White Robe - Chapter 32
"I slept for quite a long time... Little Green, I'm sorry to trouble you again."
"Why are you being so polite with me, Sister Bai?" Xiao Lü gently laid me down, pulled the silk quilt over me, placed three fingers lightly on my wrist, and frowned, "What's going on... Sister Bai, did you eat the box of candy I made for you?"
I said softly, "Yun Yiyang accidentally threw the candy into the lotus pond."
"What!" Xiao Lü dropped my wrist, turned around and grabbed Yun Yiyang by the collar as he was shrinking back. Her sweet face instantly transformed into a fierce and menacing expression: "You number one idiot! Do you know that if Sister Bai had taken the Tianxiang Qingyu Pill that I specially prepared for her, her illness wouldn't be like this now! She's been coughing for a long time, which has weakened her lungs. Coupled with her heart rushing to her head and being exhausted from working all day, if she had been a few steps later, even if Sister Bai had been treated by a celestial healer, she would have suffered from hemoptysis. Do you think this is a joke?!"
Yun Yiyang's expression changed immediately after being rebuked by her: "Ah...is it...is it that serious?" His face turned even paler with anxiety.
Xiao Lü pushed his dazed body aside and said coldly, "Who do you think I am? Would I try to deceive you!" She clapped her hands a few times, and a maidservant brought over a bowl of steaming rice porridge. Xiao Lü took it, helped me up, and handed me the porridge, saying sweetly, "Sister, this is a three-nut porridge that I specially taught Bai Zhi to make. It has the effect of regulating qi, harmonizing the stomach, clearing the lungs, and relieving cough. Drink it first."
I felt bloated and had no appetite. But then I saw Xiao Lü's bright smile, as gentle as a spring breeze, so tender that I couldn't bear to disappoint her. I took the spoon and put a spoonful in my mouth. The rice was fragrant and soft, melting in my mouth. There were several kinds of nuts I didn't recognize, including peach kernels and Job's tears, as well as some plant roots. The porridge was incredibly sweet and delicious, with a rich and appetizing aroma. I kept putting it in my mouth, and before I knew it, I had swallowed most of it.
Seeing me eat the porridge with gusto, Xiao Lü was even happier and said with a smile, "If you like this porridge, I'll teach Bai Zhi to make it for you every day!" Suddenly remembering something, she asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly faint, sister? When I checked your pulse, it seemed to be due to stagnant qi and a sudden attack of anger. Did something bother you? Or was something urgent?" Hearing this, I couldn't help but blush, but I didn't answer. Of course, I couldn't say that I fainted because I saw you and Shang Shao Chang embracing; if others knew that reason, it would be incredibly embarrassing!
Seeing that I blushed and didn't answer, Xiao Lü didn't seem offended. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then laughed and said, "That's it! It must be that Sister Bai misses Xiao Lü terribly. She looks forward to seeing Xiao Lü every day, and as a result, she gets so excited when she sees me!"
I placed the empty porridge bowl on the table, stretched out my cool fingers and gently stroked Xiao Lü's cheek, patting it a few times, and said with a smile, "Yes, yes, Sister Bai thinks about Xiao Lü every day..." My gaze swept over Shang Shaochang's expressionless face, paused for a moment, and then I smiled again, "Who wouldn't think about a cute girl like Xiao Lü?"
"You! Lie down there!"
The speaker was Xia Yanliang, a renowned female physician known for her ability to treat both hot-tempered and cold-hearted patients.
We also call her Little Green, the lovely Little Green.
But the little green thing isn't cute at all now; it's actually a bit scary.
At least in Yun Yiyang's eyes!
Yun Yiyang only retorted, "Why are you being so fierce, you little girl?" He suddenly became speechless and could no longer utter a word.
Beside his neck, a gold needle as thin as a cow's hair trembled.
Without Xiao Lü raising her hand, the golden needle pierced Yun Yiyang's mute acupoint.
Little Green still smiled sweetly: "What did you say? Tell me again."
Looking at that sweet smile, Yun Yiyang felt sweat beading on his forehead.
The most difficult to deal with is her fickle nature; it's best to avoid provoking such a ruthless woman!
Xiao Lü sat on the edge of the bed, unfolding a black cloth in her hand. On the clean black cloth, there was a row of gold needles of the same size stuck in it!
Xiao Lü's slender, white fingers slowly brushed over the gold needles, as if caressing her most beloved treasure. Her usually playful and mischievous face was now adorned with a solemn and dignified expression. Her innocent eyes swept over Yun Yiyang lying on the bed, as if the young man in his twenties were merely a meaningless statue.
Suddenly, Xiao Lü flicked her hand across the black cloth, her soft, boneless fingers already holding several golden needles, which flew swiftly towards several points on Yun Yiyang's chest. The needles were incredibly fast; Yun Yiyang, terrified, tried to scream, but no sound came out. The needles had already silently pierced his body. The speed and force of the golden needles left Yun Yiyang with no way to avoid them. Once the needles were inside, Yun Yiyang's body stiffened, and he could no longer move.
Xiao Lü raised her hand again, inserting more than ten gold needles into his body. Some went in three or four inches, some five or six inches, and some went deep inside, leaving only the tip of the needle visible. I watched Xiao Lü use her gold needle technique and was so astonished that I could hardly close my mouth. I never expected that such a delicate and lovely girl could use needles to cut off pulses with such divine assistance. Her movements were swift and decisive, yet fluid and natural, like flowing water. Her graceful and skillful movements were no less than those of Su Sanshou in calligraphy, painting, and embroidery! In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yun Yiyang had thirty or forty gold needles inserted into his body. Xiao Lü finally let out a long sigh of relief. In just a short while, her fair forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. Xiao Lü wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, and with a slight lift of her wrist, removed the golden needle that had sealed Yun Yiyang's acupoint for speech. She said in a deep voice, "I will now use the technique of probing the internal organs with golden needles to check the depth of the poisoning you have suffered. If you feel unwell in a while, you must tell me everything. Do not hide anything." Her originally clear voice seemed somewhat hoarse.
