The Zheng clan’s ruins hadn’t been completely cleared away.
The area that bore the brunt of the attack had actually been cordoned off.
There was no inscription or explanation—only a stretch of crumbling walls and broken beams, baking under the scorching sun, silently recounting the devastation the Zither Emperor had inflicted upon the Zheng clan.
Every person coming and going from the Zheng estate had to pass by this stretch of rubble.
Wang Sandong noticed that among the debris, many memorial tablets had been thrown—likely replacements for the Zheng family members who had died here.
“Aren’t they afraid of incurring the Zither Emperor’s resentment by doing this?”
Wang Sandong asked her nominal brother-in-law.
The Zheng Family Head smiled, exchanged a glance with his sister Zheng Xiao, and replied, “Brother-in-law is joking. If the Zheng family feared the Zither Emperor, would it have come to this?”
Wang Sandong didn’t answer immediately.
She recalled the scene of the Zheng clan she had glimpsed through the skull that Yuan Di had tinkered with.
It was as if she could still hear the Zheng family motto shouted by the crowd: “Born between heaven and earth, one should harbor a sincere heart and uphold human ethics and order…”
Although Zheng Xiao was one of the Nine Surnamed Kings, contending with the Zither Emperor—one of the Five Emperors—clearly left her with no hope of victory.
The Human Sovereign appeared to have protected the Zheng clan, but he had made no attempt to investigate the massacre of half the clan.
As for Wang Fa and the Lifetaking Swordsman, they had only offered a few perfunctory words.
Wang Sandong believed that if the Zither Emperor truly wanted to destroy the Zheng clan by force, no one would go all out to stop him.
She could see that, and she was certain the Zheng siblings understood it too.
Yet they still refused to bow their heads.
“The Zheng clan’s integrity…”
Wang Sandong murmured.
“It puts me to shame.”
The Zheng Family Head caught the meaning behind Wang Sandong’s words.
It wasn’t “admiration” but “shame.”
He smiled and said, “Brother-in-law, you flatter me. How would the Zheng family dare to consider themselves exceptional? We have never looked down on anyone in the world. Everyone has their own aspirations—there are no high or low differences, nor should there be.”
Zheng Xiao pursed her lips and smiled.
“Is he talking about aspirations having no high or low, or about seniority and hierarchy, or about human ethics and order?”
The Zheng Family Head quickly waved his hand.
“Sister is right.”
Wang Sandong looked at the two siblings—one with white hair and beard, the other a young girl with a youthful face.
A mischievous impulse suddenly stirred in Wang Sandong’s heart.
She teased, “You know, Xiao Xiao, your level of cultivation isn’t as good as our younger brother’s.”
Zheng Xiao and the Zheng Family Head were both startled for a moment before realizing who “Xiao Xiao” referred to.
They exchanged a glance and, almost in unison, burst out laughing.
Since the elders had all passed away, no one had called her by that nickname in a very long time.
Zheng Xiao suppressed her laughter and asked, “How do you figure?”
“Our younger brother devotes himself entirely to cultivation and doesn’t waste spiritual power on preserving his appearance,” Wang Sandong said.
“You still care about the outer shell of beauty, so naturally your level is a bit lower.”
Zheng Xiao laughed heartily.
“So having a high level means you’re not afraid of being ugly?”
“Your perception is still stuck at the superficial stage of beauty and ugliness—truly a low level indeed.”
Wang Sandong teased.
The Zheng Family Head chuckled along.
“Sister’s level is something this brother can never hope to reach.”
As the three exchanged lighthearted banter, they passed by the scenic rubble.
The distance wasn’t far, but it still left Wang Sandong a bit short of breath.
She sat down on a soft chair, felt the cushioned armrests, then looked at the other wooden chairs with hard seats.
Wang Sandong smiled.
“A custom-made soft chair for me? Dear brother-in-law, you’re truly thoughtful.”
The Zheng Family Head smiled.
“It’s only right.”
Wang Sandong gave a self-deprecating laugh.
“Haha, with this body of mine, I can’t even sit on a hard chair anymore.”
The Zheng Family Head hesitated, knowing it might be inappropriate, but still couldn’t help asking, “Brother-in-law, should you rest a bit before taking the pulse?”
