21 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

Chapter 21 Yan Zhuguang had a good sleep with her eyes closed. When she awoke, her body, previously numb from the cold, had mostly recovered. Yun Mixue had expelled the cold from her body and left a gentle spiritual energy to help repair her body. Yan Zhuguang, possessing a Wood Spirit Body, experienced an even quicker recovery process. So by now, she was almost completely well. Yan Zhuguang got out of bed and stretched. The System suddenly appeared, "Host, didn’t you promise Senior Sister you wouldn’t wander off? Where are you going?" "Just taking a look around this cave abode." Yun Mixue had left a few extra sets of clothing in the room, and Yan Zhuguang changed out of her dirty clothes into a fresh white dress. She opened the door and stepped out of the chamber. Perhaps because Yun Mixue lived alone, there weren’t many rooms in the icy abode, but there were plenty of gardens. When Yan Zhuguang opened the door, she was met with a small garden. Like the world outside, it was covered in snow, with only a few green hints peeking through, catching the eye immediately. The corridor between the chamber and the garden seemed like a dividing line. The garden looked cold, but the corridor was warm like spring, with not a hint of chill. Having left in a hurry before, Yan Zhuguang hadn’t taken a good look at the surroundings. Now standing in the corridor, she looked around but didn’t plan to wander into the snowy garden. Instead, she picked a direction and followed the corridor. After several turns, she found herself in a larger garden, this one much more stunning than the chamber's small garden. Clusters of small white flowers bloomed profusely, merely as ornaments. In one corner, a cluster of crimson multi-petal flowers bloomed fiercely like fire, as if trying to melt the icy world. Besides the reds, there were purples, blues, yellows, and pinks, blooming in masses, full of vibrant colors. Of course, the most striking was the giant white tree that exceeded the height of the building. It seemed carved from warm jade, with branches spreading perfectly and small oval leaves of the same snowy color. Among the branches and leaves hung transparent fruits, the size of a fist. The white cores and clear veins inside the fruits were visible; the surface had a crystalline appearance with frosted facets, looking exquisite and lovely. "The fruit tree she mentioned, could it be this one?" The System hesitated, "I… I think so?" Its tone was notably lacking in confidence. Yun Mixue had mentioned there were several fruit trees in her yard, but Yan Zhuguang had found only this one from her stroll from the chamber garden to the large garden. "Host," the System cautiously asked, "are you sure you want to use it to stave off hunger?" The System felt, knowing its host, she definitely dared to. Sure enough, Yan Zhuguang replied, "Why not? Didn't Senior Sister say I could pick fruits when hungry? With her permission, why can't I eat?" In its mind, the System thought, See, I was right. Then it said, "But Host, that’s a Crystalline Frosted Fruit. Eating it temporarily enhances one's comprehension. It’d be such a waste to use it as food." Yan Zhuguang smiled, "Then take a look; besides the Crystalline Frosted Fruit, what else is there to stave off hunger?" The System scanned all the gardens in the icy abode and then froze. "Well? Speak up." Reluctantly, the System said, "Besides the Crystalline Frosted Fruit, there are Blood Branch Fruits, Emerald Flavors Fruits, Lotus Essence Fragrance Seeds—" Each was an extraordinary spiritual plant. It seemed that the Crystalline Frosted Fruit tree, bearing more fruit than the other trees, was indeed the only viable option for staving off hunger. Yan Zhuguang wasn't surprised by this outcome. Yun Mixue was a Nascent Soul cultivator, and the fruit trees in her garden could not possibly be ordinary. Thus, from the outset, Yan Zhuguang never intended to heed Yun Mixue's instructions. To consume these fruits as mere food was too wasteful, and despite her calm demeanor, she wouldn’t dare pick Yun Mixue’s carefully tended precious spiritual fruits just for a meal. What she said earlier to the System was a mere jest to tease it. The System: The Crystalline Frosted Fruit tree, aside from its utility, was an incredibly beautiful spiritual plant. Yan Zhuguang admired it briefly from the garden’s edge and then wandered the corridors of the large garden. The rooms directly facing the large garden were likely the main quarters of the icy abode, with Yun Mixue's residence in the central one. Yan Zhuguang observed from a distance without approaching and then turned to explore elsewhere. After a few rounds, with the layout of the icy abode roughly mapped out in her mind, Yan Zhuguang stopped wandering and returned to her chamber. "Were you memorizing the icy abode’s layout? There’s a mini-map, you know; you don’t have to go through all that trouble." Yan Zhuguang replied, "I’m not accustomed to relying entirely on external aids." In truth, she had forgotten the mini-map existed. "Host, I heard that." The System was slightly amused, not expecting the always-cautious host to have a forgetful moment! It nearly laughed. No, to preserve her dignity, it must hold back. Host, rest assured, I'm a rigorously trained System and would never make fun of you! Then Yan Zhuguang severed their mental communication. The System thought: The host is embarrassed. Yan Zhuguang’s expression remained unchanged, but a rosy flush appeared on her cheeks. Certainly not from embarrassment, but from the cold wind. She cleared her throat and said in a serious tone, "Don’t disturb me. Advancing too quickly earlier may have made my foundation unstable; I need to consolidate my cultivation." "Oh." The System took its host's cultivation seriously, so it obediently fell silent, even muting itself to avoid accidental disturbances. Yan Zhuguang sat cross-legged, calmed her mind for cultivation, and immersed her consciousness in the Dao's insight, reducing her external perception to a minimum, remaining motionless. Meanwhile, the System felt a bit bored. It roamed its little world for something to pass the time but dared not disturb the host. Thus, it remembered its primary duty as a System—monitoring Lady White Moonlight. The System extended its awareness to where Yun Mixue was. What is Senior Sister up to right now? Before long, a man’s voice intruded on its consciousness, "Junior Sister brought back a servant disciple from the small sect?"