Chapter 56 Part 2: You Want Me to Wear This?!

Gui Ruoxue: “Handle that gently.”

Gui Ruoxue: “Stop! Not that way! Follow the veins—ugh! You just wasted an entire root!”

Gui Ruoxue: “Argh! That’s useless! Don’t touch that! Cleaning it is a nightmare!”

Ning Mingmei understood his frustration well. Any senior student would hate having their specialized pipettes and lab equipment mishandled by underclassmen, especially when they weren’t reset to their original settings and were put back in the wrong places.

But Ning Mingmei simply said, “I’m very professional. You can tell.”

Gui Ruoxue nearly choked on the sheer audacity of that statement.

Ning Mingmei said to the system: [This Gui Ruoxue is incredibly meticulous. He even insists on explaining the proper folding method for filter paper three times. He’d be perfect as my assistant.]

The system: …

Considering that the antidote determined the male protagonist’s survival, it wisely chose to remain silent.

To be fair, Ning Mingmei’s technique was beyond Gui Ruoxue’s expectations.

Most people wouldn’t even recognize what half of the complex instruments were for at a glance. Not only could Ning Mingmei distinguish them all, but he immediately understood how to use them the moment Gui Ruoxue gave the slightest instruction.

Soon, a fine green medicinal powder began to take shape in the crucible.

Gui Ruoxue stared at Ning Mingmei’s slender hands.

His fingers were steady.

The entire process flowed seamlessly. Precise and effortless, completely devoid of hesitation or disorder.

Only someone with absolute calm and unwavering confidence could achieve such a feat.

“I only said it once and you actually did it,” Gui Ruoxue said.

Ning Mingmei replied, “Yes. Once I finish searching your soul, you can leave.”

You’re worthless now, Gui Ruoxue.

Gui Ruoxue: !!

The sunlight was dazzling. From his high vantage point, Ning Mingmei’s face was as cold as ice. Gui Ruoxue gritted his teeth and finally spoke first.

He said, “Ning Mingmei…”

***

That evening, the disciples received a notice from Ning Mingmei.

Ning Mingmei: “Rest for one more day, then we set out.”

At those words, the disciples erupted in celebration. After staying in Wangyue Town for so long, they were tired of it.

Ning Mingmei even kindly checked in on the two disciples who had just recovered. “You’ve missed a few days of training, but don’t worry. The day after tomorrow, I’ll take you out for some rehabilitation.”

Tears of gratitude welled up in the eyes of both disciples.

Amidst the lively atmosphere, Ning Mingmei walked toward a small cottage. The place was quiet and desolate, with only Lian Chengyue lying there alone.

His pale, blood-drained face reflected the moonlight, making him look utterly sick.

His brows were still furrowed, as if trapped in an unending nightmare.

The system spoke, [Be… gentle with him.]

Before the sentence was finished, Ning Mingmei sat by the bed, grabbed the young boy by the collar, held his chin, and poured all the medicinal powder down his throat like he was force-feeding a duck.

Even in his unconscious state, the boy coughed a few times, instinctively baring his teeth with a fierce, puppy-like expression.

Then, he was firmly held down by the iron-hearted Ning Mingmei and made to swallow more.

“Finish it all. Do you want to die?”

The boy: …

If he weren’t unconscious, unable to speak, and not actually a puppy, he would probably be howling in protest right now.

Then, pitifully, he would glare at him with teary eyes.

The system: …

The system: …………

[Aaah! Aaah! Aaah!]

Ning Mingmei: [It’s fine. He’ll enjoy the thrill of it.]

He even reached out and lightly patted Lian Chengyue’s back.

The medicine was indeed effective. Within moments, Lian Chengyue’s deathly pale cheeks gained a faint hint of color.

But full recovery would still take a month.

Seeing Ning Mingmei staring at Lian Chengyue’s face, the system feared he might toss the boy aside like a sack again. Since the male protagonist wouldn’t die, he was basically being used as a punching bag.

Yet, unexpectedly, Ning Mingmei said, “Isn’t this just right?”

?

Just right?

[What do you mean just right?!] The system kept pressing him even as he walked out of the cottage.

At the door, he saw Little Shui standing there with her eyes red.

Earlier that day, Jiang Yu had found Granny Lao’s body at the foot of a slope while hunting monsters.

Granny Lao had died in an accident, with no vengeful spirit remaining. That was a good thing.

But it also meant that Little Shui truly had nothing left now; no home, no family.

Facing Ning Mingmei, Little Shui still said, “Thank you, Immortal Master, for personally feeding A’Yue his medicine.”

Ning Mingmei: “No need to thank me.”

That method of feeding hardly warranted gratitude.

Little Shui continued, “These past days, thank you for taking care of me…”

She had overheard the disciples talking. In two days, they would part ways.

Even though they would eventually go their separate paths, having this moment in life was still something to be grateful for.

But Ning Mingmei didn’t let her finish. “What do you plan to do the day after tomorrow?”

Little Shui replied, “I’ll go burn some incense for Granny.”

No matter what had happened in the past, she was still a family member to her.

Ning Mingmei: “Alright, then we’ll leave after you’ve finished paying your respects.”

?

Little Shui was momentarily stunned.

Ning Mingmei then asked, “Did you choose the name Little Shui yourself?”

The girl shook her head. “No, the orphanage’s madam gave it to me randomly. She said my birth chart was lacking water in the five elements.”

Ning Mingmei gestured for her to give him her arm.

