The pill Shang Shuangze wanted to refine was a Level-Two Poison-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Pill, meant to detoxify the villagers.
The villagers were all mortals, so the Poison-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Pills would not be given to them directly. Instead, the medicinal potency would be diluted before they were fed the medicine.
That was also why the pill recipe specifically called for Hundred-Year Resilient Vine rather than Resilient Vine over a hundred years old. Anything older than a hundred years would be too medicinally potent and difficult to dilute.
If the pill were meant for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, finding an eight-hundred-year-old Resilient Vine would actually have been a good thing!
Xia Yunzhao looked around, unwilling to give up. “There are so many vines here. Surely one of them has to be exactly a hundred years old? Why don’t we split up…”
Before he could finish, the terrifyingly huge Resilient Vine in front of them suddenly moved. Seven or eight vines whipped through the air, stirring up a whoooosh of wind.
Shang Shuangze instinctively stepped in front of him, while Xiao Xia pulled out the spiked club at once… but after a moment, no attack came.
Xiao Xia peeked over Shang Shuangze’s shoulder with only his eyes showing. After watching for a while, he said, “Why do I feel like… it’s trying to gesture something?”
Shang Shuangze paused.
Xiao Xia stepped out and watched for a long while before tentatively asking, “Are you asking why we came here?”
All eight of the Resilient Vine’s tendrils nodded in unison.
Xiao Xia’s eyes widened instantly. This thing could really communicate!
Shang Shuangze said quietly, “I once heard my master mention that spirit plants can awaken intelligence if they encounter the right opportunity.”
It was intelligent? Then this would be easy!
Xia Yunzhao raised his head. “Hello. We came to gather medicine. We need a Hundred-Year Resilient Vine. Do you have one here? We don’t need anything older, just one that’s exactly a hundred years old.”
The giant Resilient Vine immediately extended one tendril, and the surrounding branches spread apart… This time Xia Yunzhao finally understood. All the moving vines around them belonged to this giant Resilient Vine itself. That made sense. The other Resilient Vines had not awakened intelligence and were merely ordinary spirit plants, so naturally they could not move.
The giant Resilient Vine searched around, then roughly coiled itself around one vine, ripped it out, stuffed it into Xiao Xia’s arms, and pushed him on the back.
Xiao Xia: ?
The giant Resilient Vine pushed him again, but it did not dare move Shang Shuangze. Several of its tendrils curled inward fearfully.
Xiao Xia staggered forward two steps from the push. “Slow down, slow down. Let me check it first.” He handed the muddy Resilient Vine in his arms to Shang Shuangze, and the two leaned together to examine it carefully.
A moment later, Shang Shuangze nodded. “The age is exactly right.”
Xia Yunzhao nodded too. Another force nudged him from behind.
“Wait, we’re leaving right away. No need to rush us.” Xia Yunzhao rummaged through his storage pouch and took out two Qi-Replenishing Pills. “Since you’ve awakened intelligence, you should be able to cultivate too, right? I hope these are useful to you.”
With that, he crouched and placed the Qi-Replenishing Pills on the ground.
The giant Resilient Vine froze for a moment. Then it stretched out a tendril, carefully detoured around Shang Shuangze, and furtively rolled up the two pills that looked exceptionally tiny compared with its body, carrying them back to its roots… Whether it ate them or did something else, no one knew, but several tendrils began dancing happily. It was the first time Xia Yunzhao had ever seen “dancing for joy” expressed quite so literally.
Then the giant Resilient Vine bashfully stretched a tendril toward Xia Yunzhao’s face and, with a pop, bloomed a yellow flower. The flower was tiny compared with the vine itself, but enormous by human standards—one blossom was as large as Xia Yunzhao’s entire face. Its fragrance was very faint and could only be smelled up close.
Xia Yunzhao did not know whether to laugh or cry. “…Thank you.” He plucked the flower and put it into his storage pouch.
Shang Shuangze looked at the flower twice, but before he could say anything, the “road” beneath their feet began moving again. The conveyor belt started carrying them outward—and a moment later, deposited both of them outside the mountain hollow. With a whoosh, the vines on both sides closed together, sealing the hollow so tightly not even wind could pass through.
A moment ago, they had still been able to find gaps to squeeze through. Now forget squeezing through—one could not even see inside.
