Jade Maiden Heart Sutra

The nine mountain streams emitted a rhythmic, bubbling melody, which, accompanied by the breeze brushing through the grass and the rustle of insects, blended into a beautiful nocturne.

More importantly, there was no longer the noisy chirping of Chunwa and Qiuchan nearby.

Through the curling mist, Xiao Ran discovered that Master was not entirely naked; rather, she was draped in a bamboo-film herbal bath that was as translucent as gauze.

Her complexion was slightly pale, her features as delicate as a painting, with morning dew clinging to her lips and moonlight reflected in her eyes—clear, graceful, and soul-stirring.

Her dark hair was coiled into a high, cloud-like bun, and her smooth, fair skin, glowing like the bright moon and emitting a faint scent of Immortal Bone Grass, unexpectedly revealed a touch of feminine charm.

Xiao Ran sat upright, eyes fixed straight ahead.

The atmosphere was slightly ambiguous, but there was a distinction between men and women, and a proper order of status. With no obstructions in his heart, Xiao Ran asked as calmly as he could:

"Master, why is it you?"

"Shut up!"

Lingzhou Yue was no longer her usual carefree self; she instinctively thickened the water mist.

Xiao Ran was obedient and truly shut his mouth.

She felt bored again and asked offhandedly, "Why is it me? If it weren't me, who else did you want to be with?"

This was a death trap of a question.

Xiao Ran kept his mouth shut and did not answer.

You told me to shut up, so I'll just pretend I didn't hear that! Perhaps due to the infusion of the medicinal power, Lingzhou Yue's face flushed red amidst the dense fog, and she snapped in a delicate, angry voice:

"I asked you a question!"

Xiao Ran thought to himself: Master was bathing with a grown man like him without changing her expression or skipping a beat. Aside from her immense strength and lack of worldly attachments, it was likely because she only liked women and treated him like a "good brother."

It seemed Master was truly, thoroughly bent...

Perhaps he needed to change his approach to solving this problem!

Thinking this, Xiao Ran spoke with deliberate solemnity:

"Master asks who else I would want to bathe with? As a man, this disciple feels that a beauty's charm lies in her bones, not just her skin. Martial Aunt Yinyue is beautiful, with an elegant and charming temperament; she is very feminine. Chuyan is also cute, possessing a pure, youthful aura."

Lingzhou Yue's brow twitched. Suppressing her rising anger, she asked with feigned calm, "And what about your Master?"

Xiao Ran feigned surprise.

"Eh? Doesn't Master share the same thoughts as me?"

Lingzhou Yue's breath hitched, and she nearly spat blood. Yet, upon careful reflection, Xiao Ran's logic was sound, and she found it difficult to refute.

"Now, you may shut up!"

"Oh."

Xiao Ran's tone was innocent, but he was laughing inwardly.

Having finished teasing Master, it was time to reap some benefits.

The core problem currently before him was—

Why was Master here taking an herbal bath with him? Why was there a faint scent of blood permeating the pool?

According to Stated Dao, Master had unexpectedly used her trump card, the Tidal Force Sword Art, to kill the Ink Flood Dragon, which suggested the previous battle had not been as easy as it seemed.

And Master had previously mentioned that she was suffering from an ailment.

Later, Martial Aunt had sent him to Hundred Herbs Peak to learn medicine...

All signs pointed to one conclusion—

Master was injured!

Xiao Ran immediately sniffed out a business opportunity... pfft, a surge of filial piety! Perhaps he could earn Filial Piety Points by treating Master.

He concentrated to open the system shop and quickly searched for medical skills.

Two results appeared.

Max Level Medicine (Mahayana Version): Skill locked. The Host's cultivation level must reach Mahayana before this skill can be purchased.

Max Level Medicine (Mortal Version): Price 12 Filial Piety Points. Grants knowledge of the functional principles of all living beings, diagnosis of illnesses, medicine refining and dispensing, as well as essential physical acupuncture and massage. When dealing with high-level Spirit Bodies, the theoretical diagnosis remains largely the same, but due to the limitations of the Host's cultivation, the precision of diagnosis, high-level medicine refining, the sealing of forbidden techniques, and physical therapy will be greatly diminished... Does the Host confirm the purchase?

Xiao Ran thought about it carefully, and it made perfect sense.