His expression shifted slightly, and he signaled a servant girl to serve tea.
“Ah… right, I forgot about that.”
Wang Sandong felt a little embarrassed.
Zheng Xiao laughed.
“I don’t know how much medical skill you’ve actually learned, but clearly your experience is lacking.”
Wang Sandong wanted to explain: her experience in pulse-taking was actually quite “rich,” but the meaning of “experience” here was a bit different from the conventional one.
Afraid that a few words wouldn’t suffice to clarify, she gave up.
After resting for a moment, Wang Sandong began to take the pulse.
She went through the four diagnostic methods—look, listen, ask, feel—and finally reached a conclusion.
“Everything is as expected,” Wang Sandong said.
“The condition is acceptable, just a slight stagnation of qi and blood. If not dealt with in time, your cultivation path will stop at the sixth rank.”
Given the rookie mistake Wang Sandong had made while taking the pulse, the Zheng Family Head was uneasy and asked cautiously, “These conclusions… were they predicted by Mr. Yi?”
“No, I came to that conclusion myself.”
Wang Sandong replied casually.
“Ah…”
The Zheng Family Head grew even more unsettled.
“The prescription Mr. Yi left before was remarkably effective. Perhaps you should continue taking it for a while longer?”
“It won’t work,” Wang Sandong said.
“Acupuncture will do. Just unblock the qi and blood.”
The Zheng Family Head glanced at Zheng Xiao.
Zheng Xiao understood her brother’s concern and said, “If it’s only a stagnation of qi and blood, wouldn’t diligently circulating the qi suffice?”
“There are many types of qi and blood stagnation, and most can be cleared by self-circulation. But our younger brother’s case is special—he was too eager to advance during cultivation, which caused the qi and blood to move too rapidly.”
“If the qi and blood move too rapidly, how can they stagnate?”
“Of course they can.”
Wang Sandong waved her hand.
“I can’t explain it to you in a few words. Huh… it’s getting late, let’s get the needles in quickly.”
Then she paused.
“By the way, do you have silver needles at home?”
“No,” the Zheng Family Head replied.
“Oh, then send someone to buy some right away,” Wang Sandong said.
Hearing this, the Zheng Family Head—usually quite steady and proper—almost cursed.
Seeing Wang Sandong’s serious expression, he grumbled inwardly: Brother-in-law!
Brother-in-law!
You come to give me acupuncture and don’t even bring your own needles?
Worried, he turned to look at Zheng Xiao.
Zheng Xiao pondered for a moment and asked, “Besides silver needles, what else do you need? We’ll buy it all at once.”
Wang Sandong smiled and pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from her bosom, handing it to the Zheng Family Head.
“And these.”
The Zheng Family Head was helpless.
Since his sister had spoken, he had to comply.
He looked down at the paper—it was covered in writing, clearly requiring quite a few items.
Were all of these for treating him?
Feeling uneasy, the Zheng Family Head didn’t call for a servant but took the paper and walked out of the sitting room himself.
After reading the list, his curiosity and unease only deepened.
Because these items seemed to be related to artifact forging.
Some were quite precious and rare.
Was his brother-in-law planning to forge artifacts?
Artifact forging wasn’t like refining low-level pills—without spiritual power, it was impossible.
And his sister—why didn’t she rein in her young husband?
He was just causing trouble.
The Zheng Family Head grumbled inwardly, but he didn’t dare to slack off.
He called a household servant and instructed him on what to buy.
Then he turned back toward the sitting room.
As he approached, he heard his sister’s laughter.
It seemed his sister was living quite happily.
That was good.
Even if he had to spend some silver to indulge his young brother-in-law’s whims, it was fine.
This kind of petty cash, the Zheng family could afford.
He also heard his young brother-in-law’s voice and felt a bit emotional.
There were rumors on the streets that his sister was an old cow eating tender grass.
The words were harsh, but true.
His young brother-in-law was too young—his voice hadn’t even changed yet.
“Young brother-in-law,” the Zheng Family Head said as he stepped inside.
“I’ve already given the orders.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized his slip—he had accidentally called him what he’d been thinking: “young brother-in-law.”
Wang Sandong looked at the Zheng Family Head with a hint of a smile.