Xiao Xia said, “Why do I feel like it was really afraid of us? No, wait. It wasn’t afraid of me. It was afraid of you?”
Shang Shuangze met his eyes and thought for a moment. “It probably sensed my sword intent.”
That made a lot of sense… Xiao Xia tugged on his sleeve and turned away. “Then let’s go. We shouldn’t bother it anymore.”
He gave the towering sea of green vines one last look. Hidden within little Liancui Mountain was an eight-hundred-year-old spirit plant that had awakened intelligence… Who knew how many hidden legends remained on this wondrous cultivation continent?
Xia Yunzhao had only taken the first step on his long road of cultivation, yet he had already glimpsed its mystery and splendor.
The two had intended to return after that, but the farther they went, the harder the rain fell. Eventually the rain stretched from earth to sky, and visibility dropped below five chi.
Although the rain itself could no longer soak them, the poor visibility was still dangerous. The two therefore immediately found a cave and took shelter.
The cave was fairly large, dry, and quite clean, without the gamey stench of wild animals. Dust, however, was unavoidable.
Shang Shuangze formed a hand seal. A ball of spiritual power appeared, swept up the dust, and carried it outside, leaving the cave spotless in an instant.
Xia Yunzhao rummaged through his storage pouch and, by extraordinary luck, found a small bundle of dry firewood he had apparently put inside at some point and forgotten to remove. Finding dry wood in this weather would not have been easy.
He piled the firewood together and formed a hand seal. The Earthfire Art activated, producing a flame no larger than a candle flame. It floated into the pile and, with a whoomph, set the whole thing ablaze.
The fire drove away the chill and dampness, its flickering light playing across both their faces.
Xia Yunzhao watched the flames and suddenly laughed. Under the puzzled gaze of the man opposite him, he said, “When I was little, I used to envy this kind of life so much.”
He gestured animatedly. “A great hero roaming the jianghu, finding some random cave and lighting a bonfire, with a roast chicken skewered beside it! Drinking wine in huge gulps, eating meat from big bowls—free and unfettered!”
His eyes and brows shone astonishingly brightly when he smiled. “Thinking about it now, I was so silly. Who would willingly live from day to day, sleeping rough and never knowing whether they’d survive till tomorrow?”
He must have been a cute and well-behaved child when he was little too… Shang Shuangze’s expression softened.
“What about you?”
“What?”
“What did you want to do when you were little?”
Shang Shuangze thought about it. “For a period of time, I wanted to use a sword.”
Xia Yunzhao was surprised. “You wanted to become a sword cultivator even as a child? I heard sword practice is pretty dull.”
“Not exactly. I simply couldn’t practice anything else.” Remembering that period, Shang Shuangze now found it somewhat amusing. “So I wanted to use a sword. But I couldn’t use swords either. Anything I touched would break.”
Xia Yunzhao understood. “Then your family must really dote on you. Your sword now is beautiful. Was it specially made for you?”
“Yes.” Shang Shuangze swept both hands out, and a sword appeared across his knees. Its radiance flowed like water, bright as a mirror. The hilt was white, engraved with the two characters “Mingyun.”
As though sensing the gaze of the person beside it, the Mingyun Sword trembled.
Shang Shuangze said evenly, “It likes you very much.”
“Really?” Xia Yunzhao broke into a smile and addressed Mingyun. “I like you a lot too. You’re beautiful, and you’re really powerful!”
Mingyun trembled again.
Delighted, Xia Yunzhao reached out and pulled Xiao Qing from his clothes. “Why don’t you two meet? You both like trembling all the time.”
Xiao Qing spent every day in Xia Yunzhao’s arms and could hardly miss anything that happened around him, so naturally it knew Shang Shuangze already.
Hearing that, it hopped beside Mingyun, pressed itself against the sword, and opened its lid—
Xia Yunzhao: …
He slammed the lid shut with a clang. “You can’t eat it! I brought you out to make a friend!”
Xiao Qing: Hmph.
Mingyun, silly thing that it was, apparently had no idea it had almost been eaten. It continued trembling gently, its meaning obvious: I like this one too.
The two people and two magical artifacts chatted for a while. The rain outside showed no sign of weakening, and gradually the cave grew quiet.
