Bao Gu chose to live in the building next to Yu Mi’s, becoming neighbors with her. It was clear that the treatment of a true disciple was exceptionally good. Each building was independent, with a small courtyard upon entering, furnished with jade stone tables and chairs. Judging by the quality of these jade stone tables and chairs, they would be considered rare treasures in the mortal world.
Behind the building was a sizable backyard, perfect for a medicinal herb garden. The building was a two-story structure, divided into three rooms. The entrance led to the main hall, with a quiet room for cultivation on the left and a bedroom on the right, which was fully equipped with all necessary furnishings. The second floor was an empty space, its use left to the discretion of the true disciple residing there.
Bao Gu saw a bath tub and a wooden bucket for drawing water in the bedroom. She used her storage bag to collect the buckets and went to the well, not far from the courtyard, to fetch water. After returning to her room, she took out the filled bath tub and soaked in it to clean herself thoroughly. The water from her first bath was so dirty it turned murky, and when she emerged, her body was dripping with filth. She wanted to fetch water several more times but couldn’t find suitable clothes to cover herself.
New clothes would get dirty, and wearing the tiger skin robe would only make her dirtier. She sneakily opened her door and peeked towards Yu Mi’s courtyard, not seeing Yu Mi outside. She figured that since there were no neighbors around Lingyun Peak, as long as Yu Mi didn’t see her streaking, no one else would. She stored the bath tub and bucket in her storage bag and dashed to the well at top speed, pouring the dirty water into a nearby ditch before bending over, bare-bottomed, to draw more water.
Yu Mi was meditating inside her house when she suddenly heard the sound of bare feet slapping against the ground outside. Extending her divine sense, she was shocked to see Bao Gu, drenched and completely naked, streaking outside her courtyard. The sight left her with her lips parted in surprise and her eyes wide open.
Soon, Bao Gu had filled the bath tub with water again. She stored the filled tub in her storage bag and, clutching the bag, ran back to her courtyard with her pale feet slapping against the ground. At fourteen, Bao Gu had grown taller since her arrival at Xuantian Sect. Her figure was developing, with budding curves and a freshness like the tender shoots of March.
Eighteen-year-old Yu Mi felt suddenly old in comparison to Bao Gu.
What left Yu Mi speechless was Bao Gu’s streaking back and forth every quarter of an hour to fetch water, making four trips in total. Only when the water she poured out was clean and clear enough to drink did she put on the clean and tidy attire of an inner disciple and came to Yu Mi’s door.
They say clothes make the man, and the horse the saddle. Dressed in the inner disciple’s attire with a standing collar and wide sleeves, Bao Gu looked even more ethereal, her slightly pale face tinged with a hint of frailty, evoking a sense of pity.
Yu Mi got up to open the courtyard door, looked Bao Gu up and down, and raised an eyebrow mischievously, “Isn’t it troublesome to run back and forth naked to fetch bath water? Why not just bathe at the well?”
Bao Gu stared at Yu Mi in horror, frozen for several moments before realizing what had happened. She let out a sharp scream and quickly covered her blushing face with her hands.
Yu Mi saw Bao Gu’s blush spread to her neck and clicked her tongue, “Isn’t it a bit late to cover your face now? You’re lucky I’m your senior sister and not your senior brother, otherwise you’d have to marry me and become my Dao companion!”
Embarrassed and flustered, Bao Gu turned to flee.
Yu Mi called out, “Come back, don’t you want your injuries treated?”
Bao Gu, who had reached the courtyard gate, shamefully covered her face and walked back. She was careful not to trip, peeking through the gaps between her fingers to see where she was going.
Yu Mi walked towards the quiet room for cultivation and said to Bao Gu, “Follow me.” After Bao Gu entered, she said, “Take off your clothes!”
Bao Gu’s face, still flushed, turned even redder. She stammered shyly, “Senior sister… I just put these on… to take them off…”
Yu Mi chuckled, “What are you being coy about? It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked! Are you afraid I’ll take advantage of you?”
