novelraw Chapter 28 : It Must Be an Illusion
Chapter 28 : It Must Be an Illusion
Chapter 28: It Must Be an Illusion
Morning, beneath the cliff.
“Don’t move!”
A pleasant, crisp voice rang out.
Jiang Yu lay flat on a green stone, stopping his movements. Tender affection filled his brows and eyes as he quietly looked at the young girl before him.
Her expression was calm and focused. Holding a flying sword, her movements were gentle as she carefully lifted the cloth strips covering his wound little by little.
Her boneless-soft fingers pinched a jade bottle, slowly sprinkling the medicinal powder within. Every movement was exceptionally gentle and quiet.
“The wound has mostly healed. After today, there’s no need to change the dressing anymore!”
Li Yunqing spoke without a ripple in her tone, tearing a strip from her skirt and gently beginning to bandage the wound.
“Mm!” Jiang Yu nodded, smiling as he looked at Li Yunqing. “Many thanks for Junior Sister Yunqing’s care.”
“It’s nothing!” Li Yunqing remained as serene as ever, her tone unhurried. “Your hand!”
Hearing this, Jiang Yu quickly extended his hand, placing it flat before Li Yunqing.
Watching those white, jade-like fingers lightly rest upon his wrist, feeling the pulse beating beneath them—
The tenderness in his eyes deepened, impossible to conceal.
Even his heart began to pound uncontrollably faster at that moment.
“The internal injuries have mostly healed as well!”
“After today’s acupuncture, there will be no more issues!”
Li Yunqing spoke as if she had not noticed the affection filling Jiang Yu’s face. She calmly took out silver needles from her needle pouch.
With a slight movement of her slender fingers, the needles were already inserted into the acupoints on Jiang Yu’s chest. She gently twirled them, regulating his internal organs.
After a moment, Jiang Yu watched as Li Yunqing withdrew the needles, then walked to the fire, took down the roasted fish, and handed it to him.
“Thank you, Junior Sister Yunqing!”
Jiang Yu reached out to take it, smiling, as polite and considerate as ever.
Ever since three nights ago, when he had accidentally fallen into the pool, Li Yunqing’s care for him had become meticulous in every detail.
Each day she checked his wounds, applied medicine and bandaged them, performed acupuncture to treat his internal injuries, roasted fish, and prepared food for him.
“This injury was worth it!”
“She truly cares about me in her heart.”
Thinking of her care over these three days, Jiang Yu felt increasingly delighted.
Especially given Li Yunqing’s naturally calm and indifferent temperament—being able to do this much clearly meant his importance in her heart was growing.
“She’s becoming more and more beautiful!”
Looking at Li Yunqing sitting nearby, quietly eating roasted fish in small bites, Jiang Yu’s gaze repeatedly drifted to her delicate face.
Her brows were like paintings, her nose refined and elegant, her fair skin glowing under the sunlight like fine jade.
Over these three days, he had witnessed nearly all the changes in Li Yunqing.
Originally already beautiful, her skin had now become even more tender and fair.
Like an immortal descended into the mortal world, her temperament and appearance made it impossible to look away.
Moreover, Li Yunqing emitted a rich vitality like that of plants, as if she were a spirit nurtured by heaven and earth.
It naturally drew others closer, inspiring longing.
More than once, he had felt grateful that he had not stopped his father from proposing marriage back then.
A girl with such bearing and temperament, combined with a quiet and gentle nature—like an orchid in a secluded valley standing alone in the mortal world—no man in the world could refuse her.
“Once we return, I’ll find an opportunity to formally propose!”
At this thought, Jiang Yu’s smile grew even brighter, his gaze almost fixed entirely on Li Yunqing.
These past few days of interaction had made it impossible for him to hide his feelings any longer. More than once, he had wanted to speak and confess.
But he feared being too abrupt and did not dare cross the line lightly.
Once the formal proposal was made and the marriage settled, perhaps they would grow even closer.
At that time, expressing his feelings would not seem so abrupt.
Sensing his gaze, Li Yunqing remained unmoved, without even the slightest intention of looking back.
After finishing her meal, she walked to an open space and began cultivating.
“The last Water Condensation Pill and Blood Coagulation Pill.”
After swallowing the pills, Li Yunqing instantly entered a state of complete focus.
It was as if the entire world contained only her.
The Thirty-Six Forms of the Mingyu Fist flowed from her movements as she shifted and maneuvered, completely ignoring the experience notifications flashing before her eyes.
For these three days, she had hardly rested—practicing the Mingyu Fist during the day and cultivating the Medicine King Scripture at night.
With the assistance of pills, her strength had increased rapidly.
“Mingyu Fist Experience +20.”
“Mingyu Fist Experience +20.”
Time passed.
The rising sun shed its youthful red hue and hung high in the sky, radiating brilliant light that made it impossible to look at directly.
Suddenly—
“Boom!”
