Chapter 26

She had barely joined the sect when her master went into seclusion, leaving no one to care for her.

Yet her junior brother had arrived covered in wounds and riddled with poison. Even if Xi Lingge was in seclusion and couldn't treat him, why had everyone so readily trusted her, a brand-new disciple? Stranger still, no one had questioned or objected to it. Apart from Qi Zhuoyu appearing briefly at the start, she still had no idea what Nie Gui—her junior brother's master in name, and supposedly the strongest fighter the Profound Heart Sect had left—thought of the whole thing.

Qiao Ranran knew what she was capable of, but no one else did. Did she really look that reliable?

Qiao Ranran invited Pei Ling in. "You'll need to soak in this medicinal bath for three days and receive acupuncture for two hours each day. The rest of the time, you have to stay in the bath..." The medicine had just been brewed and was still steaming. She had made the tub herself from a stump she'd found on the Back Mountain behind the sect, then asked Spirit Jade to claw it into a rough tub. It was big enough and wouldn't burn through. Later, she would have to heat the medicine right there to preserve its potency. She had included Fire Jade Crystal on the list she gave Pei Ling; it would work nicely for heating.

Spirit Jade, by the way, was the leader of the Spirit Jade Rabbits. For the sake of a bite to eat, it had turned into a tiny lop-eared rabbit and followed her home. Qiao Ranran didn't ask for much: it could work off its debt. And just like that, Little Spirit Jade had become her helper.

Judging by Spirit Jade's intelligence and its ability to change its size at will, the rabbit leader was clearly a little unusual. That made no difference to Qiao Ranran, though. It was just one more three-lipped mouth to feed, and an obedient one at that.

Her thoughts wandered as she set down what she was holding. When she turned around, the sight before her made her blink.

Why was her junior brother taking off his clothes without a word of warning?!

Qiao Ranran drew a deep breath. "Stop right there!"

Pei Ling looked at her innocently, though his hand remained on his belt. "Senior Sister?"

The young man had already laid his outer robe on the wooden rack beside him. His white sleeping robe hung half-open, and from the look of it, he was about to start on his trousers.

"What are you doing?" Qiao Ranran nearly bristled. She had not expected to turn around to such a sight and had almost hurled the medicine pestle in her hand at him.

"Don't I need to take off my clothes for a medicinal bath?" Pei Ling asked, as though it were obvious.

Qiao Ranran choked on her reply. She waved the pestle and averted her eyes. "Taking off your outer robe is enough. You don't need to take everything off, especially your trousers!"

"Oh," Pei Ling said, sounding rather disappointed. "Don't I need to undress for acupuncture?"

Qiao Ranran was speechless. Was he never going to let this go? "I don't need you to!" For a beginner, removing the patient's clothes did make acupuncture easier; being able to feel the needle go in mattered. But Qiao Ranran had reached a level where she knew exactly what she was feeling as the needle entered. As long as his clothes weren't thick enough to affect the depth of her needles, it made no difference to her.

Pei Ling lowered his head with a faint smile. In the end, he spared both the bristling Qiao Ranran and his trousers. He didn't put his outer robe back on, though. He went over to the tub and looked inside, unsure whether the bizarre color of the medicine or the crude workmanship of the tub deserved more attention.

The stump had been dug up from who knew where and barely worked on. Someone had simply gouged out enough space to hold the medicine, leaving claw and tooth marks clearly visible. Calling it a tub was generous. It was more like a stump with a hole dug in it.

As for the medicine, its green color was deeply unsettling. It looked thick and viscous, and even the steam rising from it glowed green.

Seeing Pei Ling hesitate, Qiao Ranran assumed the medicine had frightened him. "It looks a little too bright, doesn't it? But don't worry, it really isn't poisonous. It might be a bit hot, so you can use your Spiritual Power to shield yourself when you get in. Then slowly relax and adjust. The medicine will seep into your body through your skin. It might burn and hurt a little, but you mustn't use your Spiritual Power to resist it after that. Understand?"

Pei Ling said nothing, but he thought, Whenever this woman gets onto the subject of Medicine, she always has so much to say.

Qiao Ranran left him to his hesitation. She still had plenty to do. Pei Ling had to soak in the medicine for three days, and she wouldn't get a moment's rest either. Besides giving him acupuncture for two hours each day, she had to prepare different medicinal ingredients in stages and add them to the bath, refine Elixirs for him to take, and keep performing various Spell Arts.

Pei Ling could simply sit in the medicine, but she probably wouldn't get a wink of sleep for the next three days.

Medicine Cultivators die from staying up late. Medicine Cultivators have no hair.

Qiao Ranran ran a hand through her still-thick hair and decided to move beauty and hair-care prescriptions higher on her list. Her master, with those faint streaks of premature gray, could probably use them too.

Pei Ling stepped leisurely into the tub. He did not use his Spiritual Power to shield himself from the scalding heat as Qiao Ranran had instructed. His expression remained calm, as though the temperature were nothing worth mentioning. But Qiao Ranran knew exactly how hot the medicine was. Its surface might look still, but once those Spirit Plants were mixed together, the liquid beneath was almost as hot as fire.

She winced inwardly.

She walked over to the tub and watched Pei Ling calmly sink into the medicine until only his head remained above the surface. She had calculated the tub's depth so the liquid would come just to the tip of his chin. Everything was exactly as it should be. Qiao Ranran held an Elixir to his lips.

Pei Ling obediently opened his mouth and swallowed it. He didn't ask what the Elixir was for, or mind that it rested on Qiao Ranran's fingertips.

In that instant, only one thought remained in Qiao Ranran's mind: My junior brother's lips are so soft.

As Qiao Ranran rubbed her fingertips together, she realized that Pei Ling's lips had been cold. His face didn't look like that of someone sitting in a bath of burning liquid, either. He was too calm, too cool. When she had checked his pulse earlier, she hadn't noticed his constitution being this cold. Was it because of his spiritual root?

Rankings

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Transmigration into a Book

Sweet Romance Novel

Time-Travel and Rebirth Romance

Big Black Loves Fish

Dual Rebirth

Xianxia Fiction