“Old brother-in-law, you’ve worked hard. Have a seat and let’s talk.”
Zheng Xiao couldn’t hold back her laughter and raised her hand to pinch the corner of her eye.
The Zheng Family Head sat down awkwardly, changing the subject.
“Brother-in-law, are you planning to forge artifacts?”
“That’s right,” Wang Sandong said.
“Do you know how to forge artifacts?”
“I’m an expert.”
The Zheng Family Head unconsciously repeated, “An expert…”
Wang Sandong turned to Zheng Xiao.
“Our younger brother’s name is much more imposing than yours. Zheng Yu—‘Yu’ means to instruct from above to below. Compared to ‘Xiao,’ which means to inform—well, ‘Yu’ has more authority.”
Zheng Xiao smiled.
“I think so too.”
Zheng Yu felt a bit awkward and wanted to defend himself, but decided it was unnecessary.
Fortunately, as the head of the family, he had weathered many storms.
He calmed down, maintained a polite smile, and only occasionally chimed in when his sister and young brother-in-law joked, careful not to say anything of real substance.
Soon, the silver needles were bought and delivered.
Zheng Yu was just worrying about whether Wang Sandong’s acupuncture technique would be any good when he suddenly heard a yelp.
“Ow, that’s sharp.”
Wang Sandong had pricked her own finger while picking up a silver needle.
Seeing her suck on her finger to stop the bleeding, Zheng Yu turned to Zheng Xiao with a look of deep concern.
Zheng Xiao’s brow furrowed slightly as well, but she still nodded silently, signaling her brother to relax.
Skillful people are bold.
—That described the Zheng siblings perfectly.
“Don’t worry,” Wang Sandong said, noticing Zheng Yu’s anxiety.
“I’m only needling your hands and feet. Even if there’s an accident, it won’t kill you. At worst, your qi and blood will stagnate a bit more, and your hands and feet will be temporarily crippled.”
Zheng Yu grumbled inwardly: What a comforting “at worst.”
But on his face, he put on a smile and said, “Brother-in-law is right.”
To him, even if it wasn’t fatal, he didn’t want to be Wang Sandong’s practice dummy.
But his sister seemed very supportive.
She wasn’t a reckless person.
If she was this confident, then surely she trusted her young husband?
It couldn’t be “blind trust born of love,” right?
No, his sister wasn’t that kind of person.
Nervous and uneasy, Zheng Yu first exposed his left arm, watching the silver needle in Wang Sandong’s hand with intense caution.
As for her needling technique…
It was hard to describe.
If he praised it, her trembling little hand was genuinely terrifying.
If he criticized it, her accuracy in locating acupoints and the depth of insertion were extremely precise—she looked every bit an expert.
Wang Sandong inserted one needle with a strange mix of “skill and clumsiness,” then suddenly said, “The material is a bit poor. Maybe it could be refined.”
Zheng Xiao said, “These are the best silver needles money can buy.”
“I wasn’t talking about the silver needles.”
Wang Sandong picked up another needle, aimed at a specific acupoint on Zheng Yu’s arm, and inserted it with a tremble.
“I was talking about this arm.”
Zheng Yu’s heart had been in his throat.
He forced a light laugh.
“Brother-in-law is joking. The human body isn’t a material for alchemy or artifact forging. What do you mean by material…? You must mean aptitude, right? My aptitude really isn’t great.”
Then he thought about the second part of Wang Sandong’s remark and gave a bitter smile.
“Even if my aptitude is poor, how can it be ‘refined’? That’s not artifact forging. The rumor says ‘Ghost Axe Yin Refinement’ means the Ghost Axe uses corpses and bones to forge artifacts. What you said, brother-in-law, sounds like you’re going to forge artifacts with living people. That’s… quite humorous.”
Wang Sandong smiled, still focusing on the needling, and replied casually, “In theory, forging artifacts with living people isn’t necessarily impossible.”
Then she froze.
Forging artifacts with living people…
Maybe…
Give it a try?
Wang Sandong asked with a grin, “Old brother-in-law, would you… like to give it a try?”
Zheng Yu forced a dry laugh and declined firmly.
“No, thanks. Brother-in-law, I’m old—I can’t take this kind of trouble.”