Xiao Xia was getting sleepy. He yawned, then raised his eyes to find Shang Shuangze already sitting cross-legged in meditation, though Xia Yunzhao could not tell whether he was cultivating or simply calming his mind.
For some reason, Xia Yunzhao suddenly felt as though the top student beside him was pressuring him to study harder, so he assumed a meditative posture too… But he had only just broken through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining and was still polishing his acupoints and strengthening his foundation. Continuing to push his cultivation now felt a little too eager for quick results.
Cultivation had to follow the heart; forcing oneself was no good. Xiao Xia sat quietly for a while, still felt it was inappropriate, and opened his eyes again.
After thinking, he took out the cultivation notes Du Qianshan had left behind.
Because Du Qianshan cultivated the Du Family Cultivation Method, Xia Yunzhao had never read the notes, always assuming that techniques from a different cultivation method would not help him much.
But as his cultivation deepened, Xia Yunzhao’s understanding of cultivation had grown too. Different cultivation methods ultimately led toward the same destination. Perhaps some techniques were universal.
He opened the first page… and nearly burst out laughing. Du Qianshan’s handwriting was only marginally better than a dog’s scrawl. Wasn’t the Du family of Beiliang City a cultivator family? Did they teach their children only cultivation and not reading or calligraphy?
As Xia Yunzhao continued, he realized that although these were called cultivation notes, they read somewhat like a diary. Whenever Du Qianshan encountered something, he sometimes wrote it down together with his own opinions.
The man truly had a mischievous streak. For example, he once attended a Fellow Daoist’s Dao-Union Ceremony. Both people entering the union had separated from former Dao companions and then gotten together with each other, so Du Qianshan commented: They do have experience, after all. Rather more affectionate than ordinary newlyweds.
At the same ceremony, he met a Fellow Daoist surnamed Xu whose tongue was exceptionally sharp, and commented: The moment his mouth opens, blades flash and swords gleam. When facing an enemy, his mouth can enter battle first.
Xia Yunzhao laughed aloud several times. If he had known this booklet was so entertaining, he would have brought it out to read over meals long ago.
Across from him, Shang Shuangze heard the laughter and opened his eyes. He saw Xia Yunzhao holding the booklet with a smile on his face while the bonfire cast a warm red glow over his cheeks. Then Shang Shuangze closed his eyes and settled his mind again.
As the notes went on and Du Qianshan grew older, however, he became somewhat steadier, and the entries contained more cultivation techniques.
Xia Yunzhao actually learned quite a lot.
For instance, Du Qianshan mentioned a technique for polishing acupoints: first use spiritual power to “expand” the acupoint, then polish it, and the work becomes far more efficient. He also wrote that besides the acupoints, the meridians could be polished too, though one had to be even more careful.
Xiao Xia had known neither of those things. The second especially surprised him. Meridians can be polished too?
But on second thought, of course. If acupoints were lakes, then the meridians were rivers connecting those lakes. Frequently dredging the rivers would naturally allow the water to flow faster.
Polished meridians would become stronger and thicker, able to withstand greater impacts from spiritual energy. Training this way would not only make one’s spiritual energy more abundant than other cultivators at the same stage, but would also make its circulation faster.
Come to think of it, if Xiao Xia had not built such a strong foundation, he would not have been able to keep up with Shang Shuangze today. The protective technique Shang Shuangze had taught him was useful, but maintaining it consumed a great deal of spiritual energy! An ordinary Qi Refining cultivator might not have lasted even two hours, yet Xia Yunzhao had run all morning as though nothing had happened and had still used less than half his spiritual energy.
The Qi-Guiding Origin-Connecting Art began circulating according to his will, slowly polishing his meridians… The faint itching and pain were not serious, so Xiao Xia did not take a Dew-Condensing Pill. Instead, he divided his attention and continued reading the notes.
This was something else he had discovered recently. It was a little like driving: once a cultivation method became familiar enough, it would begin circulating on its own even without conscious control, though it was less efficient than cultivating in earnest. Since realizing this, Xiao Xia had learned to split his attention in two. Whenever he had a spare moment, he let the cultivation method circulate, and he had already become very practiced at it.
Rain roared outside as the sky gradually darkened. Suddenly, Xia Yunzhao heard the beating of wings. The moment he turned, Shang Shuangze had already opened his eyes and flicked a hand. Mingyun shot like an arrow into the curtain of rain.