Bao Gu thought to herself: She’s already asking me to undress, isn’t that taking advantage?
Yu Mi looked at Bao Gu and asked, “Do you want your injuries treated or not? If you don’t undress, I might accidentally damage your meridians and cripple you, so don’t blame me!”
Bao Gu’s heart raced with embarrassment. Since Yu Mi was also a girl, it was embarrassing but not indecent. She slowly reached out to undress herself, noticing that Yu Mi, who was half-kneeling on the floor mat, was busy arranging bottles and jars and wasn’t looking at her, which made her feel slightly relieved.
Yu Mi, without looking up, said, “Take everything off.”
Bao Gu, still hopeful, asked, “Do I really have to take everything off?”
Yu Mi replied, “Yes, you do!”
Bao Gu reluctantly stripped naked, covering her private parts with one hand and her chest with the other.
Yu Mi instructed Bao Gu to lie down on the floor mat and said, “My cultivation isn’t at the Golden Core stage yet, so I don’t have enough spiritual energy to clear your meridians. Plus, we don’t have enough medicine for your injuries. For now, I can only help you clear the blockages to ensure your blood flows smoothly. Then we’ll use internal and external medicine to strengthen your foundation. Once I reach the Golden Core stage, I’ll help you repair your damaged meridians. Before your meridian injuries are healed, don’t cultivate or use your internal energy, or your already damaged meridians might break, which could leave you crippled or even dead.”
Bao Gu earnestly replied, “Understood.” She then asked, “Senior sister, when will you go into closed-door cultivation?”
Yu Mi answered, “I still need some spirit stones for assistance. If I had two Golden Core Pills, I could attempt to break through directly, but they’re precious, so I’d rather save them if possible. I’ll think of a way to gather some spirit stones later.”
Bao Gu thought for a moment and said, “Sell my Golden Core Pill as well. With my pace of cultivation, who knows when I’ll reach the Golden Core stage. It’s better to exchange it for some spiritual treasures that I can use now.”
Yu Mi hesitated, then said, “Alright! When you reach the Golden Core stage, I’ll find a way to get you a Golden Core Pill.” Considering Bao Gu’s pace of cultivation, by the time she needed a Golden Core Pill at the end of the Foundation Establishment stage, Yu Mi would likely have advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. With the strength and resources of the Nascent Soul stage, obtaining a Golden Core Pill wouldn’t be difficult.
As they spoke, Yu Mi’s gaze fell on the external injuries on Bao Gu’s body. There were long claw marks on both of Bao Gu’s shoulders, which had healed into ugly scars. The wounds on her arms and wrists were exposed after washing off the scabs during her bath, revealing the raw red flesh. The injuries weren’t severe, but they looked rather shocking.
Yu Mi had already seen the wounds on Bao Gu’s back when she was streaking; they hadn’t been stitched up and would leave scars all over her back if not treated with scar-removing ointment before they fully healed. If it were any other cultivator, it wouldn’t matter much, as entering the Foundation Establishment stage would allow them to remove any scars. But who knew if Bao Gu would ever reach that stage? It was distressing to see such a pretty girl covered in scars.
Yu Mi carefully applied the scar-removing spiritual medicine to Bao Gu’s shoulders, arms, and legs, then had Bao Gu turn over to treat the wounds on her back as well. She left the remaining half-bottle of medicine beside Bao Gu and said, “This medicine is for healing and removing scars. Apply it once in the morning and once at night, and your wounds will heal in a few days.”
Bao Gu called out with gratitude, “Thank you, Senior sister!” Her senior sister was so good to her.
Yu Mi asked, “Touched, aren’t you?” She could tell by Bao Gu’s expression. She continued, “Don’t just say thanks. Go sell the Golden Core Pill and give me half of the spirit stones.”
Bao Gu thought, “Senior sister, you’re robbing me!” But she didn’t dare to protest, as she still relied on her senior sister’s care.
