An Intimate Treatment for Injuries

Because her Dou Qi had been completely sealed, compounded by the internal injuries she had suffered in her fierce battle with the Amethyst Winged Lion King, Yun Yun's condition rapidly deteriorated.

The jolting from being carried at high speed by Gu Long became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

She felt a sharp pain in her chest, her blood and Qi churning as darkness suddenly swallowed her vision. She completely lost consciousness and collapsed limply into Gu Long's arms.

Gu Long immediately noticed something was wrong. He stopped, reached out to check her pulse, and slightly furrowed his brow.

Her pulse was chaotic and her breathing weak. Her internal injuries had clearly flared up.

If they were not treated in time, they could damage her foundation or even threaten her life.

His Soul Power swept across Yun Yun's body and quickly locked onto the core of her injury—a remnant of the Amethyst Winged Lion King's claw force lodged above her left breast.

She had previously suppressed it by force, but now that her Dou Qi was sealed and her body weakened, it had fully erupted and was steadily corroding her heart meridians.

The location of the injury was indeed somewhat awkward.

Gu Long's expression remained calm, and it did not stir much emotion in him.

In his eyes, Yun Yun was first and foremost an injured patient in need of treatment.

He swiftly scanned the surroundings, his Soul Power spreading like a spiderweb as he searched for a suitable place to stop.

A moment later, he found a natural cave halfway up the cliff.

Its entrance was concealed by vines. It was well hidden, dry, and spacious inside—an ideal temporary shelter.

He picked up the unconscious Yun Yun, and with a flash, appeared inside the cave.

The Dou Ancestor Puppet stood silently at the entrance like the most loyal guard, cutting off every trace of presence between the cave and the outside world.

After gently laying Yun Yun on the ground, which had been covered with a layer of dry, soft grass, Gu Long checked her injuries once more.

The hidden force was lodged in an extremely dangerous place, right beside her heart meridians. It had to be drawn out as soon as possible.

He pondered briefly before making his decision.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. There was no time to worry about anything else.

He extended a hand, a thread of pure, gentle Dou Qi winding around his fingertips. With precise, steady movements, he gently untied the sash around the waist of Yun Yun's plain dress.

Her gown fell open, revealing the close-fitting white undergarment beneath.

Even Gu Long, resolute as he was, could not help a slight flicker in his eyes when he saw the full, proud curves rise and fall faintly with her weak breathing.

But he quickly composed himself and focused his gaze on the injury.

Beneath the undergarment, a patch of unnatural dark-purple bruising could vaguely be seen above her left breast. That was where the hidden force had taken root.

Gu Long took a deep breath and gently pressed his fingertips, carrying that strand of mild Dou Qi, against the edge of the bruise.

Her skin was soft beneath his touch, yet unnaturally cold.

He closed his eyes and concentrated his Soul Power to the utmost, carefully controlling his Dou Qi like the finest surgical blade. Bit by bit, it entered Yun Yun's meridians, seeking out and enveloping the rampant hidden force of Purple Flame.

The process demanded an enormous amount of concentration, but Gu Long still chose to handle it himself.

He had to ensure that his Dou Qi would not inflict secondary damage upon Yun Yun's fragile meridians, while also steadily suppressing and drawing out the violent energy that belonged to the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

Time passed little by little, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Gu Long's forehead.

Yun Yun, still unconscious, seemed to suffer from the clash of energies within her body and the intrusion of foreign Dou Qi. A pained moan escaped her lips.

Her delicate brows were tightly knitted, while an unnatural flush appeared on her pale cheeks.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Long's eyes sharpened, and he shouted, "Come out!"

His fingertips, pressed against the bruise, drew back slightly. A tiny yet extraordinarily violent thread of purple energy was forcibly extracted from Yun Yun's body!

The instant that purple energy left her body, it tried to explode, but Gu Long's prepared Dou Qi instantly enveloped and crushed it.

As the hidden force was expelled, the dark-purple bruise above Yun Yun's left breast visibly began to fade and disappear.

Her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and her breathing became much steadier and deeper. Her face remained pale, however, as she stayed in a deep unconscious state of self-recovery.

Gu Long let out a long breath and withdrew his hand, which still carried a faint lingering fragrance.

He took out a healing pill that emitted a cool aura from the System Space, carefully fed it into Yun Yun's mouth, and used Dou Qi to help dissolve its medicinal effects.

