As soon as He Jun left, Shi Mingyue wondered why Lu Lingyan was nowhere to be seen. Fu Yueli looked self-blaming and said, "Lingyan was injured in Qingzhou."

Lu Lingyan was injured while hunting snakes in Qingzhou. The elite team had just entered the mountains and surrounded the two snakes, but they unexpectedly summoned a swarm of snakes from the forest, which launched a fierce attack. It was during this battle that Lu Lingyan was bitten on the calf by a venomous snake while trying to protect Fu Yueli. Fortunately, the venom was removed in time, preventing his life. Last night, he was escorted back home by Fu Yueli's men, and is recuperating.

Shi Mingyue and Fu Yueli went to see Lu Lingyan together. Lu Lingjing was also there. She had learned about her brother's injury early in the morning and was so anxious that she almost cried. Now she sat by Lu Lingyan's bed with an unhappy face. Lu Lingyan leaned against the headboard and told some jokes to cheer her up.

"What's going on with the underground palace?" Lu Lingyan asked with concern when he saw Fu Yueli coming.

Fu Yueli didn't intend to let him know too much, and only said: "The door has been opened, and the Buddhist treasures are still there. You should take good care of your injuries, and you don't need to worry about what happens next."

Although the venom was immediately removed from Lu Lingyan's wound, his entire leg still swelled up like a carrot. It took two days for the swelling to subside, and now it only looked slightly edematous. Lu Lingyan was optimistic about this, his usual relaxed smile still on his face. "Okay, then I'll take good care of my injury."

At noon, a servant from the Prince of Xiang's mansion arrived with herbs to aid healing. Fu Yueli rewarded the servant with silver and sent a message of thanks to Fu Baiheng. Not only did they deliver the medicine, but they also received a prescription. Shi Mingyue examined the prescription, and the beautiful handwriting clearly indicated Xu Ziling's handwriting. She and Fu Yueli had no doubts about Xu Ziling's medical skills, so they instructed someone to prepare the medicine for Lu Lingyan according to the instructions.

Fu Yueli still doubted He Jun, despite Mingyue's claim that He Jun was a highly accomplished monk, possessing a transcendental state of mind and holding no grudge against the Fu family for seizing Tianyun's throne. But He Jun was still human, and human emotions abounded. As the sole survivor of the He royal family, how could he remain indifferent to the Fu family's actions? Even Fu Yueli harbored doubts about his ancestor's actions over two hundred years ago, believing Fu Bo's methods to be cruel and ruthless. Therefore, he offered to arrange for He Jun to practice in Ningguo Temple, specifically to better monitor him and prevent him from causing any trouble.

The kitchen was filled with a strong aroma of Chinese medicine. Shi Mingyue and Lu Lingjing were both there. Lu Lingjing wanted to take care of her brother herself, while Shi Mingyue was afraid that she would accidentally burn her hands, so she followed her to help take care of him.

After carefully pouring out the medicine, the two of them took the medicine to Lu Lingyan's room together. When they passed the garden, they saw He Jun standing alone in front of a rose bush half a person's height, observing a pale yellow rose in full bloom. His expression was extremely focused, as if he was listening to the language of flowers.

The scene was serene and silent, yet filled with spiritual energy. When Lu Lingjing first met He Jun, she saw his elegant demeanor and refined demeanor. She paused in silence, unaware that the look she was giving him was bordering on obsession.

Shi Mingyue noticed this and called her softly, "Ling Jing?"

He Jun was disturbed by their movements. He stood up and looked back at them, nodding slightly.

Lu Lingjing finally came to her senses, feeling somewhat embarrassed as she hurriedly carried the wooden tray and continued walking forward. Shi Mingyue had no choice but to follow him, only to hear Lu Lingjing whispering to her, "Is that a monk? Where is he from? I've never seen him before."

"He's a monk from Ningguo Temple, his name is Jun He. He'll only be staying here for one day and will be leaving tomorrow," Shi Mingyue replied. Jun He was a pseudonym He Jun had chosen himself. She thought to herself that He Jun was a handsome man, and it was normal for a young woman to be momentarily stunned when she saw him, so she didn't think much about it.

At Prince Xiang's Mansion, Xu Ziling sorted out his notes at the table and looked up at the visitor. "The prescription for Prince Ling's Mansion has been delivered. You're not busy anymore, are you? Now, tell me what incredible treasures are in that underground palace."

Fu Baiheng took out a jade pendant from his arms. The dark green rope was tied to the mutton-fat white jade pendant. The jade pendant seemed to be a brand name with words engraved on it, but because of the distance, Xu Ziling couldn't see what was engraved.

"The Buddhist treasures in the underground palace are nothing special, only this one is rare. Can you guess who it belongs to?" Fu Baiheng deliberately kept the question in suspense.

Xu Ziling said, "How would I know? Just tell me directly."

"He Jun." Fu Baiheng handed the jade pendant to Xu Ziling.

The two words "He Jun" were engraved on the white jade pendant. Xu Ziling's eyes flashed with surprise. He took the jade pendant, lowered his head and looked at it carefully, but his heart was in turmoil. He Jun was indeed alive.

Fu Baiheng said, "His jade pendant fell under the desk, and I picked it up when no one else was paying attention. Now mysteries are swirling. Who took the key? And why is He Jun's body not in the underground palace? It's really puzzling."

Xu Ziling returned the jade pendant to Fu Baiheng and advised him, "It's useless to dwell on these things. It's better to focus on the things at hand."

Fu Baiheng didn't reach out to take the jade pendant. "Leave it with you. It would be troublesome if someone saw me holding it. By the way, is the white rat from last year still alive?"

“Alive.”

Xu Ziling's research achieved a major breakthrough years ago when a drug she developed successfully extended the life of a rat that had reached the end of its lifespan. Rats typically live for two years, but when this particular rat was nearing the end of its lifespan, Xu Ziling injected it with the drug. The rat, previously nearing death, gradually regained its vitality, returning to the lively and active state of any other one-year-old rat within a day. Furthermore, the rat is still alive, having lived for six months, meaning the drug has extended its lifespan by at least a quarter.

"Well, it looks like your research is about to succeed."

Xu Ziling shook his head. "No, I injected the drug into five more rats a few days ago, and two died. The road ahead is long and arduous, and we still need to keep searching."

Fu Baiheng said: "That's right, if everything can be accomplished in one go, then there would be no failure in the world."

A few days later, the Buddhist treasures in the Yongjin Temple's underground chamber were sorted and counted, totaling twenty-three pieces. Everyone in the know knew that this was where He Jun had stayed. Although the jade pendant that directly proved He Jun's identity had been taken away by Fu Baiheng, the underground palace also contained original Buddhist scriptures copied by He Jun himself. Combined with the Buddhist treasures and the previously circulated rumors, everyone basically concluded that He Jun had stayed there.

Under Fu Yueli's arrangement, He Jun returned to Ningguo Temple, where he had once lived, and adopted the name Jun He. Whether he would truly detach himself from the world and devote himself to cultivation was beyond the grasp of others.