Wen Yinyue shook her head and sat beside his couch. The warm lamplight illuminated her face, making her beauty utterly captivating.

Li Muzhan quickly averted his gaze. In the past, with his deep composure, he could have admired her openly; now, however, he felt a stirring of guilt.

Seeing him like this, Wen Yinyue couldn't help but smile, staring at him and saying, "You are so weak. If someone were to ambush you, who would save you...?" Li Muzhan chuckled, "Me, lying here alone, who would know?

It doesn't matter." Wen Yinyue waved her hand lightly, "Enough talk. You should focus your mind on recuperating.

I will handle the matter of the heads..." "...Fine..." Li Muzhan nodded listlessly. He felt exhausted, not just physically, but mentally.

His vision swam in blackness, and even though Wen Yinyue's beauty shone like a flower illuminating the room, he couldn't fight off the encroaching drowsiness. As he spoke, his eyes closed, and he drifted into a deep sleep.

……………………………………………… Wen Yinyue rose and bent down, removing his pillow to gently lay him flat. She pulled the quilt over him and watched him sleep soundly, then thought back to his previous cold state, shaking her head with a soft laugh.

After watching for a while, she simply settled down beside him to meditate and circulate her qi. Li Muzhan slept for an entire day, oblivious to the passage of time, day or night.

When he finally awoke, Wen Yinyue was seated by the couch, watching him. He opened his eyes and met Wen Yinyue's gaze, pausing for a moment.

"Awake?" Wen Yinyue asked softly. Li Muzhan turned his head to survey his surroundings and asked, "Senior Sister, how long have I slept?" His voice was dry, as if scorched by fire.

"This is the second day. You slept for a full day and night..." Wen Yinyue informed him.

Li Muzhan nodded, "That long?" "You must be hungry. I'll go fetch some congee!" Wen Yinyue stood up and gracefully exited, soon returning with a bowl of ginseng and bird's nest congee—its fragrance inviting.

Li Muzhan reclined on the couch, took the bowl, and raised an eyebrow, "And the heads?" Wen Yinyue shot him a sidelong glance, "Rest assured, I’ve already sent someone to deliver them up the mountain!" "Reliable?" Li Muzhan inquired. Wen Yinyue sighed, "You truly spoil the mood.

Asking about heads at a time like this? Drink your congee quickly..." Li Muzhan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Look at me.

Why would I doubt my Senior Sister's arrangements!" "It’s good that you know!" Wen Yinyue rolled her eyes at him. Li Muzhan quickly finished the congee, then slowly rose from the couch.

With the nourishment flowing through him, he regained some strength, and the two began a slow stroll around the small courtyard. The courtyard was surrounded by flowers and plants, though most had already withered in the season.

Only the plum blossoms bloomed proudly, releasing a faint, subtle fragrance that lingered in the air. ………………………… Seeing Li Muzhan staring at the plum blossoms, Wen Yinyue said calmly, "Don't worry.

Senior Sister Mei and the others are safe on the mountain. It's fine..." Li Muzhan withdrew his gaze and smiled, "I was thinking about who those people were, and why they would want to kill the disciples of our Canghai Mountain..." Wen Yinyue frowned in thought, shaking her head, "I've thought about it for a long time and still can't figure it out.

With their level of martial prowess, and five of them attacking at once, they shouldn't be nobodies." "Their coordinated technique was exquisite..." Li Muzhan added. "Mmm..." Wen Yinyue nodded, knitting her brows, "To become enemies with Canghai Mountain without reason is indeed strange.

Master doesn't know either..." When she was injured previously, the internal energy lodged in her body could not be dispersed until Master Zhuzhao Taoist solved it. Mei Ruolan was also injured at that time, but Zhuzhao Taoist was powerless to disperse the foreign internal energy.

Wen Yinyue's internal energy shared the same origin as Zhuzhao Taoist's—both derived from the Miao Lian Jing. Mei Ruolan practiced the Canghai Shen Gong, which Zhuzhao Taoist could not handle, and Zhumei Taoist’s cultivation was insufficient.

Thus, they had to wait until Li Muzhan returned to neutralize it. When clearing that internal energy, Zhuzhao Taoist had considered it carefully.

She had certainly seen this type of peculiar internal energy before and would never forget it; clearly, she had not. Li Muzhan sighed, "At the time, I was focused only on killing them—a single blow to ensure death.

I didn't think much of it. A pity..." Wen Yinyue said, "We'll deal with obstacles as they come.

You don't need to overthink things. Focus on recovering first!" "I suppose that's all we can do..." Li Muzhan offered a wry smile.

This time, using the Da Ming Wang Jing had truly pushed him to his limits. It was fortunate that he possessed the Jingang Bu Huai Shen Gong for physical defense and had trained in military martial arts, which maintained his vigor.

Otherwise, he might be seriously ill now and slow to recover. However, he distinctly felt that since the Sarira had formed, his resistance to the Da Ming Wang Jing had indeed increased, lacking the previous sense of cold detachment.

Now, when employing the Da Ming Wang Jing, he no longer needed to worry about being assimilated or having his state of mind altered. This was an unparalleled joy—removing the restrictions of the Da Ming Wang Jing dissolved a major burden in his heart.

Li Muzhan walked for about fifteen minutes and grew tired, breaking into a sweat. Wen Yinyue dared not let him exert himself further and quickly ushered him back inside.

The cold air made sweating risky; a sudden chill could lead to illness, especially in his weakened state. If he were to catch a cold, the resulting setback would outweigh the benefits gained.