A moment later, the sword flew back with a huge bird skewered on the blade—and the bird still had a White Spirit Fish clenched in its beak.
Xia Yunzhao laughed at the sight. “Pine-Feather Chicken and White Spirit Fish? We’re pretty lucky. We can sit in the cave and ingredients come looking for us! Both of these taste great.”
The Pine-Feather Chicken had truly been unlucky. It had probably worked hard to catch a White Spirit Fish in the rain and was looking for somewhere nice to enjoy its meal, only to become food together with its own food.
Then again, although the Pine-Feather Chicken had “chicken” in its name, that was merely a human label. It was nothing like an ordinary chicken. No slaughter beast was completely herbivorous; given the opportunity, they would even eat human flesh, let alone catch a fish.
Hearing the delight in Xia Yunzhao’s voice, Shang Shuangze changed his hand seal. Mingyun steadily delivered both chicken and fish to Xia Yunzhao.
Xia Yunzhao did not stand on ceremony with him. What a joke—his storage pouch already held who knew how many prey animals Shang Shuangze had killed, including several Level-Two slaughter beasts. Why fuss over these two small fry?
By now Xia Yunzhao was very practiced at the butchering spell. With a casual wave of his hand, both the bird and fish were cleaned perfectly, even their feathers and organs neatly piled to one side.
Xiao Xia casually picked up the feathers and organs and stuffed them into Xiao Qing’s belly.
Shang Shuangze looked as though he wanted to say something, then stopped…
Xiao Qing was not picky. It loved delicious things, but it also liked things that tasted bad as long as they contained spiritual energy. Organs and feathers were nothing. If Xia Yunzhao someday discovered dirt containing spiritual energy, Xiao Qing would probably eat that too.
The Water-Purifying Gourd flew outside, collected several jin of rainwater, and flew back. It quickly purified the water into something with a hint of sweetness. There was indeed little spiritual energy in it, but it tasted very good.
Xia Yunzhao pulled a section of Thousand-Jointed Bamboo from his storage pouch. It was bamboo, but extremely thick, nearly like a tree trunk. He stuffed the cleaned Pine-Feather Chicken inside, poured in the spirit water, then took out the spirit mushrooms they had found that day. He chose several large, tender ones, washed and tore them apart, stuffed them in too, sealed the opening with a wooden stopper, and tossed the bamboo section into the fire to roast.
Then he found the seasonings he had bought earlier, rubbed them all over the White Spirit Fish, skewered it on a branch, and propped it beside the flames.
Now all they had to do was wait to eat.
Watching him work, Shang Shuangze suddenly asked, “Why not make roast chicken?”
Xia Yunzhao answered casually, “It’s raining, so I felt like drinking chicken soup. There’s only one chicken. If I make soup, I can’t roast it too.”
Only after speaking did he realize Shang Shuangze was referring to the story about his childhood. Xia Yunzhao stared in surprise. “You actually made a joke at my expense?”
Shang Shuangze rarely showed much expression, but his eyes were calm in the firelight, and the faintest smile appeared in them.
Of course. No one could go their whole life without smiling. Shang Shuangze was merely quieter and colder-tempered than most, but he was actually very easy to get along with. Sometimes Xia Yunzhao even thought he was a little “slow,” like someone who had hardly interacted with people. Had this man perhaps cultivated on some mountain for several hundred years and only just come down?
Beside them, Xiao Qing had already sidled closer, practically drooling at the steaming bamboo tube while waiting for a chance to steal a bite. Mingyun continued edging closer too, wanting to press against it.
Soon, delicious aromas filled the cave. The chicken soup and grilled fish were ready.
Both ingredients contained spiritual energy, so even simply prepared they tasted wonderful. The chicken broth was rich with a trace of sweetness, and the spirit mushrooms inside elevated it even further. Not to mention the White Spirit Fish, which was already famous for its delicious flavor.
Xia Yunzhao took one taste and only felt hungrier.
He gave Shang Shuangze half the chicken broth. As for the chicken meat and grilled fish, those all went into Xia Yunzhao’s own stomach.
It was not that he was hogging the food. Shang Shuangze simply said, “I have already reached fasting. A few tastes are enough.”
