Hidden Shadow – CH 052

Chapter Fifty-Two: Exposure (2)

Behind every pampered girl was a capable and meddlesome mother—this was an age-old truth.

Elder Zhi, though cold and hard-tempered, was not impulsive. His visit to Elder Qi today was not entirely due to An Jiu’s anger. While he was angry at An Jiu’s unpleasant words, he genuinely liked the way she handled the crossbow, which was why he came to Elder Qi seeking a solution to “cure” her.

Elder Zhi, already burdened by his unsatisfactory outcome, became even more furious upon hearing Mei Jiu’s sobs. “Stop crying! Explain what happened!”

Mei Jiu choked, her eyes red as she timidly glanced at Elder Zhi, looking like a frightened rabbit.

Mo Sigui, suddenly overcome with pity, gently said, “Cousin, please speak freely. Elder Qi’s medical skills are unparalleled; he can certainly help you. Besides, we are all blood relatives, and you are Elder Zhi’s disciple…”

Under Mo Sigui’s coaxing, Mei Jiu regained her composure but then fell into a deep dilemma. She desperately wanted to tell the truth to save herself, yet she did not want to harm An Jiu.

When Elder Zhi’s patience was almost exhausted, she hesitantly said, “I will tell you the truth; you cannot harm her.”

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The three had made various speculations, but these were merely assumptions; they did not truly believe them. Hearing her admit it herself, their faces showed undisguised shock.

Mo Sigui, while shocked, also sighed at Mei Jiu’s naiveté. Elder Zhi clearly had an attitude of keeping the strong and not the weak and would not easily change his decision because of blood ties. If forced to choose only one, he dared to guarantee with his life that Elder Zhi would choose the stronger one without batting an eye.

“We are actually two people.” Mei Jiu, the complete opposite of An Jiu, easily trusted others. “When I was being chased by the black-clad men, she suddenly appeared inside my body…”

Mei Jiu explained the situation clearly.

The three listened, increasingly finding it bizarre. Finally, Mo Sigui asked incredulously, “It’s not hysteria, is it?”

The two elders fell silent.

After a long period of contemplation, Elder Qi finally said, “The pulse does not lie; there are no signs of hysteria.”

Mo Sigui’s eyes lit up, glaring at Mei Jiu. “Tell her to come out! I want revenge!”

“Is there any way to awaken her?” Elder Zhi quickly composed himself. As long as the whole story was clear, a solution could be found.

“We can only wait for her to wake up on her own.” If it were just a wisp of soul, even Elder Qi’s superb medical skills would be difficult to access.

Elder Zhi nodded, glancing at Mei Jiu. “Go back and rest first. This matter must be kept secret.”

These words were not just spoken to Mei Jiu alone. Elder Qi and Mo Sigui understood and swore a solemn oath never to divulge a single word.

Mo Sigui saw Mei Jiu out.

The pharmacy was deathly silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Elder Zhi broke the silence, “If what she said is true, is there any way to deal with it?”

This was beyond the scope of medical skills. Elder Qi was confident he could regenerate flesh from bones, but he had no confidence in something unseen and intangible. “I have a close friendship with a Taoist master. Perhaps I should go and ask him for help myself.”

“Very well!” Elder Zhi still did not entirely believe Mei Jiu’s words, nor did he believe the Taoists could possess any supernatural abilities, but he used a different approach to achieve his goal. “Stay a few more days and carefully examine her. When you see your old friend, you can explain the situation.”

“Yes, Brother, you make a good point.” Elder Qi also had his own plans. The clan elders were the pillars of the clan. Traveling far was no easy feat, but he was determined to make this trip to the Taihang Mountains a reality!

Elder Qi’s keeping Mo Sigui by his side had already drawn considerable discontent from others, and many eyes were watching. They wanted him to pass on his medical skills to the clan’s disciples, but let alone the clan, how many people in the world could match Mo Sigui’s medical talent?

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Mo Sigui lacked composure, but his comprehension was exceptional. With such a flawless gem placed before him, how could Elder Qi possibly tolerate any other unworthy successor? He did not refuse anyone offered by the clan, but he had already decided that he would only pass on his true skills to Mo Sigui.

Medicine was Elder Qi’s lifelong pursuit, and only a truly gifted successor could not squander what he had achieved. He was deeply grateful for Heaven’s favor in having met Mo Sigui, so he would risk his life to ensure he had no regrets in this matter.

Elder Zhi left, and Mo Sigui rushed back to the pharmacy like a whirlwind. “Elder, how did you detect the unusual pulse just now?”

This was like prying into someone else’s secret techniques! Mo Sigui had no chance of becoming Elder Qi’s disciple in name only, and most people would be too embarrassed to ask such a question. Mo Sigui was not without dignity, but when faced with interesting medical questions, he could always shamelessly ask.

This fervor for medicine was something Elder Qi admired.

“Shutting your head around! Have you not had enough of that beating?” Elder Qi smacked him with his cane, while his other hand gripped his wrist, demonstrating the secret technique of using true qi to take a pulse.

Threads of true qi seeped in, and Mo Sigui even forgot to cry out in pain.

“How is it?” Elder Qi asked in a low voice.

Mo Sigui did not answer. Instead, he directly grasped Elder Qi’s pulse with his other hand, mimicking the previous method, condensing his true energy at his fingertips, and then using his mental power to control it, dividing it into three streams and probing in different directions. However, since his martial arts were only at the fifth level and this was his first attempt, the gathered true energy quickly dissipated.

Elder Qi was initially surprised, then delighted, excitedly exclaiming twice, “Good, good!”

“It’s a pity I can only divide it into three streams at most, and it cannot be sustained. Alas, Elder, am I very stupid?” Mo Sigui looked worried and concerned.

Elder Qi’s smile froze on his face, and he could not help but slap Mo Sigui again. “Do you think my ultimate technique is just a roadside stunt?! I think you deserve a beating!”

Mo Sigui wailed and howled.

True energy pulse diagnosis was one of Elder Qi’s ultimate techniques, requiring extremely high levels of internal strength, true energy, and mental power from the practitioner. Dividing the pulse into multiple streams at the beginning was the most difficult, but afterward, as long as one continuously increased their internal strength, they could divide it into multiple streams at will and sustain it. He’d been practicing diligently for over ten years to finally divide his true energy into three streams!

A commotion erupted inside. Mei Tingzhao, watching from the opposite corridor, saw Mo Sigui rush out, clutching his face, and seized the opportunity to mock, “Cousin, I think you should save your breath. Even street performers would not teach you that, let alone an elder’s secret technique!”

“Go away!” Mo Sigui scurried into the next room to apply medicine.

He was already used to it. Elder Qi would punish him every few days to test the quality of his medicine. This minor injury had healed in just a quarter of an hour.

Elder Qi’s method for beating Mo Sigui was subtle. He’d discovered that if he hit the body, the brat would not be in a hurry; he insisted on hitting the face. That was why he’d frantically tried to concoct a medicine that healed quickly and left no scars.