Little Shui, confused, still extended it.

Ning Mingmei examined it. “Water and wood dual spiritual roots… not entirely balanced. There’s more water, less wood.”

But water and wood… that sounded well-suited for studying.

So Ning Mingmei asked her, “Do you have a surname you like?”

Little Shui was stunned and shook her head.

A surname?

She had never even considered the idea.

In her mind, only people with a home, a clan, and a place they belonged to could have a surname.

A surname is a way for a solitary person to attach themselves to a clan or group to seek a sense of security.

“The vast ocean allows fish to leap freely, and heaven and earth are open for me to roam. In that case, would you like the surname Ren? ‘Ren’ signifies freedom and unrestrained wandering,” Ning Mingmei said. “Do you like this character? From today onward, you belong to your clan.”

The vast ocean allows fish to leap freely, and heaven and earth are open for me to roam.

From now on, she would no longer fear ghosts or gods.

For some reason, Little Shui’s eyes became slightly damp. She whispered, “I like it.”

As for just ‘Shui’ alone, it felt too simple. In the end, she decided on her new name, ‘Miao’. |22|

The character ‘Shui’ still held meaning for her. She wanted a new name while also remembering her past self.

When the Gao family adopted her, they had given her a few names.

Gao Xiaorou. Gao Wan’er. Gao Jiao’er.

But now, her name was Ren Miao.

From that moment on, she would stand in the world as Ren Miao.

Ning Mingmei called her, “Ren Miao.”

The girl stood up straight.

“Pack your things. The day after tomorrow, I’ll take you and that kid with me,” Ning Mingmei said.

Ren Miao looked at him and her eyes were filled with unconcealed joy.

***

After settling everything, Ning Mingmei returned to his room. At that moment, besides him, there was also Gui Ruoxue.

He was still wearing shackles on both his hands and feet.

Gui Ruoxue watched as he pulled out a stack of notes from his spatial storage bag and started reading through them. Sitting across from Ning Mingmei, he asked, “What are you looking at those notes for?”

Ning Mingmei raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

After a while, he picked out one particular note, stared at it for a moment, then stood up and left the room.

On his way out, he casually immobilized Gui Ruoxue in place.

Gui Ruoxue: …

Even if he was still in a ‘recruitment trial period,’ Ning Mingmei was being way too excessive!

Yes, a recruitment trial period. That was what Ning Mingmei called it.

Gui Ruoxue couldn’t figure it out at all. Just two months ago, he had been living an utterly ordinary day in his life: going out, traveling, taking a cultivation furnace for drug experiments, and having minor conflicts with both Brilliant Blossom Valley and Green Jade Altar; nothing out of the ordinary.

Then, out of nowhere, the Brilliant Blossom Valley found out his whereabouts. The Brilliant Blossom and the Dark Blossom started fighting over him, leading to a complete fallout.

The Green Jade Altar, hearing that he was severely injured, seized the opportunity to cause an internal conflict.

And all he had done was take a bit of time to retrieve a medicinal bead… before finding himself begging Ning Mingmei to take him in.

After all, atop Misty Peak, aside from the thick snow, it had everything he wanted.

At least, that was what Ning Mingmei had told him.

Thinking about the endless knowledge, the intoxicating research environment, and the hidden experimental equipment on Misty Peak, Gui Ruoxue felt a little more at ease.

Since Ning Mingmei was so proficient with those instruments, there must be plenty of similar ones on Misty Peak.

Gui Ruoxue was sharp-eyed when it came to people. His intuition had never failed him before and he was certain of this.

Except…

Ning Mingmei had now been gone for half an hour.

Gui Ruoxue: …

Being frozen in place like that reminded him of some unpleasant memories.

Just as he was anxiously waiting, Ning Mingmei finally returned from the Gao family’s treasury.

Gui Ruoxue looked at Ning Mingmei’s immortal-like demeanor and was unable to associate it with the fact that in the past half-hour, he had casually looted several valuable items from the Gao family’s treasury.

When asked, the answer was simple: exorcism expenses.

The system shrieked in protest, but Ning Mingmei said, [These things are obviously part of that vengeful ghost lady’s dowry.]

That vengeful ghost lady surely wouldn’t want her dowry left in the Gao family’s residence, free for her murderer to use, right?

The system: […Even so, this still feels really sketchy.]

After saying that, the system gave Ning Mingmei a strong electric shock.

Forget it.

Besides, half of the treasure that the protagonist had secretly hidden in the ruined temple had also been taken by him.

The other half was left out of respect for the system’s miserable wails.

Very well, let the protagonist watch helplessly as his companion was taken away while he was left behind, alone and stranded in the ruined temple, only to then tragically discover that half of his secret stash was gone.

Gui Ruoxue could see that the only thing Ning Mingmei kept in his hands was a set of clothing wrapped in a cloth bundle.

“What kind of clothes did you bring back?” Gui Ruoxue asked after he was released from being immobilized.

Ning Mingmei: “We need to come up with a way to clean your identity so you have a legitimate reason to follow us. These clothes will help with that.”

Gui Ruoxue: ?

He couldn’t see the full outfit, only a hint of red inside… Then, he saw Ning Mingmei take out a slip of paper from the stack.

Ning Mingmei: “After analyzing all the options, this is the most suitable one for you.”

Gui Ruoxue watched as Ning Mingmei unrolled the bundle of clothing.

“You want me to wear this?!”