That convinced Xia Yunzhao, and he ate the entire fish and chicken clean. Ever since he began cultivating, his appetite had grown larger and larger. He wondered whether he would still be able to eat like this after reaching fasting. In any case, he had no intention of giving up so much delicious food. Otherwise, what would be the point of pursuing immortality?
By the time they finished eating, it was completely dark outside, and the rain continued patter-patter without end.
Visibility at night was even worse, so the two had no choice but to spend the night in the cave.
As luck would have it, Xia Yunzhao carried practically everything in his storage pouch except bedding, so he could only sleep on the ground fully clothed.
Shang Shuangze had it even easier. He simply said he would meditate through the night. For him, that was effortless.
The wilderness was still less safe than home. Xiao Xia kept reminding himself, Don’t sleep too deeply. Don’t sleep too deeply. But this was his first night outdoors, and he had no experience. During the first half of the night, he managed well enough; a thread of tension remained taut in his mind, and the cold ground kept him from sleeping soundly. By the second half, however, he had completely lost awareness of the world. Somehow, it even felt as though he had burrowed into a warm quilt, wonderfully comfortable.
And so he slept until broad daylight.
Early the next morning, birdcalls woke him. They sounded so close they might as well have been beside his ear. When he opened his eyes, he discovered the rain had stopped and sunlight reached several steps into the cave. The white figure stood at the entrance, outlined in gold by the morning light.
Xiao Xia stretched and called, “Shang Shuangze.”
Shang Shuangze turned at the sound.
Xiao Xia stood with a grin. What a feast for the eyes first thing in the morning.
Then he looked down at his own wrinkled clothes and over at Shang Shuangze’s white robes. Those had quite a few wrinkles too… He immediately relaxed. Fellow Daoist Shang had only meditated and his robes were already that wrinkled. After lying down all night, of course Xia Yunzhao’s clothes should have a few more creases!
Suddenly he exclaimed, “Ah!” and pulled a set of Protective Vine Armor from his storage pouch. “I almost forgot. This is for you. I refined it myself.”
Shang Shuangze paused and looked at the vine armor gleaming faintly with treasure-light. Regret crossed his face. “I’m sorry. I…”
“I know. You can’t use it.” Xia Yunzhao stuffed the armor into his hands. “I figured it out yesterday when you said those swords break as soon as you touch them. I originally made two sets for you, but once I knew you couldn’t use them, I only brought one. Keep it as a collectible. Maybe someday you’ll be able to use it!”
In truth, Xia Yunzhao had already thought while refining it that Shang Shuangze’s cultivation was probably very high and Level-One vine armor might not be useful to him anyway. But gifts between friends were not about those calculations. The thought was what mattered.
Shang Shuangze was quiet for a moment. He wrapped his palm in spiritual power before accepting the vine armor, then solemnly placed it inside his storage magical artifact.
Xia Yunzhao noticed that Shang Shuangze’s storage magical artifact was distinctive as well. Its luster and aura somewhat resembled Mingyun’s, and it hung at his waist.
Then Shang Shuangze took out a jade token. The jade was clear and translucent, carved with a flowing-cloud pattern. He similarly supported it with spiritual power and sent it toward Xia Yunzhao. “If you need to find me, tap this jade token. I will know your location.”
“This is great.” Xia Yunzhao happily put it away. Shang Shuangze had no fixed residence, and Xia Yunzhao had been worrying about how he would find him.
The sun was climbing higher, and both of them had things to do, so they parted ways.
Xiao Xia hurried back toward the lakeside camp through the dew. Near the camp, he suddenly remembered something and changed direction… Sure enough, that stalk of Thousand-Jointed Bamboo had matured. The green bamboo joints had been washed by the rain until they gleamed like jade, and its distinctive bamboo fragrance could be smelled from far away.
He happily gathered the Thousand-Jointed Bamboo. Now he had materials for the next batch of Water-Purifying Gourds!
He continued toward camp. Before he even got close, he heard noise from far away. When he reached the area and looked, he jumped in surprise. Are they moving? Why is everyone packing things? Why are they in such a rush?
Before he could speak, Xiao Qi, standing by the entrance, spotted him. “Xiao Xia! You’re finally back!”
Xiao Qi ran over and was about to speak when he suddenly sniffed. “What’s that smell? It seems like Spirit Licorice?”