The life skills he had purchased previously were all Max Level Mortal versions. Although the underlying principles of the Great Dao were the same as the high-level versions, the practice was limited to the mortal level.

For instance, his Max Level Farming Skill could not raise the grade of spiritual plants or make them grow larger, better, or faster; it could only correctly manage water and fertilizer resources to maximize their inherent growth potential. But if it were Martial Aunt Yinyue, she would certainly have ways to use high-level dark fertilizers to force rapid growth.

Or take his Max Level Architecture: by reasonably arranging the Bagua foundations to align with the laws of the Great Dao, he could achieve the best Feng Shui effects. Yet, Master could directly weave spirit-pattern arrays to forcibly draw in the spiritual power of heaven and earth.

Medicine was the same. If his cultivation could not reach Mahayana, it was impossible for him to possess the full set of Max Level medical skills.

However, the Mortal version of Max Level Medicine was already enough for Xiao Ran.

In terms of diagnosis, his Divine Sense at the Qi Refining Peak Great Perfection, combined with the Art of Resonance that allowed him to listen to all things, could achieve a level of diagnosis far exceeding that of a mortal.

He certainly couldn't handle the medicine refining, but he could let Martial Aunt do it on his behalf.

Finally, regarding physical and spiritual therapy, he couldn't handle the high-level aspects, but through his Qi Refining cultivation and resonance techniques, combined with perfect theoretical knowledge, he was more than capable of handling simple treatments and maintenance.

It was mainly to fulfill his filial duty and fleece a bit of wool; as long as he could break even, it would be enough.

"Purchase!"

Congratulations to the Host for acquiring: Max Level Medical Skill Mortal Edition! (Consumed 12 Filial Piety Points, 6 Filial Piety Points remaining.)

Xiao Ran's brain buzzed, and in an instant, he felt sublimated.

In just a fleeting moment, his Sea of Consciousness became as clear as the Starry Sky.

Soon, various medical arts appeared in his mind—

Observation, listening, questioning, pulse-taking, stone-probing, acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal refining and prescription, Yin-Yang Theory, Meridian Theory, Treatise on Cold Damage...

With the Max Level Medical Skill in hand, Xiao Ran immediately sensed the anomaly in his Dantian.

His Pill Wall was actually a hundred times sturdier than before! Although his Cultivation Level was only at Qi Refining, the Spiritual Pressure his Qi Sea could withstand had increased many times over... His defensive power had visibly skyrocketed! He understood.

The Flood Dragon Pill!

It was the Flood Dragon Pill! Could it be that after Master obtained the Flood Dragon Pill and discovered he had reached Qi Refining, she had the senior uncle grind it into powder and fuse it into his Dantian?

It was no exaggeration to say that the Flood Dragon Pill was enough to increase his combat power by more than tenfold, which would be of great benefit to his early Sword Succession...

Xiao Ran thought to himself, a Bole meeting a Thousand-Li Horse; it seemed Master had long ago seen his extraordinary talent and decided to cultivate him well.

He immediately checked on Master's problem.

He unfurled his Resonance Divine Sense, listening to all things, and used his Resonance Divine Sense to apply observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking toward Master.

Across the thick fog, Lingzhou Yue suddenly felt a chill in her lower body, and blushing, she cursed: "Fool, what are you doing!"

Xiao Ran was stunned.

A period?

It was one thing for a fairy to pee, but she also had periods?

Shouldn't a woman be long past menopause at over a thousand years old? Wait!

This period was not a normal monthly cycle.

Lingzhou Yue, moon... Tidal Force Sword Art? Could it be that this Tidal Force Sword Art required channeling the moon's gravity, causing the fluctuation of Master's bodily fluids to be far stronger than that of an ordinary person? She had just performed the Tidal Force Sword Art at the Withered Sea Pool, so she couldn't stop the bleeding?

No wonder Master said she was feeling unwell...

Xiao Ran seemed to understand.

He suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

After all, since it involved a woman's privacy, he did not expose Master's scar to her face.

Moreover, he currently had no way to cure this stubborn physical ailment caused by the Spiritual Power driven by her sword art.

However, he could use the Resonance Power to gather hemostatic medicinal power, accelerate the absorption of the medicine, and stabilize her Palace Body.

Thinking this, he found an excuse and said tactfully:

"This disciple recently created a simple Cultivation Method called the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra; I humbly ask Master to provide some guidance."