything about him had been sealed away. What could he possibly still offer her?
If she severed all ties to him, with her talent and that… Inkfrost Sacred Orchid, her path to the Great Dao would only grow smoother.
She could have everything a cultivator could desire.
Not like this—injured to the brink of death for the sake of a Three-Leaf Lotus left behind by that man.
And that sword heart of hers, destined to be scarred beyond repair…
Xie Tingbai’s gaze turned icy.
How foolish.
Yet it was precisely this kind of emotion—this reckless, life-and-death devotion—that intrigued him.
How long could she sustain such feelings?
What expression would she wear when she realized she no longer loved that man, when she faced her ruined sword heart, the Inkfrost Sacred Orchid she had willingly sacrificed, her battered body and soul…
He wondered.
Only curiosity. Nothing more.
Xie Tingbai calmly reined in all his emotions.
His eyes lingered on the rare ingredients floating in the air before him, a trace of regret flashing beneath his lowered lashes.
Only one batch of ingredients remained.
Just then, the faintest sound of footsteps reached him from behind.
Turning with practiced ease, Xie Tingbai regarded the approaching figure with a hint of helplessness.
Xu Wanci wore a pale blue dress, unadorned, her long hair cascading down her back, accentuating her slender frame.
She walked toward him in silence, her gaze no longer the dazed confusion of one freshly awakened, but once again distant and composed.
Xie Tingbai studied her as she stopped before him, his expression the perfect blend of concern. With a sigh, he said,
"Wanci, your injuries haven’t fully healed. You should be resting."
Xu Wanci didn’t respond. Instead, her eyes fixed on the spiritual herbs behind him, a trace of bewilderment creeping into her gaze.
Her voice was so soft it nearly dissolved into the wind.
"The Thousand Returns Pill."
Hearing this, a flicker of wariness rose in Xie Tingbai’s heart, though his gentle demeanor remained unchanged.
"So you’ve heard of the Thousand Returns Pill."
It wasn’t surprising—this was a pill every cultivator coveted.
It could purify the accumulated toxins in a cultivator’s body, transforming poison into medicine, refining both spiritual roots and bloodline.
Obtaining the Thousand Returns Pill was akin to undergoing marrow-cleansing and spiritual root tempering anew.
And it was precisely what he needed most right now.
But the recipe for the Thousand Returns Pill had been lost for centuries.
He had only stumbled upon a fragment of it in a secret realm a hundred years ago. How could Xu Wanci know of it?
Xu Wanci paid no attention to his words.
Her gaze remained fixed on the Heavenly Transformation Blossom floating in the air, her voice laced with quiet insistence.
"Not the Heavenly Transformation Blossom."
"It’s the Rain Transformation Blossom."
At her words, a barely perceptible glint of interest flashed in Xie Tingbai’s eyes.
The recipe he had obtained also specified the Rain Transformation Blossom.
But every attempt using it had ended in failure.
With the ingredients for the Thousand Returns Pill being so scarce, he could no longer afford trial and error. So he had tried substituting it with the Heavenly Transformation Blossom—the Rain Transformation Blossom’s evolved form.
Yet the result was the same.
With this in mind, he withdrew his gaze indifferently.
So Xu Wanci had seen the recipe too.
Just as he was about to collect the remaining ingredients, Xu Wanci spoke again, her tone stubborn and resolute.
"It has to be a Rain Transformation Blossom that’s just evolved—one where the power of heaven and earth hasn’t yet dispersed."
Xie Tingbai’s hand stilled.
A newly evolved Rain Transformation Blossom.
He had never tried that.
As an alchemist, the moment he heard those words, he knew—
She might be right.
Transforming the Wind-Transient Flower into the Rain-Transient Flower was no difficult task for him.
With a mere thought, a Wind-Transient Flower appeared in his hand.
Nourished by the thousand-year spiritual dew, its petals gradually shifted from white to blue.
The moment it turned completely blue, Xie Tingbai sensed the faint trace of heavenly power in his palm. He plucked the Rain-Transient Flower gently and placed it into the alchemy furnace with a wisp of spiritual energy.
In the next instant, spiritual flames rose.
Xie Tingbai had refined the Thousand Returns Pill countless times—his movements were methodical, almost mesmerizing to behold.
Half an hour later, sensing the fusion of spiritual herbs within the furnace, his expression grew solemn.
Seven breaths later, the pill was complete.
Over Qingzhu Peak, radiant light painted the sky, and the fragrance of medicinal herbs permeated the entire mountain.
Noticing the commotion, Ning Menglan and several elders arrived at Qingzhu Peak one after another.
Xie Tingbai detected their presence but gave no reaction.
Gazing at the three Thousand Returns Pills in the furnace, he suddenly closed his eyes, veiling all emotion within.
The pill that had eluded him for a century was finally his.
He exhaled slowly, and when his eyes reopened, they were calm once more.
Instead of acknowledging Ning Menglan and the elders nearby, he turned with a sigh toward Xu Wanci:
"Had it not been for Wanci’s reminder, I might have spent another hundred years failing to refine this pill."
Extending his hand, he smiled lightly. "Consider this my humble offering—I hope Wanci won’t disdain it."
At his gesture, Xu Wanci instinctively took a step back. As if recalling something, a playful glint flickered in her eyes. She shook her head, pouting.
"It’s too bitter."
Then, as if snapping out of a daze, the mirth faded from her gaze, and her voice grew hoarse:
"How could any medicine be this bitter?"