Li Muzhan sat on the couch, crossed his legs, and began circulating the Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing. This period of meditation lasted another day and night, but the effect was remarkable.

On the third day, when he awoke from the trance, his spirit was invigorated, and his vitality had recovered by half. A look of pleasant surprise crossed his face as he noticed a change in the Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing.

……………………………………………… During this recent period, he had been extremely busy and had no time for secluded cultivation. Practicing the Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing had mostly been done at night, substituting for sleep, as it was difficult to settle his mind during the day.

This time, taking advantage of his convalescence, he cultivated the Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing in a single, continuous trance lasting a day and a night, discovering a subtle wonder within the scripture. Before the Sarira formed, when he entered the diagram of the Guan Tian Ren Shen Zhao Jing, the Heart Pearl solidified into a vertical eye, absorbing the essence of the moon to nourish the physical body.

After the Sarira formed, it transformed into the vertical eye, absorbing the essence of the sun instead. He had initially assumed the Sarira caused this change, converting lunar essence into solar essence.

However, during his practice, he discovered that the scripture incorporated both. In the Tian Ren Shen Zhao diagram, the sun and the moon occupied half the sky, just like their external counterparts.

When the sun rose, he absorbed solar essence; when the moon appeared, he absorbed lunar essence. Solar essence strengthened the spirit, while lunar essence replenished the body.

Having both was immensely beneficial to the body; otherwise, it wouldn't have had such potent effects, where one day and night of practice equaled half a month of rest. Li Muzhan then derived further profound implications from this.

Why did the sun and moon shift and cycle within the Tian Ren Shen Zhao diagram? Was this not merely a world of contemplation, but rather a real world?

The moment this thought arose, a torrent of ideas surged toward him. He pondered for a long time but couldn't grasp the answer, so he let it go and re-entered the trance.

This time, he cultivated for another two days and two nights. Upon completing the session and emerging from meditation, he was fully recovered.

However, in front of Wen Yinyue, he maintained a façade of weakness, not wanting to alarm her, so he continued the pretense. At noon that day, the two left the inn and walked to a restaurant in the small city.

They had been confined to the inn, and the food was unappetizing. They had learned of this establishment; though not the most luxurious in the city, it boasted the finest culinary skills.

The restaurant was located in the city center, with five imposing characters on its plaque: "Elite Gathering Tower" (Jingying Huicui Lou). However, the building was somewhat aged, carrying an air of faded grandeur, which those who preferred extravagance might disdain.

Li Muzhan and Wen Yinyue strolled in and ascended to the second floor, securing a window seat. It was deep winter, so few people occupied the seats near the windows.

Li Muzhan wore a dark blue robe and a skullcap, on the crown of which was affixed a piece of white jade radiating a gentle luster—clearly not an ordinary item, signaling inherent nobility and wealth. Wen Yinyue was draped in snow-white otter fur, with a luminous pearl adorning her forehead, casting a soft radiance that illuminated her hibiscus-like face, as flawless as snow.

Seated together, it was immediately apparent they were figures of wealth and status. The waiters attended them with extreme caution, their faces graced with respectful smiles, fearful of any oversight.

Li Muzhan did not pretend to be aloof. He ordered six signature dishes and the best jar of wine, then waved the waiter away before beginning to observe the surroundings.

…………………………………… The room was full of people, the air warm and thick with tempting aromas. Li Muzhan noticed several tables occupied by martial artists, all carrying swords or sabers, their spirits robust.

Li Muzhan and Wen Yinyue exchanged a glance, paying extra attention to these martial tables, leaning in slightly to listen. "Did you hear?

The Dragon Slaying Secret Manual has surfaced again..." Li Muzhan’s spirit immediately stirred. His eyes narrowed slightly as his Void Eye looked down, focusing on a table directly to the north where four men were whispering quietly.

These four were all wearing sapphire-blue long robes and carrying three-foot-long sharp swords; the scabbards and tassels were identical, clearly indicating they belonged to the same sect. Judging by their age, they were only around twenty, and their martial arts skill seemed limited.

"Surfaced again?" someone murmured. "It couldn't be another hoax, right?

Didn't the Great Hero Mu, the Divine Blade Master of Zhongzhou, obtain it?" "Hmph. Even if Great Hero Mu is formidable, he can't suppress everyone's covetousness.

Who wouldn't want it? No matter how powerful Mu is, he can't silence everyone!" someone sneered.

"Ah, people..." another lamented. "Alright, Fifth Senior Brother, stop being sanctimonious.

If you encountered it, would you not fight for it?" "That's true. For such a divine manual, he who possesses it wins.

If one runs into it, one naturally cannot let it go..." "Exactly. We heard Great Hero Mu was murdered—by whom, no one knows.

What a tragedy for a renowned (hero) to die over a secret manual!" "In my opinion, this Dragon Slaying Secret Manual is a cursed thing. Whoever gets it meets misfortune!" "That's not entirely true.

The key is that the Dragon Slaying Secret Manual is incredibly hard to practice. Even if you get it, you can't master it.

If one truly could master it and learn the Dragon Slaying Hand, who would dare try to snatch it?" "If even Great Hero Mu couldn't learn it, we are certainly out of luck!" "Sixth Junior Brother, there's no need for self-deprecation. Perhaps we are fated, and we might grasp it instantly..." Li Muzhan frowned and looked at Wen Yinyue.

She calmly sipped her tea, gazing out the window as if somewhat preoccupied. But Li Muzhan knew her ears were pricked, and she was listening intently.

Suddenly, a gruff voice boomed out, "Young fellows, quickly tell us, where did the Dragon Slaying Secret Manual appear this time..."