One Needle Settles Everything; Time to Soothe Big Brother

Though Second Master Bo spoke disdainfully, he never moved the flowers the girl had given him. He even took better care of them than Ji Chuxing did herself.

Ji Chuxing had an extremely busy weekend.

She spent all of Sunday seeing patients at West China Hall, but a single day was enough for news of the young Little Divine Doctor at West China Hall to spread across half of South City.

The Little Divine Doctor "settled everything with one needle." No matter how difficult or complicated the illness, it was nothing before her silver needle.

The old traditional Chinese medicine doctor watched Ji Chuxing insert her needles, his eyes shining. He probably hadn't been this excited even when he first started learning acupuncture from his master as a young man.

Ji Chuxing didn't hold back. She let the old doctor watch from the side as she treated her patients.

The Heaven and Earth Single Needle had long been lost to the world of traditional Chinese medicine. The old doctor had only seen incomplete accounts of it in ancient texts, and virtually no one in the field could perform it now.

This technique, also called the Single Needle Ultimate, used just one silver needle to treat diseases throughout the body through the conducting action of the meridians. It opened the meridians, regulated qi and blood, restored the balance of yin and yang, and brought the functions of the internal organs into harmony, thereby preventing and treating illness.

When Ji Chuxing first used it, he could hardly believe his eyes.

Then she inserted a single silver needle and relieved the symptoms of one of West China Hall's longtime patients. The old lady had been bedridden for years, yet one needle got her back on her feet, radiant with health.

In less than a day, her name had spread through South City.

The young face hidden behind the mask made it hard to believe that she was an underage girl.

Of course, no one knew that the Little Divine Doctor treating them really was an underage girl, just a high school student.

One look at her calm eyes and deft needlework was enough to make every doubt vanish like smoke.

That day, none of the patients who came to West China Hall for treatment by Ji Chuxing escaped the law of true fragrance.

"This needle technique isn't suitable for you," Ji Chuxing told the old doctor after finishing acupuncture on her last patient of the day. "But you can keep studying the Nine Needles for Restoring Yang that I used this morning. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me."

The Nine Needles for Restoring Yang was the technique Ji Chuxing had used the first time she treated the old lady at West China Hall. The old doctor had coveted it for ages, and Ji Chuxing had given him pointers several times today. He could hardly believe he would get to learn such a lost traditional Chinese medicine technique in his lifetime.

He hurriedly agreed.

The Heaven and Earth Single Needle was too difficult. Not everyone had the courage and skill to use it. Being able to learn the Nine Needles for Restoring Yang was already enough to make his life worthwhile.

"By the way, Little Divine Doctor, your appointments are already booked three months out."

"Oh," Ji Chuxing said. She had no objections. "I see."

When she came out of West China Hall, Bo Yanchen's car was already parked outside.

As soon as Ji Chuxing got into the car, she was greeted by the man's gentle smile. Bo Yanchen handed her a cup of milk tea. "The Little Divine Doctor has made quite a name for herself."

Ji Chuxing proudly tossed her head and slurped down a big mouthful. "Of course."

She hadn't noticed that she was usually expressionless around other people, but in front of Bo Yanchen, she unconsciously became a little willful, even childish.

Bo Yanchen quite enjoyed it.

He was about to tell Ji Chuxing a few things about his day when he felt a weight on his shoulder. The girl had tilted her head and fallen asleep against him, clutching her half-finished milk tea.

Her breathing was even, her pink lips slightly parted. Her long eyelashes cast little shadows on her eyelids, and her fair, delicate skin was so thin that the tiny blue veins beneath it were almost visible.

The girl was exhausted.

She had fallen asleep after only a couple of sips of her favorite milk tea.

Bo Yanchen knew that acupuncture took a great deal of energy.

His heart ached for her. He took the milk tea, which was about to tip over, from her hand and gently adjusted her sleeping position to make her more comfortable.

She slept soundly. The scent of Bo Yanchen was like an invisible net, enveloping her in a safe world where she could completely relax her body and mind and trust him entirely.

It was a trust and unspoken understanding that even she herself hadn't noticed.

So when Bo Yanchen adjusted her position, the girl didn't wake in the slightest. Had it been anyone else, she probably would have pinned them to the ground at the first movement.

