Teaching

The midday sun climbed to the zenith, spilling its brilliant white light down without obstruction and heating the bluestone road until it was slightly hot.

Only now did Huo Yuhao open the Medical Clinic's doors.

Last night had taken far too much out of him. After Jiang Nannan brought him back to the Medical Clinic, he had lain flat on the bed, emptied his mind, and entered sage mode.

Some time later, Jiang Nannan arrived at the Medical Clinic with her mother. Although her mother was still weak, at least her breath was no longer hanging by a thread as it had been yesterday.

"Divine Physician Huo, it's all thanks to you. I truly don't know how to repay you."

At the sight of Huo Yuhao, Jiang Nannan's mother hurriedly thanked him with a smile, her voice full of sincere gratitude.

"There's no need. I'm happy I could help you, and I've also asked Sister Nan Nan to guide me..."

After some back-and-forth, Huo Yuhao took Jiang Nannan's mother to the recuperation room.

Although he still needed his right eye's ability to treat her, he had already dealt with the main problem yesterday. Now, all he needed to do was slowly nourish her damaged heart meridians.

"Doctor Huo, how are you feeling now?"

Once her mother had settled down to rest, Jiang Nannan brought out a food box filled with dishes she had carefully prepared.

"This is what we agreed on yesterday. As for cultivation, if you're feeling unwell now, we can do it another day."

"No problem."

Huo Yuhao looked up and smiled.

"The sooner I learn, the sooner I benefit. Having Sister Nan Nan help me is better than fumbling around on my own."

Huo Yuhao was not merely being polite.

His master and his master's wife had gone dormant after passing on their legacies. He had only a hazy understanding of the most basic things, such as circulating energy through his meridians and purifying Soul Power.

If his right eye had not been constantly nourishing his meridians, he could never have made it this far with his innate rank-one foundation alone.

Seeing that Huo Yuhao was serious, Jiang Nannan did not decline again.

The two left town and headed toward a clearing in the woods outside. It was relatively quiet, and people rarely came there, making it ideal for cultivation.

In the woods, insect calls rose and fell, and a few birds occasionally skimmed over the treetops. The wind carried warmth as it passed through the leaves, and the two first found a shady place to settle down.

They faced each other.

Jiang Nannan began with the most basic questions. "First, tell me what your Martial Soul is. What rank is your Soul Power now? How do you usually cultivate?"

"My Martial Soul is a body-type Martial Soul, Spirit Eyes. My innate rank was... one."

Huo Yuhao did not hide anything, and blue light flickered faintly in his eyes.

"I'm only rank nine now. Usually, I just sit and meditate, trying to absorb some Heaven and Earth Essence."

"Rank nine?" Jiang Nannan froze for a moment.

She had thought that although Doctor Huo was young, his medical skills were outstanding, so even if his Soul Power was not high, he ought to have been somewhere in the teens. But rank nine... did he not even have his First Soul Ring?

Besides, this Spirit System Martial Soul did not seem to have anything to do with medicine, did it?

Yet the gentle power Jiang Nannan had felt when he treated her mother yesterday was certainly not something a rank-nine Soul Master with this sort of Martial Soul could possess.

Never mind. Everyone had their own secrets, and he was her mother's lifesaver, too. Bringing it up would be far too presumptuous.

With that thought, Jiang Nannan suppressed her surprise, gathered her focus, and began guiding him earnestly. "Understood. Next, I'll teach you the cultivation method I learned at Shrek."

"Before that, let me introduce myself. My Martial Soul is the agility-attack-type Beast Martial Soul, Soft Bone Rabbit. Although our Martial Souls are rather different, ordinary Soul Power cultivation methods are generally applicable to everyone. Come on, get into position first..."

As she spoke, Jiang Nannan casually picked up a thin twig and carefully traced out the diagram provided by Shrek Academy on the ground.

Her fingertips lightly tapped the key acupoints and circulation nodes as she patiently explained every detail to Huo Yuhao.

Scattered sunlight fell on her soft golden hair, gilding it with a gentle golden edge and making her look especially radiant at that moment.

Next, Jiang Nannan tried using her own Soul Power to carefully draw out the scattered essence within Huo Yuhao's body, attempting to guide him through one complete Orthodox Meridian Circulation.

Huo Yuhao rose to the occasion as well, immersing himself completely and firmly memorizing the path of the Soul Power's circulation, engraving this cultivation method deep in his mind.

Once, twice...

After an unknown amount of time, Huo Yuhao gathered his energy, steadied his mind, and let out a long breath of stale air.

His whole body felt comfortable, and cultivating felt much more satisfying than before.

Huo Yuhao looked up at the girl smiling gently beside him, his eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Sister Nan Nan. I've memorized it completely."

Watching Huo Yuhao's astonishing learning speed, Jiang Nannan was somewhat stunned as well. With talent like that, how had his innate rank ended up being only one?

Afterward, Huo Yuhao began meditating and circulating his energy on his own.

Jiang Nannan watched Huo Yuhao before her. The boy's eyes were lowered, his long, thick lashes casting a small patch of faint shadow beneath them, and the slight wariness that usually marked his features had completely relaxed.

At that moment, he was quietly meditating, a little tuft of unruly, soft hair sticking up at his temple. He looked just like a well-behaved kitten curled up in place.

It felt as though a feather had brushed across her heart, leaving a tickle.

I really want to... pat Doctor Huo's head.

As soon as the thought surfaced, Jiang Nannan's fingertips curled unconsciously. Her wrist rose half an inch, then abruptly stopped.

That would be far too forward.

He was, after all, the benefactor who had saved her mother. Although he was young, Soul Masters most dreaded being disturbed while circulating their energy. Besides, touching a boy's head for no reason at all was truly improper.

But that little tuft of hair looks so soft... if I just touch it gently, he probably won't suddenly wake up, will he?

So Jiang Nannan held her breath, moving her fingertips ever so lightly and slowly, inching toward the soft hair atop his head.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch Huo Yuhao's hair, his eyelashes suddenly trembled.

His blue eyes abruptly opened, their clear depths seeming to retain a watery sheen from having just finished cultivating, lucid and bright.

Huo Yuhao's eyes were now fixed directly on the hand Jiang Nannan had reached toward him.

Jiang Nannan jerked her hand back and swiftly tucked it behind her back, completing the entire sequence in one smooth motion.

A faint flush instantly spread across the tips of her ears, and her gaze instinctively drifted aside.

"I... I saw that you were almost finished circulating your energy, Doctor Huo, so I wanted to tell you to rest for a while. After all, you only just finished treating Mother. I was afraid it might be a little too much for you..."

Huo Yuhao tilted his head, a trace of lingering bewilderment in his blue eyes. Without thinking much of it, he simply nodded. "It's all right, Sister Nan Nan. I'm not tired. This method is much smoother than what I used before."

As he spoke, Huo Yuhao blinked, his eyes carrying a little of the pleasure of having learned something new.

Sister Nan Nan was so thoughtful, even worrying that it might be too much for him. But with his right eye's help, he did not need to worry too much about that.

Looking at Huo Yuhao's happy smile, Jiang Nannan could not help feeling a little guilty. He was so grateful to her, yet all she was thinking about was how to pat his head...

As she dwelled on it, the faint red at the tips of Jiang Nannan's ears deepened a little more.