“Huh? Is there?” Xia Yunzhao smelled himself. Sure enough, there was a flowerlike fragrance on him, identical to the scent he had noticed on Shang Shuangze. So that was Spirit Licorice… Had the scent rubbed off because they’d spent an entire night together in the same cave?
Chang Haiping, who had been directing people as they packed, turned and hurried over. “Why didn’t you come back all night? The rain was so heavy that we couldn’t even send people out to look for you!”
“Sorry, Sister Chang.” Xia Yunzhao said sheepishly, “I was searching for spirit items in the mountains with a Fellow Daoist last night. The rain was too heavy to travel safely, so I didn’t come home. You know what I’m capable of. Don’t worry so much next time.”
Chang Haiping exhaled in relief. “We know you’re capable, but we still worry.” Then she added, “Granny worried about you all night too. Don’t forget to go let her see you in a little while.”
Xia Yunzhao nodded, then asked, “Are you all moving? Are we not staying by the lake anymore?”
“We can’t stay here.” Chang Haiping sighed. “The rain was too heavy yesterday. The lake is flooding, so we want to move somewhere else.”
“Flooding? Let me see.” Xia Yunzhao ran over. Sure enough, the lake had overflowed. The wooden shelters closest to the shore were already flooded, and the usual fishing area was underwater. Worse, the water was continuing to spread outward.
He thought for a moment and swept a hand over his storage pouch. Six Water-Purifying Gourds flew out, formed a neat row, rose into the air, and began drawing in lake water.
Small whirlpools formed across the lake. Six water dragons curled through the air and plunged into the mouths of the gourds, while the water level along the shore began to drop.
It was not a sight one saw every day. Everyone in camp ran over to watch, and several little children jumped up and down with excitement.
After about an hour, all six Water-Purifying Gourds were full. Only then did they descend and file neatly back into the storage pouch one by one.
Xiao Xia happily patted the pouch. Water-Purifying Gourds filled to the brim—price increase! I’m not selling them for less than nine hundred spirit pearls!
Everyone in camp crowded around. Even Geng Jingwu, who had only just returned, strode over and gave him a solemn salute. “Little Brother Xia, thank you.”
“Brother Geng, why are you being so formal?” Xiao Xia hurriedly helped him up. “I live here too. Helping everyone means helping myself.”
Geng Jingwu straightened with his support. “Even so, thank you.”
He understood clearly that the camp depended more on Xia Yunzhao than Xia Yunzhao depended on them. Back when Xing Wenyu brought Xia Yunzhao to the lakeside camp to escape the Human Plague at the camp below the mountain, one could still barely say that they had provided Xia Yunzhao a place to live.
But as time passed, Xia Yunzhao had not merely avoided freeloading. Instead, he had provided everyone with Protective Vine Armor, saved their lives from the Mighty Slaughter Bear, and now preserved their camp… No matter how one counted it, they owed Xia Yunzhao far more.
He exchanged a look with Chang Haiping. She nodded.
Geng Jingwu lowered his voice. “Let the others handle things here. Little Brother Xia, come with me.”
Completely confused, Xia Yunzhao followed the two of them to a shelter in the center of camp.
This was the shelter where Geng Jingwu normally lived. Xia Yunzhao had no reason to come here in ordinary circumstances and truly had never been inside before.
He looked around. Everyone unrelated had left. Only Geng Jingwu, Chang Haiping, Xiao Qi, and a few others remained, all wearing very serious expressions.
Xia Yunzhao became even more confused. “Brother Geng, Sister Chang, what are you trying to tell me? Do you need my help? You really don’t have to make such a big production out of it. This looks like you’re about to sell me…”
His joking broke the tension. Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere eased.
Xiao Qi laughed. “Don’t worry about that. Granny comes looking for you several times a day. Even if we wanted to sell someone, we wouldn’t sell you. We’d never be able to explain it to her!”
Xia Yunzhao laughed too and said lightly, “Then what is it? If you need help, I’ll definitely do whatever I can.”
“It isn’t exactly that we need help.” Geng Jingwu, rarely hesitant, trailed off. “It’s just…”
Chang Haiping was more decisive. She said directly, “Xiao Xia, did you know that before we met you, we once killed a cultivator?”
Xia Yunzhao: ?
Xia Yunzhao: !
Xia Yunzhao nearly jumped up. “What?”