As her position shifted, the girl's long eyelashes swept across his neck like a little brush.

A tingling sensation rushed through him, and Bo Yanchen's body instantly stiffened.

The feeling was unfamiliar. The small patch of skin her eyelashes had brushed felt as though a feather had gently grazed it, the tickle reaching all the way to his heart.

He had only to lower his head to see the girl nestled in the crook of his neck, sleeping sweetly and utterly defenseless.

Even her breath was close at hand.

Bo Yanchen held his breath.

The car slowly drove back to their residence. Ji Chuxing didn't wake.

Bo Yanchen looked down at his legs, a rare expression of disgust appearing on his face.

But it quickly faded, and he was once again the graceful, gentle Second Master Bo. He couldn't bear to wake Ji Chuxing.

The sleeping girl's cheeks were slightly flushed. The cheek pressed against his shoulder had been squashed out of shape, bulging a little. She looked adorable.

Perhaps she was uncomfortable, for she nuzzled against him a little. The spot on Bo Yanchen's shoulder and neck where she had been resting turned slightly red.

It was from being pressed on for so long.

As he watched her, he couldn't help reaching out and lightly tapping the tip of Ji Chuxing's nose.

Ji Chuxing didn't wake.

The corners of Bo Yanchen's lips curved up, and he gently pinched the tip of her nose.

Then Ji Chuxing slowly opened her eyes.

Their eyes met.

"..."

"..."

Second Master Bo lowered his hand without the slightest embarrassment and even raised an eyebrow. "We're home."

Ji Chuxing said nothing. She slowly sat up straight, then got out of the car.

Just as Bo Yanchen thought the matter had been put behind them, a strange trace of regret rose in his heart.

After getting out of the car, Ji Chuxing suddenly reached out her little paw and gave Second Master Bo's handsome face a rub.

"Mmm, so that's how nice it feels!"

Ji Chuxing looked as though she had discovered a new world.

I've wanted to give it a rub for ages!

Bo Yanchen: "..."

Fang He, who was about to help his master out of the car: "..."

Why did I suddenly feel a little full, even though I didn't know why?

After a moment's surprise, Bo Yanchen raised an eyebrow. "Xingbao, are you taking advantage of your big brother?"

Ji Chuxing: "Hmph!"

She carried her milk tea inside without looking back, her ponytail swishing behind her. She seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

Bo Yanchen froze in the car for three seconds, then helplessly raised a hand to rub his forehead before being wheeled out. He had barely entered the house and hadn't yet had a chance to make more of the matter when the girl pressed him down onto the sofa. Ji Chuxing swiftly used a silver needle to draw blood from his knee.

She moved so quickly that even Bo Yanchen was left helpless.

But he didn't resist in the slightest, and even Fang He was startled.

"Miss Ji, you..."

Ji Chuxing put the drop of blood into the solution in a small test tube. The blood instantly dispersed as though it had never been there. She blinked, looking innocent. "I was just curious."

Fang He: "..."

As if I'd believe that.

I even suspect you're getting back at Master for teasing you just now.

Uh, though Master really was quite a beast.

Of course, Bo Yanchen knew the girl's real purpose. At her words, he sighed softly. "It's a new type of toxin. Before this, there was no relevant information about it in the database. It's been provisionally named He Type 7-3."

The toxin was still being kept at the International Medical Alliance, but more than a dozen years had passed without a completely effective antidote being found. It could even undergo slight but significant changes in response to changes in the environment inside his body.

Ji Chuxing crouched down in front of Bo Yanchen and looked at his knee for a while.

When Bo Yanchen was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable, she raised a hand and gently touched it.

Bo Yanchen's back instantly stiffened. "Xingbao..."

A silver needle suddenly pierced Bo Yanchen's knee.

Ji Chuxing looked up at him, her expression serious. "Does it hurt?"

Bo Yanchen smiled gently. "Big brother doesn't hurt."

Ji Chuxing glanced at the sweat on his forehead. "..."

Fang He, standing beside them, felt his knees go weak.

"You're lying." Expressionless, Ji Chuxing inserted another silver needle.

Bo Yanchen's expression finally grew a little strained. "Xingbao, you need to soothe your big brother. It's starting to hurt a little."

Ji Chuxing: "..."