Yu Mi patted Bao Gu’s pert bottom and said, “Get up, don’t lie there!” She casually tossed a jade bottle to Bao Gu, “This is the Foundation Strengthening Pill, which strengthens the body and vitality. Take two now and one each day after that.” She threw another jade bottle to Bao Gu, “This is the Meridian Nourishing Pill, which nourishes the meridians and blood vessels. Take one every other day, and remember, don’t overeat.”
Having seen how Bao Gu ate the Zhu Ming Fruit, she was a bit worried. Bao Gu had managed to eat eight Zhu Ming Fruit, which were supposed to be taken every three to five days, in one go, and then one a day like a meal, which was a miracle she didn’t die from it.
Yu Mi handed over a variety of old bottles and jars to Bao Gu, each containing spiritual medicines and pills, and carefully explained their effects and dosages. Some of these were obtained from her junior uncle when she was still in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, some were leftovers from her alchemy practice, and many were bought on the cheap during outings, intended for Bao Gu.
After Bao Gu took the pills and stored the rest, Yu Mi began to channel her spiritual energy to sort out Bao Gu’s meridians.
Bao Gu had suffered extensive damage to her meridians, with injuries of varying degrees throughout her body. Such meridian damage could be minor, with some stretching and tearing that would heal over time, or severe, leading to internal bleeding and blood stasis. If left untreated, it could block the flow of qi and blood, threatening her life. It was fortunate that Bao Gu had been devouring Zhu Ming fruits and various spiritual herbs like they were free over the past few months, which greatly improved her constitution. She didn’t die on the spot from ruptured meridians and was able to run so far with such severe injuries, still lively to this day.
Yu Mi had to admit that although Bao Gu’s spiritual roots were useless, her constitution was strong. This was a characteristic of those with mixed spiritual roots: difficult to cultivate but robust in constitution. Such people, even without cultivating immortality, would live much longer than ordinary people.
Yu Mi carefully examined Bao Gu’s injuries and focused on healing her. Using spiritual energy to sort out Bao Gu’s meridians required extreme caution; any carelessness could shatter the already fragile meridians and cost Bao Gu her life.
Bao Gu didn’t feel the same tension as Yu Mi. She only felt Yu Mi’s delicate hands holding hers, a warm current flowing from Yu Mi’s hand into her palm and up her meridians. Wherever the warmth passed, the uncomfortable pain dissipated. Sitting face to face with Yu Mi, Bao Gu could look directly into her eyes.
Her senior sister was the most beautiful person she had ever seen, with curled eyelashes and delicate features. Her eyebrows were slightly raised, giving her a spirited look, and her lips were thin and slightly upturned, as if she was always smiling.
Although her senior sister could be fierce at times, she was very kind to Bao Gu, never despising her for her useless spiritual roots. She took Bao Gu in, taught her skills, patiently explained things she didn’t understand, and warned her about what to be careful of. Now, she was giving Bao Gu a wealth of spiritual pills and helping her heal. Besides her father, her senior sister was the kindest to her, and she would be kind to her senior sister in return.
Yu Mi, with her eyes closed and lips slightly parted, said coldly, “Close your eyes and concentrate. What are you looking at me for?”
Bao Gu was startled and exclaimed, “Senior sister, how did you know I was looking at you if you didn’t open your eyes? Wait, that’s not right, I wasn’t being sneaky.”
Yu Mi replied, “If you don’t want me to accidentally kill or cripple you, you’d better stay quiet.”
Bao Gu didn’t dare to argue with Yu Mi anymore but couldn’t help muttering, “I just think senior sister is the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, and besides my father, you’re the kindest to me.” Flattery never hurts, she thought, better to butter up her senior sister to avoid any accidents during the healing.
Yu Mi, expressionless, uttered two words, “Nonsense!” She didn’t dare to be distracted, otherwise she would have definitely opened her eyes and rolled them at Bao Gu.