Li Yunqing threw a punch, and a sharp sound actually rang out in the air.
Not far away, Jiang Yu, who had been watching her the entire time, was startled. He abruptly stood up, staring at Li Yunqing in disbelief.
“She’s produced force?”
“How long has she even been cultivating?”
“Wait… her Mingyu Fist hasn’t reached completion—so why has she already produced force?”
Jiang Yu muttered, his tone filled with shock.
Only when the Mingyu Fist reached great completion—when qi and blood were perfected and unified—could one condense force within the qi and blood.
This force was the foundation for tempering the body. It could circulate throughout the body, vibrating and refining flesh, bones, and organs.
Once force was generated, it meant stepping into the threshold of a ranked martial artist.
After tempering the body once, one would be considered a Lower Tier of the Initial Realm martial artist. After nine temperings, one would reach the peak of the Lower Tier.
A Lower Tier Initial Realm martial artist possessed strength and speed several times greater than ordinary people.
Even a dozen strong men would be unable to approach.
“Less than half a month!”
Calculating Li Yunqing’s cultivation time in his heart, Jiang Yu’s eyes grew even more astonished.
Achieving great completion of the Mingyu Fist within six months would qualify one to become a true disciple of the Mingyu Martial Hall and a genuine student of Hall Master Liu.
Then Li Yunqing—who had produced force in less than half a month—was more than qualified to become Hall Master Liu’s final disciple.
“So this is force?”
Li Yunqing withdrew her fist and stood still, her consciousness instantly sinking into her body.
During her cultivation of the Medicine King Scripture last night, her newly formed qi and blood had already reached completion, circulating through her entire body and replacing her original qi and blood.
Her strength had surged, as if she had been reborn.
Now, feeling that strand of force within her qi and blood—thin as a strand of hair—Li Yunqing felt a moment of realization.
That punch just now had been enhanced by this strand of force, which was why it produced that explosive sound.
It was both an explosion of strength and of force, striking the air and creating that noise.
“The Mingyu Fist has not yet reached completion.”
Li Yunqing looked toward her panel.
Name: Li Yunqing.
Lifespan: 15 / ∞
Skills: Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting (Perfection)
Traits: Single-Minded Focus, Vigorous Spirit, Photographic Memory, Natural Spiritual Grace, Eight Tones Enter the Soul, Unparalleled Comprehension.
Mingyu Fist (Mastery 416 / 500.)
Traits: Ice-Like Skin and Jade-Like Bones.
Frost Sword Art (Mastery 0 / 3000)
Traits: Innate Sword Bone.
Medicine King Scripture (Beginner 422 / 1000)
Traits: Identifying Herbs by Scent, Immunity to All Poisons.
“It seems to be the assistance of the Medicine King Scripture!”
Li Yunqing understood, a trace of joy flashing in her eyes.
The Mingyu Fist tempered qi and blood through martial techniques, producing force—this was a method of cultivation that strengthened the body from within.
The Medicine King Scripture absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth—this was drawing from the outside, using that energy to nourish the body.
The combination of the two had accelerated her cultivation speed by several degrees.
“Very good. Today, I might be able to bring the Mingyu Fist to great completion.”
Feeling the medicinal effects within her body, Li Yunqing suddenly realized that combining internal and external cultivation not only sped up her progress—
It also greatly reduced resource consumption.
“I wonder what changes the Medicine King Scripture will undergo once my body is fully tempered?”
A hint of anticipation arose in Li Yunqing’s heart.
After all, this was an immortal cultivation technique. If it could generate magical power, then at that time, she might truly have nothing to fear.
“Congratulations, Junior Sister Yunqing, on producing force!”
At that moment, Jiang Yu’s gentle voice sounded from nearby.
Hearing him, Li Yunqing’s expression instantly returned to calm as she spoke evenly, “Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang.”
She glanced at the sky and continued, “It is already noon. Senior Brother Jiang, please wait—I will prepare food.”
With that, she turned and took out two silver needles from her needle pouch, walking toward the pool.
“Junior Sister Yunqing has broken through—let your senior brother handle the meal today, as a way to celebrate for you!”
Jiang Yu smiled brightly, tenderness filling his brows as he instinctively walked toward the pool.
“No need. Senior Brother’s injuries have not yet healed!” Li Yunqing said, as the silver needles in her hand suddenly shot into the water.
In just a moment, two fish weighing two to three jin surfaced from the pool.
Li Yunqing calmly handled the fish and began roasting them.
The smile on Jiang Yu’s face stiffened slightly.
Looking at Li Yunqing’s still calm expression, an inexplicable thought arose in his heart—one he could not suppress.
“Why… do I suddenly feel like I’m growing farther and farther from her?”
Thinking of her meticulous care over the past few days, Jiang Yu shook his head, his face once again filled with tenderness as he looked at Li Yunqing.
“Impossible. It must be an illusion!”
“She is my future wife.”
“In this life… my only wife!”