Only after finishing all this did he truly relax.

Looking at Yun Yun's disheveled appearance, he considered it for a moment before helping her rearrange her loosened clothes and retie the sash.

Though he could not restore everything exactly as it had been, she at least no longer looked quite so bedraggled.

He sat cross-legged on the other side of the cave and began regulating his breathing, restoring the mental energy and Dou Qi he had consumed while treating her.

Meanwhile, the Dou Ancestor Puppet remained at the cave entrance like an immovable boulder.

The cave fell silent, broken only by Yun Yun's steady breathing and the occasional crackle of burning firewood.

Several hours later, Yun Yun's long eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

The instant her consciousness returned, the first thing she felt was that the agonizing pain and sluggishness in her chest, which had troubled her for so long, were gone, replaced by a long-lost sense of ease.

Though her body was still weak, her internal injuries seemed to have been brought under control.

Then she noticed something unusual about her clothing.

Although it had been rearranged, the subtle changes and lingering sensations made her instantly understand what had happened while she was unconscious.

With a buzz, blood rushed to her cheeks, turning her pale face scarlet in an instant, the flush spreading all the way to her ears.

Humiliation, indignation, and an indescribably complicated emotion instantly filled her heart.

She abruptly sat up. Though not a trace of Dou Qi remained within her, her beautiful eyes shot toward Gu Long, who was regulating his breathing nearby, like sharp swords.

"You... what did you do to me?!"

Her voice trembled uncontrollably, carrying both the weakness of her unhealed injuries and intense humiliation and anger.

Gu Long slowly opened his eyes and met her gaze, which seemed ready to spit fire. His expression remained calm.

"Your internal injuries flared up, and the hidden force was corroding your heart meridians. You were at death's door. If I had not treated you, you would be a corpse by now."

His tone was as flat as if he were merely commenting on the fine weather, yet Yun Yun's overflowing shame and anger abruptly stalled.

She examined her body. Sure enough, the Purple Flame hidden force that had left her helpless was nowhere to be found. Her injuries were also wrapped in a gentle medicinal power that was slowly repairing them.

The facts were right before her. He had indeed saved her.

But... that method of treatment...

Yun Yun bit down hard on her red lips, her chest rising and falling violently. For a moment, she did not know how to respond.

When had the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, who commanded the winds and clouds, ever suffered such... such an embarrassing predicament?

A strange young man had seen and touched... one of her most private places.

"You... you could have used another method!"

In the end, she forced out those words, though her voice was much quieter and carried a lack of confidence that even she did not notice.

For an injury like that, in a location like that, what safer method was there besides direct guidance?

Gu Long rose to his feet and walked over to her. Looking down at her, his eyes were clear and free of any lewdness, containing only a composure far beyond his years.

"Sect Master Yun, in those circumstances, preserving your life was the highest priority. If I offended you, it was truly out of necessity."

His frankness and calmness instead left Yun Yun somewhat at a loss.

She turned her face away, unwilling to look at him, but the flush at the tips of her ears refused to fade.

Reason told her that he was right. If he had not acted, she would likely have faced grave danger.

Yet emotionally, that sense of shame was difficult to immediately soothe.

The atmosphere inside the cave became somewhat subtle and awkward.

After a long while, Yun Yun finally spoke in a low, hoarse voice. "Thank you."

No matter what, the debt of saving her life was real.

Gu Long nodded slightly, accepting her thanks, before saying,

"Your Dou Qi seal cannot be removed for now. Your injuries have only just stabilized, and you need several days of rest. Once your condition is stable, we can discuss what comes next."

After saying that, he spoke no more. He returned to his spot, sat down again, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, as though none of what had just happened had occurred.

Yun Yun hugged her knees as she sat on the soft dry grass, burying her face in her arms, her thoughts in complete turmoil.

Her physical weakness, her passive situation, and the unspeakable experience from moments earlier all made this usually graceful and noble Sect Master feel unprecedented confusion and a trace of vulnerability.

She secretly raised her eyes and looked toward the tranquil profile of the young man.

Who exactly was he?

He possessed a Dou Ancestor Puppet, knew the secrets of her teacher Yun Shan, had unfathomable strength, and yet his conduct was so difficult to read...

Because of this mysterious young man's arrival, the road ahead had become shrouded in uncertainty.

And because of that awkward treatment, a complicated and inscrutable seed had also been planted between them.