Song Meiyu looked like she was about to run off and conquer the world. But Shen Zhenyu reminded her, "You still need to train and control it well like Linyue said. It could be dangerous."
Linyue nodded seriously. "That's right. I once read it from an old scroll my master gave me. A long time ago, water cultivators were known for healing. It makes sense, right? If they can control water and enter someone's body safely, they could remove poison from the blood using spiritual energy."
Song Meiyu's eyes lit up again. "Yes! That's it! That's totally it! I will meditate and increase my cultivation right away!"
"Good," Shen Zhenyu said with a small smile, as if proud she wasn't trying to put firecrackers in a teapot this time.
He Yuying, of course, had to ruin the moment. "Then why has no one tried this method before?"
Linyue froze. That… was actually a very good question. She frowned, her fingers tapping against her chair. "I don't know. Like with those strange arrays. We were able to use arrays after reading just a few books. Maybe not advanced ones, but still. Why doesn't anyone else do it? Why did it all vanish like it never existed?"
Shen Zhenyu folded his arms, his face thoughtful. "Another mystery to add to the growing list."
The room went quiet.
Song Meiyu broke it first, waving her hand dramatically like she was revealing a shocking secret. "Maybe it's a forbidden ancient technique lost to time!"
He Yuying didn't even lift his head fully. "Or maybe people got tired of exploding."
Linyue sighed. "Both are possible."
Shen Zhenyu nodded. "Either way, we should proceed carefully."
Song Meiyu puffed out her cheeks, clearly trying to look brave. "Fine. I'll meditate first and not explode anyone."
He Yuying gave a lazy clap. "Good plan."
Shockingly, and for the first time in recorded history, the Chaos Family decided to take something seriously. All four of them sat down to meditate. Voluntarily. Without being bribed or threatened. Truly, this deserved to be written in gold ink somewhere.
Linyue and Song Meiyu climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged side by side. Song Meiyu wiggled a little before finally settling down with a determined huff. Meanwhile, Shen Zhenyu and He Yuying took some cushions and sat near the window. One was perfectly calm and focused. The other sighed so loudly it sounded like a dying spirit leaving its body.
Linyue closed her eyes. She took a slow breath and gathered her spiritual energy. Carefully, she let it swirl inside before releasing it in a soft wave around her. It spread through the room like ripples in water. Almost immediately, she sensed something. Energy fluctuation right beside her. Cool, gentle, and fluid. Water element. Song Meiyu's spiritual energy. Linyue resisted the sudden urge to open her eyes and peek. Mostly because she didn't want to break concentration. Also, because if Song Meiyu noticed, she would probably poke her in the forehead out of pure mischief.
Then Linyue pushed her spiritual sense further. Her energy stretched across the room until it brushed against the other two figures near the window.
The first one, Shen Zhenyu. His energy was steady and quiet. Like a deep lake untouched by wind.
The second one—ah. He Yuying's energy. Lazy, faint, and full of excuses. She could practically sense him slumping even in her spiritual net.
Linyue let out a quiet sigh.
Chaos Family: two serious participants, one average, and one spiritual energy equivalent of a napping cat.
Linyue focused harder, carefully testing how far her spiritual sense could go. Her spiritual sense stretched like fine threads in the air, mapping out the space around her. She felt the flow of energy, the faint shift in temperature, even the smallest movements. She was learning. Slowly but surely. And miracle of miracles, the room stayed completely quiet. No loud gossip from Song Meiyu. No dramatic sighs from He Yuying. Not even a sarcastic comment about tea, buns, or exploding fish. Just the sound of calm breathing and four people actually meditating like proper cultivators.
A once-in-a-lifetime sight.
*****
Linyue didn't know how much time had passed. It could have been an hour. Or five hours. Or a whole week. Hard to say when nobody was shouting about snacks or complaining about sore legs. But one thing was clear. She was making real progress.
At first, her spiritual sense could only scan her chamber. That alone had been useful. But now, her energy was moving beyond the walls. It stretched outward, softly brushing against the world outside. She sensed guards patrolling the corridor, their steps firm and measured. Two maidservants passed by too. One walked quickly and properly, while the other dragged her feet like a sleep-deprived ghost. Linyue smiled faintly. That one clearly needed a nap.
And leaves. She could feel the faintest rustling of leaves being stirred by the wind outside. This was real. This was progress.
Then footsteps. Heavy but controlled. Someone was coming. And not just anyone. Fire spiritual energy. Strong and familiar. Her eyes flew open. She hopped off the bed and headed straight for the door. If she waited even one more second, there would be another casualty. The door. Again.
She pulled it open just in time.
Outside, Shu Mingye froze mid-step. His foot hovered in the air like he had been seconds away from turning the door into splinters. His hand was already raised like he had been this close to going full "Demon King versus Door" again. Now he just stood there, caught in the act.
"…Were you standing here waiting for me?" Shu Mingye asked, eyes narrowing as he slowly lowered his foot.
Linyue's expression was calm. Suspiciously calm. "Of course not," she said. "I just sensed you were coming, so I opened the door first."
His brow arched. "You sensed?"
"Yes."
A beat of silence. Then a grin tugged at his lips. "You missed me that much?"
Linyue met his gaze. "I said I sensed you. Not that I missed you."
"You said you sensed me, ran to the door, and now you're smiling at me. That's basically a confession."
Linyue just shrugged. "Maybe I just wanted to protect the door."
Shu Mingye chuckled low in his throat. "Nice try, Pie. But you can admit it. You missed me."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"I didn't."
"You're cute when you lie," Shu Mingye said with one of those smug, satisfied smiles that made people want to either hug him or throw a chair. "I thought you were too lazy to come see me, so I came instead."
Linyue shrugged lightly. "We were meditating."
She stepped aside and pointed inside the room. Her chaos family was still sitting cross-legged in various stages of fake enlightenment. Song Meiyu's eyes were closed so tight her face was scrunched. Shen Zhenyu looked calm and collected as if he was born meditating. He Yuying… well, he might actually be asleep.
Shu Mingye peeked in and raised an eyebrow. Then he turned back to Linyue. "What are you all planning now?"
"Nothing."
He squinted at her. "That sounded very unconvincing."
Linyue stepped out of the room and gently closed the door behind her. "Let's not disturb them," she said quickly.
"That's suspicious."
"No, it's considerate."
"Suspiciously considerate."
Linyue ignored him and kept walking.
Shu Mingye followed without missing a step. "Were you really meditating this whole time?"
"Yes. Why?"
"You didn't step out. You didn't come see me for four days. I got worried, so I came to check."
"I didn't realize it's been that long."
Shu Mingye gave her a look. The kind that said he wasn't buying her act but was too amused to argue. "Pie, I think you reached a new level of cultivation. Time-forgetting mode."
"…Maybe," she admitted.
He chuckled, the sound low and warm. Of course he had been suspicious. The room had gone too quiet too suddenly. It reminded him a little too much of that last time when the whole group disappeared and left behind a single very sarcastic note. He almost stormed in on the first day. Almost. But he stopped himself. She had promised she wouldn't leave without him. And for some strange and probably reckless reason, he believed her. So instead, he used those four days to work non-stop. No sleep. No breaks. Barely even glaring at officials. Now, everything was ready.
"Pie," he said with a sly smile, "we can leave in three days."
"That fast?" she asked, eyebrows slightly raised.