Yun Yiyang's lips moved, and it took him a long time to finally say, "You...you should rest for a while."
"Just say it! Why are you so long-winded!" Xiao Lü said angrily, her eyes wide. Seeing that Yun Yiyang unexpectedly didn't retort, but instead looked at her sweaty forehead with obvious reluctance, he lowered his voice and said softly, "You big idiot, I'm fine. I need to test if the poison has invaded your internal organs so I can begin treatment. If you feel pain later, just shout it out. Don't worry, with my treatment, you'll definitely be as lively as before!" He then reached for the gold needle furthest from her chest, gently twisting it with his fingers, and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Yun Yiyang shook his head gently and said, "It doesn't hurt."
"What about this one?"
"It doesn't hurt."
...
"What about the one below?"
"It feels a little numb and itchy."
"Oh..." Little Green frowned, her finger brushing towards a golden needle five centimeters away from the main golden needle, and flicked it lightly.
"Ah!--" Before Xiao Lü could ask a question, Yun Yiyang suddenly let out a loud cry, his whole body sprang up, and then fell heavily back onto the bed. Sweat poured out like syrup, and he lay on the bed panting heavily, seemingly in great pain.
Xiao Lü seemed completely oblivious to Yun Yiyang's screams. With a flick of her wrist, a slightly thicker gold needle pierced into the side of the first gold needle, about an inch deep. She gently pressed two fingers on the puncture site, and black blood flowed from the end of the needle! The slightly thicker gold needle was hollow inside. We watched the thick black blood flow out, and we felt a chill run down our spines.
Xiao Lü casually lifted her sleeve and wiped Yun Yiyang's forehead and face a few times. Watching Yun Yiyang grit his teeth and endure the pain, determined not to cry out again, a look of reluctance appeared in her eyes. She said softly, "Does it hurt a lot? This golden needle probing technique is the most effective way to deal with your strange poison. You have to bear with it for a while longer. Once I test the toxicity, you will feel much better."
Yun Yiyang took a deep breath and managed to force a smile onto his face: "What a joke! How could I, the young master of Guiyun Manor, be afraid of such a little pain? I have thick skin and can withstand pain the most. Bring it on! If you cry out in pain, you're not a hero!"
Seeing him grimacing in pain yet stubbornly trying to act tough, Xiao Lü couldn't help but chuckle. "You big idiot," she said, "looking at you like this..." Though still cursing, she quickly changed her tone, softly adding, "If you can't bear it, it's okay to scream. Anyway... being afraid of pain doesn't necessarily make you less of a hero." With that, she plunged three more golden needles into Yun Yiyang's body. Yun Yiyang trembled, but didn't utter a sound.
Does it hurt here?
"here?"
"There's this place too?..."
...
Even though Xiao Lü inserted the needles extremely quickly, this Golden Needle Probing Technique still took a full half day. A total of twenty-three golden needles caused Yun Yiyang excruciating pain, releasing twenty-three thick, dark lines of blood. By the end, Yun Yiyang's entire body seemed soaked in water, drenched in sweat. His lips were bitten until they bled. Xiao Lü wasn't much better off; large drops of sweat slid down her cheeks, making her once rosy complexion appear somewhat pale. Xiao Lü reached out and gently stroked Yun Yiyang's body, removing the remaining twenty-odd golden needles with a single touch. After removing the needles, Xiao Lü casually pulled back a wooden chair and sat down, letting out a long sigh: "Little Yunzi, how are you feeling now?" She then wiped Yun Yiyang's face a few more times with her sleeve.
Yun Yiyang lay on the bed, letting Xiao Lü wipe him down. After the black blood was expelled, he didn't turn pale as usual due to blood loss; instead, the paleness gradually faded, replaced by a healthy dark reddish-brown. Yun Yiyang took a few light breaths; his voice was still somewhat weak, but his energy was clearly much stronger than when he was poisoned. He slowly said, "That's right. When I was poisoned, my body was weak and powerless. I always felt something heavy pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I also couldn't muster any true energy, and my limbs always felt numb and itchy, lacking strength. Although the blood-circulating power of these golden needles is domineering, they actually managed to forcefully break through the barrier of true energy. They managed to restore thirty percent of my true energy! Thirty percent!"
Seeing how excited he was, Xiao Lü couldn't help but laugh herself, teasingly asking, "Now that you know I'm better, why did you yell so loudly in the first place?"
Yun Yiyang gave Xiao Lü a deep look, noticing her flushed cheeks, as if painted with rouge, and fine beads of sweat occasionally glistening on her smooth forehead. He gritted his teeth and said in a voice almost only Xiao Lü could hear, "Your sleeves smell so good... After smelling them, the pain stopped..."
"You!..." Xiao Lü's cheeks flushed red, almost dripping with water, and she whispered, "You little brat... you didn't feel much pain just now!..." Then she raised her voice so loud that we could all hear her, "I never expected that my first time using acupuncture to treat someone's illness would be so effective. I really didn't expect it!"
"What?!" Yun Yiyang let out a scream that could be heard throughout the entire Yanliang Valley! "What?? This is the first time you've used this move on someone?"
Seeing Yun Yiyang's agonizing expression, Xiao Lü giggled and made a face: "Yeah, but the effect was pretty good, wasn't it?"